Oddball, vibrant, and made for the sheer love of music, Sub Marine Dreams (Eelshock Records) is the latest cracker from Seas Of Mirth, the Nottingham collective whose joyful energy, clever silliness and woozy whimsy is served up with extremely accomplished musicianship. Ink (Do The Blollop) and Happy Hour At El Squid Diablo are just two of the enticing titles on a record stuffed with musical exotica (from bouzouki to xylophone), its rhythms nicked from Latin, disco and prog. It’s as if Gogol Bordello and The Lennon Claypool Delirium teamed up to soundtrack Spongebob Squarepants – dive in!
Malcolm Galloway is best known as a member of Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, but excels as a classical/minimalist composer in his own right. His three-track EP Wasp 76b (malcolmgalloway.bandcamp.com) is another compelling delve into his intricate soundworld where delicate piano, crystalclear synths and flautando strings abound. His 40-minute piece The Haber Process is utterly mesmerising: simple motifs on marimba, keys and guitar rub and chime together, transporting you to another space entirely. You’ll wonder where the time went.