After starting out as a solo vehicle, Luke Richards‘ Ubiquitous Meh! has pseudomorphed into a three-piece and that opportunity to play along with others has lent a greater range to the tracks on this under twenty-minute scamper through Luke’s excitable psyche.
His obsessive groaning synth leads glass and tinfoil drums that trip over a surfy bass-driven chariot ride. What sounds like a a duck call intersperses the ’60s spy theme of “Brainwater” while the gorgeous hypno-bass and drums of “I Identified The UFO” give it real momentum, big raspberry blasts adding texture to the incessant rhythm.
The synth and organ sounds vary greatly across the tracks and at some points sound like children’s cartoon effects, while in other there is an almost sepulchral grandeur. The drums tend to shimmer in the background, gently propelling but never overstepping and the first side is over in no time; four tracks in ten minutes or so. I was reminded of the kind of energy and simplicity of early Cramps or Fall, but it is the feel, not the sound and it is just a brief thought as they really have their own self-contained soundworld. There is something rather romantic about the sinuous rhythm of “Night-trip” that starts side two. Mainly instrumental, you see another aspect of their personality with the organ’s enthusiasm overwhelming at points and the organ sound of “Less Time More Nothing” had me searching my memory banks for an old western serial that used to be on television. Its insistence is irresistible and it makes the slow drift of closer “When You Talk I’m Listening” all the more emotive. There is an elegiac feel that suits the voices and gives just a little flutter of the heart,Short, sharp, sweet and unique, this little collection delights with repeated listening unearthing extra details. Head on over to Bandcamp and keep them rolling along.
-Mr Olivetti-
