13. Stars In BattledressIn Droplet Form
Here’s a thing. I genuinely think this is one of my favourite albums of all time, and it’s such an honour to put it out on my label. Whatever pathetic little label Believers Roast might be, to get to have a record like this on it was almost the whole reason to start it up in the first place. I’ve known James Larcombe since he was nine years old, I’ve known [Richard Larcombe] since he was 16. I was in Plymouth, and Richard was going out with a friend of mine. She said, "You must meet my boyfriend, he likes Cardiacs and Voivod." I was like, "Wait a minute, the only person I know who likes Cardiacs and Voivod is me. I’ve got to meet this guy." I think he’s extraordinarily talented. I almost feel humbled knowing him as a friend.
When he and James started playing together in the late 90s, it was everything I’ve been looking for. And they’re so unprolific. They made one album in 2000 and then nothing until now. I’m so glad they finally got this second album made. It’s absolutely unbelievable. It was like discovering music again. It’s so spectral and otherworldly. Again, it exists completely on its own terms and is so confident in its strangeness. In a way, it’s a shame that neither of them are committed to being self-publicists or pushing the band – it’s just this thing that they do. The problem they’ve always had, playing with rock bands, is that people talk over them. But if you ever see them live they’re one of the most incredible live acts. How that record sounds, that’s exactly how they sound live.
Almost no one is writing music to this level of perfection. When the dust settles on this whole modern music trip, this will be one of the albums that shines through. Or it will be buried. And who knows how many other terrific records are buried because the band aren’t really a bunch of show-offs?
