For their debut album, Kugelschreiber distil a different kind of sound than their past entanglements might suggest. The core trio of Sharron Fortnam (North Sea Radio Orchestra, Shrubbies, Lake of Puppies, with Cardiacs’ William D. Drake), ‘Chip Cummins’ (the fantastic drummer from the current Gong line-up) and James Larcombe (NSRO, Stars in Battledress), are joined here by guests such as Mike Vennart (Oceansize, Empire State Bastard), Mark Holub (Led Bib), Rob Crow (Pinback, Heavy Vegetable, Goblin Cock) and Sarah Measures (The Monsoon Bassoon). This low-key supergroup of sorts exploits a winning formula of infectious keyboard and percussive grooves that’s consistently emotionally affecting and at times outright psychedelic. Fortnam’s vocals also featured on the final Cardiacs album, Guns, and although Kugelschreiber’s album differs in many respects from late Cardiacs’ sound, there’s a wide-eyed sense of wonder and unabashed joy that’s closer to Tim Smith’s vision than perhaps anything else I’ve heard since his passing.
The lyrics draw parallels between scientific theories and descriptions of human interactions, but manage to maintain a delightful buoyancy throughout. There’s a lightness, in keeping with the poppy aspect of these tunes, that doesn’t sacrifice depth. The folk flavours of Fortnam’s work with North Sea Radio Orchestra are not entirely absent, as evidenced by opener, ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoe’, with its use of flute and glockenspiel. Yet even here, her distinctive Yorkshire-accented vocal seems to be seeking out a different kind of territory. Initially constructed by Fortnam for bass guitar and three-part harmony, these songs all share a naturally flowing and emotionally uplifting structure. ‘Elasticine’ exhibits a kind of off-the-cuff swing that bodly asserts itself two-thirds of the way through. ‘Fuck Symmetry’ underpins powerful vocal harmonies with a persistent hurdy gurdy drone. On ‘(me x u) ≠ (u x me)’, Fortnam’s gorgeous vocal rides a wave of synths and a pulsating bassline to a plateau of pure euphoria. The track playfully poses questions about a romantic relationship in terms usually associated with scientific inquiry: “Do you alter at an atomic scale, if I move the ground beneath your feet?”
If I’ve one slight criticism, it’s that the best songs are so far out in front of their lesser (but still great) siblings that it makes me wonder what this band might be capable of in future. Closer ‘Hold On, Space Cadet!’ is undeniably the highlight. Beginning in media res with the kind of jubilant vocal melody that you might expect a band to work up to, the track is a wonderful journey through space and time that comes apart in the middle only to reconstitute itself, as if passing through the wormhole described in the lyrics. It finishes on an absolutely banging chorus-like ending. Cheerleaders is undeniably one of my stand-out albums so far this year, but its final track might just be my favourite piece of music of 2024.
