Rhondda Records' Shop
A semi fictional tale about life in 2015, Jay and
his ever expanding circle of friends travel all
over Wales, the Canaries and even Slough seeking
out answers to the mysteries of local planning
laws, permaculture, ancient standing stones, the
phenomenons of Lydia, and how to catch barbel.
Join them in their revolutionary and laconic
quest – Lunar Love and the Elephant Stones.....
£5.95
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Foreword Jon Dathen
I have known Vic Doyle, the creator of this book,
who strides through its pages as ‘Jay,’ as many
things: school friend, fishing companion,
drinking buddy, lead guitar to my bass, eco-
warrior, fellow stone circle hunter and now as
an author. The words in The Elephant Stone
radiate direct from Vic’s core, expressing his
thoughts, ambitions, reflections, hopes and
memories. Vic’s spirit is in this book. Reading
it is an experience similar to chatting with Vic
in his kitchen overlooking the Rhondda Valley.
So, is The Elephant Stone biography or fiction?
Yes, it is both. When we remember we change the
past to suit our understanding of ourselves. As
we hope for the future we plan ahead and
fantasise. The present is as fleeting as the
space between a tick and a tock. A single breath
contains many presents, all alive with potential,
as well as many variant understandings of past
and current events. As The Elephant Stone ranges
into the future it is still ‘true.’ In the
consciousness of everyone who reads it, the story
will become a memory, a dream or an anecdote,
and so exist in many inner realities, as a living
thought stream, to be celebrated, dismissed or
relived. If you have thought of something it is
real. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.
The other characters brought alive in the
Elephant Stone, I can vouch for as they are
friends, old and new. In these pages they are
given mythic life, becoming symbols and story
facilitators, while remaining essentially
themselves. The places mentioned are there to
be explored. Go and see them.
Time is not linear, it is a spiral. The past
intrudes into the present and the future as an
influence, as memories, dreams, poetic
inspirations or subtle subconscious
preconceptions. In the best sense, Lunar Love
and the The Elephant Stone is not a normal book.
It weaves from the past, through the present and
into the future, mixing reality with ‘magical
truth,’ that greater truth which, while not
literal, strikes a ‘true’ chord in the inner
mind. The effect is to create a modern Welsh
myth, which is not only timeless but timely. In
future days the tale of the elephant stone will
be a part of Rhondda folklore, a story told and
retold over mugs of tea and pints of ale.
Jon D
Death Pop
The Siege of Sebastopol
Twinkle Records £7.99
Available from www.deathpop.org.uk
The Siege of Sebastopol is the first album from
Death Pop - a powerful and often sleazy
collection of songs trawled from a 25 year
career, the outpourings of a degenerate soul,
but you'll find no cliches here, no new punk
skateboard tourist nonsense, these guys gig
with the likes of Glen Matlock and Jayne County,
this is music from the urban swamplands of the
London-Bristol Corridor.
Gratuitous layers of industrial grade feedback
opens and closes the album, less than
reassuring "love" songs invite innocents to
join the singers troubled world, brass sounding
instruments drill holes into riffs and rythm
walls of sound while Fry on mangles his vocal
chords through a blues harp on a dirty street
corner. Their taster EP earlier this year was
titled "Bush Meat" 3 diverse tracks recorded
straight after their second gig after a 20 year
gap, it's grinding guitars and analogue mix
show the way, this full 13 track album takes
the listener down a continuum of rock rythms
from 60s punk garage, through to chilling 50s
rockabilly lessons via Dennis Nilsen and David
Lynch. the album fuses a wall of classic british
punk riffs with echoes of 60s Americana, like
the albums title they invade nations with
uncompromised and dangerous rock music, stamping
their opposition and supporters simultaneously
into the battlefield mud. This is music as it
should be: loud guitars, churning bass, tribal
drums, jazz saxophone and cracked vocals,
drawing inspiration from 50 years of rock ‘n’
roll and 80 years of blues. Music you can feel,
from the place where punk becomes voodoo.
This is uncooked bush meat.
Now available on CD from selected stores, the
band website www.deathpop.org.uk, and download
from itunes, Amazon, 121 musicstore and more.
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