Colin Cowan and the Elastic Stars
Spring Myths (Independent)

There’s some kind of magic burning in the late hours at the Lido. Judging from the releases trickling out of there, the artistic haven seems to be a place where the technological distraction and hyperbole of modern art are stripped away. This reveals a staggering weirdness that rests deep in the absurdity of everyday life, reflected by the dark underbelly of pop music.

Produced by Malcolm Biddle in the same studio where Dada Plan recorded The Madness Hides, on the same 8-track tape recorder with no help from contemporary computer technology, Spring Myths highlights bassist Colin Cowan’s aesthetic. The Elastic Stars are practically nonexistent here, making the third installment in Cowan’s seasonal tetralogy almost a purely solo effort, yet his sound has never been bigger. You could slip “I’ll Masquerade It” into the Beatles’ Abbey Road, and easily convince listeners it’s a bonus track.

“One Let Go” nods toward the creepy folk-noir style of Timber Timbre, while the contrast of spaced-out synths and acoustic guitar on “Where What Loves Me” lend it an obscure ’60s psych vibe, like White Noise or United States of America. The album’s centrepiece is “Psychedelic Lido Heaven”, a perfectly titled jam that teases sparse electric guitar, echo-laden drums, and deep Cowan vocals that sound like Leonard Cohen on a bad acid trip (at least up to the three-minute mark, when the bass kicks in to drive the choir hook up to the next level).

Miraculously, Spring Myths is consistently weirder than his two previous albums, yet holds together better stylistically than both of them, demanding to be played from start to finish.