Cutout Joconde - Compost Mentis
For this debut EP, Cutout Joconde is effectively singing multi-instrumentalist Elliott Johnson accompanied by a cohort of – mainly Norfolk-based – guests. Although not a concept per se, the songs are linked lyrically by references to houseplants, weeds, trees, ponds and the Green Man. Fittingly, the music has a bucolic, arcadian if slightly psychedelic feel to it. There are big hints of Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd and The Kinks circa … Village Green Preservation Society, along with suggestions of King Creosote’s Fence Collective and hauntologists Broadcast. In places, there are deadpan spoken word vocals not dissimilar from the likes of Dry Cleaning or Wet Leg.
There isn’t a weak song here but the eight minute closer Some Thoughts On The Common Toad is the highlight of the five tracks, going from dreamy, melancholic chamber-pop to rousing rock. Johnson is putting together a band to perform this live, which can only be a good thing. In the meantime, this EP is a captivating introduction to what could be something rather special.
8/10
Available on Bandcamp at £4, purchasers can pay more with all proceeds over the price tag going to Rewilding Britain. A limited vinyl run is promised for later in the year and will be stocked by Soundclash and Lowell.
