Wig Out!

 

ATA Records ‎- The Library Archive Vol.1 [ATA 020 UK 2020 FLAC]

The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express (Theme From The Watcher).

Everything released on ATA is written and guided by the label heads Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who frequently dip their toes in the Library pond while working on other projects. These occasional one-off tracks have accumulated over the past few years and have now found a home on the first volume of an ongoing series : The Library Archive.

Recorded using the same techniques and equipment used to create the now legendary catalogues of music sold to the film and television industry of the 60's & 70's, The Library Archive could easily sit alongside the plain minimalist covers of KPM or Telesound.

The fierce brass of Whack, Slap & Blow and Kaye Okay could both be Keith Mansfield cuts, acting as a theme tune to a glamorous Saturday night tv show circa 1972. Duck Strut is a cheeky slice of bass driven Brit-funk, muted horns and flute adding an element of Quincy Jones amongst the grooving drums and percussion. The Needle Nose, Midnight Heist and Wiretap are the more cinematic tracks on the album. Moody and atmospheric, they conjure up images of dark alleys, shadowy figures and dead letter drops. Wigged Out channels the wonky organ weirdness of Italian library legends I Marc 4 while Nuclear Wind I & II use Moog and Mellotron as electronic counterpoint to ethereal voices. Siren's Sea's acoustic interlude conjures up images of distant clifftops, gossamer vocals enticing you onto the rocks before album closer Planet Nine traverses the cosmos. 

01  Whack, Slap & Blow
02  Duck Strut
03  The Needle Nose
04  Wiretap
05  Wigged Out
06  Nuclear Wind I
07  Kaye Okay
08  Siren Sea
09  Midnight Heist
10  Nuclear Wind II
11  Planet Nine