Soft Hearted Scientists‘ latest album “The Phantom Of Canton” demanded to be released on vinyl, but we had to wait until we could offer something more than a straight 12″ version of the CD. Fortunately, now we can — with an extended 3xLP set, including a sidelong reprise of the album plus a side of instrumental versions.
The Scientists‘ Nathan Hall describes the original album:
“…loosely speaking, a psychedelia infused concept album of sorts, dealing with themes such as alienation, lost love, and the sometimes high personal price of obsessively pursuing creative projects, or indeed any job or calling; however, it is often very upbeat and hopeful, even joyful, and acknowledges that the highs outweigh the lows.
Musically this might be the band’s most ambitious yet. Even the darker songs are painted in bright colours and infused with an hallucinatory element. Electric and acoustic guitars and a vast range of keyboards and sound effects and sound events illuminate the lyrics.
Influences include 1940s big band music, 1950s doo wop and rock&roll, 1960s psychedelia and folk rock, early 1970s prog rock, punk, post punk, electronic music and sound track music“
Fruits de Mer‘s 3xLP set presents the original album across four sides of vinyl and adds a sidelong ‘suite‘ put together by Nathan and producer Frank Naughton that picks up on the themes of the individual tracks, together with another side of instrumental mixes.
More news soon…
Fruits De Mer Records states: “The band’s latest and rather wonderful album, only available on CD until now, we’ve extended it to three LPs, including a sidelong ‘suite’ and instrumental mixes.”
Pre-Order “The Phantom Of Canton” here: Webshop | Bandcamp
Tracklist:
01. A Phantom Hello
02. The Phantom of Canton
03. Foxgloves Song
04. Hello, Hello
05. Fly By Dragonfly
06. Approaching the Canyon
07. The Canyon (Smile of the Sun Eyed Woman)
08. Wonder Girl
09. The Cloud Parade
10. The Trapdoor Opens
11. Trapdoor in the Sky
12. The Laws of Physics
13. The Cloud Parade (Submarine Reprise)
14. Song For My Sunflower
15. Golden Times
16. A Phantom Farewell