Who says that you shouldn’t meet your heroes? Ummagma did and the result is a stunning remix that also acts as the lead single for their forthcoming ‘LCD’ EP. After Robin Guthrie heard their track ‘Lama’, which originally appeared on the band’s debut album ‘Antigravity’, mutual friends put the band and the Cocteau Twins multi-instrumentalist in touch. The result is this wonderful new version of the song, which sees him not only re-arrange and re-mix the song but also add his own guitar parts into the mix.
Ummagma is a band whose unlikely back story matches and perfectly explains their mercurial music. Shauna McLarnon, a vocalist from the Yukon wilderness and Alexander Kretov, a multi-instrumentalist from small town Ukraine, met in the suburban sprawl of Moscow after pursuing many solo adventures and exploring unusual pathways. Bonding over their shared musical interests and fascinated by each other’s divergent musical backgrounds, Ummagma began as an affair with love and sound, their relationship soon developing into both a musical and factual marriage. In 2013, Ummagma won the Alternative Eurovision on Amazing Radio, representing Ukraine among 23 countries.
‘Lama’ exists in an alternate dimension of ambient drifts and sonic textures that wash over you in gentle waves and then recede back into a sonorous, twilight world of fading vapour trails of sound and vocals, seemingly found between reality and possibility. This is a sound that Guthrie and his fellow Cocteau Twins helped to pioneer and evolve throughout the 80’s – a sound that still informs much of his work, though here, his trademark feedback drenched guitar sound is used more to shimmer rather than shatter, to chime rather than slash.
Ummagma ‘LCD’ involves not only one, but two legendary musicians, the other being maverick electronic musician Dean Garcia of Curve and SPC ECO fame. Earlier this year, Ummagma co-released the ‘Winter Tale’ maxi-single with yet another 4AD dream pop pioneer – A.R.Kane.
“I grew up listening to Cocteau Twins, Curve, and so many bands from the 4AD and Creation labels, and then later introduced them to my husband. He learned of them late, having been born in the USSR. We feel incredibly honoured that Robin Guthrie and Dean Garcia have shaped several of our tracks as they personally envision them,” says Shauna McLarnon.
As a calling card for the four-track EP to follow, ‘Lama’ is a perfect sonic snapshot, capturing the band’s core sound, their ambient heart, and the often smoke-like musical sculptures they create. Dream pop, it would seem, is deliciously back on the menu.
Ummagma ‘LCD’ will be released on September 22 via Label Obscura (cassette) and Somewherecold Records (CD), and is already available for pre-order on the duo’s own Bandcamp.
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Good morning!
Hello
Hello hello!
Gidday!
Howdy folks! 🙂
Not sure there’s anyone else here. And hi.
Seems to be the way of things these days.
I’m here and lurking! Hello Darbar!
Hi Janet! There isn’t much to lurk on if nobody says anything. Haha!
I am undecided about Ummagma. I will have to give it another listen.
HI, I don’t know what to say most of the time
We need a couple of virtual extroverts who can keep the discussion going 🙂
I’m too shy to be one of those
We could use a few of those Janet.
Any Canadian bands coming near you anytime soon? What music are you listening to these days? I am working on a summer playlist and am open for suggestions. It was started last year and is already 4 hrs long but let me know what you would like to hear and I will add it if it isn’t on already.
The New Pornographers are returning to my area with Spoon in a couple of weeks. I saw them a couple of months ago, so we decided to sit this one out.
Other than that it’s mostly bands that didn’t quite come far enough, Said the Whale, and Fast Romantics both came as far as Philadelphia, and Whitehorse was in New York, but those places are a little too far for a weekday show when I have to work the next day.
It’s not exactly a new song, but Simple Pleasures by David Myles (featuring Classified) is a go-to summer jam for me.
The only thing I have planned for the next month or so is a 24 hour trip to Edinburgh on Aug 11th
Oh I like that one Janet!
I have never seen The New Pornographers and bought tickets for their October show here as soon as they came out. Now other things are happening at the same time of course. We shall see how it works out.
What’s happening in Edinburgh Garf?
I’ve always wanted to go to Edinburgh! What will you be doing there, if you don’t mind my asking?
I am meeting Ursor Minor (the Belgian member of our community) and we are going to watch Craig Ferguson host is satellite radio show live to the states
Sounds like fun!
I hope so because I haven’t booked a bed again so I need to find somewhere to hang between 5 and 9am
Craig’s show ends at 1am but there are other shows between 1 and 5am
That sounds great Garf!
I’m off for the evening, folks but will try and come up with topics for conversation for tomorrow! 🙂
Bye Janet! Sounds good. hehe
Ness was a lot of fun. Royal Canoe is just as dull to my earholes live as they are recorded, but Elliott Brood was great, as were a whole bunch of others*
Saw Pokey LaFarge at the free stage of the Jazz festival in Montreal, too. That was great. Turned my teenage son into a Pokey Lafarge fan
*Royal Canoe is a talented band; it’s just that every song they do sounds the same. Same tempo. Same (lack of) melody that doesn’t stick in my head. the same.
also saw Hawksley Workman (with a full band) at the Sask Jazz Festival, which was pretty great.
And Tami Neilson. She was a lot of fun.
I guess next will be Rodriguez since I’m not going to Gateway or driving to Brandon to see Richard Thompson
Home for a whole two days. Being home is synonymous with being here.
Sorry I have been absent so much lately.
You have been having a great summer of music krib!
Royal Canoe are far from dull for my ears and I would love to see them again. That “every song sounds the same” thing is a common feeling of a genre or band that you aren’t into. For a band one likes they don’t all sound the same. Just an observation I have had before. Royal Canoe songs are all different for my ear but there are a lot of singer/songwriters that sound all the same for me for example.
Sorry you are missing Richard Thompson. I know you were hoping to get there. I was pondering ditching my volunteer duties for RFF to head to Rodriquez but I didn’t get on it.
I am looking forward to Gateway this weekend! And Interstellar Rodeo in Wpg in August should be great too.
Hi there morgana! How have your travels been?
Morgana!
@krib Your summer of music sounds amazing and it is only half done!
I feel the same about the last album of Brood as you do Royal Canoe. Actually I can see how they each have a sound that they pretty much stick with and if you are not in that groove it would be dull. I am a bit down on the latest Brood album too, just no hook or get up and go.
yes, that’s why I said “to my earholes.” I understand that different things appeal to different people. The thing I find with Royal Canoe is they don’t write melodies that catch my ear. Braids is the same.
I’m debating going to Winnipeg for the day Beck and Rheostatics are playing, but not the whole weekend. DIdn’t buy an early bird and the price is kind of high for the entire weekend.
Although I think Beck is playing here, too
@darbar @ garfielduk
life on the road has been great, thanks for asking. It was a relief to go to the Coast for a bit as it is all hot and smokey in the interior of the province. We are not in any danger of any of the many forest fires but smoke is everywhere.
our VW Westfalia is very noisy plus no AC so windows wide open so i am pretty desperate to listen to some music.
How has your two July’s been so far?
I know krib and that is why I was saying “my ear”.
Yes Beck is in Stoon on the 20th.
Brandon’s just too far to drive for that, I think. And it’s this weekend
@morgana – That smoke made it to the prairies too so I can just imagine. I just finished working on stage crew for the musical Footloose for the last few weeks. Off to Gateway in Pistachio the Shasta this weekend.
I am very happy for the introduction to Ummagma. Cocteau Twins is a favourite band in this house. A few years back we had tickets for Robin Guthrie and Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance. They were playing in this tiny club on Granville Street in Vancouver. I ended up not being able to go, stupid work. My hubby took a friend and they not only enjoyed an intimate concert but were invited back to the tour bus and hung out with those two musical giants for a few hours!! ROMO!!!
@darbar Pistachio is going to be so much fun … oh, and Gateway of course;)
@Morgana, I’ve been following the BC fires via CBC News (Paul is covering for Ian and Andy is hosting The National this week) and I could help but worry about the ridge line visible from your house (the one you are about to remind me the name of)
Wow! Great for them but sucked for you morgana!
@galfielduk Pulpit Rock on Elephant Mountain?
@darbar i consoled my self by deciding that if I had have been there and not our multilingual friend who is terribly charming the scenario would not have played out has it had so I am just happy for them.
hmmm, the RG remix does not seem to be on Spotify … many others just not that one.
I have half an hour to crank out a few more chores and then head to work.
Tunes cranked and fingers off the keyboard.
Until tomorrow friends.
well, guess if I want to see Beck, I’m drivin’ to Winnipeg.
Toontown is sold out
You can try to win tickets from Exclaim for Interstellar Rodeo.
http://exclaim.ca/contests/article/interstellar_rodeo-win_vip_weekend_getaway
done and done!