HARE
Free Together (Runfast; CD)
     Colin Hare needs little introduction here. Protégé of Joe Meek, former member of Honeybus and creator of UK troubadour classic March Hare, the man is obviously experiencing something of a belated second wave, inspired no doubt by recent live reunion with Pete Dello and a rash of TV shows and books feverishly re-appraising the work of Honeybus.
     The 33 years since his last album have been kind to Hare's voice and guitar playing as this, the first of two new albums, proves. The unique vocal inflections of March Hare are intact and his melodic flair hasn't dimmed. The opening title track sets the tone of the album perfectly with Hare's suck 'n' blow harmonica ushering in a lilting, countrified tune with acoustic guitars to the fore. 'Without Fear' features a deliberately throaty, strained vocal refrain and some Zen social commentary; 'Drinkin' And Stinkin'' revisits 'Cowboy Joe' territory with it's Dylan-esque humour and unfussy, acoustic presentation; 'Waiting' is full of the circular chord changes that typified March Hare cuts like 'Bloodshot Eyes' or 'Find Me'; the simple '60s pop of 'Mercy' would've been perfectly at home on Honeybus' Story album. At the other extreme, 'Impossible' is a catchy-as-hell piece of Bangles-style 80's bubblegum featuring Colin's daughter Emily on lead vocals. Sounds impossible? Well, it works! Only on the hideously out of place supper-club disco of 'Goddess In You' does one begin to ask whether the influence of those Chris Rea albums should have been left out of the equation.
     My only beef here is that several perfectly good tracks are marred by the use of synthetic drums that render them rather sterile and only serve to hammer home the DIY recording methods involved. If Hare had either used a live drummer or dispensed with rhythm tracks altogether he would not only have made the whole album a lot friendlier on the ear but also further brought out the organic nature of the material.
     Still, Free Together is a welcome and long overdue return from one of our greatest unsung singer/songwriters.
www.colinhare-and-honeybus.co.uk
Andy Morten

THE INDIKATION 
Don't Send Us No Flowers (Larsen; 7" EP)
     Once again France's dynamic Larsen label coughs up the goods on this brand new EP from Norway's finest, and one of the best groups fixated with mid-'60s beat around on the scene today, The Indikation. Here they come up with two cool songs of their own, 'Three Little Words' and the superior 'Swedish Girl' which has swirling organ drifting through the mix and a neat melody that keeps coming back. London's Toe Rag studio was the recording venue, so it's no surprise that they delve into some UK flower-mod-psych-pop by way of a good cover of the Fresh Windows' exquisite '67 ditty 'Fashion Conscious'. And they've not forgotten their lessons in class US garage as they tackle 'Don't Send Me No Flowers (I Ain't Dead Yet)', originally done way back in 1965 by The Breakers, via Pebbles Volume 12. Liam Watson's deft production touches ensure that this is another winning slab of modern beat wax. I'm still waiting to hear The Indikation's first full-length album, apparently out now on Misty Lane's Teen Scene imprint, but I hope to remedy that situation soon…meanwhile I'll just continue spinning this little sucker.
Lenny Helsing

SKY 'SUNLIGHT' SAXON AND THE SEEDS 
Red Planet, The Visitors (Rogue; CD)
     From listening to this new album over the last few days - after witnessing Sky Saxon & The Seeds live in Aberdeen and Glasgow - it's clear to me that this is, without doubt, the strongest and one of the most enjoyable sets that Sky 'Sunlight' Saxon has put his name to in a very long time. If you make the purchase you, dear reader, will find upon listening that Sky Saxon's new bunch of Seeds can really withstand the pressure of holding up such a legendary name in the world of 1960s garage-punk-psychedelia. '101 Colorized Bottles' gets things moving, Sky and the group already taking you where you hoped this platter would go. The Seeds gel together instantly and the playing and singing are truly dynamic. 'Let Her Sting' is the great 'She's Wrong' in a modern disguise; first heard on the Seeds' 1977-released compilation LP Fallin Off The Edge. Throughout Red Planet, a mess of low-end fuzz and squeaky organ weaves through three and four-note riffs, atop which the unmistakable Sky Saxon does his best to let you know he is still very much here, and, on the strength of the triumphant 'Fools On Capital Hill' - a socio-economic diatribe aimed squarely at the White House (who else?), and 'Uncertainty' - with its "who's the best, East or West…" refrain, to say nothing of the thumping, stuttering 'Cracking Ice', really means business. Obviously the voice of Sky Saxon 2004 is somewhat lower in register than in days of yore, and he doesn't yelp, scream, snarl or howl like a 1967 hippie-child banshee anymore, but he is still both commanding and convincing to this listener. 
     'The Cynical Watcher Mr Peep' is pure Future-style Seeds, the real flower-power gear, which then roars off into a nice harder-edged twist to keep us on our toes. 'Violet Ray' and 'Judge With A Bomb' are heavier-sounding messages, the latter almost losing itself in a whirlpool of muddy echo. 'Coming Home' which closes the album is seven-or-eight minutes long, a lover's lament played out on acoustic guitar, very different to the rest of Red Planet, The Visitors. All in all then a terrific long-player deserving of the name Sky 'Sunlight' Saxon and The Seeds.
http://www.skysunlightsaxon.com/
http://www.skysaxonandtheseeds.com/
Lenny Helsing