Under the Radar: Weird Wave

Most labels celebrating important anniversaries simply celebrate with a compilation, but Lost Map Records founder Johnny Lynch (aka Pictish Trail) has always plotted his own course. To celebrate his first decade, he invited seven artists from acts he has released since 2013 (including Eagle Owl, Savage Mansion and Kid Canaveral) to his HQ on the Isle of Eigg to spend a week writing and recording their eponymous album (out on transparent splatter vinyl on 6 October).

Beginning with a collective playlist, described as a sonic moodboard, the band set up their instruments in a circle in the main hall of the island’s youth hostel, arriving at their creative destination a week later. The magical mix of seven songs hints at their musical meeting points, including Tom Tom Club, LCD Soundsystem and the B52s, as well as an occasional nod to Primal Scream in mellow mode.

Things climax with the current single, Astral Difficulties/Weird Wave, a rousing Krautrock opus whose nine-and-half minutes seems to reach their conclusion in no time. Catch Lost Map Presents: Weird Wave live at the Howling Fling Festival on Eigg on 4 August, Edinburgh’s Summerhall on 15 August, Green Man on 17 August and Krankenhaus Festival at Muncaster Castle on 26 August. See https://youtu.be/MzaRCrqUyHw

Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run music industry seminar and social night Born To Be Wide, www.borntobewide.co.uk Find them on Twitter @olafwide and @newfoundsound

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