Plutonic Rainbows

Recently I've been spending quite a lot of time with these lovely writing tools. I originally found them while on study leave in Japan and went on-line to have a look at them in more detail.

The Blackwing 602 features a very smooth and firm graphite inner. It comes in a gunmetal grey finish and also features the iconic square black eraser on the end. These erasers are replaceable. The pencils themselves last quite a long time.

These (slightly) expensive pencils come in packs of twelve and are highly recommended.

New album from purveyor of 1970s hauntology. All Hold Hands And Off We Go takes you down the (now well worn) paths traversed by The Advisory Circle and Belbury Poly. Lots of vintage electronics, ghostly children's voices and early 70s BBC radiophonic workshop vibes. This album doesn't push the genre forward in any way but maybe it's not meant to. Seatman weaves a pleasant, if disturbing spell that fans of Ghost Box will love. While it's a well-executed album, the genre is flooded with people doing this now and an uncharitable view would be that it's all starting to sound the same.

Bleep Records:

People change, but some bands never do. In the case of Future Islands, they have come back with a new album entitled, The Far Field.

A meaty streak of Born in the USA-era Springsteen cuts through singles like ‘Ran’ and ‘Cave’ as well as obvious nods to Depeche Mode and other 80s synth-pop greats. The addition of a live drummer (Michael Lowry, who initially joined the band for that now-legendary ‘Seasons’ performance) brings a groove and swing that the band has sometimes previously lacked, and one is pleasantly surprised to find Debbie Harry guesting on ‘Shadows’.

There is also a vinyl edition.

Gore-Tex City is the latest from the Swedish producer. A record of dark ambient and gothic techno.

This is the third release in the series and maybe the most inventive. Given the variation on this title, it will be interesting to see where the series goes next.