In the world
of Karma, with bad news eventually comes good, and that was certainly true
following the news that Ashley Cooke would be ceasing recording under the name
of Pulco. After almost twenty years Ash
has decided to move on under a new moniker more appropriate to the music he is
now making. A final album, Artzoo will
be released later this year and the recent Silex EP will be the last as
Pulco.
His new
project as the alter ego Chow Mwng, has just released an EP entitled Better
Than Teletext and sees his creative juices flowing as effervescently as
ever. With work on an album already
underway, fans of Cooke need not despair.
The King is
dead, long live the King.
Pulco –
Silex EP (Recordiau Prin)
Vinyl (sold out) / CD / DL
8.5 / 10
Out Now
Kicking off with Silex–Moose, the
final EP from Pulco is as unpredictable as ever. With a continuous guitar riff and Ash Cooke’s
almost random vocals it sounds like the bastard son of The Fall, but
better. Oral meanderings and general
chaos reign in a peculiarly addictive track which relies on content rather than
quantity as it skips through little over two glorious minutes. The melody will take some shifting once heard
and may become a pleasantly annoying earworm as the line ‘like rats in a run’ enters
and continues to the end.
A Design For Dogs once again has
some marvellous guitar work with a crunching bass line nestled behind the main
focus. There are those slightly off-key
moments that make Pulco almost human and a delight to hear – the terms ‘lo-fi’
and ‘D.I.Y.’ suiting him perfectly as he continues to fly the flag for his comrades.
Stupid Films has a rapid fire
percussion and a comfortingly dulcet vocal with wonderfully improvised
guitars. Becoming a progressive
instrumental after an initial commercial entrance, electronic effects zoom in
and out like a Sega console on acid. Closing
with The Gaffer it’s easy to become slightly sentimental as Pulco becomes as
commercial as we would like to be. A
racing post-punk repetition and intricate vocal ramblings see him at his best.
For fans, it’s easy to see that
Pulco has developed over two decades and the decision to transform is both
brave and compelling.
Chow Mwng –
Better Than Teletext EP (Recordiau Prin)
DL
Out Now
8.5 / 10
Ever
wondered why no-one seems to record voices that sound like they are coming from
four feet under water? Ponder no more,
Ash Cooke has entered the Tardis and regenerated from Pulco to the absolutely engrossing
Chow Mwng. Four tracks on his debut EP
set the standard so high that’s it’s difficult to see where he’ll go next –
although this is often the beauty and fascination of the man.
First track Useless
Hands Pt 1 sees the darkwave synths characteristic to this new set play an
integral part as the bass line marches on with the strangely beautiful gargled
vocals. Midway through there’s a voice
in the background that sounds like an Italian John Motson (who knows what it is
and who cares?). Cooke evokes immense
feeling in the track and it’s obvious that Chow Mwng has been bursting to break
free for quite some time.
Digital Eyes
tips its cap in the direction of 80s alternative synth, the vocals adding a
sound of the future or maybe 50s and 60s sci-fi TV. A swing beat journeys the track along and it’s
surprisingly addictive as Cooke almost serenades the listener, whilst Monotone
has a strong krautrock feel with a slightly commercial edge.
EP closer,
Automation sees an electro post-punk John Lydon-esque PiL enunciation which soon
morphs into the freeform Cooke that fans love and crave. Vocals descend into an almost silence as the bass
line gurgles to a close.
Exciting
times ahead for the former Pulco man.
All is not lost.
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