R.R. Hearse fits into no category previously explored. Grainy, it’s a record that some will find difficult to grapple with. Nevertheless it’s a bold move and a statement of both confidence and intent from June.
In the last few years my zeal for minimal synth has diminished. I still love it, but the volume of releases, the constant deluge became too much. Despite the flood, the romance attached to the genre has never faded. Add a decent dollop of obscurity, a dash of Mediterranean, and that romance is amplified.
Lambros Tsamis is a Greek artist who was active in the early 80s. He worked with a number of acts and Call Of Oedipus (1981 – 2013) collects his work as R.R. Hearse and other collaborations.
This isn’t friendly electro wave or synth pop, this is an EP of heart wrenching rejection and guttering disappointments. All music for this mini album has been taken from live recordings over the past three decades. “Endless Sleep (Extended Version)” by S/M, one of Tsamis’ group incarnations, is lonely and lovelorn, a seam of sorrow being the backbone of the A-Side. “Dark” is a dusty recording, fear and feedback filled. “Far” is jarring, guitar strings and distortion over almost inaudible vocals. “Eclipse” is perhaps the easiest to get a handle of. A steady crusty drum keeps time as vocals attack in looping dives. “Suicidal” is of a similar digestible nature. Jarring, synths spookily spike as feeble rhythms float.
Call Of Oedipus marks a new step for June Records. To date the mainstays of the label have been the eponymous founder and partner in crime Trenton Chase. True, the doors were opened further with DimDj and a recent compilation, but R.R. Hearse fits into no category previously explored. Grainy, it’s a record that some will find difficult to grapple with. Nevertheless it’s a bold move and a statement of both confidence and intent from June, one that will hopefully lay the groundwork for more digging in the lost analogue annals of Athens.
Call Of Oedipus (1981 – 2013) is available on June. [Facebook]
