Various Artists - Kernowbeat Vol. 1 (Krautpop 
Records)
Release Date: Out Now
As a rule, I tend not to review compilations unless they are Christmas themed but when the excellent people at Krautpop Records put together a collection of, in their own words, 'obscure words from the Cornish underground' it is nigh on impossible to resist. 'Kernowbeat Vol. 1' gets underway with the spaced out sounds of the Heavenly Bodes and their meandering track 'Woollen Blood' which takes almost half of its five minute length to emerge from the swampy morass into something more akin to a song but still vividly resembling a pot-infused freak out.
'Lamps' by Thin Walls rattles along with some intense Haight-Ashbury energy as the melodies and vocals come in and out of focus like you're holding a kaleidoscope to your ear. B Spanks continues the 70s vibes with the bluesy rattle of 'Worm In Your Apple' while 'No Thanks!' by Booyah Settlement crosses the streams of T Rex and Mungo Jerry to create a scratchy, bouncing slice of Glam tinged rock'n'roll on a lo-fi budget. Pallet's 'Horseback' is a Doors-esque roam in the desert with spiraling guitars and a wash of cymbals before 'Restless Leg' by Father Throat goes a little more dreamy and spacey on us with a significantly darker underbelly.
The whole vibe of this collection is one of a lost night on Bodmin Moor but just when this lost night was is anyone's guess. The Heavenly Bodes are back with a second track, 'Captain Bligh', which sounds like they are tinkering and creating like madmen in the basement before Thin Walls' second offering, 'Wherrytown', provides a dark, synth-heavy, 80s inspired ode to the Cornish village. The acoustic strum and vocals of 'The Crowd' by The Vile Grass creates a cross between early Nirvana demos and the Brian Jonestown Massacre but 'Magic Attack' by Dino Moves is a more hectic, punky affair which sounds like the Undertones or early Ash. Penultimate track 'Penryn Surgery 2' but the Tantric Tantrums is a fuzzed up and buzzed out joyride that doesn't slow down for pedestrians but final track, Father Throat's second offering 'Feelin' Fine', is a two minute jam that washes over you with a calm and serene energy that could only come from living in and around Cornwall.
More information:
Krautpop Records - https://www.facebook.com/Krautpop.uk
The Heavenly Bodes - https://www.instagram.com/theheavenlybodes/
B Spanks - https://www.facebook.com/B.SPANK
Booyah Settlement - https://www.facebook.com/thebooyahsettlement
Pallet - https://www.instagram.com/pallet.band/
The Vile Grass - https://www.instagram.com/thevilegrass/
Dino Moves - https://www.instagram.com/dinomoves/
The Tantric Tantrums - https://www.instagram.com/the_tantric_tantrums/