BCMC - Stash

26.6.26 - Black Vinyl LP

On Stash, the absolutely energy-drenched second album from BCMC, the guitar and keys duo soar through waves of pleasant rhythmic turbulence on the way to show us just what they got.

Maybe it's in the DNA between Cooper Crain on organ and synth and Bill MacKay on guitar. BCMC's groove-based understanding/space-based alignment of purpose is two headed (four-handed) intuition in music, aurally forming whenever playing, composing, improvising, or all the above. Stash is part guitar and keyboard recital, part unbridled electroacoustic assembly of spontaneous international deep and wide sounds. Happening between them, somehow. Like the time: guitar and keyboard pushing, then pulling back in space. The sound of two people agreeing on this.

Also in Stash - written things, shorter strands, riffs, prog/funk/church organ breaks, psychedelic blues-rock soloing on synth. Echoes of Floyd/Doors/Deep Purple/Iron Butterfly/Velvets/Can wove into a jangly nest, then trembled with an occasional British folk peregrination. Insistent chord/rhythm discovery: jam it out. Having taped, take a second pass in places.

Drop the needle down into Stash anywhere. You find one sonic widescreen or another in time. Vivid, judiciously tripped minimalist songs; tropical soundtrack capacity and time, horizons and water flown in from the border, fine frontier and mellow high.

Stash was recorded on half-inch eight-track tape by Greg Norman at Electrical Audio, then recorded more and mixed to half-track two-inch at Sweat Loge by Cooper and Bill. Stash's different textural feel is down to wondering about, then dialling details in the sound, getting good signal in a few good spaces with a few new (old) machines in the chain.