Co-founder of the famed Monochrome Set, guitarist Lester Square continues his exploration of potential soundtrack music with the rangy ‘Serotonin’ CD.
The Sci-Fi sweep of organ and beeping high notes in ‘Cassini Godspeed’ puts the listener in mind of the vertiginous skyscrapers of films like ‘Blade Runner’, punctuated by tense, twangy guitar.
The pleasing jangle of ‘Blake’s Dream’, with its cool handling of the treble strings has a love song feel; a sudden stop, trumpets come in, and with crashing, surging guitars and a crystal clear lead guitar, the dream is revealed. The urgency of guitar and the fugitive piping of flutes sit together well with the overall pastoral feel of ‘Serotonin’, the best-realised mood piece in this selection.
The marching rhythm and strong guitar resonance suit ‘Privates on Parade’ perfectly, with electric piano and trumpet ramping up the Edwardian feel, and a touch of humour lightening the mood. Criss-cross riffing and booming, romantic guitar stylings lead us into ‘Pachelbel’s Pistol’, a Western-themed adventure in sound, with all the excitement of that film genre.
The peaceful and contemplative sitar riff leads the listener to think an Eastern adventure may be in the offing, but as the macho tonality of lead guitar joins the throng, these two apparent opposites are seamlessly reconciled in ‘Prime Time (Cowboys and Indians)’, in a satisfying sonic legend of the Wild West. The savannah strings and guitar tonality of ‘Shaken Not Stirred’ successfully mixes up the spy/western themes, but perhaps the former could have been explored more for the sake of difference. The breezy lead guitar, trip drums and organ wind of ‘L’Olivarie’ suggest an opulent setting, with hints of mystery and tension in the scratchy guitars that overlay it.
Lester’s ambition to assemble fifty guitarists for one thunderous track is realised, at least in the overall effect, in ’50 Guitars’ winding, hypnotic riff, evoking nothing less than incense climbing the sheer walls of some great temple. The guitars climb further, trumpets blare out, strings fly ever upwards in a glorious and sophisticated piece.
In complete contrast to all else, ‘White Christmas’ captures the essence of a child’s experience of the festive season, using children’s voices, background TV noises, jangling bells and carols, and with the mad, bad world of conflict, oppression and war alluded to in background noise, safely out of reach.
Recline in your Eames chair, sip a long, cold drink and take the time to tune in to Lester’s broad, sweeping travelogue of sound.
Serotonin
by The Fifty Guitars of Lester Square
Digital Album Here
Streaming + Download
Pre-order of Serotonin. The moment the album is released you’ll get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
releases July 1, 2018
01. Cassini Godspeed
02. Blake’s Dream
03. Serotonin
04. Privates On Parade
05. Pachelbel’s Pistol
06. Prime Time (Cowboys and Indians)
07. Shaken Not Stirred
08. L’Olivarie
09. 50 Guitars
10. White Christmas
Scenester
24/5/18
