Soft Hearted Scientists
The Phantom Of Canton
An extended 3LP set, including a sidelong reprise of the album plus a side of instrumental versions. The Scientists' Nathan Hall describes the original album... "...loosely speaking, a psychedelia infused concept album of sorts, dealing with themes such as alienation, lost love, and the sometimes high personal price of obsessively pursuing creative projects, or indeed any job or calling; however, it is often very upbeat and hopeful, even joyful, and acknowledges that the highs outweigh the lows. Musically this might be the band's most ambitious yet. Even the darker songs are painted in bright colours and infused with an hallucinatory element. Electric and acoustic guitars and a vast range of keyboards and sound effects and sound events illuminate the lyrics. Influences include 1940s big band music, 1950s doo wop and rock&roll, 1960s psychedelia and folk rock, early 1970s prog rock, punk, post punk, electronic music and sound track music" Fruits de Mer's 3LP set presents the original album across four sides of vinyl and adds a sidelong 'suite' put together by Nathan and producer Frank Naughton that picks up on the themes of the individual tracks, together with another side of instrumental mixes.