ERS005 – Nick Nicely – Wrottersley Road

 

 

 

The return of Nick Nicely is one of music’s good stories.   After gaining cult status from a series of superb early 80s singles, disillusionment led to retreat.  These songs however, continued to resonate, leading to the acclaimed collection of his music on the Psychotropia album in 2004 (rereleased 2010 on Cherry Red) and the recent Captured Tracks “Elegant Daze” compilation highlighted further Nick’s timeless Electro-Psych mastery to today’s generation of lo-fi psychedelic explorers.

 

In 2012 he shared live bills with such luminaries as John Maus, Maria Minerva and Ariel Pink and the recent cassette album release on Burger Records, Lysergia, sold out instantly and proved his vision to be resonant.    It is from this album that Wrottersley Road is taken.

 

The echo of South London times previously visited on the 1982 classic, Hilly Fields, runs through out Wrottersley Road.   This elegy is wrapped in a swirl of dense psychedelic haze, with phased guitar, deep backbeat, all capped with Nicely’s characteristic haunting refrain – a wistful melody for worlds distant, lives out of time…and blue crystals.

 

Backed with remixes from newpsych masters, The Oscillation (who co-release Wrottersley on their All Time Low label) as well as two drone heavy mixes from Invisible Hands, the acid dial is turned up to 11.

 

With a new live show, two recent sold out releases on the esteemed Fruits de Mer label and guest vocals to come for Seahawks next opus, Nicely is perfectly placed to surf the new psych zeitgeist.