We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Unit 21

by Spectralate

supported by
tomemlyn
tomemlyn thumbnail
Andrew Ronald Gray
Andrew Ronald Gray thumbnail
nebogwbwl
nebogwbwl thumbnail
Richard H Morgan
Richard H Morgan thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. Paying supporters also get unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app.
    Purchasable with gift card

      name your price

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Unit 21 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 1 day

      £7 GBP or more 

     

1.
Barmecide 04:16
2.
Attic Salt 02:55
3.
The Death of an Ordinary Man 02:10
4.
Parthian Shot 04:14
5.
Viridescent 02:45
6.
The Torrid Zone 03:37
7.
Zigzag as Lightning 03:29
8.
Ananias 03:03
9.
Halcyon Days 02:44
10.
House Badgers 03:09
11.
Who Will Bell the Cat? 04:21
12.
Saudade 03:40

about

Spectralate's third LP is a darker record than its predecessors, being a meditation on loss, both of deceased friends and of the optimistic community spirit of the European Union. It is certainly more angry than previous releases, and although the duo never resort to polemic, there is a tangible pent up political anger here.

The presence of the Anglesey coast is less prevelant than on previous Spectralate LPs, and this too reflects a kind of loss, Annie having moved away after finishing her studies in Bangor. The key to the album lies in the closing song 'Saudade', that Portuguese concept of a love for something or someone that has physically gone but whose presence lingers. It has been said that the only other language the word can be translated into is Welsh, as 'hiraeth'. Saudade permeates most of the songs on Unit 21, and the song of that name could equally have been a title track. It was also coincidentally the first song that Annie and Alan collaborated on four years ago - well before the release of the first Spectralate album, and having gone through several incarnations since, it is only now that it is deemed 'finished' (if anything is indeed ever finished)...

The title 'Unit 21' references a shop in Bangor which sold second hand records and books during the mid '70s and whose demolition is depicted on the front cover. The teenage Alan used to meet up with his late school friend and long-time collaborator Maeyc there every Saturday morning where the proprietor would introduce them to all manner of wonderful sounds and reading material each week - more often than not originating in other European countries. These discoveries were totally life-changing. It's fair to say that this LP would have been quite different without Unit 21. The LP is released on the 2nd anniversary of Maeyc's death and is dedicated to him.

credits

released October 2, 2017

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Turquoise Coal image

Turquoise Coal Wales, UK

Turquoise Coal started in 2012 as a depository for archive recordings of north Wales music. Later that year we became a record label and have released several vinyl LPs, CDs and downloads. Some can be found here, and will be continuously added to over time. All our releases by Spectralate can be found on the group's own site (see link below). ... more

contact / help

Contact Turquoise Coal

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Unit 21, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Saxophonist Isaiah Collier chats about his new LP and the influence of Pharoah Sanders.
listen now