The Big Takeover review and new album announcement

A stunningly enthusiastic review form NYC's Big Takeover Magazine revelling in the swirling mixture that comprises Minerva, the first disc of A Cornucopia:

"A 3-record set available only in physical form? Man, its like the seventies all over again, But before you run off to check if your purple, crushed velvet, loon pants still fit, let me stop you there. For now, at least, we are faced only with one album, namely Minerva the first third of the deluxe box set to follow (which will be joined by Victory and Bounty - bonus points for those that have made the connection.) The band in question is Manchester's The Speed Of Sound so the music leans towards pop-infused sophistication and punky energy rather than anything proggy or paisley patterned. And if I have suggested the music is anything but a product of here-and-now then I must apologise.

And so it is that across fourteen tracks, The Speed Of Sound works its eclectic magic. 'West Wind' is a Hendrix vocal-drawl leading a punk-blues groove whilst a horn section perform a sonic, shamanistic ritual in the near distance and 'SS-100-X' is Lou Reed gone folk. 'The Harvest' is the sort of thing Nick Cave might have come up with, if he worked as chief troubadour in the court of Henry V, whilst 'Bodysnatchers' tips its hat at Elvis... make that Costello not Presley. And if 'Clickbait' is the sort of sound that punk should have been about had it been less sneering and aloof and taken a leaf out of the Pop Pickers Playbook, then 'So Faux' is just... odd. And I mean that in the very best of ways.

Although digital versions of the three albums that will make up the box set will be available down the line, this is a physical-only release for now. This release coincides with the band's 35th anniversary, but more than that, the songs, based on Minerva at least, are going to be some of the most fun and frantic, optimistic and lyrical, deft and dexterous songs you have heard in a while. Any balanced, respectable and discerning music fan worth their salt will want to add these to their physical music collection. Music fans like you!" 

You can find the piece on The Big Takeover website here    

Thanks from us to Dave Franklin and The Big Takeover

the links are in the weblink above, but also here https://bigstirrecords.bandcamp.com/album/a-cornucopia-minerva

The Great Acceleration

 Thanks to Joyzine for their Premiere of the video for The Great Acceleration which you can find here:

Click the image to go to the premiere!

The Great Acceleration is somewhat epic in nature and there is a lot going on in there sonically as well as visually as this still showing Aylesbury stone circle in a scrapyard next to Windscale nuclear reactor might suggest.  

Single release day

The first day a new project steps into the outside world is always exciting and West Wind is now the first of the Cornucopia project pieces to break out be heard and also seen, huge thanks to Vive Le Rock magazine for giving the video a premiere on their website and for calling us Psychonauts! 

"Long-serving Manchester psychonauts THE SPEED OF SOUND are back with a brand new video which they're premiering with Vive Le Rock!

Described as "recklessly fast and invigorating rock and roll, borrowing a Bo Diddley beat cunningly melded with a Wagnerian horn section," 'West Wind' is the lead track from the band's forthcoming new album.

“Lyrically this is a protest song," says singer, guitarist and songwriter John Armstrong. "A metaphor for the dominance of the all-pervading major label ‘music industry’ onslaught, snowplowing independent artists out of the way.”

Out today through L.A. label Big Stir Records, 'West Wind' is available to stream/download here."

And! Here is the video... click the image to watch on YouTube:

 

West Wind

2024 has an entire cornucopia of releases lined up and the first of these is the new single; West Wind. It is out on 5th April and you'll find all the links a little further down:

As the official label press release says:

"Veteran Manchester, UK-based Future-Retro-Modernist rockers The Speed Of Sound return to kick off a year of with a dizzyingly ambitious musical activity with a brand new single. "West Wind" is a gale-force gust of garage-rock grit showing off every bit of the band's signature sound, and a level of energy that's no less than astonishing for a group entering its 35th year as a performing entity. The new single debuts on all digital outlets worldwide on April 5th and is up for pre-order and pre-save now"

In case that didn't make it clear we can add that it kicks. Big time. 

You'll find it here : https://orcd.co/speedofsound-ww

Test Pressing

 More information to follow, for now lets just say this is very exciting...

Test Pressing!

Sounds Fabulous.

New album approaching.

This is what we've been doing for five years; seeing as we stared working on it while we were still recording Museum Of Tomorrow. 

Very exciting is an understatement.

a Video Premiere for Zombie Century

And in an appropriately spooky touch of unplanned yet synchronised occurrences, our latest video has it's premiere today on Rock At Night Magazine and it is Zombie Century which coincides with Big Stir Records (also new) Stir The Cauldron compilation. Here's the link... 

Zombie Century can be found on Big Stir Records compilation Stir The Cauldron and also on The Speed Of Sound's Museum Of Tomorrow album.

Zombies and more seasonal horror

 Our own Zombie Century is enjoying itself among excellent company on the brand new Big Stir Records compilation Stir The Cauldron you can find it and more info here