Low Flung - Coastal Garden (Ken Oath)

Only three releases in and Ken Oath has already established itself as one of the most interesting imprints around. I'm stuck in a bit of a musical rut - you know how it goes, from time to time everything starts sounding samey and uninspired - but Ken Oath keeps delivering fresh mess that really speaks to me. The Ozzie outfit's third missive is a 7" by Low Flung, who also pitched in a pearl of a track on the disgustingly good V.A that inaugurated the label. Don't now much about Low Flung (a 'field recording specialist and bossman of Moontown records according to the sales notes) but if you're into your early Suzanne Kraft material and the kind of contemporary boogie that L.A. seems to be championing, you should pop Low Flung on your list of 'ones to watch'.

Coastal Garden graces the A-side, and I knew this was something special right from the bat. I keep trying to find the right words to describe this branch of machine soul music but nothing really seems to do it justice. Deep and moody tackle to snap your neck to? Stripped back but full of life at the same time? Without a doubt. A tip of the hat to the casio days without trying to emulate, but take those square beats and straightforward synth lines and come up with your own take on computerboogie? Exactly. Just give it a listen below, you'll get the picture. It's that combination of a solid groove, naive melody lines, square beats and sloppy claps that really does it for me. 

The flip is reserved for Grey Foliage, a lovely ambient, beatless trip for those trippy Adriatic moments, but it's the A that had me whip out the AmEx in a heartbeat. Delightful stuff from our favourite Australian imprint.

Limited to 200 copies, and 100 are not leaving Australia so it'll be a bit of a quick strike!

Have Juno notify you when the record hits their shelves and don't miss out on the lushness.

P.S. Heard a preview of Ken Oath 004 and boy, we're in for yet another treat.