Physics House Band 'Mercury Fountain' (mini-album review)

"..Things get positively intergalactic on ‘A Thousand Small Spaces’ as you drift across the universe before being rudely awakened by ‘Obidant’, a Tasmanian Devil of a tune boasting more time changes than a Southern Railway timetable during a strike.."

Any band getting the endorsement of Stewart Lee is certainly worth checking out in my book. Releasing ‘Mercury Fountain’ on Small Pond Recordings, The Physics House band consist of three big fish from Brighton, none of whom are the slightest bit interested in reporting for vocal duty.

Instead Adam Hutchison and Samuel Organ (both on assorted guitars and synths) are not content unless they are shredding fuck out whatever instrument happens to be in their hands, backed by drummer Dave Morgan’s complex syncopation, creating a progressive post-rock hybrid consisting of tracks that also don’t outstay their welcome, nine pieces clocking in at under half an hour. Mercury Fountain’s sound is further augmented by a trio of guest players adding sprinklings of Violin, Flute and Saxophone.

‘Mobius Strip’ provides an eerie post-apocalyptic launch pad, sinister electronica gradually joined by fuzzy spaced-out guitar before exploding into life half way through, yet is over before you know it.

‘Calypso’ combines furious dissonant guitar with frenetic rhythms whereas the more laid back ‘Holy Caves’ takes some time to really get going, seguing into the heavy futuristic groove of ‘Surrogate Head’, alternating between loud and (not exactly) quiet amidst a blizzard of drum fills reminiscent of a certain Mr Peart in his moustachioed heyday.

Things get positively intergalactic on ‘A Thousand Small Spaces’ as you drift across the universe before being rudely awakened by ‘Obidant’, a Tasmanian Devil of a tune boasting more time changes than a Southern Railway timetable during a strike, the chaos continuing throughout ‘Impolex’.

Last-but-one is another slow burner ‘The Astral Wave’ generating its energy in a seemingly more focused manner than elsewhere before we are brought back down to earth on ‘Mobius Strip II’ returning the intrepid listener home in time for tea.

Words - Mike Price

Physics House Band 

Mercury Fountain is released on April 21st via Small Pond Records

Tour Dates;

May 
5th - Colossal Festival (DK)
7th - Darwen, Sunbird Records (UK)
8th - Glasgow, The Hug and Pint (UK)
9th - Leeds, Brudenell Social Club (UK)
10th - Bristol, The Fleece (UK)
11th Brighton, The Haunt (UK)
12th London, Kamio (UK)
15th Berlin - Schokoladen (DE)
17th Brno - BajKazyl (CZ)
18th Prague - Underdogs Ballroom (CZ)
20th Bratislava - A4 (SK)
24th Torino - Officine Ferroviarie (IT)
25th Piacenza - DannySays (IT)
26th Montova - Arci Tom (IT)
August
19th - Arctangent Festival (UK)