Somewhere A Voice – Love, Logic + Ego [LP] (1982, Peyote)

 

Based in Ealing, west London, Somewhere A Voice were part of the independent post-punk scene of the early 1980s, operating between 1980 and 1982. Their sole album, 'Love, Logic + Ego', appeared in 1982 on Peyote, a small imprint associated with Leo Feigin, the founder of the avant-garde jazz label Leo Records. The record was an unusual venture for Feigin, whose catalogue was primarily devoted to experimental and contemporary jazz, rather than the new wave and post-punk sounds coming out of Britain at the time. 

The group revolved around three members from different parts of England: Graeme Garlick (guitar, vocals and songwriting), originally from Manchester; Hilary Dron (bass and cover artwork), from Liverpool; and Cyril Simsa (keyboards), from north London. The band came together through Simsa and Dron's shared employment at the British Library. Their backgrounds were rather different from those of most aspiring rock musicians: Garlick was the group's main instrumentalist, Dron was a trained artist who worked as a personal assistant in cultural institutions, while Simsa was an aspiring writer who had taken various jobs at the Natural History Museum and the British Library. 

Dron had no previous experience playing bass, and this lack of conventional training gave her playing a distinctive melodic character. Rather than simply providing the rhythmic foundation, her basslines frequently follow or run alongside Garlick's vocal melodies. Simsa's keyboard work was equally unusual. Although he had taken piano lessons as a teenager, the instrument he used was an early monophonic Roland synthesiser, incapable of playing chords. He concentrated instead on individual melodic lines and counter-melodies, paying particular attention to tone and texture, with long, floating notes that gradually faded away. An electric piano was added for the recording sessions, mainly to supply sustained chords and fill out the arrangements. 

For the album, the trio also brought in drummer David Jones, who had been recruited as a session musician after their original drummer left. Jones never actually performed live with the group, but his contribution provided the rhythmic framework for the studio recordings. Another guest was the Russian-born saxophonist Seva, who appears on three tracks. His involvement came about through Leo Feigin, who suggested bringing in a musician from his jazz circle. The saxophone adds another dimension to the arrangements, sitting alongside the keyboards and guitar rather than turning the record towards conventional jazz. 

The production was credited to Kim Lambert, the professional name used by a BBC sound engineer who worked on the album outside his regular employment. There are also some rather unexpected studio touches, particularly on "Conscience", where the party noises heard towards the end are actually recordings of hippopotamuses from the Mzima Springs nature reserve in Kenya. Taken from a sound-effects record, the animal recordings were multitracked to create the impression of a party.
 

The album's appearance on Peyote was the result of a chance connection through Simsa's sister, who worked with Leo Feigin. A Russian émigré based in London, Feigin had established Leo Records in 1979. The label became an important outlet for free jazz, experimental music and improvisation, particularly recordings by Soviet and Eastern European musicians who had little exposure outside their home countries. Its catalogue included artists such as the Ganelin Trio, Amina Claudine Myers and, subsequently, musicians including Anthony Braxton and Sun Ra. Taking on Somewhere A Voice represented a departure from this established direction, as Feigin was interested in expanding his activities into more accessible musical territory. Peyote was the imprint used for the album, which was also advertised through Rough Trade distribution. 

The record contains ten tracks, including "Snakebite", "Shalott", "Maze", "Conscience", "Hanged Man", "Lowlands", "Bitter Sweet", "Face On A Wall", "His Decade" and "Another World". Its sound sits comfortably within the British independent post-punk landscape of 1982, with angular guitar work, restless rhythms, melodic bass playing and atmospheric synthesiser passages. The occasional saxophone adds an extra layer to the arrangements, while the restrained production leaves plenty of space for the different instrumental lines. "Shalott" was also played by John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 programme on 21 October 1982, giving the group some exposure on national radio. 

Unfortunately, the band did not last much longer after completing the album. Somewhere A Voice split up towards the end of 1982, which also meant there was little opportunity to promote the record through live performances. Poor sales brought Feigin's experiment with this more commercial direction to an end, and he did not pursue further releases in this area. Garlick and Dron continued with other musical activities for a while, although neither established a substantial career in music. Dron eventually returned to Liverpool and became an art teacher, while Simsa moved into publishing as an editor before settling in Prague. Garlick remained in London. 

 

Label: Peyote – pey 001 

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album 

Country: UK 

Released: 1982 

Style: New Wave, Minimal, Darkwave, Post-Punk, Dub, Dance-Punk 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Snakebite 

A2 Shalott 

A3 Maze 

A4 Conscience 

A5 Hanged Man 

B1 Lowlands 

B2 Bitter Sweet 

B3 Face On A Wall 

B4 His Decade 

B5 Another World 

 

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