We’ve reached 2017 in the look back at the collection of Indietracks Compilation releases.
One of the things about the various Indietracks Festivals is that the line-ups often included bands who had long broken-up but later reformed for one reason or another. Here’s some info cribbed and edited down from wiki-
“Monkey Swallows the Universe (MSTU) were an acoustic/indie band from Sheffield, who were active from 2004 to 2008.
Nat Johnson and Kevin Gori established MSTU in 2003 after meeting at the University of Sheffield. In the band’s first incarnation they both sang and played acoustic guitars, with Gori adding extra touches with instruments such as the recorder and glockenspiel. The band later expanded to include Catherine Tully on violin, Andy George on cello and Rob Dean on drums. Johnson became the main singer and songwriter. In February 2006, the band released its first album, The Bright Carvings, on the small independent record label Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation. The same year saw them record a BBC 6 Music Session for Gideon Coe, play three support shows for Richard Hawley, support The Long Blondes on five dates of a UK tour, and release two singles.
The following year, they signed to Loose Records and released the album The Casket Letters, as well as appearing at a number of outdoor festivals over the summer. At the end of 2007, they announced an indefinite hiatus, playing their last show in February 2008, after which Nat Johnson embarked on a solo career, before she reunited with Kevin Gori to form Nat Johnson and the Figureheads, who released albums on Damaged Goods Records and Thee Sheffield Phonographic Corporation, befire returning to a solo career in 2014.
MTSU reformed for a one-off gig at Queens Social Club in Sheffield in March 2016 to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of their first album.”
Except, it wasn’t a one-off as they were on the bill of Indietracks 2017, appearing on Sunday 30 July on the Indoor Stage. Here’s the track which appeared on the 2017 compilation:-
mp3: Monkey Swallows The Universe – Florence
This had originally been one of the tracks on a CD single, Science, that had come out in 2006.
Here’s a couple more songs:-
mp3: Monkey Swallows The Universe – Bloodline (digital single)
mp3: Monkey Swallows The Universe – Matterhoney (from The Casket Letters)
And here’s a fun cover of a Jonathan Richman song:-
mp3: Monkey Swallows The Universe – Ice Cream Man
I’ve a feeling their show in 2017 went down well. I’ll need to ask Aldo if he saw them.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 