Eyes of Others – Stimulus

Throw a drum machine, a broken Yamaha CS01 capable of making moody, low-down bass, and Edinburgh-based musician John Bryden in a room together, and run away fast: it's probably best if they are left to interact without outside distraction. This sounds like to us, perhaps, how Stimulus was made. The five-track EP is insular and introspective and beckons the listener to come further inside Bryden's world, after he's finished with his own devices.

The subject matter apparent in the song titles is largely downcast: Don't Know What to Do With You, 30+ Losers, Like it When it's Lazy, the latter offering a relieved-sounding explanation of 'I can't love you all the time.' Enchanted Loom gets you under its spell straight away with its sexy, mesmeric beats and a sort of siren sound that might remind you of that Bill Bailey sketch about what ambulance sirens sound like when they're heading away from you. 30+ Losers has beats that would make grumpy old Thom Yorke turn his head, and if you want to dance to the sadness rather than wallow in it, there's also a Das Ding remix of Like it When it's Lazy. In short, there's a lot to enjoy here.

Back in the '90s, Jarvis Cocker said that he was captivated by Scott Walker songs because their combination of lyrics about everyday things and the glittering musical arrangements added up to compelling listening. It turns out that this is a good thing in all kinds of musical genres: the beats in Stimulus are dark and alluring and the subject matter is on the interesting side of mundane. It sounds like the work of a beat-driven Beta Band left alone too long in the dark, and it's great!

Listen to: Enchanted Loom, 30+ Losers