Enigmatic one man band figure Jefferson Belt first surfaced on the Auckland music scene back in the late eighties as guitarist for a succession of rather fantastically-named local bands, including the auspicious likes of Sperm Bank 5, Brown Tricycle and Fragrant Moose. After electing to follow a more electronics-oriented solo route, Belt’s first releases under the moniker Plasticjunk saw his tracks appear on Kog Transmissions’ Dub Combinations compilation and Round Trip Mars’ own Sideways Too collection, with Tom Middleton being so impressed upon hearing Plasticjunk’s “It’s My Duty’ on NZ station bFM, that he demanded its inclusion on his ensuing Sound Of The Cosmos set. Originally released at the end of 2006, this debut album by Belt under his own name Table Manners sees the Auckland-based producer / multi-instrumentalist pursuing a trajectory that’s far more tinged with psychedelic lounge / film exotica.
If opening track “Organs In The Sea’ calls to mind Air’s Moog-filled breezy constructions, with gently ticking metronomic drum machines gliding beneath delicate, almost naïve-sounding synthetic washes and tones, “Where’s He At’s casts a distinctly more moody European slant on proceedings, with dramatic Gallic string swells leading proceedings down a samba-inflected path, as skipping synthetic rhythms dart around the atmospheric clavinet keys and warm live bass grooves, in a moment that’s equal parts John Barry and Nicola Conte. By contrast, “Hobbits On Acid’ rolls with a robust rhythmic clatter that recalls Skint / Wall Of Sound’ big beat template pushed through a considerably more sixties psychedelic filter, complete with Austin Powers-esque organs and all, while the Moog-filled “Goodmorning’ could almost pass for a Luke Vibert out-take, with its distinctive snapping drum breaks and wasp-like synth swells. An extremely enjoyable debut album offering from Jefferson Belt that’s sure to appeal to those with a retro-psychedelic bent.
Chris Downton
