Utters from a Cluttered Mind by Lost Idol - Cookshop [CKSCD02] FLAC download included with physical items

Utters from a Cluttered Mind

Lost Idol

A 10 track balearic / downtempo album (46m 18s) — released September 25th 2006 on Cookshop

#electronic #downtempo
Cookshop present the debut album from Lost Idol. Whilst previous material has kept things rooted in the cinematic-instrumental vein, Lost Idol was keen to explore further musical possibilities. Described as 'classic Beck remixed by DJ Shadow' and 'Beta Band style alt-folk' this record is a unique musical journey of great depth and beauty, veering unashamedly from psychedelic pop to late night electronics. It bears just as much influence from artists such as Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd and John Coltrane as it does contemporary musicians such as The Beta Band, Beck and Four Tet. It's an amalgamation of new and old, instrumental and vocal, analogue and digital. Brighton-based musician, DJ and producer James Dean began making music under the Lost Idol moniker five years ago. Lost Idol's early creations pricked up the ears of cult independent label Pork Recordings who released a couple of tracks on their Dubplates From The Lamp compilations. Since then Lost Idol went on to setup the Cookshop record label with fellow artist La Femme (Emily Cracknell) as an unrestrictive vehicle for releasing not only his own music, but also others who were righteously digging their own field. 'For my music I try to find a balance between the live and technological side; I endeavor to make my music sound as live and organic as possible but always keeping that edge on the production...ultimately I hope it reflects my tastes as a music lover and keeps people guessing as to what's going to come next.' Lodown Magazine Feature, October 2004 Indeed unpredictable it may be, but despite the variety of styles employed there's still a common thread of melancholy beauty running throughout the album, reflected in both the melodies and the lyrics. 'Buckled' deals with the daily humdrum and banality of city living, whilst 'When I Were Young' laments on the unavoidable coming of age, albeit in a disconcertingly upbeat manner. Elsewhere themes of loss and regret arise ('Ugly Day' and 'Tread Water') all adding up to make this feel like a very personal and frank record, and one that we hope will keep listeners company well into the winter months ahead. The only question that remains is what Lost Idol will do next'and to that, your guess is as good as ours.'

The Lost Idol album is EXCELLENT! Wow - what a great listening experience and decent piece of production. Not too long, poppy, deep, fun, serious, vocal, instrumental and it doesn't sound like a ridiculous mess either! - Strictly Kev DJ Food/Ninja Tune

I love it - psychedelic, folk-a-delic, sample-delic, tripped out, caustic breaks & goes almost punk / indy at times! love the songs - reminds me of Memphis Industries, Brian Wilson, Wire, Beck...totally refreshing to hear quirky, uplifting vocal harmonies against broken beats & exotic sounds. Great work. - Alan Gubby Nanny Tango

Audacious debut album by Brighton-based DJ, producer and musician James Dean plays and sings everything here except for a couple of acoustic bass samples. He also successfully blurs the distinction between organics and synthetics. Signposts into this vivid and kaleidoscopic sound include Four Tet’s jazzy constructions, the more pastoral tack of The Memory Band, a number of Artificial Intelligence-era Warp artists, Brian Wilson and The Beatles. Crucially, Dean has an intuitive knowledge of the alchemical formulae that produce potent 21st-century psychedelia (eg acoustic guitar, bubbling synths, springheeled beats and distant multi-tracked voices used to striking effect on Micro Valley). Shuffled in with such blissful excursions are the Bees-like When I Were Young, whose jauntiness only partially disguises Dean’s melancholic musings on age and decay, while the peculiarly English existential disquiet behind the sun-kissed tune of Ugly Day only adds to its potency. 4/5 - Mike Barnes Mojo

James Dean is his name, ‘60s revivalism his game. The man behind Lost Idol, and accompanying label Cookshop, may share his name with the deceased ‘50s screen icon, but his music is all about the decade which followed. Having started out making jazzy trip-hop for Hull label Pork Recordings, James Dean here pulls intriguing musical shapes out of a swirl of psychedelia and folk-rock, managing to sound both classic and modern at the same time. Ugly Day fuses ‘60s garage rock with scratch-happy hip hop, while When I Were Young sounds not unlike the Small Faces, had Steve Marriott known how to use a sampler. - Rupert Howe Q

With a blend of the electronic and the organic, the description of this album as ‘Beck remixed by DJ Shadow’ is particularly on point; and so in a rare break from protocol I shall adhere to the book of lazy journalism and quote from the press release. With previous cuts on Pork Recordings, Brighton-based DJ and producer James Dean now pushes out his debut album on the label he set up with La Femme, and its delicate amalgam of instrumental pastoral bliss, gentle hip hop beats and bluesy vocal cuts give it a unique yet familiar air. Meaning that it sinks in straight away, but still leaves hidden depths for you to discover on the repeated listens it begs and deserves. Too often this kind of tripped-out beatage can come and go without leaving an impression, but ‘Utters…’ is a sharp album, both in its production and musical content, as well as full of twists and turns, and with its melancholic undertones is a well-timed release for the onset of autumn. 4/5 - Lurch I-DJ

Brighton based musician and DJ James Dean has now been releasing tracks as Lost Idol for five years now and is just now releasing his debut, an unhurried attitude which is apparent in his agreeably relaxed music. A head nodding beat maker who also shows a good ear for the classics, his music transcends its simple resources and flies ambitiously high. He delights in the diversity of his creations and cites Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett and John Coltrane alongside the more expected Beta Band, Beck and Four Tet. His aim is to create music that sounds natural despite its recycled beginnings, his music beautifully filling that criteria and can stand head held high next to any singer/songwriter sweating blood over their latest three minutes. The melancholic streak that runs through his music reveals much of himself and makes this a very personal and idiosyncratic release. - Clash

Well he would be from Brighton, wouldn’t he? The album is a conglomeration of authentic and synthetic, instrumentation and sampling, fancy coffees and dogs on strings. This blend of jazz sounds and modern electronics a la Bonobo or Amon Tobin would fit well on the playlist of a seafront café. Supposedly a move away from cinematic instrumental towards psychedelic pop and electronics, this release certainly has a background hum of Pink Floyd or the Beta Band, with vocals that are more like exaggerated humming than singing. True to the title, the album is overwhelming at points - is that a clever polyrhythm, or someone falling over a drum kit? The author’s attempts to mediate his thoughts result in epic movie-toned sweeps in some moments and distracting street noise in others but, like the aforementioned fancy coffee, this is tasty and well blended. - Straight No Chaser

Lost Idol is the brainchild of Brighton-based musician, DJ and producer James Dean and Utters from a Cluttered Mind, his debut album, gets its release via Cookshop, the imprint he co-founded in 2002. This is an LP of rebelliously complex records. Moseying around broken rhythms and some pretty emotionally charged melodies as it does, it is reminiscent of the atmospheric twinklings of the Cinematic Orchestra in places, and the mind-bending scuzzy sounds of Four Tet in others. Strange but beautiful. 4/5 - Sarah Chapman Notion

This is a great sounding record with lots of originality, and the ability to lower your blood pressure. Medicine for the soul after a weekend of listening to something more rambunctious. 4/7 - One week to live

It's a great mix of digital and acoustic styles, and all enthusiasts with a leaning for the obscure could learn a little something about vocoder usage from this guy. It's about time indie alt-hop was fun again. 4/5 - Skinny Mag

  • Kudos happily ship all items worldwide.
  • Shipping costs and delivery times are available here.
  • UK items are sent tracked as standard at no extra cost.
  • We aim to dispatch orders placed before 2pm on the same day.
  • We are unable to ship orders on weekends or Bank Holidays.
  • If you purchase a pre-order item amongst an order of in-stock releases, we will typically hold your order until all items are in ready to send.
  • Although we use all reasonable means to ensure that your order is delivered within a specified time, we cannot accept any responsibility for late deliveries due to circumstances outside of our control. We will do our best to inform you of any unexpected delay.