Cityscape Records

Sadly Mazeppa are no more but they leave behind them two great disks and a huge amount of memories. Mazeppa were: Otto Ohlsson - Vocals and Acoustic guitar, Paul Swannell - Piano and Organ, Brad B. Wood - Bass and Phil Holmes - Drums.

Otto has moved to the states and continues to write and perform his solo project - listen to his stuff and find out how he’s doing at www.otto-music.co.uk. Paul’s currently a session pianist with the Leicester band Ist with whom he has recently been recording Toothpick Bridge having played on King Martha previously. To check out their material visit www.istianity.co.uk .

Paul’s also been recording with St. Helens band The Loungs and his string arrangements are on their album We Are The Champ. Paul continues to write original material for a new solo album which he is hoping to complete in the nesr future. Paul can be contacted by emailing paulswannell@hotmail.com.

Since before Mazeppa, Brad has been recording with Conrad Astley as Merchandise and continues to do so. All Merchandise’s output is available on Cityscape Records - go to the Merchandise pages on this site or visit their myspace: www.myspace.com/merchandisetheband

Phil continues to play session drums and write and produce music playing in Hollton which you can hear on their myspace: www.myspace.com/hollton

‘Kick it for the low times’ is unmistakable evidence that mazeppa deserve to go places.

Exactly how far can be measured not only in the miles they’re clocking up playing acclaimed gigs around the country, but also in the eight monumental tracks on their debut album.

Taking their moniker from a Ukrainian folk hero immortalised by Byron and Tchaikovsky among others, mazeppa signal their ambition from the outset.

The journey from opener introit to closing track facing the sun is so intense and downright epic that it’s almost impossible to believe the album comes in at just over half an hour long.

A string section moonlighting from various orchestras and lush production by James Singleton augment mazeppa’s trademark soaring piano-led songs.

The strings are put to compelling effect on introit, the emotionally charged on the run and the sublime blindfolds removed.

Elsewhere mazeppa show their heavier side, most notably on the verses of killing time which segue into a swinging chorus which has no right to work.

And they prove they can do poppier too on the irresistible one last look and been a long time. Come along for the ride.

‘Kick it for the low times’ is out on Cityscape Records, an independent label with a do-it-yourself ethic and a growing reputation for quality.

Swallowing Curses is Merchandise’s follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album, This is . . . Merchandise.

The single continues the Bolton based duo’s exploration into uncharted sonic territory but also shows evidence of their growing ability to produce perfect pop moments guaranteed to catch the ear of the unexpecting listener.

Merchandise’s trademark sound is put to uplifting effect on Swallowing Curses which has flavours of bands such as The Flaming Lips and Pavement.

Swallowing Curses also contains memorable lyrics penned by travelling writer and band collaborator Roger Williams, describing the unadulterated joy of emerging from the mists of depression and looking out on a cloudless sky.

Not satisfied with the usual band policy of releasing second rate material to fill in the gaps Merchandise have backed the single with Terracotta Caterpillar, an enthralling cocktail of sound which melds hypnotic folk-inspired melodies with hi-tech funk a la Squarepusher and Aphex Twin.

Both tracks pave the way for their up coming second album, now being lovingly honed at Cityscape Studios and due for release in 2003.

Merchandise take their name from a song by legendary Washington D.C. outfit Fugazi and are on Cityscape Records, an independent label with a do-it-yourself ethic and an eclectic and growing roster of releases.

Mazeppa don’t have electric guitars.

But it’s more than that which makes them stand out from the crowd.
The Bolton-based four piece meld piano, bass, acoustic guitar and drums to make intense and arresting music.

The soaring darkness of “When You’re Gone”, the pop impact of “Find Drive” and the pendulous mood swings of “Lost in the City Lights” on show here give a taster of the range they have at their disposal.

Mazeppa e.p. was the first release by the magnificent Mazeppa.

New converts will recognise Mazeppa’s trade mark sound and people who have been won over by Mazeppa’s live show will have to own the live, classic, anti-war song “When You’re Gone”.

The e.p. is on Cityscape Records, an independent label with a do-it-yourself ethic and a growing reputation for quality.

‘Very impressive . . . a broad, majestic, sweeping beauty of a sound’ – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 1

‘They were really great and definitely different to other stuff out there’ – Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 1

Mazeppa are being hailed as one of the most promising acts in the North West . . . the mini-epics which make up much of their set are ultimately uplifting’ – The Bolton Evening News

The boys’ first album, from 2000, had an eclectic sound encapsulating trashy punk, oddball electronica and 70s Miles Davis style instrumentals anticipating electroclash by some way.

The album blends live instruments with analogue and digital technology to create tracks such as the offbeat funk of Shooting Jenny, the whimsical lo-fi pop beauty of Unmapped Streets and the punky electro of album opener, New Resurrection.

Elsewhere tracks such as, Books, Black Russian and Zebedee suggest influences from the likes of Stereolab, Aphex Twin and New Order.

The album gained critical acclaim from Manchester cultural bible CITYlife (review left) and also received attention from national glossy Q who opined: ‘if an early incarnation of the Human League had fired Phil Oakey, replaced him with Mark E. Smith and steered clear of the dancing girls, they may well have ended up sounding like Merchandise.’ What can we say?

Lovers of invention and idiosyncrasy could do far worse than explore this lost gem.

Merchandise take their name from a track by American punk band Fugazi who also inspired Cityscape’s do-it-yourself ethic.

From Manchester’s CITYlife:

Under their adopted moniker of Merchandise, Bolton duo Brad B. Wood and Conrad Astley compose some of the most enchanting and eclectic lo-fi noodlings outside the Twisted Nerve stable.

As you’d expect of a duo who appropriated their name from a Fugazi song, the mood of their debut album is both restless and beguiling – sometimes frustratingly so. Veering between quirky lo-fi pop to hazy electronica and visceral punk, the duo’s sonic adventurism is a hypnotic blend of Air’s kitsch pop and Stereolab’s left field dilettantism. Sure, they occasionally wander into self indulgent, sub – Aphex Twin territory, but the quirky playfulness in tracks like ‘Other Thrills’ tends to endear rather than annoy the listener. In fact, the album’s finest tracks are the gentler, near ambient offerings like the melancholic, mesmerising instrumental ‘Hi Honey, I’m Home’ or the Spacemen 3-esque ‘Books’, when the duo’s cogent pop impact proves irresistible.

An inconsistent album sure, but there’s a refreshing charm and deftness of tough here nonetheless.

David Sue

Two sides of dark, restless electronica mark Merchandise’s 1996 10” debut release as different from the rest.

Deliberately oblique and consciously Factory inspired packaging known only by a record label catalogue number gave an early indication of these mischievous miscreants’ intentions.

A-side Two Minutes After creates a brooding soundscape with overtones of Joy Division and Bark Psychosis.

B-side Microcosm introduces a more dub inspired sound with hypnotic moog melodies suggesting the likes of Orbital.

Anyone looking for an antidote to the day-time TV friendly easy listening musak of recent years should look no further!

Merchandise take their name from a track by American punk band Fugazi who also inspired Cityscape’s do-it-yourself ethic.

Review from CITYlife:

Merchandise kick up a very palatable, post New Order 80s meets 90s synth pop racket. With surprisingly bouncy production this has the feel of the type of theatrical electronic pop that revolutionised the British charts in the 80s paving the way for the house explosion later in that decade. Merchandise sound like they still have one foot in the era but what the hell, this is a bubbly and ultimately forgettable pop delight.

‘I feel I can hail Merchandise as the new kings of electronica talent’ – Paintbox Fanzine