Mouthful Of Earth

by Alex Rex

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
** This 180g 12"vinyl edition of Mouthful Of Earth was exclusively manufactured by the Vinyl Factory in the UK.**

Way back when, before the pandemic, and before the release of Alex Rex’s last album Paradise escaped the confines of lockdown, Alex Neilson took a break from the road and set about putting together a record of poems extracted from the collapsed goldmine of his brain.

Returning to his experimental roots, Mouthful of Earth’s cutting and oft heart-wrenching stanzas are set to music largely from underground legends Alastair Galbraith, Richard Youngs and Alex’s cult experimental drone record Belsayer Time (originally released on Time Lag Records in 2006. This is the first time that this music has ever been made available digitally). And for one track, Alex reunites with ex-Trembling Bells mucker Lavinia Blackwall for some free-form experimental jazz, reminiscent of the more psychedelically unhinged moments of Cammell/Roeg´s Performance soundtrack. To quote Stuart Maconie’s sleeve notes for the record, “One of the first things I learned about Alex’s musical imagination and modus operandi was a joy in collaboration, and Mouthful Of Earth continues in a tradition that has seen him work with many kindred spirits across many genres; Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Current 93, Jandek, Kan Mikami, Shirley Collins, Six Organs of Admittance, Josephine Foster and Baby Dee. The list is disparate and stellar, the results are always interesting and alive”.

Continuing in the spirit of collaboration, Mouthful of Earth’s words and music are accompanied by drawings (downloadable 20 page pdf booklet, available on release day) by Kent-based visual artist, musician and art psychotherapist, Benjamin Prosser (@benjaminprosser). This is not so much a literal illustration as a reaction.

Mouthful of Earth is both visceral and corporeal, flecked with blood, sweat and beers. Or as Alex puts it "a continuous project of describing the human spirit pushed to the point of crisis”.

Mouthful of Earth finds beauty in scarring and peace in torment. It’s both an assault and a balm of sorts. Life, says Neilson “is not a golden arc / It's a bent aerial / connected to a vast and terrible machine/operated by a child”. But listen hard and you will also hear beauty… “The song of yourself, roaring like a cloud, explicable only by light”.

With sleeve notes by BBC Radio presenter and author Stuart Maconie, Mouthful of Earth is released on limited edition vinyl (300 copies only) and digitally via Neolithic Recordings on July 1st. Those pre-ordering the record on Bandcamp will receive an exclusive download of Alex’s take on the Denise Riley poem The Problem With Suicide. Reminiscent of his early work with Trembling Bells, and again featuring Lavinia Blackwall on vox, the track is a red herring; a nod towards a lighter shade of darkness.

Includes unlimited streaming of Mouthful Of Earth via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more. ... more

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edition of 300

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

£7.99 GBP or more

1.	Sorrow Makes Hope Soar Higher 02:14		buy track
2.	It Must Be Love 03:05		buy track
3.	Andromeda Chained To A Rock 02:58		buy track
4.	Wastwater 02:26	info	buy track
5.	Alcoholic's Parabola 02:34		buy track
6.	Dog Person 01:11		buy track
7.	Charity Shop Prophet 01:41		buy track
8.	Test To Destruction 00:40		buy track
9.	Slight Return 02:51		buy track
10.	The Problem With Suicide (Bonus) 01:40		buy track

about

Way back when, before the pandemic, and before the release of Alex Rex’s last album Paradise escaped the confines of lockdown, Alex Neilson took a break from the road and set about putting together a record of poems extracted from the collapsed goldmine of his brain.

Returning to his experimental roots, Mouthful of Earth’s cutting and oft heart-wrenching stanzas are set to music largely from underground legends Alastair Galbraith, Richard Youngs and Alex’s cult experimental drone record Belsayer Time (originally released on Time Lag Records in 2006. This is the first time that this music has ever been made available digitally). And for one track, Alex reunites with ex-Trembling Bells mucker Lavinia Blackwall for some free-form experimental jazz, reminiscent of the more psychedelically unhinged moments of Cammell/Roeg´s Performance soundtrack. To quote Stuart Maconie’s sleeve notes for the record, “One of the first things I learned about Alex’s musical imagination and modus operandi was a joy in collaboration, and Mouthful Of Earth continues in a tradition that has seen him work with many kindred spirits across many genres; Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Current 93, Jandek, Kan Mikami, Shirley Collins, Six Organs of Admittance, Josephine Foster and Baby Dee. The list is disparate and stellar, the results are always interesting and alive”.

Continuing in the spirit of collaboration, Mouthful of Earth’s words and music are accompanied by drawings (downloadable 20 page pdf booklet, available on release day) by Kent-based visual artist, musician and art psychotherapist, Benjamin Prosser (@benjaminprosser). This is not so much a literal illustration as a reaction.

Mouthful of Earth is both visceral and corporeal, flecked with blood, sweat and beers. Or as Alex puts it "a continuous project of describing the human spirit pushed to the point of crisis”.

Mouthful of Earth finds beauty in scarring and peace in torment. It’s both an assault and a balm of sorts. Life, says Neilson “is not a golden arc / It's a bent aerial / connected to a vast and terrible machine/operated by a child”. But listen hard and you will also hear beauty… “The song of yourself, roaring like a cloud, explicable only by light”.

With sleeve notes by BBC Radio presenter and author Stuart Maconie, Mouthful of Earth is released on limited edition vinyl (300 copies only) and digitally via Neolithic Recordings on July 1st. Those pre-ordering the record on Bandcamp will receive an exclusive download of Alex’s take on the Denise Riley poem The Problem With Suicide. Reminiscent of his early work with Trembling Bells, and again featuring Lavinia Blackwall on vox, the track is a red herring; a nod towards a lighter shade of darkness.

Tour dates

23rd June - Nan Moor’s, Todmorden

24th June - The Tree House, Frome

25th June - Glastonbury Festival

26th June - Leigh Folk Festival

17th July - Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival

credits

released July 1, 2022

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about

Alex Rex Glasgow, UK

Alex Rex is the 'ghost-rock' project of Alex Neilson (Trembling Bells, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, Current 93 et al).

Inspired by Greek Tragedy, Barbara Streisand and Alex's own internal critic, Alex Rex perform songs of love, loss and loathing that make the detestable whistleable. ... more

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