Welcome to Wilson Wednesday

No, no, don’t worry, the Spill hasn’t just been sponsored by an international sporting goods manufacturer, nor have we been “cast-away”. (see what I did there???)

Rather, this crazy (and regularly absent) Spill contributor from down under was browsing through his music collection the other day and got to thinking about a large number of musical “Wilsons”. The Marconium already has six solo Wilson artists, probably countless more if we include band members, and that may be the tip of the iceberg.

So, as a semi-regular series, I thought each Wednesday that I get around to it, I will showcase a “Wilson” and open up comment/debate on that Wilson. There are of course obvious Wilsons to explore, and we will, but there will also be some more obscure ones as well. Hey, I will even take requests for Wilsons, and better still, happy for anyone else to provide a write up for Wilson Wednesday – you are all so much more musically knowledgeable than I am.

RIP Load Records

Load Records’ founders and basically the people that run the whole thing, Ben and Laura, just announced on Facebook that after 24 years they are closing the label and moving on to other things.

Load were and are one of my favourite labels and are nearly single-handedly responsible for my interest in noise-rock and other experimental music, without which I wouldn’t have got into Not Not Fun Records, or even stuff like free jazz.

There was a time in the mid-noughties when I snapped up every release as soon as it came out and bought anything they put out without listening to it first, safe in the knowledge that whatever they put out would be excellent. I’ve mentioned a lot of Load bands in Best of Year lists and tracks have appeared as Earworms over the years too.

Here’s a quick mix of some of my favourite Load artists and releases (at least from what I could find on Youtube). RIP Load Records and thanks for the noise.

Tracklist:

Lightning Bolt – 2Morro Morro Land

White Mice – Blassstphlegmeice

Noxagt – Svartevatn

The USA is a Monster – Cocaine Wedding

Ultralyd – Pink Mood

Sightings – Pitch of my Voice

Prurient – Apple Tree Victim