Various
Even A Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk & Rock 1969-1973

boomkat: ...Pop Negatif Wastad’s eponymous EP from 1989, including all of their self penned songs. This is the first release in a series of reissues from the height of the 80’s & 90’s Welsh music scene."Hailing from mid Wales, Pop Negatif Wastad emerged in the late 80’s as the sole collaboration between Esyllt Anwyl and Gareth Potter. Esyllt cut her teeth in the exceptionally bent no wave group Crisialau Plastig, while Gareth – an actor on the UK soap opera Eastenders – was in the midst of breaking away from his post-punk group Traddodiad Ofnus to form the mighty hip hop/acid techno outfit Tŷ Gwydr. With their backgrounds in experimental pop and the thumping beat of the nascent rave scene looming in the background, the duo took an unapologetic approach to music making with no regard to formulaic sound, gender roles, or expectation.Esyllt served as the mastermind behind the music (along with Gorwel Owen on production – Rhosneigr’s answer to Martin Hannett) while Gareth balanced the project with his dialed vocal style and ideological approach. They developed an emotionally driven and fearless collection of tunes, a charged version of synth pop that elaborated on their experience within the Welsh scene while combining influences from emergent sounds akin to what you’d hear on The Haçieda dance floor (where rumour has it, their Be Music/ Section 25 invoking track “Iawn” was played). Stabs, arpeggiated synths, harsh percussion, piano house leads, concertina melodies, warped samples, and dubbed out delay were quilted together to the chug of drum machines, creating a genre-bending landscape woven with vocals reminiscent of New Order and Joy Division (with the added bonus of being sung in the Welsh language)."

Originally released in January 2019 on Anti Fade, and then re-released in the UK by Full Time Hobby in September, both pressings are long out of print and much sought after.The reissue of Do Yeah features reworked artwork by drummer Jimi Gregg as well as a bonus third track, “Crane In The Tiger’s Mouth”, which was recorded at the same time as the rest of the 7” and released in the UK on the Full Time Hobby repress, but never saw the light of day in Australia until now. A heavily flute based track, Crane In The Tiger’s Mouth sees the band venturing into some jazzy areas blending ba-ba vocals and a lovely harpsichord melody over a tricky, off-kilter time signature.Do Yeah was recently announced as part of the soundtrack for Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2021 video game, which has welcomed many new fans far and wide to the Bananagun fanbase.Limited to 500 copies (with the first 150 on red vinyl).