A Clearing...

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Track Listing: 

The Failed Escape
Desert Music
Hey, Icarus!
Protest Song
Crash 'n' Burn
Kitten
Mule's Hoof
The Graveyard Shift
Dead Again

Release Date: 

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Catalogue Number: 

QFCDSMO002

“Like some post-punk anarcho-collective discovering John Coltrane” – Nightshift
“Like a mushroom ingesting cult pretending to be Kid Creole and the Coconuts” – oxfordbands.com

The Prohibition Smokers Club are a loose collective of musicians based around Lee Christian as an outlet for his writing, instrumental and production skills and an alternative to the heavy rocking of his other band Smilex...

Pulling together players and singers both known and newcomer from all over the county’s broad music scene , they have influences as diverse as blues, jazz, soul, pop, folk, psychedelia and dub. ‘Smokers’, as they are more colloquially known, have just released debut album ‘ A Clearing...’ through Quickfix Recordings via I-tunes (with all profits going to cancer charities) – a veritable smorgasbord of sounds including, trivia fans; sitar, banjolele and a jazz acoustic that once belonged to one George Harrison, no less! Add to this drums, acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitar, pianos, keyboards, synths, organs, flute, violins, saxophones, trumpets, melodica, varied exotic percussion and something called an ewi (electronic wind instrument) and it’s a heady cocktail of spirited performances and musical juices! Here’s what a couple of reviews have said about ‘A Clearing...’ so far:
“The best stuff here is seriously sweet – the seductive organ hum of ‘Hey, Icarus!’, the laissez-faire but perfectly pretty ‘Kitten’ and the ghostly gothic country blues of ‘The Graveyard Shift’ in particular...calls become more
‘A Clearing’ rewards repeated listening...” – Nightshift
“ A cheerful, relaxed record in which most contributors emerge with credit... the enduring tone of the album is respectful, good-mannered collaboration, egos left at the door.” MusicInOxford.co.uk
"I found that very relaxing...the sound of the sea...the French...she could have been singing about anything - it doesn't matter, it's a romantic language -it's the language of love! hopefully I'll get to play more of them in future shows!" BBC Introducing (Oxford)

As well as receiving praise and support from BBC Introducing... who played both ‘The Failed Escape’ and ‘Witch Song’ (in spite of the latter’s risqué lyrics!) and The Oxford Mail who were the first at a PSC gig and compared them to Talking Heads, no less! Live activities are limited to when the various members can convene but have sets at Cowley Road Carnival, Wittstock and almost every Oxfordshire venue under their belts plus took the Oxjam event in art gallery O3 and the Riverside Festival by storm this year!

“Everybody in the whole of Charlbury seemed to love it” – Oxfordbands.com