Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – Bwyd Time

Wales isn’t the land of my fathers, but it’s the land of my in-laws and I spent a very pleasant weekend in Swansea last month. While I was there I picked up a local magazine, whose music correspondent is Richard James, formerly bassist with Nineties Carmarthen band Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci. He has just got funding for a thesis on the effect (presumably negative) of Methodism on Welsh folk music. This looks interesting.

Reading the article made me want to revisit GZM’s music so I gave “Bwyd Time” a spin. It was released in 1995 and I bought it – because I was intrigued by anything psychedelic - and played it obsessively for a while. But coming back to it a decade later – oh dear, am I turning into a Grumpy Old Man? - the overall feeling is how ANNOYING a lot of it is. Starting with the pseudo-pagan sleeve, with pictures of the band dressed as wizards. Or is it druids? And the stupid jingles at the start and the end. The fatal weakness was the fey, weedy, hello-clouds hello-sky whimsicality of some of their lyrics and music - “Miss Trudy”, “Oraphis Yn Delphie” and “Iechyd Da” are the worst offenders, while the musically crunchier “Paid Cheto Ar Pam” deserves to get off more lightly. But occasionally it works: the best track on the record is James’s haunting, Barrettesque “Eating Salt Is Easy”.

On side 2 (why is there a side 1 and a side 2, I wonder, when I doubt if this was released in vinyl or cassette format?) things get darker and sometimes more interesting. For example, the slow, menacing “Blood Chant” gets the musical full monty – violin, flute, fluty synths (presumably they couldn’t find a mellotron), organ a la Pink Floyd circa 1967 (Farfisa, I thought, but the sleeve says Hammond) and, of course, sitar – but it is too repetitive, to the point where hypnotic tips into boring. Better is the unhinged, superficially poppy but unsettling “Game Of Eyes”.

A bit disappointing overall, but not a complete waste of time.

See also:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/music/sites/gorkyszygoticmynci/