"Casio City Rockers" is a deep dive into the infamous archives of Brother Lee, a.k.a. Lee Skelly. The 19 tracks here are compiled from 4-track cassette machines, Sony Walkmans, dictaphones and mobile phones, and were recorded in home studios, bedrooms, hotel rooms, holiday apartments... basically wherever, whenever and however Lee could record them before he had the chance to forget them.

His cassette archive alone runs to around 600, then there's the numerous carrier bags and boxes of mobile phones, USB keys and dictaphone tapes scattered around his remote French home, all full of either completed songs or scraps of melody or song sketches, and played on whatever instrument was nearest to hand. Not being particularly sentimental or nostalgic, it's rare for Lee to look over his shoulder for this kind of stuff.

So, imagine "Money Mark's Keyboard Repair" filtered though a Syd Barrett lens, or if Daniel Johnston had been fixated on Shuggie Otis and peak-70s Stevie Wonder instead of The Beatles. Everything here may be slightly broken but it works perfectly if you get what I mean. From the funky Clavinet workouts of "Baroque Neck Brace" and "Wah Wah" to the dead-on-'67 sitar-and-backwards-guitar psychedelia of "It's All Around" to the Afrobeat-inspired "Super Capri Beat" and the bonkers Casio-goes-Acid House title track, even the breezy lo-fi soul pop of "Turquoise" and "Bossa For Ingrid", this album is a wild ride. Don't miss it."

- Jenn Hepsworth, London, 2023.

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Lee Skelly: Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, Minimoog, Wurlitzer piano, Casio Mt-65, Casio Sk-1, flute, sitar, tambura, tablas, electric sitar, Clavinet, Mellotron, guitar, bass, drums, melodica, percussion, vocals.

Trackliste

A1 Super Capri Beat
A2 Soul Noodle
A3 Ricore
A4 Breakfast Cereal Jazz Music
A5 French Madrid
A6 Move It On
A7 Free Parking
A8 Concrete Bongo Head
A9 Baroque Neck Brace
A10 Fried Grapes
B1 It's All Around
B2 Daredevil
B3 Second Guess
B4 Turquoise
B5 Toyota Corolla
B6 Bossa For Ingrid
B7 Welcome To Valium Country
B8 Casio City Rockers
B9 Wah Wah