Solo excursions from Tim Karmouche (The Murlocs/Crepes/Swazi Gold/Dreamin' Wild) provide a joyous confluence of melody and rhythm, an instrumental ride through imaginary soundtracks and drifting liminal atmospheres.
'Live From The Bubble' strikes as a pure and earnest pursuit of experimentation in a fashion that seeks to evoke life's simple pleasures. Crafted over many an hour spent in the mysterious studio space he nicknames the bubble, the various multi-tracks are looped and layered in a way that pays homage to old library funk and conjures up images of tight, seasoned session musicians in a pre-internet era. Like an old friend you've known for years, Mouche's chords and harmonies communicate sentiments in a silent, knowing fashion.
A deliberate and necessary eschewing of words. The array of styles heard across the album hint to a fondness for exotica and surf rock, basking in a sepia-toned woozy nostalgia as opposed to wallowing in melancholy. Elements of Steve Hiett or G.S. Schray flicker in and out across the stereo field, particularly on the closing piece 'Thinking Straight', which despite its minor keys captures a mood of warmth and content, an end of summer lullaby to close proceedings. Karmouche's own admission that the process of LFTB was centred around enjoyment comes as no surprise.