Gorky's Zygotic Mynci

[EBES]

Just wondering if anyone here is a fan of the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. I did a search to see if they were mentioned in other threads but only saw them in passing in a list of other things -- generally either '90s psych-folk bands or '90s bands that took influence from Canterbury. They've always seemed to me like a uniquely wonderful act who never quite got the attention they deserved, either from the mainstream (they famously had eight singles in the top 75 in the UK without ever getting one into the top 40, though "famously" is relative there) or from connoisseurs of prog and related music.

I have some bias here I suppose because the Introducing compilation came out when I was 14, and it was one of my favorite things as a teenager. This was just slightly pre-Internet, at least in my home, and I didn't have any way of finding contemporary music which even seemed to exist in the same universe as my teenage prog favorites like Genesis, the Moody Blues, King Crimson, etc.

Having periodically dug back into them as an adult, I'm struck by how well they mingle (a) a fantastic sense of melody and songwriting which make everything they do compulsively listenable, (b) soundscapes which draw on all kinds of wonderful '60s and '70s analog sounds without being overtly retro or imitative, (c) total unpredictability and openness to experiment, and (c) a rich sense of personality which includes a strong undertone of melancholy. They're not hyper-accomplished as players, but listenability, personality and imagination are mixed as richly in their work, to my ears, as in classic prog.

I personally love & admire their work about as much as any music from the '90s, and I only ever hear them mentioned by the small number of people who were devoted fans while they were active. It doesn't help, I'm sure, that their most classic material isn't on streaming, and the post-breakup solo work has happened totally outside the boundaries of the standard music business.

Just did a YouTube video on them as well; hope it's not gauche to embed it.

[spacefreak]

A great band they were. Their series of albums up to 1998's Gorky 5 are stunning. Sadly they fell under the "indie" trap afterwards and I lost interest. Probably the result of signing with a major...


Congrats for the video by the way.

[Piskie]

I picked up a few of their albums a couple years ago -attracted by their more folky exploits. One of Wales' finest! Kevin Ayers fans I understand.

[soundsweird]

Huge fan here; they're one of my very favorite acts from the 90's. I started out with the wonderful compilation "20" on the (greatly-missed) Castle label, and got everything of theirs I could find after that. I agree that their last few albums pretty much lost the quirky experimentation (so I sold them), but I still have everything up to the "Blue Trees" EP, which came after "Gorky 5". I never did find their first album "Patio", but I've heard it and don't feel that I need it.

I think I first became aware of them while perusing the "similar artists" feature on the AllMusic site's Gong page. GZM do share a lot of the same characteristics of Gong, early Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers.

[Gravedigger]

I first heard them on a college radio station, and I was mesmerized (even started a PE thread asking for recommendations).
This was the track, and it vaguely reminded me of Tony Hooper-era Strawbs.

[EBES]

I picked up a few of their albums a couple years ago -attracted by their more folky exploits. One of Wales' finest! Kevin Ayers fans I understand.

I think I first became aware of them while perusing the "similar artists" feature on the AllMusic site's Gong page. GZM do share a lot of the same characteristics of Gong, early Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers.

Even to the point of having a song called "Kevin Ayers" which samples the studio chatter from Joy of a Toy (can't recall which song) and whose lyrics were a Welsh translation of Shouting in a Bucket Blues. Which is the sort of thing that's cute when you're young but I'm glad they didn't overdo it. Also the liner notes refer to Shooting at the Moon as their favorite album, but they charmingly mistake the name and refer to it as "Shooting the Moon."

I first heard them on a college radio station, and I was mesmerized (even started a PE thread asking for recommendations).
This was the track, and it vaguely reminded me of Tony Hooper-era Strawbs.

Wonderful song!

[TheNefariousHED]

Gorky’s remain highly underrated. I love them! Euros Childs is a Welsh treasure and one of my favorite songwriters. His solo albums are mostly top notch as well.

[samsondale]

I am a fan. I especially love the later stuff - wonderfully atmospheric. I haven’t given up on the more (for lack of a better term) psychedelic earlier stuff either.

[soundsweird]

I like the atmospheric stuff, too. The early albums gave you plenty of that plus the weird and quirky tracks. The last few albums were mostly whimsical, atmospheric love songs, but the quirky side of GZM was pretty much gone.

[EBES]

Gorky’s remain highly underrated. I love them! Euros Childs is a Welsh treasure and one of my favorite songwriters. His solo albums are mostly top notch as well.

Totally agree on the solo stuff. I didn't start paying attention to it until years after the breakup, partly because he was so prolific that it always seemed like a big job, partly because some of his best stuff requires attention to the lyrics to fully appreciate, and I wasn't listening to them closely enough.

I am a fan. I especially love the later stuff - wonderfully atmospheric. I haven’t given up on the more (for lack of a better term) psychedelic earlier stuff either.

Interesting to hear from someone who's more into the later material, since most of the fans I run into online are more passionate about the Ankst-era stuff. The shift was hard for me at the time but I've come to really adore the later stuff.

I like the atmospheric stuff, too. The early albums gave you plenty of that plus the weird and quirky tracks. The last few albums were mostly whimsical, atmospheric love songs, but the quirky side of GZM was pretty much gone.

Yeah that's fair, I love those albums but they were much more earnest. A lot of that quirk came back in Euros's solo work.

[soundsweird]

In that case, I'll have to check out his solo stuff

[moecurlythanu]

I first heard them on a college radio station, and I was mesmerized (even started a PE thread asking for recommendations).
This was the track, and it vaguely reminded me of Tony Hooper-era Strawbs.

I was aware of the name, but this is the first time I've ever sat down and actually listened to anything by them. A bit of a Tudor Lodge vibe on this one. I'll have to explore further.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I recall them being toted here in Norway as the "trippier little brother of Dexy's".

They're ok. But as with a few other relatively established domains of attemptive "neo-psych" from the late 80s/early 90s (Levellers, Steppes, Sandals, Ship of Fools and so on), I never really connected with the stylistic cravings so alleged. Their reputed genre-heritage wasn't too convincing or outspoken, although I still appreciate the songwriting and obviously wouldn't shun them for not "adapting correctly". Good at what they did! And as with Levellers they were a mighty entertaining live feast.

[EBES]

I recall them being toted here in Norway as the "trippier little brother of Dexy's".

As in Dexy's Midnight Runners? Interesting comparison, not a band I know much about beyond the one famous song.