Photo by Shay Rowan
Hailing from the rainy streets of Manchester, The Speed of Sound is a band that’s got a family affair at its core. With John Armstrong on guitars and vocals, and his son Henry on keyboards, they’re joined by Ann-Marie Crowley on vocals and guitar, Kevin Roache on bass, and John Broadhurst banging the drums. Formed in 1989, with origins tracing back to the day Andy Warhol died in 1987, their music is idiosyncratic and ever-evolving, forever seeking new horizons.
Their style? It’s like a jukebox in a blender. They pull from the ’60s, punk, and new wave, creating a concoction that’s as unpredictable as a Manchester forecast. Their music is a merry mix of experimentation, catchy hooks, melodic sensibility, sharp wit, and lyrical depth. It’s got that spark of joy that makes you tap your foot and think a bit deeper. They embody the DIY ethos of punk and the experimental spirit of psychedelia.
Following 2021’s critically acclaimed album Museum Of Tomorrow, the band returns triumphant, defiant and redemptive with this trilogy, marking their 35th anniversary.
Now, The Speed Of Sound debuts “Underground,” a luminous psychedelic rock single heralding the release of A Cornucopia: Victory, the second disc in their trilogy A Cornucopia: Minerva, Victory, Bounty, via California’s Big Stir Records.
Featuring dual vocals from Armstrong and Crowley, the track evokes the essence of a lost gem from David Bowie with a hint of Bob Dylan-esque charm. Thematically, it shares a kinship with songs like Todd Rundgren’s “An Elpee’s Worth of Toons” and Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing.” This single offers a biting commentary on consumerism and the music industry. “Underground” expertly encapsulates The Speed of Sound’s ability to merge astute social critique with their signature sonic expeditions, making it a captivating glimpse of what’s to come.
“Can you hear the unheard music? This is subterranean dance-rock with an insatiable groove in celebration of independent music,” says frontman John Armstrong. “The theme of non-mainstream creativity is present throughout the three linked albums of A Cornucopia; ‘Underground’ is where it is all explicitly pulled together. Immunity from the toxic tentacles of major labels and ‘the music business’ gives a freedom of expression simply not possible from within the machine…The ‘We’ stated in ‘We are the underground’ is a collective ‘We’ – not just The Speed Of Sound – instead the ‘We’ is made up of every single independent artist across the planet. Together ‘We’ are all the Underground and ‘We’ are defiantly proud of our existence beyond the exclusive major label ‘club’. ‘We’ have the power to just do our thing and get on with it!”
Watch the video for “Underground” below:
Pre-Order A Cornucopia: Victory here
The fourteen songs on Victory are more laid-back and relaxed while retaining an optimistic, upbeat, and lively feel. In contrast, the first disc in the trilogy, Minerva, displays joyous belligerence in the face of a dominant mainstream music machine.
Minerva kicks off with an ’80s radio pop-style bang, boasting buoyant guitar-driven rhythms and the dual vocals of West Wind. It slides seamlessly into the acoustic groove of SS-100-X, then drifts into the spacious shimmer of Eight Fourteen Monday. The lively ascent of The Party Sniper follows, leading to the glowing metaphor of radioactivity in Half-Life.
Mind Palace tackles the bright and uplifting themes of dementia and identity loss, while Bodysnatchers keeps you on your toes, warning against slipping into the drabness of normalcy. The crunching melodic punch of Clickbait zings into the typewriter intro of Yet Another Tuesday, and the punkified rhythm and blues of So Faux keeps the energy high. The album wraps up with the acoustic riot of Question Time.
Brisk pop power and harmony push this homage to individual identity, memory, and self-awareness. It’s not the dull déjà vu of nostalgia, but the interactive memory that shapes a person’s very essence. Sparked by a visit to Sintra Palace in Portugal and borrowing a trick from Sherlock Holmes, Mind Palace muses on losing oneself as memory fades, while the twelve-string guitar chimes and canters.
In the coda, a chorus of overlapping Memory Voices adds depth. Big Stir label-mates Mark Britton of Amoeba Teen, Ruth Rogers and Peter Watts of Spygenius, Nick Frater, solo artist Louise Turner, Jason Edge of The Electric Stars, and Janet Armstrong, Janet Stacey Dando, and the heartbeat of Ivy Frater, all lend their voices. It’s a melodic musing on memory with a playful punch, mixing introspection with a touch of charm and plenty of chimes.
Watch The Video for “Mind Palace” below:
Full of ambition, energy, and melodic brilliance, Speed of Sound is offering A Cornucopia: Minerva as a deluxe edition on vinyl and CD.
Listen to A Cornucopia: Minerva below and order here.
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Artist photos by Shay Rowan
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