MTC LP1 is an experimental, ambient and wonderfully weird new album from Martian Tin Can.
Martian Tin Can is the alias of Colin Laird, Mark Pilkington and Matt Smith - a trio who began recording together in the mid 1990s. Taking influences from everything from 1950s sci-fi cinema to jazz, electro and hip hop, they create soundscapes with eclectic and intricate beats and samples.
Their most recent work, MTC LP1, is the product of a collaboration two years in the making. With Martian Tin Can now split across the country, Colin and Mark recorded new material at Thought Universe Studio in Manchester, whilst Matt created content at SOA in Bristol.
Many of the new sounds have been plucked from audio used in their Mixcloud broadcasts. These two-hour shows featured diverse music selections alongside live synth jams, poetry, foley, interviews, even comedy clips; "a psychedelic brew of long-form radio entertainment". Other tracks on MTC LP1 came about from a 90's archive of floppy discs, ZIP drives, tapes and more - resilient and contrasting practices against more conventional production practices.
The end result is an album filled with rich retro soundscapes and tales. More 'conventional' tracks like 'Invaders' are juxtaposed with the wonderful weirdness of MTC LP1's experimental soundscapes, such as 'Oceans of Wisdom', 'We Come From The Third Planet' and 'The Exotic Side of Radio pt1'.
MTC LP1 is an album where hip hop and dub-inflected rhythms are peppered in-between recordings of people claiming to have witnessed UFO phenomena. Where a swaying, gentle flute melody can be interrupted by abrasive acid synths without explanation, and yet still make sonic sense. All in all, it's a unique release which proves the importance of long-standing collaboration.
Listen to MTC LP1 on Bandcamp here: