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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    12 song debut studio album "Effigies" on Disc 1. Home recordings of 10 of the studio songs on Disc 2.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Effigies via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 34 Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals and Soft Hearted Scientists releases available on Bandcamp and save 80%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Phantom of Canton Halloween Demoz E.P., Waltz of the Weekend, Night of the Gorgon E.P., Golden Fleece, California Time Machine E.P., The Kraken of Roath Park Lake, Stand and Deliver/Pointing Paw, Sasquatch!/Tarantula!, and 26 more. , and , .

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  • ULTRA LIMITED EDITION DOUBLE CD TEST PRESSINGS
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    ONLY 2 SETS OF THESE EXIST. SIGNED BY NATHAN HALL WITH SIGNED A2 POSTER PLUS LYRIC SHEET FOR "SPIDER SKIN" PLUS PROMOTIONAL SHEET SENT TO RADIO PRODUCERS AND REVIEWERS.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Effigies via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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  • UNIQUE SET OF 12 ITEMS!!!!
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    EFFIGIES DOUBLE CD ALBUM
    MUTE EFFIGIES CD ALBUM
    VOLGA STURGEON FACE CD EP
    SPIDER SKIN RADIO PROMOTIONAL CD
    SIGNED EFFIGIES PROMOTIONAL SHEET
    SIGNED EFFIGIES POSTER
    SIGNED MUTE EFFIGIES POSTER
    TUNGUSKA TYDFIL CD ALBUM
    WINDMILLS ON FIRE RADIO PROMOTIONAL CD
    FRUITS DE MER GATHERING OF THE FISH CD
    FRUITS DE MER SIDESHOWS BY THE SEASHORE CD
    PLECTRUM USED TO WRITE SOME SINISTER SONGS
    MOST ITEMS SIGNED BY NATHAN HALL

    Includes unlimited streaming of Effigies via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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  • ULTRA LIMITED EDITION OF ONE SET!!!!
    Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Effigies double CD
    Mute Effigies Soundtracks CD
    **Super rare Volga Sturgeon Face CD EP (the first Sinister Locals release)
    **Collectible Fruits de mer compilation CD "A gathering of the fish" featuring "Like a setting sun" off Effigies
    Signed A2 posters for Effigies and Mute Effigies Soundtracks

    Includes unlimited streaming of Effigies via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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about

This is the debut solo album by Soft Hearted Scientists front man Nathan Hall, ably assisted by the shadowy figures known as The Sinister Locals – a possibly disreputable but undeniably talented bunch of people.

Musically the songs are a blend of modern fearful psychedelia, electronica, chamber pop, haunted folk and godless prayers.

Acoustic and electric guitars blend with vintage keyboards, piano and electronic underwater/outer space/nature sound effects, to add colour and texture. With added sleigh bells.

Lyrically the songs are often rather dark, but this is offset by the ultra kaleidoscopic music, designed to create confusion of the senses, where you feel pulled in several directions at once. Dance? Cry? Christmas? Summer? Reasons to be cheerful and grateful? Reasons to be frightened and angry? All of them and more.

But this is no retro psychedelia.

The lyrics include references to

1)a psychopathic cop killer, Ice Road Truckers drowning pleasurably, tyrants, state and personal disorder and chaos (Everybody's Burning Effigies);

2)violent revenge fantasies about practitioners of genocide and reanimating the innocent dead (Song for the Flowers);

3)stepping outside of the city, away from the daily routine and horrible news, to slow things down and remember the point of life (Plant Your Flag);

4)a wordless song of love for a woman who may or may not know she is adored from a distance by someone too frightened to act (The Sighing Song);

5)the horrors of nervous breakdown where the world and even nature seem indifferent at best or even murderous, and terror about obsolescence (The Unholy Ghost);

6)the vile dark heart of the Roman Empire and evil corporations, and the ecstasy and danger of elevating an object of affection to superhuman status (Stained Glass Girl);

7)a satire of people who think that never coming to standstill is a badge of honour (Spider Skin);

8)yet another song about loss and fear of time passing too quickly (Like a Setting Sun);
9)a self parody about creative obsession and the realisation that even achieving creative immortality would not stave off death, so a creativity and living life balance is essential (Catacombs of Camden Town);

10)another song about the dangers of melodramatically sanctifying the object of our affections, with added crashing into the sun sound effects to make a totally unsubtle but sonically thrilling point (Your Name in Flames);

11)a lyrically simple secular prayer about hanging on to the people and things that count that transforms into a double time ascent over the city, the mountains and out into the stratosphere, like a modern take on “You can't always get what you want”;

12)a crackly little tune that sounds like a lost theme tune to a spooky Laurel and Hardy short, played on a wind up gramophone, with ghosts pouring out of its horn (Theme from The Haunted Pavilion).

This is “Effigies”. We hope you enjoy it.

REVIEWS SO FAR

MARK BARTON AT LOSING TODAY

Shiver me timbers, roll up roll up for the psychedelic carnival that is ‘effigies’ by Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals. Stepping out of the shadows of his more recognisable Soft Hearted Scientists guise, incidentally the band are on a year sabbatical, Mr Hall follows his recently well received ‘the Volga Sturgeon Face’ EP with this vivid and lush dream coat.

In many ways, ‘Effigies’ provides for classic Soft Hearted Scientists fayre, those remembering the band’s first three EP’s from many years ago that appeared on the sadly defunct my kung Fu will be instantly drawn to its richly threaded tapestry of strange delights and hurdy gurd-ian mysteries for this ultimately is a wondrous voyage to secret villages, strange lands, forgotten folklores and distant dreams all kaleidoscopically coloured and radiantly abundant in a peculiar peppering of yarns, bewitchment and heraldic tales.

As noted in previous dispatches, ‘Effigies’ is a seafaring mysterio amid whose crew the ghosts of XTC, William D Drake (see ‘spider skin’), the Cardiacs, the Soft Boys and Syd Barrett sail, here you’ll be affectionately taken by hand to familiar sightings and settings for the tracks appearing on that aforementioned EP feature here in their entirety. ‘like a setting sun’ – the best moment of that set by several yards, comes prettily purred in a breezy pastoral airiness that instantly recalls the celebrated musical craft of a ‘mummer’ era XTC albeit here impishly daubed and inked by the waywardly woozy charms of a ‘gigglegoo’ era Freed Unit.

‘Catacombs of Camden Town’ arrives adoringly lilted in lazy eyed rustic sprays which gently scratched reveal a cornucopia of haunted memories and sorrowed introspection. Elsewhere there’s the fan faring pomp and hurrah of ‘everybody’s burning effigies’, a stirring and effervescent sun bathed joyous parade of jubilant fairgrounds and afternoon brass bands gathered in merriment for a weirdly surreal mayday festooned village green carnival.

Lest we forget mention of ‘song for the flowers’ which still, all these months on since first hearing, is to these ears a dead eyed nod to the bliss toning softly turned campfire psych of a youthful Earlies.

So that’s the EP tracks done with, now onwards to the other hidden gems lurking within, such as, for instance ‘plant your flag’ – a Meek tweaked psych pill, its baroque ghosted steam punk sonic inventory providing a vintage echo much in tune with the Victoriana detailing applied to wax by Paul Roland. ‘the sighing song’ – the shortest track here bar the end credits farewell salute that is ‘song from the haunted pavilion’ – shimmers with dreamy delight traced all the time in a vividly bright posy of pastoral cascades and lightly layered crystal tipped drift washes.

For us though, best moment of the set by a short head is ‘the unholy ghost’ for here amid the eerie enchantment and the whiff of old English peculiar, eccentricity is in abundance with the spirits of the Barrett, the Cardiacs and Giant Paw conspiring to reign all manner of wizardry, waywardness and olde worldle ne’er do well’ing in concocting a ghostly brew of macabre musical hall merriment.

That said, ‘stained glass girl’ is no slouch in the affection stakes, swashbuckling high seas adventuring replete with ghouls and supernatural visitations make this a jaunty jamboree. Into the final straight, ‘your name in flames’ with its crystalline cosmic unworldliness has an air of the spectral symphonia beauty that piped through the core of Porcupine Tree’s ‘stupid dream’ while the hymnally hued ‘we’ll go walking (please don’t let us lose the things that make us who we are)’, (good luck with the t-shirts for that one), is dappled in dreamy swirls upon a wonderfully sleepy headed hypnotic campfire charming,, think Clinic in cahoots with a debut album era Toshack Highway.

Which all leaves ‘song from the haunted pavilion’ to set its course for the disappearing horizons and with it bringing a wheezing close to the proceedings courtesy of a sepia scratched Sunday bandstand soiree. Irresistibly out of time, out of fashion and out of this world.

REVIEW FROM GOLDMINE MAGAZINE USA - DAVE THOMPSON

Detouring from his traditional roost among the Soft Hearted Scientists, Nathan Hall detours, too, from that band’s overall oeuvre to deliver a vivaciously buoyant collection of songs whose musical joyousness allegedly disguises some genuinely thoughtful, and thought-provoking themes.

“Something tells me we’ll see better days,” muses “We’ll Go Walking,” and maybe we will. But that’s nothing we need to get into here, because the hooks and choruses are just too damned catchy.

“Spider Skin” is the best song since the Who’s “Waspman” to include “bzzzzzz” among its primary lyrics; “The Unholy Ghost” is a haunted house with a frantic chant at the end of every verse; and the closing “Theme from ‘The Haunted Pavilion’” sounds like something a Salvation Army Band might play if it met another one coming up the same narrow street.

So no, Hall does not step too far from his soft hearted past. Whether they’re sticking to their name’s own proclivities or not, the Scientists themselves have concocted some of the warmest feeling psychedelia of the modern age, even when their moods are chilly, and Hall retains that comforting heat.

Yet, as “Catacombs of Camden Town” insists, “mustn’t put my life in glass cases, mustn’t be the curator of my own museum, mustn’t take talismans too far” – and that’s a lesson for the audience, too. Effigies is a dozen songs, a dozen vignettes, a dozen pieces of shimmering beauty. Only hard hearted analysts would deny its come-hither charms.

PENNYBLACKMUSIC.CO.UK REVIEW - KEITH HOW

Effigies’ is the first solo album from the Soft Hearted Scientists’ head honcho Nathan Hall. The Sinister Locals appear to be some very gifted musicians that Hall has probably bribed to accompany him on this new recording. ‘The Volta Sturgeon Face’ EP released earlier this year, although critically acclaimed, passed many by but this full album further enhances Nathan Hall’s growing reputation as a creative force. So, using the four track EP as a template< Hall launches his new album into space.

I am on my fourth listen of this new offering and find it totally captivating. ‘Effigies’ is a pilgrimage into the folk/horror world of Nathan Hall’s mind. While the Soft Hearted Scientists’ shadow is there for all to perceive, Hall is going further into the woods to seemingly “get lost”.

A kaleidoscope of psychedelic journeys await the listener. This is a fine, intelligent album full of twists and turns, superb vocal harmonies and intriguing sonic wizardry. For example, ‘Plant Your Flag’ pounds along joyfully with the occasional echo of the Velvet Underground while carrying an important reminder of life and “neutralising doom and gloom”, and ‘The Unholy Ghost’ gently carries the great British tradition of weird whimsy.

‘Effigies’ is remarkably inventive, full of light and colour. Yes, Hall’s lyrics often venture into the darker areas of life but why not! Instrumentally we are referencing the creativity and experimentation of the 1960’s and early progressive ‘70’s but there is nothing “retro” in the construction and production of ‘Effigies’.

Songs concerning ghosts, life, death, the universe and just about everything else are all stirred into a sprawling tasty stew of swirling keyboards, acoustic guitar, spacey electronics,inventive bass playing and restrained percussion. Sonically this is a delight, and, spacious and light, this creation is probably more progressive than psychedelic. Careful production and engineering make this whole concept intriguing and hypnotic.

“Mustn’t put my life in a glass case” is a lesson to be learned on ‘Catacombs of Camden Town’, another thought provoking ditty that follows the superb ‘Like a Setting Sun’. Symphonic and pastoral in equal measure, enhanced by soaring flute and gorgeous strings, ‘Setting Sun’ is a masterpiece that soars through the cosmos carrying the listener away in bliss.

‘Effigies’ contains a dozen slices of beauty and charm that will transport you to the Wild Woods by way of forgotten dark lanes and bright horizons with your journey ending on an optimistic note with Hall crooning “Something tells me we’ll see better days” on ‘Let’s Go Walking’ leading into ‘Theme from The Haunted Pavilion’. Somewhere in an old Primitive Methodist Chapel in the Valleys the Ghost of Futures Past plays this hymn on an old harmonium for a world hoping for a new age of peace, love and understanding. There’s nothing funny about that!

Don’t pass this one by.


REVIEW FOR "EFFIGIES" FROM BLISS AQUAMARINE

NATHAN HALL & THE SINISTER LOCALS Effigies double CD (The Hip Replacement)
Debut album from Soft Hearted Scientists frontman Nathan Hall's new project. The 2 CD set comprises the main album plus a bonus disc of home demo versions of the album tracks.

Plant Your Flag is swirling, colourful pop with orchestrated and spacey bits, its "neutralise the doom and gloom" refrain an apt description of what the song actually does.

The Unholy Ghost blends eccentric whimsy with nightmarish angularity.

Stained Glass Girl paints a vivid picture of a fantasy world populated by vampire squid and phantom wolves, set to an inventive multi-part arrangement.

Spider Skin is kaleidoscopic psych-pop employing a hectic fairground atmosphere to satirise those "busy bees" who Nathan sums up in the press release as believing "never coming to a standstill is a badge of honour".

Your Name in Flames is luxuriously arranged, with theremin and spacey vintage synths lending a dramatic sci-fi film score feel to the piece.

This is a superb psych-pop album pairing sumptious arrangements with a lyrical wit.

The demo album has a more stripped-down acoustic emphasis, and offers an enjoyable insight into the songs' origins.
Kim Harten
Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals — Effigies
(The Hip Replacement Hip Rep 015, 2017, CD)



Expose Online
by Henry Schneider, Published 2017-11-13

Last Spring The Soft Hearted Scientists’ Nathan Hall released an EP of four songs called The Volga Sturgeon Face. Now he has released a full length album, Effigies, that includes the four songs from the EP plus eight additional original tunes and a second disc of 10 demo tracks that he recorded in his home for the album. Nathan is a master of writing and performing a unique set of engaging adult nursery rhymes. His songs are full of catchy hooks with the memory lingering long after you’ve stopped the disc. These trippy songs cover a variety of topics from bees, ghosts, vampires, Halloween, and the Exxon Valdez, to Icarus. Even with the gothic elements, the music continues to remain fun and upbeat. Of the twelve tracks on the first disc, two are instrumentals. The first is “The Sighing Song,” a superbly beautiful tune with harp, strings, and piano. The other is the album closer “Theme from the 'The Haunted Pavilion'” that sounds like a scratchy 78 rpm instrumental played on a harmonium. The second disc of album demo tracks provides a view into how the tracks developed. Of course the sound fidelity is not quite the same, but that does not detract from the listening experience. All of the demos are pretty much Nathan singing along with an acoustic guitar accompaniment. Even though the fully fleshed out tracks on disc one are wonderful, the demos are a testament to Nathan’s compositional skills. So take a few minutes of your time, get a copy of Effigies, and explore the mind of Nathan Hall and his take on the realm of faerie, you will not be disappointed.

BUZZ MAGAZINE

NATHAN HALL AND THE SINISTER LOCALS *****
Effigies (self-released)
Burning Effigies, a song about suicidal Ice Road Truckers, begins what is an interesting 12-song journey through the darker side of psychedelia, taking in deluded flowers, fish, ghosts and galaxies. The twinkly music and bizarre lyrics are heavily reminiscent of Caravan and Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd, yet have a uniqueness of their own. When Nathan Hall and his shadowy band of ever-changing locals say “I’m going to fly to the sun” it sounds perfectly possible. Go along for the ride. LN

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released October 15, 2017

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Nathan Hall and the Sinister Locals and Soft Hearted Scientists Cardiff, UK

The music mixes psychedelia with baroque touches, and analogue electronics and seeks to create the same confusion of the senses that a prime Beach Boys track does. Is it summer or is it Christmas? Neither. Its both simultaneously. The lyrics walk the dark side of Sunny Psychedelia Street and know that all is not well with the world. Burning effigies and suicidal Ice Road Truckers all feature. ... more

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