Otto Benson / Pudding Club - Songs Before Bed, Vinyl LP

The first five tracks are built around languid guitar licks, reminiscent of the breezy summer vibes of Steve Hiett, but with a slacker edge, wrapped in a blanket of tape goodness.

Then the album shifts unexpectedly with ‘Jumping Seeds’.. a mid tempo electronic banger; the ‘monkeys jumping on the bed’ of the album - a momentary interruption to the sleep agenda, before the return to the pillow.

‘Histamine’ then shifts the mood back to a dreamier state, with cascades of pillowy synth textures finishing off the first side of the album.

Side two drifts further into a dreamy ambience with ‘Letting Go’, ‘Apogamy’ and ‘Tuning In And Out’.

‘Good Night Mantra’ returns to another laid back Hiett-esque guitar number which lightly chugs into the final track, Kitty’s Midnight Blessing.. This reminds me of how Jim O’Rourke concludes Eureka.. a beautifully orchestrated resolution to the album, with trombone, clarinet and soft, buoyant keys; gently melancholic and dreamy.. the perfect send off. - Jon