Music Banter - Gorky`s Zygotic Mynci

Quote:

Originally Posted by SATCHMO

Whosy's Who What?

I`m so glad you asked me ;)

In 1991 a group of boys in Ysgol Bro Myrddin, Carmarthen decided to form a band. They settled, for better or worse, on the name Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.

Over than a decade later, Gorky's are regarded as one of the most original and unique bands in the history of Welsh music. Over the years, they've grown from their early, largely experimental beginnings into songwriters of refined excellence.

The band's 1992 debut album Patio didn't give the impression that they were overly concerned with thundering into the mainstream. Since then, that's how things have mostly remained, save the notable occasion of the poppy Patio Song, which was picked up by Radio 1 as 1996's end-of-summer anthem.

Rather than huge sales and a high celebrity profile, what Gorky's certainly do have is an utterly devoted international following of adoring fans. Their 1995 album Bwyd Time topped the indie chart - a huge surprise, not least to the band themselves. It included the eccentric Game Of Eyes and the endearing Miss Trudy - both released as singles, though they didn't chart.

A host of further singles - including the Amber Gamber and and If Fingers Were Xylophones EPs - were released before their next album, 1997's Barafundle. The album consolidated their growing international popularity, particularly in Japan, and contained the hits Patio Song and Diamond Dew.

1998 saw the release of the wonderful, largely acoustic and wholly seductive Gorky 5, which is held by many to be their finest work. It contained the singles Let's Get Together (In Our Minds) and Sweet Johnny.

A new single, the summery Spanish Dance Troupe, was followed in September 1999 by the album of the same name. But by then John Lawrence had left to form Infinity Chimps. The band lost another member in 2000, just before the release of The Blue Trees mini album, when drummer Euros Rowlands announced he was leaving to become a teacher in Swansea. He was replaced by former Topper drummer Pete Richardson.

The lineup changes were reflected in the band's next releases, and they took a turn towards a more reflective, almost country sound. The new atmosphere was felt both on The Blue Trees and on the 2001 album How I Long To Feel That Summer In My Heart, bouncing in near childish glee on tracks such as Cân Megan and the rapturous Her Hair Hangs Long.

In March 2003 the band re-released their early Ankst singles on the collection 20, and in August that year a brand new collection, the lush Sleep/Holiday.

Gorky's Zygotic Mynci's prolific output speaks for itself, and there's nothing like their pop rock psychedelic folk to be heard anywhere else. A truly remarkable band