Papa Sprain ‘May EP’ 12 inch vinyl

Description

The May EP is Papa Sprain’s second release on the A.R. Kane-owned H.Ark! label. It is solo work by Gary McKendry from Belfast, produced by Rudy (R. Kane) Tambala.
The vinyl extremely limited in number as there was only ever one production run, back in 1992.

Those on offer are from the H.Ark! archive and have been lovingly kept for nigh-on 30 years, in near-mint condition. They come with an original hand cut compliments slip, courtesy of the Stratford Workshops photocopier, signed by Rudy.

1 U Swell 3:58
2 Mayflower 3:09
3 I Got Stop 4:11
4 Bathtime 5:24

AllMusic Review by Andy Kellman 
Ireland’s Papa Sprain didn’t last long enough or release anything substantial enough to make a big splash in the early post-rock ocean, but this 1992 release — one of their two singles — comes impressively close to approaching the dreamy heights of their influences (namely A.R. Kane) and peers (namely Bark Psychosis). “U Swell,” the lead song, resembles a traditional pop song the most here. Though it’s all but free of percussion (there are slight hi-hat pishes of relative insignificance), the thick and plangent bassline has such a strong presence that the song hardly sounds as if it lacks an anchor. Gary McKendry’s vocals sound as is they were recorded without waking a nearby napper as a featherweight tangle of guitars nestle. Everything remains in a holding pattern until another guitar blasts a prickly fuzz of noise that dissipates in time for the song to close as it began. While the second and third songs (“Mayflower” and “I Got Stop”) hover and curl in a more formless nature, the final song (“Bathtime”) brings to mind the delicate folk-pop of Felt in a less tethered manner, featuring more impressive guitar filigrees. It probably comes as no surprise that this single was released on A.R. Kane’s own H.ark! label; not only that, but the duo’s Rudy Tambala produced it.