A 2024 edition of Terry Riley's »Descending Moonshine Dervishes,« originally recorded live in Berlin in 1975 and released by Kuckuck in 1982. This will be the first time the remastered album has been available since 2016.
Using just intonation and a modified organ, Riley conjures forth a rich and layered sound that challenges the Western ear, reflecting his associations with Indian classical singer Pandit Pran Nath and La Monte Young, whose Well Tuned Piano was well underway. »Descending Moonshine Dervishes« is a virtuosic and kaleidoscopic performance, standing as one of the finest works of a revolutionary composer and musician at the height of his powers.
»Descending Moonshine Dervishes« dates from 1975 and it belongs to a larger Dervish series of compositions whose origins predate Riley’s two signature works of minimalism, »In C« (1968) and »A Rainbow In Curved Air« (1969)… the piece is structured around just intonation, which stretches the listening experience into new areas. Played on a Yamaha organ with a bit of tape delay that allows Riley to duet with himself, the music of »Descending Moonshine Dervishes« is an ear expansion that goes through skittering arpeggios and long, droning notes that indicate something of the many levels that it operates on. – Louise Gray, The Wire Magazine (March 2017)
California composer Terry Riley launched what is now known as the Minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic 'In C' in 1964. This seminal work provided a new concept in musical form based on interlocking repetitive patterns. It's impact was to change the course of 20th century music and it's influence has been heard in the works of prominent composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass and John Adams and in the music of rock groups such as The Who, The Soft Machine, Tangerine Dream, and many others. His hypnotic, multi-layered, polymetric, brightly orchestrated eastern flavored improvisations and compositions set the stage for the prevailing interest in a new tonality. Riley has worked with Kronos Quartet, La Monte Young, members of Fluxus, Chet Baker, Pandit Pran Nath, his son Gyan Riley, choreographer Anna Halperin, and many others over the years.
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William Tyler is a Nashville guitarist and composer. He spent years woodshedding and touring with Nashville groups like Lambchop and Silver Jews before breaking away to focus on his own version of instrumental guitar music. In the summer of 2022 he was fortunate to have an artist residency at Epicenter in Green River, Utah, a tiny high desert town three hours from anything, One of the other non-profit friends of Epicenter was The Tank is Rangely, Colorado. The Tank itself is a giant and tall disused water tower from the high days of train travel and used to store water to cool train engines and such. Empty for decades, it is now an internationally recognized destination for sound art and almost unparalleled echo/acoustics. William Tyler decided to book recording time there and chose to re-interpret all of the songs of hie 2019 album "Goes West" in a sparse yet cavernous solo acoustic setting: "Something about the frailty and space I wanted the songs to imply was lost in the over-production of the studio record, This felt like a reclamation of the songs and also a symbolic tribute to the stunning, haunted and vast possibilities of the American West, especially at the twilight of American Empire.’
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After the Spanish escapade 'Teatro Lucido' and the sweet journey 'Paris Hawai', the group created by Marlon Magnée and Sacha Got continues their world tour with 'Rock Machine,' their first album entirely written in English. Composed over the past few years during various tours around the world, this new LP has been strongly inspired by the succession of dates in the USA, Canada, South America, Australia, and the encounters that ensued. The band returns to its New Wave and Synthwave roots from their acclaimed first LP 'Psycho Tropical Berlin' (Machine), which they mix with an Anglo-Saxon rock sound from the 80s/90s (Rock). This album is an ode to rock'n'roll, its effectiveness, and timelessness, but also an ode to love and despair. La Femme continues to develop with Rock Machine a universe beyond trends with their own sound and aesthetics. In addition to rock and synthwave sounds (of which 'Clover Paradise' is the perfect example), there's still electro (Sweet Babe), surf music (Ciao Paris), disco with a UK punk twist (My Generation), and even elements of western. The list is long but always unique and coherent
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New SEMANTICA Compilation is about to bright and reflect on already well known directions explored by Svreca’s imprint. Despite the label efforts to hide from any sonic etiquette, still existing a core which will be the SEMANTICA sound identity for a time. 'Iridescent' twist and modulate this heritage which moves gradually from ambient / electronics to techno and set the release directly to S++ category into the SEMANTICA catalogue.
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An obscure bit of Brazilian folk rock from the early 70s - recorded with an easygoing, laidback style that's really wonderful! The group's working mostly here in a blend of acoustic guitar and percussion and some of the guitar work is done by Jorge Amiden of O Terco, using a strange three-necked guitar that looks mighty weird in the picture! This instrument seems to be played using a bow at times - creating a "guitar strings" sort of feel that gives the record a bit more class than you might expect from its relatively rootsy setting and there's also some great subtle production on the vocals that compresses them slightly, in a way that links the record to some of the other South American rock of the time. Titles include "O Jogo", "Tributo Ao Sorriso", "Blusa Le Linho", "Voce Pole Ir Alem", "Do Zepo Adiante", "Transe Uma", "Cara Ou Coroa", and "Venha Pisar Na Grama".
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After four tape editions on Seil Records, Sofie Birch's 2019 debut record "Planetes" is finally available on vinyl featuring new artwork and a beautiful analog remastering.
Sofie creates dream-like, elegant ambient music with an emphasis on exploration and wonder. Her distinctive organic and melodic sound is shaped by improvising with analog synthesizers, acoustic instruments, and field recordings. Repetitiveness is clinically avoided with harmonic progressions that resolve all tension brilliantly. Planetes was described as a beautiful sound universe where the atmospheric sound surfaces and textures gently and elegantly take the listener to new places all the time by Danish experimental music media Passive Aggressive.
For this record's 5th anniversary, apart from the regular vinyl edition, there are two special editions. The first one comes in translucent blue vinyl and includes a limited edition K7 inspired by 70’s yoga tapes. It contains a 20-minute guided meditation on one side and two beautiful unreleased tracks on the other. The second special edition comes in yellow vinyl and includes an inner sleeve with stickers so that you can create your own cover/ constellation for the record.
Sofie's own words about the release:
“It's a dream coming true to see my debut release Planetes coming out on vinyl for its 5th anniversary! Planetes means “a wanderer” in Greek, and I love how this word describes the wandering of celestial bodies, and how we humans wander through life both on a physical and spiritual plane. Wandering is being alive. Wandering is moving, and everything is always moving and changing. Shifting and transforming. The music was created with recordings from a pilgrim trip in Italy with my mom on a little cassette recorder and the music evolved from synth improvisations and the discovery of trusting sound as it is and creating music from immediacy rather than concept.”
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'We're excited to be able to bring you the latest wonderful album from Chester's boycalledcrow, after a series of superb releases for labels such as Mortality Tables, Waxing Crescent Records and Subexotic Records, including the wonderful Kullu from earlier this year.
Knott's music doesn't sit easily in any pre-existing genres, being at once strange and experimental, yet melodic and somehow comforting. His music is intimate and evocative, deeply personal, and manages to be both bucolic and yet totally 21st century, like Kraftwerk's robots dreaming of sheep.
The songs and sounds on “eyetrees” are inspired by a rich family life and the wonderful times spent with his wife and kids, both at home and out in nature.'
Knott said of the album and its inspirations:
“We enjoy spending time in the woods with our young children, creating stories about the "eye tree”. This tree, with thousands of eyes, watches over us and cares for us like family. We make fox medicine and cherish these blissful moments. The music reflects these times, seen through the colors of an old, fuzzy reel—orange, red, and yellow with blurred edges, like an old photo scorched by the sun.
I feel a deep spiritual connection to the countryside; the hands of Arcadia cradle me when I feel sad. Some of the album was created during times of sadness when I felt death was close and the lines between worlds were blurred. This feeling—that anything can happen and that life is delicate and can be taken away in a flash—permeates the music.
The song titles are stories and memories of my family, filled with hazy pinks, yellows, reds, and oranges.
Wonky acoustic guitar, broken electronics, and a warm, otherworldly space."
First released over 30 years ago, this EP, as with Volumes 1 & 2, is where The Future Sound Of London started in 1991, these tracks under their pseudonyms. All four tracks were instrumental in establishing a new genre of electronica within dance music. They were ahead of their time and extremely progressive, and here three decades later they are making an impression. “Calcium” transcendental and otherworldly, “Owl” described as ‘one of the greatest breakbeat hardcore tracks ever created’. This edition of The Pulse EP is the first reissue in this original vinyl form since 1991, those initial pressings now expensive on Discogs. Genuine underground hardcore/rave history on vinyl to obtain one more time.
"Breaking to the Bus Stop", is a project around B.Boying, one of the four elements of Hip Hop ; a challenge can happen at any time, in the street, the subway, a bus stop... to settle scores. These songs are part of Marc-Aurèle Vecchione's ARTE series "Boys & Girls Africa".
A few more donuts such as "Perkushun", "Latin Breakdown", "Tex Mex Breaking" have been added to the cypher. Two of the songs, including the series' theme song, were composed with my DJ LC, from Légitime Processus. Strictly for hard core power moves.
An authentic record to enjoy on a unique vinyl edition 300 copies tagged, numbered and signed by street artist "Golf".
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History must take its course.
Demon Records presents, for the first time on double 140g green and
yellow translucent vinyl, the complete narrated TV soundtrack of ‘Doctor
Who: The Crusade’, with linking narration by William Russell.
The TARDIS travellers materialise in 12th Century Palestine, where
English Crusaders are engaged in a holy war with Saladin, ruler of the
Saracens. When Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) is abducted in a Saracen
ambush, the Doctor (William Hartnell), Vicki (Maureen O’Brien) and Ian
(William Russell) find themselves guests at the palace of King Richard
the Lionheart (Julian Glover).
First broadcast in March and April 1965, the story has become a noted
classic among Doctor Who historical adventures, with a guest cast
including Julian Glover and Jean Marsh.
Only two of its four episodes survive in the BBC TV archive, but this vinyl
release features the complete audio soundtrack. Includes beautifully
illustrated individual sleeves featuring Radio Times-style billings for each
episode.
This release is dedicated to the memory of narrator William Russell, who
died in June aged 99.
Doctor Who is available now on BBC iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ in the rest of the world,
Both tracks were written and produced by Lee Perry. This is the first time these two complementary tracks have been released together.
The A side is the first ever reissue of the gorgeous SINNER MAN by ANNETTE CLARKE. This rare track was initially released as the B side of JUST ONE LOOK, also performed by ANNETTE CLARKE on the Technics label in the UK in 1973. It seems it was never released in Jamaica.
The B side SINNER MAN DUB is a very rare Lee Perry Dub version of the A side. It was released only as a single for a Lee Perry box of 8 very rare singles by Trojan in 2005. This box is now also rare.
ABOUT LEE SCRATCH PERRY:
Lee "Scratch" Perry was born Rainford Hugh Perry on the 20 March 1936 in Kendal Jamaica. An eccentric Reggae artist and a genius producer, Lee has written, sung and/or produced unique tracks for himself and everybody else worldwide from Bob Marley and Junior Murvin to the Clash and many more… Under his own name, he recorded over 80 albums, countless singles and covered every musical style from Ska, Rocksteady and early Reggae to Dub, Roots Reggae and their electronic variations... His influence on Jamaican music and Reggae is just immense.
Perry died on 29 August 2021 in Lucea, Jamaica, during the Covid outbreak, aged 85.
ABOUT ANNETTE CLARKE:
Unfortunately, very little is known about Annette Clarke besides the fact there was a Jamaican singer that recorded Rhythm’ n Blues and Ska duets with Shenley Dufus in 1961 and with Charley Organaire in 1964. She also recorded this gorgeous duet with Roy Pantone “My Baby” in 1963.
Then nothing until this session with Lee Perry in 1973 where she aparently recorded just two songs, the lovely cover of the 1963 Doris Troy’s “Just One Look” and “Sinner Man”, a gorgeous song penned by Lee Perry and unrelated to the Nina Simone’s hit. Then there is no trace of further recordings after these. A real shame considering the outstanding talent she showcased with these two superb songs…
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XXCEPTION TO THE RULE - THE SWEETER THE JUICE b/w ANGEL IN DISGUISE
Daxwood Records out of North Carolina owned by music maestro Doyle Wood have recorded some real gems over the years.
From the Daxwood Studios, IZIPHO SOUL are proud to present XXCEPTION TO THE RULE, a female duo consisting of Vanessia Mathis and Daniela Curry.
On a 7” for the first time are two songs originally recorded in 1982.
THE SWEETER THE JUICE (Re-Titled for 2024) is an arousing dancer with a potent ‘squelchy’ bass sound and soaring vocals.
On the flip is ANGEL IN DISGUISE, a supreme ballad of it’s era, with Vanessia’s voice shining through; the piano solo by the late Eldridge McMillan is simple yet has so much feeling - Pure SOUL!!
These tracks are featured on a 2011 CD album - Xxception To The Rule ‘Then And Now’.
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Two previously unissued soulful delights.
These two songs come from a very damaged
demo studio mastertape recorded in 1977
in New York.
We know the sound quality is not perfect but
good enough to be released and heard for the
first time by soul music fan!
In collaboration with musicians and parody artists Auralnauts, Stumpy Frog Records has pressed the soundtrack to their ongoing series of ‘As Seen on TV’ parodies known as the ‘Infomercial Wars’. During an unspecified point in time, a faceless dystopian company pushes out products under the guise of improving the quality of life for humanity. The commercials have a sexy presentation to them, designed to lull the viewer into a hypnotic state and gloss over what is really being sold to them: enslavement to an evil entity. The true purpose of these products is clear to anyone with an iron will: to imprison your mind, strip away your humanity and weaponize what remains. Humanity’s only hope is a scrappy group of freedom fighters whose key to success is convincing you to buy their products instead of the enemy’s. May the best infomercial win. Beyond humanity. Beyond Copper. The parody series is made up of real life infomercials with complete audio makeovers. The products themselves vary from one commercial to the next, but a popular trend in these ads is the seemingly unlimited uses for copper, which is taken even further by the parody versions. The bubbly pitchman from the source material has been replaced by a soothing, yet vaguely threatening alien presence. This mysterious voice paints a picture of a world that would make David Cronenberg and James Cameron blush, and all of it is held together by a dystopian soundtrack that is perfect for ushering humanity into the next step of this forced evolution. Side A of the album contains six full length studio versions of the music featured in each ad. 1) 300% More Human 2) Techromancer 3) Full Body Copper System 4) Master of Reality 5) Final Boss (Sock Defense Grid) 6) Beyond Copper Side B features the ads themselves, presented faithfully as they appear on the Auralnauts Youtube channel.
4LP: Two multicolour gatefold 2LPs in very special sleeve. In collaboration with composer Ed Harrison (Deus Ex: Breach, Tsioque) and art designer Julianne Griepp, Stumpy Frog is proud to release the full OST (GSDF & NSF albums) to the Half Life 2 modification NEOTOKYO° on 4LP limited vinyl. During the period of 2004-2009, Half Life 2 modders TEAM RADI-8 created a multiplayer total conversion focused on two clashing factions in a dystopian cyberpunk future inspired by the works of Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell) & Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira). To bring this world to life, they enlisted the help of a then-23 year old composer from the forums: Ed Harrison aka 0edit. What he created was nothing short of spectacular. Equal parts frantic and solemn, hopeful and angry, this soundtrack is exactly the kind of art Stumpy Frog Records was made to bring to wax. I’ve been listening to this OST for years and I hope this release will become a mainstay on your record player. A diamond, fully formed, that Ed Harrison, Stumpy Frog, and art designer Julianne Griepp poured themselves into to create a release worth your time and hard earned money.
On Fire is widely recognized as the canonic pinnacle of Galaxie 500's career. The artwork conveys this, with a low-angle shot of the band, looking up towards an amber sky. This record marked the realization of their signature sound. Nowhere is it clearer than on the album opener, "Blue Thunder," the closest a song can come to waves crashing on a beach in song form. Lyrically inconsequential, with a chorus composed entirely of "la"s, the track's power lies in a systematic build and break of intensity that reaches a Spector-like climax. It is the quintessential Galaxie 500 song, encapsulating all that was great about the band. With the Boston trio once again utilizing the bizarre genius of producer Mark Kramer, On Fire sounds like anything but. The guitars are warm blankets enwrapping Dean Wareham's vocals, percolated by the open percussion of Damon Krukowski and anchored by the emotion-laden bass of Naomi Yang. Songs like "Snowstorm," "Strange," and "Decomposing Trees" have an endless quality, without beginnings or ends, but rather frozen somewhere on a spectrum of melancholy. For the first time since its original pressing, On Fire is available again on vinyl. Cut by vinyl ace Kevin Gray from a remaster by Kramer and Alan Douches, the album sounds more vibrant than ever, and Galaxie 500 exists again as one of the most enrapturing and glorious bands to emerge from the underground in the past 25 years.
Get ready to immerse yourself in the timeless essence of love with Homebase’s
latest release, “Everlasting Love.” This captivating track is a celebration
of love that transcends time, space, and all boundaries.
Featuring an array of stunning remixes by renowned artists Phonique, Marc
Spieler & Richard de Clark, each version brings a unique flavor to this heartfelt anthem. From deep house grooves to uplifting beats, there’s a remix for every mood and moment.
“Everlasting Love” is more than just a song; it’s a journey into the depths
of what it means to love unconditionally and eternally. It’s about those
moments that make your heart race, the memories that linger forever, and the
bonds that withstand the test of time. Whether you’re dancing the night away or
reflecting on cherished memories, this track will resonate with your soul.
Don’t miss out on this musical masterpiece. Experience the magic of
“Everlasting Love” today and let the music remind you of the beauty and power
of true, everlasting love.
Available now as limited colored Vinyl ✨
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The highly anticipated follow-up to Thee Sacred Souls's breakout 2022 self-titled debut, Got A Story To Tell, features 12 all original new songs, a soaring statement of exquisite craftsmanship from this young band from San Diego whose story grows bigger by the day. Recorded and produced by Gabriel Roth at Penrose Recorders, in Daptone’s Riverside, CA studio, and written in the throes of supporting their 2022 album, which was met with significant excitement and major touring that brought them across the world. What swirls together on Got A Story To Tell is an appreciation of decades of soul music, and beyond - a sound and feel that is timeless, lived in, and very much in the now. Album opener “Lucid Girl” champions independent women, set to some of the toughest sounding drums and bass the band has yet to put to tape. “Waiting On The Right Time” slinks with a touch of slow-burning psychedelia. A plea for empathy punctuates “One and the Same,” with Lane singing: “We’re one and the same, I feel one day / We learn to live with each other / In love, not fear / Just for a moment, why can’t we be together.” “On My Mind” is a sweeping orchestration, with Lane navigating the complexities of finding happiness while balancing the good with the bad. The album is punctuated with strings and squelching guitar, trundling piano, pops of conga, horns - it makes for a thrilling, layered listen that rewards with multiple spins.
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The yellow and black cloudy vinyl showcases two modern Chicago house tracks perfect for summer vibes. "Feeling of Power" is a super groovy track that evolves with a feminine choir, slight acid lines, and sunny guitar arrangements. Smiles plastered on ravers, "Voodoo" will bring the best vibe and mood to dancefloors just in time for sunrises. Loopy, hypnotic, and incredibly housey!
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Tokyo-based emerging label INFODUMP Recordings, led by Takuro Hasumi, who captivated audiences with the unique and left-field “Fafrotskies vol.1” released in 2023, has eagerly released a new work titled “Fafrotskies vol.2”! The EP features three tracks that subtly color the dance floor:
“High Fidelity” (A1): A mid-tempo, synth-driven, minimalistic, and romantically imaginative time-warp house track at BPM 113.
“Sparta” (B1): A tribal left-field house track with added electronic and experimental elements, clocking in at BPM 122.
“S.I.M” (B2): An industrial, cut-up loop awakening trip with a stoic parallel groove, flying low at BPM 123.
Each track contributes to the EP’s unique and cool vibe, making it a great addition to any dance floor!
(Text by COMPUMA)
“Hard to pick a favourite here! Love all 3 tracks but the trippy and slower A1. High Fidelity really resonated with me! great ep.”
Axel Boman (Studio Barnhus)
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The music industry, once revered as a realm of artistic expression and creativity, has gradually transformed into a breeding ground for commercial nonsense. The rampant commercialization of music has resulted in an environment where genuine talent often takes a backseat to profit-driven motives. It’s high time we unmask and challenge the prevailing commercial bullshit that plagues the music scene today.
In the midst of all this commercial nonsense, it’s essential to recognize that there is a thriving underground and independent music scene where authenticity and creativity still flourish. Listeners can play a vital role in reshaping the music industry by supporting independent artists, seeking out diverse sounds, and rejecting the homogenized offerings of major labels.
To combat the commercial bullshit in the music scene, we must prioritize artistry over profit, diversity over uniformity, and creativity over conformity. Only by championing these values can we hope to revive the music industry as a bastion of authentic expression and genuine talent, free from the shackles of commercial exploitation.
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Watkins Group is a new project from one half of infamous Crust House vagrants Watkins & Almodovar, taking inspiration from the landscapes, myths and legends of ancient Scottish & Celtic culture. The title of this debut album on the newborn Frequency Consortium label, Beanntan a’ Bhròin (Mountains of Sorrow), might already give an indication as to where we’re headed here; evoking Nan Shepard’s meditations on the Cairngorms at their most isolationist & uncompromising as much as it does the creatures that occupy the crags, gullies & glens of old Caledonia. Watkins Group dive deep into fx-drenched grot and expansive somnambulant driftworks over six tracks, as spacious as they claustrophobic, recalling the works of Deathprod, early-90s Lustmord and at times even the stark soundtracks of Mica Levi.
[a] A1. Sluagh na marbh [Host Of The Dead]
[b] A2. Biasd Bealach Odail [The Beast Of Odal Pass]
[c] A3. Am Fear Liath Mòr [Big Grey Man Of Ben MacDhui]
[d] B1. Caoineag [The Weeper]
[e] B2. An Teàrnadh [The Escape]
[f] B3. Cait Sith [The Mysterious Black Cat]
Mit neuem Album „In These Dying Times“ meldet sich Suzan Köcher eindrucksvoll aus der Pause zurück.
Psychedelischer Pop trifft auf eingängige Melodien und Texte, die sich auch mit ernsteren Themen befassen (Schmerzhaftes Erwachsenwerden bei „Seventeen“ und Weltschmerz allgemein bei „Living In A Bad Place“).
Alles in allem hat sich das Warten gelohnt oder wie Klaus Fiehe bereits in seiner Sendung auf WDR 1Live schwärmte „Das Beste, was sie je geschrieben hat“.
Im Herbst außerdem auf Tour!
" The Brand New Heavies revisit their seminal 1994 album Brother Sister for its 30 year anniversary. Replete with groove-driven, horn-splashed, hand-clapping funk, Brother Sister saw the band dig deep into their jazz grooves, with N'Dea Davenport in full flight as diva/lead vocalist.
" Featuring some of their best loved songs including the chart hits 'Midnight at the Oasis', 'Dream on Dreamer', and 'Spend Some Time', Brother Sister debuted in the UK charts at #4 and went onto be a hit worldwide, the band rightly claiming their crown as Acid Jazz heavyweights, delivering knock-out punch after punch on this album.
" Freshly remastered, the 2LP vinyl - 18 tracks edition features three bonus tracks, and is pressed onto one black and one white vinyl, and will be signed by Andrew and Simon from the band.
A unique, dreamy Dutch-language indie-folk record reminiscent of Jessica Pratt and Joni Mitchell.
Catbug is the project of singer-songwriter Paulien Rondou who grew up in Duisburg, a Belgian village near Tervuren. After completing her 'Cabaret' studies at the Antwerp Conservatory, Paulien moved to her mother and stepfather's little farm in Westmalle. Although she left without any specific goal in mind, it didn't take long for the first wonderful songs to originate in this environment.
Catbug released her debut album Universe back in 2018. A record that immediately put her on the map within the Belgian music landscape. "Since the release of King Fisher, Catbug's first song, we have been sitting here on the edge of our seats", Radio 1 wrote about it at the time. Despite the fact that her musical career had clearly taken a direction, Paulien did not feel comfortable living the big city life. That said, it didn't take long before she left Antwerp behind to run the organic farm De Paardebloemhoeve in Malle. As it turned out, that farm was the ideal habitat for Paulien to work on her first Dutch-language album slapen onder een hunebed peacefully and quietly. This album was also well received in Belgium and was even picked up by Japanese label Think!Records. In one way or another, Catbug's music reached the Japanese label and, upon their request, several hundred vinyls were immediately sent out to Japan. In no time, all vinyls were sold out. Despite the fact that Catbug's lyrics are sung in Dutch, the people in Japan love her music.
Now, three years later, there's the brand new album Musjemeesje. The album has become an ode to all the birdson and around the farm, which again served as the breeding ground for all the new songs. One winter day in 2021, Paulien was given a pair of binoculars as a gift and decided to learn as much as she could about the birds on and around the farm. Soon she learnt to recognize the distinctive sounds and ways of flying of many different species, and a separate story began to form with each bird. There was something in them that Paulien identified with, and she wanted to try to map it out. This is where the idea was born of writing an album of songs about birds. "Birds always manage to uplift and inspire me with their crazy habits and their twittering. They reach out to the child in myself", Paulien added herself. For this album, Paulien worked with producer Aiko Devriendt again, who also did the mix. They recorded the album in pianist Guy Van Nuyten's studio and just like they did the last time, a conscious choice was made to keep it sober. Less is more. This resulted in a unique, dreamy Dutch-language indie-folk record reminiscent of Jessica Pratt and Joni Mitchell.
Never say never! Because it's time for TURMOIL - a surprising landmark album comeback for RICO PUESTEL defining a musical and personal turning point with a completely new and re-invented artistry. About time!
4U opens the Pandora's Box of TURMOIL with inimitable meditative beauty, descending into the metaphorical and tonal SLICES OF LIFE that unleashes a complex chain of energy while WHERETO even overcomes this high voltage setup with a deadly infective loop and the only reminiscences of something to call Techno on this album in its fading conclusion.
Before HEART OF GOLD defines the probably most immersive peak on TURMOIL with its vast soundscape and mantra-like piano shuffle, QUESTIONS floats in Dubstep'ish ways to actually raise two questions to the listener while this train keeps on going.
FIVE SIGNS speeds up the pace on the album's second half, culminating in the mesmerizingly driven groove and words of HIGH HOPE and the powerful Upbeat drenched into ambient soundscapes on NEWTON.
Nearing the end of TURMOIL, DUMB delivers the longest vocal verses on this album and proceeds with the most pervasive and powerful layers of beats, violins and synth stabs.
Closing and re-starting all of it, EVERENDING grooves into infinity with its yoga-like theme and spreads some true love.
Without a doubt, TURMOIL happens to be the most accomplished work by RICO PUESTEL melting so many of his artistic worlds into one unique piece of art!
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Caroline Says' haunting new album, The Lucky One, is a poignant exploration of how the ghosts of past relationships linger, sometimes holding more sway over our hearts and minds than our current connections. We revisit these ghosts through evocative landscapes of our memories - hometown bars, road trips, and late-night swims. Through a series of fractured and persistent memories these songs capture the bittersweet realization that the past, though imperfect, can sometimes be a more comforting and meaningful companion than the present. Opening track, "The Lucky One," confronts death's role in shaping our memories head-on, as it ponders the way death freezes a person in time, forcing us to confront the complexities of grief and its lasting impact on our relationship with the one we lost. Other tracks delve into the complexities of relationships that naturally grow apart as life takes us in different directions. For example, "Faded and Golden" reflects on the bittersweet nature of reunions with old friends, where the idealized memories of youth can clash with the realities of the present. Then, "Actors" takes this a step further, acknowledging the influence of perception and desire in friendships, and the idea that in many ways "all friendships are imaginary friendships," as it confronts the disappointment of inauthentic connections, and the facades we sometimes put on in relationships. "Roses" began when Caroline was looking through her grandma's collection of commemorative Kentucky Derby glasses, each one etched with the name of a winner. The song delves into the story of "Sunday Silence," the horse that won the year Caroline was born. Researching the horse's journey from near-Triple Crown glory to retirement in Japan sparked a metaphor - a pressured being (the horse) desperately trying to please but ultimately disappointing. The owners eventually selling the horse becomes a relatable symbol of unmet expectations, and the sting of falling short despite our best efforts. Album closer, "Something Good," revisits Caroline's Alabama childhood. Lost on a recent trip to Birmingham, unable to find the familiar path to a riverside hangout, the experience becomes a powerful metaphor; we can't always retrace the paths in our memories, but those memories, however unreliable, continue to shape us. In the end, The Lucky One celebrates this enduring power, acknowledging how past relationships and experiences, even those lost to the haze of time, continue to inform the stories we tell ourselves, and the way we navigate the present.
Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water, the self-titled debut from the duo of trumpeter Will Evans and guitarist, synthesist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Theo Trump, arrives like a vault revelation. It feels like a decades-old yet newly unearthed masterwork of gorgeous ambient improvisation, the sort of thing scholars live to research and shepherd into deluxe reissue.
The patient, crystalline chords that swell and resonate like a series of confessions; the textured brass murmurs that suggest a ’60s or ’70s Fire Music master at their most poignant. Provocative found-sound experiments threading arcane religious recordings through dystopian soundscapes. Ear-shattering free-noise tumult. Where and when did this music come from? Who are these voices?
As it turns out, Forgetting You Is Like Breathing Water springs from an engrossing human story, though it isn’t necessarily the one you’d expect. This work of stunning maturity is in fact an entrance by two little-known explorers in their early 20s, who grew up together in Virginia, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It documents one of those perfect, sparkling moments in post-adolescence when big decisions and responsibilities are right around the corner, but for a spell, two young artists are able to create among the comforts and nostalgia of their shared past.
It also represents a reunion of sorts, as Evans and Trump connected as toddlers, became inseparable as boys, then pursued independent lives and creative paths as young adults. “Theo is my oldest friend,” Evans says, “and I feel like that’s what this band is — us meeting right in the middle of our interests.”
Now, having conjured this magic, they’ve detached once again: Evans, whose other works include the indie/avant-jazz unit Angelica X, is currently based in New York City. Trump recently moved to England, where he’d participated in his family’s theatre company, to go to school and further his solo ambient project. “This album didn’t start out as something super ambitious,” Evans explains. “It was more just an excuse to spend time together again and make music.”
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In conversation, Evans and Trump are a delight, especially for cynics who might think that Gen-Z is only capable of doomscrolling. They come across as kindly young intellectuals who grew up using the internet as it was intended, for exposure to ideas and art across genres and generations. Trump points to indie-folk and the oracular post-rock of late Talk Talk, Bark Psychosis and Gastr del Sol. Pressed for his guitar heroes, he cites Bill Orcutt, Mary Halvorson and Marc Ribot, and mentions his devotion to alt-country. Heyday electro-industrial stuff like Skinny Puppy and Nine Inch Nails also meant a lot to him.
Evans is equally intrepid, though his background has a greater jazz focus. Ambrose Akinmusire, among today’s most thoughtfully commanding trumpeters, is a favorite. As for the soulful murmur he offers throughout Forgetting You, Pharoah Sanders’ wistful and lyrical contributions to Floating Points’ work is a touchstone.
The two grew up down the street from each other in the northern Piedmont town of Batesville, Virginia. Their families were friends, holidays were celebrated together and they became the most loyal of pals. As children they had a pretend band.
Then life unfolded, they attended different schools and their paths diverged. Evans discovered John Coltrane and became a jazz obsessive, as Trump found punk and hardcore and later began making ambient music. As a dedicated jazz trumpeter, Evans studied formally and widely; Trump was an autodidact, teaching himself guitar and absorbing synthesis and production techniques. The late teens and very early 20s brought moves away from home and back to home, as well as plenty of listening and learning. The Covid pandemic meant an opportunity to reconnect on long walks. Through it all, together and apart, they remained reverent of each other.
By early 2023, they found themselves living again among the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the evening, after giving trumpet lessons in Charlottesville, Evans would make the eerily beautiful trek “over the mountain” to Trump’s home in Staunton, Virginia. They’d talk and eat and begin to improvise, deep into the night. Evans played trumpet and sometimes drums. (Given the wee-hours recording schedule, the neighbors didn’t appreciate the latter.) Trump plugged a rickety, junk-store Telecaster-style guitar into a cheap solid-state amp and explored open tunings; he also layered on lap steel, electric bass, synths and electronics.
They locked in and relished each other’s gifts. In Trump, those include patience and intentionality and sonic decision-making; for Evans, a distinctive trumpet sound that both musicians think of as a singer’s voice. “Will’s playing is so thoughtful and well placed,” Trump says. “My goal from a producer’s mindset is that the trumpet will occupy the space that vocals would take.”
Often, they got lost in the best way. “The thing I look for most when I’m playing is that feeling of disappearing into what you’re doing,” Evans says. “Usually when that happens, the music is good.”
By the same token, they didn’t pursue free improvisation as an ethic, or as a pure process. Their goal was something closer to spontaneous composition. “We were trying to make good songs,” Evans says simply. Later, Trump did brilliant post-production work, expanding a modest setup into an enthralling soundworld. Under his judicious editorship, music that was wholly improvised sounds at times like a carefully composed new-music commission.
The results speak for themselves. “A Happy Death” summons up a swath of American desolation through the viewfinder of Wim Wenders. “Flesh of Lost Summers” and “Partings” are highlights from an essential ECM LP that never was. “A Collapse of Horses” infuses those seminal post-rock influences with the plod of doom metal or slowcore. The album’s final track, “The Mountains Are a Dream That Calls to Me,” was in fact the first thing the duo recorded, as an evocation of those twilit drives across the Blue Ridge Mountains. “Looking back at what we chose to name the songs,” Evans says, “and some of the sounds and how they make me feel, there is an air of impermanence and loss to this album.”
“I’m excited for everything that’s to come,” he adds, “but I recently thought, ‘Damn — that’s not going to happen again.’ It was a privilege for us to have that time together.”
Coke Bottle CLear Vinyl. The breakout success of 2016's Puberty 2 saw Mitski hailed as the new vanguard of indie rock, the one to save the genre from the white dudes who've historically dominated it. But the often overlooked aspect of being a rising star is the sheer amount of work that goes into it. "I had been on the road for a long time, which is so isolating, and had to run my own business at the same time," Mitski explains, "a lot of this record was me not having any feelings, being completely spent, but then trying to rally myself and wake up and get back to Mitski. I was feeling really nihilistic and trying to make pop songs."We want our artists to be strong but we also expect them to be vulnerable. Rather than avoiding this dilemma, she addresses directly the power that comes from appearing impenetrable and loneliness that follows. "With a lot of the romantic infatuations I've had," she says, "when I look back, I wonder, Did I want them or did I want to be them? Did I love them or did I want to absorb whatever power they had? I decided I could just be my own cowboy figure that I so desire." In Be The Cowboy, delves into the loneliness of being a symbol and the loneliness of being someone, and how it can feel so much like being no one.
Australian indie folk rock band The Paper Kites release Evergreen, a compilation featuring the band’s debut EP Woodland and follow-up EP Young North for the first time on vinyl. Notably the release includes standout single "Bloom" which has been certified platinum in the U.S.A, Canada, Australia, Italy & the Netherlands. It melds earthy instrumentals to create a perfect backdrop for the band’s trademark harmonies that have garnered them a dedicated audience and over 1 billion streams across their catalog.
SITW’s fourth studio album is a satirical celebration of mistakes. A joyous lambasting of everyone and everything that’s wrong in the world, against the real-time backdrop of global uncertainty, corruption and political unrest.
A London Charivari. Rough Music. A gleeful old-fashioned cancelling. A Chaunter’s delight. 14th Century recording demons collecting mistakes in a sack. Women mugging rich merchants. Nettles being pissed on. Shit food at Lent. A terrible plan. An undoing. The aftermath of a car crash. Catching people doing something they shouldn’t. Nursery rhymes reimagined as death threats. Behind the sarcastic acerbic delivery, Nicola Kearey and Ian Carter convey thoughtful, essential interpretations encouraging us all to check ourselves, through the multi-layered music of cities through time.
This is about as far away from pastoral folk music as you can get.
In their typical wry city-weary style, a beady eye is cast over those committing wrongs in plain sight, with Kearey narrating a series of tales of people fucking up, or being fucked up, with some brief respite in Lavender - one of London’s oldest street melodies - the album being named after the 14th Century story of Tittivilus, the recording demon, who collects scribes’ mistakes (pokes) and the idle chatter of the “liars with their hairy tongues” congregation.
Despite this seriousness, the album’s working-class dry gallows humour carries a stoic “if you don’t laugh you’ll cry” feeling amongst the corruption, scandals and barefaced lies we all observe on a daily basis, with a warning that “only you can fix your deficits” and “it’s your words and deeds that matter…and let me tell you, they speak volumes”.
The core of the record imagines a sound of traditional London music, where the musical continuum is unbroken by the population decimated by the world wars, or by gentrification and social cleansing that has forced communities apart, and yet absorbs all the influences of all the communities that call London their home.
Carter and Kearey attempted sessions at The George Tavern, Whitechapel, and in Spitalfields, at Denis Severs’ House, and a restored weaver’s townhouse, carrying the aesthetic of the record in their heads as they moved from location to location, before settling into an old factory building and their own workshop. The resulting sparse and economical sound is harsher, more present, more essentially them. It is a mighty haranguing that demands your attention.
Back to Back captures the instrumental aspect of the ’67 Stax-Volt European tour (“Volt” is the name of Stax’s subsidiary label). Immediately apparent is that the live versions of these songs are played much faster than the recorded ones. Exuberant? Definitely! These folks were racing across unfamiliar cultures and landscapes, reimagining their place in this world, looking down at the clouds for the first time. The pace was faster because their lives were — quickly — getting so much larger. In these recordings, you can hear all of that emotional exhilaration, all of that savoring of personal respect, that thrill of the new. Many of these songs were several years old, but they shine on Back to Back like they’re being performed for the first time. Over and over, you hear the musicians throwing in something extra, curlicues and tangents that express their excitement.
One of the most charismatic frontmen in modern bluegrass, Woody Platt has played an important part in shaping the trajectory of bluegrass music over the past 20 years. As a founding member and lead singer for The Steep Canyon Rangers, Platt spent years touring tirelessly, many of them in collaboration with actor/comedian and banjoist Steve Martin, earning a GRAMMY award, multiple GRAMMY nominations, and international recognition in the process. But when the pandemic struck, the time at home caused Platt to rethink his personal priorities. He decided to put his touring life on hold and left the Rangers to spend more time with his young family. Fortunately for bluegrass fans, the end of Platts tenure with The Rangers has marked a new chapter in his musical life, one that he is celebrating with the release of his first solo album, Far Away With You. The album cements Platts place at the cutting edge where traditional and contemporary bluegrass meet, and his smooth baritone vocals, coupled with his ear for lyrics with contemporary themes create a sonic palette that honors his bluegrass roots even as he cultivates new growth.
Lee Ranaldo and Rob Menard have been friends and collaborators for years and this split cassette release on Important Records' Cassauna label amplifies their unique musical personalities and sonic compatibility. Both artists contributed over 30 minutes of music making this a pair of mini-albums on one tape.
Ranaldo plays Farfisa, electric guitar, tres, marimba, bass and bells, taking the listener on a lyrical, hazy, ride full of life, time and echoing riff shimmer. Massive vibes from author, artist, Sonic Youth gtr slinger.
Rob Menard (Ascension Sound), delivers a mini-album of washed out, minimal lo-fi astral guitar and feedback drones. Menard founded the 20 Guitar Circular Wall Of Angelic Sound and practices vibrational frequency healing.
One of the most charismatic frontmen in modern bluegrass, Woody Platt has
played an important part in shaping the trajectory of bluegrass music over the
past 20 years. As a founding member and lead singer for The Steep Canyon
Rangers, Platt spent years touring tirelessly, many of them in collaboration with
actor/ comedian and banjoist Steve Martin, earning a GRAMMY award, multiple
GRAMMY nominations, and international recognition in the process. But when the
pandemic struck, the time at home caused Platt to rethink his personal priorities.
He decided to put his touring life on hold and left the Rangers to spend more time
with his young family. Fortunately for bluegrass fans, the end of Platts tenure with
The Rangers has marked a new chapter in his musical life, one that he is
celebrating with the release of his first solo album, Far Away With You. The album
cements Platts place at the cutting edge where traditional and contemporary
bluegrass meet, and his smooth baritone vocals, coupled with his ear for lyrics
with contemporary themes create a sonic palette that honors his bluegrass roots
even as he cultivates new growth
2000 pressed. First time on vinyl for the gorgeous 'Late December', with a second LP featuring rare recordings from her Live Acoustic LA tour in 2006, the package includes new liner notes and a download of the studio album and live show. An album that's broader than Broadway, a panoramic view of life, love and loss filled with drama and theatricality. Plus a live set that's heart-on-sleeve time, bringing together songs from Lone Justice, plus covers of the traditional country anthem 'The World Is Not My Home', Richard Thompson's 'Has He Got A Friend For Me' and three songs that show the bittersweet beauty of her brother Bryan MacLean's song writing. In total, it's Kurt Weill, Springsteen, it's the million-selling global hit 'A Good Heart' delivered by the songwriter herself in all its Phil Spector-like baroque beauty.
Soul Men, now available on 1LP black vinyl, is the iconic third album from legendary R&B duo Sam & Dave. Originally released in 1967, this timeless record features the Grammy Award-winning anthem "Soul Man," a track that helped define the sound of soul music and remains a classic to this day.