Cutting their teeth as teens in a West Bromwich bedroom, The Sea Urchins were nothing like the heavy metal that seemed to fill every bar in the UK Black Country. Fringe haircuts, perfect trousers, suede jackets and infectious tambourines gave plenty of hints as to their youthful ambition, but nothing could fully prepare you for just how utterly spellbinding these songs would be. Compiling their fanzine-only flexi material with the full complement of singles for Sarah Records, Stardust runs chronologically from late 1986 to the middle of 1989, beginning with the singles split for Clare Wadd’s Kvatch and Matt Haynes’ Sha La La, before hitting the first of what would be an even hundred releases from the new label Wadd and Haynes would form - Sarah.
The song that launched a legendary label and defined a sound, a scene, a place and time; “Pristine Christine” still rings out as immediate and magical today as it did on first listen. What a glorious jangly rush racing around the corners of pop’s history! The band would reach such heights time and again over the course of this three year burst. The melancholy swinging folk of “Everglade” and it’s wonderfully yearning vocal; the organ-fueled british invasion garage rock sing-a-long of “Solace”; the playful psych pop of “A Morning Odyssey”; the acoustic sweep of “Wild Grass Pictures”; the perfectly named “Summershine” leaving you with a ramshackle smile out on the dancefloor. All of it is just so filled with delicate humanity, yet somehow absolutely perfect.
As Bob Stanley said about the shimmering ballad “Please Rain Fall” while bestowing it with NME Single Of The Week (an honor also bestowed upon “Pristine Christine”), “think of some variations on the word marvelous and you’re most of the way there.”
In their time, they might have seemed wildly out of step, but it’s not crazy to say that things could have been very different for the likes of Radiohead, The La’s, and Oasis without The Sea Urchins. Liner notes by Television Personalities legend Dan Treacy.
Cutting their teeth as teens in a West Bromwich bedroom, The Sea Urchins were nothing like the heavy metal that seemed to fill every bar in the UK Black Country. Fringe haircuts, perfect trousers, suede jackets and infectious tambourines gave plenty of hints as to their youthful ambition, but nothing could fully prepare you for just how utterly spellbinding these songs would be. Compiling their fanzine-only flexi material with the full complement of singles for Sarah Records, Stardust runs chronologically from late 1986 to the middle of 1989, beginning with the singles split for Clare Wadd’s Kvatch and Matt Haynes’ Sha La La, before hitting the first of what would be an even hundred releases from the new label Wadd and Haynes would form - Sarah.
The song that launched a legendary label and defined a sound, a scene, a place and time; “Pristine Christine” still rings out as immediate and magical today as it did on first listen. What a glorious jangly rush racing around the corners of pop’s history! The band would reach such heights time and again over the course of this three year burst. The melancholy swinging folk of “Everglade” and it’s wonderfully yearning vocal; the organ-fueled british invasion garage rock sing-a-long of “Solace”; the playful psych pop of “A Morning Odyssey”; the acoustic sweep of “Wild Grass Pictures”; the perfectly named “Summershine” leaving you with a ramshackle smile out on the dancefloor. All of it is just so filled with delicate humanity, yet somehow absolutely perfect.
As Bob Stanley said about the shimmering ballad “Please Rain Fall” while bestowing it with NME Single Of The Week (an honor also bestowed upon “Pristine Christine”), “think of some variations on the word marvelous and you’re most of the way there.”
In their time, they might have seemed wildly out of step, but it’s not crazy to say that things could have been very different for the likes of Radiohead, The La’s, and Oasis without The Sea Urchins. Liner notes by Television Personalities legend Dan Treacy.
Die Meister des hymnischen Rock'n'Roll Black Star Riders sind stolz, ihr neues Album mit dem Titel »Wrong Side Of Paradise« ankündigen zu können. Das Album mit 11 Tracks wurde im Herbst 2021 im Studio 606 in Northridge, Kalifornien und Toochtoon Sound in Redmond, Oregon mit dem Produzenten und langjährigen BSR-Mitarbeiter Jay Ruston aufgenommen.
Mit Ricky Warwick (Leadgesang/Gitarre), Robert Crane (Bass), Christian Martucci (Gitarre) und Schlagzeuger Zak St. John veröffentlicht die Band 2022 ihre erste Single und ein Video mit dem Titel »Better Than Saturday Night« (mit Backing Vocals von Joe Elliott von Def Leppard). Das Video zeigt eine blitzschnelle Performance der viermaligen UK Top 25 Band und lässt den Betrachter ein Standard-Rockvideo-Klischee vermuten, bevor es mit dem Auftritt der rauen Roller Derby Dolls auf den Kopf gestellt wird.
Über das Album sagt Ricky: »Ich bin sehr stolz auf dieses Album, Black Star Riders fünfte Veröffentlichung und die erste mit unserer neuen und aufregenden Beziehung zu Earache Records. Wie alle BSR-Alben ist auch ›Wrong Side Of Paradise‹ eine hymnische Absichtserklärung, angetrieben von wilden Gitarren und donnernden Drums. Ich kann nur über meine eigenen persönlichen Erfahrungen schreiben, über meine Familien, meine Freunde und darüber, wie ich eine Welt sehe, die sich schneller verändert, als wir sie begreifen können. Davon abgesehen glaube ich fest an die Kraft der Positivität, etwas, das in diesem Album widerhallt
Die Meister des hymnischen Rock'n'Roll Black Star Riders sind stolz, ihr neues Album mit dem Titel »Wrong Side Of Paradise« ankündigen zu können. Das Album mit 11 Tracks wurde im Herbst 2021 im Studio 606 in Northridge, Kalifornien und Toochtoon Sound in Redmond, Oregon mit dem Produzenten und langjährigen BSR-Mitarbeiter Jay Ruston aufgenommen.
Mit Ricky Warwick (Leadgesang/Gitarre), Robert Crane (Bass), Christian Martucci (Gitarre) und Schlagzeuger Zak St. John veröffentlicht die Band 2022 ihre erste Single und ein Video mit dem Titel »Better Than Saturday Night« (mit Backing Vocals von Joe Elliott von Def Leppard). Das Video zeigt eine blitzschnelle Performance der viermaligen UK Top 25 Band und lässt den Betrachter ein Standard-Rockvideo-Klischee vermuten, bevor es mit dem Auftritt der rauen Roller Derby Dolls auf den Kopf gestellt wird.
Über das Album sagt Ricky: »Ich bin sehr stolz auf dieses Album, Black Star Riders fünfte Veröffentlichung und die erste mit unserer neuen und aufregenden Beziehung zu Earache Records. Wie alle BSR-Alben ist auch ›Wrong Side Of Paradise‹ eine hymnische Absichtserklärung, angetrieben von wilden Gitarren und donnernden Drums. Ich kann nur über meine eigenen persönlichen Erfahrungen schreiben, über meine Familien, meine Freunde und darüber, wie ich eine Welt sehe, die sich schneller verändert, als wir sie begreifen können. Davon abgesehen glaube ich fest an die Kraft der Positivität, etwas, das in diesem Album widerhallt
Die Meister des hymnischen Rock'n'Roll Black Star Riders sind stolz, ihr neues Album mit dem Titel »Wrong Side Of Paradise« ankündigen zu können. Das Album mit 11 Tracks wurde im Herbst 2021 im Studio 606 in Northridge, Kalifornien und Toochtoon Sound in Redmond, Oregon mit dem Produzenten und langjährigen BSR-Mitarbeiter Jay Ruston aufgenommen.
Mit Ricky Warwick (Leadgesang/Gitarre), Robert Crane (Bass), Christian Martucci (Gitarre) und Schlagzeuger Zak St. John veröffentlicht die Band 2022 ihre erste Single und ein Video mit dem Titel »Better Than Saturday Night« (mit Backing Vocals von Joe Elliott von Def Leppard). Das Video zeigt eine blitzschnelle Performance der viermaligen UK Top 25 Band und lässt den Betrachter ein Standard-Rockvideo-Klischee vermuten, bevor es mit dem Auftritt der rauen Roller Derby Dolls auf den Kopf gestellt wird.
Über das Album sagt Ricky: »Ich bin sehr stolz auf dieses Album, Black Star Riders fünfte Veröffentlichung und die erste mit unserer neuen und aufregenden Beziehung zu Earache Records. Wie alle BSR-Alben ist auch ›Wrong Side Of Paradise‹ eine hymnische Absichtserklärung, angetrieben von wilden Gitarren und donnernden Drums. Ich kann nur über meine eigenen persönlichen Erfahrungen schreiben, über meine Familien, meine Freunde und darüber, wie ich eine Welt sehe, die sich schneller verändert, als wir sie begreifen können. Davon abgesehen glaube ich fest an die Kraft der Positivität, etwas, das in diesem Album widerhallt
RAMPAGE’s Veil of Mourn is superlative in every sense. There’s a distinct ruggedness to the band’s ceaselessly shifting style of thrash. Mind you, NOT necessarily “rawness” – although the album’s production certainly tends toward the rough – but RAMPAGE’s execution eschews the super-clean sharpness that thrash metal was largely heading toward in the post-Master of Puppets era. With form meeting content, the power-trio’s songwriting similarly takes all sorts of labyrinthine paths short of being qualified as “tech,” racing around and restarting with sometimes-maddening fury. Hooks thankfully abounded, and RAMPAGE’s attack undeniably possessed a death metalled underbelly not unlike Dark Angel or aforementioned Oz cult icons Hobbs Angel of Death. With that songwriting often reaching a fever pitch of diabolism and all three members barely keeping that fury in check, Veil of Mourn becomes a palpitating experience, a veritable ‘80s horror movie turned into a thrash record. The creepy cover art only heightened this sensation.
A SAVAGE SET OF BLACK METAL CLASSICS FROM THE NORWEGIAN
LEGENDS CAPTURED IN 1998 - PRESENTED ON SINGLE BLACK VINYL
FORMAT
Mayhem formed in Oslo, Norway, in 1984 & is infamous as one of the early
Scandinavian purveyors of black metal, made even more legendary after the welldocumented murder of original Mayhem guitarist Euronymous in 1993. This live
album was recorded at a performance at the Rainbow Club in Milan, Italy in
November 1998. The line- up features the returning early Mayhem vocalist
Maniac, plus Hellhammer on drums, Necrobutcher on bass & Blasphemer on
guitar. The show also featured a guest appearance by now- current Mayhem
vocalist Attila Csihar on the track 'From The Dark Past'.
With its well captured sound & the noticeably stunning drum work of Hellhammer,
the band themselves considered this worthy of being labelled an official release,
as Mayhem storm through a strong set full of classics from old releases
'Deathcrush' & 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas', to the post- Euronymous
compositions as featured on 'Wolf's Lair Abyss'. Expect nothing but dark &
chaotic black metal carnage.
This edition of 'Mediolanum Capta Est' is presented on black vinyl format.
Side By Side - Volume 2 is the latest in a series of exciting releases from
the much-respected Leeds label Come Play With Me and is the second
edition of Side to Side', a callout to support women, marginalised genders
and LGBTQ+ artists
. The album features a collection of 10 new and eclectic tracks from an
exceptionally talented group of artists including Pleasure Centre, Kindelan and
Naali Collective. With the lead track coming from South Korea native Heju and
further two singles from dreampop soloist Boshe and neo-soul Sunday.
Tracks: Edited People - Understand / Elle Bennett - Good Morning Midnight / Heju
- Sometimes i miss that hotel room / Boshe - Take It / Sunday - With Ease /
Eleanor Cully Boehringer - XIII Bells / NAALI Collective - Satori / Bizarrefae - You /
Kindelan - Know You / Pleasure Centre - Above The Neck (Live at The Nave)
Produced in collaboration with Jessy Lanza, Paul White, Greg Abrahams
and regular collaborator Joe Brown, Lapsley's third album is an intimate
but universal exploration of those Cautionary Tales that - eventually - may
also prove the making of you
As eclectic as it is unguarded, the album is a form of therapy in the truest sense:
a talking cure and a hauntingly beautiful confession, resulting in a thrilling yet
soulful work of love, loss and growth.
Produced in collaboration with Jessy Lanza, Paul White, Greg Abrahams
and regular collaborator Joe Brown, Lapsley's third album is an intimate
but universal exploration of those Cautionary Tales that - eventually - may
also prove the making of you
As eclectic as it is unguarded, the album is a form of therapy in the truest sense:
a talking cure and a hauntingly beautiful confession, resulting in a thrilling yet
soulful work of love, loss and growth.
Pressed on Sea Blue Vinyl.
Toe is composed of Kashikura Takashi on drums, Yamane Satoshi on bass,
and Mino Takaaki and Yamazaki Hirokazu on guitar.
Formed in 2000, they’ve spent the past two decades building a dedicated online fan base around the world based on their mostly instrumental music, with
the swift and acute drumming of Takashi and their melodic, clean guitar settings at the core. toe is renowned in their home country of Japan for creating a
thrilling, beautiful live sound incorporating acoustic guitars, Rhodes piano and
vibraphones.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in the incomparable 90’s band known as Brainiac. This is in part due to a 2019 full feature documentary about the band (Transmissions After Zero) plus the reemergence of surviving band members to celebrate their music in the last several years. In addition, a substantial pair of archival releases (Attic Tapes 2xLP, From Dayton Ohio 2xLP) were unearthed for release on Record Store Day 2021 by Touch and Go Records. Now, in 2023, comes the latest missive of the archive, harkening back to the band’s latter era - and their most prolific and confident period. The Predator Nominate EP is a celebration of what was to come before the tragic exit of ringleader/singer Timmy Taylor. Listen to these realized demos and imagine what only could have been the confident seed of what the group might be capable of in this future century versus the last one. The world will never truly know. BIO: Brainiac began in 1992 as the basement experiments of Dayton, OH natives Tim Taylor (vocals, synth), and Juan Monasterio (bass), who first met playing cello in fifth grade. Upon completing the lineup with Michelle Bodine (guitar) and Tyler Trent (drums), they released two full-lengths and toured vigorously, establishing themselves as the latest peg in Ohio’s diverse musical timeline. In 1994, Michelle left the band and was replaced by John Schmersal. In 1996, the band made their full-length debut on Touch and Go Records with the album Hissing Prigs in Static Couture. On May 23, 1997, only weeks after the release of Electroshock for President EP and the band’s return from a European tour supporting Beck, Tim lost his life in a car accident.
Espen Friberg’s solo album debut. Sun Soon is Espen Friberg´s solo album debut, consisting of eleven compositions made up of synthesizer and field recordings. The album is formed as a collage, with compositions patched on a Serge modular synth and field recordings. The patches portray the mood and wandering in mountains and forests – while at the same time meditating on the area of the Norwegian valley Hallingdal´s local history. The collage technique is something Friberg uses in both his musical and visual art. The album is meditative and exploratory, and at the same time playful and immediate. Trucks, trash cans, flowing streams, lemon soda, horses and wandering mountains, find its place between slow melodies, scratching, sinus tones and bass lines. Dissonances and harmonies come together in gliding transitions and abrupt stops, while an electronic willow flute sings and the sun is rising. The recording is done at Leveld Kunstnartun in Ål in Hallingdal, later mixed and produced in collaboration with Jenny Berger Myhre. The project captures the ambiance in the valley around Leveld, through Espen´s experiences in nature, but also from the paintings of Marianne Røthe Arnesen and Gøsta Munsterhjelm. Espen Friberg is known as an artist, designer, illustrator, cartoon creator and musician, and has received numerous awards and stipends for his work. In the beginning of 2000 he was a part of establishing the design studio Yokoland, but later started his own studio. In addition to his visual practice he has built a sound studio consisting of complex synthesizer systems and a variety of obscure electronical instruments and effect processors. He has been a central person in experimental and electronic music in Norway. He started and runs the record company Take It Easy Policy in collaboration with Emil Høgset, and has been a curator for the concert series Rett Ned. Since 2005 he has participated in a long line of sample albums under different artist names, before releasing his first EP under his own name in 2015. After this he has released six different albums with Øivind Olsen, André Borgen and Marianne Røthe Arnesen. Friberg has been active on the concert stage, both as a solo artist and in different collaborations. 1.Lazy cobweb 2.Wandering mountain 3.Gøsta Munsterhjelm 4.Foggy glow 5.Pasture patch 6.Motor sunup 7.Thirteen paintings 8.Marianne Røthe Arnesen 9.Sinuous river (part one) 10.Sinuous river (part two) 11.Orange moss bridge
Feast or famine, Springtime will continue to sow their garden of auditory delights. Despite the global unrest and strict lockdowns that have come to define the past three years, Gareth Liddiard (Tropical Fuck Storm, The Drones), Jim White (Dirty Three, Xylouris White), and Chris Abrahams (The Necks) have continually convened to weave narratives of death, destruction, desire, and devotion. Pulling the threads cast by their eponymous debut, Night Raver offers three character studies rife with the trio's trademark urgency and poetics. To belatedly commemorate the creation of this tour de force trio, Springtime will be embarking on an Australian tour in the coming months. This is a three track EP but album length with over 40 mins of music.
The fifth release on Blue Matter is a debut album from a guy whose performance and writing would easily give the impression that he is a seasoned campaigner. The confidence and the musicality are of a standard rarely heard. Michael Cullen Murphy was born and raised in Nashville, and moved to the UK when he was 11. His father was friends with the great Peter Rowan and many other country and folk artists, and since childhood, understandably, Mike has been dabbling in folk and country. However, Mike is better known as a reggae specialist, and has kept his special musical talents extremely quiet. Even though we had been friends with Mike for years, we had no idea he was an accomplished singer, player and songwriter, which is why we were so amazed when he played us the almost completed album. Not only does he have a great singing voice, but his songs have an impressive depth and sense of melody. If one had to put some kind of label on the music contained within this record, it would probably contain the words 'Americana' and 'folk’, but that doesn't tell the whole story. There are touches of classic singer/songwriter and psychedelia too. Suffice to say, you need to give it a listen and decide for yourself. Blue Matter are really proud to be able to release this fabulous debut album. We think Mike Murphy certainly has all the necessary credentials to make his mark. Will it happen? Who knows? Your call, folks.
Ready for a bit of new rocking punk with just a touch of garage psych thrown in for good measure? Well, if you are, then The Mundaynes debut album 'Love It' should do the trick. Recorded during Summer 2021 on the front line of Bexhill-On-Sea, 'Love It' is stuffed to bursting with 15 great new songs. During lockdown, Bevis Frond frontman Nick Saloman, having little else to do, found himself writing loads of songs. Some were used on the Fronds’ ‘Little Eden’ album, many were discarded, and some were kept with a view of doing something with them in the future. Nick felt that a batch of these songs were pretty good, but not really suitable for The Bevis Frond, maybe being a bit too punky. However, wanting to record these songs, he called up his mate Tony Page, the former lead singer with vintage punk bands The Ploy and Apocalypse, to see if he fancied doing some vocals. Tony was only to pleased to take part. Then Nick asked bandmate Paul Simmons if he’d do all the guitar parts. Paul agreed and the three of them went into Bexhills’ Graffite Studios and laid down the tracks. The results were so good that the trio decided to put them out as an album. The impromptu band needed a name, so they became The Mundaynes, thought up by Tony because it was a Monday! Bearing in mind that all three guys played in punk bands, Tony as mentioned above, Nick with The Von Trap Family & Room 13, Paul with The Cravats and Jello Biafra, and, of course his own band The Alchemysts, the pedigree here is pretty solid. So what do we have here then? I guess it’s a loud, angry, melodic, wry punk rock album full of great tunes. Hope you ‘love it’, and if you don’t, well, that’s life.
Das neue Album "Risiko" von Steiner & Madlaina ist einmal mehr eine sehr persönliche Angelegenheit, die sie aber hin und wieder mit einem rotzigen Statement gehörig aufmischen. Nora und Madlaina haben sich für die Aufnahmen der zwölf Songs des neuen Albums neun Tage lang mit ihrer Band in das französische "Black Box Studio" in der Normandie zurückgezogen. Dort wurden alle Takes live eingespielt und zusammen mit Giuliano Sulzberger produziert.
"Die Aufnahmen zählen zu den besten Zeiten, die wir als Band erlebt haben", sagen Nora Steiner und Madlaina Pollina über ihr bereits drittes Album. Genau DAS hört man aus jedem der zwölf Songs heraus. Ob es damit das beste Album ist, das sie je gemacht haben? Die Entscheidung überlassen sie anderen.
Der Vorgänger "Wünsch mir Glück" landete in ihrer Heimat auf Platz 2 der Album-Charts - in Deutschland wurde es Platz 32. Gehen wir also am Ende ruhigen Gewissens mal ins "Risiko" und sagen: Dieses Album würde sich wirklich gut auf der 1 machen. Ob in Deutschland oder der Schweiz? Ach, warum nicht in beiden Ländern?
In the finest tradition of BBE Music’s J Jazz Masterclass Series, we have a real obscurity of quality to savour. Taken from the rare 1978 private press album ‘Introducing’ by the Hideyasu Terakawa Quartet featuring Hiroshi Fujii, this private press gig recording was originally released in less than 100 copies. This BBE Music edition is the first time this very rare album has ever been reissued.
Led by saxophonist Hideyasu Terakawa alongside bassist Tetsuo Miura and drummer Akihiro "Thunder" Nakaya, the album was recorded live in concert as Terakawa stopped by at the jazz spot DIG in Masuda City, Japan, on the first of a seven-day regional tour in October 1978. Joining the trio was the featured guest, vibist Hiroshi Fujii.
According to Fujii, “a special label, Red Horison, released only this one album and it was sold at a few local record stores and available for sale when we played live. After this live recording, I did not perform with Terakawa again.” The current whereabouts of saxophonist Hideyasu Terakawa remain a mystery but we are delighted to be able to present this wonderful album to a new audience.
Unlike previous J Jazz Masterclass releases, the album contains no original compositions but rather fascinating interpretations of material by leading American jazz composers such as Wayne Shorter (Black Nile, as featured on J Jazz vol 3), Frank Foster (Simone) and Milt Jackson and Jimmy Heath (Rerev).
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
After a long lockdown and moving to Berlin, the label is back with the next release on Lost Control 2097. They've been waiting for too long to release this record but it's finally here. And OH, it was worth the wait. Salford's very own 'The Fly Insect' (a lot will know him as Johnny Abstract in the Bohemian Grove era) has amassed a large silo container worth of radioactive mutant funk that he's been holding onto for a long while, literally 100 years. Lost Control have been lucky enough to open the taps on this Fly tanker and this EP/mini album is just a slippery snippet of the the sub-aquatic machine-musik. There is 6 tracks of dripping 90s.......the 2090s; ranging from cybernetik techno to ambient electro and back straight at it with heavy robotics. There is one emotional monster of a moment called '12 (Acresfield)' which is a tribute track to the late great Dave Ball aka D-Ball (another electronic legend from Salford). It's been getting repeated plays on our NTS show for good reason. But Decay is the lead track, AND LEAD US IT WILL...into the utter depths of another Fly based multi-verse. Don't sleep on your chance to grab Fly history and don't say so we didn't warn ya. Limited to 300 copies. Digital will also be available for those not wanting wax. This is one for the all the mutants out there. Stay Bzzzzzzttttttttttttttt!
out of Stock
Last delivered 4 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The second single to be pulled from upcoming BBE album ‘Strata Records – The Sound of Detroit – Reimagined By Jazzanova’, ‘Saturday Night Special’ features remixes by Kai Alcé and DJ Amir & Re.decay, as well as The Lyman Woodard Organization’s 1975 original. Possibly the best-known piece of music from the Strata label’s diverse and innovative catalogue, the unique, low-fi, moody, understated aesthetic of ‘Saturday Night Special’ has captured the hearts of music fans and DJs worldwide. “When I first heard the Lyman Woodard Organization ’Saturday Night Special’,” says DJ Amir, “I thought it was a song from a Blaxploitation soundtrack. Once I realized that Lyman was from Detroit, I immediately thought that if there was ever a ’theme song’ for Detroit that ’Saturday Night Special’ would be it. There is such a cinematic vibe to the song full of grit, rawness, and determination that just soaks into your veins. This album/song will always be in my bag of records to survive the apocalypse with!’” When DJ Amir and Jazzanova began work on the ‘Reimagined’ project, breathing new life into the Strata Records archive, this jazz-funk classic was right at the top of the list of ‘musts’ for the band to re-interpret. “I had no idea what direction they were going to go, musically” says Amir. “The original song had been sampled more than a few times, but in my opinion, it was never done tastefully. However, from the first practice session, I knew that they were spot on with the right direction! Their version is the perfect blend of Detroit and Berlin!” Kai Alcé’s ‘NDATL’ remix of ‘Saturday Night Special’ (named, like his label, after his three hometowns of New York, Detroit, ATLanta) brings a sure-footed lightness to Jazzanova’s version of the song, making the absolute most of the track’s stellar horn solos. “After hearing the unreleased Kamasi Washington/Gregory Porter remixes he did, I knew I had to reach out Kai” says Amir. “With this remix, he stretches out the track into a seven minute groove, in the direction of a soulful house/future jazz interpretation.” Alongside his Berlin production partners, Re.decay DJ Amir turns in a low-slung rework of ‘Saturday Night Special’, using as many parts from the Jazzanova version as possible. “We tried to emulate the intro to one of my favourite jazz dance tracks, ‘Expansions’ by Lonnie Liston Smith” says Amir. Mission accomplished.
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Born in Fayette, Missouri, Earl Turner made his recording debut in the late 1970s with a 45rpm single on his own De-Pact label ("S'port City Rock" b/w "Sunshine"). "S'port City Rock" can also be found on Tramp's "Can You Feel It? Vol.3 Modern Soul, Disco & Boogie 1976-85" compilation (Tramp TRLP/CD-9099) along with some more information about him.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Includes one-sided 7” ('It's All Punk (Full version)”, signed and blind stamped limited edition print, fly poster (20cm x 30cm), 20 page 12” x 12” booklet with lyrics and photos laid out in style of newspaper.
The ‘It’s All Punk Rock’ album was initially inspired by various artworks Punk Artist Mal-One had completed and titled. These titles usually turned into Punk Poetry / Lyrics and finally into songs. The idea would lead to grouping these songs together and to add the additional difficult cherry on the top. The songs would also include the word ‘Punk’ in each of their titles. Creating what we called the first Punk Art Concept Album. The title of the album as well as summing up the contents, grew from a term Mal-One had used for years when asked what had inspired a certain work or what was the meaning behind something …”It’s All Punk Rock”’ would be the quick reply.
Each song tells the story or relates the ideas behind a work, whether that be 430 King’s Road (where Punk meets Rock ’N’ Roll) the story of the various guises that Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood would conceive for their shop from LET IT ROCK, TOO FAST TO LIVE TOO YOUNG TO DIE, SEX, SEDTIONARIES. Anarchy Tour After Grundy (Punks out on Parole) the story of the `Anarchy Tour’ and what happened after the infamous appearance by the Sex Pistols on the ‘Today’ show with Bill Grundy. Punk Rock Jubilee 77, the Silver Jubilee celebrations of 1977 and its punk overtones. The Punk Rockers Gig Prayer, a Punk poem for the various venues that bands played back in those heady times. The Last Punk on Portobello Road (Ode to Joe), a lament to Mr Joe Strummer an inspiration to us all. Yes, every picture as they say tells a story, in this case never a truer word spoken.
Hope you enjoy the ride sonically and visually.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Die Reihe "... Live at Clouds Hill" gibt es nun schon seit
einigen Jahren. Alles begann 2011 mit einer
improvisierten "Krautrock"-Performance der Extraklasse.
Faust & Omar Rodriguez-Lopez. Jean-Hervé Perón
stürzte mit einer laufenden Kettensäge rückwärts und
schlitzte Rodriguez-Lopez' Jeans auf und nur mit Glück
nicht das Bein auf. Seitdem waren große Bands wie Le
Butcherettes (US), Nissennenmondai (JP), Bosnian
Rainbows (US), Wargirl (US), Dillon (D), Kolars (US) oder
Peter Doherty (UK) zu Gast und beehrten die heiligen
Hallen der Clouds Hill Studios mit grandiosen
Live-Auftritten. Diese Auftritte vor Fans und Freunden
werden auf Band aufgenommen und live abgemischt. Mit
dem letzten gespielten Ton ist die Aufnahme beendet und
kann auf Vinyl geschnitten werden. Unvollkommenheit als
Konzept. Als Träger von Emotionen. Und genau so einen
magischen Abend konnten Fans und Freunde mit Gewalt
am 28. Oktober in den Clouds Hill Studios erleben.
With so much going on in the world right now, it's safe to say we need to spread far more Joy then is circulating…
And who else deliver's Joy of this magnitude? The king of disco, Dr Packer. The Legendary Champion Records has enlisted the mirror ball man of the last decade to flip this absolute classic from Staxx and the gorgeous vocals of Carol Leeming. Perfect for sunsets AND sunrises, charge your cocktails!
DJ Feedback:
David Guetta - tasty update
Utah Saints - Minitsry Of Sound / FFRR - Cool groove. Production on point
DJ Kue - Dope!
MING - Nice one, I'll Play !!!
Steven 'Sugar' Harding - Milk & Sugar / M&S Recs - Love it!
“For the last decade, Calum Lee AKA Paleman has steadily built a powerful catalogue of releases showcasing his unique percussive and textural take on electronic music. In 2020 he launched a new alias ‘Fresnel Lens’ that showcases his film scoring work and more experimental, explorative personal works running alongside his continuing work as Paleman. After 2021’s self-released PLMN005, 2 Fresnel Lens albums and a short film OST, Paleman turns to Florence based Sublunar Records in 2022 for his next release and longest work to date – ‘Veiled’. The release encapsulates a considered and focused writing process informed by rhythm, momentum, abstract moods and a desire for tangible visceral sound design orbiting techno, UK experimental electronic music, and early electronics. ‘Veiled’ begins with a statement of precision, opener Bite gallops into action with polyrhythmic vactrol loops and grainy incisive modular sound design. The LP moves through moods, spaces and tempos arriving at the distilled and appropriately named ‘Mandible’ that chews into the previous tracks’ themes with a stumbling urgency and an insectoid textural palette. Veiled feels like the culmination of a decade of Paleman works, a collection of tracks and merged sonics that represents his experiments, his club focused minimal works and his more recent explorations on PLMN and as ‘Fresnel Lens’ with drone, experimental and cinematic work. ‘Veiled’ paves the way for a new decade for Paleman, condensed and focused, whilst simultaneously expressive, experimental and free.
out of Stock
Last delivered 11 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
One of DEEWEE’s newest family members, 25-year-old Belgian musician and producer, Mozes Mosuse aka Movulango shares news of his debut EP “Mirror In Man” - out 18th November.
“We’ve always called him the psychedelic romantic of the studio,” say David & Stephen Dewaele, founders of DEEWEE / Soulwax.
“Mirror in Man” is proof that you shouldn’t put a time limit on creativity. An utterly forward-thinking five-track musical adventure taking in psychedelic folk jams, woozy electronica and looped-up beats, it is the culmination of a five-year process for Movulango. A journey that has seen Mozes transform from dancefloor-slaying producer (his previous credits include being one-half of Ego Troopers and Future Sound of Antwerp) to a kind of West Coast pop art Balearic troubadour.
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The themes that permeate »Senderos de luz y sombras« simultaneously engage the overwhelming, unyielding immensity of the beginnings of the universe and the forces at work in the unconscious mind. What connects these themes are the dark energies operating outside our knowledge, far beyond the conceptual scope of our limited thinking. How to convey all this and build music from these concealed forces? What Beatriz Ferreyra achieves, thanks to her trademark virtuosity, is precisely to summon energies, to bring in the raw forces that govern the laws of Acoustics, so as to trigger sonic storms as one would call the rain, to transform all sound matters into the core of a ritual. Indeed, Beatriz Ferreyra addresses the mind-body reconciliation, for in providing this unique sound and musical experience, with a rare sensitive intensity, the great composer simultaneously invites us to engage in a personal experience. (François Bonnet, Paris, 2021)
Commissioned by the French State for INA grm – 2016-2020.
In memoriam Bernard Baschet, Bernard Parmegiani and Carlos Pellegrino. A 16-channel piece inspired by astrophysics, the mystery of the pre-Big Bang era and some of the uncanny motions of the unconscious mind, where strangeness meets the ordinary.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Naglfar have an high quality of their recordings, this is the fifth album by those Swedes, and are here again be able to keep up to their high recording standards of the previous albums and if their music would still reek of hatred, evil and suffering. Naglfar is one of those bands that can effortlessly mix raw energy of black metal that we know from their first albums with the elements of melodic death metal introduced in their later releases. This mix makes their songs memorable to a point that you can recognize them from the first riffs. Traditionally of course, intensity mixes with atmospheric slower parts, melodic touches intertwine with ultra fast brutality, and in all that, solos, parts of keyboards or piano are thrown into as if into a twister of sickening sound. Musically, the whole band shows us solid compositional skills, supported by technical instrumentality and respectable experience. Christopher Olivius spits out wicked lyrics, he sang with such passion and malice, that vocals added an extra level of brutality, vocals are very strong and solid. Harvest is an inspired, interesting and originally diverse piece of work. This album comes out in deluxe gatefold edition on vinyl,
Draconian Times is probably the main album for Paradise Lost, so much so that they still tour the album today, which remains one of the milestones in the Metal scene of all time. Recorded at The Forum in London, this live set includes a few fan favorite tracks from their extensive back catalogue which rounded out a truly spectacular performance. Are there any highlights? Oh yes. Opening track ‘Enchantment’ still ranks as one of the best songs this band has penned and the moment when the haunting piano intro gives way to the rest of the band kicking in is a real shiver-down-the-spine moment. ‘Hallowed Land’ and ‘Forever Failure’ (complete with Charles Manson intro) sound as powerful and relevant as when they first came out, and the performance of ‘Shadow Kings’ stands head and shoulders above the original. After being released on DVD and CD, the album was also released on double vinyl, here you will find two new unreleased colors and a truly exceptional packaging: this album comes out in deluxe Triple Gatefold edition, in two colors (Gold / Silver) 500 limited edition each.
The timeless music and expert arrangements are about the only things smoother than the powder-blue suits sported by the Spinners on the cover of their resplendent self-titled 1972 record. The band's first album for Atlantic after departing Motown, Spinners ranks as an all-time soul classic – a filler-free set boasting immaculate harmonies, sweet melodies, and impeccably matched vocals. Thom Bell's flawless production puts it all over the top. Yielding an ideal balance of lushness and grit, the collaboration between the Detroit-based group and studio veteran yielded a record that birthed the celebrated Philadelphia Sound. Now, you can finally experience it in audiophile-grade sonics.
While the career-defining performances within the grooves cannot be overlooked, Spinners remains equally notable for its historical importance. At the dawn of the 70s, Motown still held sway as the dominant soul style. Yet the Spinners' decision to move to Atlantic – prompted by a suggestion by Aretha Franklin – and refashion their approach with Bell signalled a sea change that ushered in a smoother, sweeter variety of R&B punctuated with sweeping strings, jazzy flourishes, brassy replies, and funk rhythms. Few, if any, vocal groups mesh these traits more convincingly, pleasingly, and naturally than the Spinners on this watershed effort.
Anchored by Top 5 smashes like "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love," Spinners signalled the beginning of a partnership with Bell that lasted seven years and elevated the band to stardom. Indeed, even in spite of the four hit singles, the record remains defined by an artistic consistency, watertight focus, and collective unity that make everything here deserving of close attention. Flush with catchy hooks and pop accents, each song is treated as a potential anthem. Laden with depth and richness, Bell's savvy, wide-open arrangements frame the Spinners' satiny singing with sensual class and refined delicacy.
Heaven-sent voices do the rest. Making his first appearance on record as a member, Philippe Wynne treats the carefully honed material as a breakout session for his dulcet tenor on tracks such as "One of a Kind (Love Affair)." Not to be outdone, the equally measured Bobbie Smith mesmerizes with his deft phrasing, reedy timbre, and sparkling clarity, never finer than on the million-selling "I'll Be Around." Solo or paired together, Wynne and Smith's glorious leads run the gamut from upbeat and optimistic to sad and forlorn, forming the backbone of a masterwork that addresses romance ("Just You and Me Baby"), regret ("How Could I Let You Get Away"), and social ills ("Ghetto Child") with consummate passion.
One of These Nights occupies an important, unique place in the Eagles' discography given it represents the final album the group made before releasing the bajillion-selling Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) compilation. The timing is telling. A coming-out party for Glenn Frey and Don Henley's songwriting skills, the studio record – the band's fourth, and its first to hit #1 on the charts – signifies the group's ascent to superstar status. Home to three massive singles (the title track, "Lyin' Eyes," and "Take It to the Limit") and nominated for four Grammy Awards, the quadruple-platinum 1975 effort solidified the Eagles' Southern California-reared sound and made the band a household name.
Mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on MoFi SuperVinyl, and limited to 10,000 copies, Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 45RPM 2LP vinyl box set takes One of These Nights to the limit. And then some. Playing with reference sonics and a practically indiscernible noise floor thanks to MoFi SuperVinyl's special formula, it provides a rich, dynamic, transparent, and three-dimensional view into a release that moved country-rock ahead by leaps and bounds – and paved the way for the Eagles' ascendancy to global superstardom. The opportunity to zero in on the particulars of the Eagles' golden harmonies, distinct vocal timbres, and cohesive interplay has never been better.
Visually, the premium packaging and presentation of the UD1S One of These Nights pressing befit its esteemed status. Housed in a deluxe box, it features beautiful foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendour of the recording. From every angle, this UD1S reissue exists as a curatorial artefact meant to be preserved, touched, and examined. It is made for discerning listeners that prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in the art – and everything involved with the album, from the renowned cover art to the meticulous finishes. As much as any Eagles LP, the connection between the imagery and the music and the band on One of These Nights runs deep. No wonder it led to a Grammy Nomination for Best Album Package.
Devised by West Texas artist Boyd Elder, the striking skull-and-feathers themed piece gracing the front of One of These Nights represents where the Eagles have been and where they were headed. Album art director Gary Burden explained: "The cow skull is pure cowboy, folk, the decorations are American Indian-inspired, and the future is represented by the more polished reflective glass beaded surfaces covering the skull." Moreover, Elder had met the group years earlier when Henley and company performed at one of his gallery openings in California. MoFi's UD1S box set allows Elder's vision (and Burden's debossed treatment of the image) to pop and appear as if it was a stand-alone object.
Of course, what's inside the sleeves, and in the grooves, proves equally compelling. Though One of These Nights marks the final appearance of band co-founder Bernie Leadon on an Eagles LP and contains three of his tunes, the record's tremendous success owes to Frey and Henley's timeless contributions. Taking the next step in their maturation and evolution, the pair crafted several songs while living together as roommates in a rented house in which they converted a music room into a recording studio.
The duo's bond and chemistry pulse throughout the record – particularly in the tight arrangements, tasteful instrumental flourishes, and seamless blending of the folk, country, and rock elements. The musical combinations and partnership not only produced the Eagles' first million-selling single (the slow-dancing "Take It to the Limit," co-written with bassist-vocalist Randy Meisner) and the Frey-led cheating classic "Lyin' Eyes," but the famed title track, which nods to the era's nascent disco scene as well as Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philly soul platters.
Frey named "One of These Nights" as his favorite Eagles composition of all-time; Meisner's high harmonies alone send the track into a galaxy of its own. Speaking of the latter, Leadon's instrumental "Journey of the Sorcerer" ventures into another universe and was soon used by Douglas Adams as the theme to his "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" radio series. Inspiration and creative experimentation also dragged the Eagles into the blues. Another Frey-Henley gem, the self-probing "After the Thrill Is Gone" serves as a response song to B.B. King's signature track and more evidence the band was turning the lens inward for lyrical narratives. Like everything on One of These Nights, the song confirms the Eagles were breathing rare musical air.
More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Instead of utilizing the industry-standard three-step lacquer process, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's new UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) uses only one step, bypassing two processes of generational loss. While three-step processing is designed for optimum yield and efficiency, UD1S is created for the ultimate in sound quality. Just as Mobile Fidelity pioneered the UHQR (Ultra High-Quality Record) with JVC in the 1980s, UD1S again represents another state-of-the-art advance in the record-manufacturing process. MFSL engineers begin with the original master recordings, painstakingly transfer them to DSD 256, and meticulously cut a set of lacquers. These lacquers are used to create a very fragile, pristine UD1S stamper called a "convert." Delicate "converts" are then formed into the actual record stampers, producing a final product that literally and figuratively brings you closer to the music. By skipping the additional steps of pulling another positive and an additional negative, as done in the three-step process used in standard pressings, UD1S produces a final LP with the lowest noise floor possible today. The removal of the additional two steps of generational loss in the plating process reveals tremendous amounts of extra musical detail and dynamics, which are otherwise lost due to the standard copying process. Every conceivable aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the most perfect record album available today.
MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analogue lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.
Baroness will release their eagerly-awaited new album ‘Gold & Grey’ on June 14th via Abraxan Hymns.
“Our goal is, was, and will always be to write increasingly superior, more honest and compelling songs, and to develop a more unique and challenging sound,” offers Baroness founder, guitar player and vocalist John Baizley. “I’m sure we have just finished our best, most adventurous album to date. We dug incredibly deep, challenged ourselves and recorded a record I’m positive we could never again replicate.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to know Sebastian, Nick and Gina as both my bandmates and my friends. They have pushed me to become a better songwriter, musician and vocalist. We’re all extremely excited for this release, which includes quite a few ‘firsts’ for the band, and we’re thrilled to be back on tour to play these psychotic songs for our fans. Expect some surprises.”
While ‘Gold & Grey’ found the band once again working with Purple producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Mogwai), sequestering themselves at Fridmann’s remote upstate New York Tarbox Road Studio. The 17-track album ushered in two significant changes: a decidedly different recording process and guitar player Gina Gleason’s debut on a Baroness recording.
The band, who tracked portions of the vocals, guitars and overdubs in Baizley’s home-basement studio, another first for them, eschewed their normal routine of entering the studio with meticulously detailed plans and instead opted for a looser, more improvisational approach that resulted in their most collaborative and emotionally evocative release to date.
Featuring John Baizley (vocals/guitar), Gina Gleason (guitar), Nick Jost (bass) and Sebastian Thomson (drums), Baroness received a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Metal Performance for ‘Shock Me’ from the 2015 album ‘Purple’.
out of Stock
Last delivered 3 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
PRESTIGE waren kaum aus dem Teenageralter heraus, sich aber bereits der Probleme in der Gesellschaft und der Welt um sie herum bewusst, als sie 1987 begannen, Musik zu machen. Oft wählte die Band eine humoristische Herangehensweise an die Songtexte, aber wenn man tiefer gräbt, ist darin immer eine Botschaft versteckt. Ein Song wie "This World" zum Beispiel ist heute so aktuell wie vor 35 Jahren.
Ihre Musik war schnell und aggressiv, und PRESTIGE war die dritte Thrash-Band, die in Finnland ein komplettes Album veröffentlichte. In den Jahren 1988 und 1989 kam es zu einem echten Durchbruch des Thrash Metal in Finnland, und PRESTIGE waren mittendrin, spielten im ganzen Land und landeten in den Charts.
Das damalige Label engagierte den damals angesagtesten und teuersten Produzenten, Herrn TT Oksala, um die Aufnahmen und die Produktion des Albums zu übernehmen. Die Aufnahmen zum Album dauerten sieben Tage. Abgemischt wurde das Album in den legendären Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.
Red Vinyl
PRESTIGE waren kaum aus dem Teenageralter heraus, sich aber bereits der Probleme in der Gesellschaft und der Welt um sie herum bewusst, als sie 1987 begannen, Musik zu machen. Oft wählte die Band eine humoristische Herangehensweise an die Songtexte, aber wenn man tiefer gräbt, ist darin immer eine Botschaft versteckt. Ein Song wie "This World" zum Beispiel ist heute so aktuell wie vor 35 Jahren.
Ihre Musik war schnell und aggressiv, und PRESTIGE war die dritte Thrash-Band, die in Finnland ein komplettes Album veröffentlichte. In den Jahren 1988 und 1989 kam es zu einem echten Durchbruch des Thrash Metal in Finnland, und PRESTIGE waren mittendrin, spielten im ganzen Land und landeten in den Charts.
Das damalige Label engagierte den damals angesagtesten und teuersten Produzenten, Herrn TT Oksala, um die Aufnahmen und die Produktion des Albums zu übernehmen. Die Aufnahmen zum Album dauerten sieben Tage. Abgemischt wurde das Album in den legendären Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.
Whether intentional or not, Philadelphia’s Circa Survive have become experts on that critical second word of their band name. With six full-length records and three EPs behind them, the beloved alt-prog/post-hardcore giants are entering their 17th year together amid global upheaval and personal renaissance, creating together while navigating through one of the most unstable chapters in American history. It’s a necessarily existential period, where that one imperative rises to the top: survive.
In early 2020, the band was forced to reschedule the tenth anniversary tour for their ground-breaking 2010 LP Blue Sky Noise. Pushing off the tour—now slated for 2022—and delaying plans for a new record has ushered in a new chapter for Circa Survive.
Two Dreams, the forthcoming seventh full-length record from Philadelphia’s Circa Survive, is a project of dual realities in both theory and practice. The 12-track record comprises two individual six-song EPs, titled A Dream About Love and A Dream About Death. The dreams in question aren’t the idyllic material of sleep, but a much more tangible, dark surrealism. They’re the twin experiences of vocalist Anthony Green after relapsing and overdosing on heroin during the writing of the album.
With Two Dreams, Circa Survive aims higher in both collective spirit and individual practice. After nearly two decades of international tours and festival mainstages, the band has regrouped to protect one another and their work. They’re playing the long-game. “I want to make 100 more records,” laughs Green. But now, the goal isn't to simply survive. It’s to thrive.
Billy Nomates, the project of the Bristol-based songwriter, producer
and multi-instrumentalist Tor Maries, announces the release of her
much anticipated second studio album, ‘CACTI’, via Invada Records.
Recorded at her flat and Invada Studios, ‘CACTI’ is a huge step up
for the artist, who received widespread critical acclaim for her
eponymous 2020 debut album, with heavy airplay across BBC Radio
6 Music and support from luminaries such as Iggy Pop, Florence
Welsh and Steve Albini.
Though every bit as unrepentant as Billy Nomates’ debut, ‘CACTI’
comes from a much more exposed place and sees Tor further
develop her instinctive, inventive songwriting and production.
Unafraid to wade into the traumas of the past two years and the eerie
sense of apathy that lingers, alongside heartache and more political
themes, the 12-track collection openly confronts uncomfortable truths,
as Tor puts it, “70-80% of being bold is about being vulnerable as
hell.”
Maries said: “Writing ‘CACTI’ took just over a year. I wrote very
intensely and then none at all. (This seems to be the way I work
best). I picked up old drum machines, mapped out things in my
kitchen with the same small micro keyboard I always use and then
raided the cupboards and rooms at Invada Studios, to play and
experiment with old synths, an upright piano, this weird organ thing. I
hope everyone finds their own narrative in ‘CACTI’. I think it’s about
surviving it all.”
‘CACTI’ features ‘blue bones’ and ‘balance is gone’, both of which
have been playlisted at BBC 6 Music.
Some cities just know how to produce bands by the bucketload. Take Detroit, for instance: we don’t need to rattle through a full list or anything, but safe to say that if your town has given the world the likes of Motown, Derrick May and J Dilla - before we even start to think about The Stooges et al - then you could be forgiven for thinking there must be something in the water round those parts. So whaddya say? Should we get to know two more fine exponents of melodic wonder from the Motor City? Only seems fair. This split LP between citymates The Stools and Toeheads certainly isn’t a letdown as far as the illustrious company of their forebears goes. In fact, it’s a fast-paced thrill ride that oscillates between hip-shaking rock’n’roll swing and bone-shaking hardcore energy. You might already be familiar with The Stools thanks to their ludicrously addictive Feelin’ Fine 7”, which dropped via Drunken Sailor (hey, those guys sound familiar…) early in 2021. If you though that short EP was a good time, wait ‘til you see what they’ve got in store here: right out of the gate, opener Dead Man’s Ford smashes the devil-toed boogie of the MC5 at their slinkiest into the teeth-clenched intensity of Negative Approach (and that’s a pretty decent John Brannon-style roar they deliver too). They maintain this quality and velocity across their side, which is brilliant. There’s no let-up from Toeheads either - their side of this split sounds like someone revved up The Gun Club and aimed fireworks inside their exhaust. This is the sound you always knew you were working towards when you got into this rock’n’roll business; guitars blazing, lungs bursting, a wall of sound collapsing while we all dance in the debris. Does it sound like anything new? Fuck no, but that’s not the point. Much like The Stools, there’s nothing you can say about Toeheads that can’t be summarised with the phrase ‘total exhilaration’. So there you have it. Another compelling case for Detroit as home to the finest sounds around, put forth by two young bands who make playing loud, fast and dumb sound easy. Call it conviction, call it chutzpah… hell, call it talent if you want, I ain’t gonna stop you. But chiefly, call it a fucking good time and put the damn record on. This slays. Will Fitzpatrick.
Poolblood, the musical nom-de-plume of Toronto's Maryam Said, is an
ethereal spirit of punk rock, swirling and dancing in the air with a
collection of gorgeously orchestrated bedroom pop music
Raised in a religious household at arm's length from popular music, they
nonetheless found themselves drawn in by the music of Yusuf Islam (Cat
Stevens), who left an indelible imprint on their relationship to music and
songwriting. The results of their upbringing "time spent practicing chords in guitar
class, learning about hardcore from friends after school and honing their
songwriting as an early teen "is a winding path of melody, making stops along the
way to dabble in everything from noise rock to lush and gorgeous pop hooks.
poolblood is a pastiche of genres and styles working in blended harmony.
poolblood understands the tender urgency in crafting stories around deep and
abiding intimacies, romantic and platonic, that run so far below the surface they
become the root of everything that grows on the surface. These stories have
come together to create the ethereal bedroom pop songs on their debut LP
"mole" out on Next Door Records.
It is fitting that on an album so much centered around the connectivity of deep
and abiding friendships that "mole" is awash with collaborators, each bringing
their own unique talent and skill into the mix. Louie Short and Shamir Bailey
worked with Maryam as producers on the project, and played on a number of
tracks in addition to a cadre of musicians filtering in and out of each song.
Not afraid of letting their sly sense of humor bleed through the layers, poolblood's
"mole" is rife with humor and wonder, dancing playfully along. Pressed on Aubade
Blue Color vinyl.
