Suche:ali b

Columbarium are a Belgian (the village of Zwevegem) heavy doom metal band, formed in 2021 but comprised of seasoned members from the regional doom scene over the last ten years.

Having played about a hundred gigs in a former incarnation (as Loose License) in Belgium, The Netherlands and France with bands like The Gates Of Slumber, Nekromant, Marche Funebre, Serpent Venom, FAAL, Famyne and King Hiss, they have built a serious reputation as a live act in the last decade.

The addition of an extra guitar / keyboard player some years ago (Koen Biesbrouck, formerly also from the avantgarde / instrumental rock band Locus Control) has taken the music to another horizon and that newfound sound was the cradle for the band’s rebirth, which led to renaming the band Columbarium.

The four guys found that sound with Belgian producer Lander Cluyse from Hearse Studio (Amenra and Aborted) and with Brad Boatright from AudioSiege Mastering Studio (Portland - Monolord and Pig
Destroyer).

Featuring guest vocals from Michelle Nocon (Bathseba / Serpentcult / Of Blood And Mercury).

The LP is pressed on green vinyl.

For fans of Paradise Lost, Winter, Tiamat, Swallow The Sun, My Dying Bride, Opeth, Celtic Frost, Anathema, Cemetary, Katatonia, Autopsy, Candlemass.

A quietly funky collection that repays repeated play by creating a mesmeric, almost
hypnotic, cocoon to lose yourself in" Echoes
Examining our relationship with the cosmos as well as more intimate liaisons closer
to home; new transatlantic future soul duo Cosmic Link are set to release their
eponymous debut album on 24th November.
The duo consists of Florida based Jay Myztroh and Bristol based producer Ben
Dubuisson, best known for the Hundred Strong project. Citing influences of Erykah
Badu, Prince, Alice Coltrane, Stevie Wonder and Esperanza Spalding; the album
crosses cosmic soul/RnB, low-end weighted hip hop, and conscious jazz. While the
musical vibrations lay down a groove on a sensory level, the lyrics prompt deeper
subconscious thought.
Under a “Cosmic” header, side one of the album starts with ‘Let It Go’, a song about
releasing the things that no longer serve you in your life, before exploring
meditation (‘Quiet Time’), karma, and responsibility in the way you live your life
(‘Metaphysical’).
Side two of the album is grouped with the theme “Link” and as narrative, explores
the evolution of a relationship: ‘Cellphone’ expresses the desire to be close to
someone, ‘Shoot’ is the introduction to the courting stage, and ‘Show U Love’ is a
request to take a step into a committed relationship.
“All of these songs are personal,” says Jay. “They explore either my experiences or are
written to me as understandings to help me navigate this plane of existence. The
personal nature of the music is what makes it universal to all humans”.
The overall theme of the album is summed up in the lyrics of the closing title track,
“Our motion is perpetual/together we move/at the speed of life/ intertwined by our
timelines/which coincide”.
Jay explains, “There is no separating the all from the source. With all living things
being products of the Cosmos, we are forever linked to it. We all share a source, atimeline, a planet, air, a sun etc. We are linked by simply being and doing the things
beings do”.
Introduced by mutual artist friends, the catalyst for their collaboration was the 2017
album 'Black Diamonds' by Jay's previous project Stono Echo, produced by the late,
great Paten Locke. Over the course of a few years they began remotely exchanging
music and lyrics, building a catalogue of finished tracks. During this time, Myztroh
was also completing his Masters degree in choral conducting that focused on
discovering and promoting compositions from the African Diaspora. Run by Ben
Dubuisson, High Noon Music has been based in Bristol since the early 2000s,
releasing records by artists including Ben’s own Hundred Strong, plus Boca 45,
Joseph Malik, Kali Phoenix, One Cut, Mr Fantastic, and Numskullz.

repress !

Since bursting onto the scene with their multi award-winning compilation ‘The Stanton Sessions’ back in 2001, the Stanton Warriors irresistible and inimitable sound has consistently remained the soundtrack to some of the world’s biggest and best parties; from East London warehouses, Miami boat parties and illegal Detroit raves, to smashing up the stages of Coachella, Glastonbury, Burning Man and Ultra, selling out global tours, topping DJ lists and arguably having the largest number of band logo tattooed fans in the world!!

In the studio, Bristol’s Mark Yardley and Dominic Butler have honed a trademark, uncategorizable sound that is at once all their own, but also utterly indefinable, leading to high-profile releases on XL Recordings, Fabric, Cheap Thrills, Central Station and Universal, alongside official remixes for everyone from Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim, to MIA, Gorillaz and Danny Byrd. This phenomenal output and remarkable longevity have ensured the Stanton Warriors legendary status amongst not only their fans, but also their peers.

Stanton Warriors 2015 album ‘Rebel Bass’ featured a host of new & exciting bass artists such as Cause & Affect (aka Chris Lorenzo & Kane), which went to #1 in the Apple Music general album chart and Top 10 in the iTunes dance album charts in eight countries.
They also continued their sold-out tours across the USA, Europe, Australia and the Far East, collaborations on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird label and a slew of exciting releases on their own tastemaker label Punks.

‘Rise’ is Stanton Warriors strongest album to date, with all twelve tracks ready to set dancefloors alight. Stanton Warriors have called on some of the scene’s most exciting and diverse artists to collaborate with – across hip-hop, grime, house, dancehall, drum’n’bass. Featured artists include Foreign Beggars, Stush, Taiki Nulight, Sian Evans, Ami Carmine, Keith Thompson, Lily McKenzie, Danny Dearden and Scarlett Quinn. Each track on ‘Rise’ showcases Stanton Warriors’s trademark rolling breakbeatbass sound.

Also included in the package on disc 2 is their ‘Rise DJ Mix’ that contains a selection of new remixes of tracks from their previous albums, releases from their own label Punks artists inc Plump DJs, Chris Røyal, Cosella & Vanilla Ace & tracks from Rise, remixed by the Punks family, plus an unreleased Stanton Warriors remix of Danny Byrd – Salute.

The vinyl format is a double LP cut onto heavyweight vinyl.

They remain fresh, original and relevant, obstinately dancing to the beat of their own drum, helping to pave the way for new talent, proudly ploughing their own genre for twenty years and as the new album title points to, still continuing to rise.

Behind the alias GO.SOUL.MAP. hides Salvo 'Dub', one of the most authentic and purest talents with a marked sensitivity,
not only artistic, of the current music scene in Catania, of which, under other guises and names, he has been an indispensable pillar for over a decade.

The debut album of this project is anticipated by two preview tracks that will be released not only digitally, but also in physical format on 7" / 45 rpm.

The launch single is 'Pushing', an explosive track in a Nu-disco key, modern but firmly rooted in the past, with a production that enhances the sound of the keyboards; full of 70s/80s Funk and Soul, it also has a Disco-Pop vein that makes it perfect for radio. The track is excellently performed by Derane Obika of Living Sounds. A Londoner of Nigerian origin, as well as an exceptional singer, Derane is also the author of the song's melodic lines and lyrics, which can be interpreted as a dialogue between an imaginary interlocutor and his spiritual guide journeying through the maze of life.

The 'Pushing' 45 will feature as a B-side an exclusive instrumental version (the one sung by Reiwa Pia will be included on the full-length) of 'Back In The Underwater', a track that combines a Hip-Pop groove with cinematic atmospheres.

GO.SOUL.MAP.'s debut album is titled 'Peaceful Sound for Broken Minds' and is scheduled for release February 28th 2024, a little gem in which pop and soul intersect and the clichés between mainstream and underground leap. A SpaceNu-Disco, Soul and R&B journey in which Derane Obika's fundamental contribution to the lyrics and melodies of no less than nine tracks out of twelve stands out! - This is a greatly anticipated album made for the ears of music lovers performed and produced by musicians with same love for the art of music.
Dont miss it!!!!!!

Lady Tazz's Mind Medizin label welcomes Marcal for an adventurous new techno two-tracker.

Brazilian-born and based, Marcal has now reached a global audience with his spellbinding techno and haunting atmospherics. His intelligently designed sounds on labels like Rekids Special Projects have found favour with everyone from Charlotte de Witte to Richie Hawtin. He has built a local scene in his hometown of Goiânia and now lands on the forward-thinking Mind Medizin label.

Opener 'Infectious' is a mind-altering and wonky techno workout. The unbalanced synths warp and wrap around each other to dynamic effect, while oversized hi-hats ramp up the pressure. The drums hit hard and it results in supple, stylish and high impact backroom techno. The equally excellent 'LambdaCore' is more dark and glitchy, with scraping hits and scuffed-up kicks. The textured sound designs really bring this track alive as ghoulish vocals and hyposonic loops take you down a late-night techno tunnel.

This is a brilliant brace of muscular and emotive techno tunes.

Error Subcutaneo was born under the sweltering sun of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, but their project portrays the colder, more urban side of life in the Caribbean, where cacophonous violence and Cold War monoliths collide with dreams of a better tomorrow The duo take elements of hip- hop, modular electronics, island syncretism, and bebop to twist and distort contemporary narratives on music composition, representing the greater movement of Latin American resistance directly from its epicentre Temporada Ciclonica is a recollection of alibis from a quenched island imaginarium. Palm trees dance in sync with the gales, an omen of the upcoming hurricane season. Pictographic technologies seek refuge in time's embrace, as eerie scents of petrichor and blood fill the corridors beneath the temple steps.

The cyclone's ravaging beauty and destruction bring rain, fertility and life to the land, an allusion to the cyclical nature of creation. Masters of musical past ride the storm's eye, a semiotic double- entendre on the spinning nature of the vinyl medium. A pupil glimmers from the dark, a kid rubs its belly in the womb. Press: Truth and Lies - review "a challenging but exhilarating journey through the minds of two young artists who's deep knowledge of local and international music places no harness on their creativity. Raw and instant, these boys look at the world as it is and let its contradictions flow into their creations. 9/10" Received airplay on BBC Radio 6 Music (Gilles Peterson), BBC Radio 3 (The Late Junction - Wolf Eyes' Mixtape) + The Lot Radio NYC - Marco Wibel - Darker Than Wax

Devilish is an album surrounded by a darkest atmosphere, its lyrics show urges experienced in our century, such as the constant degradation of the Amazon rainforest and the population increasingly affected by psychological illnesses such as anxiety and depression At the same time, it opens windows of escape for an imaginary world inspired by games, series and fiction books. In their second album with the new lineup, Mayara Puertas (Voice), Rene Simionato (Guitar), Castor (Bass) and Amilcar Christofaro (Drums) transcend the sound of extreme metal with maturity, incorporating progressive metal, influences from Brazilian music and symphonic elements.

The album also honors Brazilian heroes with a participation of Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) in the track "Buried Alive", and a tribute to Rickson Gracie the resilient fighter of Jiu Jitsu considered one of the greatest legends in this sport, the theme of the track "Warrior". The band also mobilized several musicians related to indigenous causes in their country to collaborate on the song "Uatuma", making an appeal for the preservation of the Amazon in a song that flows in an powerful way with the speeches of the indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire and tribal rhythms. For the cover art, the band had Marcelo Vasco, a Brazilian illustrator who has already created artworks for Slayer, Dimmu Borgir, Soulfly among others.

Fire and water collide again: On her latest album "Wandering Through Time", Swiss sorceress ASHTAR opens up a menacing yet ethereal world of opposing forces, fans of emotional yet dirty Blackened Doom Metal should willingly enter. ASHTAR - a duo at first - emerged on the scene in 2015 with their critically acclaimed debut album, "Ilmasaari", voted by Tom G Warrior (Celtic Frost, Triptykon) as one of his favorite albums of the year in Deaf Forever magazine The follow-up, "Kaikuja", released in 2020, took the project's unique blend of black and doom metal to the next level. Since then, ASHTAR has shared the stage with renowned bands such as Inter Arma, Primordial, Bell Witch, Bolzer, and Schammasch.

Now, with "Wandering Through Time", frontwoman Witch N. takes the helm as a one-woman band, pushing the limits of her creative expression to new heights. On her latest offering, she aims to express the darkness, power, and magic of most notably female forces in nature in a saturnine and poetic way. The deeply personal songs take listeners on a journey through the darkest corners of the human soul while embracing the beauty of the natural world. They never fail to showcase Witch N.'s accomplished songwriting and her talents in delivering tortured, gritty screams as well as super- heavy, leaden guitar riffs. Consequently, she names metal masters such as Winter, Darkthrone, and Black Sabbath as her major influences.

From the gloomy and depressive "Into the Gloom" to the tragic tale of the Waterman in "The Submerged Empire", each track is a cathartic work of art. The lyrics transcend metal-cliches of fantasy and lore by telling stories about personal growth, finding soulmates within a cold world, and keeping one's own inner black flame alive. Recording and mixing of the album were handled by V. Noir at Inferno Studio in Switzerland. He also provided additional guitars and jaw harp. The album was mastered by Greg Chandler (Esoteric) at Priory Recording Studios in Birmingham, UK. The front cover photo was captured by Raphael Wolf, while Anti Graphic laid his skilled hands on the new logo design. For Fans of: Oranssi Pazuzu, Wolvserpent, Mizmor, Mantar, Blut aus Nord, Dark Buddha Rising, Eagle Twin, Glorior Belli

Modern Hypnosis mainstay Alex Dickson, aka Pugilist, drops dubstep while upholding that unique Pugilist sound detailed throughout every track.

Designed to wobble your knees, the title track ‘Vintage’ is a satisfying growler that allows subs and wubs, dubbed-out echos and snare rolls to perfectly guide its course. The next track opens with a much-loved vocal sample of Dr Alimantado from the tune ‘Poison Flour’ which gives you a sense of familiarity; however, "Wistful’ is anything but and will have walls shaking in places you didn’t even know shook, with its shattering low-mid bass line and punchy kicks. Wistful is tested, tagged, certified, for sound system use.

On the flip, restraint and subtleness are brought to the plate with the track ‘Be Humble’. While we are reminded by the Upsetters to just be humble, Pugilist couldn’t resist sliding in his signature breaks cheekily in the second half to polish the composition.

Closing off this 4-tracker is a favourite of ours here at Modern Hypnosis. ‘Amethyst’ invites us on a broken-beat / dubstep hybrid trip with that perfect balance of minimalism and dub sound system prowess.

All in all, this is good gear.

As always, large up Pugilist!

As soon as Spike discovered punk, he wasted no time forming Reptile Ranch (Wales’ own Scritti Politti), starting a label (Z Block), and releasing the compilation of the Cardiff scene, Is The War Over? After an act dropped out of the cooperatively-funded venture, Spike approached the disbanded Young Marble Giants to contribute a track or two. Bemused, they agreed to reform, and it wasn’t long before Rough Trade rang the public phone listed on the back cover of the LP to poach the combo, leading to an album which hit immediately and has inspired hundreds of artists since. All the while, Spike worked with Debbie Pritchard in a number of unheard bands - but that’s another tale. After YMG’s breakup, singer Alison Statton started Weekend with Spike and Simon Booth, a project which saw chart success and the birth of a nouveau-retro style as individualistic as YMG’s, one later co-opted by lesser acts. Weekend, too, split after their debut album. Despite Weekend having become Alison’s second big act, Rough Trade passed on her next project with Spike. Vinyl Japan stepped in to release the duo’s debut, Tidal Blues and other releases followed, but as real life, jobs, and children beckoned, both Alison and Spike stepped away from music . . for more than twenty years. Their return is both unexpected. Bimini Twist is the work of the two alone. Apart from some vocal tracking in a local studio to best capture Alison’s still wondrous voice - everything was recorded in their homes, much of it ‘live’, and these new songs show the duo’s charm and diversity, featuring Alison’s most personal lyrics and Spike’s peculiar musical genius

2023 Repress
Moon in Earthlight describes the phenomenon one can see in the first few days after a New Moon, when the slim crescent of the moon is completed into a full circle by a faint light that is not lit by sunlight but by the light reflected from Earth. It is also the apt title for the first album from an artist whose first love was astronomy. After 6 EPs over the course of 5 years, Wolfgang Tillmans now releases his first album, Moon in Earthlight, a singularly plural 53-minute piece comprised of 19 tracks.
Opening with more that connects us than divides us, 'Celloloop / More That Connects Us', a looped cello sets out a discursive path for a bright keyed melody to flirt with while the sounds of the organ and synthesizer build their supporting roles, all along a bouncing four-to-the-floor beat punctuated with bright electronic chimes and the rhythmic tempo of a shaker. The invitation is hard to resist as a yearning voice opens up to let us know he's left his "place in security." And, "you're shining … All the way down to this glittering place … you're shining." Where voices and laughter are then overheard in the background of another field recording sounding water dripping from a 'Rain Gutter' later caught by the soft, warm rhythmic bounce between two synth notes on 'Fourth Floor' where chime-like and percussive timbres resonate from the metal tine keys of the kalimba creating a meditative acuity, which Tillmans peppers with arpeggiated synth riffs.
A composition of multiplicities, Tillmans' album debut is a collage of sounds, field recordings, words, studio jam sessions and live recordings, voice, soundscapes, and instrumentation scored with audible space to breathe along the way. Keeping pace, the first 'Kardio Loop' is a vocal callisthenics contemplating 'the possibility of a happy life' and/or the propositional properties of its semantic constructions backed by the recording of a heartbeat from a cardiogram. This movement is gradually accompanied by a set of orchestral synth pads that build to a crescendo before the soft, twirling melody of 'Stonerella' carries us along a carousel-like melodic, pop, instrumental timed in the percussive clapping of pebbles.
Not knowing where one leaves off and the other begins is part of this album's enigma, as we move in and out of these aural spaces choreographed with the slightest, open hand, where we can float through 'Don't Kill It by Naming It' before dancing along 'Insanely Alive' all the while contemplating the inherent, fragile complexities of language and being.
This enigma also stems from the raw vulnerability of Tillmans' voice. Whether lyrically playful or introspective, it is always giving: intimately unfolding as in the surprising take on Simon & Garfunkel's 'El Condor Pasa' or shapeshifting in 'Can't Escape into Space' or fully naked as raw material expression in 'Kantine' and 'Ocean Walk'.
Whether it's Tillmans voice or voices overheard, a field recording or a pop synth melody, these sounds defy track listings, audibly held together as one of many in an aural space that becomes a reflective cycle that develops over the course of the album. The accumulative effect of which (reminiscent of the artist's installations), drives the singularity of each of the album's elements into a complete, unconsolidated whole. Like a phenomenon that marks time, Moon in Earthlight is the shadow and the reflection, fifty-three minutes in time.

Music compilation and art book. We open the GLITZERBOX again and look into a glittering kaleidoscope of music and illustration. Crossing genres, in handmade editions and with great attention to detail, Jimmy Draht fuses artistic ideas into a new whole.

The vinyl contains beautiful folk songs, experimental collages, field recordings and lo-fi pop. All tracks are exclusive or have never been released on vinyl before.

Featuring music by: Maxine Funke, Tenniscoats, Mouth Harp Ensemble, How to count planets, A Happy Return, Benoit Pioulard, New North Wales, Dump, My Two Toms, Oro Swimming Hour, Matthew de Gennaro, The Gentlist, Andersens, Jam Money, Michael Tanner.

The artists, whether they paint, draw, scribble or cut, whether analogue or digital, whether they are graphic artists, illustrators or visual artists: they combine image and sound, discover connections and show that music can create images and vice versa.

Art by Petra Péterffy, Laurent Impeduglia, Nadine Spengler, Michael Dumontier, Tomoko Mori and Nicholas Stevenson.

A limited and numbered edition of 300, with hand-printed 3 color silkscreen book. Compiled by Markus Acher (The Notwist) and Jimmy Draht.

Since the late 90s JIMMY DRAHT publishes elaborately designed music-graphic-comic-text hybrids, most of them handmade and screenprinted. Initiated by Marion Epp, often in cooperation with a music label, artists from various genres are invited to participate. Each release is accompanied by exhibitions and music events.

Bands such as Calexico, The Notwist, Lali Puna, Neoangin, Pram, Otomo Yoshihide, A Million Mercies, Ted Milton, MS John Soda, Schwermut Forrest, Tied & Tickled Trio have participated (to name a few).
In terms of design we were lucky to showcase the works of ATAK, Anna Sommer, Knust, CX Huth, Katz & Goldt, Judith Zaugg, Thomas Ott, Jochen Gerner, Martin tom Dieck, Jim Avignon, Le Denier Cri, Elvisstudio and many more.

ALIEN TRANSISTOR was founded in 2003 by Markus & Micha Acher of The Notwist. The concept of the label is to produce music that has a musical or personal reference to the Notwist microcosm: From electronic soundscapes to abstract hip-hop to laptop-treated contemporary, from processed oriental music to Nick Drake-inspired songwriting. Alien Transistor respects no musical boundaries.

Wenn kurz vor dem Ende einer Tour die Stimme des Sängers versagt, würden die meisten Musiker wohl abbrechen. Jack White bat auf der letzten Raconteurs-Tour lieber The Kills-Sängerin Alison Mosshart, für ihn einzuspringen. Diese provisorische Lösung kann heute mit Fug und Recht als die Geburtsstunde der First-Indie-All-Star-Super-Group The Dead Weather gesehen werden. Eigentlich wollten Jack und Alison gemeinsam mit Raconteurs-Bassist Jack Lawrence und Queens of the Stoneage-Gitarrist Dean Fertita nur eine gemeinsame Single aufnehmen. Nach nur drei Wochen war daraus ein ganzes Album geworden. Die elf Songs auf „Horehound“ bieten mehr als nur die Summe der verschiedenen Bandmitglieder. Völlig ohne Zwang spielt jeder von ihnen das, wonach ihm ist. Hart, aggressiv, schmutzig und sexy trifft die Musik auf Alisons unterkühlte Stimme und Jack White hat endlich wieder die Gelegenheit genutzt, sich ans Schlagzeug zu setzen.

Wildly acclaimed, Grammy-winning artist Flume is releasing his surprise album; a surprise package of unheard music from the last decade ‘Things Don’t Always Go the Way You Plan’ on vinyl on November 17th via Transgressive Records.

‘Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan’, released via Transgressive Records, features tracks with Injury Reserve, Panda Bear and Isabella Manfredi - with whom Flume previously collaborated on “The Greatest View” and “TRUST.” The collection is an immersive dive into the various eras of Flume with a combination of experimental and vocal material. There’s uplifting cinematic moments, “Close 1.2 2016 Export Wav,” wonky mixtape era beats, “Nice 2 Know U 1.5.3 2020 Export Wav,” a return to hip hop, “Counting Sheep (V2) [2018 Export Wav],” and classic song driven material, “Rhinestone 1.7.2 [2018 Export Wav].” It’s all very Flume and consistent with the eclecticism that has earned him his unique lane in electronic music and popular culture.

[a] 1."Counting Sheep (V2) [2018 Export Wav]" (feat Injury Reserve)
[b] 2."Nice 2 Know U 1.5.3 [2020 Export Wav]"
[c] 3."Why 1.3 [2012 Export Wav]"
[d] 4."Rhinestone 1.7.2 [2018 Export Wav]" (feat Isabella Manfredi)
[e] 1."Dream 1.2.2 [2016 Export Wav]"
[f] 2."Beat 58.1.1 [2020 Export Wav]"
[g] 3."Close 1.2 [2016 Export Wav]"
[h] 4."One Step Closer 1.4 [2021 Export Wav]" (feat Panda Bear)
[i] 5."SPOKE 2 ALIENS FINALLY 1.3 [2020 Export Wav]"
[j] 6."Things Don't Always Go The Way You Plan 1.2 [2020 Export Wav]"

In the wake of Young Marble Giants’ breakup, two acts were created, with Stuart Moxham taking minimalist, geometric play to extremes while Alison Statton added more warmth and feeling to a similar template, creating something stunning yet based in popular forms. Those two opposing means of forging paths away from one of music’s most astonishingly unique debuts both included Stuart’s brother, Phil. More recently, both have reversed course, with Stuart proving himself a master of classic pop form, with Alison’s work again approaching a modern abstraction of quiet folk music - experimental but accessible. But that’s another tale. With no template to guide him, Stuart’s new music - as The Gist - was regarded as wildly uneven. Stuart admits that he didn’t know which way to go, so perversely, he decided to take all directions at once. The Gist’s original discography stood at a scant 18 songs, yet only seven featured Stuart’s own voice, often in heavily processed and oddly-mixed form. The Gist’s label, Rough Trade, dropped the band. Starting with a critical re-evaluation of The Gist’s sole album Embrace The Herd in an issue of Mojo, the tide begin to turn. Ambience in pop has long enjoyed a cult following, and the nonlinear structure of many of The Gist’s songs have parallels with artists such as Aphex Twin and Seefeel. One song from the era was covered by Etienne Daho in France - sounding rather advanced for French pop at the time, it ended up selling over a million copies and was later covered by Lush and sampled by DJ Koze with Lambchop singer / songwriter Kurt Wagner. Recent discovery of a trove of unreleased recordings show that Stuart had held back an array of excellent material, in demo and completed forms, often in different arrangements. Interior Windows adds 13 new performances or alternate versions to the band’s catalogue, and does the service of making both sides of The Gist’s first 7” 45 (recorded at the same session as the final YMG single) available again, along with their contribution to the NME / Rough Trade cassette compilation C81, and in keeping with The Gist’s tradition, at least one song on which Stuart does not appear

Originally released in Canada in 2006, and worldwide by 2007, Patrick Watson's breakthrough album has sold over 100,000 copies. Wooden Arms is Patrick Watson's highly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed Close to Paradise, which vaulted the man and his band to international stardom in 2007. The Montreal band toured non-stop for two years following initial Canadian release of Close to Paradise in 2006, and in many ways Wooden Arms is the story and sound of a band waking up in strange places all around the world.

Whether it's the bicycle-city sound of Beijing,' or the warmth of a hole in the wall' in sweet New Orleans' on Big Bird in a Small Cage,' or the haunting European waltz of the title track, you can't help but feel in listening to Wooden Arms like you're on the road with the band. Sometimes it's dirty, sometimes it's wild, but it's never, ever boring.

Close to Paradise won Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize in 2007, turning more than a few heads in beating out offerings from Arcade Fire and Feist, among others. By the time it saw release in the United States, Europe and Japan, the band was flying all over the world, garnering rave reviews for the album and their blistering live show alike.

Nachdem The National den Soundcheck für ihren Auftritt in Vancouver am 5. Juni 2023 beendet hatten, spielte die Band einfach weiter. Etwas braute sich zusammen: Die prägnanten Gitarrenparts von Aaron und Bryce Dessner trafen auf den Signature-Drumbeat von Bryan Devendorf. Als der Bassist Scott Devendorf loslegte, fing Matt Berninger an, einige Zeilen zu singen, die schon seit ein paar Jahren in ihm reiften. " Smoke detector, smoke detector / All you need to do is protect her", intonierte er. Ihr Tontechniker ließ die Aufnahme laufen und plötzlich war es ein 12 Minuten-Jam. Sie wussten, dass sie etwas Besonderes hatten, und nahmen die Live-Aufnahme bald darauf in Aarons Studio mit. Sie haben ein paar Minuten gekürzt, aber ansonsten das beibehalten, was auf der Bühne in Vancouver passiert ist. Dieser Song, "Smoke Detector", ist der krönende Abschluss von "Laugh Track", die überraschende zweite Hälfte eines Doppelalbums, das im April mit "First Two Pages of Frankenstein" begann. Es erwies sich als das letzte Kapitel eines Werks, das ansonsten neben dem Schwesteralbum geschrieben wurde - der Schlussakt einer Katharsis, die zeigt, was The National in den letzten drei Jahren durchgemacht haben. Vor zwei Jahren war die "Smoke Detector"-Zeile einer der wenigen Fetzen, die Matt während einer lähmenden Depression schreiben konnte und das zu einer Zeit, in der sich die Band fragte, ob sie jemals wieder ein Album machen würde. Nach der Pandemie belebte ihr neuer Glaube aneinander die kreativen Fähigkeiten wieder. "Weird Goodbyes", das bereits im August 2022 erschien, war ihr erster Durchbruch und der erste Vorgeschmack auf diese neue Ära. "Wir haben es wirklich schnell veröffentlicht, weil es wie ein Baby war, das in der Dunkelheit geboren wurde, oder so", lacht Matt. "Wir mussten es den Menschen zeigen". Aber als sie schließlich mit diesem umfangreichen Werk vorankamen, entschieden sie sich, "Weird Goodbyes" nicht auf das Frankenstein-Album zu nehmen. "Es fühlte sich an, als ob die Geschichte bereits erzählt worden wäre. Es war eine eigene Sache", sagt Aaron. "Aber es fühlte sich auch so an, als hätte es einen Bezug zu dem, was wir taten. Das war ein Teil der Logik für die Aufnahme einer weiteren Platte - wir wollten "Weird Goodbyes" ein eigenes Zuhause geben." "Laugh Track" ist das vielleicht musikalisch bedingungsloseste Album, welches die Band seit Jahren gemacht hat. Es ist aufmüpfig und dennoch leichtfüßig, doch es enthält ebenso viel seltene, ungebremste Schönheit wie Trostlosigkeit. Thematisch gibt es keine absichtliche Trennung zwischen "Frankenstein" und "Laugh Track". Während Matt auf "Frankenstein" eher auf der Suche nach einem Zufluchtsort war, hat er hier eine neue, klare Sicht auf das, was zählt. Sein dringendes Bedürfnis nach Intimität wird durch eine immer größere Angst vor der Unwirklichkeit des modernen Lebens noch verstärkt. Die Charaktere auf diesem Album (keine Vornamen, abgesehen von einer Tourmanagerin namens Alice - nur "ich" und "du") decken einander, träumen füreinander und helfen, den Schein zu wahren - und lösen damit das Versprechen von der gegenseitigen Fürsorge ein, das Matt auf dem Frankenstein-Schlusslied "Send for Me" gegeben hat. Wenn "Frankenstein" ein Zeichen für die Wiederherstellung des Vertrauens zwischen den einzelnen Bandelementen war, so ist das lebendige und neugierige "Laugh Track" das selbstbewusste Produkt dieses Prozesses und eine Absichtserklärung für jetzt und die Zukunft.

2023 markiert den Beginn einer neuen Ära für IN FLAMES mit der Veröffentlichung des vierzehnten Studioalbums Foregone - ein neues Meisterwerk einer Band, deren kreativer Output den Kurs und die Richtung des modernen Metals verändert hat.

Um den Aufwärtstrend fortzusetzen, markiert 2023 auch die Wiederveröffentlichung von vier bahnbrechenden Titeln aus dem umfangreichen Katalog der Band, nämlich A Sense of Purpose (2008) (15th Anniversary Edition inc. The Mirror's Truth EP, die noch nie auf Vinyl erhältlich war), Reroute to Remain (2002), Come Clarity (2006) (mehr als 400.000 verkaufte Exemplare weltweit + Gewinner des schwedischen Grammis-Preises für das beste Hard Rock-Album 2017) und Sounds of a Playground Fading (2011), die alle vergriffen und bei alten und neuen Jesterheads gleichermaßen sehr gefragt waren.

Die Wiederveröffentlichungen von 2023 enthalten alle Original Artworks mit einigen wenigen, sorgfältigen Retuschen. Alle Veröffentlichungen wurden von Justin Shturtz im legendären Sterling Sound Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, speziell für Vinyl neu gemastert. Alle Platten werden auf schweres 180g-Vinyl gepresst und sind mit dem unverkennbaren Jesterhead-Logo auf Seite D (z.B. A Sense of Purpose) versehen!