Seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten ist CALIBAN eine der prägenden Kräfte im Metalcore. Mit ihrem kommenden Album "Back From Hell" entwickelt die deutsche Band ihren Sound weiter und bleibt dabei der Intensität und Emotion treu, die ihre Karriere definiert haben. Angeführt von den Gründungsmitgliedern Andreas Dörner (Gesang) und Marc Görtz (Gitarre), umfasst das aktuelle Lineup der Band zusätzlich den neuen Bassisten Iain Duncan, der mit seinen cleanen Vocals eine neue Dimension in die facet-tenreiche Dynamik der Band bringt.Nach dem Erfolg der letzten Singles - "I Was a Happy Kid Once", "Echoes" und "Guilt Trip feat. Mental Cruelty" - veröffentlichen CALIBAN ihr bisher ambitioniertestes Werk. "Back from Hell" erforscht Themen wie innere Kämpfe, Resilienz und Katharsis und verbindet ihre charakteristischen, krachenden Riffs und den gutturalen Gesang mit atmosphärischen Melodien und einer moder-nen Produktion.Im Laufe der Jahre haben sich CALIBAN ihren Platz unter den Metalcore-Legenden erarbeitet, mit unzähligen Tourneen, Festi-valauftritten und einer Diskografie, welche Genregrenze immer wieder aufs Neue definiert. Im Jahr 2024 und darüber hinaus wird die Band mit "Back From Hell" auf Tour gehen und ihren Ruf als einer der elektrisierendsten Live-Acts der Heavy Music unter-mauern. CALIBAN sind stärker als je zuvor!"Back From Hell" ist erhältlich als: Ltd. CD Digipak & Branded Air Freshener, LP, Digital Album.
Blurring the lines between the mundane and the mystical, ESKA’s latest album, ‘The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman’, is a profound exploration of motherhood, artistry, and the delicate dance between daily rhythms and creative transcendence. For ESKA, these aren’t opposing forces—they’re inseparable threads in a richly woven life.
“It’s the sound of a first-generation, middle-aged African British woman living in post-everything Southeast London,” ESKA reflects.
After two decades of trailblazing collaborations with world-renowned artists – Moses Sumney, Grace Jones, Radiohead and Baxter Dury, to name a few - along with various accolades - including a Mercury Prize Nomination, ESKA’s new album stands as her most personal and compelling work yet. A self-directed journey, it sees her embracing her ultimate creative partner: herself.
Rooted in her eclectic musical upbringing, ESKA pulls inspiration from the sounds and influences that have defined her journey, breaking free of conventional boundaries. The result is a body of work that defies easy categorisation—bold, dynamic, and unmistakably hers.
Blurring the lines between the mundane and the mystical, ESKA’s latest album, ‘The Ordinary Life of a Magic Woman’, is a profound exploration of motherhood, artistry, and the delicate dance between daily rhythms and creative transcendence. For ESKA, these aren’t opposing forces—they’re inseparable threads in a richly woven life.
“It’s the sound of a first-generation, middle-aged African British woman living in post-everything Southeast London,” ESKA reflects.
After two decades of trailblazing collaborations with world-renowned artists – Moses Sumney, Grace Jones, Radiohead and Baxter Dury, to name a few - along with various accolades - including a Mercury Prize Nomination, ESKA’s new album stands as her most personal and compelling work yet. A self-directed journey, it sees her embracing her ultimate creative partner: herself.
Rooted in her eclectic musical upbringing, ESKA pulls inspiration from the sounds and influences that have defined her journey, breaking free of conventional boundaries. The result is a body of work that defies easy categorisation—bold, dynamic, and unmistakably hers.
Melancholische Gitarrenakkorde, ein introspektiver Gesang, und immer wieder bedrohliche und energische Ausbrüche mit Percussions und Stakkato. Zwischen intimem Songwriting und Soundtrack-inspiriertem Pathos bewegt sich Jerome Reuter, der nun, 2025, das zweite Jahrzehnt seiner Band ROME feiert.
Zwei Dekaden begleitet das Luxemburgische Bandprojekt ROME nun also die Europäische Tragödie. Und während sich die Alben der ersten zehn Jahre noch vor allem historischen Themen widmeten, treten in der nicht mindert produktiven Ära zwischen 2016 und 2025, die auf dieser neuen "Anthologie" dokumentiert wird, auch aktuelle und grundsätzliche philosophische Fragestellungen ins Zentrum. ROME orientierte sich immer am großen Bild. Im Songwriting deutlich inspiriert vom französischen Chanson, dem späten Johnny Cash und Nick Cave, wurden von Beginn an auch literarische Quellen verarbeitet, und werden sie nicht namentlich genannt (wie bei "The Secret Germany" Paul Celan), so schwingen sie doch zwischen den Zeilen mit, die Denker - nicht nur - des 20. Jahrhunderts. Philosophische und gar okkulte Aspekte werden auf den Alben reflektiert ("The Hyperion Machine", "Hall of Thatch", "The Lone Furrow", "Le Ceneri di Heliodoro"), doch immer wieder wird es konkret, sei es mit Blick auf die russische Invasion in der Ukraine ("Gates of Europe", "World in Flames") und grundlegende Konflikte, die mythisch gelesen werden ("Coriolan", "Hegemonikon"). Wiederkehrend ist das mythische Motiv der Sonne, so auch auf dem jüngsten Werk "Civitas Solis".
Mal als volles Band-Line-Up, mal als Singer-Songwriter, und immer wieder im Austausch mit anderen Musikern (etwa Nergal von Behemoth oder der schwedischen Punklegende Thåström), Jerome Reuter erfindet sich beständig neu, und arbeitet kontinuierlich an einer singulären Stimme in der gegenwärtigen Popkultur. Wie ein Januskopf zurückgewandt in die Zukunft blickend.
The Walters, das in Chicago gegründete und in LA beheimatete Indie-Quartett, veröffentlicht endlich sein Debütalbum "Good Company" mehr als ein Jahrzehnt nach seiner Gründung 2014 auf einer Hausparty der DePaul University. In dieser Zeit wurde ihr erster Song "I Love You So" zu einer viralen Sensation mit 2 Mrd. Streams und 10 Mrd. TikTok-Aufrufen. Sie spielten ein triumphales Lollapalooza-Set in ihrer Heimatstadt, trennten sich, kamen wieder zusammen, unterschrieben bei einem grossen Label und machten sich wieder unabhängig. All diese Erfahrungen vereinen sich auf "Good Company" zu einem musikalischen Eskapismuswirbel: Harmonieschichten, inspiriert von Vocalbands wie Beach Boys und Four Tops, der reich strukturierte Progressive-Pop-Charme á la "Pet Sounds", die ruhige, nachdenkliche Lyrik von Folk-Legenden wie Neil Young, das Getöse moderner Acts wie Dr. Dog und The Strokes. Ein genre- und generationsübergreifendes Werk, das das Publikum mit Haltung und Reife anspricht. In allen Songs steckt ein erneuertes Gefühl von Vertrauen, Ehrlichkeit und musikalischer Freiheit – mächtige Waffen, wenn man sie mit der klanglichen Wärme kombiniert, die The Walters so unmittelbar fesselnd und beruhigend zugleich macht.
In the year since it was first released on Hell Yeah, Aura Safari and Jimi Tenor's Sensory Blending has become a cult modern classic. To celebrate its conquering of Balearic heads and jazz funk hearts everywhere, it now arrives on green transparent vinyl.
The album came about after a chance meeting when Finnish musician Jimi Tenor was playing a Hell Yeah party in Perugia. He had some free time so was hooked up with local collective Aura Safari. It was the first time they had ever met but that didn't stop magic from happening in the studio and giving rise to this lush, rich, life-affirming album.
Tenor is no stranger to collaboration. He has previously worked with Japanese master Calm, regularly plays with Cold Diamond & Mink and has explored psychedelic space-jazz-funk fusion over more than 25 albums and 45 EPs. Right now he is in a rich vein of form, continuing to tour the world and drop cosmic soul voyages on a regal basis.
A year on this album still stands up and has crossed over int several different scenes thanks to high profile plays from plenty of tastemakers. Aura Safari musicians Lorenzo Francioli, Ruggero Bonucci, Nicola Pitassio and the production team were all on top form and truly cemented their reputation as a collective to watch.
'Bodily Synesthesia' is the seductive opener with steamy sax notes and gentle grooves that are topped by aloof vocal whispers. 'Lunar Wind' is another slow and steamy mix of jazzy keys and soulful vocal hooks, 'Bewitched By The Sea' is a more tropical and percussive number with majestic melodies and 'My Bluebell' picks up the pace with jazz-funk grooves and hustling chords. 'Last Waltz In Perugia' has freeform sax lines soaring over meticulous drums that ebb and flow and 'Gimlet' brings a playful, samba-tinged rhythm and sunny flute leads straight from South America. There's a laidback, carefree mood to 'It's Too Easy To Love You' while 'Your Magic Touch' is a dancey number that exudes melodic joy, and 'Indigo' closes in dramatic fashion with a conversational sax that sticks long in the memory.
Sensory Blending is the soundtrack to a steamy summer vacation up amongst the stars.
out of Stock
Last delivered 9 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Legendary New Zealand-born experimental composer and sound art pioneer Annea Lockwood returns to Black Truffle with On Fractured Ground / Skin Resonance, her third release for the label. Having recently celebrated her 85th birthday, Lockwood shows no sign of slowing down in her exploration of new sound sources and collaborations with an ever-growing intergenerational pool of performers – here with Vanessa Tomlinson. Her creative vibrancy is alive as ever on the two recent works presented here, which demonstrate both her engagement with the social dimensions of sound and the deeply reflective, meditative aspect of her art.
On Fractured Ground derives from material recorded with Pedro Rebelo and Georgios Varoutsos for the soundtrack of Maria Fusco and Margaret Salmon’s opera-film, History of the Present (2023). Working together in Belfast, Lockwood, Rebelo and Varoutsos made extensive recordings of the city’s ‘peace lines’, the dozens of walls erected since the beginning of the Troubles in the late 1960s to separate Catholic and Protestant areas of the city. Struck by the immensity of these barriers, ‘the brutal way they sever neighbourhoods’, Lockwood and her collaborators focused not on the sound environment of the city, but on the walls themselves, playing them as gigantic resonant instruments, using their hands and objects such as stones and leaves. Continuing to work in her studio with the material collected for the soundtrack after its completion, Lockwood composed the work presented here, occupying a space somewhere between her own extended-technique percussion music and the Cagean tradition of hyper-amplified small sounds. From deep, gong-like metallic tolling to dry scrapes and uneasy groans, the piece’s sustained attention to single sounds derived from unorthodox sources draws a line all the way back to Lockwood’s classic Glass World (1967-1970). Its spaciousness and delicacy are at odds with the dark historical background of the Troubles, creating a moving listening experience somehow haunted by the shadow of violence and conflict.
Skin Resonance is a collaboration with Australian composer and percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson. Developed through conversations in which the two discussed the idea of ‘sonic attraction’, the piece focuses on Tomlinson’s relationship to the bass drum, reflecting on the complex web of connections embodied in this seemingly simply instrument, which is at once ‘animal, wood, and metal’. Approaching the instrument in a suitably elemental fashion, Tomlinson’s performance strips away conventional technique to explore the resonance and timbral properties of skin, drum, and metal hardware, producing overlapping waves of texture that at times seem closer to wind swishing through leaves or the ocean than anything usually associated with a drum. Emphasising the symbiotic relationship between performer and instrument, Tomlinson’s voice is heard at times, exploring the field of associations and connections the bass drum suggests to her: ‘Maybe the bass drum skin is an ear as well?’
Accompanied by insightful liner notes on both pieces and photographs documenting the recording of On Fractured Ground and a performance of Skin Resonance, this LP is a moving testament to the engagement, generosity, and openness that sustain Annea Lockwood’s work, still finding new directions after more than fifty years of activity.
out of Stock
Last delivered 18 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Jan Akkerman (b. 1946) stands apart as a singular figure in the realm of rock and beyond. A Dutch guitarist of unparalleled versatility, he earned international acclaim in 1973 when he topped the prestigious Melody Maker readers’ poll, surpassing icons like Eric Clapton (2nd), Jimmy Page (5th), and Carlos Santana (10th). His fame, however, has never defined his artistry. For Akkerman, it’s always been about the music—any genre, as long as it resonates. He’s a lifelong improviser who approaches each performance as a new adventure. Akkerman first rose to prominence with Focus, a band that embodied the grandiose instrumental rock spirit of the 1970s. Long compositions, dazzling technique, and adventurous arrangements made them a cornerstone of progressive rock. Despite the accolades, Akkerman remained true to his calling. When asked about his success, he has always brushed it aside, preferring to let his guitar do the talking. Side 1 of this record captures Akkerman’s stunning performance on July 10, 2011, at the Nile Hall in Rotterdam. Here, he showcases his ability to take listeners on a sonic journey. The mellow “Tranquilizer” offers a relaxed groove, followed by the heartfelt ballad “You Do Something to Me,” unfolding emotion without words. In “Piétons”—a gospel-tinged blues—trumpeter Eric Vloeimans delivers a fiery solo before the leader propels the piece into uncharted territory. Side 2 brings us back to an earlier moment, recorded in July 2005 at the Paul Acket Paviljoen in The Hague. “Streetwalker” delivers a funk-driven explosion featuring alto saxophonist Benjamin Herman, while “The Zebrah” sends Vloeimans soaring into the musical stratosphere, only to have Akkerman reignite the piece with blistering guitar lines, his band driving forward like a well-tuned Mercedes on an open highway. Akkerman’s live performances are as unpredictable as they are electrifying. Whether sharing the stage with legends or newcomers, his spontaneous creativity makes every concert unique—a master class in musical freedom. Jan Akkerman remains a touchstone for guitarists and fans alike, an authentic improviser whose name still elicits one universal response from any seasoned Dutch rock enthusiast: “He’s the best guitarist in the world.” The North Sea Jazz Concert Series includes officially licensed releases that will be released as standard on 180-gram white vinyl in a sleeve of heavy paper and printed on reversed board. The records are captured in mainly black-and-white artwork by Hans Pol in his signature style of the festival with inspiration from the covers of classic older jazz releases from the Blue Note label, for example. The liner notes are written by journalist and jazz expert Jeroen de Valk. For all recordings it’s a first time ever release on vinyl!
"Dances With Wolves is the original soundtrack to the 1990 seven-time Academy Award and three-time Golden Globe Award-winning film of the same name. It is produced and directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars in the film himself. The original score and songs were composed and conducted by John Barry. Barry won the 1991 Academy Award for Best Original Score and the 1992 Grammy Award for ""Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television."" John Barry's fifth Oscar-winning score is a profoundly moving body of music. Dances With Wolves is available as a 35th anniversary edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent yellow coloured vinyl and comes in a deluxe sleeve finished with linen laminate."
"Change Today? is the third studio album by the American rock band T.S.O.L. (True Sounds Of Liberty), released in 1984. It was the band's first album with singer/guitarist Joe Wood and drummer Mitch Dean, replacing founding members Jack Grisham and Todd Barnes who had left the band in late 1983.
The album was recorded using money loaned to T.S.O.L. by the Dead Kennedys, and found the new incarnation of the band moving away from the Hardcore Punk associations of the original lineup in favor of a traditional Rock and Gothic Rock sound. Over the course of four nights at Mad Dog Studio in Venice, California T.S.O.L. recorded their new songs with recording engineer Stuart Schanwetter and producer Chris Grayson. The album was mastered by Eddy Schreyer. Change Today? is available as a limited numbered edition of 1000 copies on white coloured vinyl and it contains an insert"
"Oh! Gunquit Are a British band known for their energetic blend of rock, surf, and garage music, with a touch of psychobilly and punk influences. Formed in the mid-2010s, the band is recognized for their vibrant, high-octane performances and a distinctive sound that mixes vintage rock 'n' roll with modern edge. Their music typically features catchy melodies, reverb-drenched guitars, and a retro aesthetic that appeals to fans of both classic and contemporary garage rock.
The band's lineup has changed over time, but the central core of the group created by Tina Swasey (Vocals) & Simon Wild (Guitar) have remained a constant & they've maintained a reputation for being a fun and electrifying act on stage. Their tracks often tell stories with a quirky, humorous touch while keeping a raw, rebellious vibe. Their most notable releases include songs like ""Dance like F*ck"" and ""So Long Sucker"", and they’ve earned a solid following for their ability to merge catchy pop hooks with a gritty, lo-fi sound. Oh! Gunquit has performed in various venues, European Tours and major Festivals, building a loyal fan base in the UK, Europe and beyond."
All Bad, the latest album from Nick Shoulders, ultimately encapsulates everything that makes Shoulders’ inimitable form of country music so vital: a heady balance of dazzling musicianship and punk defiance, coupled with gritty eccentricity and a generational connection to the roots of the genre. With a singing style inherited from his family’s vocal lineage, Nick’s songs achieve the rare feat of imparting difficult truths while inciting a certain joyful abandon, balancing a sound forged by years of hard travel with a heartfelt reverence for the origins of country music. In the spirit of Hazel Dickens and Jimmy Driftwood, the incisive yet wildly jubilant All Bad vocally objects to the reckless destruction of the natural landscape and development run rampant, while still offering plenty of joy and dance-ready rhythms. Spanning a variety of early country styles, the album’s infectious harmonies shine alongside everything from jangling cajun waltzes to surf-rock infused bluesy ballads–all tied together by a voice seemingly out of place in this century, yet ever ready to speak up about its problems.
Released via Gar Hole Records (a label founded and co-owned by Shoulders), All Bad marks the first LP made with his longtime band, the Okay Crawdad, since 2019’s premier full-length Okay, Crawdad and their subsequent pandemic-imposed hiatus. After writing most of the album from the front seat of a tour van, the Fayetteville, AR-based musician and bandmates Grant D’Aubin (harmonies/bass), Cheech Moosekian (drums) and Jack Studer (lead guitar) recorded the album in a home studio on the banks of the mississippi river with New Orleans collaborators Ross Farbe and Sam Doores.
Following nearly 20 years of working together as a trio, and numerous cross-collaborations in different configuration between them, Ideologic Organ presents Placelessness, the debut full-length by Chris Abrahams, Oren Ambarchi, and Robbie Avenaim, comprising two long-form works at juncture of ambient music, minimalism, rigorous experimentalism and improvisation, and machine music. Having carved distinct pathways across a diverse number of musical idioms for decades, Chris Abrahams, Oren Ambarchi, and Robbie Avenaim are each, respectively, among the most noteworthy and groundbreaking figures to have emerged from Australia's thriving experimental music scene. Ambarchi and Avenaim first encountered Abrahams when seeing the Necks - the project that has served as the primary vehicle for his singular approach to the piano since its founding in 1987 - together during the late 1980s, not long after having met in Sydney's underground music community. The pair's collaborations date back more than 35 years, criss-crossing Ambarchi's pioneering solo and ensemble work for guitar and Avenaim's visionary efforts for SARPS (Semi Automated Robotic Percussion System), robotic and kinetic extensions to his drum kit. In 2004, fate brought the three together in a trio performance at the What Is Music? Festival, the annual touring showcase of experimental music founded and run by Ambarchi and Avenaim between 1994-2012. For the nearly two decades since, Abrahams, Ambarchi, and Avenaim have intermittently reformed in exclusively live contexts, in Australia and abroad, cultivating and refining the fertile ground first tilled in that early meeting. Placelessness is the first album to present this remarkable trio's efforts in recorded form. Placelessness is the joining of three highly individualised streams, working in perfect harmony; the point at which friendship, mutual respect, and decades of creative exploration produce a singular spectrum of sound. Featuring Abrahams on piano, Ambarchi on guitar, and Avenaim on drums, the album's two sides draw on each artist's enduring dedication to long-form composition. Its two pieces, Placelessness I and Placelessness II, initially began as a single, 40 minute work, before being divided and reworked into distinct, complimentary gestures for the corresponding sides of the LP. Beginning with restrained clusters of reverberant piano tones, Placelessness I progresses at an almost glacial pace, with Abrahams' interventions increasing met by sparse responses, darting within vast ambiences, on guitar and percussion by Ambarchi and Avenaim. Remarkably conversational within its convergences of tonal, rhythmic, and textural abstraction, over the work's duration a progressive sense of tension unfurls and contracts, refusing release, as each of the ensemble's members contribute to an increasingly tangled sense of density at its resolve.While an entirely autonomous work, Placelessness II rapidly realises a distillation of the energy hinted at across the length of its predecessor. Following a luring passage of harmonious calm, Abrahams' launches into shimmering lines of repeating arpeggios, complimented at each escalation of tempo by Avenaim's machine gun fire percussion work and Ambarchi's masterful delivery of tonality and texture, as the trio collectively generate dense sheets of pointillistic ambience within which individual identity is almost lost, before slowly unspooling into unexpected abstractions and dissonances that deftly intervene with the work's inner logic and calm. What could easily be termed a maximalist take on Minimalism, Placelessness is a masterstroke of contemporary, real time composition, that blurs the boundaries between ambient music, experimentalism, free improvisation, and machine music. Drawing on Chris Abrahams, Oren Ambarchi, and Robbie Avenaim's decades of respective solo and collaborative practice, and the culmination of nearly twenty years of working together as a trio, it's two durational pieces - Placelessness I and Placelessness II - take form with a startling sense of effortlessness and grace, neither shying away from explicit beauty or rigorously tension within their forms
Very few bands manage to last decades, and for the ones that do, it's often easy to settle down and get a little too comfortable. But there's nothing comfortable about Devourer, the explosive new album from Cursive. The iconic Omaha group is known for their intensity, ambition, and execution, and has spent 30 years creating a bold discography that's defined as much by its cathartic sound as its weighty, challenging lyrical themes. And Devourer is as daring as ever. Full of intense and incisive songs, the album proves exactly why Cursive have been so influential and enduring-and why they remain so vital today.In the years since their 1995 formation, Cursive developed into one of the most important groups to emerge from the late-'90s/early `00s moment when the lines between indie rock and post-hardcore began blurring into something altogether new. Albums like Domestica (2000) and The Ugly Organ (2003) became essential touchstones whose echoes can still be heard in new bands today. Devourer, as an expansive new double-album, examines humanity's bottomless capacity for consumption through a series of songs that act like vignettes, driven by frontman Tim Kasher's never-ending appetite for both taking in and creating art."I am obsessive about consuming the arts," he explains. "Music, film, literature. I've come to recognize that I devour all of these art forms then, in turn, create my own versions of these things and spew them out onto the world. It's positive; you're part of an ecosystem. But I quickly recognized that the term, `Devourer,' may also embody something gnarly, sinister." Fans have come to expect such heady topics from Cursive, but Devourer sets a new standard.While Cursive's music hasn't gotten any more comfortable, perhaps its being released into a world that's at least a little more shaped in their image. Devourer sounds urgent and fresh, the work of a band still experimenting, still hungering to find new creative heights. On album highlight "Consumers," the protagonist bemoans, "I saw our future and I want to go back." But Cursive are only moving forward.
What it is, is funky! When the acid jazz scene ruled the world it looked for its inspiration in places that other jazz fans tended to overlook. The soul jazz of the late 60s and early 70s. The music of lounge bars and small clubs that fuelled the night life of black America. This compilation brings together ten examples of the sound and is a high quality listen from start to finish.
In the post-bebop world jazz was often condemned as an intellectual music aimed at the head not the feet, but a strain of the music was always for dancing, coming straight from the legacy of the big bands, and always tipping its head to what was going on in the R&B charts. The tracks included here all stay true to that legacy.
So whether we have Lonnie Liston Smith’s plea for 'Peace & Love' with its Bob Marley echoing horn lines, or Joe Bataan as band leader covering Isaac Hayes’ ‘Theme From the Men’, this is music allied with the contemporary sounds of the day. Oliver Nelson's synth heavy 'Skull Session' or his TV hit 'Theme From The Six Million Dollar Man' covered by Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes show this. At the heart of these recordings are the rhythms − and as such Bernard Purdie is the star either as a solo artist or simply as the man behind the kit with Harold Alexander.
This is Funky Jazz is an entry ticket to a party that everyone should want to be invited to.
Hailed by Pitchfork for his “ambient, intimate…songs that blossom gently with intricate musical details and enigmatic lyrics,” Conner Youngblood gained early acclaim with a series of self-released singles and EPs before breaking out internationally with his 2018 full-length debut, Cheyenne, which fused electronic and analog elements into a lush mix of bedroom pop and chamber folk. Youngblood toured the record heavily until 2020, when the pandemic forced him off the road and, hungry for fresh inspiration, he began enrolling in Russian, Danish, Spanish, and Japanese language lessons. He didn’t realize it at the time, but those classes weren’t just expanding his vocabulary, they were laying the groundwork for his most ambitious, experimental album yet: Cascades, Cascading, Cascadingly.
Written and recorded at home in Nashville, the collection is a dreamy series of meditations steeped in desire and yearning, loneliness and loss, exhilaration and escape. The lyrics blur the lines between fact and fiction, toying with magical realism and outright abstraction in various languages, and the arrangements are surreal and cinematic to match, hinting at everything from Cocteau Twins to Atoms For Peace. In addition to producing and engineering, Youngblood played every instrument on the album himself, and the result is a pure, unfiltered journey deep into the subconscious of a relentlessly curious artist, one with a boundless imagination and an insatiable appetite for sonic exploration.
Comes in deluxe gatefold sleeve with exclusive artwork and double sided printed insert. Remastered from the original master tapes. The most comprehensive vinyl edition of Catalyse to date, featuring additional improvisations that were omitted from the album's original 1970 pressing. Sounding better than ever, rediscover the album that started it all for French psychedelic rock.
The highly sought-after 1970 debut album Catalyse by Ame Son, widely regarded as the first French psychedelic rock album, is finally being reissued. This milestone release by France's pioneering psychedelia band, founded by drummer/vocalist Marc Blanc and bassist Patrick Fontaine-both from the Banana Moon lineup, bridging Soft Machine & Gong-has been restored and remastered from the original master tapes. It includes additional archive material, presenting the Catalyse album in its entirety on vinyl for the first time. Originally released by the avant-garde label BYG Records, Catalyse embodies the vibrant and experimental energy of France's burgeoning underground scene in the early 70s. The album fuses English psychedelic influences with French poetry, free jazz, and experimental freak-outs. "The concept was to create pieces composed of multiple parts, forming an ever-evolving ensemble with shifting ambiences and improvisations. We wanted to blend French poetry with the free-spirited creativity of English psychedelic rock" explained Marc Blanc in an exclusive interview featured in the new liner notes of this reissue. This unique vision gave birth to an album that remains as groundbreaking and captivating today as it was at its original release. Out of print for decades, the Catalyse LP has become a rare and highly coveted gem among collectors and fans of psychedelic rock.
Spacemen 3 began assembling their third album, 1988's Playing With Fire, at perhaps the freest, most confident point in their career. Recording began with the band road-tested and rugged, even amidst the functional volatility that famously motivated their course. The sessions' first offering came in the form of "Revolution," a single of heroic Stooges-devotion and the most commercially successful release the group had to date. High expectations for the album were soon exceeded, as Playing With Fire would become Spacemen 3's crowning studio achievement and cement their rightful place on the vanguard of otherworldly rock 'n' roll.
An exquisite mix of stuttering tremolo guitars and wistful melodies, Playing With Fire sheds any trappings of revisionism and furnishes a nuanced grade of psychedelia. Epic entries like "Suicide" (named after the notorious NYC band) and the mesmeric "How Does It Feel?" catch Spacemen 3 at their celestial apex, the very point where their collective writing, performance and production would crest and wondrously splinter.
Includes download card and new insert with liner notes by Marc Masters.
1990's Recurring, the fourth and final studio album by Spacemen 3, is often considered the introduction of two brilliant solo projects (Spectrum and Spiritualized) rather than the work of a functioning band. While Spacemen 3's departing statement surely reveals a deep divide within the S3 camp – each side of the LP was written by Sonic Boom and Jason Pierce separately and, unlike previous releases, the two do not play on each other's songs – Recurring maintains a cohesive, dreamy feel with its chief sonic officers backed by fellow travelers Will Carruthers, Mark Refoy and Jon Mattock.
Opening saga "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)" marries ambient haze with narcotized indie rock, while "I Love You" manages to arrange a beautiful flute alongside a defiantly throbbing bass track. "Hypnotized," a reimagined fuzz-pop hymn, would become the group's first entry in the UK Singles Charts. Recurring lays bare the essence of Spacemen 3's persistent sound, rooted in both aural expansion and phenomenal songwriting.
Includes download card and new insert with liner notes by Marc Masters.
The Rough Trade Singles collects The Fall's four singles recorded for this influential label in 1980 and 1983 – How I Wrote 'Elastic Man' / City Hobgoblins, Totally Wired / Putta Block, The Man Whose Head Expanded / Ludd Gang and Kicker Conspiracy – none of which appeared on any of the band's studio LPs. With 7-inches being the era's vehicle for buzzing communiqués, The Fall would use the format for short-form, standalone works rather than as mere promotional devices for forthcoming albums.
"Totally Wired" is often cited (and rightfully so) as The Fall's most infectious tune – an amphetamine-fueled anthem with stuttering nods to forebears, yet too incisive to have been made by anyone else. "How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'" is another mad hoedown, one reimagined for the post-punk age. While the playful rhythm machine on "The Man Whose Head Expanded" almost suggests danceability, Mark E. Smith's idiosyncratic shriek on "Kicker Conspiracy" pierces through the twin drumming of Paul Hanley and Karl Burns and the group's unpredictable / unmistakable racket. Together these songs remain some of the absolute best material The Fall would ever release.
Superior Viaduct's edition is the first time that The Rough Trade Singles has been available on vinyl domestically. Liner notes by Brian Turner.
Seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten ist CALIBAN eine der prägenden Kräfte im Metalcore. Mit ihrem kommenden Album "Back From Hell" entwickelt die deutsche Band ihren Sound weiter und bleibt dabei der Intensität und Emotion treu, die ihre Karriere definiert haben. Angeführt von den Gründungsmitgliedern Andreas Dörner (Gesang) und Marc Görtz (Gitarre), umfasst das aktuelle Lineup der Band zusätzlich den neuen Bassisten Iain Duncan, der mit seinen cleanen Vocals eine neue Dimension in die facet-tenreiche Dynamik der Band bringt.Nach dem Erfolg der letzten Singles - "I Was a Happy Kid Once", "Echoes" und "Guilt Trip feat. Mental Cruelty" - veröffentlichen CALIBAN ihr bisher ambitioniertestes Werk. "Back from Hell" erforscht Themen wie innere Kämpfe, Resilienz und Katharsis und verbindet ihre charakteristischen, krachenden Riffs und den gutturalen Gesang mit atmosphärischen Melodien und einer moder-nen Produktion.Im Laufe der Jahre haben sich CALIBAN ihren Platz unter den Metalcore-Legenden erarbeitet, mit unzähligen Tourneen, Festi-valauftritten und einer Diskografie, welche Genregrenze immer wieder aufs Neue definiert. Im Jahr 2024 und darüber hinaus wird die Band mit "Back From Hell" auf Tour gehen und ihren Ruf als einer der elektrisierendsten Live-Acts der Heavy Music unter-mauern. CALIBAN sind stärker als je zuvor!"Back From Hell" ist erhältlich als: Ltd. CD Digipak & Branded Air Freshener, LP, Digital Album.
Aufgenommen in Londons berühmtem Hammersmith Apollo im Jahr 2004. Mit einem starken Line-up mit David Coverdale, Doug Aldridge und Reb Beach an den Gitarren, Timothy Druley an den Keyboards, Marco Mendoza am Bass und Tommy Aldridge am Schlagzeug.
Madteo is one of the great eccentric visionaries of Electronic Music and his new album Misto Atmosferico E Ad Azione Diretta on Unsure once more happens to be a mind-bending piece of art. Misto Atmosferico E Ad Azione Diretta shifts between focused gritty grooves and the long freeform associative adventures that you haven't heard before, never static, sometimes overwhelming, always on edge.
The opener Cans People is an archaic rave monster, To Know Those Who is non-linear dub techno, Nocturnal Palates expands the Filter House universe and Rave Nite Itz All Right hits you hard and strange (yet subtle, in a way). The last two tracks then let loose; Madteo manipulates time, space and sounds to create the psychedelic secrets of Luglio Ottantotto. And Emo G (Sticky Wicket) explores the outskirts not only of House or Techno or whatever but music in general, a 15-min-trip through the low frequencies, the rumble, the dark hearts and the enchantment. Breathtaking. Bring The Voodoo Down.
out of Stock
Last delivered 17 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Signs & Gestures is a various artists limited vinyl pressing which will be available digitally later this year. The vinyl version was mastered by Todd Mariana at Chicago's newest cutting studio, Deep Grooves Mastering.
The compilation features four tracks. Longtime friends Awoke (aka John Griffin) and Jack Buser write the two cuts on the A-side. These guys have known each other for many years and the complimentary nature of their tracks echo their years long relationship. Both use analog gear in their productions. In fact, that is an understatement as both are engineers by day and admitted audio gear junkies by night. Awoke's Untitled #2843 is a quirky drama builder throwing the In My House vocal over squelches and acid lines. Buser's Midi Boson is a classic exercise in simplicity. Drums from an MPC and a lead from Elektron's Monomachine are all it takes for this groove to rattle the dance floor.
Side B is also the work of two close friends. Nathan Drew Larsen remixes Little Turtles by Souls Found. Mazi edits Nathan's remix (released earlier on Fresh Meat's When Bad People Cook Good Food Volume 3) to 6 minutes, removing the atmospheric outro and reducing some of the extended sections. What remains is an energetic workout that is uncommonly melodic and emotional. As Audio Soul Project, Mazi's remix 3 of Sentimental Love combines sections from the first two of his remixes of this song released on Vizual Records back in 2011. This new version will hopefully express the care and love that went into preserving the message of Joshua Iz and Chez Damier's original.
An official retrospective (1967 to 1985) of the legendary Beninese Composer, Gentleman & Salsero Gnonnas Pedro, who recorded dozen of albums & singles from the 1960s the 2000s with mythical bands such as Los Panchos, Les Dadjes & Africando !
21 tracks covering the extremely wide musical spectrum of this mythical artist in 40 years of career : Afrobeat, Salsa, Funk, Soul, Jerk & Folk frenzied grooves that will set any dancefloor on fire !
Available in a beautiful Limited Deluxe 2xLP gatefold edition (with a digital voucher including a Bonus track) & in HQ digital format with very detailed biography & liner notes in French & English, + Exclusive pictures, never seen before.
Bonus track : "À Ma Fille" (Digital only, includes with the download voucher of the album that comes with the release)
out of Stock
Last delivered 16 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Layer upon layer of noise and distortion, like ashes of nuclear apocalypse raining down. The final LP Disclose released, in 2004, captured the band at a high point. When other d-beat raw punk bands were running low on ideas, Kawakami reinvented the sound, incorporating more metallic influences like Broken Bones while still sticking assiduously close to the template. Originally released for Disclose’s tour of the US west coast, ‘Yesterday’s Fairytale, Tomorrow’s Nightmare’ includes ten tracks and closes with a rampaging masterpiece, the 10-minute ‘Wardead,’ which exists on another astral plane from generic Discharge copyists. This authorized reissue reproduces the original artwork and includes a new insert with liner notes by Stuart Schrader.
Nach den beiden limitierten 12inches erscheint das neue Album des britischen DJ/Produzenten Pangaea (aka Kevin McAuley), sein erstes seit der gefeierten Debüt-LP In Drum Play (2016), nun als kompakte Doppel-LP, inklusive dem aktuellen Clubit 'Installation' als Opener. Pangaeas neue Tracks sind galoppierend, ansteckend und hypnotisch und fangen seine Fähigkeit ein, Banger mit einer experimentellen Neigung zu konstruieren, ohne auf Wirkung zu verzichten. Ihr Fokus auf den Dancefloor ist dringend, nachdrücklich und von einer unbestreitbaren Präzision. Die beeindruckenden, unaufhaltsamen Grooves glänzen wie Marmor auf Beton: glatt und doch rau, attraktiv und doch aggressiv. Wie ein Zwielicht mitten in der Nacht, mit mysteriösen Elementen, die sich nicht als Bedrohung anfühlen, versprüht die Musik eine Wärme, die die Dunkelheit durchdringt.
out of Stock
Last delivered 13 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
For Fans Of The Indie/Americana, Punk ‘N’ Roll, Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, Fear, Supersuckers, Tom Petty, MC5. Living Between the Lines is the debut solo LP from Frank Meyer. A long time coming, Meyer’s been hinting at it for a while now with Bandcamp exclusive tracks, covers on tribute albums, acoustic solo shows, and his acclaimed collaboration album with Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers. Like the Eddie collab, LBTL is out on Kitten Robot Records. The 11-song album adds touches of blues and soul to Meyer’s expected high-energy rock ‘n’ roll, revealing a more mature voice. He is joined for duets by longtime friend and collaborator Lisa Kekaula of the Bellrays on the title track, Runaways icon Cherie Currie on “Piece of Me” and Spaghetti himself on “Partners In Crime.” An award-winning musician, filmmaker and author, Meyer has a track record that covers rock ‘n’ roll, punk, heavy metal, blues, and country. Known for his work with everyone from Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers James Williamson (Iggy & the Stooges) and Wayne Kramer (MC5) to legendary punk act FEAR, Meyer has carved out a career full of unlikely collaborations, hard work, searing guitar playing, and ace songwriting skills. “I have rarely seen the public leave so enthusiastic by the pure rock ‘n’ roll download that they had just witnessed. Frank Meyer is an incomparable frontman who lives rock ‘n’ roll 24/7 and always gives his all!” Popular 1 Magazine.
Almost Like You Could ignites its art punk fire with Lucy Alexander proclaiming, “Everyone wants something to talk about / But not a minute to spare, so be brief.” Not surprising from a song that’s 1:54 (‘Higher’), but the raw honesty in her lyrics ring far after the music ends. Alexander, along with bandmate Luke Cartledge, place the propulsive power of their beliefs at the core of their debut full-length album, and their guiding motivation towards social justice is as fierce as it is welcoming. “Living as part of the queer community, and being queer myself, leads me towards supporting every person’s truth,” Alexander says. Scrounge’s songs skip to a fast beat, electrifying the entire album with a sense of empowerment. Their approach is OG punk: they make music for their peers and themselves. Only now, with a world of connections possible, they’re able to open arms wide for a far-reaching embrace. Alexander’s rich vocals give their sound its central force, anchoring the songs with confessional lines (“If this is the pinnacle, then I need a miracle/ Cause everyone’s laughing at me,” “There’s not much left/ this corpse I have to keep/ Above board.”). They sing about economic inequality, political corruption, environmental destruction, and collective change. “We’re inspired by those around us, and we write about what we care about. Art has always existed for us as a means of catharsis, a way of expressing something we might not be able to otherwise, and we hope our music can be that for other people too,” says Alexander. “I think I’ve actually written a filthy banger,” she states while re-listening to “Buzz/Cut”, a grunge-honoring hammer of a song that takes a journey from disappointment, to self-realization, to release. Alexander and Cartledge’s gratification in making an album they’re proud of mirrors the empowerment conveyed in their lyrics. A follow-up to debut mini-album Sugar, Daddy (Fierce Panda, 2022), Almost Like You Could came together over 18 months, in between “teaching, touring, graduation, and a wedding”, as Lucy explains, for the band always has a handful of shows coming up. It’s a strange outcome for a duo who first bonded over their mutual love of SOPHIE. “She radicalized the structure of sound, and revealed herself through it,” Cartledge explains. “That was a massive inspiration when we started playing together, stripping everything away to open up new possibilities as artists and as people." Having already toured Europe and the States, Scrounge is preparing to be on the road throughout 2025. In a world where the idea of true community is ephemeral, Lucy and Luke seek to foster it everywhere they play. And their belief in change is ultimately buoyed by hope. “I know that it’s never been this good,” they sing.
Low Fuzz is proudly debuting with Avoiding Traps LOWFUZZ001, an album by Georgian musical auteur Rezo Glonti. Created using only Max/MSP and the Soviet-era LOMO MKE-100 microphone, this work marks a departure from Glonti’s traditional approach to sound. Filled with subtle yet unconventional ambient shifts , each track weaves tranquil textures, flavored with vocoder and vocal-driven sounds.
LOW FUZZ is an independent record label, musical platform and event series est. 2022 in Georgia, Tbilisi curated by ESI (Irakli Shonia).
LOW FUZZ is closely affiliated with Mutant Radio and Left Bank in Tbilisi.
The concept started as a collaborative show with Mutant Radio, and it's grown with Left Bank to host regular event series in the club setting. With the proper sound system to showdown and the ability to extend the playtime, LOW FUZZ lines up all sorts of genres and styles to host locals and artists around the globe from time to time
out of Stock
Last delivered 18 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Mit SOMETHING ABOUT APRIL III (SAA III) treibt Adrian Younge das musikalische Franchise mit furchtloser Überzeugung voran und übertrifft seine Vorgänger SAA I und SAA II. Dieses mit Spannung erwartete Album ist der Inbegriff analoger Transzendenz, eine Klangwelt, die von einem 30-köpfigen Orchester, analogen Synthesizern, Breakbeats und brasilianischen Sängerinnen, die psychedelische Melodien auf Portugiesisch singen, angetrieben wird. Ein unverzichtbares Stück der heutigen Vinyl-Kultur.
If Hawalat sounds like a world tour that’s because it essentially is. “As much as Marzipan is a picture of Lebanon from the inside, Hawalat kind of picks up from where Marzipan finished but more looking to the outside, the diaspora, to the notion of exile.” Megarbane says he is interested in the connections between the global and the domestic, the mundane and the cosmic, and wanted to create space for non-linear progression.
Hawalat is based on the idea of hawala, informal money transfers that you can make to certain countries impacted by a lack of currency or unstable political and economic contexts. His use of the term on this album is not a financial one, Megarbane explains, but a nod to notions of creative exchange between “places, persons, generations.” It is the first time Megarbane called on other musicians in this way to inform his sound, including a collaboration with Sven Wunder on the song Helia featuring strings by the Stockholm Studio Orchestra.
The album opens with first single Hanadi, a punchy Somali-inspired track with warm non-lexical vocals and saxophone. It immediately pivots to the Dreams of an Insomniac, which balances soft, effortless vocals and keys with urgent violin intrusions. Al Dollarji feels like Megarbane’s bread and butter, that is Mediterranean sounds with intricate strings, while Al Bahriye takes this staple and introduces hip hop inflections. The result is a rich 17 track album that effortlessly blends genres and styles.
Including 8 page, 12" sized booklet with unseen photos and liner notes by Armani Syed.
out of Stock
Last delivered 10 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
"After more than 20 years, Band Of Brothers is still considered one of HBO's most important series. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, the series has won major awards such as the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries. Band Of Brothers is a war drama miniseries based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose's 1992 non-fiction same titled book. It follows the story of Easy Company of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and their mission in World War II Europe, from Operation Overlord to V-J Day. The score, composed by the late Michael Kamen, is credited as one of the essential elements in creating the realistic atmosphere of the series. Kamen was best known for scoring movies such as Die Hard, Lethal Weapon and X-Men, and received an Academy Award nomination for both Don Juan DeMarco and Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves. Revisit the Band Of Brothers score with this deluxe reissue on white coloured vinyl, available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies. The 2LP is housed in a sleeve finished with linen laminate and includes a 4-page booklet with a large cast picture on the inside."
Through our many years of playing together on many stages across the globe, we have been able to share our Carolina roots with lots of people. But our tradition really doesn’t live on the stage; it lives on a back porch of Mebane, in a living room in Morganton and in countless other places wherever a musician might find themselves. We wanted to revisit the sounds, places, and textures at the beginning of our musical journey together and to share that experience with y’all. The rain, the cicadas, and thunder become part of the band, grounding us and the music firmly in the long narrative of the place we call home
past present (tone poems across time)" is Mark de Clive-Lowe's exquisite new solo album and his debut for Greg Boraman's Impressive Collective label in partnership with BBE Music. Previously the pair released the Pharoah Sanders tribute album 'Freedom', and the equally lauded 'Hotel San Claudio' in collaboration with Shigeto & Melanie Charles. A deeply personal sonic exploration by Mark, "past present" is a reflection on family, heritage, and healing which was created in tandem with retracing his late father’s journey across Japan 70 years ago. The project is a collection of ambient jazz, emotional cinematic soundscapes that weave analog synths with field recordings from Japanese sacred sites and nature locations. "past present” partially came into existence thanks to the perseverance of producer, percussionist and Mark’s friend Carlos Niño, who after experiencing Mark's multi-layered motifs in the studio and in live contexts over many years explains, "I kept hearing him make an album like this, I kept telling him that he needed to, and that it would be his best album yet. Subtle, poetic, solo, texturally rhythmic, expressive, full of rippling layers, and arrangements representing such profound thoughts, feelings, relationships, and memories". Mark also took on board Carlos' recommendation of recording the bulk of "past present" at Ken Barrientos’ analog synth studio, 'The Breath' in Pomona, California - where he utilized no less than 22 different keyboards to create the ethereal and engaging soundscapes across all 11 tracks, also intertwining his own field recordings made during a long, explorative stay in Japan. Being such an individual and personal concept, it was only correct that Mark wrote the extensive album liner notes, to fully illustrate the decades-long backstory to this stunning collection. Mark completes the album's presentation using archive images from his family's private photo collection - an entire process he likens to time travel and signs off to the listener by stating that he hopes "it takes you on your own journey of imagination and reflection, leading to unexpected places, just as it has for me
Vinyl repress of the sought after second album by Azuzena, queen of Spanish Heavy Metal. A powerful return to her Metal roots originally released in 1989. Originally released in 1989, "Liberación" is the long out of print second album by Metal Queen and ex-Santa frontwoman Azuzena. After a disappointing first effort, "Liberación" meant a return to true Heavy Metal form by Azuzena, a powerful statement and the great, last album by this legendary woman. Includes two bonus tracks, remastered audio, new cover and a foldout inner sleeve with extensive liner notes. Limited edition of 300 copies.
For the first time on vinyl, a pressing of this legendary tape released in 1993 in Colombia, documenting Ultra Metal, the country's early extreme Metal scene. Volume 1 of 2 of the vinyl release of The Colombian Awakening tape, released in 1993 by Schizophrenia Records, a comprehensive collection of face melting, raw recordings from the early Colombian extreme Metal scene, known as Ultra Metal, with styles ranging from Death Metal to Thrash and Grindcore. A savage and powerful document of one of the most intense underground scenes of the era, kickstarted by the infamous Parabellum. A must for fans of underground Metal! Includes remastered audio, new cover and a foldout inner sleeve with extensive liner notes. Limited edition of 300 copies.
Second and final volume of the vinyl pressing of this legendary tape released in 1993 in Colombia, documenting Ultra Metal, the country's early extreme Metal scene. Second volume completing the vinyl release vinyl release of The Colombian Awakening tape, released in 1993 by Schizophrenia Records, a comprehensive collection of face melting, raw recordings from the early Colombian extreme Metal scene, known as Ultra Metal,with styles ranging from Death Metal to Thrash and Grindcore. A savage and powerful document of one of the most intense underground scenes of the era, kickstarted by the infamous Parabellum. A must for fans of underground Metal! Includes remastered audio, new cover and a foldout inner sleeve with extensive liner notes. Limited edition of 300 copies.
Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom is the Delines most realized and strongest album to date, a record of romantic misfits and grifters who live out of suitcases and cars, who can"t seem to settle down, who hope that in the next town or city will be the score that saves them. Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom features the stalwart Delines line up: Amy Boone on vocals, Cory Gray on horns and keyboards, Sean Oldham on drums, Freddy Trujillo on bass, and Willy Vlautin on guitar. The record features Amy Boone"s lush, world worn voice, the cinematic production skills of Askew, and the horn and string arrangement of Delines keyboardist and trumpeter, Cory Gray. This is wide screen, CinemaScope, Delines at their best.
Rhiannon Giddens reunites with her former Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Justin Robinson on What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow, an album of North Carolina fiddle and banjo music. Produced by Giddens and Joseph "joebass" DeJarnette, the album features Giddens on banjo and Robinson on fiddle, with the duo playing eighteen of their favourite North Carolina tunes: a mix of instrumentals and tunes with words.
Many were learned from their late mentor, the legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson; one is from another musical hero, the late Etta Baker, from whom they also learned by listening to recordings of her playing. Giddens and Robinson recorded the album outdoors and on location at Thompson’s and Baker’s North Carolina homes, as well as the former plantation Mill Prong House. They were accompanied by the sounds of nature, including two different broods of cicadas, which had not emerged simultaneously since 1803, creating a true once-in-a-lifetime soundscape. The duo, along with four other string musicians including the multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, will embark on the Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue North America tour in April.
“With the assaults on reality going on in the world today, we wanted to offer another kind of record, like walking back onto a gravel or dirt road while a stampede goes the other way,” Giddens says. “With the cicada choir, this record could’ve only happened at a certain time in the last 120 years. We doubled down on place, time, realness, and old-fashioned front porch music. It’s a reminder that another way exists, with music made for your community’s enjoyment and for dancing–not solely for commercial purposes.
“What is the role of music in our society?” she wonders. “How do we de-couple it from unfettered capitalism, where music is a product and musicians are incidental? How do we use the tools and system that we have been bequeathed in a way that reminds us of other ways of being?” Robinson adds, "Recording this album felt like being back in the saddle. Just this time Joe is not here, and his fiddle is under my chin. The album is about home, the cicadas, the storms, the music, and the people who make it feel like home."
Thompson was one of the last musicians of his era and his community to carry on the southern Black string band tradition. He played a crucial role in the lives of Giddens and Robinson, who, along with their Carolina Chocolate Drops bandmate Dom Flemons, spent their formative years learning from Thompson in traditional apprentice/mentor relationships. His influence has guided all of their artistic journeys as well as their mission to keep the legacy of the Black string band tradition alive.
In further tribute to Giddens’ North Carolina roots, What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crow will arrive just a week before Biscuits & Banjos, the inaugural edition of her first festival, which highlights the deep roots and enduring legacy of Black music, art, and culture while fostering community and storytelling. The sold-out festival will feature a much-anticipated Carolina Chocolate Drops reunion, their first performance together in more than a decade.
