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12-song PINOT NOIR RED VINYL LP, limited to 500 Copies! Not many people realise that The Damned have produced a fine array of songs with melodic, harmonic and rhythmic sophistication; with a depth of imagination and atmosphere. They spearheaded British punk, and yet diverse musical influences went into the crucible: UK and US psychedelia, Canterbury prog rock, and even classical and filmic musical influences abound. Now, with the return of drummer Rat Scabies the line-up is the same as that which produced many of these songs - with Monty on keys. Monty Oxymoron has played keyboards with The Damned since 1996, has written songs for the band, and played with Captain Sensible and Dr Space Toad before that. He is a retired psychiatric nurse and trained in art psychotherapy. Monty is keen on "free improvisation" and plays in and around Brighton where he lives. Monty has an almost impossibly eclectic collation of his music on Bandcamp, his YouTube channel, and shares ideas on various subjects on his Substack page (under his "real" name: Laurence Burrow.)

Gastr del Sol"s second album returns at last to the vinyl format - its first physical manifestation in well over a decade. Once again, a drop of the needle may ignite any number of queries, summed simply in one: What IS this music? Such is the potent energy of Crookt, Crackt, or Fly, retaining its otherworldly qualities some 32 years and countless musical movements since. Crookt, Crackt, or Fly expands upon The Serpentine Similar"s minimalist stance in unexpected ways, imposing further austerity in the soundscape but for an unpredictable expansive quantity periodically overflowing, waves of blood sluicing through the elevator doors. This is partially due to a change within the group dynamic: the departure of bassist Ken "Bundy" Brown and the arrival of a new partner for guitarist and singer David Grubbs - guitarist and sound fuckerer Jim O"Rourke. O"Rourke"s initial work with Gastr involved editing and recomposing recordings of the Grubbs-Brown-&-sometimes-John-McEntire lineup, producing an utterly outré collage of cut-ups and other types of tape processing. This became the "20 Songs Less" single, after which he was invited to play with the group. It was a time of flux; Brown recalls playing a Gastr show at the Metro around this time featuring himself, John McEntire, Grubbs and O"Rourke - and one of the pieces played was a Tortoise song! Throughout these shifts, Gastr del Sol"s music was never less than fully considered and composed, even in moments redolent with the suggestion of the random and the non-sequitur. Grubbs and O"Rourke made no attempt to replicate Serpentine"s arrangement of thick, scaly drones and hypnotic song-visions in their own partnership, finding Crookt, Crackt,"s sound instead in spiny, gamelan-like interactions between their (mostly acoustic) guitars, played precisely in and out of formation with bright, fleet-fingered abandon. O"Rourke"s fondness for field recordings and his capacity for tape manipulation intersected with Grubbs" sensibilities, edifying his evolving song style: written with increased sharpness and sly surreal humor, sung closer to silence. Halfway into "Work from Smoke", the sudden collapse of the sound-walls around us signals Crookt, Crackt"s major departure. From the thicket of guitars, a swell of drones and free-jazz squeals, made up of bass clarinet, vibraphone and organ, pulls the listener into an entirely other acoustic space. "Every Five Miles" derails in similarly tactile fashion: a guitar duet boils up thunderously, then fragments and spirals apart. As a free electric guitar part crops up, improbably holding the center, the acoustic space around it continues to disintegrate in ambient stereo. A wedding of folk music idioms to classical, improvised and modern compositional modes (including Gastr"s own formative post-punk mode), Crookt, Crackt, or Fly is a song-based reality steadily giving way to its alternative alchemies playing out within.

4 Loud bangers, fat kicks and bright high freq's : pure dancefloor Deejay Tool, Needed !

Recorded as part of the same daydreaming puzzle as Unwishing Well, Still Clouds at Noon brings out the slowcore/sadcore elements that drift through The Reds, Pinks & Purples' melancholy catalog. Donaldson names '90s hometown San Francisco acts such as American Music Club and the more obscure Timco as pivotal to his guitar playing and development as a songwriter, both of which shine bright here. The slower tempo ballads on Still Clouds_ often culminate in heavy fuzz drenched codas and showcase the more abstract poetic side of Donaldson's lyricism. There's an inherent pop-sensibility always at work though, with ear-worm melodies appearing over intoxicating circular riffs. Formerly a Bandcamp only digital release, this white vinyl version is remastered and adds two unreleased tracks, one featuring Mark Monnone from Australian pop-legends The Lucksmiths on bass. Strictly limited edition of 500 ww.

* 140gm vinyl in charcoal black reverse-board disco bag, with red/ hot pink/ blue/ off-white patterned wraparound sticker, and embossed play:musik icon on front sleeve.

* Kuttin Edge arrives on p:m with (115), a musically adventurous set that draws from a range of influences - West African funk, UK and US electronics, Autonomic moods, minimal techno, and Brutalism; while a focus on analogue feel, overdubbing, and textural detail processes tie it together. An interesting, experimental, yet firmly dancefloor friendly EP.

* Tracklist:
A1. Onyeabor: a unique track full of vintage-sound synths, bright melodic lines, Moog-style arpeggios, and rhythms built on a CR78, layered with live drums, tambourines, and bass guitar. Disco funk samples and fx add texture, alongside heavy overdubbing. Inspired by early William Onyeabor aesthetics.

A2. Dark Horse: Dark Horse: an atmospheric arrangement of phase-y pads reminiscent of the peak Autonomic era, filtered through the abstract lens of artists like Actress or King Britt. The pacing and negative space give the tune a weighty but airy feel, punctuated by heavy toms and documentary-style foley. Soulfully cosmic.

B1. Loop Me: polyrhythmic arpeggios, swirling delays, unstable harmonic structure, and chromatic movement form a tense, shifting progression. Built around a single bell sample, the track is reshaped through layering, modulation, subtle changes in texture, and filtered transitions. A techno stepper.

B2. Geiger Scale: experiments with playful but controlled randomness, minimal structure and off-grid sequencing. The idea centres on a toy synth with loose notes and laidback groove formed of irregular, rhythmic patterns. Geiger Scale perfects restraint as the arrangement bubbles along with sparse melodies. Smokey and potent.

The Tribulizations are a Brighton UK-based reggae vocal harmony duo living the rockers life style! They pay homage to UK style lovers’ rock and spiritual roots reggae. Music with a message! Fronted by Frankie Dread & Tara Gold.

‘Melody Babylon’ features tracks like “Freedom Fighter,” “Fade Away,” and “One Step Forward,” each reflecting Frankie Dread and Tara Gold’s roots in reggae and commitment to addressing both personal and societal themes through their music.

When asked, Frankie replied to World A Reggae: “Melody Babylon expresses our concern with negative messages in modern day music. The album portrays conscious lyrics with positive vibes.”

It’s been ten years since Drew Lustman aka FaltyDL last released on Planet Mu. In the meantime he's been running his own label Blueberry Records, been in-house producer for Mykki Blanco and has become a dad. The best things come out of play and it was Drew’s relationship with his young daughter that switched on this playful side of his music. The album in question, ‘Neurotica,’ expresses Drew’s fun in creating such energetic pieces people will want to move to. It's a dizzying sugar-rush at a high-speed bounce; the music is fresh and inviting and most important of all, joyful."Summer of ’24, we were in Catalonia. My girl, our young daughter, the old folks. Days by the village pool, afternoons on the dirtbike. At night, I made salads. Simple things. Good things. One afternoon, lying back, phone in hand, I saw a friend post a GRWM. The music behind it stopped me. A song grabbed hold. The track was ‘Secret’ by Mietze Conte, which is fast-paced euro-pop dance music, like soft fluffy gabber with childlike vocals. I hunted down the full version. Played it again. And again. Twenty times over the next few days. It unlocked something. The best music does that. Like the first time I heard Burial. Had to know what was happening under the surface. That time, it led to ‘Love Is A Liability’ in 2009. This time, it led to ‘Neurotica.’“ “I started to record, getting down fast, bright, sugar-rush sounds. 185 to 200 BPM. I wrote them quick—half a day per track. In between, I slowed things down. Gave space for breath. Mike Paradinas helped shape the album, his ear guiding the flow. I tested the tracks. Played them for kids barely out of diapers and grown folks who still move like they are. It worked, on all ages. I kept it simple. Only two rules: keep it moving and don’t look at my phone. Cut the vocals like I used to.” ‘Neurotica’ is FaltyDL with his mojo refreshed, a new life squared, do yourself a favour, crack a smile and feel the joy.

‘Maybe I’m Dreaming’ is the latest collection selected by Mikey Young (Total Control, EddyCurrent Suppression Ring) and Keith Abrahamsson (Founder and Head of A&R at AnthologyRecordings), the mangled minds behind the beloved ‘Follow the Sun’, ‘Sad About the Times’,and ‘…Still Sad’ compilations. The twenty tracks of ‘Maybe I’m Dreaming’ make a conscious(and unconscious) detour from its predecessors, sourced entirely from private press releases,spanning new decades and production modes within homespun folk, soft rock and otherwise70s and 80s FM radio adjacent music.  The magic of ‘Maybe I’m Dreaming’ is the untold story of the artists behind these songs; thosewho missed the big time, but whose song craft and unrequited care hit the right notes, bothhigh and low.
Where ‘Follow the Sun’ and ‘Sad About the Times’ introduced us to the fame chasing, ambitioncrashing crooners who missed their shot in the mainstream, ‘Maybe I’m Dreaming’ delvesdeeper into the isolated wilds - a private world where production quirks, late-night tape hiss andone-man studio dreams were not necessarily a choice but the hand that was dealt.
With the parameters set to ‘private press only’, Young and Abrahamsson follow a circuitous trailof invention and emotion, documenting a spirit that’s more homespun, sometimes lonelier andoften a little weirder. The guitars still strum, but the keyboards’ hum is more prevalent andprecious; wistful harmonies brush up against lo-fi drum machines; a bittersweet fog lingeringover even the brightest melodies.
As with their previous collaborations, Young and Abrahamsson weren’t interested inconstructing a museum or drafting a historical survey. ‘Maybe I’m Dreaming’ is a sentimentalmixtape, assembled late at night when the mind wanders and old memories blur with imaginedfutures, those within reach and those far too mysterious to ever encounter. Songs wereunearthed in personal collections, deep YouTube burrows, dilapidated web archives and thedim corners of Discogs, with many selections tied not only to intuition but to personalconnection.  Some tracks arrived via friends - Kelley Stoltz, a frequent guide for Young, tipped him off toboth Peter Kraemer’s lost gem ‘Let the Light Slip’ and Awakening’s revelatory closer - addingan unseen but deeply felt thread of camaraderie to the compilation.
The journey takes in a wide, strange sweep: The Watson Brothers Band’s ‘Just Whistle’ opensthe collection with a sigh and a shrug, a song that feels like it’s been waiting for decades to beheard again. Jim Huxley’s ‘Tessa on a Magazine’, rediscovered after a long and winding searchby Young, shimmers with a distinctly Australian melancholia. The heartbreak of Rick Penta’s‘My Story Changes’ and Twice As Nice’s delicate ‘Thoughts of You’ float easily alongside themore buoyant, radio-dream sheen of Barracuda’s ‘Baby I Love You’ and MAK’s sunshinedappled ‘That’s Life’.
Widening the aperture to the late 1970s and early 1980s allows for a deeper exploration intoevolving production techniques and musical technologies. The Squad’s ‘D.L.M.H.I.M.A.’ andChristoph Spendel Group’s ‘Forever’ crackle with the kind of bedroom synth warmth that couldonly come from the analogue age, while the soulful, yearning undercurrent of Awakening’s‘Gotta Do Somethin / Might As Well Cultivate’ caps the collection with a call for action - ormaybe just acceptance - in an accidental Brian Eno ‘Here Come the Warm Jets’ parroting.
While ‘Maybe I’m Dreaming’ moves away from the ‘sad man with guitar’ archetype that hoveredover its predecessors, it remains tethered to a familiar emotional gravity - a balance of longingand lightness that defines this corner of the musical universe. Each track shuffles gentlybetween resignation and hope, sadness and serenity, as if the artists themselves were chasinga dream just beyond reach, recording not for fame but for the simple act of getting it, thatprimal, creative itch, out into the world.
Available on CD and 2LP, featuring the third eye-opening artwork of Dang Wayne Olsen. Thedouble LP set arrives in an outrageous double-wide spine jacket with printed inners and adream journal entry by Pacific Northwest artifactual authority Josh Lewellen.

Last summer, after living across the country from each other for several years, the four members of Anamanaguchi decided to try something new. Their label Polyvinyl had rescued the famed American Football house from potential destruction, so the band took the opportunity to move in and write together. Over the course of a month, Anamanaguchi – pioneers of hyper-melodic 8-bit rock, whose extraordinary ascent has led them to topping charts with virtual pop star Hatsune Miku and scoring Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game and Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off – flipped their typically meticulous digital process on its head. Anyway, the result, is the most personal record of their career. And it's a rock record for the ages.

Recorded straight to tape by Grammy-winning rock producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Sleater-Kinney), Anyway united the members around live instruments and lyrics sung by everybody in the band. As Anamanaguchi has always been an instrumental band, the decision to sing suddenly confronted them with the question of what the band’s voice would ultimately be. They explore this newfound power in every song, making it their most emotionally resonant work yet.

Anyway captures a band creatively and personally energized by the experience of four best friends reviving their connection in a disconnected world. On “Rage (Kitchen Sink),” the band confront loneliness and boredom, two epidemics of the digital age that seem to be humanity’s only common bond. The power-pop ballad “Darcie” finds inspiration in small gestures from a local unsung hero, who brightens their lives and allows unforeseen amounts of fun to happen. Taut and dynamic, “Buckwild” is a rock sing-along that serves as the album’s genesis story: a band making an effort to do something new, while accepting the risks that may bring.

USA, Anamanaguchi’s critically-acclaimed second album and debut for Polyvinyl, anticipated a crucial cultural shift in moving from escapist, nostalgic fantasy to a more introspective exploration of digital identity. Described by Pitchfork as the band’s “most emotionally grounded record,” USA laid the foundation for the openness and honesty that defines Anyway. Where USA made sense of life online, their third album Anywayventures into the world outside the front door.

18 tracks pressed across three vinyls. A limited-run tee. Seven digital relics, unearthed for Bandcamp only.

As always, dance floor-focused with a clear nod to the ’90s — Progressive, deep & dubby, transcending, 303s. Immersive, but never drifting. Direct, but never dry. Forward thinking, expansive.

Direct, 303s, raw — this lane’s locked down by Roza Terenzi, Cybernet, Aju, Kalani, Ash Is and Xupid, each carving out their space with raw, floor-focused energy. On A2, Xupid slips in Raindanc94 — a long-lost gem some might recognise from D.Dan’s 2021 Boiler Room. Unreleased until now, it’s finally getting the drop it deserves.

Transcending? You know it. Trance mind-melters? Always. Plastic GRNchannels that classic 90s Xpander sound, Alfred Czital drops a dance floor annihilator, while Dutch duo Match Box keeps it as bright and club-ready as ever. It’s a full spectrum of sound, each track weaving into the next with peak energy and timeless hooks.

Progression, progression, progression — it’s shaped our sound from the start. Uplifting, expanding, always pushing into the outer zones. DJ Life, Aiden Francis, Jeku, Tifra, Cosmic G and Laars are back on the label and doing the business. Whether it’s a floor-heating bopper by DJ Life or emotive, widescreen territory by Aiden Francis, this release has it all.

And of course, no 6-year celebration of ND would be complete without a deep dive. Dubbed-out rollers and hypnotic house cuts come courtesy of Baumb, Glen S, and Harrison BDP. Fresh off his second EP last month, Baumb returns with those trademark low-end orbs, guiding us through the fog with finesse. Glen S strips it back and locks into a tech-deep groove. BDP lands on F1. Sublime, heads-down deep house with that unmistakable sample finesse — pure signature gear.

A nod to the 9 incredible artists who feature on the release through digital exclusives — Astro alongside Ash Is, Rounds & Plastic GRN, Primitive Needs, Hotpretty, Tourman, Skinner (making his way through the Pyramid Fields portal), and Wigs — whose Trigger Step track has been getting heavy rotation from Spray and Roza Terenzi, to name a few.

New Surrender is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Anberlin, released in 2008. It marked their first album under a major label, Universal Republic Records, after signing with them in 2007. The album blends alternative rock and emo influences, featuring a mix of energetic and introspective tracks. Songs from the album are “Breaking”, “Miserable Visu (Ex
Malo Bonum)” and “Feel Good Drag” which was originally released on their earlier album Never Take Friendship Personal, but in this re-recorded version became the most successful single.The album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Billboard Modern Rock/ Alternative Albums chart. It was produced by Neal Avron, known for his work with bands like Yellowcard and Fall Out Boy.

New Surrender is available on black vinyl and includes an insert with lyrics.

She Hangs Brightly ist das Debütalbum des Gitarristen Dave Roback und der Sängerin Hope Sandoval.
Es wurde 1990 veröffentlicht und ist eine unglaubliche Mischung aus Dream-Pop und vielschichtigen
psychedelischem Rock. Auf dem Album finden sich Songs wie „Halah“, „Ride It On“ und „Be My Angel“
und es erscheint auf schwarzer Vinyl.

It’s very difficult to describe someone as prolific as Misha Panfilov. So, I feel the best way to define him is to think of a “Trivial Pursuit Playing Piece,” where each pie piece represents one of the bands he heads up, and each band has its own distinct style and genre. Yet, when looked at all together, create the whole musical persona of Misha. This is the lens I would like to view his latest endeavor, Days As Echoes.

The vibe on this sophomore release channels Krautrock philosophy and Library music, peppered with elements of jazz, Ethiopian, cinema, ambient and bits of everything between. This atmosphere is created from all the instruments Misha uses and the resulting compositions are heard as repetitive patterns that are forged from the multiple layering of melodies. Thus, creating six unique songs with emotional granularity, yet collectively encompass a genuinely positive “feel good” vibe…with a hint of nostalgia.

Moods of the day, moods like echoes say, A future of hope is yours, by following the Sun’s ray.

The opening track, “Days As Echoes,” is a dedication to a much simpler time when the sky was bluer and the snow was whiter…just like how you remember it when you were a child. A time when people honestly cared more about everything as a given, and not as a selfish accolade. A time when optimism seemed within reach. In other words, nostalgia marred by awareness.

…Leading to a path where the skies are not gray. Where dreams of castles in the air are the mainstay.

“In A Dream” has a style that pays homage to both spiritual jazz and ambient music. A simple theme is introduced and leads to the climax of this stormy dream, putting it all in perspective. That pivotal point when one realizes the truth by re-tracing the events, which led to the epiphany of how to find the answer while traveling within this airy soundscape.

…Diurnal or nocturnal, day or night, Traveling the path of truth must be done without fright.

One can’t help but feel a definite traveling vibe that comes from “Moonscape Waltz” To me, it has a dual-characteristic that can be visualized as a train trip, either at sunrise or sunset. Regardless, the time is not of major relevance, but the actual pursuit is. Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with that first step.” This track takes you beyond that initial step into this vast world toward your destination as you search for the truth.

…The unknown is real, but you know the deal. People need people to show which direction you point the wheel.

“Together” is the most peaceful and solo oriented compositions of this album. It shows how one cannot achieve happiness alone, but the importance of having someone special or a group of others to help along the way. Not only to help seek your goal, but also the ability to enjoy the scenery while on your journey

…The end of this tunnel has a light that’s so bright. Illuminating the trodden way, your destination, now in sight.

One is free from the chains of the unknown as you listen to a “Few Layers For Smith”, a dedication to a friend. A song that draws energy from the ECM works of Steve Reich, thats married with a primitive lo-fi basement setting. Its positive force breaks those encumbrances and gives you a glimpse of your prize. But you ruminate on this and come to the conclusion that the path that led you there is equally important as the goal itself. Question is, how do you share your realizations and experiences?

…The route was cast, the trials have passed. The glittering treasure you sought is yours now, at last.

“Ocean Song” meanders from the ritual rhythms of its shoreline to the crashing riptides of unbridled guitar feedback, creating this raging ocean atmosphere. However, its message is quite clear and states that people’s goals and experiences are not just meant for personal growth, but to be shared with
others, so that they too can live vicariously thru your story and somehow utilize it for their own.

…The prize has been won, but the journey is never done. You now have the responsibility to share everything under the Sun.

These six songs, each with its own sound, collectively comprise the vibe of this album. One cannot help but feel a sense of joy and fulfillment when listening to it. Each song has its own unique mood, yet together create an atmosphere of hope and happiness that has no choice but to spill out of the listener. I feel this was the ultimate goal of Misha’s on this record. Quite a challenge for the man who never sleeps, but is always searching for the perfect beat. One may not fully grasp his musical mind, but this album does give you a gateway into the moods and magic of Misha!

- Brent Sawicki

The New Eves are a Brighton quartet who have been labeled as one of the country's most spellbinding new bands. Nestled somewhere between primal rock'n'roll live performance and transcendent ritual, there's an unmistakable alchemy that happens when Violet Farrer (guitar, violin, vocals), Nina Winder-Lind (cello, guitar, vocals), Kate Mater (bass, vocals) and Ella Oona Russell (drums, flute, vocals) step onto a stage together. Now, they've distilled this visceral energy into their extraordinary debut album The New Eve Is Rising: a lighting rod of inspiration channelled by a quartet with the ability to create something greater than the sum of their parts. The New Eve Is Rising was written in Brighton and at an artistic residency at The Cornish Bank, co-produced by The New Eves and Jack Osbourne (Bingo Fury) and recorded at Rockfield Studios and Bristol's Cotham Parish Church.

Mainstays of the D.C. DIY scene, Pretty Bitter live up to their name. Masters of all kinds of dissonance, they juxtapose stories of haunting and heartbreak with dazzling pop-rock arrangements. Pretty Bitter makes music that gets the emo kids dancing. They’re unafraid to infuse their blistering breakdowns with hits of disco and synthpop—and that’s exactly what they’ve done on Pleaser, their sophomore album, co-produced by Evan Weiss (Into It. Over It., Pet Symmetry) and Simon Small (Strawberry Boy) and out July 25th, 2025 via cult favorite indie label Tiny Engines. Following a string of ethereal singles, their 2022 debut Hinges formally introduced Pretty Bitter and their dreampunk to a rapidly growing audience. Fearlessly led by Mel Bleker and sharing studio and touring members with D.C. punk all-stars Ekko Astral, Pretty Bitter has been embraced by DIY fans far and wide. On Pleaser, Pretty Bitter have amped up the drama of their lush arrangements—a match made in heaven for the emotional ferocity of Bleker’s lyricism. “If everything is out there, nothing’s embarrassing,” they sigh on “I Hope You Do,” expertly toeing the line between the personal and the universal over bright, bubbling synths. On the arresting closer “Outer Heaven,” Bleker sings “Time isn’t a lover in the way it likes to play / I’m getting older, every due I pay / Time isn’t a bandage in the way you always say / I won’t be abandoned by myself again this way.” Their observational, heart-on-sleeve songwriting is as effortless as their flittering between the jangly, dreamy inclinations of rock, pop, and folk. Pleaser is a triumph, an instantly lovable record that reveals just how bright Pretty Bitter’s future is.

They say the best thing for a new band to really find out who they are is to go out and play as much as possible. They see what works and what doesn’t with the crowd as well as watch their peers perform and can learn from the best. For the past 2 years, WORMWITCH, has done just that. Having toured North America with The Black Dahlia Murder, Numenorean and appeared at last year’s prestigious Psycho Las Vegas Festival with Danzig, Dimmu Borgir and many more, the Vancouver 3-piece took it all in and regrouped in the Fall of 2018 to start writing their new album. Heaven That Dwells Within is the follow up to 2016’s Decibel Magazine Year End charting, Strike Mortal Soil. The riffs are stronger, the overall feel the album darker and their love of black metal dimly shines through much more on their past release. The album was mixed and mastered by V. Santura (Triptykon, Schammasch), giving it that much of a gloomier touch. With a tour right out of the gate with Cloak and Uada followed by a European run, the future, though dark in music, can only be bright.

LTD BRIGHT GREEN VINYL W/ 4 PAGE INSERT** **JEWEL CASE CD W/ 12 PAGE BOOKLET** A gloriously off-kilter yet deeply personal record that mixes absurdist punk theatre with an unexpectedly tender dive into mental health, Catholic guilt, and the surreal poetry of everyday life. “It’s more personal than the previous ones,” frontman Pete explains, “but not in a heavy way – more like Mortimer & Whitehouse than The Bell Jar”, succinctly summing up the Dinner Ladies’ approach: taking the kitchen sink, giving it a saxophone solo, and letting it spill over with charm, wit, and a fair helping of existential unease. Parody and poignancy runs through every song. Tracks like ‘Is There Life in Rhyl?’ and ‘Holy Pictures’ explore personal trauma and social conditioning through an unmistakably British filter; Catholicism, childhood fear, seaside holidays, and haunted toilet trips included. For fans of: The Fall, The Kinks, John Cooper Clarke, X-Ray Spex, Madness, cabaret, collage, chaos, and joyfully honest punk.

For most members of the band it's the best album. But, tragically, the release of Operation Heavenly in 1996 was overshadowed by the sudden death of drummer Mathew Fletcher. The promotional tour was cancelled, the surviving members of the band went into emotional hibernation and no-one could bring themselves to celebrate these vibrant, upbeat songs. So, this release by Skep Wax Records, nearly thirty years on, is more like an album launch than a re-issue. Time has healed most wounds, and the songs on Operation Heavenly feel like they can finally emerge onto the stage, with Mathew's spirit very much alive: his effervescent witty drumming sounding as fresh now as it did then. These tracks are gleeful, melodic, sophisticated and knowing. The tough riot grrrl edge that Heavenly had developed a year before with seminal singles P.U.N.K. Girl and Atta Girl, has been blended with a deliberate quantity of Britpop styling. Heavenly were clearly listening to what was going on, liked the energy, but didn't necessarily feel the need to join in. Some of the tracks (eg Ben Sherman) are as jaunty as early Blur, but the lyrics, mocking a narcissistic boyfriend for his obsession with hair, clothes and his own erections, show that Heavenly didn't need or want to be part of the la - or even ladette - herd. Operation Heavenly was the band's first release on a label other than Sarah Records. Matt Haynes and Clare Wadd had brought that exceptional label to a deliberate and dramatic end. The liaison with US punk label K Records continued - as did the duets with Calvin Johnson: Pet Monkey is a moving duet between a growling Calvin Johnson and a sweet-voiced Cathy Rogers, as they dramatize another complex, maybe doomed relationship, with another self-centred boy finding himself frustrated by a girl who won't take any shit. But in the UK, Heavenly needed to find a new home - and Wiija Records were welcoming hosts, ushering the band into a brasher, less cloistered world: the production on this album is brighter than before, the artwork is colourful and upbeat. With tracks as catchy and as complete as Fat Lenny, Trophy Girlfriend and Space Manatee there was an expectation that Heavenly might finally emerge from the indiepop shadows and trouble the charts. And who knows if this might have happened. Mathew was lost before the album was released, and the band had no choice but to bring things to an end. This reissue also contains two tracks that appeared on the B side of the 7" single of Space Manatee. They are both cover versions, and along with Serge Gainsbourg's Nous Ne Sommes Pas Des Anges on the main album, these vivacious assaults on Art School by The Jam and You Tore Me Down by The Flamin' Groovies show that the band, briefly in its prime, could happily embrace any variant of pop music and make it something Heavenly.

I envision this music as emanating from a moon inhabited by otherworldly life forms and ecosystems; these sounds as evoking the moon’s topographies, beings, lunar rivers, and strands of light — as if this moon’s essence were itself sonic, vibrational matter.

Musically and acoustically, Strands Of Lunar Light departs from a set of tones corresponding to a confined harmonic series segment of a very low fundamental frequency: 5.15 hertz. Through twelve continuous sections, each employing various methods of activating openly tuned guitar strings, the music is sculpted from the twenty-four pitches corresponding to harmonics 24 through 47 of this fundamental frequency.

At times, the natural second (octave) harmonics of the open strings are activated and introduce a secondary, octave transposed version of the original harmonic series segment, doubling the fundamental frequency to 10.30 hertz, and thereby revealing a brighter vibrational realm.

As a consequence of the rational pitch relationships integral to harmonic series of tones, these two sub-audio fundamental frequencies (pitch wise existing two and three octaves below the E-string of a double bass, respectively) can be heard in the music as the frequencies of the interference patterns produced by the simultaneous sounding of any pair of adjacent tones in the respective sets of tones.

These interference patterns, of 5.15 or 10.30 hertz (depending on the octave of the tones produced), are perceived as even pulsations occurring with varying degrees of clarity over the course of the piece.

I imagine these fundamental frequencies and their related harmonic tones as the elemental components of a moon, and this music as offering a glimpse into its vast lunar-sonic existence.

Fredrik Rasten, August 2024

Grisline is a fresh-born label exploring the balance between light and shadow — a sonic playground where genres blend, bend, and collide. Rooted in the pulse of electro, techno, and house, we’re drawn to contrasts, emotions, and movement, always in search of unexpected harmony.

Our first release comes from Fabrega & Christian, delivering four original tracks that chart a dynamic journey across the dancefloor. The title track, Dark Chai Bowl, opens with a groovy electro cut full of harmonic twists and crisp synth work, setting the tone for the ride ahead. Onda Vampiresca dives into darker territory, layering driving rhythms with flickers of brightness — a hypnotic blend for losing yourself in the moment. On the flip, Lilac Lebal ramps up the intensity with a percussive, floor-focused tool built for peak-time energy. Finally, Lampin’ (featuring Ku$h) winds things down with a smooth, atmospheric break — perfect for the after-hours or sunrise sets.

When you’re immersed into something you never actually realize if the essence will project as bright as the efforts, as deep as the process and as loud as the intentions. WOW, the Roma Est duo of China and Leo Non, have never had to create magic or delve into mystique along their meandering path, it’s just been a long solemn wait for what life throws at them and actually sticks. Cause and reaction, because the essence is quietly there when the clamour fades away. Their new album ‘Rosa di Luce’ is as pure as they come, a crystalline documentation of a new family, new meanings and new languages where the only rule is to gently adapt and just let things flow.

Welcoming Mina Wow, a tiny creature, into the fold was never going to be easy for a life lead on the road and for a band as radical as WOW where nothing is sugar-coated or constructed behind the scene, a different approach was desperately wanted, needed and searched. Almost total disarm, doing the small things, undress, get rid of the unnecessary feedback. That’s why ‘Rosa di Luce’ more than ever showcases WOW’s other-worldy spectral capability of creating songs that contain immense and minimal emotions, raw but welcoming, sincere but cutting and could play out to be a career defining album. Loosely recorded between their house in Rome and a campsite in Southern Puglia (where WOW organizes their yearly Shawala Festival) these songs are masqued my a minimalist entendre that leaves space for China’s stellar vocal delivery, a haunted range with frequencies to tickle a soul and pierce hearts, with Leo’s resolute guitar playing leading a timeless revolution.

The center-piece ‘Le Montagne E Noi’ is a perfect example of their stripped-back nakedness hiding complex arrangements (the beautiful sax played by Ryan Spring Dooley and celestial flutes by Alessandra Lazzarini) that sound effortless and imperative. Spiritual orchestrations that match our times and most importantly their new family and definition of space. Peaks that can always be reached, forests that need crossing (La Radura) in order to find a sound. There is no pretension or conceit to WOW’s style, it is entrancingly vibrant yet melancholy, taking notes from the most visceral strand of Italian traditional music, yet, still, walking down a trail that is very much their own. A planet where Branko Mataja and Alice Coltrane are backed by Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru and Mina on a perennial quest for the ethereal. Music to remember the essence, this is what we are, like the ocean. “

PARADE is an 8-piece group, predominantly from Brighton and now based in London. Its members - who are all involved in their own capacities in music, art, fashion, design and more - have been making music since they met at college in Brighton, flipping records and making beats in founding member Jago’s attic room. Since then the sound has evolved to incorporate live instrumentation alongside electronic elements. Though always collaborating in each other’s orbits, PARADE was fully formed when all members gravitated towards South-East London, scattering around in musically less mythologised areas across Nunhead, Forest Hill, Camberwell and Norwood.

Lightning Hit The Trees is the band's debut mixtape, and was entirely written, produced, engineered, and mixed in just two weeks. It was recorded in a shipping container in Forest Hill on basic, often broken, equipment with ideas often formed in the moment. As demonstrated by these two first singles, the mixtape pulls together a body of music that incorporates a wide range of ideas from a group of inventive, inspired new artists and comes together in a remarkably clear and unified vision. The mixtape is guided by uncanny valleys, cinematic tones, “hyper-real” mixing techniques, and by a light with no shadow. Influences include: Wim Wenders, Juergen Teller, Velvet Underground, Radio Dept., Scott Walker, Magliano, Soft Machine, This Heat, Pixies, John Cassavetes, Domenico Gnoli, Dadaists, Judy Garland, Cindy Lee, Arca, Bette Davis, Sun Ra.

SASSYHIYA want to take you somewhere. The journey starts in Kathy and Helen's flat in South London. Sit down, close your eyes, and immerse yourself... You are on your way to a musical rainforest a long way from Camberwell. Explore your new surroundings, and you will find beautiful pop blooms like Let's See What We Can Find, as bright and vibrant as The Sundays, thrusting their colourful faces up from the forest floor. You'll find tangles of sharp-edged guitar, as if Swiss she-punks Kleenex had been left to evolve here in the rich fertile soil (I Had A Thought). You'll find dark pools full of lyrical complexity, deceptively deep and immersive, with shimmering reflections of The Go-Betweens (Perennial). And you'll come across delicate love songs, creeping up the trunks and branches of the bass and drums, displaying their fragile beauty (Thank You And Goodbye). And what's that exotic striped animal prowling through the undergrowth? Actually, it's Crayon Potato, Sassyhiya's pet cat, the other resident of their flat in South London, taking up her role as the feline star of a lilting, singalong anthem written in her honour. That's what is so great about this album. You are somehow, simultaneously, exploring the most exotic forest in the world while also sitting in a flat in an ordinary, familiar English street with Sassyhiya and their cat. This album transports you without pretending the real world doesn't exist: it doesn't get all mystical on you (Take You Somewhere is as unlike Enya as anything you've heard). Sometimes you might be reminded of Girls At Our Best, and then Delta 5. You might even, on occasion, think of Echo and the Bunnymen. Sassyhiya (pronounced "Sassy Hiya") were formed when Helen and Kathy, real-life partners and co-songwriters, joined up with Pablo and Neil (drums and guitar). Helen had previously been in Boys Forever and Basic Plumbing, collaborating with much-missed Veronica Falls musician Patrick Doyle. She and Kathy then formed Barry, a stripped-down queercore outfit, with Bart McDonagh (The Male Gays) and Mark Amura (My Executive Dysfunction). Sassyhiya feels like a culmination of all these elements, hitting the sweet spot between post-punk and indie pop. They know their way around a melody but still keep it wonky, with influences ranging from the Breeders and Broadcast to Dolly Parton.

Representing the spirit of the underground in Dubai, Shadi Megallaa is a multifaceted music lover whose unwavering passion for music permeates throughout all of his endeavours. A pioneer of Dubai’s electronic music culture, Shadi’s roots lie with the foundations of modern day electronica: all shades of house, techno and beyond. His commitment to preserving and evolving the culture is inherent in his record shop, The Flip Side, which has been intrinsic to the growth and development of music culture in Dubai. As a DJ and producer he draws on a multitude of experience, diverse taste and a refined ear that has instilled the ability to craft compelling productions. On Spirits Of The Deep we find Shadi exploring the deeper side of electronic music, creating layers of vibration designed to immerse the listener in layers of positive vibration.

As prescribed by Shadi himself, we start the traditional way, with Side B (the info side), where ‘Microgravity’ transports us into the cosmos. Soothing sonics envelop a taut low end with crisp percussion and swathes of pad work cultivating an interstellar atmosphere. Subtly shifting layers keep you locked into a groove, as the track maintains its energetic pulse. The synth lines increase with intensity midway through, adding more potency. Across almost nine minutes Shadi takes us on an excursion beyond the stars…

This is followed by ‘G-Dub’, a smooth jazz-inflected piece full of soul nourishing goodness. Intuitive drum programming with a groove-laced low end form the propulsive backbone of this track. The dreamlike melodic elements are almost transcendent in their illuminating impact. With all of its elements combined, ‘G-Dub’ is a glorious foray into the depths of true deep house. Shadi keeps things interesting throughout, adding and subtracting layers to complement the pace. Those hi-hats and intermittent cymbal crashes are especially impactful. A delight.

On the flip we have ‘Pressure’, where Shadi’s UK breaks influence comes through. A characterful vocal sample features throughout the intro before we enter a world of unusual sounds. The beats are, once again, impeccably executed, accompanied by a dubby bassline and an ever-evolving cacophony of squelchy sounds and chirps. Running at just over 9 ½ minutes, ‘Pressure’ sees Shadi flexing his creative muscles with a heady, expansive composition that invites us on a deep musical trip.

Finally, ‘The Poet’ closes out the EP on an emotive tip. The track is dedicated to the Palestinian poet and activist Refaat Alareer, who was killed during an airstrike on Gaza in December 2023. It utilises Refaat’s powerful poem If I Must Die, with the spinetingling words taking centre stage, as Shadi’s beats, bass and bright pads provide the backdrop. A piano-led melody appears in the latter part of the track, amplifying its emotionally-charged atmosphere. A wonderfully imagined homage to a martyr for peace. As the samples state, Let it bring hope…

Limitiertes weißes Vinyl Eine exklusive Compilation des legendären britischen Indie-Labels él, das in den 1980er Jahren mit stilvollem Pop, kunstvollem Design und internationalem Einfluss begeisterte. Mit Künstlern wie Momus, Louis Philippe und The King of Luxembourg bietet The Rubens Room eine elegante Reise durch Kammerpop, Chanson und Filmscores - fernab vom Mainstream. Begleitend zum Buch Bright Young Things erscheint dieses Sammlerstück auf weißem Vinyl - ein Muss für Liebhaber anspruchsvoller Popkultur.

From the mind of Philadelphia legend Del Jones, the jazz-funk musician and social justice activist behind Positive Vibes and The Court Is Closed, comes a cult favorite finally getting its due. Originally released on CD in 1999, Dance of 'De Elder is a late-career epic where Jones' unmistakable vocals and undeniable funk deliver his signature blend of history, justice and Afrocentrism to reinforce his timeless command: 'DANCE // RESPECT YOURSELF.’

This 12-inch marks the track’s debut on wax and features five remixes for today’s dancefloors. Lil Dave lifts the song into an uptempo, deep and soulful house jam, Pheels flips the vocals over a heavy, psychedelic and percussive dub, Sweater adds bright, crescending synths that revive Jones’ chorus as a joyful decree, Universal Cave offer an extended, dubbed out, late night acid excursion, and Street Orchestra dials in a knocking MPC beat mix that could have fit right at home on the original release.

When we found a copy of the Dance Of ‘De Elder CD, the title track quickly became a Universal Cave crew anthem that we played every chance we got. Early doors, end of night, looped over party tracks, we couldn’t get enough of it and knew it had to get out to a wider audience. We hope this release helps get Jones’ music and message out to DJs and dancers worldwide.

Comb is back on I Travel to You with two reworked disco gems. Both have been refreshed beyond edits, extended, and pressed loud on a 12-inch. Don’t Wait has been stripped back and rebuilt to give space to an addictive vocal, suitable for a Paradise Garage dancefloor. Spotlight shines brightly on the B side with an up-tempo hit aimed at the good people moving, they are the perfect audience for this song!

Das Debütalbum von Leroi Conroy, das zu gleichen Teilen von der Sensibilität des goldenen Hip-Hop-Zeitalters und verlorenen Filmszenen aus den 60er und 70er Jahren geprägt ist, wiegt schwer und hat Jahre der Entwicklung hinter sich. Die ersten beiden Tracks des Albums wurden 2017 als 45er veröffentlicht und in den folgenden Jahren von DJ Premier, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Macklemore, Phantogram und vielen anderen gesampelt. Aber nach der Veröffentlichung verbrachte Terry Cole alias Leroi Conroy einen Großteil seiner Zeit damit, sein Indie-Soul-Label Colemine Records zu vergrößern und Platten für andere zu produzieren (Okonski, Parlor Greens, Wesley Bright, BlackMarket Brass, Kendra Morris, Rudy De Anda, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Andrew Gabbard), anstatt seine eigenen zu machen. Jetzt, acht Jahre nachdem viele der Rhythmustracks auf dem bewährten Tascam 388 aufgenommen wurden, erscheint Leroi Conroys Debüt-LP, "A Tiger's Tale". Das Album ist als hypothetischer Soundtrack zu einer alternativen Erzählung von Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book konzipiert. Die Erzählung ist das Bestreben des Menschen, die Natur zu zähmen und sie seinem Willen zu unterwerfen... und die Antwort der Natur. Das Album ist eine Mischung aus triumphalen Instrumentalpartituren und absolut düsteren, dunklen und manchmal dissonanten Moodytracks. Das zugrundeliegende Element der Hip-Hop-Sample-Kultur ist durchweg offensichtlich, und es besteht kein Zweifel, dass viele dieser Tracks in den kommenden Jahren geflippt werden. Klanglich reiht sich die Platte nahtlos in die Reihe vieler anderer Colemine Instrumentalisten ein: dreckige Lo-Fi-Drums, schmetternde Bläser, Wah-Gitarre, Hammond-Orgel und jede Menge cineastische Einsprengsel wie Flöte, Nylongitarre und Vibraphon. Das Schlagzeug stammt von Coles langjährigem Mitarbeiter Rob Houk und ist das Rückgrat des Albums. Und mit einigen Beiträgen der Colemine-Künstler Kelly Finnigan und Jimmy James ist die Platte wirklich eine Familienangelegenheit. File Under: To Be Sampled.

Though they may not have intended to do so, Naptown's trinity, also known as 81355 (pronounced BLESS), rang out as revolutionaries with their 2021 debut record This Time I'll be of Use. When Oreo Jones, Sirius Blvck, and Sedcairn come together, genre evaporates into enthralling poeticism and sonic hypnosis. Their sophomore LP Bad Dogs, releasing July 11th on Joyful Noise Recordings, acts as an expansive continuation of 81355's signature sound: an angelic, gritty, enthralling urban hymnal for the disillusioned mind. The history of 81355 stretches far back into the history of Naptown's creative scene. Jones and Blvck struck a match as one of Indy's most influential hip-hop collectives, Ghost Gun Summer, before they brought on Sedcairn (Moose Adamson) in 2020. Before Adamson infused 81355 with his melodic soundscapes, he produced Grampall Jookabox, an underground indie meets jangle pop project. Though they may be known primarily for their musical notoriety, the members of 81355 are steadfast in their commitment to uplifting their community with collective creative expansion. Sean (Oreo Jones), alongside his partner Jane Sun Kim, produces and curates Chreece, the largest Midwestern Hip-Hop festival hosted in the heart of Naptown. Niq (Sirius Blvck) is pivotal in the empowerment and advancement of Indy Hunger Network, a local non profit that addresses food insecurity across Indianapolis. Moose (Sedcairn) is a key contributor to Joyful Noise, an Indy based independent label cutting records for artists of all genres. For the first time, the project's live band is part of the production, with Sharlene Birdsong on bass guitar, Dimitri Morris on guitar, and Pat Okerson on drums. The Bad Dogs listening experience also seeps into visual realms: a short film titled Sleep Study will be released in tandem. Sleep Study_soundtracked, written, and produced by 81355, who also star in the film alongside friends and fellow artists from the community_features afrofuturistic sci-fi undertones that explore the toxifying implications of algorithmic control, postmodern brain rot, and late-stage capitalism. As the texturally emotive punctum of its cover art (painted by Stockholm based artist Julia de Ruvo) conveys, the heart of Bad Dogs draws its perseverance from the wild reservation dogs pulsing through the rust-hued indigenous lands of New Mexico and beyond. They are untethered in their roaming, sacred in their fierce communal belonging, yet undefined by a physical place. A vital essence mirrored by 81355: boundaryless, primal creative cultivation that defies what some may attempt to categorize as hip hop or progressive rap.

Das Debütalbum von Leroi Conroy, das zu gleichen Teilen von der Sensibilität des goldenen Hip-Hop-Zeitalters und verlorenen Filmszenen aus den 60er und 70er Jahren geprägt ist, wiegt schwer und hat Jahre der Entwicklung hinter sich. Die ersten beiden Tracks des Albums wurden 2017 als 45er veröffentlicht und in den folgenden Jahren von DJ Premier, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Macklemore, Phantogram und vielen anderen gesampelt. Aber nach der Veröffentlichung verbrachte Terry Cole alias Leroi Conroy einen Großteil seiner Zeit damit, sein Indie-Soul-Label Colemine Records zu vergrößern und Platten für andere zu produzieren (Okonski, Parlor Greens, Wesley Bright, BlackMarket Brass, Kendra Morris, Rudy De Anda, Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Andrew Gabbard), anstatt seine eigenen zu machen. Jetzt, acht Jahre nachdem viele der Rhythmustracks auf dem bewährten Tascam 388 aufgenommen wurden, erscheint Leroi Conroys Debüt-LP, "A Tiger's Tale". Das Album ist als hypothetischer Soundtrack zu einer alternativen Erzählung von Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book konzipiert. Die Erzählung ist das Bestreben des Menschen, die Natur zu zähmen und sie seinem Willen zu unterwerfen... und die Antwort der Natur. Das Album ist eine Mischung aus triumphalen Instrumentalpartituren und absolut düsteren, dunklen und manchmal dissonanten Moodytracks. Das zugrundeliegende Element der Hip-Hop-Sample-Kultur ist durchweg offensichtlich, und es besteht kein Zweifel, dass viele dieser Tracks in den kommenden Jahren geflippt werden. Klanglich reiht sich die Platte nahtlos in die Reihe vieler anderer Colemine Instrumentalisten ein: dreckige Lo-Fi-Drums, schmetternde Bläser, Wah-Gitarre, Hammond-Orgel und jede Menge cineastische Einsprengsel wie Flöte, Nylongitarre und Vibraphon. Das Schlagzeug stammt von Coles langjährigem Mitarbeiter Rob Houk und ist das Rückgrat des Albums. Und mit einigen Beiträgen der Colemine-Künstler Kelly Finnigan und Jimmy James ist die Platte wirklich eine Familienangelegenheit. File Under: To Be Sampled.

"World of Pooh immensely brightened the dark corners of San Francisco, California during the years 1983-1990, with their most recognized guise being the MMF trio that existed & thrived during the years 1986-1990. This is the lineup you’ll hear documented on this exceptional collection of 45s, compilation tracks and assorted ephemera. The band has ranged from being a footnote for some (“is that the band Barbara Manning was once in?”) to a fondly-regarded memory for others (“the Land of Thirst album is a forgotten classic”) to a turnstile, door-opening band for still others — like me. They arrived in my life as they were slowly exiting theirs, and I eagerly attended a half-dozen shows of theirs circa 1989-90 around San Francisco moments after I moved there. They were instantly my favorite local band, one I was instantly duty-bound to see whenever & wherever they played. Their jagged and discombobulated take on underground pop music was exceptionally fertile, feral and fetching, and it served as a personal gateway drug that flowered my own appreciation for many different kinds of subtle musical tension.
I also spent at least five glorious years watching Jay Paget, who drummed for World of Pooh and later the Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, ply his rhythmic trade with much aplomb. He was always a steady hand behind the musical wheel of innovative bands who often threatened to careen off course. And I’ll admit to an untoward admiration of (and fascination with) World of Pooh founder, guitarist and singer Brandan Kearney from the moment I met the guy. Not only was he exceptionally friendly and welcoming to a carpetbagging interloper quickly trying to horn in on his scene (me), he was at once one of the most quick-witted, self-deprecating, highly intelligent & musically conversant people I’d ever met. Everything he and his band were doing, along with the mind-boggling DIY gunk he was pushing through his record label, Nuf Sed, and via his multiple other bands (among them: Caroliner & Archipelago Brewing Company, with several more to follow), made me extremely curious and not a tiny bit jealous about these wiser, weirder and musically more daring freaks who were making art, love & war in the relatively grittier & non-gentrified San Francisco of the day.
What I’ve learned in the 35 years since the band broke up is just how highly regarded they were (and remain) by not only those who saw them, but by a now-considerably larger group of humans who’ve subsequently heard & loved their records. I know that their place in the late 1980s was a small but special one, and I’ve seen plenty of online clamoring for more, more, more about this ephemeral and poorly-documented band. And rightly, here it is, lovingly assembled: their two hard-to-come-by 45s, a handful of comp tracks, and a quartet of phenomenal songs just coming to light for the first time, including that Half Japanese cover that dimly existed in my memory as a live song they naturally pulled off with sangfroid, from a time and space when we were all a little younger. - Jay Hinman"

Originally issued on Hut Records in October 2002, Human Conditions built on the success of Alone With Everybody, retaining the new fans he had gained with that record - This re-issue replicates the 2002 UK first pressing and is available on audiophile 180g double vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

"It's a beautiful world," sings Ashcroft on opening track and lead single "Check The Meaning". Its eight-minutes seem a culmination of all of Ashcroft's work to date – a haunting guitar figure, swelling strings, and subtle orchestration back a lyric that catalogues the battle of love over evil, ending with Ashcroft assuring the listener "It's gonna be alright." It is a powerful beginning to a powerful album. "Buy It In Bottles" maintains the introspection of "The Drugs Don't Work", a mood that can be also found on "Running Away" and "Lord I've Been Trying"; while "Bright Lights" and "Paradise" bring the anthemic rock.

When Brian Wilson guests on one of your albums, it suggests a certain status has been attained; Richard Ashcroft demonstrated that he could hold his own in such company; both are songwriters of the human condition, and the song Wilson appears on "Nature Is The Law", closes Human Conditions in stellar fashion.

‘Mormaço Queima’ is where it all began for Ana Frango Eléctrico. Raw, quirky and lo-fi, it’s a debut album brimming with attitude and youthful energy, characteristics that would go on to define their sound. Previously released digitally in Brazil in 2018, with a private press CD version in 2020 and later a Brazilian vinyl version in 2022, here at Mr Bongo we felt it deserved a much-needed worldwide edition for all of us to savour.

A charming, idiosyncratic blend of MPB, Tropicália, and indie from a talented singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who would later become one of Brazil’s brightest international stars. ‘Mormaço Queima’ has a cool, laidback, swagger channelling ‘90s bands such as Pavement. The arrangements feel loose and easy, the opener, 'Farelos' (Crumbs), seems to ebb and flow on a razor's edge before the percussion and Antonio Neves' trombone draws the song into a structure. Another highlight is 'No Bico Do Mamilo', which has a free-flowing vibe, Ana pushing, pulling, and playing with the song's energy, keeping listeners constantly on their toes. Tracks such as 'Roxo' lean more into a punk attitude, with the pendulum swinging from easy-going to frenetic. The longest song on the album 'Picles', continues to sway the pendulum this time moving from DIY punk-funk into a psychedelic workout

Co-produced by friends and fellow future collaborators Guilherme Lirio, Gustavo Benjão, Marcelo Callado, and Thiago Nassif, ‘Mormaço Queima’ is a playful showcase of Ana Frango Eléctrico’s distinctive style. Plotting Ana's musical career, it's clear they are not one to be pigeon-holed, nor to be confined to a single genre. Instead, they are ever evolving and this captivating debut album was the building block for a career that has already seen them gain multiple Latin-Grammy awards and tour the world with their music.

Proper Monday Number is an electronic duo from Brighton, UK featuring Suzi Horn of cult DFA act Prinzhorn Dance School and producer Christoph Boseley. Their Deep clean your house EP is a sure shot of cynicism-defying DIY dance-pop spanning five tracks in 15 minutes, not a second or minute wasted. The ingredients may be familiar - mid-2000s electro and bassline, 90s house, those shitty, overused speakers in your teenage bedroom - but the attitude is ever forward. Fun with a purpose.

San Francisco artist Ross Hogg has been doing his do for many years and here he serves up more of his signature flips for his own self-initialled label. First up is 'Hollywood Squabble' which marries East Coast flow with a classic funk instrumental that results in a red-hot party starting bumper. On the reverse, a female MC does her thing on 'Coolie Dancin' In A Nissan Altima', which rides a bright, bold dancehall rhythm. Two very different but equally effective jams.

Chicago-based composer/producer Joey Meland makes music under the moniker Cocojoey. Treating genre conventions and ostensible barriers between disparate musical vocabularies like playthings to gleefully smash and reshape at will, Meland channels decades of experience as a polymathic professional musician adept in styles like metal, jazz, synthpop, and experimental sound design into their infinitely combinatory compositions. STARS, their first album on Hausu Mountain, follows the self-released COCOJOEY’S WORLD with a spellbinding burst of heart-on-sleeve self-expression. The album finds Cocojoey indulging their most adventurous impulses in production and technical instrumental performance, launching into a constantly morphing program that contrasts day-glo earworm hooks against cathartic moments of screaming intensity. Cocojoey’s music exudes warmth and finger-wagging mischief as it exhumes the depths of their psyche with the pure-hearted goal of making their audience smile — when those listening find a chance to breathe within the ecstatic overstimulation.

The album’s tightly constructed song cycle blasts the listener with moment after moment of novel juxtaposition, both in terms of genre and emotional energy, that keep us reeling in a state of delirious whiplash. Warp-speed piano solos over bossa nova-inflected chord progressions segue into detonations of death metal that front-load Meland’s ferocious screaming vocals and meticulously programmed double-kick drum patterns. A strain of iridescent prog emerges in the sheer overload of notes and ideas, as drum n’ bass breaks collide with labyrinthine multi-time signature keyboard lines and bright flashes of clean vocals. Despite whatever contrasting styles might hit within any given Cocojoey song, Meland returns again and again to the upheaval and release provided by extreme metal — though that idiom lands with joyful exuberance, an abrasive yet heartwarming flavor whose positive energy carries through even to those who might not encounter screams and hyper-technical drum breakdowns in their typical listening regimen.

Collecting Orders For 2025 Repress

Paris-Based Record Label Phonogramme Proudly Announces Its Milestone 50th Release, a Spectacular Various Ep Featuring 4 Exclusives and Unreleased Tracks From Legendary Artists Abacus, Fred P, Byron the Aquarius, and Felipe Gordon. This Special Edition, Showcasing the Finest in House and Deep House Music, Will Be Available on Limited Red Marbled Vinyl. Dive Into the Rich Sounds and Exceptional Artistry of These Iconic Musicians, Each Bringing Their Unique Style and Creativity to This Landmark Release. Don't Miss Out on This Collector's Item, a Testament to Phonogramme's Enduring Legacy and Bright Future in the World of Electronic Music....

A decade has passed since Infinity Night graced Bordello A Parigi with his wonderful Winter and Summer EPs. After too long a wait, the French producer returns with the aptly titled Le Temps Qui Passe. Six slices of select synthesizer music make up the 12”, tracks lovingly crafted with Frederic Bergamaschi’s trademark analogue warmth. A melancholic melody meanders through brightness in “Tu Ne Me Réponds Pas”, dulcet words hidden under the machine gauze of a vocoder. Skittish percussion gives way to the refrain of “It’s Full of Stars”. Hazy keys appear as an arpeggiator rumbles below a shimmering sky. “Les Souvenirs De Valerie” picks up where its predecessor left off. Astral notes are beamed into the heavens, echoing into the while crisp cymbals tether the piece. Infinity Night has always sought that point of balance in his music, a bittersweetness he accentuates and explores. This is true in the darker shades of “Nymphomania”. Beats are bolstered, key stabs piercing the tenderness of analogue trills. The title track is a rich patchwork. A burbling undercurrent supports forays into diverse tangents with lyrics surfacing through key shifts and sliding scales. Marching to militaristic rhythms, “I Comme Icare” is the curtain call. The stringent drums are broken by sailing synthlines, vocals masked in a familiar mesh to close. Le Temps Qui Passe, well worth the wait.