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"Luna's 1992 debut (originally released under the short-lived band name Luna 2 for contractual reasons) got most of its press due to Dean Wareham's former position as leader of the critically adored Galaxie 500, but his new cohorts Justin Harwood (bass) and Stanley Demeski (drums) were fresh from stints in the Chills and the Feelies, respectively. A rarity among albums by this type of alt-rock supergroup, Lunapark sounds like an appealing conglomeration of some of the best aspects of all three participants' former bands.
The album spawned two college radio hits, the deliciously depressive 'Slide' (with its memorable opening line, 'You can never give the finger to the blind') and the jittery, propulsive 'Slash Your Tires,' but nearly all of the 12 songs have memorable guitar hooks, stick-in-your-head choruses, and a newfound sense of humor in Wareham's deadpan lyrics

34-song SUPERSTORE is the Sam Gendel all genre follow-up album to 2021's 52-song Fresh Bread. SUPERSTORE is more unreleased music from the enigmatic producer/saxophonist collected from personal archives of solo recordings and collaborations in various venues. Contributing players on select tracks include Blake Mills, Gabe Noel, Kevin Yokota, and Philippe Melanson.

Sam Gendel - All Music
Marcella Cytrynowicz - Original Drawings
Philippe Melanson - E-Percussion Gu Shi, Saiko
Gabe Noel - Electric Bass [Saiko]
Blake Mills - Synth Guitar [Gu Shi]
Kevin Yokota - Drum Kit [Two-Tone]
Matthewdavid McQueen - Mastering

Obvurt is a death metal band from Quebec city, Canada. The band's name stands for obvert ( to oppose) and Hurt ( to wound ). This trio was formed in 2020 with Philippe Drouin (ex Unbreakable Hatred) Olivier Pinard (Cryptopsy, Cattle Decapitation) and Samuel Santiago. Following the aftermath of a terrible motorcycle accident, Philippe was left unable to play guitar and had to learn from scratch to play left handed. this remarkable recovery inspires the title and lyrical concept throughout the album.

The sophomore album from the Spanish Deathcore group BONECARVER. Previously known as CANNIBAL GRANDPA and now one of the biggest metal bands in Spain. For fans of Lorna Shore, Within Destruction, Ov Sulfur

One of the most incredible things about great music is that it has the ability to take the
listener to a place they’d rather be. A compelling song can carry someone back in time to a
treasured memory, or transport a person to a spectacular western prairie they’ve only visited
in their dreams. Ned LeDoux’s music has that kind of power. As a songwriter, he has a knack
for bringing people, places and emotions vibrantly to life with his insightful lyrics, and warm,
strong voice that makes him soundlike a beloved friend you always want to hang out with.
Those gifts are fully on display on LeDoux’s new album Buckskin.

Still Life, the new album from vocalist Sachal Vasandani and pianist Romain Collin, continues the sound trajectory of their deeply emotive and intimate 2021 acclaimed album 'Midnight Shelter', reworking classic and modern songs interspersed with spellbinding and memorable originals. 'Still Life' is an album of intimate delicacy and tender lyricism with a brutal honesty at the centre. It’s beautifully emotive and deeply compelling. Featuring up-close and personal re-workings of classics by outstanding songwriters Billie Eilish, Paul Simon, Sam Smith, Peter Gabriel and others, alongside unforgettable originals.

Expanded with 2 original single-version tracks. Digitally mastered from original BYG tapes by Nick Robbins. 16-pages booklet with photos & exclusive liner notes by author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. CD: Original 1969 BYG album. Expanded with 2 original single-version tracks. Digitally mastered from original BYG tapes by Nick Robbins. 16-pages booklet with photos & exclusive liner notes by author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. *** Having been part of the fabled ‘Canterbury scene’ along with luminaries such as Robert Wyatt and Pip Pyle the irrepressible Australian guitarist-vocalist-songwriter Daevid Allen formed Gong with Welsh vocalist Gilli Smyth in Paris at the end of the ‘60s as France was in state of ferment. Magick Brother introduced Gong as one of the great oddities of the psychedelic and space rock age. The nucleus of Allen, Smyth and Malherbe was able to create a musical vocabulary very much of its own all the while searching for essential metaphysical truths. “The band made strong political statements that comes through loud and clear on this re-mastered version of Gong’s debut album...” Kevin Le Gendre, 2022

Expanded reissue of their 1980 classic Featuring the hits “Me And The Boys,” “Never Take The Place Of You,” plus four bonus tracks Packaging contains new liner notes from original Engineer Tom Mark • Available on LP, CD, and Digital Over a decade into their career, NRBQ entered Bearsville Studios and recorded their eighth album. The line-up featured Terry Adams (keyboards), Joey Spampinato (bass), Tom Ardolino (drums) and Al Anderson (guitar), plus The Whole Wheat Horns (Donn Adams and Keith Spring). The end result was Tiddlywinks, which contained the singles “Me And The Boys” and “Never Take The Place Of You.” It immediately became another fan favorite NRBQ classic album, and provided an entry point for new a new audience to come on board as “Me And The Boys” garnered repeat airplay on radio stations across the country. Now, over four decades later, Tiddlywinks returns. This time, four bonus tracks are added to the mix; “I Don’t Think Of…” and “Big Goodbyes” – recorded during the Tiddlywinks sessions and released on 1983’s Tapdancin’ Bats collection, plus the Radio and TV Spots originally issued on the flip side of the “Never Take The Place Of You” 7” single. Featuring updated artwork and liner notes from original engineer Tom Mark (who had worked with the band on At Yankee Stadium), the Tiddlywinks experience is now complete. From Mark’s liner notes: “Working with those guys was such a pleasure. We always had fun. Four amazing musician/writers really listening to each other, what else do you want? Thank you NRBQ.” Available on LP, CD, and Digital, it’s time to stop playing games, and grab some Tiddlywinks!







[g] 7. I Don’t Think Of... [Bonus Track]





[m] 13. Big Goodbyes [Bonus Track]
[n] 14. Tiddlywinks TV Spot [Bonus Track]
[o] 15. Tiddlywinks Radio Ad [Bonus Track]

2 LPs-set (3 sides)
Recorded in Paris, November 22 and December 17, 1958.
Original issues: LP Fontana 680.202 ML & EP Fontana 460.642 MR.


”I’ve never played for such an audience” declared Art Blakey in tears. lt was November 22nd, 1958, and he’d just come offstage after one of the “Jazz Wednesdays” concerts at the Paris Olympia. For a first appearance by the “Jazz Messengers”, they’d made quite an impression. Not content with pulling a huge crowd off the Boulevard des Capucines (the demand was so great that a second concert had to be staged on December 17th), they’d converted everybody to the “Hard Bop” religion in two sets where, united in a kind of exultant communion, jazzmen, jazzophiles and curious bystanders alike had been crushed together in high spirits, paying no attention to the presence of Brigitte Bardot escorted by Sacha Distel. That night Blues March had almost replaced the Marseillaise anthem (and Moanin’ the Oignons). Yet none of the Messengers had ever been to Paris. They’d get to that later, and then some, but for the moment they were perfect strangers. Not only strangers to the public, but unknown even to a sizeable group of jazz fans : the next issue of “Jazz Hot” magazine (most of it devoted to them) arrived like an invasion by the carabimeri… the blaze lit at the Olympia had gone out, of course, and Blakey had moved into the “Club St. Germain” to light others; there, each of his gigs could have been a remake of the famous cabin scene in the Marx Brothers’ “A Night At The Opera”…

Among the Messengers’ “greatest hits”, only Moanin’ came close to Blues March. Constructed in the manner of a gospel, with the piano in the role of the preacher, and the orchestra that of the congregation, punctuating the sermon with shouts of approval, the theme was by pianist Bobby Timmons, whose fiery spirit can be explained by his educayion: “… the fact I played rhythm ‘n’ blues had a great influence on my style, and for me, it’s the foundation of jazz.” Moanin’ had sent the Olympia fans Into transports of delight, and even excited the curiosity of Hugues Panassié, who chanced to be passing by (“Bop”, in any form, being hardly his cup of tea) : he was prompted to go backstage and ask what it was he’d heard… Decidedly, in 1958, the Jazz Messengers were miracle-workers!

With Grammy Award-winning Canadian producer David Bottrill on mixing duties once again, Tellurian (first released in November 2014) sees SOEN coming out of their shell to become undisputed titans of the progressive metal genre. Newly appointed Stefan Stenberg on bass, Martin Lopez (drums), Joel Ekelöf (vocals) and Kim Platbarzdis (guitars) deliver a powerfully infectious and solid sophomore album.

In Tellurian, Soen’s very own stylistic writing finds broader proportions and dimensions, whilst keeping their technical proficiency still very much a defining trait. The haunting melodies and remarkable vocal performance make this a truly impressive opus.

Originally released in a limited number of copies, the currently out of print vinyl format will be re-issued on January 27, 2023 via Silver Lining Music, as the official SOEN-endorsed release.

After supporting Pearl Jam across their UK & European tour this summer, including a prestigious slot at PJ’s Hyde Park Show, White Reaper return with their brand new album Asking For A Ride in January.
Recorded and largely self-produced in Nashville with the help of close friend and engineer Jeremy Ferguson, Asking For A Ride finds the Louisville, Kentucky band taking a more direct and in-your-face approach, prioritizing the collection’s raw energy and its ability to translate live through ripping and nervy compositions. It’s White Reaper at their most exciting - dialling up the chrome-plated riffs and monster hooks – a welcome reminder of just how much fun rock music can be.
“We ask ourselves: ‘Does it sound good when we play it in the room together?’ And if it does, those are the songs we want to pursue,” Esposito noted.

A space of wonderment and exhilaration, the home of
true heart and a timeless soul, Delays’ ‘Faded Seaside
Glamour’ was an atmospheric and evocative debut
album. Released in 2004, the fragile strength of
frontman Greg Gilbert’s vocals intoxicatedly
intertwined with the forward looking synths of his
brother Aaron, Colin Fox’s bass and Rowly’s
drumming, to create a series of affecting songs that
delivered an immediate pop hit that also left a deep
and wistful impact worthy of the album’s enticing title.
Its iconic singles, ‘Nearer Than Heaven’ and ‘Long
Time Coming’, became immediate yet lasting focal
points for Southampton’s Delays, while tracks
including the melancholic ‘No Ending’, the smooth
beats of ‘Stay Where You Are’ and chiming opener,
‘Wanderlust’, demonstrated the remarkable depth of
this unique debut.
Nearly 20 years have passed since the release of
‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ and much has changed -
most notably the loss of Greg Gilbert, who passed
away in 2021 after a period of treatment for cancer -
but like the idiosyncratic places the album’s name
celebrated, Delays’ music has not only endured but
their art has been loved and cherished as it has
continually connected with audiences.
To celebrate this soaring and smouldering body of
work, Rough Trade Records are pleased to announce
the release of Delays’ ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ on
vinyl for the first time ever.
Also available to independent retailers on orange vinyl
with deluxe packaging, a print of Greg’s art and some
words written by Aaron.

A space of wonderment and exhilaration, the home of
true heart and a timeless soul, Delays’ ‘Faded Seaside
Glamour’ was an atmospheric and evocative debut
album. Released in 2004, the fragile strength of
frontman Greg Gilbert’s vocals intoxicatedly
intertwined with the forward looking synths of his
brother Aaron, Colin Fox’s bass and Rowly’s
drumming, to create a series of affecting songs that
delivered an immediate pop hit that also left a deep
and wistful impact worthy of the album’s enticing title.
Its iconic singles, ‘Nearer Than Heaven’ and ‘Long
Time Coming’, became immediate yet lasting focal
points for Southampton’s Delays, while tracks
including the melancholic ‘No Ending’, the smooth
beats of ‘Stay Where You Are’ and chiming opener,
‘Wanderlust’, demonstrated the remarkable depth of
this unique debut.
Nearly 20 years have passed since the release of
‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ and much has changed -
most notably the loss of Greg Gilbert, who passed
away in 2021 after a period of treatment for cancer -
but like the idiosyncratic places the album’s name
celebrated, Delays’ music has not only endured but
their art has been loved and cherished as it has
continually connected with audiences.
To celebrate this soaring and smouldering body of
work, Rough Trade Records are pleased to announce
the release of Delays’ ‘Faded Seaside Glamour’ on
vinyl for the first time ever.
Also available to independent retailers on orange vinyl
with deluxe packaging, a print of Greg’s art and some
words written by Aaron.

 With ‘Resonanzen’ (Resonances), Johanna
Summer has extended her extraordinary art and
deepened the way she re-tells the music of
classical composers through improvisation.
 The album spans a wide range, starting with Bach,
Schubert, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Grieg and
Ravel and ending with Mompou, Ligeti and
Scriabin.
 Johanna Summer’s deep insights into the two
worlds of composition and improvisation are the
result of the particular path along which she has
developed as a musician. In her childhood and
youth, she solely studied classical music. Jazz and
improvisation came relatively late, but when they
did, it was with a powerful focus.
 Her classical grounding remained in place, and yet
there were many things that she needed to relearn for ‘Resonanzen’. As she says: “It was very
important that I should master the original pieces
first. That was particularly demanding for
‘Resonanzen’, because each of these very
contrasting compositions makes very different
demands on me as a player. At the same time,
improvisation is also an art which you have to keep
practising and developing, so that the music can
attain its own natural flow. To do justice to both of
these sides, and to find a balance between them,
these really are lifelong tasks for me.”

Meg Baird’s songs are rarely made up of tidy stories. In fact, for Meg, mystery itself is often the
medium. With ‘Furling’, Meg’s fourth album under her own name, she explores the breadth of
her musical fascinations and the environments around them - the edges of memory,
daydreams spanning years, loose ends, loss, divergent paths, and secret conversations under
stars. ‘Furling’ moves through these varied spaces with the slippery, misty cohesiveness of a
dream - guided by an ageless, stirring voice that remains singular and unmistakable.
Since co-founding the beguiling and beautiful Espers in the mid-aughts amid Philadelphia’s
fertile underground music community, Meg’s solo recordings have constituted just a fraction of
her work.
Her first solo LP, the disarmingly out-of-time ‘Dear Companion’ (2007), saw her carve a quiet,
sunlit space away from the flickering swirl of Espers. Since her last solo releases, ‘Seasons on
Earth’ (2011) and ‘Don’t Weigh Down the Light’ (2015), Meg has lent thunderous drumming,
lead vocal, and poetry to Heron Oblivion (Sub Pop) on an album that garnered praise from the
New York Times and made Mojo’s Top Ten Albums Of 2016 list. She collaborated with harpist
Mary Lattimore on the mesmerizingly hazy ‘Ghost Forests’ (2018). She’s played drums with
Philadelphia scuzz-punks Watery Love (In The Red, Richie Records) and explored her deep
familial folk roots in the Baird Sisters (Grapefruit Records). She also contributed her vocal
arrangements to albums from Sharon Van Etten, Kurt Vile, Will Oldham and Steve Gunn, and
toured with Angel Olson, Dinosaur Jr., Bill Callahan, Thurston Moore and Bert Jansch, among
others.
Yet ‘Furling’ is the album that most irreverently explores the span of her work and musical
touchstones. It showcases her natural tether to 1960s English folk traditions. But it also reveals
her deep love for soul balladry, the solitary musings of Flying Saucer Attack and Neil Young
shackled to his piano deep in the foggy pre-dawn, dubby Bristol atmospherics, the melancholy
memory collage of DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing’, and the delicious, Saturday night promise of
St. Etienne.
‘Furling’ was primarily recorded at Louder Studios by Tim Green (Bikini Kill, Nation of Ulysses,
Melvins, Wooden Shjips). Additional piano and vocal recording were captured at Panoramic
Studios in Stinson Beach, CA with Jason Quever (Papercuts). It was mastered in Brooklyn by
Heba Kadry, who mixed Bjork’s ‘Utopia’ and mastered albums for Slowdive, Cass McCombs
and Beach House.
For all its adornments, ‘Furling’ remains deeply intimate. The entire album was performed by
Meg and her long-time collaborator, partner, and Heron Oblivion bandmate Charlie Saufley.
While her prior solo work hinted at more expansive horizons, ‘Furling’ explores the idea of Meg
Baird as a band much more freely. Venturing beyond the musical confines of fingerstyle guitar,
she plays drums, mellotron, organs, synths, and vibraphone over her piano and guitar
foundations. Her distinctive, simultaneously elegiac and uplifting vocals, meanwhile, connect
surreal dream montages, graft sunshine sonics to swooning mediations on romantic solidarity
in trying times, and weave odes to the simple gestures of friendship - and the loss of family and
friends.
This rich sound world makes the songs a varied bunch: ‘Twelve Saints’ mates Pacific sunset
ambience and Pink Floyd pastoral to a meditation on mortality and escape. The infectious and
kinetic ‘Will You Follow Me Home’ contemplates hope and longing through the looking glass of
a Jimmy Miller-era-Stones strut. And in the closing piece, ‘Wreathing Days’, language
disintegrates over tone clusters that feel somewhere between falling and flying.
‘Wreathing Days’ also reveals much about Meg’s mastery of contrast - situating the dear and
delicate adjacent to chaos. And while it’s true that some songs on ‘Furling’ grapple with
humanity’s existential unknowns in stark terms, they primarily revel in the mysteries that hide in
nature and humanity at their most ordinary. ‘Furling’ lives in the notion that whole universes of
experience, enlightenment, elation and ecstasy can bloom in these corners.

LIMITED EDITION DREAD BLACK VINYL LP, WITH THREE DOUBLE SIDED A4 INSERTS AND DOWNLOAD CODE. HOUSED IN PRINTED OUTER SLEEVE WITH POILYLINED INNER, AND HYPE STICKER. NON-RETURNABLE.
Bruxa Maria are G. Dread: Guitar, Vocals-Dave Cochrane : Bass (Head of David, God, Terminal Cheesecake) - Paul Antony: Drums (Ghold, Test Dept) - Robbie Judkins: Synth noise (Left Hand Cuts off The Right)
Bruxa Maria are back on their third full length; be grateful. “Build Yourself A Shrine And Pray” is 45 minutes of pummelling, punishing fury as unrelenting and all-consuming as your anger at coming up short for the rent.
The new record finds the band just as enraged as their 2016 debut, while continuing to evolve artistically. Bruxa Maria’s huge bass and guitar, frantic drums, and banshee shrieking vocals build tension with few moments of release, the frenzy sometimes dissolving into feedback, static, and synth drones.
Often the riffs have a swagger that makes you want to dance, and in a few places there are flashes of some genuinely pretty melodies and hooks. Those moments all shine through for just an instant before being shredded by the noise and wrath, torn apart flower petals under a line of razor wire.
This is dark music about and against a darkening world, where anger and art are crucial to how we keep on keeping on. You can call it now, this is going to be the best record of 2023.'
(Nate Holdren)

Thee Headcoats and CTMF go head-to-head! Two Billy Childish bands battle it out with versions of the same song! Thee Headcoats version is taken from their forthcoming new studio album "Irregularis: The Great Hiatus". The CTMF version is exclusive to this release. Q: Two versions of the same song by different bands. Has each band heard the other version? If so, did they pass judgement? A: No, neither group heard the other version. I had forgotten how the CTMF version went - even though it was only a few weeks past. As with all the LPs there's no rehearsal. I play the track - we do a run through and then press record. I don't remember how either version goes now. Q: There's a famous saying - "Talent borrows; genius steals". Are you a borrower? A stealer? Or something else entirely? A: As I've said before, I follow strict music industry guidelines and only plagiarise 50 percent of my material. Kurt Cobain put it better - he said people thought he was original because he didn't let on what he was ripping off. Though we know he got the riff to his most famous song from The Daggermen, a local group Wolf (our drummer) played in. Q: What was it like recording with Bruce and Johnny after such a long time? A: We met up in the studio in the morning, had a cuppa, a chat, plugged in and recorded the LP (in two days.) It was the first time we'd all been together in about 30 years, and it felt like yesterday - just laughing and joking about how rubbish we were and generally having fun. It was like no time had passed at all. Q: Love the sleeve picture for this 7"! A lot of people miss the humour in your work, does that frustrate you? A: I'm not frustrated but surprised that the British seem to have lost their sense of humour somewhat - they've been pretty po-faced since 1978, I think. I was brought up on Pete and Dud when I was a kid. Interestingly a lot of comedians seem to like what we do. Stewart Lee has always been a fan and he said there are others of his ilk. If something can't be mocked or laughed at, I'm not that interested in it.

With One Day, Fucked Up have delivered one of the most energizing and intricate albums of their career, a massive-sounding record that arrives in deceptively small confines. The Canadian hardcore legends have been known for their epic scale in the past, so it might be a surprise that Fucked Up’s sixth studio album is their shortest to date, written and recorded in the confines of one literal day (hence the title). Don’t mistake size for substance, though: The band’s sound has only gotten bigger, more hard-charging, with even denser thickets of melody. “I wanted to see what I could record in literally one day.” That singular idea came to mind for guitarist Mike Haliechuk in the closing months of 2019. Haliechuk got himself into a studio and proceeded to write and record the record’s ten tracks over three eight-hour sessions, reconnecting with the core the band’s songwriting essence in the process. Initially, Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham was also set to complete his vocals in similar fashion—that is, before the lockdowns of 2020 took place. As it turns out, the isolation yielded creative dividends, as Abraham returned to contributing lyrics as well for the first time since 2014’s Glass Boys. “It almost felt like it might be the last time I’d ever get to record vocals for anything,” Abraham says of the stakes he felt while putting his part to tape, before reflecting on how he approached the lyrical process: “What do I want to say to friends who aren’t here anymore? What do I want to say to myself?” Over swarms of tuneful noise that evoke Sonic Youth circa Daydream Nation, Abraham lets loose on gentrification in “Lords of Kensington,” which was inspired by an “incredible” Toronto neighborhood that was regularly subject to life-ruining police surveillance and structural violence. “The police chief during that era he just opened a cannabis store,” Abraham explains. “It’s so cynical and gross, what society has come to but by being in a band, we’re culpable in changing the neighborhood, too, since the punk spaces and cool happenings that pop up are part of gentrification. Are you building a culture? Or are you ruining something that’s already been there?” Then there’s the dusky burn of “Cicada,” a sonic cousin to Dose Your Dreams’ excellent standout “The One I Want Will Come for Me” that features Haliechuk taking lead-vocal duty. The song is dedicated to lost friends, and in his words, it’s about “what life is like after you lose people, and our responsibility to carry them forward into the future, using the things they taught us as a light. I like to imagine the sound of cicadas as a metaphor for our strange life in the subculture we all just live these weird little hidden lives under the dirt, and then once in a generation, one of us gets to bust out of the dirt and intone their song so loud that it can be heard all over.” One Day is an undeniable work of confidence from a band that continues to operate at the top of their game, making music that’s guaranteed to last a lifetime and beyond.

London band’s debut album (after one 7” on Prefect, and a 7-inch EP on TiM/Prefect Records (UK)). Feat. current/former mbrs of Joanna Gruesome, Ex-Void, GN, Sniffany & The Nits. London group The Tubs return to Trouble In Mind with their hotly anticipated full-length album entitled “Dead Meat”. The band were formed in 2018 from the ashes of beloved UK post-punk band Joanna Gruesome by former members Owen 'O' Williams and George 'GN' Nicholls. By incorporating elements of post-punk, traditional British folk, and guitar jangle seasoned by nonchalant Cleaners From Venus-influenced pop hooks and contemporary antipodean indie bands (Twerps/Goon Sax, et al). “Dead Meat” is resplendent in hi-fidelity strum & thrum, incorporating fleeting elements of post-punk and indie jangle, but the group’s penchant for trad British folk & Canterbury folk-rock takes a noticeable, caffeinated step forward. Echoes of Fairport Convention’s decidedly English chime cross swords with singer Owen Williams’ lyrics directing Bryan Ferry’s “thinking man’s libertine” persona into a more dolorous outlook. Many songs (like “Round The Bend” and “Duped”) soar with an urgent strum under Williams’ acerbic lyrics, recalling a younger fiery Richard Thompson. They languish in an aching, bitter resignation (of both the situations described & the protagonist’s place in it), particularly near the album’s second half. Others like the previously released “I Don’t Know How It Works”, “Two Person Love” and “Illusion” (re-presented here as “Illusion Pt. II” and all rerecorded from their original 7-inch versions) up the urgency, implying that the journey for the person described in each tune is not over & may be even more desperate than before. The band has never been tighter & more dynamic, often imperceptibly ratcheting up the tension, an extra guitar strum overdubbed, a barely audible organ/synth cranking under a chorus or bridge, or unexpected backups from current Ex-Vöid (and ex-Joanna Gruesome) vocalist Lan McArdle. The Tubs are poised to take over your stereo - there’s no point in resisting

London band’s debut album (after one 7” on Prefect, and a 7-inch EP on TiM/Prefect Records (UK)). Feat. current/former mbrs of Joanna Gruesome, Ex-Void, GN, Sniffany & The Nits. London group The Tubs return to Trouble In Mind with their hotly anticipated full-length album entitled “Dead Meat”. The band were formed in 2018 from the ashes of beloved UK post-punk band Joanna Gruesome by former members Owen 'O' Williams and George 'GN' Nicholls. By incorporating elements of post-punk, traditional British folk, and guitar jangle seasoned by nonchalant Cleaners From Venus-influenced pop hooks and contemporary antipodean indie bands (Twerps/Goon Sax, et al). “Dead Meat” is resplendent in hi-fidelity strum & thrum, incorporating fleeting elements of post-punk and indie jangle, but the group’s penchant for trad British folk & Canterbury folk-rock takes a noticeable, caffeinated step forward. Echoes of Fairport Convention’s decidedly English chime cross swords with singer Owen Williams’ lyrics directing Bryan Ferry’s “thinking man’s libertine” persona into a more dolorous outlook. Many songs (like “Round The Bend” and “Duped”) soar with an urgent strum under Williams’ acerbic lyrics, recalling a younger fiery Richard Thompson. They languish in an aching, bitter resignation (of both the situations described & the protagonist’s place in it), particularly near the album’s second half. Others like the previously released “I Don’t Know How It Works”, “Two Person Love” and “Illusion” (re-presented here as “Illusion Pt. II” and all rerecorded from their original 7-inch versions) up the urgency, implying that the journey for the person described in each tune is not over & may be even more desperate than before. The band has never been tighter & more dynamic, often imperceptibly ratcheting up the tension, an extra guitar strum overdubbed, a barely audible organ/synth cranking under a chorus or bridge, or unexpected backups from current Ex-Vöid (and ex-Joanna Gruesome) vocalist Lan McArdle. The Tubs are poised to take over your stereo - there’s no point in resisting

Korea Town Acid (Jessica Cho) is wildly creative. She is an electronic artist at her core, but that barely scratches the surface of what her sound encompasses. Citing influences as UK future bass, glitch, jungle, and alternative hip hop, KTA fuses these sounds with concepts of movement and texture, to create multi-faceted works that go beyond the club. Born in Seoul, Korea, Toronto based DJ/Producer Korea Town Acid maintained a fierce but mindful schedule amidst pandemic induced lockdowns. With the ease of restrictions and the gradual return to a version of normalcy, KTA continues to thrive, without hitting pause. In 2021 she released her full length LP Metamorphosis, a self produced ten-track record, featuring collaborations from Toronto based artist DESIIRE, U.K based Korean pianist and rapper Pianwooo, Seoul rapper PNSB, L.A beatmaker Dreamdave, and New Jersey MC, L.J The Alien. She swiftly followed that up six months later with the release of Cosmos, another self produced full length LP that boasts the 2022 Juno Award nominated track, ‘Sobriety’. She also contributed to Cadence Weapon’s 2021 Polaris Prize winning record Parallel World, producing the track ‘Play No Games’. Despite touring restrictions in 2021, KTA delivered a notable hardware set as part of Hinter Live, showcased at POP Montreal, and continued her monthly online residency at The Lot Radio in New York. Korea Town Acid released her latest LP, Elephant in The Room, via URBNET. The twelve track self produced and mixed album, was mastered by East End Mastering in Toronto, ON, and features a lineup of Canadian guest collaborators, including Zander Miller, Khrono K, and Hood Joplin. In anticipation of the release, KTA has been actively securing live performance sets to showcase new tracks, with recent appearances at Vancouver’s Wonderment Festival, Montreal’s MUTEK Festival Toronto’s Summer of Seoul festival at the TIFF Atrium, Peprally, and Promise Cherry Beach series

“Avada Kedavra Deluxe,” by Seattle rapper AJ Suede, is a 21-track, self-produced, self-referencing, double-vinyl labyrinth of experimental boom-bap. Building on a signature style that SPIN magazine describes as “stream-of-consciousness rhymes, containing everything from socio-political commentary and blunted cinematic allusions to psychedelic visions,” Suede’s creation is as compelling as it is unclassifiable. On the first LP, Suede demonstrates his substantial skills as a beatmaker and rapper, chopping up what Seattle’s KEXP calls “the smoothest, jazziest, weirdest samples” and overlaying parkour bars about Grunge, success, and social justice. From the first cut, “Nebuchadnezzar,” which New York’s Major Stage describes as a “powerful chant-like hypnotic loop,” these 10 tracks capture an elusive mood of too many hours inside watching YouTube and trying to piece together fractured connections. The album’s title is derived from an Aramaic spell: “Let this thing be destroyed.” On the second LP, Suede invites 13 guests to “destroy” the original songs. This disc of remixes and reworkings showcases underground voices from across the Northwest (Seattle’s Wolftone, Khrist Koopa, Portland’s Fines Double), from across America (New Jersey’s Fatboi Sharif, California’s mudwater, Ohio’s Lord Olo, New York’s Bloodblixing), and around the world (Tel Aviv’s Argov and Japan’s Wazasnics). Seattle rappers Astral Trap, Blake Anthony, Mika’il, and Greg Cypher are featured on a bonus “posse” cut. AJ Suede has been grinding for years in the underground, building a solid, devoted global fanbase. He’s released acclaimed cassettes and CDs through respected labels such as Fake Four Inc., Candy Drips, Chong Wizard, and Blackhouse. In May 2022, a 100-copy vinyl run of his album “Metatron’s Cube” sold out in less than four hours. With “Avada Kedavra Deluxe,” AJ Suede has tapped into the moment, using what Deeply Rooted Hip-Hop calls “a subconscious steeped in the mystical.” As KEXP says: “Quite predictably, the whole album bangs.”

Though severely cut, Red Circle doesn't exactly sweep along. It has a deliberate pace as Kallabris sets up the score of thirteen chance acquaintances who plan and carry out the sacking of our acoustic consciousness... Understatement is the method of these compositions for a small modular synthesizer. If there ever was something like heist music, this here surely is. (Vincent Canby, with a few minor changes and adaptions).

Kallabris is a musical project that was begun in the mid 1980ies out of the scene around Coitra's Clan. Since ist inception Kallabris has persistently neglected any usage of advanced recording technology. Ever since not technical or compositonal innovation is at the core of the group’s work but, the active engagement with the limitations and the objects of every day life. This sound positivism can result in stylistically varied outputs ranging from chanson or country blues to musique concrète – while all musics live by their surfaces. Save the surface and you save all.

Observatories is the collaborative music project by Ian Hawgood and Craig Tattersall. This is their second opus together after their first release "Flowers Bloom, Butterflies Come" on IIKKI in March 2021.

Born in the United Kingdom, Ian Hawgood spent most of his adult life living in Japan, Italy and Poland. Currently he calls Peacehaven (on the south coast, near Brighton) his home. Since 2009, he’s well-known with his work as the curator of the Home Normal label. He makes music using an array of reel-to-reel and tape machines in his studio by the sea, where he also master works for many labels and artists alike. You could often catch him on the coast with his faithful Nagra recorder, hydrophone and field microphones. These days his focus of music is on decayed ambient works using old synths and reels mostly, alongside his childhood piano.

Craig Tattersall is a former member of The Remote Viewer and Famous Boyfriend bandmate Andrew Johnson. Tattersall's music can be found these days more often under his alias The Humble Bee; as a founder member of The Boats; and in his collaborative works with the likes of Bill Seaman in The Seaman And The Tattered Sail. He has run the wonderful label Cotton Goods from 2008 to 2015 and since 2009 he has recorded 15 solo albums on his moniker The Humble Bee and almost the same under his name on some collaborations.

This 1965 collection from The King of Soul™ is as fresh and urgent now as ever. Featuring “That’s How Strong My Love Is” and “Mr Pitiful” among this beautifully curated collections of soul ballads, this is a foundational record in any collection.

Stillness is a myth. Consider concepts such as ”still water”, or ”still air” for that matter. Go to a restaurant, ask them for a glass of still water, hold it against the light and see where we’re at. Even though the water itself has been captured and imprisoned in the glass, it never stops breathing. It’s filled with tiny particles, dancing. Everything can be explained on a molecular level, but since we’re not scientists – and even if you happen to be – it’s the natural world of perception that moves me.

Still air is very similar. A hot summer’s day with zero wind feels completely still. It’s the closest I have felt to complete stillness. Or for a more urban adaptation, imagine the same vibe inside a normal apartment. In those moments, revelations and mind- blowing experiences can be had with experiments in stillness.

Try this: Just sit down for a minute on a sunny day, making sure there’s enough natural light. Do absolutely nothing. Try not to breathe for a bit. (If you need a mental anchor, you can play Cage’s 4’33” in your head but nothing else.) Watch the tiny dots of dust dancing :..’ ̈.:; ́ ́*°.,’:,. ̈ ̈ ̈ ̈:,.’

The movement is crazy, but the feeling of stillness comes from witnessing how subtle it is. In (perceived) complete stillness, every act of microscopic mobility seems to speak volumes. Yet, it feels both reassuring and oddly threatening that the stillness is never complete. What if we would need absolute stillness? Or is it just enough that we can perceive something as such?

Extremes attract, so for both water and air, extraordinary movement is equally fascinating. That is also a luxury item of sorts. For us to enjoy a very ”loud” body of water or air, we need to be safe, in enough control of the situation. So when you are, it’s worthwhile to pay attention and take it all in.

A rapid flowing free with extreme strength and just barely in control. Look at that water go! No still water on this one, only ”sparkling”. A windy day when birds seem surprised how hard it is to fly, but in the end they make it. Trees bend but don’t break. The wind shows you its movement but doesn’t hurt you. It feels friendly, like a big clumsy dog that doesn’t quite understand its size.

It’s beautiful to be a guest of the elements, but not at the mercy of them. A new kind of dialogue forms.

The album’s seemingly brief tracklisting belies a work of great beauty and depth, and one which turned into a one-man crusade for singer/guitarist Lars Andersson, intertwining deeply personal stories with his love for the era of Romanticism. “Every time I go to a museum and I’m about to pass through the era of Romanticism I stop in awe,” says Lars of the enduring appeal of the 18th century artistic movement. “Whatever it is – stories, paintings, music – it triggers something deep within me, something profoundly human. It really hits a nerve, and it utterly immerses me to a point where I can’t move.” The album replicates this feeling; a gloriously over-the-top blend of Slowdive and Sigur Rós, mixed with the single-mindedness of Daniel Johnston and the noisiness of Nirvana, it’s as bold and beautiful and every bit as ornate as the art that inspired it. Unlike their acclaimed debut, 2019’s All That Ever Could Have Been, which gradually came into focus with a 15-minute opening track, Picturesque hits home from the very first note of the short and sweet opener, ‘Ballerina’. That’s not to say there aren’t epics here – ‘Metamorphosis’ is essentially a 12-minute suite of three movements; blistering closer ‘The Lot’ is 11 minutes of Swans-inspired heaviness – but everything is much more direct and focused. This isn’t an album to lose yourself in, it’s one to get swept away by. “‘More is more’ was definitely the credo when making this record,” agrees Lars. “A big inspiration were bands like Pond and the way they manage to fill their songs up with stuff to the absolute maximum. While I definitely tried to give the listener some room to breathe at certain points and while, in good old post-rock fashion, it still builds up and breaks down, it relies much more on simple melody and harmony as opposed to noisy experimentation to transport feeling.” Never more so than on the first single, ‘The Golden Age’, which is the album’s centrepiece; a soaring slice of über-shoegaze that is so stunning you can’t take your eyes or ears off it. Like all the songs on the album, it’s based around a fairy-tale from the Romantic era. In this case, it’s Heinrich von Ofterdingen by the German poet, author and philosopher Novalis (other influences are: The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen; The Seven Ravens and Hans in Luck by the Brothers Grimm; Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué and The Golden Pot by E.T.A. Hoffmann), with Lars drawing parallels between the titular character’s mystical and romantic searchings and his own personal quest. This is apt as the album has been an overriding obsession for Lars for the past two-and-a-half years; as well as writing and recording the songs (bandmate Phillip Dornauer played drums), he also mixed and mastered them at his Alpine Audio studio and Picturesque is very much his Brian Wilson or Kevin Shields moment. MOLLY were in the middle of their European tour when Covid hit in early 2020, forcing Lars to retreat back to his home outside Innsbruck and giving him time and space to think about every detail of the record. “Well, I was on a quest I guess,” he admits. “Like everyone, I was stranded at home and at some point I just said to myself, ‘If not now, then when?’ It was an intense process. I’ve worked on music from other bands and artists before but producing and mixing your own music is an utterly different animal. It was probably the most intense thing I’ve ever done, but it was also incredibly rewarding and the feeling of it all coming together piece by piece is incomparable.” The artwork is just as effective. “I think of Radiohead’s OK Computer – what you hear on the record is what you see on the cover,” explains Lars. “We were inspired by what we call ‘wimmelbilder’ hidden pictures in German, a very specific style in art where there are a lot of little things happening. When you see it from further away, it looks organic like a lost painting from the area of Romanticism, but the closer you look the more digital it gets. It’s a nice analogy.” He’s right, it perfectly sums up the conflict between Romanticism and 21st century life. “Romanticism was basically an answer to the Industrial Revolution as well as the social and political norms of the Age Of Enlightenment,” concludes Lars. “Now, we all live in a much more industrialised, materialistic, individualistic and sterile society than any early Romanticist could have ever possibly imagined. Over 200 years later the Romanticists have lost the battle.” With the divine and downright pulchritudinous Picturesque, MOLLY begin the fightback.1.Ballerina 2.Metamorphosis 3.The Golden Age 4.Sunday Kid 5.So To Speak 6.The Lot

Featuring Andre Innes, Martin Duffy & Darren Mooney of Primal Scream. “In 2018 after a particularly messy session involving Pacharan, a Spanish version of Pernod, the name and then there were four was bandied around as my fellow travellers fell by the wayside, sounded like a Spaghetti western…and the idea was hatched. We began recording in Artesonao studios in Malaga, myself and Ed Chapman, a renowned English artist, we were ably assisted by Rachel Hewitt on violin we recorded a dozen or so tunes in a week. We recruited the services of Darrin Mooney and Martin Duffy of Primal Scream on drums and keys, Andrew Innes of Primal Scream assisted on additional guitars, celeste and bells…lots of bells. Robert McGovern came out to Malaga to play on a few tracks also. We had the voice of Justine Petty – Burrows a Canadian chanteuse to be a foil to my less than acrobatic voice. The record was a return to my favourite music of my youth, soaking up Dylan, Scott Walker, Tim Buckley, Tim Rose, Tim Hardin and the soundtracks of Morricone, like an old compilation tape from 1986” – Sheer Taft 2022 Tracklist Side One 1.And then there were four 2.Everybody's been somebody's fool 3.Gypsy river 4.After midnight 5.The sun is ours 6.Mezcal dream 7.Four ride out Side Two 1.Enemigo de todos 2.Alegria 3.Chasing down a dream 4.The ghost 5.Time 6.Requiem for Pablo 7.(There goes) A friend of mine

Mysticisms keeps the Dubplate series moving, welcoming one of the seminal Dub producers of all time in Scientist. His unique studio techniques and understanding of rhythm are exalted and present on Step It Up, an enlightening example of his genius and matched with a widescreen remix by label associate DJN4, aka DJ Normal 4, teaming up with fellow Dusseldorf producer AKI AKI, to offer a dreamland breaks-steppers anthem.
The fact that Hopeton Overton Brown aka Scientist is one of the true pioneers of Dub music is undisputed. His productions, first as an apprentice at Studio One, then breaking through whilst teamed at King Tubby's studio, led to Channel One and a series of seminal Dub masterpieces throughout the 1980s, mixing engineer Henry 'Junjo' Lawes' productions with the Roots Radics, alongside vocalists Barrington Levy, Jonny Osbourne and Jah Thomas.

Step It Up precedes, taken from the period of seminal Tubby's work with Bunny Lee and in this instance, with Barry Brown classic vocals and Lee's house band, The Aggravators, backing. As often with Reggae's history, much is disputed, however, this unmistakable Scientist production showcases Brown's high pass filters in effect, the trademark riding 4/4, utilising the 4 track mixing desk to create a joyous bounce.

Working on the license from the outset, Tim Schumacher aka DJN4, waited in the wings to dive in the desk for a modern-day remix. Partnering with up-and-coming producer Aki Vierboom (Phaserboys / Candomble), the Digi-Dance MixX is bass-quaking histrionics, a steppers meets rave culture overdose that will be heard from festivals to dancehalls, a righteous dub-breaks riddim y'all.

Step the Mystery

This incredible trio of poets, were not only musicians but Civil Rights Activists, rising up in the early 1960’s. They formed the group whilst in prison where they began performing the “spoken word” to rhythm and percussion. The last poets where born! None of this prolific music has been issued as a 7” before, great music for all good music lovers

A - “It’s a trip” - Vocal ACID JAZZ / dance gem!
Killer Track. Percussive vocals; addictive and funky. Acid jazz club classic. Dare you to keep up. Once you start, you can’t stop dancing. Such vibes. Environmental and racism-alerts messages chorused as early as 1977. You gotta listen to the words. Zeitgeist extraordinaire.

B - “Blessed are those who struggle” - Exclusive 7” cut for this vinyl release. The super funky drums of Mr Bernard Purdie, one of the best drummers in the World, if I may say so myself. Stunning.

Credit 00 is back on track with four monsters in his bag that are almost too dangerous to get unleashed. The Uncanny Valley regular from Leipzig sends us down into the electronic vortex while taking some detours to places that haven't been visited in a long time. Thanks to his DIY attitude and an open mindedness for all kinds of music, you can find traces of jungle, garage, trance or even 90s pop and gabber in this hard rocking machine funk. He's juggling with sounds and genres like no one else. It's just so much fun to listen and dance to these tunes. Indeed, there is no other...

"Island Time" is the latest album from Joel Sarakula and his first since relocating to The Canary Islands at the height of the pandemic. From his home in the UK he accepted an invitation to perform a special concert Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria in November 2020 not realising it would change his life.

"Island Time" is a collection of songs covering themes such as island life, city life, loneliness and romantic love and our relationship with nature.

Stylistically covering soft-rock, soul, disco and reggae, "Island Time" and its first single "Tragic" is broad in scope but ultimately a cohesive record, with the production focusing on a small group of musicians featuring Phil Martin (Dawn Patrol, Martin & Garp) on drums and Xav Clarke on guitar and bass. Building on his previous records "Love Club" and "Companionship", Sarakula expands his palette with a broader use of synthesizers and drum machines and makes stylistically adventurous choices such as the AOR samba of "Dinosaur" and the 70s-cod reggae inspired title track "Island Time", a tribute to escape and re-invention. Sarakula sings "Don't bother me I'm on island time, don't bother my mind once again." For any overworked and over-connected city-dweller, this plea for isolation in a tropical island is a beautiful fantasy.

"Island Time" will be released on Jan 20th, 2023 with Sarakula bringing some tropical sunshine to the freezing European winter in January and February with performances already confirmed in The Netherlands and Germany.

Booty Haul returns to Alloy Cuts with more of his Boom Bap goodness. Blending multiple choice samples and breaks, most notably the Mary Jane Girls’ “All Night Long”, to create a hip hop instrumental that sounds like it was forged in a NYC basement in the mid-90s.

This time Mr Haul draws for a ragga acapella on the A Side, clashing with the Canadian Dancehall Queen “Carla Marshall” and her 1990 hit “Champion”.

Back in stock!

Following in the footsteps of the landmark 1966 double-quartet recording by Joe Harriott and John Mayer, Indian born musician Amancio D'Silva produced some of the most adventurous and sophisticated recordings within the canon of 'indo-jazz', a term used to define a pioneering east meets west synthesis that reflected the shifting musical and cultural landscape of post-war Britain. An experiment which reached a pinnacle in 1972 with D'Silva's seminal recording Dream Sequence by Cosmic Eye (The Roundtable TRZY001), an adventurous fusion of modal jazz and Indian classical music viewed through the psychedelic lens of swinging London. Exotic third-stream jazz conceived by a visionary composer whose virtuosic technique and deeply emotive guitar playing defined his two earlier and now legendary 1969 UK jazz albums Integration and Hum Dono with Joe Harriott, both recorded for the much celebrated Lansdowne label.

Also recorded in 1972 although not released at the time was Konkan Dance, an unofficial sequel to Dream Sequence that further explored the unchartered possibilities of an Indian music-jazz fusion. Featuring many of the same personnel, this session also included support from Don Rendell and Alan Branscombe, two giants of the UK jazz scene who add serious credentials to D'Silva's singular and intimate compositions. For reasons unknown the album was cancelled by Lansdowne at the time and never saw the light of day until being resurrected again in the 2000s. The Roundtable are pleased to once again showcase this important artist and present a new addition of this incredible and almost forgotten piece of the Amancio D'Silva story. Pressed on 180g vinyl and packaged in a custom 1960s-style flip-back sleeve.

Unreleased British Jazz from 1972.
Sequel to Cosmic Eye - Dream Sequence
Includes liner notes and rare photos.
Custom Flipback sleeve.
180g Vinyl

The mysterious hill producer makes a sensational comeback on the cult label SKYLAX RECORDS with 4 high-flying tracks ! On this occasion, he joined forces on 2 wonderful slices of spiritual house with the legendary Detroit born Javonntte. But let's start at the beginning, on A1 we find the magic of the first releases he did under the HILL moniker, namely a punchy, borrowed and sample loving disco house via "land of funk", a whole program ! The same goes for the fantastic "Summer holidays in Rimini" which reminds us the glorious hours of the French touch, Thomas Banglater in the lead. On the B side, he delivers us with "Away" a more contemplative and sensual house with the ultra talented Javonntte, it is a real technical prowess to bring together on the same record the universes of soundstream AND Franckie Knuckles, for their fans, this 12 inch is clearly for you and the mystery remains completely unresolved. Note that on the label's bandcamp, with the purchase of the vinyl, you can get 1 exclusive bonus track : Hill « It's a jam »

(Lauer rmx)

500 copies only !

The boston duo, the mighty Soul Clap, international stars goes balearic with one of their biggest track to date, the fabulous SUENO HEBREO ! It is a great pleasure to welcome them on Skylax Records. This track is like no other, unidentified sound object in sight, imagine the happy and improbable collision of sueno latino & the ibizenco spirit & sound popularized by alfredo and you can imagine the devastating effect this 12 inch will have on the dancefloor. As a bonus, an atomic remix crafted by the master Lauer which adds an early house touch (cece peniston finally atmosphere). Close your eyes you are in 1989. No in fact you are in 2022 & these madmen compile 35 years of music in the space of 6 minutes 40 seconds. The circle is complete.

Originally released in February 2012 and receiving positive critical reception, COGNITIVE is SOEN’s phenomenal debut album. The project features co-founding members, drummer Martin Lopez (OPETH, AMON AMARTH) and vocalist Joel Ekelöf (WILLOWTREE), Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, TESTAMENT, DEATH, ICED EARTH) on bass and Kim Platbarzdis on guitars. The album was mixed by the Grammy Award-winning Canadian producer David Bottrill, who has worked with PETER GABRIEL, TOOL, SMASHING PUMPKINS and MUSE.

Described by Lopez himself as “melodic, heavy and intricate”, COGNITIVE, through its beautiful melodies, not only displays the performers’ superb technical proficiency, it also showcases the impressive and mysteriously warm vocals of Ekelöf.

Due to great public demand, SOEN will release COGNITIVE for the very first time on vinyl on January 27, 2023 via Silver Lining Music. This official SOEN-endorsed double vinyl release is complete with the bonus track “Writhen” and all of the album lyrics.

Philly’s own Chained Bliss set tongues a-waggin’ back in 2019 with their Stained Red cassette EP, gathering more than a few comparisons to the Wipers’ early racket in the process. Well, now they’re back with a debut album that seems to have skipped right ahead from Is This Real? to Over The Edge: this self-titled LP has all the gut-punching ramalama, knockabout guts’n’glory of that first tape, with added layers. Melodic guitar lines come perilously close to jangling over crunching power chords, while furiously yelped choruses give way to sumptuously put-together breakdown sections that catch you off guard and kick you in the shins before legging it down the street. Chained Bliss clearly love scrappy, skatey garage rock (echoes of Agent Orange’s Living In Darkness abound) as much as they love pushing that raucous clatter into something spacious - the meditative sections that flow effortlessly into absolute ripper Pillars Of Abuse are as unexpected as the thoughtful but head-spinningly energetic sections that bring Creative Seizure so thrillingly to life. Other times they’re just as happy to keep you careening towards the pit with two-minute bangers, but that’s the beauty of this record: it’s never smarter than when it’s playing dumb, and the rest of the time it’s just pretty damn smart. Here’s a challenge: can you listen to Ominous Life’s gnarly pop without raising those fists of yours skywards and landing a firm thump on the air? Or Drifter’s swaggering stomp? Or, or, or… ahhh hell, you get what I’m saying here. Every single cut slays, every single hook snags itself on your brain. You’ll come back for more, and more, and more. Are Chained Bliss your new favourite band? Well, gee, we’ve never met and I don’t know what you like and it’s not for me to say… but on the other hand, yes. Yes, they are. They’re heading straight for your heart and they ain’t budging. Will Fitzpatrick