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(Anil Aras, Kepler, Thoma Bulwer & Anna Wall, & Laidlaw mixes)

For a few years a while ago, Robert James was one of the hottest names in house. He ushered in the post-minimal era with colourful, accessible sounds that brought some much needed life and charm back to the scene. After disappearing for a time he returned with his debut album in May and now some of it gets some top remixes. Slapfunk's Anil Aras pumps a nice cosmic house vibe, Kepler does his tight, high tempo work and Thoma Bulwer & Anna Wall combine their skills once more on a clipped, punchy tech house version of 'Planet 90.' Laidlaw lays out some electronic drum funk with a fine version of 'Infinity' to close.

Paketo Wilson's Praise Him is a cult roots album that is hard to find on the seance hand market. When you do, it will cost you a small fortune, so this reissue will be music to the ears of fans old and new. He proved it back in 1982 with Trevor Davis under the Child of God label in just one day. It has hints of lovers' rock over the nice reggae rhythms with vocals that touch on classic themes of peace, love and unity, the trials of ghetto life and losing those close. Bobby Ellis and Headley Bennett bring mystical horns to most tunes and help make them all the more spiritual. This is positive and heartwarming reggae from a top songwriter.

Young Fathers - Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole und G. Hastings - kündigen heute ihr langerwartetes neues Album, „Heavy Heavy“, an. Das vierte Album des Trios erscheint am 3. Februar 2023 via Ninja Tune und ist ihr erstes seit „Cocoa Sugar“ von 2018. Das 10-Track-Projekt signalisiert einen erneuten Back-to-Basics-Ansatz ohne externe Produzenten, nur ein winziges Heimstudio, ein paar Geräte und Mikrofone: alles immer eingesteckt, alles immer in Reichweite. Über das Album schreibt Alloysious: „Jede Platte muss besser sein als die letzte. Das ist die Mentalität. Wenn es nicht besser wäre, würde es nicht herauskommen.“ Für ihn geht es bei diesem Album nicht einmal wirklich um die zehn Songs auf der Tracklist. Es geht darum, was mit dem Trio in den langen, verrückten Jahren seit „Cocoa Sugar“ passiert ist. „Heavy Heavy“ ist der Beweis für das, was von dieser Zeit übrig geblieben ist. Der Erfolg des Überlebens, der Exzess der Existenz. „Ich mag den Titel ‚Heavy Heavy‘, denn es ist alles plus die Küchenspüle", fügt G. hinzu. „Maximalistisch. Keine Art von Schlankheitskur. Es fühlt sich voll an, gewichtig. Und es zweimal zu sagen, macht es spielerisch.“
Für Young Fathers gibt es keinen Dresscode. Tanzen, nicht moshen. Die Hüften zucken, die Füße rutschen, das Gehirn feuert in Catherine Wheel-Sparks aus Freude und Empathie. Unterirdisch, aber nie dunkel. Immer noch jung, nach einigen Jahren, auch wenn die heavy, heavy weight of the world von Tag zu Tag zu wachsen scheint.

Red Vinyl

Young Fathers - Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole und G. Hastings - kündigen heute ihr langerwartetes neues Album, „Heavy Heavy“, an. Das vierte Album des Trios erscheint am 3. Februar 2023 via Ninja Tune und ist ihr erstes seit „Cocoa Sugar“ von 2018. Das 10-Track-Projekt signalisiert einen erneuten Back-to-Basics-Ansatz ohne externe Produzenten, nur ein winziges Heimstudio, ein paar Geräte und Mikrofone: alles immer eingesteckt, alles immer in Reichweite. Über das Album schreibt Alloysious: „Jede Platte muss besser sein als die letzte. Das ist die Mentalität. Wenn es nicht besser wäre, würde es nicht herauskommen.“ Für ihn geht es bei diesem Album nicht einmal wirklich um die zehn Songs auf der Tracklist. Es geht darum, was mit dem Trio in den langen, verrückten Jahren seit „Cocoa Sugar“ passiert ist. „Heavy Heavy“ ist der Beweis für das, was von dieser Zeit übrig geblieben ist. Der Erfolg des Überlebens, der Exzess der Existenz. „Ich mag den Titel ‚Heavy Heavy‘, denn es ist alles plus die Küchenspüle", fügt G. hinzu. „Maximalistisch. Keine Art von Schlankheitskur. Es fühlt sich voll an, gewichtig. Und es zweimal zu sagen, macht es spielerisch.“
Für Young Fathers gibt es keinen Dresscode. Tanzen, nicht moshen. Die Hüften zucken, die Füße rutschen, das Gehirn feuert in Catherine Wheel-Sparks aus Freude und Empathie. Unterirdisch, aber nie dunkel. Immer noch jung, nach einigen Jahren, auch wenn die heavy, heavy weight of the world von Tag zu Tag zu wachsen scheint.

It is recognized today that these tutelary pieces for four pianos are among the most powerful in contemporary music,their impact is almost unparalleled. After the historical version recorded forty years ago, this one, featuring four of the greatest European performers, is now regaining its full power. High level recordings too.

There was some for John Cage, then came Christian Wolff, and finally Morton Feldman, from this school in New York. Only Julius Eastman remained outside the game, the last figure, the most solitary and enigmatic - undoubtedly also one of the most powerful, and it is this power that is revealed through these recordings. In the 1970s and 1980s, Eastman was one of the very few African-Americans to gain recognition in the New York avant-garde music scene. He was politically committed, a figure of queer culture and a solar and solitary poet whose melancholy influenced his genius as well as his tragic destiny : suffering from various addictions, declared missing, actually homeless. During Winter of 1981-82, he got deported from his apartment by the police, who destroyed most of what he owned - including scores and recordings. He was found dead in 1990, on the streets of Buffalo, after years of vagrancy.

The Performers Nicolas Horvath, pianist and electroacoustic composer Nicolas Horvath is known for his boundariesless musical explorations - he has collaborated with leading contemporary composers from around the world, including Alvin Lucier, Alvin Curran and Valentyn Silvestrov - the recordings of his complete works for piano by Phil Glass made a lasting impression. He has collaborated recently with Lustmord on the Deconstruction of November by Dennis Johnson (Sub Rosa SR502: The Fall).

Melaine Dalibert, a French composer and pianist, fascinated by natural phenomena which are both expected and unpredictable, Dalibert has developed his own algorithmic procedures of composition which contain the notion of stretched time evoking Morton Feldman, minimal and introspective, adopting a unique concept of fractal series.

Stephane Ginsburgh, a tireless surveyor of the repertoire but also explorer of new music, collaborated with composers such as Philippe Boesmans, Jean-Luc Fafchamps, Stefan Prins, Frederic Rzewski and Matthew Shlomowitz of whom he premiered works, as well as with choreographers such as Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (Rosas) and recorded Feldman, Duchamp and Satie for Sub Rosa and the complete set of Prokofiev piano sonatas for Cypres. Wilhem Latchoumia, he embraces both new music and the classical repertoire with success and charisma. His two last recordings for La Dolce Volta (Prokofiev and de Falla) have been highly acclaimed by critics with a FFFF in Télérama. Winner of the Hewlett-Packard Foundation and the Montsalvatge International Piano Competition, he brilliantly won the First Prize in the 2006 Orléans International Piano Competition.

HEUT IST EIN GUTER TAG. Gegenwart mit Blick nach
vorn. Endlich. Es ist da, das neue Studioalbum: "Heut
ist ein guter Tag".
15 Songs mit geballten Fäusten und für immer Grinsen
im Gesicht. Positive Grundstimmung, ja. Aber kein
zahnloses Happy-Go-Lucky-Statement. Sondern: Wut,
Witz und WTF.
Das neue Album der DONOTS kommt zur richtigen Zeit.
Es ist nicht weniger als eine Wohltat. In ihren
besten Momenten kommt die Scheibe so nah an die
Live-Energie der Band wie keins ihrer vorherigen Alben.
An den entscheidenden Stellen aber ruht sie wie
selbstverständlich in sich und nimmt sich die Zeit, die sie
braucht, um ihre Wirkung voll zu entfalten.
HEUT IST EIN GUTER TAG verbeugt sich zeitgemäß
vor den Old School-Einflüssen der Band: Punk, Rock,
HC, Indie und Pop. Dabei hebt die Platte jedoch alle
Trademarks der DONOTS elegant auf das nächste
Level. Keine Wiederholungen, keine Kompromisse.
Natürlich wurden sämtliche Spielarten der klassischen
DONOTS Sportgitarre ausgelotet. Doch was auf früheren
Platten ähnlich, aber besser zu finden war, wurde sofort
verworfen.
So entstand in liebevoller Kleinarbeit ein Meilenstein der
Bandgeschichte. HEUT IST EIN GUTER TAG ist eine
weitere erfolgreiche Zusammenarbeit mit Produzent und
Bandfreund Kurt Ebelhäuser, der schon für Alben wie
"Coma Chameleon" und "Lauter als Bomben"
verantwortlich zeichnete. Beim Mixing der Platte sorgte
das Jungtalent Michel Wern verlässlich dafür, dass HEUT
IST EIN GUTER TAG bei aller Vielfalt wie aus einem
Guss klingt

Zu ihrer letzten Tour pilgerten insgesamt mehr als 130.000 Fans, die Tour für 2019 ist bereits
angekündigt und die Jubiläums-Show in der Berliner Wuhlheide im August 2019 mit 17.000
Besuchern, war nach nur 20 Tagen restlos ausverkauft. Ihre Musikvideos zählen über 350 Mio. Views
auf YouTube, Sie spielen unzählige Headliner-Slots auf allen großen Festivals und halten den Status,
als eine der erfolgreichsten deutschen Bands im Streaming-Bereich. Die letzten beiden Alben sind
bereits vergoldet und mehrere Singles haben Gold- und Platinstatus erreicht. In den
Mainstream-Medien bleiben Vincent und Dag dabei, zum Teil ganz bewusst, weitestgehend unter dem
Radar. In der großen Vielfalt, des am 1. März erscheinenden Albums - Die Unendlichste Geschichte'
ist das Lied - Unikat' tatsächlich ein Einzelstück. Der beinah klassische Pop-Song trägt eine Botschaft,
die für SDP eine besondere Bedeutung hat und zeigt erneut die emotionale Seite des Musikduos.
Gerade in heutigen Zeiten, in denen der Erfolgs- und Anpassungsdruck, besonders auf junge
Menschen, enorm hoch ist, sind solche Songs wichtig. Unikat rundet den famosen Genre-Wahnsinn
des Albums perfekt ab.

Anfang Februar 2023 legt Knorkator nach: Nummer 5 von 10

Der amerikanische Sozialpsychologe und Professor für Psychologie am Knox College in Galesburg Frank T. McAndrew behauptet, dass sich mit zunehmendem Alter die Fähigkeit des Gehirns verschlechtert, subtile Unterschiede zwischen Akkorden, Rhythmen und Melodien zu machen. Die Alten raunten stets, dass sie mit moderner Musik nichts anzufangen wissen. Darum hat sich Knorkator entschieden, dem vorrangig alten Publikum auch das vor 15 Jahren erschienene 'Das nächste Album aller Zeiten' als großartig klingendes, herausragend anzusehendes Vinyl zu veröffentlichen.

Erstmalige Veröffentlichung des 2005 in Sao Paulo vor einem frenetischen Publikum aufgenommenen legendären Livealbums auf Vinyl.
Das 27 Songs umfassende Konzert bietet nicht nur sämtliche Klassiker sondern auch selten live gespielte Stücke und zählt bis heute zu den absoluten Sternstunden in der erfolgreichen Karriere der Band.
Einmalige limitierte Auflage eines 4 LP Box Sets mit Poster und von Chris Boltendahl handsigniertem Zertifikat.

Der gefeierte australische Sänger, Songwriter und The Go-Betweens Gründer Robert Forster kündigt sein achtes Soloalbum an: "The Candle And The Flame" erscheint am 3. Februar 2023 bei Tapete Records. "The Candle And The Flame" enthält neun Songs, geschrieben von Forster. Das Album wurde produziert von Forster, seiner Frau Karin Bäumler sowie Louis Forster (The Goon Sax) und gemischt von Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, PJ Harvey). Mit von der Partie sind die ehemalige Go-Betweens- und Warm Nights-Bassistin Adele Pickvance sowie Scott Bromiley und Luke McDonald (The John Steele Singers), der auch auf Forsters Alben "Inferno" und "Songs To Play" gespielt hat. Großartige, zutiefst inspirierte Musik entsteht manchmal ganz unerwartet - in richtig schwierigen Zeiten, aber manchmal auch in Zeiten größter Zufriedenheit. 2021 hatte Robert Forster eine Reihe von Songs fertig, die er in den vergangenen drei Jahren geschrieben hatte. Diese sollten die Grundlage seines neuen Albums bilden. Die Songs waren stark und emotional wie aus einem Guss. Selbst der Autor war überrascht: Sie boten eine neue Perspektive, waren persönlicher und erzählten von den Menschen, die ihm am nächsten standen. Es gab noch ein weiteres Songfragment - nur Musik und Melodie, noch ohne Text. Da Robert zeitgleich an seinem ersten Roman arbeitete, eilte es nicht. Die neuen Songs konnten auch noch eine Weile warten. Doch das Leben stellte ihn plötzlich vor ganz neue Herausforderungen: Im Juli 2021 erhielt Roberts Frau Karin Bäumler, mit der er auch gemeinsam Musik macht, die Diagnose Eierstockkrebs. Und so standen also erst einmal Krankenhaus, Tests und Chemotherapie auf der Agenda. Eine intensive Zeit voller Angst und Hoffnung. Wie so oft in ihrer seit 32 Jahren währenden Beziehung war Musik der Fels in der Brandung, der Zufluchtsort. "Die Aufnahmesessions für das Album fanden sporadisch über sechs Monate statt. Manchmal nur ein oder zwei Tage im Monat. Das war alles, was Karins Kraft und ihr Zustand zuließen. Wir mussten also "live" aufnehmen, magische Momente einfangen und auf "Gefühl" setzen. Und das ist der Sound des Albums geworden", sagt Robert.

Our first vinyl release of 2023 sees two classic tracks from Groove Park take centre stage. Hit The Bang and Carrousel first came to the fore in 1995 as separate releases and, after a few solid remixes, our Bonzai Classics imprint resurrected both tracks along with top-notch remixes in 2002. 21 years later we bring to you the original versions of both tracks on glorious 12” vinyl. André Strässer and Sharam Jey aka Sharam Nickjey Khososi make up the dynamic duo that is Groove Park. They were also the brains behind massive projects such as 16C+, Three n One and Johnny Shaker to name just a few. The tracks found a unique place in clubland, having a diverse structure that spanned genres flawlessly. The A side features Hit The Bang with its hybrid progressive/techno flow. The relentless bass groove, distinct voices and stabbing synths gave rise to a powerful, energetic and mesmerizing moment that lives on. On the flip, Carrousel takes up the B1 slot opening with that infectious woodblock sequence alongside pumping kick drums. A groovy bassline joins the party as old skool pianos come through. The track reels us in with many twists and turns, from wide, epic progressive parts to energetic trance, all wrapped up in a warm, nostalgic glow. A proper piece of dance music history and a must for the serious collector.

(feat Demarkus Lewis/Come Correct mixes)

Although he's been releasing music since the tail end of the noughties, it's a while since vinyl lovers got the chance to hear fresh material from Trevor Vichas. This surprise 12" for the fast-rising Purveyor Underground Ltd label is therefore a welcome surprise. On title track 'Miss Nice' Vichas wraps jazzy guitar, keys and vocal samples around a chunky, loopy, filter-sporting deep house groove. Demarkus Lewis successfully takes the track up a notch or two on his accompanying remix, before Vichas doffs a cap to the jazz-fired Chicago boompty sounds of Greens Keepers and Mike Dixon on 'Monday Jazz'. The Come Connect mix of that track, which rounds off the EP, is a pleasingly bumpy, bass-heavy and energetic revision that's crying out for peak-time plays.

Nach der Veröffentlichung von "Acoustic Adventures -
Volume One", besteht der Großteil des zweiten Kapitels
aus schnelleren Stücken wie 'Black Sheep', dem
Allzeit-Live-Klassiker 'FullMoon' und 'Flag In The Ground'.
Aber SONATA ARCTICA wären nicht SONATA ARCTICA,
wenn sie auf Nummer sicher gehen würden: 'San
Sebastian' oder der Abschlusstrack 'Victoria's Secret'
schaffen es, ein völlig neues, erfrischendes Gefühl beim
Hörer zu verbreiten; ein Gefühl, das man natürlich am
besten vor einer Bühne erleben kann! Um diese
besondere Saga zu vollenden und endlich den
Startschuss für ihre nächste, mehrfach verschobene
"Acoustic Adventures"-Tour zu feiern, um die
Corona-geschüttelten finnischen und europäischen
Festland-Gemüter zu erheben. Aber erst einmal: Kommt
ins Wohnzimmer, lehnt euch zurück und folgt SONATA
ARCTICA auf ihrer abgespeckten, aber nicht minder
spannenden Reise in die Welt der akustischen Musik...!

Mit Red Bull Symphonic stellten sich die beiden
Musiker gemeinsam mit Christian Kolonovits
erstmals der Herausforderung, ihre Songs mit
klassischer Musik zu verschmelzen. Der Dirigent
arrangierte dabei die größten Hits von Seiler und
Speer neu. Das Ergebnis dieser außergewöhnlichen
Vereinigung präsentierten sie im Februar dieses
Jahres live gemeinsam mit ihrer Band, dem Max
Steiner Orchester und Gästen im Wiener
Konzerthaus.
Mit dabei sind auch die Crossover-Stücke
"Herr Inspektor" mit dem Wiener Kammerchor
sowie "Principessa" mit Geigen-Virtuosin Lidia
Baich. Der Gastauftritt von Sopranistin Juliette
Khalil mit der Einlage von "Ruaf Mi Ned Au" beim
Song "Ala bin" darf natürlich auch nicht fehlen. Die
klassische Version des Überhits "Ham Kummst"
setzt dem Live-Album die Krone auf.

Superb 170 BPM freetekno acid EP from Stannik and Miltatek.
East France dancefloor killer Milytatek delivers here 2 collabs and 2 solos.
Underground Spaces, the first tune is a 170 BPM chanting acid. Superb.
Troubles Auditifs, the second tune, brings a 166 BPM nostalgic at the core-limit track, melodious acid Electronica sensitive music...

La Colère De La Meute, solo track from Miltatek is a twirling loops tune supported by an icy acid thrumpet. The kick is a loud bassy thing, stable tune with no crazy excitation. Nice one !
For the finish, Miltatek brings Eternity. Once again a stable tune more based on a melody rather than on high acid ear-killer. Nostalgic on the tone,.. Super dancefloor on the kick... and icy Acid on the pickles :)

BIG ONE !!

‘SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN’: A COLLECTIVE ANTHEM OF SOLIDARITY.

‘RIDING HIGH (ON YOUR LOVE)’: AN ECSTATIC EULOGY TO SUMMER DANCE FLOORS.

CRISP SUN SHIMMERS THROUGH BRITTLE BLUE SKY.

THE WORLD AWAKENS FROM ANOTHER BLEAK COLD WINTER.

YET MILLIONS STILL SUFFER WHILE OUR LEADERS LAUGH AT US.

AMF - HERE TO BRING JOY AND HOPE.

DJ Support -
Patrick Topping ‘You have nailed that vibe’
Sasha ‘Big Stuff’
Totally enormous Extinct Dinosaurs ‘Great Sample!’, Mr V Cool vibes on this pack’
Auntie Flo ‘Nice One’
Mousse T ‘Useful goodies’

Radio Support -
Danny Howard, Sarah Story

Arkada records is excited to announce our 4th release - forthcoming split vinyl EP featuring the sounds of ADJ & Adrien d’Elzius.

We are very happy to present the first part of the EP with the unique sounds of one of the pioneering artists in the UK underground Electro scene, the label owner of Pyramid Transmissions - ADJ

ADJ originates from and is based in London. He has been playing Underground Electronic Music for over 35 years as a DJ, starting in the days of Early Electro and Hip Hop. He has also been producing and releasing music for 25 years, releasing over 200 tracks in this time on a plethora of labels including Touchin Bass,For Those That Knoe, Another Perspective, Ai, Outside, Cultivated Electronics,Yellow Machines, Crobot Muzik, Diffuse Reality, Netlabel ,Digital Distortions and more...has done remixes for Flint Kids, Scanone, LASynthesis, Carl Finlow, Fleck Esc, Arsonist Recorder , Paul Hierophant to name a few.

He has run the Pyramid Transmissions Record label with label partner Pathic for 20 years and also ran the Analogique record label for 5 years from 1995-2000 releasing Techno, Electro and Electronica as 3 Elements.
ADJ also performed his first LIVE set in a few years in March 2020 MUTABOR in Moscow.

As a DJ, he has played at many festivals including a BLOC residency, Glastonbury For BLOC, Bestival, Shambala, Infiltrate at WMC Miami. 2019 saw another tour of the US with Silicon Scally,Ben Milstein, EVAC, Ion Driver and 214. He also runs the Dodo Club and Frequency Resonate(with Errorbeauty) nights in London and Berlin aswell as playing in Lille, Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg Berlin,Zagreb,Athens, Napoli, Brussels, Budapest, Vienna, Valencia, Sofia, Paris and many more..

Second part of our EP presents the futuristic glitched-out sounds of the one of a kind Belgium producer Adrien d’Elzius also known under his allies HosmOz.

Adrien d’Elzius was born in the gloomy south of Belgium spending his youth hanging around in a camping and listening to Hip Hop, he started his life in a mess of paradox. At 10, he learned to play drums under his punk’s brother regard, and experimented different kind of rock until 18. That’s where someone showed him a track of Aphex Twin, who blew his mind and made him believe he had finally found the music that suited him. From there, he compulsively spend hours playing around with his computer and slowly made himself a place in the very small community of underground music lover of Brussels under the nickname hosmOz after winning a contest. From his melodic and acidic drill’n’bass beginning, his sound slowed down and got darker, challenging himself to try to create something he couldn’t before. He recently re-released his Lp on Diffuse Reality that make it available on physical form and also his debut album on Burial Soil with remixes by Umwelt and Lloyd Stellar.

The masters of the release are kindly made by Thomas Dunstan. Artwork made by our amazing designer Lawrence Cli

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

"One Day" ist eines der energiegeladensten und komplexesten Alben der kanadischen Hardcore-Legende Fucked Up, obwohl es nur 10 Songs enthält. Fucked Up waren in der Vergangenheit eher für ihre epischen Auswüchse bekannt, von gewaltigen Konzept-Alben bis hin zu 12-stündigen Konzerten - es mag also überraschen, dass ihr sechstes Studio-Album ihr bisher kürzestes ist, geschrieben und aufgenommen innerhalb eines einzigen Tages - was dem Album auch den Titel gab. Man sollte nun aber nicht Spiellänge mit Substanz verwechseln: Der Sound der Band ist nur noch größer geworden, noch härter, mit noch dichterem Melodie-Dickicht. Das Album klingt vollmundig und unmittelbar, mit Musik, die brutal und leidenschaftlich rüberkommt, so wie sie nur Fucked Up machen können. Die Gitarren klingen gigantisch und die musikalische Abenteuerlust, die das epische, üppige "Dose Your Dreams" von 2018 kennzeichnete, ist auch hier sehr präsent. "One Day" ist ein unbestreitbares Werk der Zuversicht von einer Band, die weiterhin auf höchstem Niveau agiert und Musik macht, die garantiert ein Leben lang, und darüber hinaus, hält.

Clear Vinyl

"One Day" ist eines der energiegeladensten und komplexesten Alben der kanadischen Hardcore-Legende Fucked Up, obwohl es nur 10 Songs enthält. Fucked Up waren in der Vergangenheit eher für ihre epischen Auswüchse bekannt, von gewaltigen Konzept-Alben bis hin zu 12-stündigen Konzerten - es mag also überraschen, dass ihr sechstes Studio-Album ihr bisher kürzestes ist, geschrieben und aufgenommen innerhalb eines einzigen Tages - was dem Album auch den Titel gab. Man sollte nun aber nicht Spiellänge mit Substanz verwechseln: Der Sound der Band ist nur noch größer geworden, noch härter, mit noch dichterem Melodie-Dickicht. Das Album klingt vollmundig und unmittelbar, mit Musik, die brutal und leidenschaftlich rüberkommt, so wie sie nur Fucked Up machen können. Die Gitarren klingen gigantisch und die musikalische Abenteuerlust, die das epische, üppige "Dose Your Dreams" von 2018 kennzeichnete, ist auch hier sehr präsent. "One Day" ist ein unbestreitbares Werk der Zuversicht von einer Band, die weiterhin auf höchstem Niveau agiert und Musik macht, die garantiert ein Leben lang, und darüber hinaus, hält.

‘Living Rooms’ is a full-blooded debut of rich, playful, experimental pop from the artist Fe Salomon – full of unabashedly big songs and sumptuously big sounds. Fe’s soulful and arresting lead vocals weave amongst soaring strings and big band brass sections; clattering percussion and disjunctive rhythms; dirty electro synth and butchered guitar. A collaboration with producer and contemporary classical composer Johnny Parry, ‘Living Rooms’ is a true pop album with a distinct, exuberant and deeply generous sound.

Born in Northampton, Fe moved to London at 18 for a place at Theatre College; but soon left to concentrate on music and songwriting, falling quickly into the Camden music scene, and earning her a prolific career as a singer. Building on her diverse musical background and honing her unusual sonic style, this album has been percolating at the back of Fe’s mind for a long time. The perfect storm of personal and external factors thus created the moment to make it. ‘Living Rooms’ tells stories of multiple lives lived and lost

in the city, of friendships that meant everything and the characters you’ll never meet again, of transience and loneliness, and of getting by and moving on.

At the forefront of the album is an organic and fiercely honest lead vocal performance. However, Fe permits her voice to be twisted and distorted into the fabric of the instrumentation. The un-doctored lead vocals are frequently haunted by angels and demons, created through Fe’s uninhibited willingness to this manipulation, and capturing the more visceral emotions within the expression of the human voice.

‘Living Rooms’ navigates a wide spectrum of sounds and emotions. Take album opener “Polka Dot”, a track that mixes emotive vocals with an avant-garde alt/pop production to conjure a cut as stylish as it is shrouded in shadowy mystique. A track “about mourning innocence, and the darkness that’s picked up along the way, with an ‘up yours’ sarcastic tone, and not wanting to grow old”, it sets the scene for a twisting collection that up-ends expectations at every opportunity.

Elsewhere, the chunky hooks of “Super Human”, the sci-fi/country/big band of “Wired of Caffeine”, or the intimately sung vocals and Vaughan-Williams-esque string sections of “Taxicabs”, all contribute to an album that evolves like a rich and constantly surprising tapestry.

Although the conception of the album was a frenzy of wild experimentation. The album is faithful too, and celebratory of many joyous pop traditions; but searches for ways to reinterpret the familiar. And no less so than on the off-kilter centre-piece “Quintessential England”. Through wry lyricism and vivid imagination, the track paints a lucid, if lonely, depiction of a life lived out in the sticks; one that ultimately arrives at the conclusion that perhaps “the grass isn’t always greener”.

Gifted with the kind of superpowers that have blessed Alison Goldfrapp with her unwavering glam-pop allure and Stevie Nicks with that invincible soul, Fe Salomon’s empowering first release will prove she’s cut from the same cloth and ready to be your newest musical hero.

The last album of Dead Cat In a Bag on vinyl! 180g + downloadcode.

"Do you know it? Ennio Morricone, Nick Cave, Mark Lanegan, Tom Waits and Zach Condon walk into the bar, and there are all the seats occupied by the Dead Cat In A Bag musicians. Really." - this is how Jarek Szubrycht started the review of the last album of the Italian group Dead Cat In Bag in Gazeta Wyborcza. And he was right. Really.
Yes! Dead Cat In A Bag is back! They are back with a new album "We've Been Through".

After exploring several so called Neo-Folk regions, flirting with Folk Noir, mostly with Traditional Folk in a modern perspective, for example Americana to Tex-Mex and Balkan Music to Alternative Country, on this third record the ensemble drifts to a cinematic landscape, focusing on the theme of overcoming.

We've Been Through puts together World Music elements incorporating an almost soundtrack experience for a journey into both Day and Night, Hope and Disillusionment and telling stories of broken romances and shipwrecks.

Utilizing banjo and theatrical vocal delivery, together with with classic and odd instruments, the band remap the original charts but still set sail the desired destinations. And if, about the previous records, critics were prone to recall the prowess of Waits, Cave, Lanegan, Cash and Tindersticks, this time it will be harder to name the grandfathers.
Now there is a Morricone (or was it Badalamenti?) guiding spirit and a dreamlike universe full of memories, from the dry electric blues of a stream of consciousness duet in Duet For Nothing to the unexpected crooning vocals provided by Liam McKahey (CousetauX) in Lost Friends (a banjo droven dirge dealing with electronics and a bassoon, with steal percussions and a music saw for a frame), from the rendition of the traditional Wayfaring Stranger, balancing between electric guitars and Bluegrass, to the intimate cover of Leonard Cohen's Hunter's Lullaby, from the rock-(swamp)blues of The Cat Is Dead (enriched by Italian bass hero Gianni Maroccolo, from Litfiba and C.S.I.) to the soft meloncholy of the string quartet in Between Day And Night, from the dark cabaret of Fiddler, The Ship Is Sinking to the soft porch song, between Willard Grant Conspiracy and Kris Kristofferson, of the final title track.
You can hear a shrawn and a blues harp, whispers and choirs, love and dudgeon as the record goes. This is the sound of an orchestra playing on a sinking ship: what else could a fiddler do? And what can we do, in the end?

There’s a line on Honey, the latest album from Nashville-via-NYC songwriter Samia, about Aspen Grove, a collection of 40,000 trees in the plains of North America, all connected by a single expansive root system. There’s no stronger metaphor for the audience the 25-year-old empathy engine has been generating since she began releasing music seven years ago. Her songs, her fans, her friends: one enormous, interconnected ecosystem. Honey, comprised of eleven new moments of catharsis, is by and for that organism. Set for release on January 23rd 2023 via Grand Jury Music, the album was recorded at North Carolina studio Betty’s –- owned and operated by Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sandborn and Amelia Meath, frequent touring partners of Samia’s. It was produced by Caleb Wright, part of the team that helmed Samia’s breakthrough 2020 debut The Baby, and a founding member of one of Samia’s favorite bands, The Happy Children. It features some of her nearest and dearest friends: Christian Lee Hutson, Briston Maroney, Jake Luppen, Raffaella. Its songs were surreptitiously road tested for her devotees while opening for Lucy Dacus, Courtney Barnett, and more. The end result is what Samia calls simply “a real community record.”

There’s a line on Honey, the latest album from Nashville-via-NYC songwriter Samia, about Aspen Grove, a collection of 40,000 trees in the plains of North America, all connected by a single expansive root system. There’s no stronger metaphor for the audience the 25-year-old empathy engine has been generating since she began releasing music seven years ago. Her songs, her fans, her friends: one enormous, interconnected ecosystem. Honey, comprised of eleven new moments of catharsis, is by and for that organism. Set for release on January 23rd 2023 via Grand Jury Music, the album was recorded at North Carolina studio Betty’s –- owned and operated by Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sandborn and Amelia Meath, frequent touring partners of Samia’s. It was produced by Caleb Wright, part of the team that helmed Samia’s breakthrough 2020 debut The Baby, and a founding member of one of Samia’s favorite bands, The Happy Children. It features some of her nearest and dearest friends: Christian Lee Hutson, Briston Maroney, Jake Luppen, Raffaella. Its songs were surreptitiously road tested for her devotees while opening for Lucy Dacus, Courtney Barnett, and more. The end result is what Samia calls simply “a real community record.”

Newly mastered to vinyl from original BYG tapes. Lacquers cut by Alchemy Mastering at AIR STUDIOS. Insert with exclusive liner notes by author, journalist and BYG-authority Kevin Le Gendre. CD: Original 1969 BYG album. Digitally mastered from original BYG tapes by Nick Robbins. 16-pages booklet with photos & exclusive liner notes by author and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. *** Florida-born saxophonist, composer, poet, actor and playwright Archie Shepp was one of the most articulate exponents of politicized black culture in the late ‘60s, a time of enormous upheaval and radical thought. Relocating to Paris he made a number of highly influential albums, such as Blasé, that broached the essential themes of freedom and racial equality, and tapped into the bedrock of African-American music. Gospel and blues were a major part of the work, which also had a strong avant-garde sensibility. The band featured stellar vocalist Jeanne Lee and members of Art Ensemble Of Chicago. These trailblazing artists who combined jazz, poetry and radical politics made a definitive musical statement. “This re-mastered version of a seminal album still has great musical and emotional power... “ Kevin Le Gendre, 2022

Three O’Clock High war eine unkonventionelle Interpretation einer Highschool-Komödie der 80er Jahre.
Der Film, bei dem Phil Joanou (U2’s Rattle and Hum, State of Grace, Final Analysis) stilvoll Regie führte,
erinnert mehr an Scorsese als an John Hughes und zeigt Casey Siemaszko in der Hauptrolle als Streber,
der sich nach der Schule mit einem psychopathischen Tyrannen (gespielt von Richard Tyson) herumschlagen muss. Der Film wurde auf Heimvideos zum Kulthit, wozu auch die stimmungsvolle, dynamische und
pulsierende Musik der deutschen Synthpop-Legenden Tangerine Dream (Sorcerer, Thief, Risky Business)
beitrug.
Regisseur Joanou wollte die Band unbedingt für den Film engagieren und war überglücklich, als sie zusagten:
”Die Berliner Sessions mit Edgar Froese und Paul Haslinger waren ein wahr gewordener (Tangerine-)Traum”,
schreibt er in den neuen Linernotes zu dieser Veröffentlichung. ”In ihrem Studio direkt an der Berliner
Mauer arbeiteten wir mehrere Wochen lang an jedem einzelnen Stück... Was sie einem Keyboard, aber
auch Gitarren, Bass und Schlagzeug entlocken konnten, war einfach unglaublich. Ich war wie weggeblasen.”
Die 15 Tracks von Tangerine Dream werden durch zusätzliche Musik von Sylvester Levay (als die Filmemacher
mehr Cues brauchten und es sich nicht leisten konnten, nach Berlin zurückzukehren) und den bekannten
Song von Jim Walker, ”Something to Remember Me By”, ergänzt.

The Arcs haben ihre Rückkehr mit ”Electrophonic Chronic” angekündigt, einem neuen Studioalbum, das
am 27. Januar über Dan Auerbachs Label Easy Eye Sound erscheinen wird. Es ist das erste Album der
Gruppe seitdem von der Kritik hochgelobten ”Yours, Dreamily” aus dem Jahr 2015. Das neue Album
wurde von Leon Michels und Auerbach co-produziert und größtenteils mit ihrem Bandkollegen Richard
Swift aufgenommen, bevor dieser 2018 verstarb. Musikalisch entstand ”Electrophonic Chronic” aus der
gemeinsamen Obsession der Band fürs Aufnehmen und ”Crate-Digging” alter Vinyl-Schallplatten, wovon
eine Vielzahl von Inspirationen einflossen, darunter Vintage Soul, Old School Garage und der Space-AgePop der 1960er Jahre.
”Electrophonic Chronic” enthält die komplette Originalbesetzung von The Arcs: Dan Auerbach, Leon
Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss und Richard Swift. Das Album wurde in Nashville - in Auerbachs Easy Eye Sound Studio - und in New York bei Electric Lady und Leon Michels’ Diamond Mine
aufgenommen. Das Cover des Albums wurde von El Oms illustriert, dessen Werke auch das Cover des
2015 erschienenen Debüts ”Yours, Dreamily” zieren. Wie vieles bei ”Electrophonic Chronic ” ist es eine
Hommage an Swift, ihren zu früh verstorbenen Bandkollegen und Bruder.

The Arcs haben ihre Rückkehr mit ”Electrophonic Chronic” angekündigt, einem neuen Studioalbum, das
am 27. Januar über Dan Auerbachs Label Easy Eye Sound erscheinen wird. Es ist das erste Album der
Gruppe seitdem von der Kritik hochgelobten ”Yours, Dreamily” aus dem Jahr 2015. Das neue Album
wurde von Leon Michels und Auerbach co-produziert und größtenteils mit ihrem Bandkollegen Richard
Swift aufgenommen, bevor dieser 2018 verstarb. Musikalisch entstand ”Electrophonic Chronic” aus der
gemeinsamen Obsession der Band fürs Aufnehmen und ”Crate-Digging” alter Vinyl-Schallplatten, wovon
eine Vielzahl von Inspirationen einflossen, darunter Vintage Soul, Old School Garage und der Space-AgePop der 1960er Jahre.
”Electrophonic Chronic” enthält die komplette Originalbesetzung von The Arcs: Dan Auerbach, Leon
Michels, Nick Movshon, Homer Steinweiss und Richard Swift. Das Album wurde in Nashville - in Auerbachs Easy Eye Sound Studio - und in New York bei Electric Lady und Leon Michels’ Diamond Mine
aufgenommen. Das Cover des Albums wurde von El Oms illustriert, dessen Werke auch das Cover des
2015 erschienenen Debüts ”Yours, Dreamily” zieren. Wie vieles bei ”Electrophonic Chronic ” ist es eine
Hommage an Swift, ihren zu früh verstorbenen Bandkollegen und Bruder.

2020. The year of the corona-pandemic, when the music world was forced into a standstill, five old friends put in motion an old idea that had been lingering - and what eventually was to become a new band and powerhouse: The Halo Effect.
The members of The Halo Effect are not only masters of their domain, but also some of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodeath scene; Lead guitarists and melodic deathslingers Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad, lead singer and raging growler and lyricist Mikael Stanne, further on adding to this mix is the solid backbone and foundation of power bassist Peter Iwers, and his partner in crime since twenty plus years, hard-hitting drummer Daniel Svensson.
Knowing each other from an early age during the late 80’s and then playing together in different constellations during the 90’s, they came to dominate the Metal scene in Gothenburg - mainly being part of the two major bands and metal exports In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, also two of the pioneers and major forces behind the melodeath monicker: The Gothenburg Sound. A sound that would echo far and wide across the world and influence countless of metal bands during the 90’s and early 2000’s.This was also the initial thought behind The Halo Effect - to go back to the roots and
explore what the groundbreaking metal sounded like then. And add the experience and skills of what the members could bring to the table now. The result is an exceptional album and real tour de force to fans of melodeath where the echoes of the Gothenburg Sound is evident. The Halo Effect delivers the goods in a brutally efficient display of heart pounding beats, melodic mayhem and furious growling at its best. Raw, yetmelodic, and in your melted face.Buckle up and remove your ear plugs. The restrictions are being lifted, the pandemic is over, and The Halo Effect is finally ready to meet its audience all over the world.

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

1000 black vinyl LPs. London-based ‘indie-supergroup’ SUEP announce their long-awaited debut mini-album Shop, a collection of 6 oddball, car-boot-sale pop songs with a sprinkling of theatrical storytelling. Led by Georgie Stott (of Porridge Radio, Garden Centre) and Josh Harvey, SUEP was born out of a near-decade of playing in sheds and barns with like minded personnel, holding a mutual love for Paul McCartney, Jona Lewie, the B-52s, Devo and other performative freaks enjoying themselves. Following a move to London from Brighton, the pair added George Nicholls (The GN Band, Joanna Gruesome, The Tubs), Will William Deacon (PC World, Garden Centre), and Ollie Chapman (Boil King) to the line-up. The 5 piece take turns writing songs and taking the lead vocal duties in a wonderfully playful but coherent collaboration, with their debut being a kaleidoscopic off kilter pop ride, taking the listener through haunted castles, deprived encounters, days lost to the imagination in bed, and through the integral friendships that give SUEP the energy to keep dancing to their own beat. The album was arranged and recorded in the Red Lion Boys Club, an ex-youth centre in which Georgie and Josh both lived. Using equipment collected by Josh in his travels as a bootsale and market trader, the sports hall was transformed into a makeshift studio for a few days, with sessions conducted by producer Matthew Green (Sniffany & The Nits, The Tubs, etc.) Mark Riley (BBC 6 Music) described SUEP’s debut single and album opener, ‘Domesticated Dream’ (2021) as “perfect pop music.” The joyfully kitsch track brims with a 70s Yamaha disco beat, deep bass, nostalgic drum machines, and hooky melodies. Possibly the most psychedelic and infectious track born out of lockdown, it tackles homelife, drinking too much, and making big plans that never come to fruition, but with a big technicoloured positivity for the future of the human-race, with the chorus’ refrain, “the psychedelic 4000s,” predicting the return of the psychedelic Age of Aquarius in a couple of millennia time. The following single ‘Misery’ (2021) is pure cosmic swing-pop wizardry in part inspired by spy music and The Supremes. Ollie, The track’s baritone vocalist, describes it as “A love song disguised as a song about loss. It's about cherishing the things that matter but it’s also about having the courage to say goodbye,” with each line of the song a small story about a different character. Whilst latest Shop taster ‘In Good Health’ is darkly euphoric like a pleasantly strange meeting of Siouxsie Sioux and Jona Lewie. It’s a playfully discombobulating mix of 80s jangly guitar, chirpy keyboard and moody post-punk tackling mental health, drug addiction, and the power of friendship, written after the song’s vocalist Georgie came out of hospital following a mental health crisis. “I wanted to write a song that encapsulated how important my relationships with my friends and boyfriend were at that time” she explains “…and one that also felt dark like I did at the time. I couldn’t go outside due to anxiety surrounding my health so I stayed inside for weeks. People would visit and watch films with me or let me tattoo them or make music with me. My community helped me recover.” Elsewhere on Shop is ‘Just The Job’ fronted by Harvey and described by him as “About the relief of accepting a menial existence, and allowing life to be boring - but (within that) how the small things are the important ones, how pulling a sicky or extra long lunch break are important things to do for yourself. It’s an anthem for working people who’ve had enough - and a crowd favourite at SUEP gigs. The darker undertones and post-punk angles of the Georgie-fronted ‘Onions’ is inspired by the crapness of cliques, with the band calling the song “A cry of welcome to all;” and finally the hooky ‘Friend of Mine,’ described as “A love letter to all the people that come and go throughout your life no matter how long you know them”. SUEP have received coverage in Independent & Clash, (among many others), with big support from Mark Riley and Steve Lamacq (BBC 6 Music) for early singles.

Cacophony is the second Rudimentary Peni album. Released after the band returned from their first hiatus following a series of personal events that changed the band forever. The thirty track LP keeps turning heads 34 years after its release. Far from writing another “Death Church” the band embarked on a truly bizarre quest - to record an album based on the life and writings of horrors absolute king H.P. Lovecraft. A dense cacophony of total free songwriting. Dark, gothic, intricate, unexpected head-scratching punk. The short bursts of music twist and turn at every corner - the vocals are part classic Blinko and part spoken word, the guitar is full of distorted awkward tones and the very inventive bass and drums are locked together creating a truly unique album. Cacophony is the benchmark of outsider Punk and the influence and cult nature of this album grows with every passing year. This reissue stays close to the original version, with Nick Blinko’s incredible cover art, including a 11” x 11” 8-page lyric booklet.

By now Nicola Loporchio aka Nico Lahs has a discography that has become respected and sought after among DJs and music lovers in dance music across the globe.

Whether it be deep, atmospheric, jackin' or jazz-flecked deep house, it's all firmly rooted in house music tradition, something that Nico Lahs masters with ease.
With releases on labels like Moods & Grooves, Delusions Of Grandeur, Ovum, HotMix, Adeem plus many more, he shows no sign in slowing down either.

Ancestors Call is a musical story told in two parts. Filled with melodic and spiritual deep house, sitting somewhere between classic deep house and the spiritual end of house royalty Ron Trent's output.

Just like his previous releases Nico is a producer that has both the confidence to blend late night deep house vibes with soulful dance floor magic. It's house music that is very honest.

Ancestors Call is something you listen to from start to finish, each song building a musically expansive story.

Time for some rare late 70s soul royalty out of Memphis, Tennessee, a top rung rarity on the collector scene, Coco & Ben - Good Feelin'. Ben Robinson was recently tracked down by friends of the label Daniel Mathis and Robert Garcia, lucky for the world he was still sitting on the tapes for this slightly longer take (as well as some unreleased tracks) allowing us to cut this disco floater as a nice loud 12" for the first time, now sounding better than it ever has, don't sleep on the flip either. Utterly essential record.

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

Carlos Cipas neues Album in radikaler "Leisigkeit"
Erstaunlicherweise gibt es in unserer lärmenden Welt -
nicht nur in der deutschen Sprache - keinen Begriff für
das Gegenteil von "Lautheit". In Carlos Cipas fünftem
Album Ourselves, as we are geht es aber genau darum:
Der Pianist zelebriert auf seinem Instrument eine
"bewusste Innenschau", wie er es selbst nennt, "ein
Heranzoomen an das Objekt der Betrachtung, in diesem
Fall an sich selbst". Und dafür stellte er sich die Aufgabe:
so leise zu spielen wie möglich - eine radikale
"Leisigkeit"!
Das Ergebnis ist nichts weniger als die Entdeckung einer
neuen Klavierklangwelt. Carlos Cipa macht Leises hörbar,
Saitenklänge, Nebengeräusche seines Instruments, die
ohne technische Verstärkung kaum wahrzunehmen wären.