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Kumar, former lead singer of GRAMMY-nominated roots reggae band Raging Fyah, meets Switzerland's The 18th Parallel on this album filled with classic Roots Radics-inspired riddims and positive roots lyrics and energy. Four years in the making, going back and forth from Kingston to Geneva, TALES OF REALITY is a tribute to the golden age of Jamaican roots music done in a modern way. Kumar has recently appeared on a number of releases, including as a guest on Jesse Royal's GRAMMY-nominated ROYAL and Winta James' Gratitude Riddim EP. The 18th Parallel, based in Switzerland, is the house band for Fruits Records and recently released music"with Max Romeo, Big Youth, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Derajah, Micah Shemaiah, and Joe Yorke. The album is mixed by Tippy I and JAH David of Zion I Kings. Kumar's and Fruits Records' story together goes back to the foundation of the label in 2015. " The 18th Parallel first invited Kumar to sing on 'Pass It On' (2016). At the same time, Kumar and his band Raging Fyah were exploding on the reggae scene. A couple years later, starting his solo career, Kumar was invited to sing on Najavibes' song 'This Dust' (2019), another offspring from the Fruits Records stable. In 2020, Kumar teamed up with The 18th Parallel on 'Message In The Radio.' After three singles, Fruits Records felt the need to push the collaboration further by producing a full showcase album pairing Kumar with The 18th Parallel.

Rarely has there been a better album opener than Fun n' Frenzy, a shimmering yet abrasive mix of Subway Sect dustbin lid guitar, No Wave twitchiness, a hint of psychedelia and a crooning vocalist intoning poetic, abstract lyrics that conveyed existential menace. Continuing with Revelation, Crazy to Exist and single tracks like Sorry for Laughing, The Only Fun In Town was an extraordinary achievement - eclipsed by the groups split. It remains an early 80s high point. Those who haven't heard it should; those who have might tempted by this latest upgrade, which features remastered sound and different extras'. Josef K 'The Only Fun In Town' (Jon Savage - Mojo 2014)
Crepuscule presents a new limited coloured vinyl edition of The Only Fun In Town, the influential debut album by iconic Scottish guitar group Josef K, originally released on Postcard Records in July 1981.
500 copies only of TWI 052 have been pressed for release in 2019, with Disc 1 on black vinyl and Disc 2 on gold vinyl, matching the iconic sleeve artwork by Krysia Klasicki.
Speedily recorded in a small studio in Brussels, The Only Fun In Town was a defiantly abrasive, serrated long-player in the mould of the second Velvets album, Josef K having already shelved a more conventional recording. Sharp-edged pop singles abound - It's Kinda Funny, Sorry for Laughing, Revelation - along with rattling Haig/Ross twin guitar classics such as Fun 'n' Frenzy, Heart of Song, Forever Drone and The Angle.
The Only Fun In Town topped the independent charts on release and remains a canonical post-punk album. This remaster arrives housed in a handsome gatefold sleeve, and by way of bonus tracks also features several Postcard single A and B sides including Radio Drill Time and Chance Meeting. Side 4 features all four tracks from JoKay's celebrated John Peel Session in June 1981, including Heaven Sent and The Missionary.
'Josef K were The Sound of Young Scotland, together with Orange Juice ' (Paul Morley)

Caroline Says' haunting new album, The Lucky One, is a poignant exploration of how the ghosts of past relationships linger, sometimes holding more sway over our hearts and minds than our current connections. We revisit these ghosts through evocative landscapes of our memories - hometown bars, road trips, and late-night swims. Through a series of fractured and persistent memories these songs capture the bittersweet realization that the past, though imperfect, can sometimes be a more comforting and meaningful companion than the present. Opening track, "The Lucky One," confronts death's role in shaping our memories head-on, as it ponders the way death freezes a person in time, forcing us to confront the complexities of grief and its lasting impact on our relationship with the one we lost. Other tracks delve into the complexities of relationships that naturally grow apart as life takes us in different directions. For example, "Faded and Golden" reflects on the bittersweet nature of reunions with old friends, where the idealized memories of youth can clash with the realities of the present. Then, "Actors" takes this a step further, acknowledging the influence of perception and desire in friendships, and the idea that in many ways "all friendships are imaginary friendships," as it confronts the disappointment of inauthentic connections, and the facades we sometimes put on in relationships. "Roses" began when Caroline was looking through her grandma's collection of commemorative Kentucky Derby glasses, each one etched with the name of a winner. The song delves into the story of "Sunday Silence," the horse that won the year Caroline was born. Researching the horse's journey from near-Triple Crown glory to retirement in Japan sparked a metaphor - a pressured being (the horse) desperately trying to please but ultimately disappointing. The owners eventually selling the horse becomes a relatable symbol of unmet expectations, and the sting of falling short despite our best efforts. Album closer, "Something Good," revisits Caroline's Alabama childhood. Lost on a recent trip to Birmingham, unable to find the familiar path to a riverside hangout, the experience becomes a powerful metaphor; we can't always retrace the paths in our memories, but those memories, however unreliable, continue to shape us. In the end, The Lucky One celebrates this enduring power, acknowledging how past relationships and experiences, even those lost to the haze of time, continue to inform the stories we tell ourselves, and the way we navigate the present.

Austrian electronic music producer Peter Kalcic, better known as B.Visible, is set to release his third studio album titled "Life is my Hobby" on October 10th through his own imprint, Data Snacks.
This new album sees B.Visible continuing to blend genres, drawing inspiration from the trip-hop sounds of the 90s, the R&B of the 80s, and mellow house music. True to his signature style, he maintains a balanced mix of acoustic drum sounds, electric pianos, and shimmering synths.
Unlike his previous works, the creation process for "Life is my Hobby" extended beyond the traditional studio setting. Much of the album was crafted in his newly moved apartment and various cafes in Vienna's 5th district. His collaboration partners were close to home, literally-Anda Reverie and Silvia Ponce Marti, his upstairs and downstairs neighbors, respectively, feature as vocalists on the album.
Silvia Ponce Marti's contribution for instance is featured on the track "Ella," which addresses the sensitive issue of the hyper-sexualization of the female body in today's society. She also created a stunning mixed media video for the song, which can be viewed here.
Anda Reverie appears on the track "Bad Karma," portraying an alien questioning the moral implications of humanity's destruction. The music video for this song brings the scenario to life with dreamy environments and unsettling projections.
B.Visible describes the album's creation as guided by causality, resulting in a less experimental and more accessible sound-his closest encounter with pop music to date. Asked about the title he keeps quite. The listener is encouraged to form their own opinion from the impressions.


BIO (EN)
Viennese producer B.Visible is always pushing his craft forward, with each concept being an evolution. His music is mutating organically as each project brings novelty, but always while blending sharp electronic components with dusty acoustic layers. That duality exists in every aspect of his creative journey, with DJ sets revolving around second-hand records and modern-day productions, but also his live project offering a whole new dimension and generosity to the audience. B.Visible melts the barrier between analog and digital in a such distinctive and elegant way that it feels natural.

It has now been four years since our return to earth in "2020 back to earth". There we had found a cold and inhospitable place, humanity was inexorably channeled on the path to extinction. We therefore decided to flee immediately in search of another planet where we could dwell.
We therefore came to New Babylon, a planet inhabited by humanoids but also by monstrous and ravenous creatures. There are "giants" that march about raising immense clouds of dust, stealing and plundering everything from people. Giants much like our corporations, they know no defeat and have no weaknesses, at least apparent ones.
There are old warriors like jarek who wait for war to feel like heroes, to feel alive. They find their dimension within the battle, where the line between hero and assassin magically blurs.
There are pyramids erected by men who think they are gods and turn the things life gives them into weapons and death, changing their use and meaning. Little men who think themselves omnipotent, burying knowledge of how life works under piles of lies.
We find a myriad of slaves, surrendered to live in huge troughs. They toil at nothing and find meaning in nothing. They prefer a convenient lie to an inconvenient truth.
In short, we realize that we have arrived in a world very much like earth. We are aliens but in a certain way we feel at home. We want to know, to understand, to evolve. We don't recognize ourselves in this deceived humanity, we don't give in, we believe. Nature, life is wonderful but when one thing loses its usefulness life gently explains to it that it is time to make room for something else. This existence has already explained to the dinosaurs.
Kayleth continue their journey, never stopping because who seeks will find itself.

"New Babylon ranks next to Space Muffin as Kayleth’s best album for me and one that contains some of their best grooves of their career to date." - Outlaws Of The Sun
"Sit down and really take in We Are Aliens as it’s a joy to listen to, but are the aliens we think exist, just like us? Let Kayleth take you on their journey of discovery." - The Sleeping Shaman
"On this album the Italian five manage to translate heroism into wild and wonderful sounds, often sounding even more like a grungier, metal version of Monster Magnet, mixed with mix a definitive love for Kyuss, Orange Goblin and a prog rock outfit like Riverside." - Stoner Hive
"It’s a call to arms for the dreamers and the rebels, a reminder that no matter how dark the journey, there is always light to be found. This album is a must-listen for anyone into psych stoner rock!" - Witching Buzz
"New Babylon is a triumph. It’s an album that demands to be listened to in full, each track a journey through heavy riffs and cosmic themes." - Iron Backstage
"Listening to a piece like 'New Babylon's Wall,' you can appreciate the richness and sonic fertility of the group, with beautiful melodies enriched by the right amount of electronics, starting from a psych conception of the stoner sound, and there is no lack of prog elements, all with beautiful melodies. As mentioned earlier, a sci-fi band in both approach and essence." - InYourEyesEzine
"KAYLETH doesn't reinvent anything, but they absolutely crush it by the rules!" - Rock'N Force
"Stoner rock has rarely sounded as original, diverse and intoxicating as it does here!

Psychedelic jazz album by harpist Dorothy Ashby with lots of Eastern and African influences. Most of the tracks are really mellow and laidback with instruments such as the harp, koto, vibes... Sweet!!

"Wer hätte gewollt, dass wir eine neue Extrem-Metal-Band gründen? Nun, vielleicht tatsächlich jemand, aber das ist diesmal nicht der Fall, denn wir haben etwas ganz anderes auf dem Teller..." Die nachdenkliche Stimme gehört dem außergewöhnlichen Gitarristen Markus Vanhala (Insomnium, Omnium Gatherum). In der neuen düsteren Band CEMETERY SKYLINE wird Vanhala von Keyboarder Santeri Kallio (Amorphis), Schlagzeuger Vesa Ranta (Sentenced, The Abbey), Bassist Victor Brandt (Dimmu Borgir und viele mehr) und Sänger Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect) verstärkt. "Mit CEMETERY SKYLINE begeben wir uns in bisher unbetretene musikalische Richtungen - in jene dunkleren Gassen, die uns am Herzen liegen, die wir aber bisher nicht wirklich durchwandert haben. Und wir sind kollektiv sehr begeistert!" Eines der Schlüsselwörter, Gothic, wurde bereits erwähnt. "Wir alle teilen eine tiefe Liebe für den Goth-Rock der 80er und 90er Jahre - egal, ob es sich um eher synthiegetriebene oder härtere, gitarrenlastige Sachen handelt. Du kennst das mit den besten Bands von The Sisters of Mercy bis Type O Negative", sagt Santeri Kallio, der sich das Songwriting mit Vanhala teilt. "Aber ist CEMETERY SKYLINE eine Gothic-Band? Vielleicht bis zu einem gewissen Grad, aber das ist sicherlich nicht die ganze Geschichte. Wenn ihr die vielfältige Musik von CEMETERY SKYLINE irgendwie beschreiben müsst, tut uns einen Gefallen und nennt uns Botschafter des melodischen, melancholischen und dunklen Rock. Danke." Der Inhalt der Texte ist tief in eine düstere Gothic-Atmosphäre eingebettet. Das von Stanne geschriebene Konzept - zum ersten Mal in seiner bemerkenswerten Karriere verwendet Mikael während des gesamten Albums Clean Vocals - taucht unwiderstehlich in die paradoxe Welt der "nördlichen Einsamkeit" ein. "Die Texte sind tief verwurzelt in der selbstgewählten Einsamkeit der nordischen Menschen, ihrem anti-sozialen Verhalten und ihrem düsteren Sinn für Humor... Beim Schreiben der Texte habe ich mir diese Besonderheit zu Nutze gemacht, die man als den skandinavischen Gothic-Lifestyle bezeichnen könnte", sagt Stanne. "Nordic Gothic" ist erhältlich als: Ltd. CD Digipak, als 180g LP sowie als digitales Album.

Londoner Jeigo has always had a knack for intricate and melancholic production. His emotive sounds span breaks, garage and dub and gave rise to a superb album Cerulean back in 2022. This new outing on Air Miles is another sophisticated one that shows some different sides. 'Fig' is a dusty and lo-fi mix of knocking, woody broken beat patterns and pitched-up vocal snippets that bring a sense of pain. 'Act Like You're Strong' is heads down, lip-curling UKG with shuffling and weighty drums and naughty bass. '3-5 Working Days' is somewhere in between - both club-ready but also with post-Burial vocals that tug at the heartstrings. There is a blissed-out feel to the optimistic melodic bubbles and angelic vocals of 'Found Me' that means the EP closes in lush fashion.

Rosie Lowe, die gefeierte britische Singer-Songwriterin und Produzentin, veröffentlicht ihr brandneues und drittes Album 'Lover, Other' auf dem Londoner Tastemaker-Label Blue Flowers Music. Musikalisch entzieht sich 'Love, Other' jeglicher Kategorisierung, ist Genre-fluid par excellence, gekonnt zusammengehalten durch Rosie Lowes makellosen, fast mühelosen Gesang. Das Album ist ein Patchwork-Wandteppich voller Komplexität und Tiefe, das ihren inneren Dialog offenlegt. Produziert hat Rosie Lowe 'Love, Other' in Eigenregie mit Unterstützung von Harvey Grant (Kerala Dust, Puma Blue) und D’Monk.

Readers of encyclopedic tomes are obviously familiar with exploding animals – there are numerous reports of torn-apart toads (even in Hamburg, Germany!), actual ants exploding altruistically – but humans that decide to jointly detonate, and with no harm done, that’s rare: Kobe’s own o'summer vacation are unique (and volatile) like that, and they’re back to light the fuse for the second time, presenting 13 more musical quarter sticks that have already blown up venues in Europe and Japan.

“Keep it lean, keep it mean,” they say, and that’s what this band loves to take to the extreme: breakneck concision and collective combustion meet freeform noise punk hazards on o'summer vacation's second (not quite) full-length – as the Kobe-based three-piece’s “Electronic Eye” is set to arrive on October 11, 2024. Following a bunch of trips to Berlin, Munich etc., the Japanese fire starters have found a new home with Alien Transistor, and it’s the perfect launch pad for their latest set of guitarless pyrotechnics. Going right for max q (maximum dynamic pressure), “Electronic Eye” is (unlike those Starships) actually supposed to explode right after lift-off ;)

Even though there have been some line-up changes since the group recorded its sophomore album, the energy caught by producer Shinji Masuko (DMBQ, Boredoms) is still unmatched: a very physical and hard-knocking barrage of mosh-inducing madness that leaves you speechless + inevitably twitching towards the pit. Mastering was done by Masaki Oshima aka Watchman (Melt-Banana).

Opening with sizzling hi-hats and heavy ripples of breathless bass, singer Ami presents a non-sequitur kind of lullaby over the math rock-style interlocutions of “宿痾 (Shuku - A)” – which at 6+ minutes makes up more than a quarter of the album. A shapeshifting frenzy of voice (Ami), unbridled, pedal-powered bassline insanity (Mikkki, formerly Mikiiiii), and hot-blooded drums (Manu, meanwhile replaced by Karry), the album features mosh-inducing blows (previously released “Luna,” “Anti Christ 大体 Super Star”), 30-sec mini noise punk anthems (“竦(shou)”, “Days Go By Fast”), and continues to surf at breakneck pace up and down scales (“@ The”), which often feels like catharsis served with a hammer (“Ultra”). Whereas some tracks are bigger more song-y than others (“Song#2,” that full-throttle “Poodle”), “Vs I” is on time like Tierra Whack (exactly 60 seconds of pick-grinding action), and “Rage” indeed feels like Zack is about to join the party – only to see Ami wipe the floor with pure onomatopoetic fire. Finally, “Aloooooone” and “Humming” (that opening lilt!) are sure going to be live favorites, shifting up and down via hardcore speeds and various break-downs.

Quite hotheaded and terminating things on a high note, o'summer vacation point out that the quick-fire lyrics of their “songs have no meaning. It’s called onomatopoeia in English. Ami, our vocalist, does not like to communicate her thoughts through her music.” Although she considers her contribution “a part of the instrumentation,” they still have strong messages and concerns (unrest, discontent, willingness to shake, wake up, enliven anyone near the audible bomb crater): “That doesn’t mean we don’t have a point of view, but we choose to express ourselves through sound rather than words. Generally, but not exclusively, we are anti-racism, anti-war, gender-free, angry at the companies we work for and their bosses, etc., which are very common sentiments held by so-called rock bands.”

It’s only three ingredients, just like sonic gunpowder: bass, drums, voice – but they tend to explode a few bars into each new track. In a perfect world, there’d be giant colorful clouds of dust gracing the sky over each venue they descend upon.

This year is set to be another vivid chapter for Rarefied, whose special brand of Dubstep has stretched the genre into outer-national and psychedelic headspaces with transmissions from Soukah, T.A.R and Sibla.

The newest artifact from Primer is par-for-the-course. Four tracks that weave field recordings from windswept bogs, worldly sample digging from molding phonographs found in dusty basements, and loose rhythmic constructions that are a mongrel blend of contemporary rap, Croydon Dubstep, and Brainfeeder.

From the ghostly oud playing that graces across the homespun percussion of 'Nowhere and Nothing', the refracted horn sections of 'Drowned' to the shimmering addendum of 'Tal pt.II, Primer chalks a fine line between headphone moments and dance floor material. Ultimately, the melodic, hypnagogic fragility of 'I Had a Faraway Dream' is an especially poignant curtain call for Rarefied's first record of 2019.

Die aus den eisigen Landschaften Norwegens stammenden 1349 haben dem Black Metal ihren Stempel aufgedrückt, indem sie ihre Instrumente wie Kriegsäxte in der Vorhut des unerbittlichen Angriffs des Genres schwangen. Mit einem Vermächtnis, das mit dem Blut der akustischen Extreme getränkt ist, sind sie zu den Vorreitern der unerbittlichen akustischen Kriegsführung geworden, unermüdlich in ihrem Streben nach den dunklen Künsten.

"The Wolf and The King" - der neueste Kataklysmus, den 1349 entfesseln. Eine stürmische Odyssee durch acht Tracks reinen, unverfälschten Black Metals, der die Fähigkeiten der Band in Sachen Chaos und Gemetzel makellos unter Beweis stellt. Vom unersättlichen Ansturm von The God Devourer bis zu den düsteren Tiefen von Fatalist ist jeder Track ein Portal in ein Reich, in dem Schatten regieren und die Luft dick ist vom Gestank des Verfalls. Ash of Ages vermischt Thrash-Einflüsse mit extremen Black-Metal-Elementen zu einer Reise durch das Herz der Finsternis, während Shadow Point und Inferior Pathways ein eisernes Rückgrat aus klassischen Headbanger-Riffs und unerbittlichem Groove formen. Mit The Wolf and The King erweitern 1349 die Grenzen des Genres, indem sie ihre unerbittlichen Blastbeats und sengenden Gitarren mit einer Atmosphäre apokalyptischer Eleganz versehen.

FFO: Marduk, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Immortal

Die aus den eisigen Landschaften Norwegens stammenden 1349 haben dem Black Metal ihren Stempel aufgedrückt, indem sie ihre Instrumente wie Kriegsäxte in der Vorhut des unerbittlichen Angriffs des Genres schwangen. Mit einem Vermächtnis, das mit dem Blut der akustischen Extreme getränkt ist, sind sie zu den Vorreitern der unerbittlichen akustischen Kriegsführung geworden, unermüdlich in ihrem Streben nach den dunklen Künsten.

"The Wolf and The King" - der neueste Kataklysmus, den 1349 entfesseln. Eine stürmische Odyssee durch acht Tracks reinen, unverfälschten Black Metals, der die Fähigkeiten der Band in Sachen Chaos und Gemetzel makellos unter Beweis stellt. Vom unersättlichen Ansturm von The God Devourer bis zu den düsteren Tiefen von Fatalist ist jeder Track ein Portal in ein Reich, in dem Schatten regieren und die Luft dick ist vom Gestank des Verfalls. Ash of Ages vermischt Thrash-Einflüsse mit extremen Black-Metal-Elementen zu einer Reise durch das Herz der Finsternis, während Shadow Point und Inferior Pathways ein eisernes Rückgrat aus klassischen Headbanger-Riffs und unerbittlichem Groove formen. Mit The Wolf and The King erweitern 1349 die Grenzen des Genres, indem sie ihre unerbittlichen Blastbeats und sengenden Gitarren mit einer Atmosphäre apokalyptischer Eleganz versehen.

FFO: Marduk, Gorgoroth, Mayhem, Immortal

Seitdem sie sich 1992 ihren Weg aus der düsteren Unterwelt Tokios gebahnt haben, haben DEFILED mit ihrer knochenbrechenden Aggression und komplexen Kunstfertigkeit eine blutige Schneise in die globale Death Metal-Szene geschlagen. Sie haben ihr Vermächtnis als Vertreter der Grausamkeit zementiert und ihre unerbittlichen Angriffe sind so unerbittlich wie immer geblieben.
Willkommen in den Abgründen von Horror Beyond Horror, DEFILEDs katastrophalem neuesten Werk, das mit der Bosheit veredelt ist, die nur erfahrene Dämonen des Todes beschwören können. Jeder Track ist eine weitere groteske Erkundung der Tiefen menschlicher Verderbtheit, und das Album verschmilzt auf bösartige Weise die Grausamkeit des Death Metal alter Schule mit Strängen von technischem Thrash und progressiver Psychose.
Schalt DEFILEDs Horror Beyond Horror ein und lass dich vom Wahnsinn befreien - das einzige, was brutaler ist als die Realität, ist dieses Album.

FFO: Cryptopsy, Hate Eternal, Dying Fetus

Kreaturen der Nacht sehnen sich in die 80er Jahre des letzten Jahrhunderts zurück. Post-Punk und New Wave stiegen zu glorreichen Höhen auf und diese epische Erforschung dunkler Klangwelten auf der Basis von harten Gitarren und treibender Elektronik fand auf allen alternativen Tanzflächen statt. Klangvolle Namen wie SISTERS OF MERCY, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, DEPECHE MODE, JOY DIVISION, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, ULTRAVOX und viele andere funkeln noch immer in einem magischen Glanz. Zum Glück sind all die subtile Erotik, elektrisierende Spannung und die düstere musikalische Leidenschaft nicht für alle Zeiten verloren gegangen: Die Rettung naht mit SOROR DOLOROSA auf schwarzen Schwingen. Das vierte Album der Franzosen mit dem vielsagenden Titel "Mond" hat musikalische Reißzähne, die schon beim ersten Durchgang köstliches Klangblut sprudeln lassen. Der klassisch-dunkle Post-Punk findet sich ebenso wieder wie Wave-Elemente und ein überwältigender Drang, die Füße in ekstatischen Tänzen unter dem namensgebenden Mond bewegen zu müssen. Doch SOROR DOLOROSA gehen dabei keineswegs mit abgestandenem Nostalgie-Schlangenöl hausieren. Die nach Paris umgezogenen Veteranen haben das klassische Feeling mit dem massiven Sound des neuen Jahrtausends für einen neuen Höhenflug aufgerüstet. Die Idee, den Mix und das Mastering von "Mond" James Kent anzuvertrauen, erweist sich als hervorragender Schachzug. Der PERTURBATOR-Vordenker hat die üppige Produktion dieses epischen Albums mit einer vibrierenden Power und wohltuenden ätherischen Kühle aufpoliert. Textlich bleiben SOROR DOLOROSA dem seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2001 in der südfranzösischen Stadt Toulouse eingeschlagenen Weg treu. Die erstmals mit der "Severance" (2009) Debüt-EP manifestierten dunkel-romantischen und kathartischen Gefühlslandschaften lassen noch immer das Herz der Band schlagen. Die Inspiration für "Mond" stammt unter anderen aus den Federn von Dichtern und Schriftstellern wie William Blake und Edgar Alan Poe.

John Davis is a sound artist and filmmaker based in the Bay Area. Active since the mid-aughts, he has published recordings on labels such as Root Strata and Digitalis, as well as on his own Bimodal Press imprint. “Landlines” sees a return to the SOD catalog for Davis, following a full-length release in 2013, and may be seen as somewhat of a spiritual successor to that album. In all of Davis’ work, there is a specific pastoral sensibility that feels firmly rooted in the forests and coasts of Northern California, moving with the delicate and erratic cadence of dust motes rendered visible in bright sunlight. Opening track “Verichrome” articulates the soundscape wonderfully, stitching together Music Mouse-esque formant synthesis and meditative vocal sampling with an exquisite minimalist suite for prepared piano. Of these recordings, Davis himself writes, “In a general sense the conceit here is nostalgia, a desire to reflect on the importance of connection – to ourselves and to the world around us. The title is, of course, a euphemism for the telephone, but I am also considering landscape, horizons, and infrastructure, as well as the invisible lines that connect us, the threads that bind us, and the communities that form us.”

Der Saxofonist Phillip Dornbusch hat sich mit seiner Band Projektor vorgenommen, die Aufmerksamkeit des Publikums auf Musik zu lenken, die in Momenten entstand, in denen sich Menschen in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart nicht in einer Demokratie, nicht in Freiheit befanden. Die meisten Stücke auf dem dritten Projektor-Album, das den Titel Revolt trägt, speisen sich aus Liedern, die in Iran und Estland entstanden sind und während der Aufstände gegen das sowjetische Regime beziehungsweise die Islamische Republik gesungen wurden. Das Zusammenspiel der fünf Musiker:innen hatte schon auf den beiden Alben "Reflex" (2021), sowie auf "Re|Construct" (2023) etwas traumwandlerisch-sicheres. Johanna Summer, Johannes Mann, Roger Kintopf und Philip Adrian Dornbusch organisieren sich um meist vom Saxophon Dornbuschs getragene Melodien und Themen, weichen ab und kehren wieder zurück, um ein anderes Instrument, eine andere Idee, eine andere Klangfarbe in den Vordergrund treten zu lassen. Dieses Zusammenspiel hat auf Revolt das nächste Level erreicht.

Der Assistent scheint am Ende. In der dubiosen Klinik unter Palmen kommt er umnebelt zu sich. Diagnose: Amnesie am Amazonas! Eine Kakteensaft-Kur soll helfen bei der Spurensuche im Sumpf der Erinnerung. Am Ende bleibt nur die Erkenntnis: "Nichts holt mich ab, so wie die Melancholie."
Wie bei seinem Debut wird der Assistent auch beim zweiten Teil seiner Odyssee von den Klängen der späten siebziger und frühen achtziger Jahre begleitet. Ein Sound wie auf einem Mixtape, das zu lange in der südamerikanischen Sonne auf der Heckablage eines verbeulten Citroën Visa lag. Sein Sofrito aus Library-Muzak, Dub-Rhytmen, japanischem Reggae und Yachtrock, gewürzt mit Latin und Bossanova, serviert er auf zartem Weißbrot-Soul. Die Texte sind bisweilen absurd, stets sehnsuchtsvoll und mindestens doppeldeutig. Hier und da wurde ein Easter Egg versteckt: Jörg Fauser, Raymond Chandler und Agatha Christie lassen grüßen. In bekannter Marlowe-Manier driftet der Erzähler verstrahlt durch die (Alp-)Traumwelten seiner acht Lieder. Ist es Tom Hessler selbst, der dort im Zerrspiegel der Cocktailbar erscheint, oder sein Alter Ego? Der Assistent kehrt zurück als relaxed-verzweifelter Fitzcarraldo, der versucht einen Urlaubsdampfer voller Grooves aus der Spree über einen Zauberberg im Regenwald zu hieven, und dabei in Welten jenseits von Raum und Zeit entschwindet. Dabei helfen Wolfgang Pérez (Golf), Magic Manfred (Stella and the Longos), Pedro Goncalves Crescenti (The Düsseldorf Düsterboys, International Music) u.v.a.

The sophomore effort from Gray/Smith refines their petroleum-based, hard-lullaby sound with a decidedly dusty precision. To call this pair's brand of country-rock détournement "cosmic" would be too breezy: L. Gray and Rob Smith prefer to stare into sunken depths, channeling their recondite affections for lay-by mauve zones and red-dirt guitar wanderings. Formed in the outer-edges of Kings and Richmond counties circa 2020, Gray/Smith is something of an East-Coast involution. L. Gray (guitar and vocals) and Rob Smith (drums, guitar and vocals) are both trusty veterans of "band's bands" like Pigeons (Soft Abuse), No-Neck Blues Band (Revenant, Locust), Rhyton (Thrill Jockey), and The Suntanama (Drag City), freewheeling groups known for mining from polyglot sources: rough-hewn folk and the spiritual avant-garde, bargain-bin hard rock and and collector's-choice psychedelia alike. On their first, self-released LP Gray/Smith, serendipitously recorded at Gary's Electric at the top of 2021, the pair trained their assured chops onto the great American song-form, honing a murky but tight approach that variously cribs "urban cowboy" and finger-picked primitivism. A string of cryptic appearances soon followed, including a short-lived residency at a now-shuttered vodka dive; a micro-tour with Coloradan songstress Josephine Foster; and a series of backyard and barroom gigs sharing stages with compatriots like Stella Kola, Blues Ambush, Samara Lubelski, and Wednesday Knudsen. Heels in the Aisle is the slipshod, burnt-out, mid-'70s unter-prog comedown to their debut's backwoods, bushy-tailed, early-'70s, country-rock meanderings_expect more unrestrained riffs, artful studio wizardry, and worn-down introspection. Joining the ranks of bloodshot-eyed, blues-rock medleys à la Canned Heat's "Parthenogenesis" and Grand Funk's "Into The Sun," "The SDSPS" is the nearly side-length opening cut, an expanded song-cycle condensing and riffing on the themes of their debut. "Help Me" ventriloquizes Pomona College outlaw Kris Kristofferson's slow-roaring ballad of libidinal woe. On the flip side, "Verrazano Tile" and the title track pay heed to lower bays of Staten Island, while their arrangement of the traditional Zimbabwean tune "Guabi Guabi" is a bright Dead/Feat-like jaunt with blissed-out wah-wah pay-off. "Gaslight Boulevard" is lean, mean, and eight-beers-in space rock, and the closing track "Kekule's Ring" is a slack-jawed, wistful crash back down to earth. All this, packaged in a luxe, expertly-printed sleeve photographed by downtown artist Lary 7 and designed by Eric Wrenn (Sophie's Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides).

See You At The Maypole, the sixth full-length album in Half Waif"s prolific catalog, is a recognition of personal sadness, and a call to ecstatic togetherness. It"s gathering the colors of our spirit, in all its shades, and making something intricate and remarkable. The ceremonial folk dance performed around a maypole is filled with fauna and flora, with ribbons woven into complex braids incapable of unraveling; these dances are survivals of ancient ritual, honoring the living trees, and the return of Spring and fertility. These patterns -- this dance -- cannot be completed alone, and so, Half Waif welcomes others to join her, a collective of bleeding color. "We are so much stronger for the colorful experiences we go through," she says. "That"s where we find our humanity and find each other." While the seclusion of grief feels infinite, Rose brought the songs to her trusted friend and longtime collaborator of the past decade, Zubin Hensler. The pair worked away from others for Mythopoetics, carefully crafting each note and flourish themselves but something else was needed for See You At The Maypole. To that end, Hensler and Rose welcomed a wealth of players and friends into the world of the record: Jason Burger and Zack Levine on drums and percussion; Josh Marre (Blue Ranger) on guitar; Hannah Epperson and Elena Moon Park on violin; Kristina Teuschler on clarinet; Willem de Koch on trombone; Rebecca El-Saleh on harp; and Spencer Zahn on upright bass. Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) lent his deft mixing skills to many of the tracks, including lead single "Figurine." "This wasn"t just my story, I wanted to say. It was every story of loss-the loss of a life, the loss of a dream, the loss of trust and hope and faith. A story of finding a way back again," Rose explains. "My own avenue back to the land of the living was through my relationships with people and with the natural world. It only seemed right that these songs would invite those people in to build the very heart of the sound."