The Grateful Dead’s first tour outside of North America was immortalized on Europe ’72, a triple live album that distilled peak moments from the 22 shows the band played in six countries for thousands of Europeans. A triumph critically and commercially when it was released in November 1972, today the double-platinum album is an integral part of the Dead’s live legacy and beloved by generations of fans. Appreciation for the extraordinary tour grew in 2011 when every show was released in the unprecedented, 73-CD boxed set, Europe ’72: The Complete Recordings.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the first show from the Dead’s European adventure. It took place on April 7, 1972, at Wembley Empire Pool in London. To mark the milestone, Rhino and Dead are announcing a series of upcoming releases and events connected to the celebrated tour.
A newly remastered version of the original Europe ’72 album will be available on July 29. EUROPE ’72 (50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION) arrives in 3-LP. All of the new 50th anniversary editions were mastered by Grammy® Award winning engineer David Glasser with newly restored audio by Plangent Processes.
Buscar:eye d
Following the incredible reception to Deb Never’s most recent releases ‘Someone Else’ and ‘Sorry’ being championed by Radio 1s Annie Mac and Jack Saunders as ‘Tune Of The Week’ ‘First play’ & ‘First Wave’ stating that “Deb Never is a really special artist, someone with limitless sonic horizons and the most brilliant lyrical finesse! Deb Never has all the makings of stardom and her journey is truly under-way!”, along with continuous support from Matt Wilkinson and Zane Lowe Apple Music 1 shows, New York Times, Billboard, The Fader, Variety and Spotify’s continued love in both Pollen and LOREM adding to the playlist description ‘how are we supposed to focus when this Deb Never track exists’. In the lead up to her highly anticipated second EP, Deb Never teases us with another single ‘Disassociate’. The EP is due to drop this July, yet this is only an introduction to what is to come and to be an extremely exciting year ahead for Deb Never.
- 1: Material Girl (Feat. Taylor Hanson)
- 2: Beds Are Burning (Feat. Tim Mcilrath Of Rise Against)
- 3: Wind Of Change (Feat. Potugal. The Man & Brandon Boyd)
- 4: Eye In The Sky (Feat. Beck)
- 5: Waiting Room (Feat. Grouplove)
- 6: Take A Chance On Me (Feat. Jewel)
- 7: Maniac (Feat. Conor Mason Of Nothing But Thieves)
- 8: Drive
- 9: Just A Friend (Feat. Hyro The Hero)
- 10: Flagpole Sitta (Feat. Elohim)
- 11: Alone Again (Naturally) (Feat. Midland)
'My Echo, My Shadow, My Covers and Me' is a fiercely collaborative and celebratory project. An eclectic collection of masterfully crafted and carefully curated covers, each track features at least one acclaimed musical artist. It includes epic re-imaginings of classics such as 'Wind Of Change' by Scorpions, 'Take A Chance On Me' by Abba and 'Beds Are Burning' by Midnight Oil. It features collaborations with artists like Portugal the Man, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, Jewel, Beck, Taylor Hanson and more. It will be available on one-of-a kind recycled coloured vinyl, mystery coloured cassette and CD.
On July 22nd Mutant Joe unveils his debut release for Evar, 'Wrong Way Out', an EP that twists rap, electro and breaks out of shape with cool malice.
Since his arrival on the scene with a pair of 2019 releases for UK-based label Natural Sciences, the Brisbane-based producer's output has spanned underground trap,gabber, electro, jungle,breaks and various global club mutations, repackaged and delivered with a unique sense of impending threat and unhinged delight.
Mutant Joe repurposes mechanical SFX, stock horror movie samples, feedbacking hardware and crunching percussion to create a dark and theatrical soundworld. Building on his earlier work with underground trap artists like Freddie Dredd and TRiPPJONES, opener 'Bangin On' sees Joe revisit his love for dirty-south-indebted electro hybrids, combining fizzing bass and steely beats, plus rhymes courtesy of a close friend, Atlanta rapper Apoc Krysis. 'Static Effect' deploys similar Drexciyan influences, its overheating 808s colliding with aquatic machinery and disembodied vocal chops.
'Eyes Without a Face' presents a unique take on some classical rave combinations, with rolling, metallic jungle breaks, footwork-esque kicks and tightly layered, redlining hardware. The pace eases off on the ominous and aptly-named 'The Living Dead', a low slung, off-kilter breakbeat weapon. The EP closes with a pair of remixes: a twisted dungeon-rave tool by Ukrainian D&B specialist Limewax, and a tightly wound, detailed broken techno workout by EVAR regular Wheez-ie.
'Wrong Way Out' offers six wildly different approaches, united by Joe's mastery of gothic-horror sound design and unique ear for soundtracking end-of-night deviance. It's a cross-section of the sound Mutant Joe has so quickly made his own: unclassifiable, unrelenting and darkly euphoric.
OPEN SESAM…
To unlock what seemed
an unreachable possibility
an taste it with your eyes
an touch it with the music
of your ears
to want something so much
that only magic can interfere
you and your inner wisdom
until the door of your
mental limitations open in front of you
so effortlessly no need for key
just to believe in.
Wah Wah 45s are proud to present the return of a unique collaboration between the U.K. 's very own Afrobeat Ambassador, Dele Sosimi, and a producer who's been at the forefront of the South London electronic music scene for over a decade now, Medlar.
The pair first joined forces seven years ago, when Medlar was asked by Dele's label to remix the title track from his last album, You No Fit Touch Am. The result was possibly one of the most popular and cherished remixes to appear on the imprint. The producer's respect for the history of Afrobeat shined through in the mix of course, but it was his ability to finely balance that with his house music instincts whilst adding an infectious groove and classic 80s analogue synths that really stood out.
The track was an instant classic, and it soon became clear that the Afrobeat Ambassador and Peckham producer needed to make some music together. Having never actually met during the remix process, the dating began, and luckily the two were a perfect match.
Two years on from their first recorded output, the Full Moon EP - a record that received radio support from Gilles Peterson on BBC 6Music, as well as tastemakers and DJs across the globe, and was even featured on the latest edition of Grand Theft Auto -the duo return with the State Of Play EP. The heavy hitting four tracker features special guests Tamar Osborn of Collocutor fame, and South African rising star Zito Mowa, as well as a pair of Dele and Medlar's most popular jams from their live sets, perfectly baked for the dance floor.
Early support has come from Huey Morgan, Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant on BBC 6Music; Sarah Ward on Jazz FM; DJs on Resonance FM, Worldwide FM and many more besides.
The EP will be available on vinyl this summer with incredible artwork from our in-house art director Animisiewasz and eye-catching packaging.
After an almost 2 year hiatus, letherette is back with Brown Lounge Volume 6. Since the 2020 release of Mander House Volume 2, BL6 sees Letherette return to it's hip hop routes. The release will be available on Wulf records digitally and limited edition Cassettes.
- A1: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Angel Bat Dawid - The Sun Is A Negro
- A2: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Doseone - Hollywood Beat
- A3: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Allen Ginsberg - What He Looks Like_
- A4: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Angel Bat Dawid - Westcoast Sound 1956
- A5: All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For
- A6: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Angel Bat Dawid - Bagelshop Jazz
- B1: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Moor Mother - War Memoir
- B2: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Angel Bat Dawid - Harwood Alley Song
- B3: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Patti Smith - Ginsberg (For Allen)
- B4: Would You Wear My Eyes
- B5: A Particular Police Officer
- B6: The Plastik Beatniks Feat. Angel Bat Dawid - The End Always Comes Last
Sounds like supergroup. Rarely have outstanding figures of such a variety of musical styles collaborated on one album to pay homage to a nearly forgotten artist, one of the few black Beatnik poets, Bob Kaufman.
"All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For" by The Plastik Beatniks is an attempt to acoustically reanimate Bob Kaufman, to return the Beat to him in a transatlantic collaboration. It is a shimmering psychedelic, at times jazzy concept album, sometimes reminiscent of Krautrock or hip hop, about a Beat-era poet who was as great as he was forgotten. It takes spoken word to a new level, as a transatlantic showcase of musical avant-gardes and a joyful "sound archaeology" of modernity, in which the tracks of the "Plastik Beatniks" meet the best voices of America.
The 12 wildly different songs and audi collages, on the transatlantically-produced album, "All the Streets I Must Find Cities For," is based on lyrics by Beat author Bob Kaufman. They were originally part of the radio play "Thank God for Beatniks," for which author Andreas Ammer ("Ammer & Einheit"), Notwist‘s Markus Acher and Micha Acher and loop maker Leo Hopfinger ("LeRoy") formed "The Plastik Beatniks." On the eastern side of the Atlantic they composed music and crafted soundscapes. On the west side of the ocean, they asked three of the most renowned singers, activists and producers in the U.S. to recite or sing Bob Kaufman's poetry.
Punk-pop icon Patti Smith immediately signed on to read Kaufman's poem "Ginsberg (For Allen)". Free jazz vocalist Moor Mother passionately performed Bob Kaufman's "War Memoir". American jazz clarinetist, composer, singer and “International Anthem” labelmate Angel Bat Dawid, a legitimate successor to Sun Ra, polyphonically read and sang such poems as "The Sun is a Negroe" and "West Coast Sound 1956" and included some clarinet solos on top. Also on the album, Bob Kaufman himself recites his previously unknown poems "Hollywood Beat", "Would You Wear My Eyes", and the "Jail Poem" "All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For". Beat chronicler Raymond Foye, who still lives at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, contributed an interview he conducted with late beatnik Allen Ginsberg about Bob Kaufman. Completing the circle was hip-hop artist Adam "DoseOne" ("13&God"), who once gave Markus Acher a well-thumbed volume of Bob Kaufman, whom he admired. He contributed some raps. Thus 12 tracks emerged, as diverse as the artists, poets and musicians who contributed to it. More than an album. An epitaph. A work for the eternity of Beat.
Regarding Bob Kaufman - of course the FBI kept a file on him – first as a sailor, then a communist, and finally a Beat poet. As one of the mainstays of the movement, he edited the literary magazine "Beatitude" in San Francisco and defined "Beatnik" to Allen Ginsberg: half rhythm, half sputnik. Bob recited his poetry loudly on the streets (when he wasn't sunk into years of silence in protest of the Vietnam War) and in the bars and bagel shops of North Beach. Once, he almost landed a pop hit ("Green Green Rocky Road"), which then made Dylan's companion Dave van Ronk famous. That Kaufman is today less known than his friend Allen Ginsberg may be because he was a black Beat poet, and also a Jew. This was not compatible with fame in the US of the 1950s. Though Kaufman had the same publisher, City Lights, as Ginsberg, he was frequently arrested and jailed, and was treated with electric shocks until he developed serious mental heath issues. There he wrote his "Jail Poems". The seventh of these lent this album its name:
"Someone whom I am is no one / Something I have done is nothing Someplace I have been is nowhere / I am not me What of the answers / I must find questions for? All these strange streets I must find cities for, Thank god for beatniks."
- 1: Awaiting The Vultures
- 2: Of The Sleep Of Ishtar
- 3: Luring The Doom Serpent
- 4: Contemplations Of The Endless Abyss
- 5: The Elder God Shrine
- 6: Temple Of Lunar Ascension
- 7: Dreaming Through The Eyes Of Serpents
- 8: Whence No Traveler Returns
- 9: The Forbidden Path Across The Chasm Of Self-Realization
- 10: Beckon The Sick Winds Of Pestilence
Nearly 20 years ago, Karl Sanders – the founder, principal songwriter, and driving creative force behind the exotic, devastatingly heavy stylings of American extreme death metal icons Nile – forayed from his metallic leanings to serve listeners with a transfixing dose of the cinematic, meditative, world music-driven Saurian Meditation (2004). The album explores highly original compositions of hypnotizing, primarily Middle Eastern inspired music, featuring the unique inclusion of instruments such as the balagma saz (Turkish lute) and Glissentar, often blended with dark electronic ambience and deft electric guitar work. Saurian Meditation marked the beginning of Sanders’ Saurian journey, being the first of now three Saurian releases. From the haunting first notes of “Awaiting the Vultures”, which dreamily conjures images of traversing through the dark, mysterious halls of an abandoned ancient temple, to the slithering, percussion-driven pulses and searing electric solos on the ominous album closer “Beckon the Sick Winds of Pestilence” – Saurian Meditation provides a diverse escape for both fans of Nile and the outer realms beyond. Thematically centered around its acoustically-driven, spellbinding seventh track, “Dreaming Through the Eyes of Serpents”, the album ebbs and flows from a higher, rhythmic consciousness to a darker, hypnotic inner balance, achieving a Reptilian Theta State of deep meditation. Saurian Meditation launches the multi-dimensional Saurian universe – witness the very first, transcendental solo output by Karl Sanders, available for the very first time on vinyl, as well as in CD and digital formats, via Napalm Records!
Before 2 drew the world’s eyes to Canadian crooner Mac DeMarco, the spark was heard sooner on the debut EP Rock and Roll Night Club.
Demarco has been the antithesis to the stereotypical singer-songwriter for the past decade. Disregarding the seriously sombre moments on Rock and Roll Night Club, he refuels throughout with whimsical moments and youthful spontaneity whilst retaining the endearing and subtle commentaries that exude his familiarity.
His most impressive trait is his undeniable and instinctual ability to compose magical pop jangles. His dusted jams have garnished him accolades that are ever increasing alongside his discography; his sound rendering wide comparisons, but in a nomadic fashion, alluding no distinct origin except for Mac himself.
The 10th anniversary pressing of Rock and Roll Night Club compiles all 12 original recordings - including bonus tracks “Only You” and “Me and Mine” - pressed on limited edition Night Club vinyl, with brand new liners written by DeMarco reflecting on his time writing and recording what would become the world’s introduction to one of indie’s most influential songwriters.
- A1: Pale Blue Care Biobiopatata06 09
- A2: Crossing The Tamariver Maher Shalal Hash Baz 48
- A3: Bayern Mitamurakandadan? 02 39
- A4: Anton Popo 04 08
- A5: Tohonoko Kourakuen 03 03
- A6: People Have Called Them Flowers Various Sighhorns 03 32
- B1: A Sparkle To Your Eyes Zayaendo 04 58
- B2: Swamp Strada05 18
- B3: New Window (Onto A Collapsed House) Sekifu 01 41
- B4: Gone Astray Hose 04 44
- B5: Ghhgh Compostela02 40
- B6: Wippi Zayaendo 01 25
- C1: Just Watching Gratin Carnival 04 35
- C2: Apple Ringo Pascals 02 50
- C3: Way To The Seatail 02 59
- C4: Pensive Miss Noahlewis’ Mahlon Taits 03 33
- C5: Nagyon Szeretrek Mindenkinek K`dlokk 05 57
- D1: Kemuri Fuigo 04 28
- D2: Mado Petit Daon 05 53
- D3: Minato Nrq 02 35
- D4: The Ending Theme Tenniscoats 02 59
- D5: A Day With The Saints Satomi Endo 03 13
Alien Transistor present Alien Parade Japan, a joyous double-album compilation of groups from Japan’s indie-pop and avant-garde undergrounds, all of which feature brass or woodwind instruments as part of their line-up. Compiled by Markus Acher (Alien Transistor, The Notwist, Hochzeitskapelle) with plenty of support and help from his Spirit Fest bandmate, Saya (also of Tenniscoats), it features some familiar names – Tenniscoats, naturally, but also Zayaendo, Tori Kudo’s Maher Shalal Hash Baz – alongside lesser-known groups like Biobiopatata, Mitamurakandadan?, Kourakuen, sekifu, and Noah Lewis Mahlon’ Taits, amongst many others.
The collection of songs here rests upon a simple question, and an interesting parallel: Why do so many groups from Japan include brass and woodwind, and how closely does this echo the scene that Acher is involved with in Munich? The idea was formulated in Acher’s mind after one of his groups, Hochzeitskapelle, had been invited by Saya to Japan in 2019, to take part in the Alien Parade Japan tour. “Saya and her friends recommended a lot of music to me that I didn’t know of,” Acher recalls, “and I was surprised and excited to find so many Japanese bands who use brass and woodwind instruments.”
This approach was something Acher had been familiar with for a while, thanks to his experiences in Munich: “Until then I thought of the Munich scene, where Hochzeitskapelle come from, as being quite unique in having ex-punk and still-indie musicians form loud acoustic bands with many brass instruments and play a wild mixture of styles.” And indeed, that variety is reflected in the twenty-two songs on Alien Parade Japan, which flits from the pastoral melody of Maher Shalal Hash Baz’s “Crossin The Tama River”, through the tenderness of various sighhorns’s “people have called them flowers”, to the folksy lament of Gratin Carnival’s “Just Watching”.
Alien Parade Japan reaches further afield, too, drawing in some groups, like HOSE, Fuigo, and popo, that feature musicians like Toshihiro Koike, Masafumi Ezaki and Taku Unami, who may be better known for their experimental and improvised releases on labels like ftarri and Erstwhile. It also looks back to material recorded in the 1990s - the swinging slide guitars and sax/tuba duet of Strada’s “Swamp”, from 1998, and Compostela’s energetic, rousing “ghhgh”, from 1990. Both pieces were written by, and feature, saxophonist Kanji Nakao; Compostela’s membership also included late saxophonist Masami Shinoda, who was also part of such storied Japanese groups as Pungo, A-Musik, Orquestra Del Viento, Ché-SHIZU, and the fiery free jazz outfit, Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai.
Groups like Compostela help to draw some through-lines to the aesthetics of chindon’ya, a type of Japanese marching band made up of costumed street performers who advertise businesses; the music made by these bands is brash, spirited, and full of energy. Alien Parade Japan weaves all of this together – chindon’ya; jazz; indie-pop; psych-folk; big band – into one beautiful, big tapestry of gorgeous melody, sweetness, and melancholy, with plenty of creative fraying at its edges. “The collection is a very personal view of Japanese bands using brass and woodwind instruments,” Acher concludes: “it’s not a representative anthology, it’s mainly held together by my personal taste, experiences, and friendships.” But it’s also a wonderfully coherent collection of some of the most playful and elated music you’re likely to hear this year. As musician and writer David Grubbs says:
„Now it is confirmed: my favorite genre of music is Alien Parade Japan. Hopefully now people will know what I’m talking about when I gush about the unassailable brilliance of longtime favorites like Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Popo, Mitamurakandadan?, Hose, and Tenniscoats, presented here alongside others whose music I have only begun to search out. Please share in my gratitude and enjoyment of this lovingly assembled collection, one that I welcome into my home as I would a long-anticipated guest.“
Todh Teri is back to make us groove with the tenth and final volume of the Deep In India series. A total double whammy of a record – this one happens to be a limited edition double vinyl that includes the best of the Todh Teri’s tracks from the previous volumes. As this alluring series comes to an end, get ready to shake a leg to some dark & dubby tunes one last time.
It all begins with Sampadan 34, a tune that makes you want to close your eyes and get lost in a musical trance with its intricate elements of this melody. This is followed by Sampadan 35, an iconic tune that takes you down memory lane, bringing back sweet memories of the yesteryears.
Using a historic sample from the 90s Indian cinescape, Todh Teri has added his touch to create Sampadan 36 - a track that you’re sure to get hooked onto. For the grand finale, wehave Sampadan 37, which brings in some old-school percussive beats into play that will
make your soul come alive.
For listeners who missed out, this final EP of the series also includes a second vinyl which has the best-selected tracks from Vol.1 - Vol.4. Deep In India has been Todh Teri’s heartfelt tribute to the golden age of Indian cinema that has given listeners a fresh perspective on its conventional music. Overall, this record has something for each listener with a magnificently illustrated album cover by Costanza Chandra in association with Masala Movement.
TODH TERI
I would like to thank everyone involved in this project from the bottom of my heart for their
constant support and encouragement. With this release we come to an end to this series
In the Beginning (Vol. 2) continues the treasure trove of the early works of Declaime & Madlib, the longtime collaborators who helped usher in a new sound and style from the city of Oxnard, Calif. This collection is brimming with previously unheard tracks from this beyond-creative duo that blends hip-hop with funk, jazz, soul, and psychedelia to lay the groundwork for so many other emcees and producers.
For Declaime (a/k/a Dudley Perkins), this series serves as a way to honor his friends and the city that raised them. He shouts out names like The Almighty Metaphor (aka MED), Oh No the Disrupt, DJ Romes, Kazi, and more, who he says “created a lane for the city of Oxnard to get the recognition it deserves.” Some of them make an appearance in one form or another on this collection, too—Romes, for example, mastered the project—that compiles 10 previously lost tracks that were recorded from 1993 to ‘96.
In The Beginning (Vol. 2) is entirely produced by Madlib, who provided all the cuts as well. His instrumentals are on that raw and dusty vibe as they move freely through genres and sounds, like on standout cuts “Bandwagon,”WLIX,” and “Signs (feat. Wildchild).” Those are all highlights for Declaime, too, and they demonstrate his ability to blend his observations of the world with bravado and third-eye insights. Even as young kids just getting their feet wet in the studio, these two were firmly on their path.
Tossing down straight acoustic shots with electric guitar back, Hello, Hi rides through the valley of yer ol' Canyon legends, finding an isolated place to unspool Ty's copious reserves of nervous energy beneath an open sky. Swarms of harmony vocals caper among the clouds, but there's a rider on the horizon behind, with crossbow trained on his very own heart - the engine driving all the relationships of life, whether down Broadway or over the cliffs at night! Whatever doesn't get killed is getting stronger all the time. A lean, mean deal, baked in saltwater and sunlight, compassion pouring out it's beautiful blue eyes.
Available on vinyl for the first time in 10 years, with new cover design by Tim Rutilli Califone's earliest roots lie in the band Red Red Meat, from whence came Califone's founding members Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella and its longtime producer Brian Deck. The band's first release was a self-titled EP on Flydaddy in 1998, followed later by the full-length debut, Roomsound, in 2001 (later reissued on Thrill Jockey) and eventually the band's Thrill Jockey debut, Quicksand/ Cradlesnakes in 2003. After touring for the release of Roomsound, Califone had little time off to take in the impact of the music they were creating. In three years, they recorded four albums (two instrumental, two song-based including Heron King Blues) and toured heavily in between with Wilco, Modest Mouse, The Sea and Cake and others. After the tour for Heron King Blues in 2004, Califone finally took a breath and came back together in late 2005 to begin recordings. They worked on it in chunks at 4Deuces Studio in Chicago with Brian Deck, in Long Beach and Phoenix with Michael Krassner, and at home in Los Angeles and Chicago until May 2006. The time away and each member's individual work naturally brought new elements into the sound of Califone's music. Both Rutili's and Becker's soundtrack work are more atmospheric, however the challenge of enhancing a scene of film without cluttering it or overwhelming it informed their approach to the new recording. Similarly, the burglary of Califone's equipment during the band's last tour (including guitars, banjo, a 1917 violin, bells and more) altered the sound as they had to find new gear on a tight budget. The instruments are new partners, new sounds that forced them to stretch in new directions. Limitations, obstructions and darkness, and the new possibilities they illuminate; roots and crowns. "In that way", says Rutili, "this album is a conscious and resolved thing. It fully realizes ideas we touched on in the past and where we come from as a band, and takes us into our next phase of life."
Available on vinyl for the first time in 10 years, with new cover design by Tim Rutilli Califone's earliest roots lie in the band Red Red Meat, from whence came Califone's founding members Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella and its longtime producer Brian Deck. The band's first release was a self-titled EP on Flydaddy in 1998, followed later by the full-length debut, Roomsound, in 2001 (later reissued on Thrill Jockey) and eventually the band's Thrill Jockey debut, Quicksand/ Cradlesnakes in 2003. After touring for the release of Roomsound, Califone had little time off to take in the impact of the music they were creating. In three years, they recorded four albums (two instrumental, two song-based including Heron King Blues) and toured heavily in between with Wilco, Modest Mouse, The Sea and Cake and others. After the tour for Heron King Blues in 2004, Califone finally took a breath and came back together in late 2005 to begin recordings. They worked on it in chunks at 4Deuces Studio in Chicago with Brian Deck, in Long Beach and Phoenix with Michael Krassner, and at home in Los Angeles and Chicago until May 2006. The time away and each member's individual work naturally brought new elements into the sound of Califone's music. Both Rutili's and Becker's soundtrack work are more atmospheric, however the challenge of enhancing a scene of film without cluttering it or overwhelming it informed their approach to the new recording. Similarly, the burglary of Califone's equipment during the band's last tour (including guitars, banjo, a 1917 violin, bells and more) altered the sound as they had to find new gear on a tight budget. The instruments are new partners, new sounds that forced them to stretch in new directions. Limitations, obstructions and darkness, and the new possibilities they illuminate; roots and crowns. "In that way", says Rutili, "this album is a conscious and resolved thing. It fully realizes ideas we touched on in the past and where we come from as a band, and takes us into our next phase of life."
Australia’s Nicolas Cage Fighter are coming out swinging. Combining ruthless hardcore, late 90s metal and death metal influences, the band deftly weave a sound that is as burly as it is brutal, pummeling all those that get in their way. Formed in Ballarat, Victoria in 2011, the band have worked slowly and steadily to build their profile, dropping singles and EPs and sharing stages with the likes of Attila, Thy Art Is Murder, Thick As Blood and Deez Nuts, building a devoted fan base. With The Bones That Grew From Pain now primed to be unleashed they are hoping for the opportunity to tour it internationally, bringing their merciless performances to stages around the world and engaging with the new army of fans that are sure to connect with their no-bullshit stance and killer material.
Canada’s WAKE have never been a band interested in repeating themselves, this abundantly apparent from their discography, having evolved with every release. 2020’s Devouring Ruin made this more clear than ever, hammering the point home with the Confluence EP in the same year, and now they return with Thought Form Descent, their most dynamic, diverse and emotional release to date. “I’d describe the record as a place to reconsider what ‘extreme’ means. The words ‘brutal’, ‘crushing’, ‘devastating’ are overused adjectives for extreme music. We wanted to force people to confront the idea that ‘brutal’ or ‘extreme’ ideas aren’t just blastbeats or angular tritones, or, more importantly, ‘brutal’ elements alongside pointedly passive elements can create their own experience that can channel both and neither.” The result is eight nuanced tracks that run the gamut from relentlessly heavy to exquisitely beautiful, often simultaneously, and instantly grab hold of the listener, demanding their full attention. However, at the same time, they are lushly textured and densely layered, and offer more with every subsequent exposure, unfurling to show hidden depths, and taking WAKE to a whole new level.
Tossing down straight acoustic shots with electric guitar back, Hello, Hi rides through the valley of yer ol' Canyon legends, finding an isolated place to unspool Ty's copious reserves of nervous energy beneath an open sky. Swarms of harmony vocals caper among the clouds, but there's a rider on the horizon behind, with crossbow trained on his very own heart - the engine driving all the relationships of life, whether down Broadway or over the cliffs at night! Whatever doesn't get killed is getting stronger all the time. A lean, mean deal, baked in saltwater and sunlight, compassion pouring out it's beautiful blue eyes.




















