For the 6th release in the 303 Pattern series, we're revealing the artists identities for the first time!
Expect a dynamic blend of hard-hitting, hypnotic and atmospheric acid techno, with the iconic 303 taking center stage.
Alien Rain makes his debut on Zodiak Commune Records with the explosive track Holosexual, featuring raw, pounding drums, a distorted 303, and an irresistibly catchy vocal guaranteed to make the crowd lose control.
Akkaelle brings the heat with Acid Mood, a hard-hitting yet atmospheric track that pushes forward with relentless energy.
Sour returns to Zodiak Commune Records with another explosive bomb in his signature hard, hypnotic style truly unstoppable!
To close the release in style, Dima Gastroller drops a hypnotic, heart-pounding acid techno track that will accelerate your heartbeat.
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VERY VERY LTD DELUXE CLOTH BOUND GATEFOLD SLEEVE RED VINYL EDTION, 2LP W/ DLC! "The first three songs alone are like love at first hearing." - Deluxe 2xLP clothbound sleeve edition of 'Car Button Cloth', featuring Lemonheads classics 'If I Could Talk I'd Tell You' and 'The Outdoor Type'. This reissue includes the original record alongside a whole extra LP of rarities and unreleased cuts, continuing Fire Records in-depth series of reissues from the legendary band. 'Car Button Cloth' is an extraordinary affair of musical and emotional extremes, a soundscape spanning "the most beautiful piano-led mourning in the history of the broken heart" that switches into perky jangle-pop for fleeting moments and contains the ultimate self-deprecating classic 'The Outdoor Type', penned by Smudge cohort Tom Morgan, as well as a cover of the bluegrass standard 'Knoxville Girl' and 'If I Could Talk I'd Tell You' co-written with The Vaselines' Eugene Kelly. All bases are covered. To further unravel where Evan's head was at during the period of its creation, this deluxe double album comes with a record of exquisite and typically eclectic scene setting covers that occupied B-sides and alternative format versions, plus other super rare offcuts, live takes and remixes. A diet of Volcano Suns, Glen Campbell, The Jacobites, The Sir Douglas Quintet and Whitney Houston influenced Evan's thinking and added further colour to an album that remains something of a Dorian Gray-style masterpiece. The first side of extras is rounded off with the never before released 'Arise', originally set for the remake of Great Expectations and later realised as Rancho Santa Fe on solo album 'Baby I'm Bored'. "One of the most distinctive voices of the '90s" The New York Times
Released in October 1983, “North Of A Miracle” was Nick Heyward’s first solo album after leaving Haircut 100. Produced by Geoff Emerick (The Beatles, Elvis Costello, Badfinger, America, Supertramp and many more), the album features the hit singles “Take That Situation”, “Whistle Down The Wind”, “Blue Hat For A Blue Day” and “On A Sunday”. The album went on to sell over 100,000 copies in the UK, earning a Gold Disc Award.
Deluxe 3CD Edition:
Expanded to a Deluxe 3CD Edition, Disc One features the original album mastered from the original stereo tapes, Disc Two features the various 12” mixes, instrumental versions and non-album B-sides, while Disc Three, entitled “Recordings 1984”, features Nick’s 1984 single releases “Love All Day” and “Warning Sign”, along with the tracks from their accompanying 12” singles. Also featured are three previously unreleased tracks: “Teach Till You Reach” (an unreleased single), “Give Love More Time” (an alternate instrumental version of “Love All Day”), and “Kiss Those Tears Goodbye” (an unfinished recording featuring the backing vocals only). Annotated by author and journalist Daryl Easlea, based on a brand-new interview with Nick Heyward, this 3CD set is presented in Deluxe 7” Packaging, with a 20-page booklet.
180g Vinyl Edition:
This new edition has been expertly mastered by Barry Grint at AIR Mastering from the original stereo tapes using precision half-speed mastering. Half-speed mastering is a vinyl cutting technique that improves groove accuracy and transient information creating an incredibly detailed stereo image with a natural high frequency response.
Presented in its original gatefold sleeve, pressed on 180-gram heavyweight black vinyl, featuring an obi strip and housed in a poly-lined inner sleeve, with a 2-page insert.
From a world of its own, somewhat like ours, yet a bit different. Familiar sound, but in a slightly different order, upside down or backwards, with different instruments or in another language just beyond comprehension, that still, somehow, makes sense and carries us further in search of musical discovery. With playful and creative interaction and exceptional chemistry, Mari Kvien Brunvoll, Stein
Urheim, and Moskus take another step into uncharted musical territory. The result is the Album Barefoot in Bryophyte. The members of this quintet are frequent figures in the Hubro discography but had not played together before this project. The collaboration began as the commissioned work Branches & Limits for Voss Jazz Festival in 2023. The music has an immediacy, an unusual combination of song material spontaneous improvisation and musicianship that made the concert a favorite among both critics and audience at the festival. Mari Kvien Brunvoll and Stein Urheim have written the songs that were further developed together with Moskus. The open and improvisational approach is evident, in the blending of the known and unknown in their songs. They have a curious approach to creativity, with lyrics that are both open for interpretation and poignant at the same time
BASta! is the solo project of double bass player and composer Joris Vanvinckenroye, in which he explores and pushes the limits of the double bass. In this project, using looping and effect pedals, Joris creates an almost orchestral sound, using the full range of his instrument-from the deepest basses to the highest notes. These layered compositions weave complex rhythms and melodies into a rich and compelling soundscape.
The debut album of BASta!, Cycles, was released in 2009 on the label Homerecords.be and marked the beginning of an adventurous journey that brought BASta! to numerous stages, both solo and in collaboration with multidisciplinary productions by Rode Boom and Retina Dance Company, among others. Besides BASta!, Joris has been active for decades in bands such as Aranis, Troissoeur and MOTYK (formerly Flairck), with which he performs internationally, from Mexico to China and from Oman to the United States. He also composes music for dance, theatre and multidisciplinary productions, including Rode Boom's successful production Unknown Evidences, which has been performed over 600 times in France, Morocco and Denmark, among others.
Joris Vanvinckenroye:double bass, Viola da Gamba
Composed and recorded by Joris Vanvinckenroye,
Mixed at Studio Cucurucu by Jesse De Roo
Mastered at Elektropolis by Uwe Teichert
Album produced by Nik Bartsch
The long-awaited new full-length from legendary electronic pioneers THE ORB with cover design from iconic graphic wizards THE DESIGNERS REPUBLIC • A fascinating sonic journey over four epic tracks, constantly switching between psychedelic flourishes and beat-driven focus
Veritable pioneers of electronic music, iconic act THE ORB returns to Kompakt with the new full-length MOONBUILDING 2703 AD - another major slice of psychedelic synth bliss, obscure loops and deep ambient textures tossed in swinging breakbeats and powerful basslines. Installing a forward momentum rather unusual for a genre-defying project like this, the latest effort from masterminds Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann follows their 2005 album success on Kompakt, the cheekily named "Okie Dokie It's The Orb On Kompakt" (KOMPAKT CD 45), as well as several contributions to our Speicher and Pop Ambient series - but more importantly, it finds the legendary duo at the peak of its creativity, ringing in another essential phase in what can only be called a ground-breaking career.
True to form, the new offering MOONBUILDING 2703 AD features a small track list, but turns each one of its four cuts into a mini epic in its own right. Opener GOD'S MIRRORBALL hits the ground floating, employing a handful of cozy statics to great effect before finally discharging into an intricate mosaic of atmospheric melodic sketches and gripping rhythms. With a hypnotic runtime of more than 14 minutes, it immediately establishes a blueprint for the other album tracks to follow, perfectly illustrating the vast extent of the artists' vision and their impressive skills in luring in listeners - welcome to THE ORB's sonic labyrinth, where nothing is what it seems and the unexpected waits just around the corner.
Likewise, follow-up track MOONSCAPES 2703 BC presents itself as a uniquely versatile affair sitting comfortably between ambient flourishes and beat-driven focus, holding as many twists and turns as a caper movie, but carefully grounding every single one of its cliffhangers in its impeccable flow. With a runtime of approximately 9 minutes, LUNAR CAVES is the shortest jam of the bunch - and also the most ethereal, keeping its rhythmic content to a bare, pulse-like minimum and opting for enticing, freewheeling synth textures instead. Album closer and title cut MOONBUILDING 2703 AD introduces a surprisingly jazzy vibe mingling rather well with the wealth of electronic tricks up its sleeve - even indulging in abrasive bass sweeps and a breathtaking multitude of different rhythm sections constantly switching places. It's a fitting closing act for a full-length as multifaceted as this, as idiosyncratic as possible and as muscling as needed.
• Das langerwartete neue Album der legendären Elektronikpioniere THE ORB mit einem Coverdesign der gefeierten Graphikschmiede THE DESIGNERS REBUBLIC • Eine faszinierende Klangreise über vier epische Tracks hinweg, permanent zwischen psychedelischen Schlüsselreizen und beatgetriebenem Fokus changierend
Mit THE ORB kehren echte Pioniere der elektronischen Musik zu Kompakt zurück - der Langspieler MOONBUILDING 2703 AD präsentiert erneut einen grossen Wurf in Richtung psychedelischen Synthie-Segens, obskurer Loops und porentiefer Ambient-Texturen, geschwenkt in schwungvollen Breakbeats und wirkmächtigen Basslines. Mit einem für genresprengende Projekte wie diesem hier eher unüblichen Vorwärtsdrang beerbt das neue Album von den Großmeistern Alex Paterson und Thomas Fehlmann ihren 2005er Erfolg auf Kompakt, das augenzwinkernd benannte "Okie Dokie It's The Orb On Kompakt" (KOMPAKT CD 45), sowie einige Beiträge zu unseren Speicher- und Pop-Ambient-Serien - viel wichtiger allerdings, daß wir das legendäre Duo auf der Höhe ihrer Schaffenskraft antreffen, eine neue wesentliche Phase einläutend in einer Laufbahn, die nur als bahnbrechend bezeichnet werden kann.
In bekannter Manier hat das neue Werk MOONBUILDING 2703 AD eine eher kleine Tracklist vorzuweisen, baut dafür aber jeden seiner vier Tracks zu Mini-Epen von eigenem Recht um. Der Eröffnungsakt GOD'S MIRRORBALL schwebt einem da vor Ohren, zuerst nur mit einer Handvoll gemütlichen Rauschens bewaffnet, später dann in ein feingliedriges Mosaik von atmosphärischen Melodieskizzen und mitreissenden Rhythmen explodierend. Mit einer hypnotisierenden Lauflänge von über 14 Minuten etabliert das Stück die Blaupause für die folgenden Ereignisse, perfekt die enorme Reichweite der künstlerischen Vision und ihre Fähigkeit zur massenhaften Verführung nichtsahnender Tänzer illustrierend - willkommen in THE ORB's Klanglabyrinth, wo nichts ist wie es scheint und das Unerwartete um jede Ecke lauert.
Ähnlich präsentiert sich der Folgetrack MOONSCAPES 2703 BC als einzigartig vielseitige Angelegenheit, bequem zwischen ambienten Ornamenten und beatgetriebenem Fokus sitzend und mit sovielen Drehungen und Wendungen wie ein Gaunerfilm - doch stets seine Cliffhanger im makellosen Flow erdend. Ein wenig über 9 Minuten lang, ist LUNAR CAVES der kürzeste Entwurf in der Gruppe - und auch der ätherischste, hält er doch die Rhythmusanteile auf einem puls-ähnlichem Minimum und optiert stattdessen für freilaufende Synthie-Texturen. Das letzte Kapitel des Albums schließlich ist auch der Titeltrack: MOONBUILDING 2703 AD besitzt eine überraschend jazzige Note, die sich ziemlich gut in den Reichtum an elektronischen Tricks einfügt, welche hier aus dem Ärmel geschüttelt werden - sogar in rauem Bass schwelgend und eine atemberaubende Vielfalt an Rhythmussektionen aufrufend, die ständig die Plätze tauschen. Es ist ein passender Abschluss für ein derart facettenreiches Album, so idiosynkratisch wie möglich und so anschiebend wie nötig.
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Forever was a record that was written and recorded one track at a time with my husband Coley. After scrapping about 20 songs or so I had written the last few years, I wanted to get to the heart of things. I had a great talk with a friend on the phone and she mentioned she just wasn’t sure where I’d been. I realized I wasn’t really certain of that either. It’d been a foggy few years after 2020, and the pieces seemed to just be starting to be picked up. I had fallen in love, gotten married, had a dog, a house…things I had always dreamed of. But it took my quite some time to accept them as my life. For a bit, I felt like an outsider watching myself stumble though everything, and was constantly critiquing myself, to the point where I could hardly leave the house for a bit. But then I realized my life was passing me by, and the love I was living in required presence to accept. I started to do the little things you have to do to just show up for people: listen, grow, change, write….get outside of my own problems. Time is flying, and I want to be here for it all rather than lost in my thoughts all the time. My love is forever. When I was a kid I used to say to my mom and dad “I love you forever and always” then neurotically changed it to “I love you forever and always and it’s true and I mean it”…because I wanted to make sure they knew how much I wasn’t messing around! I still feel that way when I say “I love you” to anyone and hope it comes across on this record. Love y’all forever!
After the success of their first single the super hit 'Hondebrok' (You can trust a man with a Moustache vol. 5), Amsterdam-based trio Tending Tropic return to Moustache Records with their debut EP featuring 3 original tracks and a remix from Machinegewehr that further explore the modern Italo Disco Rave genre. A1. Terpentine. A track that has been the secret weapon and the NEW DJ hit for label boss David Vunk, debuting with strong dancefloor response playing this out for a year non stop at many national and international festivals and venues.
Expect crazy chatchy bassline and hypnotic trippy energizing melody. The new hit where everybody was waiting for! A2. Terpentine (Machinegewehr remix). Rotterdam-based Machinegewehr delivers a remix that takes the title track deeper into Italo territory, adding a distinctive, nostalgic twist. B1. Our Adventure Begins. Modulating Yamaha synths and an adventurous Italo-inspired lead, a track that symbolises the beginning of the next chapter for Tending Tropic. Described by DJ Cormac as absolutely beautiful! B2. Mowing the Lawn.
Final track of the EP drives the listener to the darker side of Italo, complete with signature synth hooks and a deep, clean drop. C1. Kilimanjaro (digital bonus track). Named after the dormant volcano and highest mountain in Africa, this track wreaks havoc using a combination of acid basslines and Italo strings. Dont sleep it this gone is gone.
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More than a decade into his career, Harlem emcee Smoke DZA has become one of hip-hop’s most recognizable voices. Vividly narrating his own remarkable lifestyle with slick wordplay, DZA has amassed an unprecedented catalog for an independent artist, with more than 40 projects to his name featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Action Bronson, Ty Dolla $ign, ScHoolboy Q, Cam’ron, Wale, and more. A key member of burgeoning Buffalo collective Griselda Records, Benny The Butcher is a formidable lyricist known for powerful flows and complex punchlines steeped in his real criminal past. In recent years, Benny has continued his ascent, signing with iconic label Def Jam and releasing a series of acclaimed studio albums featuring collaborations with Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Big Sean, and more. In 2019, Smoke DZA and Benny The Butcher linked for the joint project Statue Of Limitations, entirely produced by the legendary Pete Rock. The union of three supremely talented artists drew immediate attention online, leading to coverage from outlets like Complex, Okayplayer, The Fader, HipHopDX, RapRadar, Stereogum, Hypebeast, and more. Finding genuine chemistry over Pete’s raw instrumentation, DZA and Benny deliver a cohesive exploration of Empire State street life on this memorable collection, which features appearances by Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Styles P. To celebrate the 5th anniversary of its release, Statue Of Limitations is now available on vinyl for the first time in years, complete with the previously unavailable Pete Rock instrumentals.
Having haunted stages across the UK for the best part of a decade, the critical success of their 2024 sophomore full-length `Acts of Harm' gave caustic shoegaze outft Outlander pause to refect on their astounding 2019 debut, `The Valium Machine', soon to be reissued by Pelagic Records on vinyl for the frst time. Written and recorded in 2018 over a handful of studio sessions in Stoke-on-Trent, `The Valium Machine' was a formative experience for Outlander in more ways than one. Prior to working on the album, the band would happily describe themselves as your standard, straight-down-the-middle post rock band but an openness to new infuences from the `90s slowcore and shoegaze scenes, the delicate, textural introduction of vocals and the pivotal decision to track the album in sprawling, full-band takes lead Outlander to fundamentally redefne their sound and scale; adding a pointed sense of dynamic and discordant dirge that lead to the four-piece sharing stages with trailblazing genre heavyweights Bossk and Grivo as well as breathtaking performances at festivals like Dunk! (BE) and ArcTanGent (UK). With beautiful artwork produced in partnership with street photographer Richard Lambert documenting the colourful, everyday life of their beloved Birmingham, the initial run of `The Valium Machine' was limited to a criminally small 50 CDs through tiny local imprint FOMA. Now, fve years later, Outlander owe their panoramic pace and formidable, funereal sound to those few days spent in Stoke- on-Trent and the band, along with Pelagic Records, believe this nascent recording deserves to be heard by many, many more. FOR FANS OF: Duster, Codeine, Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, Kowloon Walled City
Having haunted stages across the UK for the best part of a decade, the critical success of their 2024 sophomore full-length `Acts of Harm' gave caustic shoegaze outft Outlander pause to refect on their astounding 2019 debut, `The Valium Machine', soon to be reissued by Pelagic Records on vinyl for the frst time. Written and recorded in 2018 over a handful of studio sessions in Stoke-on-Trent, `The Valium Machine' was a formative experience for Outlander in more ways than one. Prior to working on the album, the band would happily describe themselves as your standard, straight-down-the-middle post rock band but an openness to new infuences from the `90s slowcore and shoegaze scenes, the delicate, textural introduction of vocals and the pivotal decision to track the album in sprawling, full-band takes lead Outlander to fundamentally redefne their sound and scale; adding a pointed sense of dynamic and discordant dirge that lead to the four-piece sharing stages with trailblazing genre heavyweights Bossk and Grivo as well as breathtaking performances at festivals like Dunk! (BE) and ArcTanGent (UK). With beautiful artwork produced in partnership with street photographer Richard Lambert documenting the colourful, everyday life of their beloved Birmingham, the initial run of `The Valium Machine' was limited to a criminally small 50 CDs through tiny local imprint FOMA. Now, fve years later, Outlander owe their panoramic pace and formidable, funereal sound to those few days spent in Stoke- on-Trent and the band, along with Pelagic Records, believe this nascent recording deserves to be heard by many, many more. FOR FANS OF: Duster, Codeine, Swervedriver, Catherine Wheel, Kowloon Walled City
Mint Condition - A brand new record label focussed on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics and overlooked gems mined from the last 20+ of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London and beyond, Mint Condition have got their expert digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been on your wants list for years! Dig in.... Another dyed-in-the-wool house classic here, from all the way back in the golden mists of 1987 on the tiny, cult Danica label. Don't forget, Mint Condition's mission is to bring you the classics too, a nice, new copy to play out in the club so you can keep your original nice and fresh! We care about these things. That's why we're happy to present this monumental slab of Chicago house history from one of the absolute gods of this culture - Mr. Frankie Knuckles - this time operating under his Night Writers alias. We're not sure too much needs to be said about this one, it's all here really, that classic Knuckles deep touch, the musicality, the vibe... Ricky Dillard's vocals encapsulating that feeling when the music takes over, pure abandon. The pairing of these two talents results in what would eventually become a bona-fide house CLASSIC. No arguments. If you're not familiar you're in for a treat, if you already know then you're nodding your head and agreeing with everything you've just read. Simple really - YOU NEED THIS ONE ! 'Let The Music Use You' has been legitimately re-released with the full involvement of all license holders for 2017 and remastered by London's Curve Pusher from the original sources especially for Mint Condition. 100% legit, licensed and released. Dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your new favourite reissue label - Mint Condition!
On their spellbinding sophomore album, "Whispers in the Speech Machine," the young Ohio siblings from The Laughing Chimes fully embrace their Southern Gothic influences, cannily balancing the light of their infectious pop with the shadow of their rust belt environs. While attending an afterschool music program at their local opera house, Evan and his brother Quinn began recording The Laughing Chimes' debut album "In This Town," released in 2020. A string of well-received digital singles and a cassette EP for Slumberland followed, dazzling savvy pop fans with their Paisley Underground-inflected jangle that owes as much to the Flying Nun sound as it does to 80s Athens, GA.
The eight assured songs of "Whispers in the Speech Machine" prove The Laughing Chimes deserve the attention and accolades, while their approaches to songwriting and sonic aesthetics continue to evolve. "Southeast Ohio is the foothills of Appalachia, so it has this indescribable mood and atmosphere to it," guitarist/vocalist Evan Seurkamp told The Big Takeover. "Sometimes there's a haunting weight of decay you want to escape, but at the same time there is some sort of strange romanticism surrounding ghost towns. We've tried to channel those moods to add more regional flavor into our sound."
Ocean Blue/Black Vinyl. Limited to 200 copies. Gegründet im Jahr 2014 als Hüter der gestohlenen Riffs in ihrem Bestreben, den Metalcore in der Galaxie wiederherzustellen, erklärten sich ChuggaBoom umgehend zur wichtigsten Metalcore-Band der Welt. Die Band schöpft aus einem breiten Spektrum an Einflüssen, darunter Upon A Burning Body, Devin Townsend, Funeral For A Friend & Attack Attack! und hat sich noch nie gescheut, das aufzunehmen, was sie will. Während die Welt durch die Pandemie im Jahr 2020 zum Stillstand kam, fand die Band die Inspiration, sowohl die "Chugg Wars: The Covid-19 Saga"-EP als auch das 22 Titel umfassende "Christmas Number Ones"-Album aufzunehmen und zu veröffentlichen, das Platz 3 der iTunes U.K. Metal Albums Chart erreichte. Mit der Unterstützung ihrer engagierten Chuggalo-Community haben sie über 10 Millionen Spotify-Streams und über 2,5 Millionen Views auf ihrem YouTube-Kanal erreicht. Werde ein Chuggalo, oder bleibe zurück.
In 2009, you couldn't ignore Kyteman. It truly was his year. His album "The Hermit Sessions" likely topped the year-end lists of many critics and music enthusiasts. With his HipHop Orchestra, sometimes 25 members strong, Kyteman made more than his mark at numerous festivals, including Pinkpop, Paaspop, Oerol, North Sea Jazz, Lowlands, Appelpop, a sold-out gig at the HMH in Amsterdam, and many club performances, always bringing the energy to the next level. His appearances on Dutch televisionshows like 'Raymann Is Laat' and 'De Wereld Draait Door' are also legendary. Now, 15 years later, the music has not lost any of its power. It is high time for a re-release of this iconic album in a special Anniversary Edition, with an additional insert with photo's, credits and a reflection by Colin Benders.
Pharoah Sanders' Love in Us All was recorded in 1972 but released on the Impulse! label in 1974. It consists of two extended compositions, "Love Is Everywhere" (which Sanders also recorded that year in a different version for his album Wisdom Through Music) and an homage to John Coltrane, titled "To John." Both serve as an aural representation of the way Sanders' music polarized the jazz world at the time. Ted Davis of Paste Magazine included "Love Is Everywhere" in his list of "The 10 Best Pharoah Sanders Songs," stating that it "captures his sound at its most wonderfully cosmic, esoteric and enlightening—a perfect distillation of all the things that made him such a singular and unforgettable artist." According to AllMusic writer Nathan Bush, "Coltrane himself never created a work as emotionally direct as 'Love Is Everywhere'.
Time to Kill Records, red vinyl, gatefold, re-issue 2025
MURDERWORKS is the third full album of Rotten Sound and is also considered as the stepping stone for the band, which also got us finally touring internationally. We had been doing more crusty stuff at first on Under Pressure and earlier releases. Then we added elements of death metal on Drain and finally started blasting more than ever on Murderworks.
Murderworks was created mostly during 2001, when Keijo already lived in Tampere while others still were based in Vaasa. Keijo had moved already in 1997, but on 2001 he was rehearsing more than before with others, who were also spending a lot of time together at the rehearsal place. That extensive rehearsing made the release and entire band tighter than before, which probably has a lot to do with how the album ended up being.
Beirut Birds (طيور بيروت) is a sonic memory capsule honoring (inter)personal stories of migration, displacement, and the cyclical turbulent circumstances in Lebanon. Transforming her multi-year project, multidisciplinary artist and composer Nour Sokhon crystallizes the performance Beirut Birds (طيور بيروت) into her long-awaited debut album. When presented and performed live, it is accompanied by juxtaposed images of the Lebanese capital’s city life and avian migration across the Mediterranean Sea, representing themes strongly woven into the music.
In her variegated artistic process, Nour has undertaken and recorded interviews with diasporas and repatriates to commemorate, share, heal, and envision. These source materials become the album’s core elements that loop, narrate, and return throughout time, with Nour responding with both instruments and her voice. Chanting in dialogue with the interviewees, crafting near-mantras, Nour further congregates these materially-rooted soundscapes by including field recordings that she gleaned during 2018–2021 in Lebanon and her subsequent move to Berlin.
Embedded within the composition are manipulated sounds from objects that symbolize migration, such as office bells, a luggage wheel, car parts, and bureaucratic paperwork. Musically, the songs are enriched by Nour’s improvisations on classical piano, electronics, synthesizers, violin, and various percussion instruments. As time is sculpted and the layers blur, words become specters, while an entropic orchestra of drums and melody rises, giving shape to an in-between space for those who have left, and stayed.
Music and artistic research by Nour Sokhon, 2018–2024. Recording, editing, and mixing by Rabih Beaini at Morphine Raum, Berlin. Mastered by Rashad Becker at Clunk.
On their spellbinding sophomore album, "Whispers in the Speech Machine," the young Ohio siblings from The Laughing Chimes fully embrace their Southern Gothic influences, cannily balancing the light of their infectious pop with the shadow of their rust belt environs. While attending an afterschool music program at their local opera house, Evan and his brother Quinn began recording The Laughing Chimes' debut album "In This Town," released in 2020. A string of well-received digital singles and a cassette EP for Slumberland followed, dazzling savvy pop fans with their Paisley Underground-inflected jangle that owes as much to the Flying Nun sound as it does to 80s Athens, GA.
The eight assured songs of "Whispers in the Speech Machine" prove The Laughing Chimes deserve the attention and accolades, while their approaches to songwriting and sonic aesthetics continue to evolve. "Southeast Ohio is the foothills of Appalachia, so it has this indescribable mood and atmosphere to it," guitarist/vocalist Evan Seurkamp told The Big Takeover. "Sometimes there's a haunting weight of decay you want to escape, but at the same time there is some sort of strange romanticism surrounding ghost towns. We've tried to channel those moods to add more regional flavor into our sound."
03 See’s J Diggns return to his Hip Hop roots with the 01 - colour scheme signifying HIP HOP. As the world needs more Love right now on the A side. J remakes and blends the classic Skull snaps drum beat with melodic summer vibe bringing back a bush babee classic from 96. Mos Def..initely one for the Hip Hop lovers at 93 BPM. On the B Side. It’s a J Atomic Dawg - remix and revisiting the 96’ version - A Coolio remix to match the timeline of the A Side. - Because “till I die it’s still one nation under a groove” Mashing up classic samples and the OG atomic feel with twist into Dancehall. One for the dogs on the streets with hard hitting beats. If you have the other versions on 45 you are ready for the mega mix
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High Roller Records, reissue 2025, 180g black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, A4 info sheet, poster, fully restored original artwork, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony, Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate audiophile edition of this German Speed Metal classic
High Roller Records, reissue 2025, transparent beer colored vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, A4 info sheet, poster, fully restored original artwork, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony, Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels... The ultimate audiophile edition of this German Speed Metal classic
Over the past few years, Giulio Erasmus has been carving out his very own musical idiom, referencing the fragmentative cause-and-effect possibilities of soundsystem culture. Accompanied for the occasion by The End Of The Worm, the recording of this concert highlights the futurist intentions of early 80s underground music in the UK and beyond. Although the expression is clear, there's continuous room for exploration and innovation. With heavy delay effects often cut short, metallic percussion, murky vocals, deconstructed electronics, and miniaturist melodies with snippets of the grandiose and the absurdly urban, all tracks here are patient, explorative, and freeform. Through curves of darkness and curves of light, this is a choreography of ideas, a passing infatuation that runs deep.
Giulio Erasmus was a member of D.U.D.S, Handle, and released his first solo outing, Re-Adjustment, in 2021. His second album, called Second Attempt, was released to acclaim in 2024 and hailed as an extremely modern take on the possibilities of underground pop through the extended ripples of soundsystem culture. Being the son of musical royalty, his father is legendary Factory Records co-founder Alan Erasmus, is almost too easy a reference. Giulio taps into 80s counterculture sonic experiment as a universal musical language that allows for futurism and fragmentation, reversing narrative logic and the transmission of musical ideas.
This recording of the amazing live performance by Giulio Erasmus & The End Of The Worm beautifully captures the investigative and unforgiving nature of all the instrumentalists that were on stage on that warm night last August in Eupen, Belgium. Through spirals of ideas, fragments, and experiment, they built a vapourous yet focused suggestion of openness and endless possibilities.
This live incident involved:
Fiona Brunet, Paul Cossé, Romain Simon, Lola Lextrait, Guyilo Erasmus
"Self-released avant garde jazz – reissued for the first time! Recalling Kraftwerk precursor the Organisation, or contemporaries like Faust, Hünerberg employs flute, organ, bass and balloon to his DIY compositions.
Over top of Gillespie's nimble, pointillist drumming (he also plays piano and harpsichord), Hünerberg employs flute, organ, bass and balloon (that’s not a saxophone on “Cucumber”). The disorienting opener “Cro Magnon/Two” recalls Kraftwerk precursor the Organisation, or contemporaries like Faust. There’s a strange, disconsolate atmosphere to the proceedings, almost as if the air had been sucked out of a recording session booked for some avant-garde jazz heavies.
Instead of Impulse, Phase Murmur should have been bound for ESP-Disk. Alas, the duo were experimenting out in the relative vacuum of southwestern Ohio. Far from any bustling metropolis or curious record labels, Phase Murmur was truly a DIY affair. Not only did the duo press the LP up themselves (down the road at Cincinnati's Rite Record Productions), but the evocative and mysterious photo on the cover is by Gillespie while the layout, with accompanying poem on the back, was assembled by Hünerberg.
It was on Phase Murmur where Hünerberg first found his voice, and the rest is the sound of history, unspooling on a reel-to-reel tape machine.
Includes new liner notes by Erick Bradshaw (Host of Spin Age Blasters with Creamo Coyl on WFMU)"
Heather Maloney’s new album, Exploding Star was never intended to be released. Written after the death of her father, the songs were the most vulnerable body of work she had ever created - meant and written only for her. The idea of releasing an album went against her instincts to keep this art close. Luckily for us, her family convinced her otherwise. Maloney was able to track for 2 days in her childhood home - recording songs, backing vocals, the crickets in the yard and even percussion played directly on the walls and floors of the house itself. Maloney also played her father’s guitar and a keyboard that she had since she was a child. The result is raw and exquisitely personal, a collection of twelve songs urgently written at the time to help ease the “greatest heartbreak” of Maloney’s life but are thankfully and transcendentally now ours as well.
Discover the deeply personal work of Japanese saxophonist Hidefumi Toki through his 1975 masterpiece, "Toki". Accompanied by a quartet featuring Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, Nobuyoshi Ino on bass, and Steve Jackson on drums, Toki's expressive alto and soprano saxophone fill the space with gentle, raspy tones. The album's laidback and mellow atmosphere, highlighted by original compositions like "Darkness" and "Lullaby For The Girl," as well as soulful renditions of classics such as "When Sunny Gets Blue" and Ornette Coleman's "Blues," creates a captivating listening experience.
‘In Session’ is the new album from platinum selling & MOJO Awards winning artist Rumer. Having moved to the USA for a period of time, Rumer began working on a studio project to celebrate the work of Joni Mitchell. It was then that she first collaborated with London based, funk band Redtenbacher’s Funkestra, the original and mostly instrumental wall-to-wall Jazz Funk Collective of world class players who have previously collaborated with esteemed musicians such as Brand New Heavies, Cory Wong (Vulfpeck) and Andy Snitzer (Paul Simon).
Through new arrangements of music that emerged during their work together, the idea of presenting an ‘In Session’ record was born. Coming together at James Welch’s Masterlink Studios, the songs that made her a worldwide million-seller like soulful singles “Slow” and “Aretha,” have been re-recorded here with Redtenbacher’s
Funkestra to offer a timeless collection for the seasoned fan and newcomer alike.
‘In Session’ is the new album from platinum selling & MOJO Awards winning artist Rumer. Having moved to the USA for a period of time, Rumer began working on a studio project to celebrate the work of Joni Mitchell. It was then that she first collaborated with London based, funk band Redtenbacher’s Funkestra, the original and mostly instrumental wall-to-wall Jazz Funk Collective of world class players who have previously collaborated with esteemed musicians such as Brand New Heavies, Cory Wong (Vulfpeck) and Andy Snitzer (Paul Simon).
Through new arrangements of music that emerged during their work together, the idea of presenting an ‘In Session’ record was born. Coming together at James Welch’s Masterlink Studios, the songs that made her a worldwide million-seller like soulful singles “Slow” and “Aretha,” have been re-recorded here with Redtenbacher’s
Funkestra to offer a timeless collection for the seasoned fan and newcomer alike.
Maceration's drittes Album „Serpent Devourment“ wird am 31. Januar 2025 veröffentlicht. Wieder hat Dan Swanö als Produzent und Mann hinter
dem Mix in seinem Unisound-Studio eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entstehung gespielt. Diesmal hat er jedoch nicht die Vocals aufgenommen.
Maceration's Stammsänger Jan Bergmann Jepsen (ex. Cor Vacante) hat die Aufnahmen übernommen und er lässt keinen Zweifel daran, dass er den
Gesang auf den neuen Aufnahmen übernommen hat. Jan Bergmann war seit der Wiederauferstehung 2022 live bei Maceration und auf einigen
Tracks auf „It Never Ends“ im Duett mit Swanö zu hören, aber jetzt ist er allein an der Front. Mit seinem tiefen, knurrenden und brutalen Gesangsstil
ist er der perfekte Nachfolger von Swanö und er meißelt dies auf dem neuen Album in Stein. Zehn brandneue Tracks sind es, die auf „Serpent
Devourment“ serviert werden. Brutalität, Geschwindigkeit und Härte sind die Schlüsselwörter für alle Tracks, aber auch Melodie und eingängige Riffs
und Refrains zeichnen die Tracks von Maceration wie immer aus. Das gilt für die schweren Riffs im Titeltrack und „Where Leeches Thrive“ ebenso wie
für die schnellen, leicht wiedererkennbaren Themen in „The Den of Misery“ oder das triolische, aggressive Hauptriff in „A Corrosive Heart Fell Below“.
Das gesamte neue Album ist eine abwechslungsreiche Kreatur, mit schnellen Death Metal-Attacken wie „The Suffering“ und „For The End Alone“ über
das schwere „Revolt The Tyrant Dream“, „In Rot Unleashed“ oder „Emptiness Embraced“. Fans von Maceration werden anerkennend nicken,
während neue Hörer von stilvollem, brutalem und aggressivem Death Metal der alten Schule begeistert sein werden.
Maceration's drittes Album „Serpent Devourment“ wird am 31. Januar 2025 veröffentlicht. Wieder hat Dan Swanö als Produzent und Mann hinter
dem Mix in seinem Unisound-Studio eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entstehung gespielt. Diesmal hat er jedoch nicht die Vocals aufgenommen.
Maceration's Stammsänger Jan Bergmann Jepsen (ex. Cor Vacante) hat die Aufnahmen übernommen und er lässt keinen Zweifel daran, dass er den
Gesang auf den neuen Aufnahmen übernommen hat. Jan Bergmann war seit der Wiederauferstehung 2022 live bei Maceration und auf einigen
Tracks auf „It Never Ends“ im Duett mit Swanö zu hören, aber jetzt ist er allein an der Front. Mit seinem tiefen, knurrenden und brutalen Gesangsstil
ist er der perfekte Nachfolger von Swanö und er meißelt dies auf dem neuen Album in Stein. Zehn brandneue Tracks sind es, die auf „Serpent
Devourment“ serviert werden. Brutalität, Geschwindigkeit und Härte sind die Schlüsselwörter für alle Tracks, aber auch Melodie und eingängige Riffs
und Refrains zeichnen die Tracks von Maceration wie immer aus. Das gilt für die schweren Riffs im Titeltrack und „Where Leeches Thrive“ ebenso wie
für die schnellen, leicht wiedererkennbaren Themen in „The Den of Misery“ oder das triolische, aggressive Hauptriff in „A Corrosive Heart Fell Below“.
Das gesamte neue Album ist eine abwechslungsreiche Kreatur, mit schnellen Death Metal-Attacken wie „The Suffering“ und „For The End Alone“ über
das schwere „Revolt The Tyrant Dream“, „In Rot Unleashed“ oder „Emptiness Embraced“. Fans von Maceration werden anerkennend nicken,
während neue Hörer von stilvollem, brutalem und aggressivem Death Metal der alten Schule begeistert sein werden
Phantom Planet's Holiday EP, Maybe You Still Call It Christmas. The album contains the band's 2023 holiday single "Maybe You Still Call It Christmas," a reimagined cover of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You," a new original holiday song "Riding The Sleigh," as well as "Clockwork '24," which is a revisited version of the track, which originally appeared on Negatives 2. We are pressing it at 45 RPM.
Mike Parker returns to Samurai Music to apply his steely, rigorous approach to another EP navigating the 170BPM zone. As a widely celebrated pioneer of ice-cold wormhole techno, Parker finds profound depth in alien textures and ruthless repetition which he ably twists to the drum & bass template.
The A side of Envenomations leaps forward with urgent jump-up grooves as the driver for lean, rolling workouts. With his minimalist tendencies, 'Voc-1 Robot' and 'Ee-Yo' strike a cool and deadly mood similar to classic mid-90s Krust, swapping jazzy samples for atonal synthesis.
Parker was last spotted experimenting with this techno-D&B crossover on 2023's Sabre-Tooth, but the keen-eared may have already detected his interest in half-time on the Stinging Insects / Stages Of Metal digital single he dropped on his own Geophone label back in 2020. Both tracks make a welcome arrival on wax to form the B side of this release, channelling Parker's signature palette into more spacious surroundings.
Backed up by an additional pair of digital-only tracks, Envenomations is another standout exercise in the fertile synergy between techno and drum & bass, delivered by a true auteur with an unmistakable sound.
out of Stock
Last delivered 20 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Vibraphonist Milt Jackson and tenor saxophonist John Coltrane make for a surprisingly complementary team on this 1959 studio session, their only joint recording. AllMusic notes that with fine backup by pianist Hank Jones, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Connie Kay, Bags and Trane stretch out on two of Jackson's originals (including "The Late Late Blues") and three standards: a romping "Three Little Words," "The Night We Called It a Day," and the rapid "Be-Bop." The highlight of the set is the eponymous opening track, which just oozes late-night cool.
This deluxe 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP reissue from Analogue Productions (Atlantic 75 Series) is a gem and will be a must-have for all jazz music fans.
Filled with aural magic and enchanting musical spells, Sorcerer is true to its name. The third of five albums by Miles Davis’ legendary Second Great Quintet — and the second record in a still-unprecedented string of eight consecutive releases within a four-year period that forever changed the face of jazz — the 1967 effort mesmerizes with instrumental colors, subdued musings, and subtle details. These crucial characteristics blossom with vibrant realism on Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 33RPM SuperVinyl LP.
Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this numbered-edition audiophile edition of Sorcerer joins the ranks of other essential Davis records given supreme sonic and packaging treatment by Mobile Fidelity. Longtime listeners will immediately recognize a wealth of information and depth of tonality unavailable on prior versions. The myriad shadings, interwoven textures, and relaxed nuances that tie the post-bop set’s warm compositions together are rendered with utmost realism. Credit goes to MoFi’s engineers as well as the label’s groundbreaking SuperVinyl profile that features the lowest-possible noise floor as well as sublime transparency, dead-quiet surfaces, and superb groove definition.
By any measure, this is a reference reissue. You’ll hear poetic lyricism pouring out of Wayne Shorter’s horn, the breadth and definition of the notes spreading across an enormous soundstage. Never before have drummer Tony Williams’ rim shots ricocheted with such purpose or his light percussive work mirrored that of a feather touching skin. Similarly, Herbie Hancock’s piano runs occupy their own space, where their relationship to the central rhythms and front line becomes clearer.
Prizing inflection and nuance more so than heady solos or uptempo flights, Sorcerer mesmerizes with cerebral properties and cascades of emotional interplay. Such beauty emerges in the mellow ballad “Pee Wee,” an indelible statement of restrained authority and sophisticated expression. The swirling title track unfolds as jazz shadowplay, Hancock, Shorter, and Williams mirroring one another’s moves with guile and purpose. The opening “Prince of Darkness” showcases the ensemble’s reach and communication, every musician going in seemingly different directions yet ending up on the same page.
A lasting example of Davis’ visionary insight, Sorcerer is comprised entirely of pieces written by his band mates. Indeed, save for the closing “Nothing Like You” — a brief tribute to Davis’ eventual wife, who also graces the cover, recorded in 1962 and adorned with vocals from Bob Dorough — the album represents a further maturation and refinement of a quintet that stands as one of the finest in jazz history.
MoFi SuperVinyl
Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analog lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world’s quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are virtually indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label’s engineers hear in the mastering lab.
The next release in Now Again's Memphis Rap series is Breakin Da Law presented on vinyl for the first time ever. This is Gangsta Blac's first, a swaggering and drawling gangster rap outing from hot and humid South Memphis. This is part of Now Again Records multiple LP series on the History of Memphis Rap, which attempts to capture Memphis and its underground rap scene as it began to produce some of the most distinctive music of the 90s. This was a unique hip-hop strain - visceral and often vicious. It was a local, low-fi, cassette-tape based movement - yet it went on to change the course of rap music. These albums have never been pressed on vinyl - until now. From Skinny Pimp and Carmike to Gangsta Blac and Shawty Pimp, these albums have been relegated to the proverbial bins of history and bootlegged, with unofficial copies still fetching top dollar on the secondary market. These albums were all licensed directly from their original creators, and come on limited edition colored vinyl with artist-approved imagery for their first LP iterations. You can read the story of the Memphis Rap scene in a 12-page, oversized booklet with notes by Torii MacAdams. It captures the story of Memphis rap starting with the city’s founding and ending with an auto supply shop that sold these albums over the counter, with all points in between.
out of Stock
Last delivered 20 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Barsuk Records is pleased to release Death Cab for Cutie's beloved sophomore LP "We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes" on attractively priced standard weight vinyl. This lovely black vinyl pressing includes the original vibrant 6-color spot-printed jacket and lyrics insert. Features classics "405" and "Company Calls," and still makes many fans' favorite-album lists, 25 years later!
Was wird aus uns, wenn wir anfangen, über die Dinge zu schweigen, die wichtig sind?
Flash Forward sind seit Jahren nicht mehr aus der deutschen Musiklandschaft wegzudenken. Ausverkaufte Shows in ganz Deutschland, Support Touren mit (inter)nationalen Größen wie Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Deaf Havana oder Emil Bulls und Slots auf den größten Deutschen Festivals wie dem Hurricane, Southside, Highfield oder dem Open Flair, zeichnen die Vita der Band.
Im neuen Album RENEGADE (VÖ: 31.01.2025) steckt viel. Viel Angst, viel Vertrauen, viel Wut, viel Hoffnung. Sich nicht zugehörig zu fühlen und sowohl den subjektiven als auch objektiven Transformationen und Herausforderungen zu stellen, bedeutet sich zu erheben, Blindheit abzulegen und die Augen zu öffnen. Selbstbestimmung, Gleichberechtigung, Toleranz und Nächstenliebe sind Werte, welche die Band nicht erst auf dem neuen Album, sondern seit jeher auf ihren Konzerten und mit ihrer Haltung vermittelt. Das Album ist also weniger ein neues Kapitel als vielmehr die Fortführung der essenziellen Tugenden von Flash Forward.
Genauso wie die Musik der Band, die sich durch ihre Vielseitigkeit auszeichnet und moderne Pop-Elemente mit harten Gitarren und intensiven Drums miteinander verschmilzt, ist das neue Album RENEGADE etwas für JEDE:N der sich mit diesen Werten identifiziert.
Weisses Vinyl
ltd. auf 250 Stück
Bedrucktes Innersleeve mit Lyrics
Hochwertiges LP-Jacket, Inside Out bedruckt
Between records like Relentless and Show `Em How, Pentagram have never wanted for self-awareness in terms of album titles. The gauntlet thrown down by Lightning in a Bottle is very much in this tradition. The 10th Pentagram album sees founding frontman and doom figurehead Bobby Liebling leading a new cast of players that includes guitarist/producer Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere, etc.), drummer Henry Vasquez (Legions of Doom, Saint Vitus, Blood of the Sun, etc.) and bassist Scooter Haslip (Mos Generator, Saltine). It would be hard to overstate the energy the new band brings to songs like "Live Again," "Solve the Puzzle" or "In the Panic Room," but Lightning in a Bottle is unmistakably a Pentagram record, of course in Liebling's unremittingly charismatic performance and the groove conjured to back it. Recorded with Reed at the helm, Lightning in a Bottle recalls the best of what has allowed Pentagram to cast an influence across decades and generations of musicians, bands, and worshippers of Riff, and as just their third studio release in the last 15 years, it's not a moment to neglect as they dig into a cut like "Dull Pain" or "Lady Heroin," the latter of which is a naked reconciliation on the part of Liebling with a lifelong addiction to opiates that's become an inextricable part of the Pentagram story. As he wonders in the lyrics, "Lady Heroin, have I seen the last of you?" it becomes difficult to know whether the separation would be through sobriety or death, and that ambiguity becomes part of what makes the song so striking.
Deluxe Edition, Double LP, Gatefold, alternative Cover. Comes with three bonus tracks. Between records like Relentless and Show `Em How, Pentagram have never wanted for self-awareness in terms of album titles. The gauntlet thrown down by Lightning in a Bottle is very much in this tradition. The 10th Pentagram album sees founding frontman and doom figurehead Bobby Liebling leading a new cast of players that includes guitarist/producer Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere, etc.), drummer Henry Vasquez (Legions of Doom, Saint Vitus, Blood of the Sun, etc.) and bassist Scooter Haslip (Mos Generator, Saltine). It would be hard to overstate the energy the new band brings to songs like "Live Again," "Solve the Puzzle" or "In the Panic Room," but Lightning in a Bottle is unmistakably a Pentagram record, of course in Liebling's unremittingly charismatic performance and the groove conjured to back it. Recorded with Reed at the helm, Lightning in a Bottle recalls the best of what has allowed Pentagram to cast an influence across decades and generations of musicians, bands, and worshippers of Riff, and as just their third studio release in the last 15 years, it's not a moment to neglect as they dig into a cut like "Dull Pain" or "Lady Heroin," the latter of which is a naked reconciliation on the part of Liebling with a lifelong addiction to opiates that's become an inextricable part of the Pentagram story. As he wonders in the lyrics, "Lady Heroin, have I seen the last of you?" it becomes difficult to know whether the separation would be through sobriety or death, and that ambiguity becomes part of what makes the song so striking.
Aqua Blue Vinyl, limited to 500 copies. Between records like Relentless and Show `Em How, Pentagram have never wanted for self-awareness in terms of album titles. The gauntlet thrown down by Lightning in a Bottle is very much in this tradition. The 10th Pentagram album sees founding frontman and doom figurehead Bobby Liebling leading a new cast of players that includes guitarist/producer Tony Reed (Mos Generator, Big Scenic Nowhere, etc.), drummer Henry Vasquez (Legions of Doom, Saint Vitus, Blood of the Sun, etc.) and bassist Scooter Haslip (Mos Generator, Saltine). It would be hard to overstate the energy the new band brings to songs like "Live Again," "Solve the Puzzle" or "In the Panic Room," but Lightning in a Bottle is unmistakably a Pentagram record, of course in Liebling's unremittingly charismatic performance and the groove conjured to back it. Recorded with Reed at the helm, Lightning in a Bottle recalls the best of what has allowed Pentagram to cast an influence across decades and generations of musicians, bands, and worshippers of Riff, and as just their third studio release in the last 15 years, it's not a moment to neglect as they dig into a cut like "Dull Pain" or "Lady Heroin," the latter of which is a naked reconciliation on the part of Liebling with a lifelong addiction to opiates that's become an inextricable part of the Pentagram story. As he wonders in the lyrics, "Lady Heroin, have I seen the last of you?" it becomes difficult to know whether the separation would be through sobriety or death, and that ambiguity becomes part of what makes the song so striking.
