quête:fr sound

Total Maniac ist von Herzen ein DIY-Projekt. Die ersten Songs entstanden im Laufe der Jahre von 2012 bis 2020, als die ersten Aufnahmen gemacht wurden. Alle Aufnahmen fanden im Beisein von Volker statt, der zwar den Prozess beendete, aber 2 Wochen nach der Aufnahme der letzten Phrasen verstarb.

Der Sound unterscheidet sich von den früheren WARHAMMER-Veröffentlichungen, indem er sich von den starken HELLHAMMER-Einflüssen zu einem eigenen, unverwechselbaren Sound entwickelt, aber dennoch seinen Ursprüngen treu bleibt.

Mit einer Coverversion von CRUDE SS und VELLOCET auf der Bonus-EP wird nicht nur die Sympathie, sondern auch der direkte Einfluss der Punk-Szene unterstrichen.

Total Maniac wurde 2022 ebenfalls in DIY-Manier von den verbliebenen WARHAMMER-Mitgliedern und Frederik Aderholz abgemischt und einem professionellen Mastering durch Obscured by Evil unterzogen.

- Weißes Vinyl, Inside out Druck mit Innenbedruckung, Einleger (offset Papier), schwarze polylined-innenhüllen, 180g vinyl

Total Maniac ist von Herzen ein DIY-Projekt. Die ersten Songs entstanden im Laufe der Jahre von 2012 bis 2020, als die ersten Aufnahmen gemacht wurden. Alle Aufnahmen fanden im Beisein von Volker statt, der zwar den Prozess beendete, aber 2 Wochen nach der Aufnahme der letzten Phrasen verstarb.

Der Sound unterscheidet sich von den früheren WARHAMMER-Veröffentlichungen, indem er sich von den starken HELLHAMMER-Einflüssen zu einem eigenen, unverwechselbaren Sound entwickelt, aber dennoch seinen Ursprüngen treu bleibt.

Mit einer Coverversion von CRUDE SS und VELLOCET auf der Bonus-EP wird nicht nur die Sympathie, sondern auch der direkte Einfluss der Punk-Szene unterstrichen.

Total Maniac wurde 2022 ebenfalls in DIY-Manier von den verbliebenen WARHAMMER-Mitgliedern und Frederik Aderholz abgemischt und einem professionellen Mastering durch Obscured by Evil unterzogen.

- Rotes Vinyl, Inside out Druck mit Innenbedruckung, Einleger (offset Papier), schwarze polylined-innenhüllen, 180g vinyl

Total Maniac ist von Herzen ein DIY-Projekt. Die ersten Songs entstanden im Laufe der Jahre von 2012 bis 2020, als die ersten Aufnahmen gemacht wurden. Alle Aufnahmen fanden im Beisein von Volker statt, der zwar den Prozess beendete, aber 2 Wochen nach der Aufnahme der letzten Phrasen verstarb.

Der Sound unterscheidet sich von den früheren WARHAMMER-Veröffentlichungen, indem er sich von den starken HELLHAMMER-Einflüssen zu einem eigenen, unverwechselbaren Sound entwickelt, aber dennoch seinen Ursprüngen treu bleibt.

Mit einer Coverversion von CRUDE SS und VELLOCET auf der Bonus-EP wird nicht nur die Sympathie, sondern auch der direkte Einfluss der Punk-Szene unterstrichen.

Total Maniac wurde 2022 ebenfalls in DIY-Manier von den verbliebenen WARHAMMER-Mitgliedern und Frederik Aderholz abgemischt und einem professionellen Mastering durch Obscured by Evil unterzogen.

- Rotes Vinyl, Inside out Druck mit Innenbedruckung, Einleger (offset Papier), schwarze polylined-innenhüllen, 180g vinyl

Since 2020, and from coast to coast, indie-rockers Fib have been rewiring brains with their singular, jangly sound and furiously tight live performances. Fib's members connected in Portland through their love of punk, friendship, and their shared exceptional musical abilities. After releasing their debut self-titled tape in 2021 and touring the US, the band picked up and moved across the country after falling in love with Philadelphia. The city quickly warmed to Fib's controlled mania- the band putting on the tightest show imaginable, and then, at the end of the set, destroying their instruments in total chaos mode. They matched Philadelphia's freak- fitting like a fingerless glove. Now, connecting with Philly label Julia's War, the group is releasing their debut full-length record Heavy Lifting- a musical odyssey exploring arty pop, punk and progressive rock- while simultaneously breaking free from genre and giving the listener a vividly surreal auditory experience. With Heavy Lifting, Fib shed their early, scrappy, lofi limitations, and embraced a new, expansive and warm recording capture. This bigger sound allows the group to put their technical skill, harmonious vocals, and hyper-infectious songwriting on full display. Songs like 'Mutuals' and 'Say' are frenetic and bouncy- shifting through virtuosic arrangements held together with intermittent, powerful hooks. With tunes like 'Dotted Line' and 'PS,' the band settles deeper into the grooves and songwriting allowing the listener to zone in and bob their head a bit more. While the nine tracks that comprise Heavy Lifting are equally unique and invigorating showcasing the members' intricate guitar tangles and polyrhythms, the album is holistically composed- a greater sum than its parts. The release would easily sit well for fans of new bands like Palm, TAGABOW, and Water From Your Eyes, but would just as easily be a welcome addition for record heads who love bands like This Heat, Television, and Psychic TV. While this might all be hard to believe, and their name is Fib- it's no lie. Fib's Heavy Lifting is a vibrant, moving and endless sonic rainbow. Pick it up and step into their wild and ecstatic void.

Panos Alexiadis is a sound artist based in Athens, Greece, active in the field of contemporary electro-acoustic music. He founded and co-curated the tape label Thalamos, a home for exploratory sounds, where some of his own works also found their place. Marking a return after a period of (sonic) reflection, Cestrum Nocturnum is an album of remembrance and renewal. Through a lattice of self-sampled piano, fragmented voices, field recordings, and transient digital traces, Alexiadis composes a space of warmth—an electronic tapestry woven from the ephemeral. Across six pieces, sound unfolds like memory: layered, textured, dissolving at the edges yet leaving an imprint. A meditation on the cyclical nature of being and the often unnoticed beauty that quietly persists, even in the darkest hours. Cestrum Nocturnum is both a shelter and a signal.

--

The night has a thousand eyes,
And the day but one;
Yet the light of the bright world dies
With the dying sun.

The mind has a thousand eyes,
And the heart but one:
Yet the light of a whole life dies
When love is done.

Francis William Bourdillon, 1899

--

All music composed, recorded & mixed by Panos Alexiadis
Spoken word on 'But One' & ‘Follower' by Fotini Stamatelopoulou
'The Night Has a Thousand Eyes' poem by Francis William Bourdillon
Mastered by Christophe Albertijn

Limited Gatefold LP version on Gold / White Smash Vinyl (500x). Agusa's Debut Album Högtid Reissued on Karisma Records. Since their formation in 2013, Swedish progressive rock band Agusa has carved out a distinct name for themselves in the world of retro prog, Scandinavian folk rock, and Krautrock. Their evocative sound and immersive compositions made such an impact that Karisma Records is now proud to present a reissue of their debut album, Högtid. Originally released in 2014, Högtid quickly became a favourite among fans of vintage progressive rock. The album is a masterful collection of extended instrumentals, weaving together folky melodies, psychedelic jams, and otherworldly Krautrock explorations. Listeners will hear echoes of Kebnekajse, Amon Düül II, and Camel, as Agusa channels the spirit of the genre's golden era while crafting a sound that is uniquely their own. Though guitarist Mikael Ödesjö remains the only original member from the Högtid lineup, this album stands as a bold and timeless introduction to Agusa's musical journey. Now remastered by Magnus Lindberg (Cult of Luna, Dina Ögon, Crippled Black Phoenix), this new vinyl reissue brings renewed depth and warmth to the album's intricate soundscapes.

The Scream, Siouxsie & the Banshees' first album, was released late enough in the punk era to bear some claim as the first post-punk album, with only a minor traces of 'punk' (one lingering early song, "Carcass" comes to mind) and enough hints of what had come even earlier, Andy MacKay-like saxophone flourishes - to feel utterly new. Not to mention the effort producer Steve Lillywhite must have put into the album, his first fully-credited major label production. Siouxsie was clearly the focus of the band, with her unique vocal style and lyrics, but the real star, we've always known, was John McKay, who wrote most of the album's music (as well as singles like "Hong Kong Garden"), creating a wholly new guitar sound - harsh and brittle, yet melodically intoxicating . . . best articulated by a somewhat confounded Steve Albini years later ". . . only now people are trying to copy it, and even now nobody understands how that guitar player got all that pointless noise to stick together as songs". McKay's influence lives on; many of the most influential guitarists of the past four decades credit him as a major influence - Geordie from Killing Joke, Jim Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain, U2's The Edge, Thurston Moore, Johnny Marr and even the two guitarists - The Cure's Robert Smith and Magazine's John McGeoch - who followed him in The Banshees. McKay's burgeoning status as the anti-guitar hero was halted when he and Banshees drummer Kenny Morris - at odds with Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin - fled the band just after the start of a tour supporting the group's second album, Join Hands. It was a weekly music paper scandal, later the subject of a BBC documentary, and Siouxsie's vitriol working its way into the lyrics of a later Banshees b-side, "Drop Dead / Celebration". Aside from a solitary single on Marc Riley's In Tape label nearly a decade later, no music was heard from McKay again. So it comes as a major surprise to learn of a pile of excellent recordings made in the years just after he left The Banshees, unheard by all but a very few, some of which feature drummer Kenny Morris, plus Mick Allen from Rema Rema, Matthew Seligman of the Soft Boys and longer-term collaborator Graham Dowdall and John's wife Linda . . . the latter three of whom now all sadly deceased. Sixes And Sevens is an historic lost album. Brazenly genius and bearing fair claim as the lost treasure of the post-punk era, the album collects eleven studio tracks, carefully mastered from original tapes. It's a masterpiece which best speaks for itself.

The Scream, Siouxsie & the Banshees' first album, was released late enough in the punk era to bear some claim as the first post-punk album, with only a minor traces of 'punk' (one lingering early song, "Carcass" comes to mind) and enough hints of what had come even earlier, Andy MacKay-like saxophone flourishes - to feel utterly new. Not to mention the effort producer Steve Lillywhite must have put into the album, his first fully-credited major label production.
Siouxsie was clearly the focus of the band, with her unique vocal style and lyrics, but the real star, we've always known, was John McKay, who wrote most of the album's music (as well as singles like "Hong Kong Garden"), creating a wholly new guitar sound - harsh and brittle, yet melodically intoxicating . . . best articulated by a somewhat confounded Steve Albini years later ". . . only now people are trying to copy it, and even now nobody understands how that guitar player got all that pointless noise to stick together as songs". McKay's influence lives on; many of the most influential guitarists of the past four decades credit him as a major influence - Geordie from Killing Joke, Jim Reid of The Jesus And Mary Chain, U2's The Edge, Thurston Moore, Johnny Marr and even the two guitarists - The Cure's Robert Smith and Magazine's John McGeoch - who followed him in The Banshees.
McKay's burgeoning status as the anti-guitar hero was halted when he and Banshees drummer Kenny Morris - at odds with Siouxsie and bassist Steve Severin - fled the band just after the start of a tour supporting the group's second album, Join Hands. It was a weekly music paper scandal, later the subject of a BBC documentary, and Siouxsie's vitriol working its way into the lyrics of a later Banshees b-side, "Drop Dead / Celebration". Aside from a solitary single on Marc Riley's In Tape label nearly a decade later, no music was heard from McKay again. So it comes as a major surprise to learn of a pile of excellent recordings made in the years just after he left The Banshees, unheard by all but a very few, some of which feature drummer Kenny Morris, plus Mick Allen from Rema Rema, Matthew Seligman of the Soft Boys and longer-term collaborator Graham Dowdall and John's wife Linda . . . the latter three of whom now all sadly deceased.
Sixes And Sevens is an historic lost album. Brazenly genius and bearing fair claim as the lost treasure of the post-punk era, the album collects eleven studio tracks, carefully mastered from original tapes. It's a masterpiece which best speaks for itself. John McKay will be made available for a limited number of interviews . . . and yes, there are surprises in store.

Illusive Bristolian producer Claude Cooper returns with ‘Friendly Sounds Vol 1’; part psychedelic trip, part romping beat tape, part party. The album was inspired by the vinyl discoveries made from Cooper’s months of digging and cataloguing the bulging inventory of Bedminster’s Friendly Records record shop. Cooper fed these myriad captured sounds through the studio and then, blurring the lines between sampling and performance, arranged and embellished them with keyboards, drum machines, bass guitar and more, also co-opting BEAK> bassist Billy Fuller and esteemed composer Ben Salisbury to contribute.

With most of the tracks in and out within 90 seconds, the album is best enjoyed as a continuous course. Play side A, play the B, then flip it back and listen all over again. Stand out moments include tremulous cut ‘n’ paste jam ‘Jackie’, the moody string-laden ‘Rainbow Eternity’, funky sitar workout ‘Nerd Nork’, and atmospheric closer ‘Take Flight’. Sharing a similarly broad and experimental sound palette as the likes The Avalanches, Madlib, The Go Team, and Edan; ‘Friendly Sounds Vol 1’ is the soundtrack to a wild joyride down South Bristol’s North Street, foot on the gas, hand on the horn, LPs spilling from the boot.

Cooper’s irrepressible debut album ‘Myriad Sounds' (Jan ‘22) caught the attention of the UK's press and radio alike. Mojo's four star review described it as “Bristol’s beat scene backdrops late night jams”, Uncut enjoyed the "rugged psych-funk romp" and Louder than War declared "it’s vital and vibrant and exactly what we need to kick start the year”. Bonus round 'More Myriad Sounds' (Apr ‘23) added Brooklyn vocalist Brain Fog to the melange with a bounty of pyretic vocal performances. DJ Mag called it “A fierce, kaleidoscopic trip” while Bandcamp Daily said “This album of cross-genre influences is as likely to get it included in any number of best-of columns, with the theme of serious fun as their common element”. Called a "mysterious Bristol breaks scientist" by Lauren Laverne, BBC radio DJs including Cerys Matthews, Gideon Coe, Huw Stephens, Jamie Cullum, Stuart Maconie, and Tom Ravenscroft have rinsed Cooper’s tracks, with Huey Morgan inviting Cooper to contribute a Block Party Mix for his show.



‘Stay A While’, the first showing of Cooper’s new shop sampling stunners, was released on 7” in January ‘24. Lush string flourishes sliced with 6Ts girl-group vocals and rollicking piano chords resulted in a dreamy, end of night, lights up anthem in-the-making that The Arts Desk called “A horn-fired, beatsy, chop-around that recalls The Avalanches”. Releasing the album is Friendly Records, the best little record shop in Bristol and now a burgeoning record label. Opened by Tom Friend on North Street in 2016, it’s gone on to become a hub of the local musical community. As well as Claude Cooper, the label has released LPs by Alison Cotton, Floating World Pictures, Christian Madden & The Enemy Chorus, Nick Craft, as well as handling the War Child series of 7”s with BEAK>, Idles, J Dilla, PJ Harvey, Portishead, and Sleaford Mods + Hot Chip.



Claude Cooper will DJ at the one-day Friendly Festival on 10th May in aid of War Child, which will feature Sleaford Mods, Katy J Pearson, The 45s, Zalizo and DJ sets by Ishmael Ensemble, Heavenly Jukebox and Friendly Records DJs.

Underground hip-hop icon and Miami rapper Pouya kicks off 2025 with his seventh studio album, Suicidal Thoughts in the Back of the Cadillac, Pt. 3 - serving as an unofficial spiritual successor to his 2024 album, THEY COULD NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU. After a successful run as direct support to $uicideboy$’ Grey Day 2024 Arena Tour, it’s clear that Pouya has cemented himself among the top artists from the alternative / cloud-rap scene from the mid 2010s. With a rabid fan base primarily built from the ground up, and without the flashy mainstream features or press looks, Pouya has established himself as a staying power in a lane that typically sees artists rise and fall in accordance with today's modern attention span. Continuing to super-serve his fans, Pouya will be embarking on a nationwide tour in North America in 2025.

Growing up is painful, brutal, and sometimes beautiful _ something Brooklyn-based indie-rock band Bedridden knows all too well. The band's name is even a nod to that ineffable period between childhood and the jagged edges of the real world. "When I was 21, I kind of lost my home," says frontman/guitarist Jack Riley. "I was couch-surfing. I was having a hard time.The next iteration in the band's maturation, then, is their debut, LP Moths Strapped To Eachother's Backs, 10 fuzzed-out (and sometimes gnarly) ruminations on dating, drugs, and survival out April 11 on Julia's War. The title came from a mysterious missive Riley received on astrology app Co-Star. "Last year I was way too reliant on other people _ my partner at the time, my friends," he says. "I was strapped to them in a weird way _ and flying in circles. This album is about that time."The current incarnation of Bedridden encompasses a patchwork of styles, influences, and friends Riley accumulated over the years. A Chicago native who first started making music at age five on a thrift-store guitar emblazoned with Kurt Cobain's name, Riley moved to New Orleans for college where he dabbled in punk before falling in love with shoegaze. There, he launched the first version of Bedridden. Sebastian Duzian (bass) _ a jazz musician and Pasadena native _ linked up with Riley in NOLA along with his bandmate, drummer Nick Pedroza. Pedroza, from Claremont, grew up on rock, metal, and jazz, honing his style after joining the band. Wesley Wolffe _ a guitarist fed on a steady diet of New Wave and `90s alt _ rounded out the crew just a few months back. Bedridden's previous lineup released their first EP, Amateur Heartthrob, in 2023 _ a noise-washed blend of shoegaze, DIY, and indie that Riley says is a "coming-of-age EP _ these formative stories about not having a bed, dating, being kind of a jackass. I was making fun of myself a lot." That release caught the attention of Douglas Dulgarian from Philly Label Julia's War (and TAGABOW), who signed them for Moths."Some of these songs have been around for years," says Riley, adding that they were recorded last February at Studio G Brooklyn; the album was produced by Aron Kobayashi Ritch (Momma). "As opposed to Amateur Heartthrob, we attempted to blend more clean guitars into a driving sound to capture more clarity _ one that also sounds live_ and raw," Riley says. That rawness thrums through the record, which kicks off with the thrashed "Gummy," about an incident when Riley had to gently fend off a co-worker's unwanted advances while both drunk and high on an MDMA gummy. And then there's mournful rager "Etch," which sees Riley daydreaming about beating up a meddler in his personal life _ in the minor key.The annihilating "Chainsaw" revs in next, a lightning-fast Lemonheads-inspired track that recalls Riley moving in with new roommates who were unnaturally obsessed with purchasing a lamp. "For some reason that pissed me off," he laughs; that rage is evident in the album cover, which shows said power tool demolishing a lampshade. Heavy-shredding "Heaven's Leg" showcases the band's affinity for `90s mainstays like Smashing Pumpkins while telling the tale of a gig at a local church. "The lyrics are about a pastor I had met that had lost his leg," Riley says. "The church had signs about not cussing and I had a feeling that neither of us had anything to talk about without potentially offending the other."The band's not afraid to get confrontational, though, on the anger-fueled, drum-heavy "Philadelphia, Get Me Through," which deals with a dead-end relationship and the mistaken assumption that getting drunk in the titular city would be a balm against the pain. And the nasty, brutist, and short hardcore-adjacent "MainStage"? "It's about being disrespected at a show on New Year's and how I lashed out," Riley says. "I then began to take it out on other people, which was a quality that I despise."Things get contemplative and mournful from here on out _ the emo-edged "Snare" is about bringing flowers to a hospital room where you're not welcome, while the Smiths-inspired "Uno" wrestles with self-loathing. "I guess the big finale of that song was my response to dealing with this recurring experience of feeling like I wasn't good enough by getting really into whippets," Riley says. Nu-metal bop "Bonehead," then, recalls an embarrassing dinner that turned into an argument _ the name applies both to that incident and the delicious simplicity of the guitar parts.After all that turmoil and pain, the band caps everything off with their eyes to the future on the jangle-pop "Ring Size." "All my friends are getting married _ do I follow in their footsteps? Or is it all a waste of time?" Riley says of the song. "At the end, through it all, I guess that's what I've been trying to figure out _ how to grow up, how to move on. I'm trying to navigate things as an adult and I'm not very good at it. But this is just the first record. This is just the beginning."And, hey, at least now he has a bed.

“Underground” is a relative term. One could argue that all the ‘60s San Francisco psychedelic bands were underground, because the music they made was so far removed from the pop and rock sounds that came before them. But of all the bands in the scene, Lamb was perhaps the most underground of them all. It wasn’t just that their blend of rock, folk, classical, country, blues, and gospel was as hard to classify as any of the era. It was also their vibe. Along with classically trained guitarist and songwriting partner Bob Swanson, Barbara Mauritz’s versatile vocals paced material often imbued with a haunting, mystical aura. Yet they could also be earthy and rootsy, occasionally drifting into spacey psychedelia with hints of raga-rock. Released in the early ‘70s, Lamb’s first two albums, A Sign of Change and Cross Between, did indeed offer some of the most intriguing and eclectic music of any San Francisco rock band on the psychedelic scene. But Lamb’s history predated the release of those records by a good couple of years or so. So prolific were Mauritz and Swanson that quite a few of their original compositions didn’t make it onto their albums, though these were often on par with the songs that did find official release. Unlike many bands of the time who had a bounty of surplus quality tunes, Lamb often taped these in studios and studio-like rehearsal conditions, as well as making some professional tapes of their live performances. Fortunately, many of those tapes survive, including a good number of songs that didn’t find a place on their LPs, as well as substantially different versions of some that did. The best of these from the late 1960s find release for the first time on An Extension of Now: Unreleased Recordings 1968-1969. This collection not only rounds out our picture of one of San Francisco rock’s finest underappreciated acts, but also serves as a first-class document of Lamb as they made their transition from a more standard rock outfit to a group not easily comparable to any other in the region, or indeed any other anywhere. Our black vinyl and CD (with extra tracks, limited to 500) releases feature liner notes by Richie Unterberger drawn from an interview with Bob Swanson, who has also contributed photos and memorabilia from his private archive. Produced by noted Bay Area archivist Alec Palao…if you’re a fan of late-‘60s S.F. psych, you have to hear this!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Lost Themes, Sacred Bones are thrilled to present an expanded art edition of the album with art by Greg Ruth. This special release includes an additional 7-inch featuring two previously unreleased tracks from the original recording session _ "Cruisin' With Mr. Scratch" and "Dominator." Upon its initial release, Lost Themes was praised for its evocative soundscapes ranging from horror to science fiction, each track conjuring a distinct atmosphere without the need for accompanying visuals. The expanded edition of Lost Themes not only celebrates a decade of John Carpenter's standalone musical journey but also enriches the album's legacy with new material that captures the spirit of its original sessions. Whether revisiting this masterpiece or experiencing it for the first time, listeners will find themselves immersed in Carpenter's hauntingly beautiful worlds once again.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Lost Themes, Sacred Bones are thrilled to present an expanded art edition of the album with art by Greg Ruth. This special release includes an additional 7-inch featuring two previously unreleased tracks from the original recording session—“Cruisin’ With Mr. Scratch” and “Dominator.” Upon its initial release, Lost Themes was praised for its evocative soundscapes ranging from horror to science fiction, each track conjuring a distinct atmosphere without the need for accompanying visuals. The expanded edition of Lost Themes not only celebrates a decade of John Carpenter’s standalone musical journey but also enriches the album’s legacy with new material that captures the spirit of its original sessions. Whether revisiting this masterpiece or experiencing it for the first time, listeners will find themselves immersed in Carpenter’s hauntingly beautiful worlds once again.

Five Five is the second studio album from the Miami-born underground rap pioneer, Pouya. Marking a slight transition into a more mature sound, Five Five showcases Pouya’s evolution as an artist while maintaining the raw authenticity that has endeared him to his fans. With tracks like "Suicidal Thoughts in the Back of the Cadillac Pt. 2" and "Handshakes," Pouya delves into themes of struggle, resilience, and personal growth, offering listeners a glimpse into his journey. In what became truly a solo effort, Five Five is limited to one feature in Night Lovell, with production primarily handled by Mikey The Magician (Track 4 produced by Chevali). The album draws from elements of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, yet remains uniquely rooted in Pouya’s own style. Over the years, Pouya has developed a long lasting core fanbase, first bubbling up in Miami alongside artists such as Denzel Curry, and then becoming a nationally celebrated artist. Back in print for the first time since originally released in 2018. Pressed on Wire Wheel Picture Disc Vinyl and cut at 45 RPM.

Neon Pink Vinyl. For their tenth LP in a career spanning more than two decades, Tulsa's Unwed Sailor deliver their heaviest riffs, loudest squalls, and most deeply textured arrangements yet. Cruel Entertainment is a catalogue of contrasts - dissonance and harmony, hardcore crunch and post-rock grandeur, complexity and catchiness - that adds a vibrant new dimension to the second phase of their discography, spanning thus far from 2019's landmark Heavy Age up to the "vivid, starry-eyed psychedelia" (AllMusic) of 2024's Underwater Over There. Opener and lead single, "Rock Candy", roars in with a gale of feedback, pounding drums, and nimble bass, until a latticework of howling guitars ushers us into a more goth-tinged space. It's a characteristically intricate, energetic composition that flows with remarkable ease between its parts, and wastes not a moment of its three minutes. "Monster Collecting" brings a rare combination of melancholic and driving energy, reminiscent of avowed heroes New Order, but ups the ante with a tight, fastpaced rhythm section and litany of guitar lines, until opening up into a cascade of reverberating textures and tenuous sweetness. According to Ford, the title Cruel Entertainment refers to "the hardships of being an artist and musician in the crowded, imbalanced world of social media and streaming," where the completion of a new work demands that the creator also be a promoter, content strategist, and agent, among many other intensifying challenges. Pointedly drawing inspiration from noisier, rowdier bands - including Fugazi, Quicksand, and Cherubs - here they seek a much-needed catharsis in the ongoing fight to keep the creative soul intact. Second side standout, "Monty Donahue", typifies this form of release, as massive, mid-tempo percussion leads a fluid low end theme - inspired by the dual bass assault of Dianogah - and Swatzell's chords burst into shimmering nebulas across a labyrinthine arrangement that's equally loud and beautiful. Title track, "Cruel Entertainment", is a mosaic of sound for which Ford's bass provides the mortar: taut drums list between the channels, washes of guitar stretch to the horizon, and metallic heaviness punctuates the drift. There is a confident immensity here, proving that, although Unwed Sailor have witnessed a wild amount of changes in the music industry, their knack for creating complex, vital, and masterfully produced work remains untouched.

After more than two decades of captivating fans with their signature harmonies and timeless love songs, 98 Degrees returns with Full Circle, an album that marks a new chapter in the group's storied career. This highly anticipated release features five brand new tracks that showcase the evolution of the band’s sound, while still staying true to the essence that made them icons of the '90s and 2000s. Collaborations with powerful vocalists Katrina Velarde and Janine Teñoso bring fresh, dynamic layers to the album, with each artist adding their unique touch to these modern pop-soul anthems. In addition to the new material, Full Circle includes five of 98 Degrees' classic hits, re-recorded and remastered for a new era. These beloved tracks have been given a polished, contemporary update, with richer instrumentation and renewed vocal energy, offering both longtime fans and new listeners a fresh experience of the band’s greatest hits.

From the soulful ballads to the infectious up-tempos, Full Circle perfectly blends the familiar smooth melodies that fans know and love with a more contemporary edge. The title Full Circle reflects the journey the group has taken—from their meteoric rise in the late '90s to their ongoing passion for making music together. With their signature harmonies stronger than ever, Full Circle is a testament to 98 Degrees' enduring legacy and their commitment to creating music that resonates across generations.

"My Last Star" began as a dream that Greg Lee of Hepcat had the week before his death in March of 2024. Greg dreamed of a Slackers song. The Slackers have completed this song, and now the world can hear this truly one of a kind collaboration. In Greg's dream, an old neighbor picked him up in a classic car, turned on the stereo, and played a Slackers song that - at the time - did not exist on our plane of reality. It sounds like the stuff of myth, but the song was so crystal clear in the dream that when he awoke around 2 or 3 in the morning, he immediately wrote down the lyrics he had heard, still humming the tune. "I hadn't seen Greg so excited about a new song in a very long time," says Lee's longtime partner, Mandie Becker. "I found the lyrics when I was organizing his things. I knew he had a voice recording on his phone, too. I decided the best situation was to offer it to The Slackers so we could all hear the song on the stereo from Greg's dream." "I was floored when I received Greg's vocal demo with the lyrics and I vowed to finish the song and make the dream a reality," says Slackers saxophonist Dave Hillyard. "I took the vocal demo to The Slackers, Vic Ruggiero harmonized it, and we wrote music around the words. With this song we came full circle. Greg had given us a gift and we needed to give it back to his family, friends, and musical community. We are the medium for his message." The longer history behind this collaboration is a story of decades of friendship, collaboration, artistry, and mutual respect between LA's Hepcat and NYC's The Slackers, who although from opposite coasts, have both been leading lights and creative forces in the underground ska scene since the early 1990s. Both Hepcat and The Slackers concerned themselves with timeless songwriting that paid homage to the longstanding roots of the music. It is an extraordinary final work envisioned by a beloved and thoughtful musician of the highest caliber and completed by longtime friends and collaborators he knew from the moment of inspiration were the ones that would play it. It is literally a dream come true. "My Last Star" is available as a 12" UV Printed Vinyl Single from Pirates Press Records, with art by The Slackers' in-house artist Catt Gould. The 12" also includes instrumental and dub versions of the song. As a matter of fact, snippets of Greg's original vocal demo from his phone are subtly mixed in toward the end of the instrumental version, underscoring his posthumous presence on the record. Greg's songwriting royalties, as well as a portion of the proceeds from the sales of "My Last Star," will be passed on to his four daughters.

The latest release in a new series from alt. folk trailblazers The Owl Service, 'Black Chapel Music part 3' sees the Essex-based collective once again drag traditional folk music into pastures new. On these two recordings The Owl Service venture into a kind of eighties goth/dream pop sound, heavy on airy synths, vintage drum machines, and modulated guitar tones.

The A side is a new take on a traditional folk ballad collected in their native Essex, while the AA side fuses original lyrics by late, great Brit-folk legend Peter Bellamy, set to music by the late and equally great German performance artist Klaus Nomi.

Guest vocalist Liz Overs (East Sussex-based folk singer formerly of Chalk Horse Music & Pocket Size) has just released her debut solo album 'Nightjar', recorded with guitarist Neill MacColl, which has received glowing reviews in Mojo, The Guardian and Americana UK among others, plus radio support from Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2 Folk Show).

Standard weight black vinyl 7” in die-cut sleeve with postcard insert. 300 copies for the World.

DMV-by-way-of-the-U.K. punk duo Teen Mortgage have announced their debut album, Devil Ultrasonic Dream, out May 9th on vinyl via Roadrunner Records.
Produced by the band alongside longtime collaborator Kenny Eaton, the album’s first single, “BOX,” is a two-minute sprint of seething defiance, packed with hooks and unrelenting energy.
The album’s title, Devil Ultrasonic Dream, leans into the 1980s-era satanic panic in rock and roll. “The Devil Ultrasonic Dream,” explains frontman James Guile, “is about realizing a fantasy that Christian fascists don’t understand or want you to have. The devil—Satan—has always been a symbol of counterculture.”
Originally from England, Guile had been toying with the Teen Mortgage project under various monikers for years, crafting a sound steeped in sociopolitical commentary and built for the mosh pit, heavily influenced by classic ’80s punk. After relocating to Maryland five years ago, he connected with drummer (and former nurse) Edward Barakauskas via a Craigslist ad. Since then, the duo have spent years building Teen Mortgage’s presence in the DMV scene. In between a global pandemic and Barakauskas serving as an ER frontline worker, they managed to drop an EP and a string of singles before signing to Roadrunner Records in 2024.
Teen Mortgage has earned support slots with a stacked list of artists, from Weezer, Smashing Pumpkins, OFF!, and Alkaline Trio and return to the UK in June to play Download Festival and support Weezer at their Halifax Piece Hall show.