Search:hér

Mit „So ist das mit dem Glück“ veröffentlicht Montez am 21.08.2026 sein mit Spannung erwartetes neues
Studioalbum. Auf 15 Songs erzählt einer der erfolgreichsten deutschsprachigen Künstler so persönlich wie
nie von Liebe, Verlust, Hoffnung und den kleinen Momenten, die das Leben ausmachen.
Bereits die Vorab-Singles haben eindrucksvoll gezeigt, wohin die Reise geht: Mit „Herzensmensch“, „Niemand ist wie du“, „Wenn du mich fragst“, „Glück“ feat. Sido, „Die Falschen geküsst“ feat. Chapo102,
„Wie es ist“ und zuletzt „Panzer“ baut Montez die Geschichte des Albums Stück für Stück auf. Gemeinsam
verzeichnen die Songs bereits über 35 Millionen Streams und unterstreichen einmal mehr seine außergewöhnliche Fähigkeit, große Emotionen in eingängige Melodien zu verwandeln.
Auch live setzt Montez seinen Erfolgskurs fort: Im Sommer 2026 feiert er 15 Jahre Montez mit einer
großen Jubiläumstour durch Deutschlands größte Open-Air-Locations. Die 15 Termine führen ihn u. a.
nach Fulda, Berlin (Parkbühne Wuhlheide), Dresden, Ulm, Balingen, Bonn, Nürnberg, Füssen, Zwickau,
Heringsdorf, Losheim am See, Braunschweig, Bielefeld, Hamburg und Rastede – auf Bühnen mit Kapazitäten von mehreren Tausend bis hin zu rund 17.000 Besucher.
Der Album-Release fällt dabei mitten in die Tour: Am 21.08.2026 erscheint „So ist das mit dem Glück“
parallel zum Konzert auf der Volksbank BRAWO Bühne in Braunschweig. So wird das neue Album direkt
im Rahmen der laufenden Jubiläumstour begleitet und zusätzlich in den Fokus der Fans gerückt.
Und die Erfolgsgeschichte geht weiter: 2027 wird Montez erneut auf große Arena-Tour gehen und damit
seine Position als einer der wichtigsten deutschsprachigen Künstler weiter festigen.
Das Album ist erhältlich als CD sowie als attraktive Marbled Vinyl, die Sammler und Fans gleichermaßen
anspricht.

Der fünffache GRAMMY-Gewinner Keb’ Mo’ ist eine lebende Legende in der Blues-Szene. Seit 30 Jahren
bringt er verlässlich wunderschöne, hervorragend produzierte Platten heraus und steuert nun auf sein 17.
Solo-Studioalbum zu.
The Breakdown zeigt ihn in einem neuen, intimeren Rahmen, während er sich mit Themen wie Ehe,
Sterblichkeit und dem Menschsein auseinandersetzt. Dieses Album rückt das Scheinwerferlicht ganz nah
an Keb’ und seine Songwriting-Qualitäten heran. Abgesehen von zwei Tracks mit Gastgesang konzentriert
sich der Rest des Albums voll und ganz auf Keb’ und seine Gitarre – und zeigt ihn als wahren Troubadour.

Eine 4-LP-Box, die allen Jazzfans das Herz höher schlagen lassen wird: Mit „Verve Records: The Sound of
America“ feiert das legendäre Label seine 70-jährige Geschichte und würdigt die prägende Ära von Produzent
Norman Granz. Die streng limitierte Box vereint 35 neu remasterte Aufnahmen aus den Jahren 1944 bis
1960. Vertreten sind Jazzlegenden wie Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Oscar Peterson und viele weitere. Ergänzt wird die Sammlung durch Spoken-Word- und Comedy-Aufnahmen
von Jack Kerouac, Mort Sahl, Jonathan Winters und Shelley Berman, die ebenfalls den kulturellen Zeitgeist der Nachkriegsjahre widerspiegeln. Das hochwertige Set im klassischen Verve-Design umfasst vier
140g-LPs und ein 12-seitiges Booklet mit Liner Notes von Tad Hershorn in einer stabilen Box.

Here I Am - 1LP, Standard Black Vinyl
Kelly Rowlands Soloalbum „Here I Am“ ist eine kühne und dynamische Sammlung, die sinnliche R&BGrooves, mitreißende Pop-Melodien und energiegeladene Dance-Tracks miteinander verbindet. Angetrieben
vom Chartstürmer „Motivation“ unterstreicht das Album Rowlands sanfte Stimme, ihr Selbstbewusstsein
und ihre Vielseitigkeit in einer Mischung aus clubtauglichen Hymnen und intimen Slow Jams. Mit Kollaborationen mit Lil Wayne, David Guetta, Big Sean und Rico Love zeigt „Here I Am“ Kelly von ihrer
selbstbewusstesten Seite und liefert einen kraftvollen Soundtrack voller Leidenschaft, Attitüde und unwiderstehlicher Hooks.
Als herausragendes Werk in ihrem Repertoire bleibt dieses Album ein prägender Meilenstein in ihrer Entwicklung als Solokünstlerin. Anlässlich des 15-jährigen Jubiläums haben wir „Here I Am“ erstmals als
Standard-Pressung auf schwarzer 1LP neu aufgelegt.

How much love for The Thermals can you squeeze onto a 7"? Turns out: quite a lot. Two bands brought together by their shared love of The Thermals, each putting their own spin on "A Pillar of Salt." It goes without saying that Hutch Harris took care of the artwork, right? Released on the 20th anniversary of The Body, The Blood, The Machine, this split 7" is our little tribute to a record that still means the world to us. Here"s your future!

Die auf orangefarbenem Vinyl erhältliche LP von Marcus 5 dokumentiert erstmals offiziell remasterte Archivaufnahmen einer slowenischen Band, deren Ursprung in den frühen Achtzigern liegt. Die LP versammelt neun Stücke, die zwischen 1982 und 1985 aufgenommen wurden und nun in 24-bit/48kHz-Downloads sowie als physische Pressung vorliegen. Die Veröffentlichung bringt frühe Demos und seltene Studioaufnahmen in eine kohärente Edition und richtet sich an Sammler und Freunde der regionalen Alternativszene. Musikalisch verbindet Marcus 5 alternative Funkelemente mit einem ausgeprägten Rhythmusfundament, zugleich sind Anklänge an New-Romantic- und Coldwave-Ästhetik spürbar. Charakteristisch für die Gruppe waren prägnante Basslinien, synkopierte Gitarren und eine ausgeprägte Bühnenpräsenz, die der Band in Ljubljana schnell lokale Aufmerksamkeit brachte. Diese stilistische Mischung sowie die knappen, melodisch orientierten Arrangements zeichnen den Sound aus und geben dem Material eine eigenständige Spur in der damaligen Szene. Die Credits nennen Vinci Vogue AnPlovar als Sänger, Borut KrPisnik und Zvone Kukec an den Gitarren, Jani Hace am Bass sowie Friderik Vargazon an Schlagzeug und Xylophon; sämtliche Stücke entstanden unter dem Bandnamen Marcus 5. Für die Neuauflage zeichnet Mastering-Ingenieur Simon Pensek (Studio Siska, 2025) verantwortlich; das Artwork stammt von Zvone Kukec, Fotografie von JoPe Suhadolnik. Die Edition erschien auf Matrix Music Arhiv und präsentiert damit ein wichtiges Dokument der slowenischen Alternativmusik aus den frühen Achtzigern. Orangen farbige Vinyl LP

YHWH Nailgun waren schon immer von einer schonungslosen Direktheit geprägt. Was einst als rohes Duo begann, hat sich längst zu einer kompromisslosen Band entwickelt, deren Klang ebenso aggressiv wie eigenständig ist. Mit ihrem neuen Album Magazine schärfen sie dieses Profil weiter und entziehen sich bewusst jeder klaren Einordnung. Das kurze, nur etwa elf Minuten lange Werk wirkt wie ein konzentrierter Ausbruch von Energie. Schon der Opener "Ghost of Love" baut sich langsam auf, bevor Schlagzeug und grelle Gitarren plötzlich mit voller Wucht einsetzen. Diese Idee des "Ein- und Ausblendens" verstehen sie nicht nur als Stilmittel, sondern als Hinweis darauf, dass ihre Musik über das Hörbare hinaus weiterexistiert. Im Vergleich zum Debüt 45 Pounds zeigt sich Magazine reduzierter und präziser. Das Schlagzeug klingt roher, fast karg, während der Fokus stärker auf Klarheit liegt-vor allem bei Zack Borzones Stimme. Statt sich hinter Effekten zu verstecken, tritt sein Gesang nun unverhüllt hervor. Seine Texte, voller düsterer Bilder und religiöser Symbolik, gewinnen dadurch an Gewicht: Visionen von Asche, Blut und mythischen Kreaturen entfalten eine unmittelbare, beinahe bedrückende Intensität. Religiöse Motive waren schon immer zentral für die Band, doch auf Magazine werden sie klarer ausgesprochen. Der Name YHWH verweist selbst auf das unaussprechliche Gottesbild; nun stehen Themen wie Gott, Teufel und Moral offen im Raum. Im abschließenden Track "To the Devil" kulminiert dies in einer fast beschwörenden Atmosphäre, die zugleich beunruhigt und fasziniert. Trotz ihrer extremen Klangsprache verfolgen YHWH Nailgun keinen konfrontativen Ansatz gegenüber anderen Genres. Ihr Fokus liegt allein auf dem eigenen kreativen Raum-fern von Trends oder Erwartungen. Magazine wirkt dadurch wie ein Fragment eines endlosen musikalischen Flusses: kurz, intensiv und bewusst unvollständig, als würde die eigentliche Musik jenseits des Albums weiterlaufen.

This album remains a fan favorite for its intimate atmosphere, featuring Susan's trademark soulful and breathy vocals set against tasteful, uncluttered arrangements. The tracklist is a masterclass in light jazz and soft pop, featuring definitive covers of eleven classics such as "Close to You," "Stay Awhile," "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and "Love Will Keep Us Alive." Every performance is delivered with a natural, immersive presence that showcases her impeccable phrasing and emotional depth. An important release in Susan Wong's career, Close to You has been remastered and will be released on 180g One- step Pressing vinyl LP, MQA-CD and Stereo Hybrid SACD, with new liner notes.

Relocate follows their debut album Hereby (2022), which critics announced as being one of the best guitar led trio recordings to have emerged in recent years. The first thing that strikes one about the music presented here is the intense beauty and sound of Andres Thor's guitar; lush throughout, from the introspective 'Is It Me, Is It You', to more dense tunes such as 'Tuesday Morning Coffee'. And oh, that pedal steel doubling with the electric guitar on 'Grace On High' is so mesmerising. Engineer Gestur Sveinsson deserves a feather in his cap for the excellent recording quality: warm, direct, homogeneous, with subtle use of reverb and a fantastic approach to the stereo placement of the instruments, making the music wonderfully transparent. These musicians have nothing to prove; they simply add their maturity and individual voice to the diverse tunes composed by Andres.

Hatchback is the alias of Samuel Milton Grawe. Sam creates music that sings of the Cosmos, full of deep resonant tones, glistening arpeggios, lush pads and harmonic motifs. ‘Phaser For The Ocean, Chorus For The Moon’ is his magnum opus, a sprawling masterwork that encompasses ambient, new age and environmental music to wondrous effect. Soaked in Californian consciousness, the album is a balm like no other for these troubled times.

When I first was getting into the creative side of music making in my teens, I was heavily influenced by concept albums like ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’, as well as epic pieces that took up an entire side of a record: Pink Floyd’s ‘Echoes’, Yes’ ‘Close To The Edge’, Klaus Schulze’s ‘Nowhere Now Here’, Miles Davis' ‘Shhh/Peaceful’ and ‘He Loved Him Madly’. In the extreme, these ideas coalesced in double albums where each side of each record is occupied by a single title - Yes’ ‘Tales From Topographic Oceans’, and Tangerine Dream’s ‘Zeit’ being primary examples. When I returned to making music after moving back to Northern California in 2020, the first piece I recorded landed around the 20-minute mark, and the idea of creating three other long pieces to realize a full album felt like a natural - if indulgent - goal. From there, each new piece followed sequentially. Four songs. My fourth album. - Sam Grawe

‘Phaser For The Ocean Chorus For The Moon’ is a pure expression, informed by a lifetime of deep listening unbound by algorithms or AI.
These are songs for the sunrise and the sunset - and every colour in between.

a 01. And The Walls Became The World All Around [18:53]
[b] 02. Phaser For The Ocean, Chorus For The Moon [21:48]
[c] 03. Other Desert Cities [20:19]
[d] 04. Friendship Fountain [18.33]

a1 One Vision 5:50
a2 Tie Your Mother Down 3:52
a3 In the Lap of the Gods...Revisited 2:43
a4 Seven Seas Of Rhye 1:18
a5 Tear It Up 2:12
a6 A Kind Of Magic 8:41
b1 Under Pressure 3:41
b2 Another One Bites The Dust 4:53
b3 Who Wants to Live Forever 5:16
c1 I Want To Break Free 3:34
c2 Impromptu 2:57
c3 Brighton Rock Solo 9:11
c4 Now I'm Here 6:20
d1 Love of My Life 4:49
d2 Is This the World We Created? 2:58
d3 (You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care 1:36
d4 Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart) 1:51
d5 Tutti Frutti 3:24
e1 Gimme Some Lovin' 0:55
e2 Bohemian Rhapsody 5:51
e3 Hammer to Fall 6:04
e4 Crazy Little Thing Called Love 5:59
f1 Big Spender 1:06
f2 Radio Ga Ga 5:57
f3 We Will Rock You 2:48
f4 Friends Will Be Friends 2:06
f5 We Are The Champions 4:01
f6 God Save the Queen 1:32

¡Hola amigos! ¡Dieciséis guarniciones de chile picante, peyote loco y tequila helado! ¡Hermoso!
If there's one thing I'm good at it's finding records. It doesn't matter where in the world I am, I find records, the best records, the rarest records. And always in Mint condition. I have a knack for it. One place I like to hunt for records is South of the Border, in Mexico. You can find great records there, way out in those pequeños pueblos del desierto. Another great thing you can find is cactus.
Mexico is famous for cactus. You got your Ariocarpus, your Turbinicarpus, your Mammillaria. You got cactus of all kinds, big and small. Little ones like Eplithelantha, psychedelic ones like the peyote Lophophora, and rare ones like Aztekium. But my favourite is Mammillaria humboldtii. Now this one is very hard to find. The villagers over in Hidalgo know where it is, and they go high up in the mountains to look for it.

Now these guys, they take their time. But when they come down from those mountains, they bring back the most beautiful specimens. I really mean it, they're beautiful. They're like clumps of fluffy white golf balls, and they have these cute little pink flowers. Beautiful I tell ya. I pay precio alto for a good specimen of Mammillaria humboldtii.

Franc Fala & Benja land Crosstown Rebels debut with hypnotic collaboration, ‘Dirty Dancing’.
Out on 31st July 2026, the Dutch pair unite for a dark, groove-led first appearance on Damian Lazarus's label, backed by two distinct reinterpretations from Brazilian artist Malive.

Anchored in a heavy groove that never loosens its grip, Crosstown Rebels’ latest release, ‘Dirty Dancing’, brings together two Dutch artists whose ideas have been shaped by a shared creative language built over time. Amsterdam’s Franc Fala continues to build on what has been a rapid rise onto the global house circuit, with a run of notable releases coupled with a growing touring schedule, ensuring his records and name have been the talk of the town for many. Alongside him, regular collaborator, fellow countryman and close friend Benja has also ensured his approach to music has also landed with impact, leaning on energy and atmosphere to shape records designed to resonate beyond the dancefl oor. Here, the pair reunite for their biggest collaboration to date as they make their debut outing on Damian Lazarus’s revered imprint with a record crafted for the peak hours.

Everything revolves around a vocal hook that doesn’t sit in the background; it emerges to take over the track, keeping listeners locked into the groove beneath. Rather than pushing in obvious directions, it circles and tunnels deeper, drawing listeners in until it becomes the only thing that matters. On remix duties, Brazilian DJ/producer Malive delivers two contrasting interpretations that take command of the B-side. His ‘Noturno Mix’ pushes into shadowy, late-night territory, extending the track’s hypnotic pull through melodic textures and tension, whereas his ‘Goes To Rio’ mix takes a more fluid direction, loosening the groove and introducing bright keys alongside a slick rhythmic swing.

2026 Repress

WRWTFWW Records is extremely excited to announce the first ever vinyl release for Pizza Hotline’s brilliant 2022 full-length Level Select, originally only released on cassette and digital. The liquid drum & bass meets Y2K era video gaming aesthetics monster is now available in a limited edition transparent vinyl double LP with a glorious 45rpm cut, packaged in a heavyweight 350gsm sleeve.

Entirely written and composed by UK producer Pizza Hotline (apart from "GLACIER ZONE", a collaboration between Pizza Hotline and DJ Total 90), the stellar 8-song album was initially released as a limited cassette in January 2022 and quickly gained cult status - making a full-on vinyl release quite the necessity. It’s here now with the the previously unreleased track "POLYGON DREAMSCAPE" (which sounds as magical as its title) and 45rpm cut for louder, bigger, deeper bass rumbling.

Spellbinding, atmospheric, and beautifully melodic, Level Select is a large scope dreamy adventure of liquid DnB filled with ambient escapades, ethereal jungle, high vibe breaks, and a heavy loving dose of late 90s / early 2000s video game influences. Hypnotic late night hype and pensive chill moods mesh with ease in a cinematic soundscape that re-contextualizes and gives a new life to a beloved music genre - LTJ Bukem, Peshay, the Wipeout OST or Soichi Terada's Ape Escape come to mind, and sounds and soundtracks from the Sony Playstation, the Nintendo 64, and the Sega Saturn resonate from the speakers. It’s all fresh with a subtle nostalgia and so much heart. An instant classic.

Bling bling akashics, the new EP “Bandido” is here. Five direct shots for the dancefloor by Demian aka Ariel Me Llamo.

Side A hits hard with raw, energetic rocker vibes while Side B drifts deeper into dreamy, hypnotic techno territory.

Two different sides, same late-night spirit — sweaty dances that slowly turn into full trance. Expect raw sounds, heavy basslines, and hypnotic patterns. heavy basslines, and hypnotic patterns.

Aftersome refers to that suspended moment of wonder, when you realize you’ve been led here by a chain of unexpected events and small decisions — so improbable they almost feel preordained. Between chance and destiny, it is a fragile state where emotion and reflection intertwine.
This album by You Man embodies precisely that idea: each track is a step along this path, a resonance born of accidents and coincidences, ultimately shaping a coherent trajectory despite its improbability.
The work moves between techno, house and post-wave, infused with science-fiction and fantastical influences, constantly blurring the line between reality and imagination.
The experience is enriched by remarkable collaborations: Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Local Suicide, Jérôme Voisin, each bringing their own brilliance to this odyssey.

A serious private-press rarity gets its long-overdue reissue here for the first time ever. Formed in California in 1979, Freeway blended soulful grooves, jazz melodies and powerful horns into something that stood apart from the era's contemporary Christian scene. The cut just one self-released album in 1981 for New Born Records before disbanding. Originals now regularly fetch upwards of £400 on the resale market and this 45th Anniversary Edition marks a reissue that is going to fly off the shelves, complete with newly written liner notes and rare photographs telling the band's story. From funky jazz to boogie-inspired grooves, this is a previously hidden treasure now getting the light it deserves.

Sofía Viola and Chancha Vía Circuito unite on Oro en Ti, a deeply spiritual collaboration shaped by their shared roots in the southern suburbs of Buenos Aires. Blending Latin American folk traditions with hypnotic percussion, ambient textures, and Eastern influences, the album explores themes of nature, faith, humanity, and inner connection through a warm, meditative lens. Chancha Vía Circuito brings significant international profile to the project, built through years of globally acclaimed DJ sets, nearly 200 million cumulative streams across DSPs, and strong physical sales over the past decade. His work has been championed by outlets including Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Billboard, The Guardian, NPR, and The Fader.

Since emerging from the Buenos Aires underground,Sofía Viola has built a strong reputation across Latin America and Europe through her singular songwriting and live performances, earning selections to major international showcase festivals including IMESUR, Circulart, FIMPRO, BIME Pro, and MAPAS. Oro en Ti captures the chemistry between both artists through devotional songwriting and richly textured production, offering an emotionally resonant and transportive listening experience that feels both timeless and deeply connected to the present moment.

Severed Heads reattach themselves to Dark Entries for an expanded reissue of their 1991 opus Cuisine (With Piscatorial). As originary Aussie industrial legends – although founder Tom Ellard would balk at being branded as such – Severed Heads shaped the continental subcultural sound with their kitchen electronics, chaotic tape loops, and infectious nursery-rhyme-esque melodies. Cuisine (With Piscatorial) was the long-running project’s ninth album, and is a commentary on the state of music. Ellard explains: “The whole food joke is really about what music's about and how disposable it is; people have records like they have cups of coffee.” The album also presents a turn away from the dancefloor formalism of the era, which Ellard dismissed as already sufficiently explored. Cuisine brings us punchy pop kernels of the prime Heads variety, all clocking in around three minutes. Cuts like “Pilot in Hell” and “Ugly Twenties” rank among the band’s best through their deadly skewering of synth pop tropes. But the album also offers us a Piscatorial section, where Ellard felt free to “go fishing for ideas.” Here we get a taste of the project’s demented cut-up sensibilities, like on the “Quest for Oom Pa Pa” suite, where vintage jazz records are collaged into an angular nightmare. This double-LP reissue is the first time that Cuisine (With Piscatorial) will appear on vinyl, with a previously unreleased early version of “Seven of Oceans.” Also included is a 6-page booklet with liner notes, lyrics, and press clippings.

Stanley Brinks is renowned for his unique anti-folk style: both playful and suggestive, insightful and entertaining. Brinks was born in Paris, France, in 1973. He studied a bit of biology and worked as a nurse for a while. Half Swedish, half Moroccan, strongly inclined to travel the world, he soon began spending most of his life on the road and developed a strong relationship with New York.
By the late 90s he’d become a full time singer-songwriter – André Herman Düne – as part of three piece indie-rock band, Herman Düne alongside his brother, David-Ivar. Several albums and Peel sessions later and after a decade of touring Europe, mostly with American songwriters such as Jeffrey Lewis, Calvin Johnson and early Arcade Fire he settled in Berlin. The early carnival music of Trinidad became a passion, and in the early 21st century he became the unquestioned master of European calypso, changing his name to Stanley Brinks.
Under this moniker he has recorded well in excess of 100 albums, collaborated with the New York Antifolk scene on numerous occasions, recorded and toured with traditional Norwegian musicians, and played a lot with The Wave Pictures.
Freschard grew up in a farm in French Burgundy. Aged 18 she moved to Paris, where she baked pies and cakes in a cafe. There, a local musician and regular customer called Stanley Brinks wrote a few songs for her to sing. Homeless in Paris, she saved up just enough money to get herself a ticket to New York. There she found an old electric guitar and started writing her own songs. In 2004 she moved to Berlin, where she recorded her first LP, "Alien Duck". Her second album, "Click Click", recorded in 2006, features electric guitar by Stanley Brinks. On her third album, she plays the drums herself. On her fourth “Shh...” she also plays the flute, and she breaks out the washboard on her fifth “Boom Biddy Boom”. Press for Stanley Brinks and Freschard.
“an absolute joy.” Q.
“...a set that’s as wistful and charming as it is playful and self-concious.” Uncut.
“quietly charming” Pitchfork.

Stanley Brinks is renowned for his unique anti-folk style: both playful and suggestive, insightful and entertaining. Brinks was born in Paris, France, in 1973. He studied a bit of biology and worked as a nurse for a while. Half Swedish, half Moroccan, strongly inclined to travel the world, he soon began spending most of his life on the road and developed a strong relationship with New York.
By the late 90s he’d become a full time singer-songwriter – André Herman Düne – as part of three piece indie-rock band, Herman Düne alongside his brother, David-Ivar. Several albums and Peel sessions later and after a decade of touring Europe, mostly with American songwriters such as Jeffrey Lewis, Calvin Johnson and early Arcade Fire he settled in Berlin. The early carnival music of Trinidad became a passion, and in the early 21st century he became the unquestioned master of European calypso, changing his name to Stanley Brinks.
Under this moniker he has recorded well in excess of 100 albums, collaborated with the New York Antifolk scene on numerous occasions, recorded and toured with traditional Norwegian musicians, and played a lot with The Wave Pictures.
Freschard grew up in a farm in French Burgundy. Aged 18 she moved to Paris, where she baked pies and cakes in a cafe. There, a local musician and regular customer called Stanley Brinks wrote a few songs for her to sing. Homeless in Paris, she saved up just enough money to get herself a ticket to New York. There she found an old electric guitar and started writing her own songs. In 2004 she moved to Berlin, where she recorded her first LP, "Alien Duck". Her second album, "Click Click", recorded in 2006, features electric guitar by Stanley Brinks. On her third album, she plays the drums herself. On her fourth “Shh...” she also plays the flute, and she breaks out the washboard on her fifth “Boom Biddy Boom”. Press for Stanley Brinks and Freschard.
“an absolute joy.” Q.
“...a set that’s as wistful and charming as it is playful and self-concious.” Uncut.
“quietly charming” Pitchfork.

BARAJA BENDITA out August 14, is Becky G fully unleashed - an artist with no ceiling and no apologies, in complete command of her sound and her story. Weaving between Spanish and English with effortless fluidity, this 17-track album channels a liberated, sensual energy that is both deeply rooted in her identity and entirely her own.

Becky G is a multi-platinum global superstar who has spent over a decade shaping the sound of contemporary pop across languages, cultures, and borders. A six-time Latin GRAMMY® nominee and Academy Award nominee, she has amassed more than 28 billion career streams worldwide and earned recognition from the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Latin AMAs, and TIME100 Next.

Great Television unfolds as a loose, emotionally driven narrative about navigating love, identity, and self-destruction against a backdrop of memory, movement, and Southern imagery. It begins with “Sunset Promenade,” where a deep, possibly lifelong bond offers comfort amid internal turmoil, establishing a desire for connection strong enough to withstand a restless mind. This sense of identity expands in “Girls of Atomic City,” where independence and womanhood are celebrated, though tinged with performance and uncertainty.

As the story progresses, songs like “Okeechobee Mud” introduce instability and intensity, portraying relationships that are passionate but corrosive, where love becomes inseparable from pain. “Thiokol Tripwire” honors the lives lost in the 1971 Thiokol Chemical Explosion and those affected in the south Georgia community of Woodbine. “Razorwire Wall” reinforces this devotion to chaotic love, suggesting loyalty even in destructive circumstances. A turning point arrives with “The Easy Kind,” where Cook reflects on attempts at self-repair, acknowledging her contradictions and rejecting simplicity in favor of a more fractured self-understanding. This awareness deepens in “Caldonia and The Love Convoy” and “In Your Veins,” where freedom blurs into recklessness and love takes on addictive qualities, revealing her complicity in cycles of harm. “19th Nervous Breakdown” provides crucial context, tracing her instability back to a turbulent upbringing marked by neglect and emotional disorder. “Feverfew,” leaves the narrative unresolved, as she recognizes her repeated attraction to destructive paths yet continues to follow them. In contrast, the closing track “Lightly” offers a rare glimpse of pure, protective sisterly love. Altogether, the album portrays a cyclical journey of longing, damage, and partial self-awareness, where clarity emerges but transformation remains uncertain.

Laura Veirs returns with Temple Songs, her first album in four years—and the first she has written, recorded, arranged, produced, and performed entirely on her own. “I didn’t know if I would write songs again,” says Veirs, who spent the intervening years building a backyard studio, getting married, blending a family with four teenagers, deepening her visual art practice (painting), and expanding her music teaching. “Turns out that period was a gathering phase. When I made the commitment to recording the album myself, the muse caught me again and it came together very quickly.”

Best known as a member of the electrifying 'Hagstone rock' four-piece The New Eves, Winder- Lind 's solo work channels the same raw intensity and liberatory spirit while revealing a more intimate, deeply personal side to her songwriting. Expanding on the world introduced through her 2023 EP The Spirit Is Carnal and first poetry collection Rod Ska Jag Leva (2025), Wild Love is an ambitious and emotionally expansive body of work from one of the most enthralling new voices in music today. Though connected to the fierce communal energy of The New Eves , Wild Love inhabits its own distinct emotional landscape. Across eleven songs, Winder- Lind brings together the wealth of her experiences and passions and reflects them back outwards, distilled with shimmering intensity. The album spells out a liberatory vision which she refuses to compromise, one rooted in emotional honesty, ecstatic expression and unfettered selfhood.

There is an ecstatic melancholy in Dent May’s music. The bedroom pop auteur’s songs are both bittersweet and exuberant, breaking your heart while you can’t help but sing along.

Over six albums, May has built a wildly diverse discography spanning 17 years. He has typically worked alone, assembling perfect pop gems on his laptop, playing nearly every instrument himself. But when he began preparations for his new album, May’s tried and true process suddenly felt stale.

The Big One brings together both the scrappy DIY ethos of Elephant 6 Collective and early The Magnetic Fields with May’s lifelong affinity for the great ’70s singer-songwriters like Harry Nilsson and Ram-era Paul McCartney. The songs balance a clear-eyed view of the world with a cautious optimism, looking at the everyday experiences of disappointment and heartbreak with a sense of possibility for the good that may still come. Things might seem bleak, May tells us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be thankful for our brief time here on Planet Earth.

The title track is the beating heart of the record. Over a steady drumbeat, piano, and accordion, a melancholy May sings, “The big one’s coming, the big one’s on its way,” promising disaster. But May won’t wallow in the misery: “Thank the Lord for all my friends/We can make it ’til the end/No we can’t stop now/Who knows? Tomorrow it all could turn around.” For May, hope comes in the form of others.

It’s with this joyful melancholy Dent May draws in the world. Everything might be ending, the planet could be careening off into chaos, but tonight there’s a party down the block and you’re invited. Be sure and bring your friends.

Originally released in 1989 as an early milestone for the label, this landmark session teams the legendary alto saxophonist - then at the absolute peak of his powers at age 57 - with the incomparable Tommy Flanagan Trio . A titan of the genre for over 60 years, Woods masterfully combined a lush, beautiful tone with a complete command of the bebop vocabulary. Backed by veteran pianist Tommy Flanagan, former Oscar Peterson Trio bassist George Mraz, and a young, up-and-coming Kenny Washington on drums, the quartet delivers a timeless set of acoustic jazz that sounds as vital and vibrant today as it did nearly four decades ago.

The amount of quality music Burnski has produced, A&Red and released in recent years is off the charts. His labels are some of the most played in the underground right now, but that hasn't stopped him from starting another one here with Silhouette. Mundy is a new name to us, but has some serious chops on display here with six stylish cuts that explore the intersection of garage, tech and minimal. The synths are silky and the vocal samples are expertly placed to give each groove real character. 'Real Love' is deep and r&b tinged, 'Find You' has a dark low end and 'The Middle' is all about the filthy bass. Pure heaters.

Melaina Kol, das Pseudonym des in Nashville lebenden Musikers Logan Hornyak, ist ein Projekt, das sich ständig wandelt. Es ist heute nicht mehr wiederzuerkennen im Vergleich zu dem, was es beispielsweise 2018 war, als er das Lo-Fi-Twee-Pop-Album ,Bird Kill Worm" veröffentlichte, und es hat sich auch von den Folktronica-Songs auf dem 2021 erschienenen Album ,AMOSAT" weiterentwickelt. Hornyak mag es nicht, sich auf eine Sache festzulegen; jedes Album soll anders sein als das vorherige. ,Ich greife gerne Motive oder Ideen auf, so wie ein Thema, und ich ändere gerne jedes Mal die Art und Weise, wie ich aufnehme", sagt er. Für sein neues Album ,Okay that's a great idea because if I do that then" hat Hornyak beschlossen, fast ganz auf Gitarre und Elektronik zu verzichten. Stattdessen brachte er sich selbst Cello und Harfe bei und kehrte zu seinem Klavierunterricht aus Kindertagen zurück. Er wollte seine langjährige Liebe zur klassischen Musik mit seinem Interesse an Ambient- und House-Musik verschmelzen, mit der Idee, ein Album zu schaffen, das den Ansatz der elektronischen Musik mit organischen Klängen verbindet. Klassische Instrumente werden zerhackt, geloopt und um einen rhythmischen Puls herum geschichtet. Der Effekt kann verwirrend und aus dem Gleichgewicht bringend sein, ist aber gleichzeitig entwaffnend schön. Hornyak nahm das Album zwischen seinem Zuhause in Tennessee und einem nahegelegenen Studio auf. Es war das erste Mal, dass er für Melaina-Kol-Songs ein richtiges Studio nutzen konnte, und er wollte, dass der Sound hochauflösend ist. Bei all seiner rastlosen kreativen Energie repräsentiert ,Okay that's a great idea because if I do that then " Hornyak in einer ruhigeren Lebensphase. ,Es ist viel ruhiger als die letzten beiden Alben. Ich habe all diese Alben in meinen frühen 20ern gemacht, als ich manische Phasen durchlebte und mit Drogen und so anfing", sagt er. ,Aber ich würde sagen, dieses Album ist sozusagen das andere Ende davon - das Herauskommen aus dieser Phase, würde ich sagen. In meinem Leben fühle ich mich viel friedlicher, und ich habe das Gefühl, dass das Album das widerspiegelt."

Es sind fünf hektische, chaotische, zermürbende, völlig durcheinander gewirbelte Jahre. Es sind all die mühsamen Missverständnisse einer fünfjährigen Beziehung, verzerrt und zu einer absurden schwarzen Comedy-Miniserie auf Vinyl gedehnt. Es ist der Klang all unserer Streitgespräche, die gleichzeitig erklingen. Es sind mehrere aufeinanderfolgende Sprachnachrichten, die nicht angehört, sondern stattdessen als Transkript gelesen wurden. Es sind fünfzehn Songs des ikonoklastischen Rappers Mike Eagle und des innovativen Produzenten Kenny Segal. Es ist das weltweit erste halb skurrile Trennungsalbum. Es ist "DOOMED!", es ist auch LA. Vielleicht nicht in erster Linie, aber Los Angeles ist tief in der Gegenwart und der Geschichte dieses Albums verwurzelt. Die Geschichte jeder Großstadt ist auch eine Geschichte von Zugezogenen. DJ Premier in New York, Tupac in Kalifornien. Wenn man es aufbaut, werden sie kommen. Mike und Kenny kamen beide als junge, aufstrebende Künstler nach LA, angezogen von der Szene rund um die bahnbrechende Rap-Crew Project Blowed. Sie sind seit fast zwanzig Jahren befreundet - und arbeiten gelegentlich zusammen. Trotzdem ist "DOOMED!" das erste Mal, dass die beiden ein komplettes Werk gemeinsam geschaffen haben. Aber alles geschieht zu seiner Zeit, und das Schicksal hat sie genau in dem Moment zusammengeführt, der es dem Duo ermöglichte, etwas Außergewöhnliches zu schaffen. Mike, der gerade eine Reihe von Alben mit mehreren Produzenten hinter sich hatte und das Ende einer turbulenten Beziehung verarbeitete, brauchte eine kreative Katharsis. Kenny hingegen hatte sich nach einer Reihe von hochgelobten Kollaborationen - nicht nur mit Rappern wie billy woods und K-the-I??? - sondern auch mit dem Jazz-Trio Human Error Club und dem bluesigen Indie-Rocker Benjamin Booker - auf seine nächste Herausforderung festgelegt. "In den letzten Jahren machte Kenny sehr deutlich, dass er nicht einfach weiterhin ein oder zwei Beats für meine Projekte beisteuern wollte; er wollte etwas aufbauen", erklärt Open Mike Eagle. "Ich konnte ihn davon überzeugen, mir ein paar Beats für Neighborhood Gods Unlimited zu überlassen, mit der Maßgabe, dass wir uns als Nächstes auf unser gemeinsames Projekt konzentrieren würden. Dann zerbrach meine Beziehung, gerade als wir mit der Arbeit begannen, und ich dachte mir: Perfekt, dazu habe ich eine Menge zu sagen."

2026 LP Pressung auf weißem Vinyl. Ursprünglich 1968 aufgenommen und für eine Veröffentlichung bei Sire Records vorgesehen, blieb Microminiature Love von Michael Yonkers, der Ikone des Outsider-Folk und Psych-Rock, unveröffentlicht, bis es 2002 von De Stijl Records wiederentdeckt und als limitierte, ausschließlich auf Vinyl erhältliche Auflage herausgebracht wurde. Damals hat die San-Francisco-Institution Aquarius Records es besser beschrieben, als wir es je könnten: ,Ein obskurer Visionär der späten Sechziger, der seiner Zeit weit voraus war, bekommt mit dieser LP-Neuauflage endlich die Anerkennung, die er verdient. Yonkers' Sachen waren anders als alles, was man damals (oder eigentlich auch heute noch) gehört hatte: abgedrehter Garage-Psych mit wahnsinnig genialen Texten und verrückter, von Acid durchdrungener Gitarre. Yonkers, eine legendäre Figur aus der Gegend um Minneapolis, baute seine eigenen Effektpedale, sägte seine Fender Telecaster auf die Breite eines Bretts herunter und spielte wie niemand sonst je zuvor. Mir fehlen die Worte, um das zu beschreiben. Es ist irgendwie eine Mischung aus reduzierten Black Sabbath, The Troggs, Pere Ubu und The Cramps??" Sub Pop veröffentlichte das Album anschließend auf CD und brachte 2011 eine limitierte Vinyl-Auflage heraus, die seit vielen Jahren vergriffen ist. Leider verstarb Michael Yonkers 2026 während der Planung dieser Neuauflage. Er war ein unglaublicher, wahrhaft einzigartiger Künstler und einer der liebenswertesten Menschen.

Crossing borders between traditions, sonic territories, and instruments, musicians Tomáš Niesner and Aldana Duoraan created their first collaborative album Plot. The sound of khomus meets guitar melodies simplified into pentatonic scales, intertwining in a dialogue that remains playful while moving between meditative passages and bewitching, hypnotic moments. Solid yet ever-changing, these melodies explore a delicate relationship between the present interactions, their past, and possible futures. “I feel that the essence of our collaboration is not to close the songs off, but to leave them open so that they can develop and be interpreted a little differently each time, depending on the circumstances,” Niesner explains when describing the duo’s artistic approach. The recording therefore captures only the most essential moments and ideas, which continue to unfold in new directions during live performances.

Each segment of Plot, word meaning “fence” in Czech, while also referring in English to a narrative structure or hidden plan, represents a different constellation shaped by the pairing of specific khomuses and guitar tuning. The track titles, such as The Key of Radiance or The Key of Humbling, are inspired by the ancient Chinese text I Ching (usually translated as Book of Changes). Like the classical cosmological text itself, the compositions meditate on similar fundamental principles. The ideas explored in the chapters of the I Ching are thus loosely translated into musical language. Themes of Radiance, Attending, or Nearing thus loom over the reflective realm of Aldana and Tomáš.

The two musicians first met in 2021 through a collaboration organized by Konektiv, an event series that aims to create new connections between genres and musicians with diverse backgrounds. Aldana Duoraan is a Prague-based artist born in the Sakha Republic, whose experiments with the khomus (also known as the jaw harp) draw on the traditional music of her homeland. Tomáš Niesner, a sound artist and guitarist based in Brno, navigates the realms of American primitive guitar while incorporating influences ranging from folk to drone. Because the duo rarely finds themselves in the same city, an important moment in the development of Plot was a showcase at Cafe OTO, organized by mappa. The album, capturing the fleeting energy of this encounter and several others, has now been released on the Slovak experimental label, which helped bring the collaboration to life.

Bei HIGHSIGH - dem Trio aus Ro(b)//ert Lundberg (JOBS), John Dieterich (Deerhoof) und Matt Mehlan (Skeletons) - geht es genauso sehr um den Entstehungsprozess wie um das Endergebnis. Auch wenn der Bandname neu ist, wächst HIGHSIGH aus jahrelanger Freundschaft und Zusammenarbeit des Trios in anderen Konstellationen heraus - dem Zusammentreffen von Deerhoof und Skeletons in der Supergroup Congotronics International, Ro, der bei den Tour- und Aufnahmebands von Skeletons am Bass spielte, John und Matt, die beide auf verschiedenen JOBS-Alben mitwirkten und diese als Toningenieure begleiteten, sowie vielen gemeinsamen Kaffeepausen, Mahlzeiten und Wanderungen. Ihr Debütalbum ,Once Bend" präsentiert sich sowohl als entwaffnend vertraut als auch als seltsam undurchsichtiges Patchwork aus mutiertem Pop und abstrakten polyrhythmischen Klanglandschaften. In einer collageartigen Weise entstanden, brachte jedes Mitglied täuschend reichhaltige musikalische Fragmente ein, die aus anderen Projekten beiseitegelegt worden waren - fast wie kleine Fragezeichen, die die anderen Mitglieder entschlüsseln und interpretieren sollten. Diese Fragmente wurden frei und ohne konkretes Ziel unter den Mitgliedern ausgetauscht; jeder spielte damit herum und bastelte an dem, was er bekommen hatte, fügte Phrasen, Klänge und Texturen hinzu. Die musikalischen Schichten, die dabei entstanden, waren durchweg unerwartet und mitreißend. HIGHSIGH hatte nicht mit einem festen Schema begonnen, doch innerhalb jedes Songs entwickelte sich ein zusammenhängendes Patchwork - geschichtete Gitarren und gestrichener Bass stehen neben träge treibenden Synth-Klängen und knackigen, treibenden Akustik-Drums. Die Band erweiterte ihren Austauschkreis und schickte Tracks an Tim Barnes, Ben LaMar Gay, Max Jaffe, Lia Kohl, Booker Stardrum und Jon Starks, um Schlagzeug-, Cello- und Kornett-Parts einzufügen. Diese rohen Klangteppiche fanden ihre endgültige Struktur und Ordnung durch Texte, von denen einige von der Band selbst geschrieben wurden, andere von Macie Stewart (Finom) und Paige Alice Naylor. ,Textlich interessieren mich einfache Momente der Erkenntnis", sagt Matt Mehlan. ,Wie ist die Umgebung, wie ist das Gefühl?" Dieses Thema zieht sich durch das gesamte Album und verbindet die unterschiedlichen Stimmen, die mitgewirkt haben. Auf ,Once Bend" präsentiert HIGHSIGH ihre selbstgemachten musikalischen Patchwork-Decken - zusammengenäht aus Saiten, Schaltkreisen und Servern auf ganz Turtle Island.

After the wild Afro-jazz fusion of Trancedance (reissued as BT118) and the meditative solo Christer Bothén Donso n’goni (BT133), legendary Swedish multi-instrumentalist Christer Bothén returns to Black Truffle as part of a dream quartet completed by the three members of Ghosted: Oren Ambarchi (guitar), Johan Berthling (bass) and Andreas Werliin (drums). Recorded at a rustic studio built by Werliin and Hans Fredriksson in the sylvan surrounds of Hamburgsund, Sweden across a few days in September 2023, Serpentine offers up four generous slices of hypnotic repetition and shimmering resonance, cut through with wild bursts of Bothén’s bass clarinet.

The depth and ease of the quartet’s rapport is evident from the first moments of the opening title-track. Berthling’s resonant upright bass locks into a head-nodding ostinato that makes sensitive use of a prominent end-of-phrase rest, opening spaces through which Werliin’s continually shifting statements of the pulse shine through. Having worked together in various groups for many years, Berthling and Werliin are masters at playing subtle games of difference and repetition, creating a driving rhythmic flow animated by perpetually changing details: here, you can never step in the same groove twice. Weaving through it all is Ambarchi’s now-signature Leslie-cabinet guitar tone, sounding out long chords at times strikingly close to a Hammond, while also creating intricate cross-rhythms through the play of his tremolo modulations against the bass and drums. When Bothén enters five minutes in, the growl of his bass clarinet at first works deep in the collective brew, carving off brief staccato phrases and twisting them into fragmented melodies. As he moves into the instrument’s higher registers, Bothén’s playing becomes wilder, twinning with Ambarchi’s guitar in shimmering arcs like a 21st century update of the Garbarek-Rypdal pairing immortalised on Sart.

Each of the four pieces explore different possibilities of a shared language. On ‘Antigorite’, another hypnotic bass riff emerges gradually from an atmospheric haze, eventually developing into a frenetic rhythmic workout propelled by Werliin’s cowbell. Berthling sits out for ‘Lizardite’, while Bothén moves from bass clarinet to the Donso n’goni, the sacred Wassoulou hunter’s harp he has studied for half a century; the resulting performance streamlines the approach heard on other tracks into pure modal propulsion, sparkling with harp-like arpeggios from Ambarchi’s guitar. On the closing ‘Chrysotile’, the bottom drops out, leaving a swampy, churning mass of wavering organ-like chords, roaming bass runs, and distant toms, over which Bothén floats bass clarinet figures by turns bluesy and abstract, the whole thing landing somewhere between classic ECM and the most blasted freeform moments of early Amon Düül II. Bearing a delicate calligraphic abstraction by Bothén on its cover and beautiful documentation of the recording sessions on its inner sleeve, Serpentine is a powerful reminder of the magic that can happen when inventive musicians just get together and play.

I Bet on Sky is the third Dinosaur Jr. album since the original trio – J Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph – reformed in 2005. And, crazily, it marks the band’s 10th studio album since their debut on Homestead Records in 1985. Back in the ‘80s, if anyone has suggested that these guys would be performing and recording at such a high level 27 years later, they would have been laughed out of the tree fort.

The trio has taken everything they’ve learned from the various projects they tackled over the years, and poured it directly into their current mix. J’s guitar approaches some of its most unhinged playing here, but there’s a sense of instrumental control that matches the sweet murk of his vocals (not that he always remembers to exercise control on stage, but that’s another milieu). This is head-bobbing riff-romance at the apex. Lou’s basswork shows a lot more melodicism now as well, although his two songs on I Bet on Sky retain the jagged rhythmic edge that has so often marked his work. And Murph…well, he still pounds the drums as hard and as strong as a pro wrestler, with deceptively simple structures that manage to interweave themselves perfectly with his bandmates’ melodic explosions.


After submerging myself in I Bet on Sky, it’s clear that the album is a true and worthy addition to the Dinosaur Jr. discography. It hews close enough to rock formalism to please the squares. Yet it is brilliantly imprinted with the trio’s magical equation, which is a gift to the rest of us. For a combo that began as anomalous fusion of hardcore punk and pop influences, Dinosaur Jr. have proven themselves to be unlikely masters of the long game.

Roy Montgomery, a key figure in the experimental underground rock scene, lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, just a short drive from the sea. Avant-garde vocalist and songwriter Martha Skye Murphy is based in London. Though geographically worlds apart, the pair inhabit an intimate and almost tactile shared sonic world. Their collaboration feels transformative, like the gradual shifting spell from night to day.

What draws them together is the emotional force of each other’s music. Montgomery’s cyclical, decaying compositions are shaped through intricate guitar and piano work, blending post-rock, folk, and drone. Murphy, meanwhile, possesses a rare gift for transformation, from the intimate cracked whispers of 'At Dawn' to the hypnotic drift of 'The Play of Dark and Light'. On the latter, she evokes old maritime folk tales of fishermen lured into the darkness by the sea’s siren call. The song both seduces and warns, finding something magical and frightening in the temptation of drowning. Though her vocals often resemble fragments of words, consonants, or vowels, they frequently function as pure sound, drawing on glossolalia and prioritising feeling over any ‘learnt’ language.

Emotion and intuition are the driving forces behind Nebular, an album that oscillates between the intimate with the unknown. This spirit is reflected in its artwork. Murphy shared a painting by Irish artist Simon English depicting a solitary house bathed in dusky blue light, and the pair quickly settled on it as the cover image. Both were captivated by its atmosphere. Montgomery related it to the isolated, seemingly uninhabited houses he encounters while travelling through rural New Zealand—places that inspire a desire to knock on the door and discover what lies beyond. “Terra incognita springs to mind. A search into the unknown,” Murphy agrees.

The nocturnal and remote nature of the artwork mirrors the process of making Nebular. With Montgomery in New Zealand and Murphy in London, the album was created entirely through remote correspondence, with stems exchanged via email. Their messages were often written and read at different times of day, and, because of the time difference and the demands of daily life, replies usually were sent late at night and the music too often composed at nocturnal hours. Their exchanges took on the quality of pen pals sending letters across great distances. This suspended sense of time is echoed in Nebular’s sound, with its feeling of temporal drift and timelessness.

On Nebular, Montgomery and Murphy have harnessed raw emotion and launched it into a time capsule bound for the stars. It allows you to drift, to be present, and to feel; creating something timeless.

TRACKLISTING

27 years later Me First and The Gimme Gimmes are still a drag, now a neon green (vinyl) one, and the sleeve is foiled! CD still available too. Though it doesn't sound like a brilliant idea, Me First & the Gimme Gimmes, an all-star cover band dedicated to regurgitating punk rock-style the most frothy music in their parents' record collections, are actually extraordinarily entertaining and can make the likes of John Denver and Barry Manilow sound not so bad. The lineup here includes Fat Mike of NOFX, the guitarist from the Foo Fighters, a couple of the guys from Lagwagon, and Spike Slawson, the Gimmes' sweet-voiced singer, who also plays bass for the Swingin' Utters. On their second record, Are a Drag, the Gimmes tackle all of their parents' favorite showtunes, claiming homage rather than satire. Most of their choices are songs that anybody even remotely into musicals knows by heart. Their cover of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" has more choruses than the original, rocks pretty damn hard, and is certainly worthy of a swirling slam pit. Though it's not as wild as John Coltrane's version, the Gimmes' "My Favorite Things" is raging enough to send Julie Andrews swan diving off the stage into a sea of sweaty punkers. They mess with the jazz standard "Summertime" by Gershwin, adding some fine surfy leads to a song that's been played a million times over. Also, there's their furious rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera." On Are a Drag, the Gimmes succeed at playing showtunes that punk kids can dig, no small feat.

Classic Me First And The Gimme Gimmes reissued: The Gimmes roll into town for a 12-song shootout with Country & Western. These Blue-State bandits are gonna show Kenny Chesney how it's really done. But now the demanding bunch are back, and this time, it's country that gets a kicking. More C&W-styled numbers are easy targets, be it the ever popular "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky," which here gallops straight into hardcore, "Desperado," which will never escape this incendiary melodic punk rock arrangement, and "On the Road Again," which is delivered up in a similar sizzling style. "Jolene," having already suffered the indignities of a goth make-over, is now manhandled by the Gimmes, who storm Dollyland with utter abandon and a barrage of guitars and battering drums, all the better to keep their man -- hmm, shades of Brokeback Mountain. "Annie's Song" is dragged off of John Denver's country roads, and dumped center stage in the middle of a rock concert, which is just where it belongs. Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" gets even more inspired treatment, including a bagpipe! Even a seemingly straightforward punk do-over like "Goodbye Earl" provides some scintillating moments, from the Rancid meets the Clash styling to the bright harmonies and soaring lead guitar licks. The musicianship really shines through on this set, the guitars blaze, the bass becomes assaultive, and the rolling drums sound like the thunder of mortar in the distance, while the production is equally notable. But hey, the Gimmes can play country, too -- well almost -- the first half of "Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)" boasts some fine fingerpickin' guitar, although the country styling keeps sliding into surf: hey, your roots are showing, guys. Now this is country music everyone can enjoy, gimme more! The 20th anniversary edition comes in a yellowish, more brown Mustard colored vinyl.

Scowl haben sich schnell einen Namen als eine der ausdrucksstärksten und fleißigsten Bands der Rockwelt gemacht. Auf ,Psychic Dance Routine" erweitern Scowl weiterhin die Grenzen ihres Sounds und ihrer künstlerischen Präsenz und bewegen sich nun irgendwo zwischen Hardcore und Alternative. Die Höhepunkte und Herausforderungen des Auftritts - sei es im Studio, auf Tour oder im Leben selbst - wurden zu einem wiederkehrenden Thema auf dieser EP mit fünf Titeln.

This album is about the feeling of wanting something more than anything else in life. That looks different for everyone, but for me, it looks like wanting a life that truly feels like it belongs to me. Not an occupation, not money, not a social status. I love making music and being in rooms where that’s celebrated, and if I want to use the life I didn’t ask for to do that, I should be able to. This record is about what it feels like to do that, putting everything else second and the dream first. I think we were able to express all of that in these songs. Musically, this record includes everything we love about rock music. Big guitars, catchy leads, intense vocals, and honest lyric writing. This is the most collaborative Chico release to date