quête:hu

Why fiddle and voice? They say the fiddle is the instrument that most resembles the human voice. It’s like I get to sing three part harmony with myself, preparing to be able to play the songs with others. I have played violin as long as I can remember… it changed to fiddle in college after being inspired by so many great fiddle players I ran into at camps and festivals. About a decade ago, when I first heard Bruce Molsky, I remember vividly listening to his album, Soon Be Time over and over, and then going down a rabbit hole to watch videos of him playing and singing at the same time. Then, as I saw others perform in this way, notably Tim O’Brien, Laura Cortese, it would continually floor me. The way the two voices weave as one. The threads of the double stops often accounted for two unique voices, lifting the authenticity of the lyrics. I could feel the lyrics, so vulnerable and exposed, cut through. I was scared to perform this way for years, finally giving it a go in a situation where I was asked to perform and my band members were unavailable. I have always felt that as a musician I want to have strength as a collaborator… Now I am realizing that requires a musician to be able to carry the song alone. If you can feel the groove, the chords, the melody and the meaning all at once, then it makes it easier for others to connect to the song, and lift it up. How is this album a natural progression for you at this point in your career? For years, I have been fortunate enough to play with some extremely talented collaborators. My hope is that never ends, and that this album gives me the chance to learn how to stand firmly on my own two feet, rooted in the song in my heart, calling in friends and collaborators with the resonance of my spirit as naturally as they appear in my life.

To call Current Affairs a Glasgow band may initially seem misdirection. Though Joan Sweeney (ex-Rose McDowall’s Band, Aggi Doom, The Royal We) is a lifer, Sebastian Ymai (Comidillo Tapes, Pissy, Anxiety) came from Chile via York, recently relocating to Berlin in 2021, and new member Gemma Fleet (The Wharves, Order of the Toad, Dancer) alongside Andrew Milk (Shopping, Pink Pound) were persuaded to leave London for the ‘second city’ after touring through with previous bands. However, Glasgow is the heart and hub of the band’s music, musical life and the place where Off the Tongue was solidified and produced. Their current line up formed in 2020, but the four have been circling each other for years, touring and playing with their previous bands within the close UK network of DIY music. Stalwarts of their respective scenes they finally began working together through the creation of the Spitehouse collective – a project designed to promote Queer and female-fronted music through events mainly held at Transmission Gallery and Glasgow Autonomous Space, putting on many local and international acts (Sneaks, Sacred Paws, Still House Plants and Comfort amongst others). When an opening for a new bassist arrived, Gemma was the obvious compliment, the slogan of Spitehouse being the language of Current Affairs – “Everyone’s welcome, but don’t get it twisted.” Following on from 2019’s singles collection, Object & Subject, the wait for their debut full-length may belie the urgency of its sound. Songs that were written in pieces over a long time and distance, but fully formed in the instant of the recording room across just a few days by producer Ross McGowan at Chime Studio. Current Affairs’ song-writing process has always been collaborative. Songs are developed responsively, with each of the band’s members sending/bringing elements or hooks to each other, but practices being the place where the songs flesh out, structure and are fully realised. These new songs feel a little brighter than their previous offerings, yet still hold true to their propulsive and caterwauling sound. Still embryonic in the most exciting way that that can be. Current Affairs’ music straddles new-wave pop and gothic post-punk in the way that you should expect a Glasgow-Berlin band to do so: with grit and panache. Written from within the world of crumbling services, broken bonds and wounded spirits, Off the Tongue rolls off an ecstatic rage, filled with hope for you, them and everyone else. It’s a rallying cry away from hopelessness, forgiving your fears and laying them to waste. Their album holds a place for you to be angry and to be focussed. In lieu of having anything else, we’ve always got each other, and an uncertain future is open game for us too

Available for the first time on vinyl - a 20th anniversary release of The Mystic Chords Of Memory's seminal, unique DIY psych-folk debut. By Beachwood Sparks singer/songwriter Chris Gunst & Aislers Set's Jen Cohen. Mastered at Abbey Road. The seeds of this exquisite album are scattered among the tracks of Make The Cowboy Robots Cry - the LP Beachwood Sparks hung their hats on before a ten year break. A further step forward from west coast country psych towards something with folkier roots but new, mysterious and above all free. Chris and Jen's conjuring of magical, unforced, domestic spirituality. Recorded in a little wood cabin amongst the redwoods overlooking a running creek with a range of collected musical toys. Just give it 5 minutes once you’ve dropped the needle & you’ll be right there. Here’s Amanda Petrussich’s brilliant write up in Pitchfork - “With its soft melodies, sweet vocals, and scratchy DIY production, Mystic Chords of Memory is also an overwhelmingly intimate record, focused and domestic - much closer to Elliott Smith than former-benchmarks the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield…. The duo's wordy moniker was lifted from Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address, a lecture delivered in the spring of 1861 and boldly eternalised at the base of Mount Rushmore... Appropriately, the band's sound is just as archaic as a truly striking political speech: Gunst and Cohen blend tinkling bells, melodica, harp, keyboards, bits of samples, tinny drums, and strummy guitars, presenting a vaguely contemporary update on the British folk phenomenon of the late 1960s with more blips. Mystic Chords of Memory is a surprisingly coherent re-introduction to Gunst, and his professional coupling with Jen Cohen has proven both a freeing and inspired move.” Two decades later it’s obvious how seminal a record they conjured up. They forged a path that came to define the wave of US indie that followed for a while. In our opinion, the original has a natural, guileless, effortless beauty that trumps them all. Without a whiff of Starbucks. "Mystic chords of memory speech I interpreted the meaning as the underlying psyche fabric we are all creating on this land together. Jen and I thought it would be a great name to inspire our music together. This was really close to post 9/11 times and we were thinking about all of this and also wanting to improve our own contribution to the psychological fabric of the world.” Chis Gunst.

Available for the first time on vinyl - a 20th anniversary release of The Mystic Chords Of Memory's seminal, unique DIY psych-folk debut. By Beachwood Sparks singer/songwriter Chris Gunst & Aislers Set's Jen Cohen. Mastered at Abbey Road. The seeds of this exquisite album are scattered among the tracks of Make The Cowboy Robots Cry - the LP Beachwood Sparks hung their hats on before a ten year break. A further step forward from west coast country psych towards something with folkier roots but new, mysterious and above all free. Chris and Jen's conjuring of magical, unforced, domestic spirituality. Recorded in a little wood cabin amongst the redwoods overlooking a running creek with a range of collected musical toys. Just give it 5 minutes once you’ve dropped the needle & you’ll be right there. Here’s Amanda Petrussich’s brilliant write up in Pitchfork - “With its soft melodies, sweet vocals, and scratchy DIY production, Mystic Chords of Memory is also an overwhelmingly intimate record, focused and domestic - much closer to Elliott Smith than former-benchmarks the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield…. The duo's wordy moniker was lifted from Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address, a lecture delivered in the spring of 1861 and boldly eternalised at the base of Mount Rushmore... Appropriately, the band's sound is just as archaic as a truly striking political speech: Gunst and Cohen blend tinkling bells, melodica, harp, keyboards, bits of samples, tinny drums, and strummy guitars, presenting a vaguely contemporary update on the British folk phenomenon of the late 1960s with more blips. Mystic Chords of Memory is a surprisingly coherent re-introduction to Gunst, and his professional coupling with Jen Cohen has proven both a freeing and inspired move.” Two decades later it’s obvious how seminal a record they conjured up. They forged a path that came to define the wave of US indie that followed for a while. In our opinion, the original has a natural, guileless, effortless beauty that trumps them all. Without a whiff of Starbucks. "Mystic chords of memory speech I interpreted the meaning as the underlying psyche fabric we are all creating on this land together. Jen and I thought it would be a great name to inspire our music together. This was really close to post 9/11 times and we were thinking about all of this and also wanting to improve our own contribution to the psychological fabric of the world.” Chis Gunst.

Am 28. Juli wird die Britin "UNHEALTHY" herausbringen, ihr dritter Longplayer und Nachfolger des 2021 veröffentlichten "Therapy".

Mit ihrem neuen Album lädt uns Anne-Marie einmal mehr in ihr Leben ein und bietet Einblicke in ihre perfekt imperfekte Welt. Vor einiger Zeit stellte Anne-Marie fest, dass sie sich bereit fühlte, vergangene Beziehungen aufzuarbeiten, die nicht immer harmonisch geendet waren - und damit zugleich zu lernen, positive neue Begegnungen richtig für sich einzuordnen. Die Songs entstanden in dieser Phase und nehmen uns mit auf eine Reise von Zerrissenheit zu Zufriedenheit. Auf "UNHEALTHY" erleben wir eine Anne-Marie, die erhobenen Hauptes dasteht und diese neue Version ihrer selbst zu lieben lernt: kämpferischer, mutiger - und glücklicher als je zuvor.

Anne-Marie blickt Stand heute auf sieben Top-10-Singles (darunter zuletzt "Psycho" (feat. Aitch) und zwei Top-3-Alben im UK, in Deutschland eroberte die Sängerin erstmals 2018 Platz 1 der Single-Charts ("Friends" mit Marshmello). International wurde die Musik von
Anne-Marie bereits sieben Milliarden Mal gestreamt.

Zuletzt tat sich die Künstlerin mit David Guetta und Coi Leray für "Baby Don't Hurt Me" zusammen, das die deutschen Top 20 erreichte.

Am 28. Juli wird die Britin "UNHEALTHY" herausbringen, ihr dritter Longplayer und Nachfolger des 2021 veröffentlichten "Therapy".

Mit ihrem neuen Album lädt uns Anne-Marie einmal mehr in ihr Leben ein und bietet Einblicke in ihre perfekt imperfekte Welt. Vor einiger Zeit stellte Anne-Marie fest, dass sie sich bereit fühlte, vergangene Beziehungen aufzuarbeiten, die nicht immer harmonisch geendet waren - und damit zugleich zu lernen, positive neue Begegnungen richtig für sich einzuordnen. Die Songs entstanden in dieser Phase und nehmen uns mit auf eine Reise von Zerrissenheit zu Zufriedenheit. Auf "UNHEALTHY" erleben wir eine Anne-Marie, die erhobenen Hauptes dasteht und diese neue Version ihrer selbst zu lieben lernt: kämpferischer, mutiger - und glücklicher als je zuvor.

Anne-Marie blickt Stand heute auf sieben Top-10-Singles (darunter zuletzt "Psycho" (feat. Aitch) und zwei Top-3-Alben im UK, in Deutschland eroberte die Sängerin erstmals 2018 Platz 1 der Single-Charts ("Friends" mit Marshmello). International wurde die Musik von
Anne-Marie bereits sieben Milliarden Mal gestreamt.

Zuletzt tat sich die Künstlerin mit David Guetta und Coi Leray für "Baby Don't Hurt Me" zusammen, das die deutschen Top 20 erreichte.

Originally released on Island Records in September 1998, the soundtrack to the box-office smash film, written and directed by Guy Ritchie, quickly became a must-own album, and is frequently cited as one of the best movie soundtracks of all time.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels redefined the British gangster film and established Guy Ritchie as one of the greatest directing and writing talents of his generation. Using a frenetic mixture of filmic styles, humour, violence, breakdown of the fourth wall, narration, and vast amounts of swearing, it is hard to imagine a time when this film and its influence was not around. It made a star of the-then unknown Jason Statham, and, amazingly, hard man footballer Vinnie Jones, who as Big Chris, had several scene-stealing moments. Taking his cue from Quentin Tarantino, who had been meticulously curating his film soundtracks since the early 90s, Ritchie made the music to his film tell its own story, complete with memorable snatches of dialogue between many of the tracks.

It offers a beautifully eclectic selection of songs from the preceding three decades, plus then-current artists providing some of their best material, such as Hundred Mile High City by Ocean Colour Scene or E-Z Rollers' drum'n'bass masterpiece Walk This Land. Of the heritage tracks, Dusty Springfield sings her sultry take on Spooky; James Brown appears twice with The Boss and The Payback; The Stooges with I Wanna Be Your Dog, and two versions of Pete Wingfield's masterful one-hit-wonder 18 With A Bullet; in its 1975 original and a contemporary cover by Lewis Taylor and Carleen Anderson. And this is only half of it.

Anthony Shakir, Kech Harrington, Martin Bonds, and Brian Bonds recorded the Fairmount Squad EP as a side project. It was released in 1998 and played on Detroit radio station mix shows and in local gentlemen's clubs, selling out quickly and never repressed until now.



Swinging street rhythms and spacey, funky basslines define this classic release.

First impressions matter. Especially on a debut album. Time and attention-strapped listeners size up an artist within a song or two, then move on or delve in further. Fortunately, it only takes Margo Price about twenty-eight seconds to convince you that you’re hearing the arrival of a singular new talent. “Hands of Time,” the opener on Midwest Farmer’s Daughter, is an invitation, a mission statement and a starkly poetic summary of the 32-year old singer’s life, all in one knockout, self-penned punch. Easing in over a groove of sidestick, bass and atmospheric guitar, Price sings, “When I rolled out of town on the unpaved road, I was fifty-seven dollars from bein’ broke . . .” It has the feel of the first line of a great novel or opening scene in a classic film. There’s an expectancy, a brewing excitement. And as the song builds, strings rising around her, Price recalls hardships and heartaches – the loss of her family’s farm, the death of her child, problems with men and the bottle. There is no self-pity or over-emoting. Her voice has that alluring mix of vulnerability and resilience that was once the province of Loretta and Dolly. It is a tour-de-force performance that is vivid, deeply moving and all true. From the honky tonk comeuppance of “About To Find Out,” to the rockabilly-charged “This Town Gets Around” to the weekend twang of “Hurtin’ (On The Bottle)”, Price adds fresh twists to classic Nashville country, with a sound that could’ve made hits in any decade. Meanwhile, the hard-hitting blues grooves of “Four Years of Chances” and “Tennessee Song” push the boundaries further west to Memphis (the album was recorded at the legendary Sun Studio). • Hometown: Nashville • Recorded at Sun Studios

The tartan terror returns with his fifth offering.

Two roaring reworks celebrating all things Bollywood. Riotous ‘Ayo!’ on the A weaves uplifting pianos with drum machine lines, Minimoog & fecks of 303.

‘Shoes Off’ on the flip, an atmospheric builder with creeping pads, tabla & the return of the tartan whistle.

DJ Support :

Hunne, Palms Trax, Dar Disku, Tia Cousins

Frontier's Edge is the new EP by the fiery, energetic and genre-defying group The Budos Band. After a two-decade run with the legendary Daptone Records, Frontier's Edge is the first new music from the group on the new label, Diamond West Records - run by The Budos' saxophonist Jared Tankel and guitarist Tom Brenneck. The Budos Band's departure from Daptone was on good terms; the split from their long-time home base was an organic result of the band's evolution. "It's just a natural growth," Brenneck says, admitting: "We're going further away from the sound of Daptone and into territory they probably wanted to stay away from." As a result, Frontier's Edge finds the group hungry, passionate and primed to charge into their next epoch newfound sense autonomy within the collective. "We're a powerhouse in the studio; we can produce ourselves," Brenneck says proudly of a long process of self-containment. "I take the helm, but the band, they know what they want." As expected from The Budos Band, Frontier's Edge resists analysis; it represents the band as they are: a contained explosion. You don't pick apart Frontier's Edge; you feel it all at once. "Somehow, we wrote six songs in two days," says The Budos' drummer, Brian Profilio. "Tom was able to take what we were doing and put it together in a cohesive manner." Whether this is your first rodeo with The Budos Band or you've been following them throughout their two-decade run, Frontier's Edge contains their musical universe - Afrobeat, Ethiopian music, proto-metal, any number of other streams - in microcosm.

Irish DJ and producer, Ben Prophet, has caught the attention of some of the electronic scene’s most influential names in recent years. Currently residing in the underground music hub of Newcastle, his dark and exhilarating tracks have proven to captivate dancefloors. Now the artist is set to embark on his most monumental release to date, with the four track EP ‘From Dusk’. Staying distinctly true to himself, the EP channels Prophet’s love for bassline, electronica, and techno, whilst placing a key focus on mechanical vocals that add a mind-bending element that listeners can get lost in. ‘From Dusk’ will be released to the world via HAAi and Alice Pelly’s Radical New Theory label, a proven base for projecting emerging talent.

‘From Dusk’ is an EP that serves as a bold declaration. Prophet was determined to take listeners on a journey across the four tracks. Never resting on his laurels, the artist ventured into many corners of the dance world, whilst maintaining a core signature sound. Opener ‘Telepathy’ Sees Prophet build an emphatic, heavy hitting techno track, centring around a manipulated spoken-word vocal. It’s a sound that holds nothing back and is showcased again on ‘Down The Rabbit Hole’. Equally dark in its design, Prophet once more places distorted vocals at the forefront, this time displaying an industrial take on breakbeat. On the flip side, we see ‘Ocarina’ and title track ‘From Dusk’ turn the dark energy on its head with a distinctly melodic approach which adds a touch of psychedelia and high emotion to the EP. What’s clear is there’s something on ‘From Dusk’ for anyone that loves club music.

Speaking on the release, Prophet states:“HAAi has been one of the biggest inspirations for my sound, so to have become friends and to release my music on her label Radical New Theory is a massive moment for me. I’ve taken a different approach on each track, but each has my signature sound and is ready for the dance floor.”

HAAi also offers an insight into why she wanted to release ‘From Dusk’ on Radical New Theory: “Ben Prophet’s tracks have such a driving force and a dark energy to them, which is so powerful in the club. I’m extremely excited to get this record out in the world.”

Prophet’s previous releases ‘Hyper Funk EP’ and ‘King Of Rock’ on Chapeau music and Happy Wax Records respectively reached dancefloors across the world with regular plays from the likes of Mall Grab, Skream and VTSS. His gritty and energetic productions are born for the peak-time dance floor where its power creates intoxicating effects. No longer a hidden gem of the North East, the artist's music has gathered serious momentum and ‘From Dusk’ might well be the record that makes Ben Prophet a household name.

‘From Dusk’ is the third release on Radical New Theory, a label created in 2020 by HAAi and Alice Pelly which aims to shine a light on unique emerging talent, and the inevitable stars of tomorrow. Last year the label released LUXE’s debut ‘Belonging EP’ which was championed by MaryAnn Hobbs on BBC 6Music, and the artist has since gone on to tour across Europe. Whilst Ozzy, who released the labels first record ‘Een’, has since released on Barnt’s Schalen imprint. Radical New Theory was born out of a love for the craft of dance music and the careful consideration of what they release ensures the highest standards. A safe space for emerging talent, be sure to keep your eyes out for what comes next from the label

Sister Rosetta Tharpe is often referred to as "the godmother of rock and roll" for her pioneering guitar technique, use of distortion/reverb, and a 1963 UK tour with Muddy Waters that has been cited as a huge influence by Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck. Though she reached more widespread notoriety across the world in the '50s and '60s thanks to the folk/blues revival and her beloved status among UK blues and rock musicians, it's her early recordings from the late '30s and early-mid '40s that are the most brilliant, visceral, and emotional of her career. This excellent collection compiles 18 of those amazing gospel and R&B sides into one place. Essential.

Recorded in 1977, James Taylor's first album JT for Columbia Records made a huge impact on the hit charts. The album itself peaked at number 4 of the Billboard 200, and the singles “Handy Man” and “Your Smiling Face” hit high on the charts as well. JT meant a new direction for the folk pop singer as he shows a newly found positive approach to his songwriting material. Gone were his 'rainy day man' sensitive croons, in comes this mainstream, sunny easy listening vibe. Taylor mixes his patented acoustic guitar-based folk sound with elements of rock, blues, and country to great effect.

Just like the original European pressings, the album is packed in a gatefold sleeve and contains a lyric sheet. JT is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on red coloured vinyl.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is a 2017 fantasy film directed by Guy Ritchie and is loosely based on the Arthurian Legends. The film stars Charlie Hunnam as the title character, and co-stars Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law and football star David Beckham. The film follows Arthur, who is robbed of his birthright and comes up the hard way in the back alleys of the city. But once he pulls the sword from the stone, he is forced to acknowledge his true legacy - whether he likes it or not.

The score is written and produced by Daniel Pemberton, an English Ivor Novello Award-winning, Golden Globe Award and multi-BAFTA Award-nominated composer. The soundtrack features Mercury Prize winner and folk musician Sam Lee.

Voyager Gold Vinyl

On Jupiter, Brooklyn trio Upper Wilds voyage deeper into the cosmos, mapping out the overwhelming enormity of the universe in soaring hooks and blistering noise. The third installment in the trio"s exploration of our solar system looks to its largest planet for a daring exploration of scale and perspective. New York underground mainstay Dan Friel"s melodic gifts and wry lyricism are magnified and propelled ever outwards by the thundering rhythm section of bassist Jason Binnick and drummer Jeff Ottenbacher, all immersed in rippling fuzz. Just like its namesake, Jupiter stands as Upper Wilds most colossal offering in their catalog. The raw power of their music is amplified to titanic proportions, sky-clawing riffs invoking the sheer awe that the heavens inspire. More than any Upper Wilds album before it, Jupiter makes humanity"s endeavors in space exploration an inseparable part of its sonic DNA . Recorded with Travis Harrison at his studio Serious Business in Brooklyn (Guided By Voices, Dope Body, The Men), the trio"s live recordings are inspired by the Voyager Golden Record - a double LP launched with the 1977 Voyager probe spanning field recordings to compositions by J.S. Bach and Laurie Spiegel. While the Voyager Golden Record"s intended audience may have originally been the extra-terrestrial beings that might encounter the probe, Upper Wilds bring cosmos-seeking sounds back to earth with a record made for and about humanity. Jupiter finds comfort in space"s unending expanse. Far from feeling defeated by the smallness of our existence in the face of an uncaring universe and ever-expanding infinite, Upper Wilds capture the power of creativity to extend our lifespans far beyond our limited time on earth

As the void stares back at me, I am consumed by the waves of this new sonic transmission. ESP's Goblin Synth reigns supreme, guiding me into the darkest corners of my mind, as the Galaxian remix shatters my being into a thousand pieces. This release is a frenzied piece of IDM, braindance, and DnB, fueled by a chemical fury that leaves my mind in a state of pure ecstasy. The relentless pace and shifting soundscapes of the A-side are the perfect conduit for the raw power of the Galaxian remix, taking me beyond the limits of what I thought was possible.

On the B-side, I am treated to a liquid dnb homage that is no less relentless in its pursuit of sonic intensity. Here, the rhythms are more organic, more fluid, but no less potent in their ability. This is music that demands a total surrender of the self.

The insidious rhythms of ESP's Goblin Synth seize my consciousness like a viral agent, rendering my being porous and open to the twitching, glitching transmissions emanating from the depths of the machine. With each stuttering break and howling, modulated synth line, I am hurled headlong into a world of ravenous, cybernetic abandon - a blackened, dystopian horizon of shattered glass and flickering neon.

As my mind is hijacked by the rushing currents of amphetamine psychosis, I realize that this is no mere exercise in genre or form, but an all-out assault on the very fabric of reality itself. The sonic textures here are hyper-real, beyond the grasp of normal human perception - this is the sound of the post-human, the sound of the inhuman, the sound of a future that is rapidly bearing down upon me, whether I am ready or not.

And yet, amidst the chaos and decay, there is a kind of perverse beauty at work - a beauty that can only be glimpsed through the shattered glass of my own shattered subjectivity. With each burst of static and each crunching bassline, I am hurled deeper into a vortex of metallic, crystalline wonder, a realm of pure, unadulterated sound that is as terrifying as it is sublime.

*Very limited LP reissue on blue vinyl*

Canadian crooner star Calvin Love’s long sold out debut album ‘New Radar’ now as a repress for its 10th year anniversary on blue vinyl.
New Radar’, Love's debut album, blends memories of the late '80s cassette/analog era, '90s cable-TV generation, and 'aughts social media confessionalism into a satisfying collage of evocative and moody yet familiar and comforting music.

From the simple synths of "Magic Hearts", which bemoans love gone wrong, to the frustrating relationship detailed in "Waiting On You", Love's music is both catchy and emotionally resonant. In "Treasure Hunters", a flirty yet laid-back bubblegum rock and roller, Calvin Love invites us to share our secrets. while in "Missions", snarky, wailing guitars duet with Love's vocals in a noisy wash of exchanged frequencies. Throughout, Love relies on throwback synths and jangly guitar sounds to pick out unorthodox melodies, driven by a dutifully clicking drum machine. The overall effect of New Radar is a uniquely nostalgic yet forward-looking sound, at once evocative and comforting.

Calvin Love's music is distinctively characterized by its sparse yet focused arrangements, featuring thin guitars, electronic drums, and vintage synthesizers that impart a warm and wooly electronic texture. The lo-fi, cassette, 4-track recording quality creates an ambiance that feels both retro and futuristic, as if transmitted from an intimate and isolated space. Despite the arena-rock hooks, Love's use of primitive home-recording gear lends his music a folksy quality indebted to artists ranging from Ariel Pink to Unknown Mortal Orchestra.
About Calvin Love:

“U Wasn’t There” the long-fabled collaborative project between superstar DJ/producer/Fool’s Gold founder A-Trak and New York trendsetter/lyricist/cultural icon Cam’ron—drops via Empire. Arriving nearly a decade after the elite duo dropped their first singles “Humphrey” and “Dipshits”, the album features masterful production by A-Trak, Just Blaze, DJ Khalil, !llmind, Thelonious Martin and more, as well as uniquely introspective verses from one of the most elusive rappers in hip-hop. “U Wasn’t There” recalls 2000’s-era Dipset sounds and sets the stage for Killa Cam to deliver his hard-hitting, sharply-penned wordplay exemplified on standout "What You Do" featuring Damon Dash. “All I Really Wanted”—a soulful Harlem anthem in which Cam effortlessly recounts his teenage years as a basketball player, growing up with fallen heroes Big L and Bloodshed, and hustling his way to legendary status—perked ears at Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Complex, Vibe, Stereogum, and more. The cold-hearted “Ghetto Prophets” featuring Conway The Machine followed suit, earning nods from XXL, HipHopDX, Revolt, and Brooklyn Vegan. 1xLP + 24”x24” poster.

Futurismo are proud to present a first time reissue of the killer 1985 album: Just A Million Dreams by the uncompromising Alan Vega.

The remastered version of this LP comes with two unreleased bonus tracks produced by Liz Lamere and Jared Artaud of The Vacant Lots. It is packaged in a gloss laminated sleeve with a huge fold-out poster and contains new liner notes by Henry Rollins.

Presented in a remastered deluxe vinyl package, Just A Million Dreams, produced by Ric Ocasek and Chris Lord-Alge, takes Vega on an expedition into new territory. As an artist Vega had a crucial drive, but having a hit record was never a motive, neither was pandering to expectations, which is why Just a Million Dreams is perhaps a perfect statement for that moment, bettering the then bastions of MTV rock without even trying, an exercise in subversion that still has Vega’s unique artistry at its core. Would you expect anything less from one half of NYC legends Suicide? Perhaps not, but the hows and whys to Vega landing himself in such a mainstream position are perhaps just as fascinating as the record itself.

Here Alan Vega’s vocals sound better than ever, full of emotion and brooding honesty. Lyrics painting images of dystopian love might be a sideways move away from the intense nihilism of his past, but it’s still the real deal. Alan Vega could not be anything else. Listen to tracks like ‘Creation’ and you still get that raw emotion he spent his career honing. Set against the grandeur of mid 80’s production: big processed drums, runaway guitar solos, we get a rare peak into what Vega would sound like if he was allowed to be a rock star drenched in the sonic excesses of the era. It was a brave and unfairly misunderstood move, but the components come together to form an incredible anti-commercial, commercial album. Just A Million Dreams is the sound of Alan Vega taking on the 1980’s and winning.

With help of the official Vega Vault, two never before heard tracks have been unearthed from the 1985 JAMD recording sessions and brought to life by long time collaborator Liz Lamere and Jared Artaud of The Vacant Lots, adding a new insight to the recordings. Henry Rollins also lends a new written perspective, making this release a vital addition to the collections of Alan Vega and Suicide fans. It has been said that Alan Vega is forever, his unwavering artistic approach can be witnessed throughout his career, whether as part of Suicide or as a solo songwriter, poet or sculptor. Just a Million Dreams is just another example

[n] B7. Alain Goraguer – Les Hommes [La Grande Co-Existence]

Western Massachusetts band Landowner play abrasively clean minimalist-punk. Singer Dan Shaw began Landowner in 2016, writing and recording Impressive Almanac with a practice amp and a laptop drum machine. Those available tools would inform the band’s unapologetic sound—clean, confrontational, and absurdly stark. With a stated goal to sound like “Antelope playing Discharge”, Landowner’s diamond hard structures, repetitious instrumentals and caricatured hardcore make space for lyrics that reflect on the global systems our lives are tangled in and the dark absurdities we take for granted.

Landowner’s fourth Born Yesterday full length Escape the Compound focuses on the powerful grips manipulators and reality-deniers have on their victims, examining the social, political and interpersonal damage of cult-like influence and control. “A lot of the lyrics focus on cult manipulators and narcissists: falling victim to their toxic dynamics, and the difficulty of escaping their grip” says Shaw. From climate change deniers and conspiracy theorists to deceptive narcissists and actual cult leaders, Landowner explores the ubiquity of modern unreality through evocative imagery and a keen sense of awareness. The band’s plain instrumentation sheds and subverts hardcore punk’s noisy veil in favor of a direct, unswerving examination of these themes.

Written and recorded following the release of 2020’s Consultant, Escape the Compound finds Landowner leaning into the studio through deeper experimentation with a wider palette of sounds. The group’s lineup of Josh Owsley (bass), Elliot Hughes (guitar), Jeff Gilmartin (guitar), Josh Daniel (drums) and Dan Shaw played often since coming together in 2017. But with pandemic restrictions in place, the making of Escape the Compound became a much more insular pursuit, one where the mixing and mastering process helped turn the band’s most varied batch of material into a cohesive, thematic collection of songs.

Album opener “Witch Museum” is a collage of dark Massachusetts historical imagery. The song evokes a kind of cult dynamic travelling like a shadow through time, where dark absurdities are taken for granted, toxic behaviours are excused, and normalcy begins to shift. The line “Gail's behaviour has changed” casts fictional “Gail” as the dark manipulator, whose whim we’re at the mercy of. She sheds her toxic behaviour and the crisis finally ends - “and peace returns to the Commonwealth”- an absurdity, given that cult leaders and narcissists rarely seem to change.

By considering the past, Landowner sheds light on the present. The band challenges egomaniacs reluctant to accept an uncomfortable reality with both cynicism and concern. The literal landowner described in “Heat Stroke” collapses in exhaustion, cooked by a suffocating bass line and sizzling hi-hats. “You'd rather die of heat stroke than to let anybody see you change your mind,” Shaw gasps, later pleading with the character in “Floodwatch” to “please reconsider” their brazen stubbornness as they plunge through the rising waters of a flooded road.

The character in “Swimmer of Note” refuses to admit their miscalculations, instead doubling down on an ever-growing and increasingly-unsteady tower of lies. The sneering “Damning Evidence” sets a scene all too familiar: a smoking gun scenario with zero consequences. Shaw’s exaggerated vocal refrains and sarcastic inflections mock false hope: “how will they be expected to keep their minds intact, at the shock of simply hearing such damning evidence?”

“Beyond the Darkened Library” creaks open a secret passageway into a dimly lit, endless labyrinth of conspiracy theories, in which the character becomes hopelessly lost. “Aftermath” sounds the alarms: “stare so long that you start getting used to it; one glance says you should never get used to it.” The pair of “Tactics” tracks express what Shaw calls “an interpersonal microcosm of the album’s themes.”

Perhaps the most ambitious arc on Escape the Compound loosely begins with the title track. The subject in “Escape the Compound” gradually recognizes their own victimhood and plans a calculated flight from the “captivating shepherd” – hop the fence, flee, and regain autonomy. As the narrator escapes their stifling and abusive cult microcosm, a much grander existential timeline begins to appear. “Thousands of Years in Fast Forward” narrates a psychedelic surrender to the shared human experience through space and time, an ego-death adjacent to our ancestry, our own existence, and the before and after. “At the site of the crater, molecular hands unclasp molecular hands as you lose conditioning,” Shaw sings on the title track, “Your grandmother's garden. Your grandmother's kitchen. Your grandmother's primordial ocean.” It’s a profound actualizing glimpse into a true, forgotten reality and a startling reconnection with the self.

High Roller Records, black vinyl, ltd 200, insert, transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY.

High Roller Records, neon pink vinyl, ltd 200, insert, transfer, audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY.

"The Queen Is Not Dead" ist kein "durchschnittliches" SPIRITUAL FRONT Album, aber welche Veröffentlichung der Suicide Pop Band aus Italien ist das schon? Das achte Studioalbum der Römer ist vielmehr "eine Hommage an die legendären, wundervollen Hymnen von Morrissey und Johnny Marr", wie Simone Salvatori schreibt. Der Bandgründer und Frontmann von SPIRITUAL FRONT bezeichnet THE SMITHS als eine der wichtigsten musikalischen Inspirationen für jedes Mitglied der Band. Die Italiener nahmen das Album mit dem erklärten Ziel auf, eine respektvolle Hommage zu erschaffen, ohne dass dabei ein Klon entstehen sollte. Bei den fünfzehn Coversongs, die für viele Musikfreunde heilig sind, blieben die Römer den Originalaufnahmen zwar treu, sie führen die Songs jedoch näher an die Klangwelt von SPIRITUAL FRONT heran - beispielsweise indem sie klassische Instrumente hinzufügen. Zu Salvatori und seinen Bandkollegen, dem Gitarristen Francesco Conte und Andrea Freda am Schlagzeug, gesellen sich der Bassist Daniele Raggi, ein Streichsextett und ein Bläser sowie eine Fülle von Beiträgen befreundeter Musiker: Darunter befinden sich die Sängerin Durga McBroom (PINK FLOYD, BLUE PEARL), Riccardo Galati, Filippo Marcheggiani (BANCO DEL MUTUO SOCCORSO), Michal Stepien (MGLA), Jairo Zavala (CALEXICO), King Dude, Traci Danielle (MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT), Riccardo Spilli (IL BALLETTO DI BRONZO) und Sasha Boole (ME AND THAT MAN). SPIRITUAL FRONT wurden 1999 als Soloprojekt von Salvatori gegründet und haben seitdem zahlreiche Alben, Singles, EPs und Kollaborationen veröffentlicht. Die Italiener beschreiben ihren Sound als "eingängige Balladen für herzzerreißende nihilistische Jugendliche". Textlich beschäftigen sich SPIRITUAL FRONT mit Themen wie der Suche nach einer eigenen Identität, Sexualität, harte Realitäten und wütende Trennungen, die oft von triefendem Sarkasmus, Nihilismus sowie einem beißenden Sinn für Humor eingefärbt sind. Darüber hinaus haben die Italiener mit namhaften Künstlern wie LYDIA LUNCH, ORDO ROSARIUS EQUILIBRIO und vielen anderen zusammengearbeitet sowie an den Soundtracks der Fernsehserie "Las Vegas", des Kinofilms "Saw 2" und an weiteren Independent-Filmen, Theaterproduktionen und modernem Ballett mitgewirkt. SPIRITUAL FRONT zollen THE SMITHS, die für die Italiener zufällig den Soundtrack ihres Lebens komponiert haben mit "The Queen Is Not Dead" ihren aufrichtigen Tribut.

As human beings, we often feel the need to control every aspect of our lives. We want to plan, strategize, and manipulate our way to success. However, sometimes our attempts to force a certain outcome can actually hinder our progress. In fact, it’s often when we let go of control and allow things to unfold naturally that we see the most clarity and progress.

This is especially true in the creative process, such as making music. When we try to force a certain sound or melody, we can become stuck in our own expectations and limitations. But when we approach the process with openness and a willingness to let the music guide us, we can tap into a greater sense of flow and creativity.

So, remember: the less you force, the faster things become clear. Trust the process, let go of expectations, and allow the music to lead the way. In doing so, you may just discover a new level of clarity and inspiration in your work.

Sie waren die erste UK-Punkband die einen Plattenvertrag unterschrieben und markierten mit ihrer auf Stiff Records erschienenen Debüt-Single 'New Rose' gleich den ersten Höhepunkt einer Bewegung nach der nichts mehr so sein sollte wie vorher. Schnell, hart, angriffslustig und simpel, auch schon mal in opulentem Verkleidungs-Outfit, nahm sich die Band nie ganz ernst, sondern verstand sich eher als akustischer Comic-Strip mit Humor, Respektlosigkeit, Parodie und Slapsticks ohne die oftmals in dieser Zeit propagierten politische Ideen. Auf Chiswick gestaltete die Band quasi den zweiten Schritt ihrer Karriere und veröffentlichten Alben wie das famose 'Machine Gun Etiquette', das nun in einer limitierten Auflage als MC erscheint!

Die Autofenster sind heruntergelassen, die Luft ist warm, und die Möglichkeiten sind grenzenlos. Auf Cut Worms, dem neuen, selbstbetitelten Album des aus Brooklyn stammenden Max Clarke, setzt der Singer-Songwriter und Musiker seine Erkundung dessen fort, was er "Pop-Essentialismus" nennt. Indem er die goldenen Hits vergangener Tage für einen zeitlosen Doppel-A-Seiten-Sound ausgräbt, betrachtet er uralte Fragen durch eine moderne Linse. Hier lässt er das legendäre Studio und die gefragten Produzenten hinter sich und arbeitet mit einer Reihe von begabten Freunden und Kollaborateuren zusammen, um seinen eigenen Ansatz zu finden. Das Ergebnis ist eine kompakte Sammlung von Tagtraum-Hymnen, die zwischen den hoffnungsvollen Anfängen des Sommers und dem flüchtigen Ende der Saison angesiedelt sind. Anstatt das gesamte Album in einem Stück in einem Studio aufzunehmen, variierte Clarke seine Methoden. Drei der Songs wurden von Anfang bis Ende in seinem gemeinsamen Proberaum aufgenommen. "Don't Fade Out" und Living Inside" wurden in Brooklyn von Brian und Michael D'Addario von den Lemon Twigs aufgenommen, die bei diesen beiden Stücken auch Klavier bzw. Bass spielten. Weitere grundlegende Aufnahmen wurden von Rick Spataro (von der Indie-Folk-Band Florist) in seinem Studio Onlyness Analog im Hudson Valley gemacht, mit Beiträgen der langjährigen Live-Band Cut Worms - Keyboarder John Andrews, Bassist Keven Louis Lareau und Schlagzeuger Noah Bond (der bei allen drei Sessions mitwirkte). Die neun Songs sind von einem jugendlichen Geist durchdrungen. Die mit Nelken geschmückte Schulball-Serenade "I'll Never Make It", die sternenklare Verliebtheit von "Is it Magic?", das erste Herbstlaub auf der Busfahrt zur Schule in "Living Inside" - sie alle beschwören einen Ort der Wärme und Sicherheit. Erklärungen wie "Don't Fade Out", "Let's Go Out On The Town" und "Use Your Love" stellen hohe Anforderungen an das Leben, um es zu verändern, bitten aber gleichzeitig darum, das zu bewahren, was uns als Menschen ausmacht. Clarke ringt mit einem Paradoxon: Die Freuden der Erfahrung können nicht ohne den Verlust der Unschuld gewonnen werden.

Die Autofenster sind heruntergelassen, die Luft ist warm, und die Möglichkeiten sind grenzenlos. Auf Cut Worms, dem neuen, selbstbetitelten Album des aus Brooklyn stammenden Max Clarke, setzt der Singer-Songwriter und Musiker seine Erkundung dessen fort, was er "Pop-Essentialismus" nennt. Indem er die goldenen Hits vergangener Tage für einen zeitlosen Doppel-A-Seiten-Sound ausgräbt, betrachtet er uralte Fragen durch eine moderne Linse. Hier lässt er das legendäre Studio und die gefragten Produzenten hinter sich und arbeitet mit einer Reihe von begabten Freunden und Kollaborateuren zusammen, um seinen eigenen Ansatz zu finden. Das Ergebnis ist eine kompakte Sammlung von Tagtraum-Hymnen, die zwischen den hoffnungsvollen Anfängen des Sommers und dem flüchtigen Ende der Saison angesiedelt sind. Anstatt das gesamte Album in einem Stück in einem Studio aufzunehmen, variierte Clarke seine Methoden. Drei der Songs wurden von Anfang bis Ende in seinem gemeinsamen Proberaum aufgenommen. "Don't Fade Out" und Living Inside" wurden in Brooklyn von Brian und Michael D'Addario von den Lemon Twigs aufgenommen, die bei diesen beiden Stücken auch Klavier bzw. Bass spielten. Weitere grundlegende Aufnahmen wurden von Rick Spataro (von der Indie-Folk-Band Florist) in seinem Studio Onlyness Analog im Hudson Valley gemacht, mit Beiträgen der langjährigen Live-Band Cut Worms - Keyboarder John Andrews, Bassist Keven Louis Lareau und Schlagzeuger Noah Bond (der bei allen drei Sessions mitwirkte). Die neun Songs sind von einem jugendlichen Geist durchdrungen. Die mit Nelken geschmückte Schulball-Serenade "I'll Never Make It", die sternenklare Verliebtheit von "Is it Magic?", das erste Herbstlaub auf der Busfahrt zur Schule in "Living Inside" - sie alle beschwören einen Ort der Wärme und Sicherheit. Erklärungen wie "Don't Fade Out", "Let's Go Out On The Town" und "Use Your Love" stellen hohe Anforderungen an das Leben, um es zu verändern, bitten aber gleichzeitig darum, das zu bewahren, was uns als Menschen ausmacht. Clarke ringt mit einem Paradoxon: Die Freuden der Erfahrung können nicht ohne den Verlust der Unschuld gewonnen werden.

Die Autofenster sind heruntergelassen, die Luft ist warm, und die Möglichkeiten sind grenzenlos. Auf Cut Worms, dem neuen, selbstbetitelten Album des aus Brooklyn stammenden Max Clarke, setzt der Singer-Songwriter und Musiker seine Erkundung dessen fort, was er "Pop-Essentialismus" nennt. Indem er die goldenen Hits vergangener Tage für einen zeitlosen Doppel-A-Seiten-Sound ausgräbt, betrachtet er uralte Fragen durch eine moderne Linse. Hier lässt er das legendäre Studio und die gefragten Produzenten hinter sich und arbeitet mit einer Reihe von begabten Freunden und Kollaborateuren zusammen, um seinen eigenen Ansatz zu finden. Das Ergebnis ist eine kompakte Sammlung von Tagtraum-Hymnen, die zwischen den hoffnungsvollen Anfängen des Sommers und dem flüchtigen Ende der Saison angesiedelt sind. Anstatt das gesamte Album in einem Stück in einem Studio aufzunehmen, variierte Clarke seine Methoden. Drei der Songs wurden von Anfang bis Ende in seinem gemeinsamen Proberaum aufgenommen. "Don't Fade Out" und Living Inside" wurden in Brooklyn von Brian und Michael D'Addario von den Lemon Twigs aufgenommen, die bei diesen beiden Stücken auch Klavier bzw. Bass spielten. Weitere grundlegende Aufnahmen wurden von Rick Spataro (von der Indie-Folk-Band Florist) in seinem Studio Onlyness Analog im Hudson Valley gemacht, mit Beiträgen der langjährigen Live-Band Cut Worms - Keyboarder John Andrews, Bassist Keven Louis Lareau und Schlagzeuger Noah Bond (der bei allen drei Sessions mitwirkte). Die neun Songs sind von einem jugendlichen Geist durchdrungen. Die mit Nelken geschmückte Schulball-Serenade "I'll Never Make It", die sternenklare Verliebtheit von "Is it Magic?", das erste Herbstlaub auf der Busfahrt zur Schule in "Living Inside" - sie alle beschwören einen Ort der Wärme und Sicherheit. Erklärungen wie "Don't Fade Out", "Let's Go Out On The Town" und "Use Your Love" stellen hohe Anforderungen an das Leben, um es zu verändern, bitten aber gleichzeitig darum, das zu bewahren, was uns als Menschen ausmacht. Clarke ringt mit einem Paradoxon: Die Freuden der Erfahrung können nicht ohne den Verlust der Unschuld gewonnen werden.

LP includes Poster.

When Sacred Bones first began their Mort Garson reissue project in 2019 with a proper reissue of Plantasia, the Garson-naissance began in earnest. Soon after, you could hear Mort Garson and his Moogs bubbling up on TV shows, documentaries, podcasts, hip-hop tracks, or anywhere else, the man a cultural phenomenon once more.

Like a perennial that returns with each new spring, the Mort Garson archives have brought to bear yet another awe-inspiring bloom.

Journey to the Moon and Beyond finds even more new facets to the man's sound. There's the soundtrack to the 1974 blaxploitation film Black Eye (starring Fred Williamson) alongside some newly unearthed music for advertising. Just as regal is "Zoos of the World," where Garson soundtracks the wild, preening, slumbering animals from a 1970 National Geographic special of the same name.

The mind reels at just what project would have yielded a scintillating title like "Western Dragon," but these three selections were found on tapes in the archive with no further information. The crown jewel of the set is no doubt Garson's soundtrack to the live broadcast of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, as first heard on CBS News. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for Moogkind. But for decades, this audio was presumed lost, the only trace of it appearing to be from an old YouTube clip. Thankfully, diligent audio archivist Andy Zax came across a copy of the master tape while going through the massive Rod McKuen archive.

So now we get to hear it in all its glory. Across six minutes, Garson conjures broad fantasias, whirring mooncraft sounds, zero-gravity squelches, and twinkling études. It showcases Mort's many moods: sweet, exploratory, whimsical, a little bit corny, weaving it all together in a glorious whole.

Maybe at the time it scanned as crass and opportunistic for Garson to apply his keyboards to subjects like astrological signs, the occult, hippiedom, houseplants, or the moon landing. But more than most other electronic music pioneers of his ilk, Garson foresaw the integration of such electronics into our daily lives, how they would allow us to engage with the world.

LP includes Poster.

When Sacred Bones first began their Mort Garson reissue project in 2019 with a proper reissue of Plantasia, the Garson-naissance began in earnest. Soon after, you could hear Mort Garson and his Moogs bubbling up on TV shows, documentaries, podcasts, hip-hop tracks, or anywhere else, the man a cultural phenomenon once more.

Like a perennial that returns with each new spring, the Mort Garson archives have brought to bear yet another awe-inspiring bloom.

Journey to the Moon and Beyond finds even more new facets to the man's sound. There's the soundtrack to the 1974 blaxploitation film Black Eye (starring Fred Williamson) alongside some newly unearthed music for advertising. Just as regal is "Zoos of the World," where Garson soundtracks the wild, preening, slumbering animals from a 1970 National Geographic special of the same name.

The mind reels at just what project would have yielded a scintillating title like "Western Dragon," but these three selections were found on tapes in the archive with no further information. The crown jewel of the set is no doubt Garson's soundtrack to the live broadcast of the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing, as first heard on CBS News. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for Moogkind. But for decades, this audio was presumed lost, the only trace of it appearing to be from an old YouTube clip. Thankfully, diligent audio archivist Andy Zax came across a copy of the master tape while going through the massive Rod McKuen archive.

So now we get to hear it in all its glory. Across six minutes, Garson conjures broad fantasias, whirring mooncraft sounds, zero-gravity squelches, and twinkling études. It showcases Mort's many moods: sweet, exploratory, whimsical, a little bit corny, weaving it all together in a glorious whole.

Maybe at the time it scanned as crass and opportunistic for Garson to apply his keyboards to subjects like astrological signs, the occult, hippiedom, houseplants, or the moon landing. But more than most other electronic music pioneers of his ilk, Garson foresaw the integration of such electronics into our daily lives, how they would allow us to engage with the world.

1985 war das Jahr, in dem der Grundstein für die Karriere einer Band gelegt wurde, die auch fast 35 Jahre danach noch genau so aktiv ist, wie am ersten Tag. Die Rede ist natürlich von RAGE, die zunächst 1984 als AVENGER gestartet sind, bevor es dann zur Umbenennung kam.

Nun werden die legendären Alben der Herner Metal-Legende mit etlichen bisher unveröffentlichten Titeln auf Doppel-LPs neu veröffentlicht.

„Reflections Of A Shadow“ (1990) gilt bis heute als eines der am meisten unterschätzten Alben der Band. Die Neuauflage enthält neben dem regulären Album, die Titel der damaligen EP "Extended Power" und etliche unveröffentlichte Bonus-Titel, die aus der Aufnahme-Session des Albums stammen. Ein absolutes Muss für alle RAGE-Heads!

Western Massachusetts band Landowner play abrasively clean minimalist-punk. Singer Dan Shaw began Landowner in 2016, writing and recording Impressive Almanac with a practice amp and a laptop drum machine. Those available tools would inform the band’s unapologetic sound—clean, confrontational, and absurdly stark. With a stated goal to sound like “Antelope playing Discharge”, Landowner’s diamond hard structures, repetitious instrumentals and caricatured hardcore make space for lyrics that reflect on the global systems our lives are tangled in and the dark absurdities we take for granted.

Landowner’s fourth Born Yesterday full length Escape the Compound focuses on the powerful grips manipulators and reality-deniers have on their victims, examining the social, political and interpersonal damage of cult-like influence and control. “A lot of the lyrics focus on cult manipulators and narcissists: falling victim to their toxic dynamics, and the difficulty of escaping their grip” says Shaw. From climate change deniers and conspiracy theorists to deceptive narcissists and actual cult leaders, Landowner explores the ubiquity of modern unreality through evocative imagery and a keen sense of awareness. The band’s plain instrumentation sheds and subverts hardcore punk’s noisy veil in favor of a direct, unswerving examination of these themes.

Written and recorded following the release of 2020’s Consultant, Escape the Compound finds Landowner leaning into the studio through deeper experimentation with a wider palette of sounds. The group’s lineup of Josh Owsley (bass), Elliot Hughes (guitar), Jeff Gilmartin (guitar), Josh Daniel (drums) and Dan Shaw played often since coming together in 2017. But with pandemic restrictions in place, the making of Escape the Compound became a much more insular pursuit, one where the mixing and mastering process helped turn the band’s most varied batch of material into a cohesive, thematic collection of songs.

Album opener “Witch Museum” is a collage of dark Massachusetts historical imagery. The song evokes a kind of cult dynamic traveling like a shadow through time, where dark absurdities are taken for granted, toxic behaviors are excused, and normalcy begins to shift. The line “Gail's behavior has changed” casts fictional “Gail” as the dark manipulator, whose whim we’re at the mercy of. She sheds her toxic behavior and the crisis finally ends - “and peace returns to the Commonwealth”- an absurdity, given that cult leaders and narcissists rarely seem to change.

By considering the past, Landowner sheds light on the present. The band challenges egomaniacs reluctant to accept an uncomfortable reality with both cynicism and concern. The literal landowner described in “Heat Stroke” collapses in exhaustion, cooked by a suffocating bass line and sizzling hi-hats. “You'd rather die of heat stroke than to let anybody see you change your mind,” Shaw gasps, later pleading with the character in “Floodwatch” to “please reconsider” their brazen stubbornness as they plunge through the rising waters of a flooded road.

The character in “Swimmer of Note” refuses to admit their miscalculations, instead doubling down on an ever-growing and increasingly-unsteady tower of lies. The sneering “Damning Evidence” sets a scene all too familiar: a smoking gun scenario with zero consequences. Shaw’s exaggerated vocal refrains and sarcastic inflections mock false hope: “how will they be expected to keep their minds intact, at the shock of simply hearing such damning evidence?”

“Beyond the Darkened Library” creaks open a secret passageway into a dimly lit, endless labyrinth of conspiracy theories, in which the character becomes hopelessly lost. “Aftermath” sounds the alarms: “stare so long that you start getting used to it; one glance says you should never get used to it.” The pair of “Tactics” tracks express what Shaw calls “an interpersonal microcosm of the album’s themes.”

Perhaps the most ambitious arc on Escape the Compound loosely begins with the title track. The subject in “Escape the Compound” gradually recognizes their own victimhood and plans a calculated flight from the “captivating shepherd” – hop the fence, flee, and regain autonomy. As the narrator escapes their stifling and abusive cult microcosm, a much grander existential timeline begins to appear. “Thousands of Years in Fast Forward” narrates a psychedelic surrender to the shared human experience through space and time, an ego-death adjacent to our ancestry, our own existence, and the before and after. “At the site of the crater, molecular hands unclasp molecular hands as you lose conditioning,” Shaw sings on the title track, “Your grandmother's garden. Your grandmother's kitchen. Your grandmother's primordial ocean.” It’s a profound actualizing glimpse into a true, forgotten reality and a startling reconnection with the self.

Obwohl der Begriff "soul" schon während der Dreißigerjahre in der US-amerikanischen Populärmusik auftauchte, entstand Soul als eigenständiges Genre erst in den 1950ern aus Gospel und Rhythm"n"Blues sowie je einer Prise Blues und Jazz. Schon bald darauf sollte Soul zum Inbegriff "schwarzer Popmusik" werden. Kennzeichnend für die afroamerikanisch geprägte Unterhaltungsmusik sind emotional gefärbte Sangeskünste. Sich mit ganzer Seele und herzergreifendem Gesang den Vibes, dem Groove und der Message hinzugeben, das macht Soul aus. Sängerinnen wie Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Tina Turner, Lavern Baker, Marlena Shaw oder Diana Ross beherrschten dieses Metier meisterhaft. Sie finden sich neben Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, Dusty Springfield, Irma Thomas, Amy Winehouse, Ibeyi und vielen anderen Künstlerinnen auf der geschmackvoll kompilierten Doppel-LP "Soul Women".

The Newport Jazz Festival had always brought the best out in Nina Simone. When she took to that famous stage on July 2, 1966, the audience was treated to the full range of her artistry—from the opener, a breathtaking version of “You’ve Got To Learn” to an electrifying performance of her signature protest anthem “Mississippi Goddam”. Unwilling to let her leave the stage, and after sustained applause, her fans were rewarded with the show-stopping encore, “Music For Lovers”. This previously-unknown and unreleased recording showcasing Nina’s exceptional performance makes it clear why hearing Nina Simone in concert was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Liner notes are by Shana L. Redmond, scholar and author.

The English-Irish electronic/dance duo Moloko released their first album Do You Like My Tight Sweater? in 1995.

It’s one of their most experimental records, before moving on to a more mainstream approach. Roisin Murphy is carrying the album with her versatile vocals, both in range and style, while Mark Brydon created the breakbeats, sound effects and groovy disco lines.
This is electronica at its best, danceable and funky.

The album includes their hits ““Fun for Me” and “Dominoid”, besides fan favourites like “Day for Night” and “Where Is the What If the What Is in Why?”. They never slow down in their exiting music and absurd lyrics, but that’s exactly what makes this record unforgettable.

Pure joy to be danced on all night.

Do You Like My Tight Sweater? is available as a limited edition of 3000 numbered copies on turquoise vinyl.