Suche:in

Karriere Höhepunkt! Auf ihrem 7. Album 'Interplay' führen die britischen Shoegaze-Pioniere Ride alle musikalischen Fäden ihrer Karriere zusammen, die typischen rasenden Gitarrenwellen und hypnotischen Grooves treffen auf die träumerisch-melodischen Hooks ihrer Frühwerke. So bildet sich ein umfangreiches Sound-Geflecht, das auch Synthesizer-Verzierungen, psychedelischen Folk, elektronische Beats und Noir-Pop-Soundscapes mit einbezieht.

Das neue Album folgt auf 'Weather Diaries' (2017) und 'This Is Not A Safe Place' (2019), die den Funken von Ride neu entfachten und sowohl alte Hasen erfreuten als auch ganz neue Fans erreichten. Gerade auch dank des schnellen Shoegaze-Wachstums durch TikTok, die der Band eine neue Welle von Gen-Z-Anhängern einbrachte.

For Fans Of: Operation Ivy. This was the debut release and first LP from JESSE MICHAELS post OPERATION IVY. The band was COMMON RIDER, originally released on LOOKOUT/PANIC BUTTON. Remastered by Mass Giorgini. Comes in random color vinyl

Following their four-song demo from 2022, FUERA DE SEKTOR are back with their debut LP. Sharing members with BARRERA and ALGARA, the Barcelona-based band have carved their own sound, mixing the amphetamine edge of 80’s punk with the angular post punk sensibility. The extremely isolated guitar work takes centre stage, navigating a sea of mid-tempo riffs, and backed by an extremely solid rhythm section to perfectly seal the recording. Think the pop side of LOS ILEGALES or LOS TRAIDORES, the sexuality of DESECHABLES, and the uniqueness of LA’s X. FUERA DE SEKTOR lyrics look at the world from an existentialist angle with a dark and poetic approach to complement their music perfectly. Full of desire, lust, loss and confusion, each song unravels as a very modern anxious tale. It's an album that stands on its own in the current DIY landscape

First time released on Vinyl. Unheard since 2007. Artwork by Maliq Griffin aka DJ Porno (Tame’s long-time collaborator and friend.)
An unreleased Stretch Armstrong HOT 97 freestyle ft. Redman and Rah Digga. Remastered production by Shape, Mishap, and others.
We’re honoured to reissue an album by a truly unique voice in hip hop and dearly missed friend, Tame One. The year is 2007, Fresh off collaborations with the likes of El-P, Cage, and The Weathermen, Tame One - one half of the Newark duo The Artifacts, was approached by a Montclair skateboard shop Division East, as he personified their East Coast new school culture of skating, graffiti, and MCing. This relationship gave way to Division East Records and their first full length release entitled "The Grudge." Despite its merits and the efforts of those involved, the album went largely unheard outside of NJ hip-hop circles. Call it a casualty of the post-CD/pre-streaming musical landscape of the early 00’s. Now, 17 years later and almost 2 years after his heartbreaking transition, issued for the time on purple vinyl, Tame One’s The Grudge

Judy’s mainstream recording career with a unique selection of performances include classic and collectable recordings from movies, records, radio, concerts and TV.

Front 242 pioneered the term electronic body music (EBM) and has been credited as an influence to current Djs.

Tin Drum is the fifth and final studio album by English band Japan, released in November 1981.

Fifth solo album from saxophonist Julius Gabriel. Born out of new sounds and rhythms that the musician discovered during the pandemic, “Tales From The Subterranean” embodies a blend of primal energy and inventive exploration across twelve tracks. The opener “Time Riding” sets the mood, a tearing rhythm that sounds like a frenetic tap dance. It invites you to move and when you get to “Footworks” you are all set up, merging saxophone finger percussion with a continuous siren whisper emanating from the instrument, provoking euphoria, fear and satisfaction all at once. Moving on, you start to understand the sense of discovery behind the record and the needs Julius had, like to construct a saxophone with drone capabilities and closer to an idea of natural sound. “Hailing From The Mountains” has a meditative tone; “Westward At Sundown” feels like a ballad. Born from darkness yet radiating with newfound light, “Tales from the Subterranean“ stands as a testament to the resilience of artistic expression. It is primal music.

All music composed and performed by Julius Gabriel on electroacoustic tenor saxophone and twin soprano saxophone.

‘Empires into Sand’ is the first album of new material from Normil Hawaiians in 40 years. The group first refined their sound during the early 80s, hitting on a pastoral experimentalism that drew on ambient drone, motorik impulse and post-punk pep.
‘Empires into Sand’ came together in the familiar manner of their original three albums, with improvisation and nuance informing the blueprint of the tracks. It was with the official release of this last record ‘Return of the Ranters’ (originally recorded in 1984/85, but then unconsciously shelved) in 2015 by Upset The Rhythm that led to the group reconnecting with the intention of playing music together again. Normil Hawaiians played a launch show for that ‘lost album’ and followed that up with more concerts, including an appearance at Supernormal, a residency at the Edinburgh Festival, gigs at Cafe OTO. They were even chosen by Richard Dawson to perform with him in London.
Throughout this time, Normil Hawaiians revisited their original songs for live performance. However for a group always so interested in evolving their sound, it came as no surprise that they shirked at the idea of a faithful retread. The band pushed their songs into new inventive dimensions, still progressive at core, but now imbued with a cosmic uncanny. A cinematic approach that was always quietly present has come to the fore. The quaint weirdness of folk song, the humanity of communal practice and the group’s ecological mindedness have all found a place in Normil Hawaiians’ current sound world.
When Normil Hawaiians write and record music they prefer to gather in a remote location and live together for a while, such is their communal ethos. Being far-flung across the UK, the Family Hawaii (numbering seven key members) decided to encamp to Tayinloan, a small village on the west coast of the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland. They set up their own studio in an isolated, windswept house overlooking the sea and started the tape rolling. Noel Blanden from the band explains the process neatly: “we set up and began playing, slowly and patiently, allowing the music to take its own shape based on where we were staying and our ongoing friendship. We recorded for days, capturing everything. A lot of new and rich ideas began to emerge”.
Normil Hawaiians took their time to develop these threads at their own pace, allowing songs to mutate and settle over months. Simon Marchant deftly produced and recorded the album whilst also performing in the band, this marked the first time the band had total control of their own sound. The last few years has seen the band reconvene in Herne Bay, Faversham, London and Leith to record new parts, constantly responding to the changing form of these quietly spectral songs of defiance.
‘Empires into Sand’ incorporates samples from old rehearsals and live music into the new finished pieces, this is in continuum with their previous records. Snippets of sound from the static of short wave radio and satellite transmissions also embellish the work. In fact the whole album is stitched together with interludes, creating an acutely immersive 45 minutes. ‘Exiles’ opens the album amid swirling atmospheres, synth flights and recordings of Vilnis Egle (father of Zinta Egle from the band) retelling his experience of fleeing his home in Latvia during Soviet occupation in 1942. George Bikandy also features on this track talking about his flight from Syria in 2014. ‘Ghosts of Ballochroy’ is a winding river of a song featuring a lively discourse in Scots courtesy of Rodney Relax. There’s a commitment to truth telling present across this hopeful album populated with angels, incoming tides, long shadows and the rose-washed sun. “From our broken windscreen, we feel the breeze” soars Guy Smith triumphantly over the driving beat of ‘Waterfalls : Bedford 330’. ‘Big City Sky’ flutters and sparkles with rapid synth runs, tape-looped drums and Jimmy Miller’s commanding vocal. With ‘In The Stone’ Zinta’s melody is deliberately jagged and blunt, exaggerated by octave-layered vocals and interjections from Guy.
This is thought-provoking, boundary-bothering music. Honest in intent, a solidarity of vision. The album’s title is derived from a poem by band member Mark Tyler, who sadly passed away during the recording process and the transience of life is felt heavily throughout. Noel best coins the group’s wish for the album: “we wanted to create an album that acknowledges our history and also reflects who we are today. We remained true to ourselves and we wanted to make something beautiful without removing the edges.” ‘Empires into Sand’ certainly does that, it’s an echo from the past, an echo from the future.

When Man Man released its last album, "Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In Between," frontman Honus Honus (née Ryan Kattner) was in a state of unrest, oscillating between hope and cynicism. Perhaps fittingly, the album dropped during the pandemic, a time at which we could all relate. But, much like that bizarre turn of events, the ennui now seems so distant to Man Man. A revived sense of purpose washes through Man Man's new album, Carrot on Strings, radiating a mix of calm and confidence. Kattner always embodied a wild-man pied-piper vibe: his melodic, unhinged art-rock was at once intriguing and angsty. He was so alluringly creative that you went along with it, even if you were never sure where Man Man would take you. Carrot on Strings is no less inventive, but its ethos is radical in context of the band's two-decade career. "When I was younger, I would feed off of chaos. I would, you know, be upset and get drunk and smash chairs," Kattner explains. "Now those chairs are in my head: It's less of an outward projection, more of an interior monologue." The name "Carrot on Strings" came to Kattner while experimenting with the sound of someone munching on the vegetable, which you can hear in the cacophonous, similarly named song. It alludes to how success always seemed to dangle uncertainly before him, often just out of reach. But listen intently and you'll hear a more content Kattner finding an uneasy peace: "Life, as far as I've known it, has always been side hustles. Would it be great if I could go into a studio and record for a year without figuring out how to finance it? Yeah, it would be," he says. "But ultimately, I need to keep making music because art is an extension of my psyche. It's how I have learned to translate the palpitations of my heart. Simply put, I'd go insane without it." Growing up as a multiracial Hapa kid (half Filipino, half white) with a father in the U.S. Air Force, Kattner lived an itinerant childhood that included a few pivotal years in Germany, where he honed in on an appreciation for out there German cinema and art. His film obsessions and screenwriting background were crucial to Carrot on Strings. The album nods to the films of Werner Herzog and Rainer Werner Fassbinder as much as Italo-disco, Randy Newman, goth rock, and avant pop. (Kattner continues to work in the film industry with an acting role in the upcoming horror-comedy movie Destroy All Neighbors, for which he also served as composer; music supervising season 1 & 2 of the Interview With The Vampire AMC TV series; and shopping around, with director Matthew Goodhue, a script he wrote that he describes as a Wim Wenders road movie on acid.) In a bid to not overthink anything - his last album took seven years to make - he recorded the bulk of Carrot On Strings in five days in Mant Sounds studio in Glassell Park, Los Angeles with "very chill" producer Matt Schuessler, who had worked on Man Man's cover of Neu!'s "Super" for the seminal Krautrock band's box set. The resulting album represents a newfound sense of self for Kattner, who finds himself inspired and at peace both personally and artistically in ways that eluded him for most of his first 15 years playing music. When, on Carrot On Strings, you hear Kattner croon humbly, or sing of the tension between his outsize stage persona and the thoughtful, soulful guy he actually is, you're hearing Kattner liberate himself. "I first got into music to escape from myself," he says. "And now, it sounds so corny, but I have zero doubt that music ended up saving my life."

„Prism Of Pleasure“ wurde in 18 Monaten geschrieben und fasst Elkkas Wesen als eine LGBTQI+-Künstler:in zusammen, die Freiheit und Sinnlichkeit in den Vordergrund ihrer Arbeit stellt. Das war nicht immer so: Geboren und aufgewachsen in Südwales, wo es so gut wie keine Queer-Community in ihrer unmittelbaren Umgebung gab, musste Elkka ihre Identität langsam und neugierig zusammensetzen und dabei allmählich zu sich selbst finden. Nachdem sie sich geoutet hatte und in ihren 20ern nach London zog, begann die Musikerin mit dem Auflegen, Schreiben und Produzieren, was schließlich dazu führte, dass sie ihr eigenes Plattenlabel, femme culture, gründete und ihre eigenen queeren Clubnächte veranstaltete. „Prism Of Pleasure“ ist wie ein weiblicher Blick in einen dampfenden Raum voller Wunder (ein Konzept, das sich wunderbar im pinkfarbenen Albumcover widerspiegelt, das von Elkkas Frau und langjähriger kreativer Mitarbeiterin Alex Lambert fotografiert wurde), das sich um den Begriff der queeren Intimität dreht. Von den sanften, seidigen Vocals von „Crushhh“ bis zu den sich langsam entwickelnden, gehauchten Beats von „Your Skin“ („I'm breathing you in, I want to taste every inch of your skin“) und den gleichmäßigen, wogenden Synthesizer-Mustern von „surrender2me“ entfaltet sich „Prism Of Pleasure“ wie ein Patchwork aus schweißtreibenden Nächten, emotionaler Verbundenheit und versteckten Freuden. Elkka wurde von vielen Kolleg:innen unterstützt, darunter Four Tet, Floating Points, TSHA, Caribou, Sofia Kourtesis, Jon Hopkins, Ben UFO und SHERELLE, und gewann kürzlich einen AIM Award in der Kategorie „Bester Remix“ für ihre Überarbeitung von Ela Minus' „Megapunk“. Letztes Jahr veröffentlichte Elkka eine 4-Track-EP mit energiegeladenen Club-Tools unter dem Titel „DJ Friendly“ und trug auch zur bahnbrechenden DJ-Kicks-Reihe mit einem fesselnden Mix bei, der ihre Liebe zu Frauen und der LGBTQI+-Dance-Community zum Ausdruck brachte, zu der Elkka gehört und regelmäßig in intimen Räumen und auf Queer-Partys wie in der Panorama Bar und FEEL IT auftritt.

San Francisco psych-pop legend announces new album, “La Fleur” out June 7th, 2024. Between outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, San Francisco psych-pop legend Kelley Stoltz has spent the past two years steadily writing and recording his 18th album, “La Fleur”. The dazzling 12 song collection will be released in June by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA. “La Fleur'' finds Stoltz once again playing nearly all of the instruments on the album- though a new friendship with pop guru Jason Falkner has led to Falkner appearing on two songs, “Hide In A Song” and “Make Believer” respectively. There’s the requisite 60’s meets 80’s pop rock confections that Stoltz favors with a new focus on out front vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production. Pandemic era blues, politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout. The album’s first single “Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the Stone Roses drummer's car. The accompanying music video was shot (partially) on location. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory …and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there? During the 2010’s Kelley played live as a sideman with Rodriguez and Echo & the Bunnymen, as the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums live with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock's last two albums. In 2022, Stoltz was championed with a live appearance on Marc Riley’s BBC6 show. As producer, he has recorded the new album by Brigid Dawson formerly of the Ohsees. In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious- he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more. Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here. - GEORGE CLOUD San Francisco, CA 2024

San Francisco psych-pop legend announces new album, “La Fleur” out June 7th, 2024. Between outside musical projects, pushing past 50 years old and becoming a father for the first time, San Francisco psych-pop legend Kelley Stoltz has spent the past two years steadily writing and recording his 18th album, “La Fleur”. The dazzling 12 song collection will be released in June by Agitated in Europe/UK and Dandy Boy Records in the USA. “La Fleur'' finds Stoltz once again playing nearly all of the instruments on the album- though a new friendship with pop guru Jason Falkner has led to Falkner appearing on two songs, “Hide In A Song” and “Make Believer” respectively. There’s the requisite 60’s meets 80’s pop rock confections that Stoltz favors with a new focus on out front vocals and perhaps a bit shinier production. Pandemic era blues, politics and fatherhood are lyrical touchstones throughout. The album’s first single “Reni’s Car” is the jangle rock lead single based on an actual event of Kelley riding around Manchester in the Stone Roses drummer's car. The accompanying music video was shot (partially) on location. “About Time” marries Twin Peaks synths to Fleetwood Mac and Avalon era Roxy Music in a cautionary tale to Stoltz's young daughter. “Human Events” puts revolutionary prose to a Moody Blues strum that floats off into Osees territory …and do I hear a nod to Gershwin in there? During the 2010’s Kelley played live as a sideman with Rodriguez and Echo & the Bunnymen, as the 2020’s dawned he was invited to support Pavement on their big reunion tour. He’s also been heard playing drums live with Robyn Hitchcock as well as adding sitar to Hitchcock's last two albums. In 2022, Stoltz was championed with a live appearance on Marc Riley’s BBC6 show. As producer, he has recorded the new album by Brigid Dawson formerly of the Ohsees. In my ears, Stoltz rarely does any wrong, and these comparisons are only just that little fruit to get you curious- he is still one of a kind. An under the radar hero to a few, and still after all these great songs, deserving of more. Climb on the bandwagon - as ever it’s quite pleasing here. - GEORGE CLOUD San Francisco, CA 2024

Ella Fitzgerald was an great American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. Louis Armstrong, nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. Together Ella & Louis recorded various songs. On this 3 LP in a gatefold sleeve the complete “Ella & Louis”& “Ella & Louis Again” albums (30 tracks). All these tracks were recorded in Hollywood in 1956 & 1957 with on most tracks Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass. Buddy Rich played drums on Ella & Louis. Louie Bellson drums on the “Ella & Louis Again” tracks. This Classic Albums Collection is a must have for music lovers.

A kaleidoscopic sonic riot, Nandakke? is the hotly anticipated debut album from Japanese-Belgian duo Aili. Featuring 10 tracks of surreal electro-pop, joyful electronica, house music and more, Nandakke? is a euphoric album that sees Aili Maruyama and Orson Wouters more than fulfil the promise of their acclaimed debut EP.

Recorded over the course of six months in Orson's studio, packed full of vintage synths, Nandakke? captures the spontaneous spirit and creativity of those sessions. Exchanging riffs and rhythms, bouncing sounds and samples off each other, Aili and Orson would let the music take them where it wanted. The result,an album full of wild ideas and bold, playful experimentation.

More than anything an exhilarating feeling of discovery courses through Nandakke?, leaving you never sure where it will go next. One minute a pulsing electro-pop number featuring Aili's dad discussing his takoyaki (battered octopus) recipe, the next an explosive high energy workout song like Up & Down.

Certainly Aili was surprised to find herself singing in her own unique version of Japanese again.

"I thought that I was done with that after our debut EP, but apparently not as I speak even more Japanese on the album!" said Maruyama. "Every time we were in the studio these words would just tumble out. It's a complicated language but I just love to play with it.

"In many ways I'm an outsider, I left Tokyo aged 7, so there's a lot I notice as someone who is not a native speaker and it doesn't always make sense, there's a lot of mistakes in it.But in a way that sums up the whole philosophy of the album and how Orson and I work together."

That notion of duality, a sense of belonging but feeling apart, of being between two worlds and inventing your own captures the spirit of Nandakke?, itself a Japanese word that roughly translates to "Well, what was it?".

"It's something you say when you're looking for a word, like you know it but have forgotten how to say it. That's literally how I communicate with my dad the whole time," Maruyama explains. "The main feeling I have when I go to Japan is that I know the language, I can speak it, but part of me still feels like it doesn't have all the vocabulary. There's a gap there that nandakke has always filled for me. All the lyrics come from that place, that seven-year old trying to speak Japanese."

Whether Aili's singing about the language she invented with her father over the years to bridge the gap between them (Nandakke?), the idiosyncratic Japanese relationship to fashion (Fashion) or riffing on children's playground songs (Yubikiri) the result is a remarkable album that defies easy categorisation.

Bursting onto the Belgian scene in 2021 with their acclaimed debut EP, Dansu, its lead track spent 8 consecutive weeks at the #1 spot of Radio 1's VOX list and saw the band nominated for Studio Brussel's De Nieuwe Lichting ('New Generation') award. Since then Aili have appeared playing live on the Belgian TV show Roomies, been tipped by the likes of Rolling Stone, become regulars on tastemaker stations like KEXP and KCRW in the US and Nova in France, toured across Europe and, just recently, played their first sell out shows in Japan.

Anlässlich des 50-jährigen Bestehens der berühmtesten Vier aus Birmingham werden die "Erfinder" des Heavy Metal von dem prominent besetzten Tribute-Trio um Gitarrist und Sänger Zakk Wylde mit dem Doppelalbum "Doomed Forever Forever Doomed" erneut geehrt. Mit dieser liebevolle Hommage liefern die Amerikaner brillante Interpretationen von BLACK SABBATHs zweitem und drittem Album ab, also die klassischen Heavy Metal-Meisterwerken "Paranoid" (1970) und "Master of Reality" (1971).

ZAKK SABBATH wurden von BLACK LABEL SOCIETY-Gitarrist und Sänger Zakk Wylde gegründet, der auch als langjähriger Lead-Gitarrist von OZZY OSBOURNE und inzwischen auch noch von PANTERA bekannt ist. Nachdem ZAKK SABBATH anfangs mit wechselnden Mitgliedern nur live auftraten, fand die Band schließlich mit dem OZZY OSBOURNE- und ROB ZOMBIE-Bassisten Blasko und Joey Castillo am Schlagzeug (DANZIG, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) eine stabile Besetzung. Inspiriert durch das 50-jährige Jubiläum von BLACK SABBATHs selbstbetitelten Debütalbum, veröffentlichte ZAKK SABBATH im Jahr 2020 eine Hommage an diesen monumentalen Heavy Metal-Meilenstein unter dem Titel "Vertigo". Das Album wurde von Kritikern und Fans gleichermaßen mit Lob überhäuft. Das Trio feierte einen weltweiten Erfolg, der sich in beeindruckenden Platzierungen in diversen Charts widerspiegelt: Das Album stieg auf Platz 5 in den US Hard Music Charts, Platz 7 in den Current Rock Albums Charts und Platz 27 in den Billboard Top Album Charts ein. In Frankreich gelang sogar ein Platz 1 in den Metal Album Charts und neben einem Platz 3 in den deutschen Album Charts sowie Platz 9 in den UK Top 40 Rock/Metal Charts finden sich weitere Einträge in anderen Ländern.

Die glühende Leidenschaft für Heavy Metal hat ZAKK SABBATH dazu getrieben, BLACK SABBATH mit dem Doppelalbum "Doomed Forever Forever Doomed" ein noch monolithischeres Denkmal zu errichten. Nicht allein Headbanger dürfen sich über fantastische Interpretationen dieser klassischen Songs freuen, die sicherlich zu den einflussreichsten und folgenreichsten zählen, die je von Menschenhand komponiert wurden!

SAM MORTON, das musikalische Duo, bestehend aus der Sängerin, Songwriterin und jüngst mit dem BAFTA (dem britischen Äquivalent zum Oscar) ausgezeichneten Schauspielerin und Regisseurin Samantha Morton und dem Musikproduzenten und Co-Songwriter Richard Russell, veröffentlichen ihr gemeinsames Debütalbum. Das Album trägt den Titel "Daffodils & Dirt" und wird am 14. Juni über XL Recordings veröffentlicht. In zwölf atmosphärischen Tracks bauen die beiden eine zutiefst persönliche musikalische Welt auf, die gleichzeitig intim und zart, aber auch kraftvoll und mitunter schroff wirkt. In der teilweise autobiografischen Songfolge bilden Russells spartanische Klanglandschaften das fragile Gerüst für Mortons wunderschönen wie ätherischen Gesang. Unterstützt werden sie dabei von einer Reihe musikalischer Freunde. Darunter Alabaster DePlume, Laura Groves, Jack Peñate und als zusätzliche Sängerin Ali Campbell (bei "Broxtowe Girl"). Obwohl Samantha Morton schon ihr ganzes Leben lang Musik liebt und sich mit ihr beschäftigt, ist dies ihr erstes Projekt als Musikerin überhaupt. Die Zusammenarbeit kam zustande, nachdem sie im Oktober 2020 in der BBC-Sendung "Desert Island Discs" auftrat und Russell zufällig zuhörte. Er war nicht nur von ihrer Songauswahl beeindruckt (einschließlich der gemeinsamen Vorliebe für ein bestimmtes Lied: "I Remember" von Molly Drake), sondern auch von der Art und Weise, wie die Musik ihre Lebenserfahrungen verwebt. Die beiden nahmen Kontakt auf und tauschten Ideen, Skizzen und Gedankenströme aus. Schließlich trafen sie sich Monate später im Studio und begannen eine spontane wie intensive und ergebnisoffene Zusammenarbeit, die sich für beide Künstler als kathartischer musikalischer Prozess erwies. "Daffodils & Dirt" wurde schließlich 2023 fertiggestellt und zeigt, wie es klingt, wenn Sound-Kosmen miteinander zu einer wunderschönen Fusionen verschmelzen. "Daffodils & Dirt" ist digital und als CD, LP und exklusive gelbe Indie-Vinyl erhältlich. Das Cover des Albums zeigt ein Archivfoto des renommierten britisch-amerikanischen Fotografen und bildenden Künstlers Nick Waplington, der das Leben in Nottinghams Broxtowe Estate zur gleichen Zeit dokumentierte, als Morton dort Mitte der 1980er Jahre aufwuchs. Bereits heute erscheint die neue Single "Let"s Walk In The Night" aus dem Album. "Let"s Walk In The Night" ist eine gespenstische, jenseitige Neuinterpretation des britischen Street Soul und wird von einem Video begleitet, bei dem Samantha Morton selbst Regie führte. Das Video wurde auf der jährlichen Goose Fair in Nottingham gedreht und ist das zweite Musikvideo, bei dem Morton Regie geführt hat, nach dem Video zu "Cry Without End", in dem sie auch die Hauptrolle spielte Anfang des Jahres.

SAM MORTON, das musikalische Duo, bestehend aus der Sängerin, Songwriterin und jüngst mit dem BAFTA (dem britischen Äquivalent zum Oscar) ausgezeichneten Schauspielerin und Regisseurin Samantha Morton und dem Musikproduzenten und Co-Songwriter Richard Russell, veröffentlichen ihr gemeinsames Debütalbum. Das Album trägt den Titel "Daffodils & Dirt" und wird am 14. Juni über XL Recordings veröffentlicht. In zwölf atmosphärischen Tracks bauen die beiden eine zutiefst persönliche musikalische Welt auf, die gleichzeitig intim und zart, aber auch kraftvoll und mitunter schroff wirkt. In der teilweise autobiografischen Songfolge bilden Russells spartanische Klanglandschaften das fragile Gerüst für Mortons wunderschönen wie ätherischen Gesang. Unterstützt werden sie dabei von einer Reihe musikalischer Freunde. Darunter Alabaster DePlume, Laura Groves, Jack Peñate und als zusätzliche Sängerin Ali Campbell (bei "Broxtowe Girl"). Obwohl Samantha Morton schon ihr ganzes Leben lang Musik liebt und sich mit ihr beschäftigt, ist dies ihr erstes Projekt als Musikerin überhaupt. Die Zusammenarbeit kam zustande, nachdem sie im Oktober 2020 in der BBC-Sendung "Desert Island Discs" auftrat und Russell zufällig zuhörte. Er war nicht nur von ihrer Songauswahl beeindruckt (einschließlich der gemeinsamen Vorliebe für ein bestimmtes Lied: "I Remember" von Molly Drake), sondern auch von der Art und Weise, wie die Musik ihre Lebenserfahrungen verwebt. Die beiden nahmen Kontakt auf und tauschten Ideen, Skizzen und Gedankenströme aus. Schließlich trafen sie sich Monate später im Studio und begannen eine spontane wie intensive und ergebnisoffene Zusammenarbeit, die sich für beide Künstler als kathartischer musikalischer Prozess erwies. "Daffodils & Dirt" wurde schließlich 2023 fertiggestellt und zeigt, wie es klingt, wenn Sound-Kosmen miteinander zu einer wunderschönen Fusionen verschmelzen. "Daffodils & Dirt" ist digital und als CD, LP und exklusive gelbe Indie-Vinyl erhältlich. Das Cover des Albums zeigt ein Archivfoto des renommierten britisch-amerikanischen Fotografen und bildenden Künstlers Nick Waplington, der das Leben in Nottinghams Broxtowe Estate zur gleichen Zeit dokumentierte, als Morton dort Mitte der 1980er Jahre aufwuchs. Bereits heute erscheint die neue Single "Let"s Walk In The Night" aus dem Album. "Let"s Walk In The Night" ist eine gespenstische, jenseitige Neuinterpretation des britischen Street Soul und wird von einem Video begleitet, bei dem Samantha Morton selbst Regie führte. Das Video wurde auf der jährlichen Goose Fair in Nottingham gedreht und ist das zweite Musikvideo, bei dem Morton Regie geführt hat, nach dem Video zu "Cry Without End", in dem sie auch die Hauptrolle spielte Anfang des Jahres.

Mitos & Ritos, the debut EP by the Ecuadorian group Cruzloma, consolidates in its six songs a spirit of promoting traditional rhythms in contemporary styles, a process of reinvention and self-discovery in homage to the indigenous peoples of the Ecuadorian jungle and the riches of ceremonial music all in a mix featuring electronica, global bass and dembow. The hostile times humanity is going through have awoken a need to get back to our roots, reclaim ancestral knowledge, and question where the excessive exploitation of natural resources has led us. We have heeded that urgent call to care for everything that seems unlimited but which is increasingly scarce. And so we have looked to the past to understand our relationship with what surrounds us and establish a dialogue between the past, the present and the uncertain idea of the future. Applied to music, this has aroused the interest of artists and producers who use the rich folklore and traditions of Latin America to replicate that dialogue between what was and what will be. With this in mind, Mitos & Ritos ("Myths and Rites"), the debut EP by the Ecuadorian group Cruzloma, consolidates in its six songs a spirit of promoting traditional rhythms in contemporary styles, a process of reinvention and self-discovery in homage to the indigenous peoples of the Ecuadorian jungle and the riches of ceremonial music, based around the bambuco style from Esmeraldas on the northern coast, and the bomba del chota and the san juanito from Imbabura province. On this EP there are also sacred prayers of the Shuar nation, called Ujaj and Anets, including ceremonies like the taking of ayahuasca and of the tzan tza, all in a mix featuring electronica, global bass and dembow. It is a journey into mysticism, the jungle and the dancefloor, reflecting a search for musical identity that is at once contemporary and futurist.

Sect have a lot on their minds. With the release of their brand new single, New Low and the promise of Plagues Upon Plagues, the follow up full-length to 2019’s Blood of the Beasts, Sect explore the intersection of issues which have cascaded over us for the last five years, the “plagues” of the title referring to the literal pandemic, and the metaphorical plague of the political state and the rise of fascism.

Comprised of an international cast of stellar musicians, who cut their teeth in a formative moment of political, cynical, antagonistic extremes, Sect unites Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, Tooth & Claw) & Jimmy Chang (Undying, Catharsis) - guitars, Steve Hart (Day of Suffering, Mania For Conquest) - bass, Andy Hurley (Fall Out Boy, Racetraitor) - drums and Chris Colohan (Cursed, Unwell) - vocals. They released No Cure For Death in 2017 and Blood of the Beasts in 2019.

Plagues Upon Plagues opens with the bereft waves of “No Uncertain Terms”, a side of the band we haven’t seen before. Vocalist Chris Colohan describes this album as “a funeral rather than a trial”, the activism of previous releases fading to sorrow and grief.

Lead single New Low follows with the advent of marching drums, a funereal procession for the world we hoped to build. There’s frantic horror on the album too, with the track “Drowning in Sorrows” taking a look at the ways in which we numb ourselves as a society. “#ForeverHome” is a bitterly angry track about how people used animals for both narcissistic virtue signalling and one-way comfort in the pandemic, and abandoned them en masse just as selfishly when social life came back. Speaking to their straight-edge principles and how that continues to feed into their songwriting, Chris says, “the only kind of straight edge songs I’m interested in writing are dynamic ones that address human realities that you don’t have to be straight edge to engage with.”

On Plagues Upon Plagues, Sect pierce through the veil of complacency, forcing listeners to confront uncomfortable truths about the fragility of our world. The band wields their sonic arsenal like a prophetic warning and with raw vocals and uncompromising lyrics, they confront the harsh realities of existence in these tumultuous times. As society teeters on the brink of chaos, Sect's cold hard statement resonates with an urgency that cannot be ignored.

“Home” is not always a literal place. Sometimes, “home” represents inner peace and simply learning to hold space for yourself. This is where Vacations lead singer and guitarist Campbell Burns has arrived as he and bandmates Jake Johnson, Nate Delizzotti, and Joseph Van Lier release their third LP, No Place Like Home. “I had this loose concept of No Place Like Home being an Americana-influenced album,” Campbell says of the album’s sonic inspirations. “I wanted to incorporate more pianos, acoustic guitars, Nashville tuning, and country-inspired lap steel, but then also bringing in drum machines and synths and finding a mix between the two.” Produced by Campbell and John Velasquez (Zella Day, Broods), No Place Like Home comprises 10 shimmering tracks brimming with indie-pop hooks and just a touch of bittersweet sensitivity. The new project follows an intense period of transformation for Campbell, who was forced to cancel all touring commitments due to COVID restrictions and subsequently came down with a severe bout of writer’s block. After seeking therapy, he was eventually diagnosed with Pure OCD, a subtype of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. “Pure OCD is more mental compulsions rather than physical compulsions,” Campbell explains. “If I have an intrusive thought, I'm giving that thought belief and power over myself.” As the world began to open up, so did Campbell’s vibrant creative spirit. Vacations hit the road for the first time in two years, selling out The Fonda in LA and playing Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, experiences that partially inform No Place Like Home. First single and album opener “Next Exit” sparkles with danceable synth riffs and Campbell’s aching falsetto, all while setting the overall tone for what’s to come. “‘Next Exit’ is about living in this monotonous cycle,” Campbell reveals. “You realize that you need an out. You need to — metaphorically and literally — take the next exit out in order to break out of that cycle.” The singer mines his Pure OCD diagnosis on the pondering “Over You,” which thematically picks up where “Next Exit” drops off. Campbell remarks on how “it almost has this ownership over my thoughts and actions to the point where I'm stuck in these loops and rituals that are a direct result of having OCD.” On the Americana-inspired “Midwest,” which seamlessly blends pop electronics, drum machine, and ‘80s synth with poignant lap steel tones, the song remarks on the comedic nature of repeatedly entering into romantic relationships prior to going on tour — only to have them fizzle out upon returning. As the band releases No Place Like Home, Campbell is ironically just fine with not putting down physical roots just yet having recently made the move to LA for exploration, expanding “I needed to get overseas if I wanted to keep progressing — from a career standpoint, but also on a personal level.” The greater priority lies within building that sense of comfort within himself. In the meantime, millions of fans around the world are making a permanent home with Vacations.

The Kaiju Project is a Japanese inspired jazz group formed by the half Japanese-Austrian pianist Aseo Friesacher. Their initial idea was to bring old folk songs into a new modern context, but in addition to their compositions, this group has found their very own musical direction: a perfect blend of traditional Japanese music and meditative-creative jazz.

Aseo’s composition style is clearly rooted in Jazz, but with the use of traditional Japanese melodic elements and sounds, the music becomes very storytelling and gets a beautiful and mystic character. Also some famous soundtracks from the Ghibli movies and songs by the Japanese singer Hibari Misora, that Aseo has arranged for the band, are included in their repertoire.

The bandleader has had the vision for a long time to create this unique fusion of traditional Japanese music and Jazz in order to bring together the eastern and the western world. In fact, the meaning lies his name A-se-o, “亜為欧“: living for Asia and Europe.

The band went through a couple of changes in their formation but finally resulted in a dream team, featuring two Japanese musicians who bring the authentic sound to the band: Waka Otsu as the vocalist and Fuefuki Kana on Japanese flutes and silver flute. Furthermore there is the highly accomplished and respected ECM artist, drummer and percussionist Joost Lijbaart and the virtuosic and talented bassist Johannes Fend, who make the group complete. So far the Kaiju Project has toured in the Netherlands where most of the band members are based, they have performed in Germany and recorded their first album.

About 10 years ago I tried to contact Dutch artist and scientist Felix Hess, when he was still alive, but never got a reply. Years later, in 2022, I was talking to Frans de Waard, who told me he was administering the sound archive of the late Hess together with Mark Poysden. Together we started working on an album to celebrate his life and many accomplishments. It includes selections from all the highly collectible Frogs releases from the 80's and 90's, while the artwork is sourced from his Zenga collection, unifying his two greatest passions.

While in Australia conducting research for his PhD thesis on the aerodynamics and motion of returning boomerangs in 1975, Felix Hess heard frog choruses for the first time. The hills, close to Adelaide, generating amazing natural rhythms and waves of spatial sounds. He started traveling to the outback to record similar frog choruses, camping in quit places to enjoy these wonderful nightly concerts.

Mystified by how the waves and rhythms of frog choruses could emerge without a conductor or a score and by the physics of this method of communication, he started to research the phenomenon in 1982 by designing and building small electronic sound creatures that could respond to each other in a similar way. These creatures and his various other installations earned him international acclaim.

During the 1990s, Hess was invited to Japan many times to present his work and he became interested in Zen Buddhism. One summer evening in 2001 he visited a museum in Berlin and saw actual Zen art for the first time. Overwhelmed by the extraordinary power radiating from this and similar artworks he became addicted to Zenga and gradually built up one of the world's most representative collections of hanging Zen scrolls. A collection he named Kaeru-An (Frog Hut) to honor his original teachers, the frogs

"No Friends" ist so etwas wie eine Album gewordene Brieffreundschaft zwischen dem in Hamburg arbeitenden Home-Produzenten Mensing, mit sehr gutem Standing in der Londoner Underground-Szene, und dem roughen Talent des in Miami lebenden ex-New Yorker Rappers siii3eyes. Dabei geht die Rolle des Keno Mensing über die eines Produzenten hinaus. Er fischt aus siii3eyes' Raps und Lyrics die Elemente heraus, die ein Chorus oder Vers sein können und bildet daraus Strukturen, komplexe Puzzles und schliesslich den finalen Track. Alles eingebettet in eine perfekte Balance aus soulig-jazzigem Storytelling-Rap und einer lyrischen Eindringlichkeit und Authentizität, die man sonst eher im Straßenrap verortet. Zwischen den Skits, in denen siii3eyes mit seinem ehemaligen Freund und Mitbewohner spricht (mit dem er sich später überworfen hat, was auch den Titel erklärt), liefern Mensing und er roughe, unmittelbare Einblicke in das Gefühlsleben eines Mannes, der geradezu um sein Leben und seine Selbstverwirklichung rappt.

Keith Hudson was a one-of-a-kind musical innovator with an impeccable track record from the start: his first studio recording involved former Skatalites, and his earliest releases provided solid-gold hits for Ken Boothe (“Old Fashioned Way”, 1967), John Holt, Delroy Wilson, U-Roy and the others.

With Pick A Dub Hudson produced one of the best dub albums ever, and with The Black Breast Has Produced Her Best, Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood he released the first concept album in reggae history, bringing his all-around talents to full fruition as early as 1974. Thematically dedicated entirely to Black history, the latter of these two albums is a masterpiece that captivates with an atmosphere that is as dark as it is deeply spiritual, charged by Hudson's eccentric vocals. Like Lloyd Bullwackie Barnes, his splitting from tradition was dynamic and all his own.

As his career moved on, Hudson found himself working outside of Jamaica, more frequently in London and New York studios and for transatlantic audiences, his dark experimentalism becoming increasingly better suited to the LP than the cardinal 7” reggae format.

Playing It Cool & Playing It Right was released in 1981 on the Joint International label, in NYC, with Lloyd Bullwackie Barnes as the executive producer. The Love Joys and Wayne Jarrett, stalwarts of Barnes' record label, Wackies, would also inimitably feature Hudson at the microphone. Like Bullwackie, Hudson was a devotee of Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One and Playing It Cool & Playing It Right follows Dodd’s then strategy of overdubbing his signature rhythms. The Studio One sides were aimed at the dancefloor and Hudson’s reworkings of tracks like “Melody Maker” are more psychological. Here, deep Barrett Brothers rhythms are made deeper with reverb, filters and distortion; everything pitched down and overlaid with new recordings of guitar, percussion, keyboard, and voice, often heavily treated.

Playing It Cool & Playing It Right continues Hudson’s psycho-acoustic journey into the abysses of existence, and overwhelms with the beauty of artistic self-empowerment. "Too much formula," sings Hudson, whose voice is occasionally reminiscent of Sly Stone or even Tom Waits. "Darkest night," answers an echoing background choir elsewhere. Even more fascinating is Hudson's production, which reflects Black history in even the smallest sound detail, the flashing whip of the slave driver still echoes in the sound of the snare drum. Rarely has a roots sound been made so electrifying, so expansive in all directions, so crystal clear, so bass-warm and echophonic as on these 30 minutes of music.

Playing It Cool & Playing It Right is legendary, strange, utterly compelling music that has possibly never been more topical than it is today.

Words And Music" ist eine 3xLP-Box mit dem Werk der im Jahr 2021 verstorbenen Sängerin und Songwriterin MARGO GURYAN. Als Zeugin von Revolutionen in Jazz und Pop hat sich GURYAN ihren Platz im Pantheon der Songwriter verdient. Dass sie jahrzehntelang weitgehend unbekannt war, liegt nicht an zerstörten Träumen, sondern an ihren eigenen Entscheidungen und Prioritäten. Von den bescheidenen Anfängen über die Höhepunkte ihres barocken Pop-Meisterwerks "Take A Picture" von 1968 und die gesammelten Demos bis hin zur jüngsten viralen Verbreitung von "Why Do I Cry" - das Boxset "Words And Music" fängt die gesamte Karriere von GURYAN ein, einschließlich 16 bisher unveröffentlichter Aufnahmen und einem 32-seitigen Booklet, das ihre ganze Geschichte erzählt. Produziert wurde die Box von ihrem Stiefsohn Jonathan Rosner, ihrem Freund und Historiker Geoffrey Weiss und den Numero Group-Mitarbeitern Douglas Mcgowan, Rob Sevier und Ken Shipley. Alle Tracks wurden von Jessica Thompson neu gemastert. In ihrer Blütezeit veröffentlichte GURYAN nur ein einziges Album: "Take A Picture" von 1968. Da MARGO jedoch kein Interesse daran hatte, aufzutreten, zu touren und für ihr Werk zu werben, wurde das Album damals kaum beachtet. Dennoch wurde die Platte in den 1990er Jahren zu einem begehrten Kultobjekt. Eine neue Generation von Hörer*innen lernte ihre Arbeit kennen, als "Take A Picture" im Jahr 2000 neu aufgelegt wurde. Kurz darauf folgten die gesammelten Demos, eine unglaubliche Zusammenstellung von ausgegrabenen alternativen Aufnahmen und neu veröffentlichten Songs, die MARGO selbst betreut hat. GURYANs Leben war in den dazwischen liegenden Jahren weiterhin von Musik erfüllt; sie wurde Musiklehrerin, schrieb weiterhin Songs und pflegte Freundschaften mit einem wachsenden Kreis von Anhängern. Die Geschichte von MARGO GURYAN ist die einer Frau, die von klein auf in die Tiefe ging und nie Angst vor Veränderungen hatte. Ihr Gespür für Ton, Phrasierungen, Spannung, Präsenz und Texte, die treffen, machen ihren Namen heute zu einem Synonym für ausgefeiltes Songhandwerk und die unnachahmliche Coolness der 1960er Jahre. Ihr Einfallsreichtum und ihre Technik stellen sie in die Tradition von Kammer-Pop-Ikonen wie Brian Wilson und Burt Bacharach, während die bittersüße Offenheit in ihren Beschreibungen des Frauseins einen Mittelweg zwischen Carole Kings Pop-Fabrik und der Singer-Songwriter-Ära aufzeigt. Aber die unaufdringliche Strenge von MARGOs künstlerischer Stimme ist ganz ihre eigene.

Plasma Color Vinyl. 'The way Bloomsday's Iris James Garrison writes songs feels like somewhere between a mirror and a memory. Spacious, full-bodied folk songs, they are an ode to things that are good no matter how small; they sometimes feel like the ghost of a Mary Oliver poem. Bloomsday's new record, 'Heart of the Artichoke', is a relic of unfettered creativity and community. They recount the miracles of the mundane, the memories that become sacred, an ode to all that is holy: nightswimming, songs plucked from the ether, the ways friendship can endure. Like earlier Bloomsday songs, the work here is threaded with warmth; it's simmering, crisp and deeply human, an encapsulation of the present moment. Recorded across 10 days in June 2023 in upstate New York at duo Babehoven's studio and co-produced by Babehoven's Ryan Albert, with mixing by Henry Stoehr of Slow Pulp. The record was built out with a wideranging group of collaborators, including inventive drumming from Andrew Stevens (Lomelda, Hovvdy), Alex Harwood, Richard Orofino, Babehoven's Maya Bon, Hannah Pruzinsky (h.pruz, Sister.), and Chris Daley. It was an insulated and collaborative experience: all family dinners on the back porch, bonfires, feeling a full sense of joy, of friendship, of purity in the artistic self. Collaboration is an integral part of Bloomsday's musical process. Garrison is malleable in the studio, their songwriting generous and spacious. But in listening to the record, there's a sense that Garrison leaves room for the players, for the listener; for songs to find the shapes they're meant to take. Garrison's role as maestro is crucial, singular - it's a collaborative, exploratory spirit harnessed by Garrison's intuition, and by an honest commitment to carve out creative space for play, to delve into what's known - or pushing past that, into unknown. "The ghosts of the past still come up and haunt me," Garrison says, "but I sit in what I have and see it. All of these songs are about loved ones, about personal struggles with getting out of my head and being present." Heart of the Artichoke was written from a healed, matured place - written in a moment of safety from chaos. It's a prayer for the present, an appreciation of tenderness and what happens once we give ourselves the space to really see, and really feel - becoming free and whole - an ode to the way healing allows us to bloom.

'The way Bloomsday's Iris James Garrison writes songs feels like somewhere between a mirror and a memory. Spacious, full-bodied folk songs, they are an ode to things that are good no matter how small; they sometimes feel like the ghost of a Mary Oliver poem. Bloomsday's new record, 'Heart of the Artichoke', is a relic of unfettered creativity and community. They recount the miracles of the mundane, the memories that become sacred, an ode to all that is holy: nightswimming, songs plucked from the ether, the ways friendship can endure. Like earlier Bloomsday songs, the work here is threaded with warmth; it's simmering, crisp and deeply human, an encapsulation of the present moment. Recorded across 10 days in June 2023 in upstate New York at duo Babehoven's studio and co-produced by Babehoven's Ryan Albert, with mixing by Henry Stoehr of Slow Pulp. The record was built out with a wideranging group of collaborators, including inventive drumming from Andrew Stevens (Lomelda, Hovvdy), Alex Harwood, Richard Orofino, Babehoven's Maya Bon, Hannah Pruzinsky (h.pruz, Sister.), and Chris Daley. It was an insulated and collaborative experience: all family dinners on the back porch, bonfires, feeling a full sense of joy, of friendship, of purity in the artistic self. Collaboration is an integral part of Bloomsday's musical process. Garrison is malleable in the studio, their songwriting generous and spacious. But in listening to the record, there's a sense that Garrison leaves room for the players, for the listener; for songs to find the shapes they're meant to take. Garrison's role as maestro is crucial, singular - it's a collaborative, exploratory spirit harnessed by Garrison's intuition, and by an honest commitment to carve out creative space for play, to delve into what's known - or pushing past that, into unknown. "The ghosts of the past still come up and haunt me," Garrison says, "but I sit in what I have and see it. All of these songs are about loved ones, about personal struggles with getting out of my head and being present." Heart of the Artichoke was written from a healed, matured place - written in a moment of safety from chaos. It's a prayer for the present, an appreciation of tenderness and what happens once we give ourselves the space to really see, and really feel - becoming free and whole - an ode to the way healing allows us to bloom.

A home, a house, has countless frequencies. Each room, each corner feels different. Swings differently. And as you grow older, you realize which corner is yours. But yeah, it takes time…

It certainly marks the end of an era when the house one called home as a kid no longer exists. This home, it was the starting point of so many journeys. Of one big, ongoing journey. And so it feels good, soothing, reassuring to at least return to a spot nearby – to that (proverbial) hill from where you can see it. Feel the vibe that made you.

Andi Haberl’s debut solo album as Sun is sort of dedicated to that house. It’s a journey leading to that hill overlooking everything that made him. It’s not about nostalgia, not about actually returning to a specific place. Instead, it’s about finding a personal frequency, an overlapping of sounds and samples, an open space that mirrors and extends whatever frequencies felt right at different points in time.

“To me, the results feel like Gold Panda/Four Tet meets Steve Reich meets Krautrock meets film scores. I just really wanted to create moods that touch me – and ideally others, too.”

Talking about his first solo album, Haberl recalls many stages: early compositions that ended up on Alien Ensemble’s albums, early DIY/home studio/multi-instrumentalist inspirations (Le Millipede), new technologies that came and went, even a set of wildly convincing arrangements (done with Cico Beck’s crucial input) that ultimately became stepping stones for yet another round of DIY takes. “It was a long, recurring process, and the songs went through so many different versions,” he says, talking about phases of growth (“I added more and more equipment over time”) and pruning, “cleaning up my music a bit.” Tending towards instruments that open up space, and slowly falling in love with sampling, he certainly didn’t rush things once it was time for interior design decisions ;)

“During this whole process I got to learn so much about my own taste, how I prefer to listen to the pieces, which musical elements really matter to me… and what my own voice is. For example, that acoustic elements are most important to me: the banjo, piano, drums, my voice, glockenspiel, trumpet, melodica. Anything that opens up some space.”

Every journey begins with a search: “Missing” with its plucked chords opens like a sunrise over pastoral plains, gently leading the way towards the intricate, playful explosion that occurs once a certain amount of energy (“Sun”) hits dirt and other surfaces: things grow, clot and curdle into new shapes, like new buds; layers of sound move forward, drenched in Spring’s new light. Relying on samples to ask for precipitation (“Rain On Me”), robotic “Low” goes from barren to bass-heavy after its midway shift in pace, full of loops plucked from the shade.

Towards the album’s midpoint, things are suddenly reversed: “Cluster” has that backwards pull, you can’t tell what’s what, yet everything is perfectly locked in, as the pace increases once again. And before the title song shimmers with densified cheering (to eventually stand tall like early Lymbyc Systym), “Beside Me” swipes you off your feet with its booming bass drum. The beat returns once again (“Daydream”), full of searching voices underneath, and at “Dawnday,” we can finally catch a melancholy view of the house. Voices hum. It’s the score moment of the album. Everything makes sense now. A happy end of sorts?

“I want to take people on a journey. A personal journey, too, because when my parents split up and sold the house I grew up in, I felt a bit like the ground had fallen out from under my feet. But I have dedicated the album title and the accompanying piece to this house… so I can keep it in good memory.”

“I Can See Our House From Here” has been a long time coming. It’s been a long journey. Homeward-bound. Leading to a place that’s really Haberl’s – his sound. His frequencies.

Known as a long-time member of The Notwist and various other bands/projects (Alien Ensemble, AMEO, jersey, Ditty etc.), Berlin-based drummer/composer Andi Haberl has also worked with My Brightest Diamond, Till Brönner, Owen Pallet, and Kurt Rosenwinkel, to name a few. “I Can See Our House From Here” is his first solo offering.

Limited White VInyl Version
Solo Paraiso will be available on vinyl for the first time in 10 years and Digitally for the first time.


Solo Paraiso is Molly Nilsson’s mini-album from 2014 recorded during a 6 month residency in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
For it’s 10th Anniversary, Night School and Dark Skies Association is making the most sought after long player in Molly Nilsson’s catalogue available again on a new format with new artwork designed by Molly Nilsson and Jonas Raam.
Pop music rarely comes as honest and heartfelt as when delivered by Molly Nilsson. Having traveled around the world singing to the romantic and the doomed, Nilsson found herself in the Summer of 2014 in Buenos Aires. Inspired by the crumbling urban landscape and the heavy hearts that populate it, Sólo Paraíso is not only an ode to a specific time and space but a musical novella that meditates on youth, idealism and belonging. The soundtrack to a summer you thought you had when looking over bleached out old photo albums.

Sólo Paraíso has the feel of a bridge between the more lo fi, first phase of Nilsson’s career and the expanded sonic scope she has employed in the last decade. Recorded quickly, with instinct and feeling of paramount importance over rectitude or perfection, amongst the eight tracks of this mini LP are some of the biggest fan favourites of her career. As with all Molly Nilsson songs, each of these tracks is bursting with perfect moments. Opener Summer Cats sails over sun-kissed piano chords, chasing the sun eternally as it dips over the horizon, while show-stealer Blue Dollar draws parallels between the doomed Argentine economy and the failure of a love affair. It’s the most feel-good, romantic peon to an economic downturn you’ll ever hear. As Molly says “why is it so damn easy to break all the things that are so damn difficult to make?”
Using cracked synths, shimmering piano, heat-stroked drum machines and above all her direct, from-the-heart vocal delivery, Nilsson’s songs have never been so precise and on-point. For fellow doomed romantics, Sólo Paraíso is the perfect sound for an imperfect Summer.

Solo Paraiso will be available on vinyl for the first time in 10 years and Digitally for the first time.


Solo Paraiso is Molly Nilsson’s mini-album from 2014 recorded during a 6 month residency in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
For it’s 10th Anniversary, Night School and Dark Skies Association is making the most sought after long player in Molly Nilsson’s catalogue available again on a new format with new artwork designed by Molly Nilsson and Jonas Raam.
Pop music rarely comes as honest and heartfelt as when delivered by Molly Nilsson. Having traveled around the world singing to the romantic and the doomed, Nilsson found herself in the Summer of 2014 in Buenos Aires. Inspired by the crumbling urban landscape and the heavy hearts that populate it, Sólo Paraíso is not only an ode to a specific time and space but a musical novella that meditates on youth, idealism and belonging. The soundtrack to a summer you thought you had when looking over bleached out old photo albums.

Sólo Paraíso has the feel of a bridge between the more lo fi, first phase of Nilsson’s career and the expanded sonic scope she has employed in the last decade. Recorded quickly, with instinct and feeling of paramount importance over rectitude or perfection, amongst the eight tracks of this mini LP are some of the biggest fan favourites of her career. As with all Molly Nilsson songs, each of these tracks is bursting with perfect moments. Opener Summer Cats sails over sun-kissed piano chords, chasing the sun eternally as it dips over the horizon, while show-stealer Blue Dollar draws parallels between the doomed Argentine economy and the failure of a love affair. It’s the most feel-good, romantic peon to an economic downturn you’ll ever hear. As Molly says “why is it so damn easy to break all the things that are so damn difficult to make?”
Using cracked synths, shimmering piano, heat-stroked drum machines and above all her direct, from-the-heart vocal delivery, Nilsson’s songs have never been so precise and on-point. For fellow doomed romantics, Sólo Paraíso is the perfect sound for an imperfect Summer.

For singer/songwriter Jesse Daniel, country music is nothing short of a life force. Hailing from a rural mountain town on California’s Central Coast, the Austin-based artist first explored his innate passion for music by playing drums in punk bands, then drifted down a troubled path that included years of battling addiction and spending time in and out of jail and rehab. As he took his first steps toward getting clean, Daniel immersed himself in the pure joy of writing country songs, fully embracing the unbridled vitality of California country and bringing a lived-in honesty to his lyrical storytelling. Since releasing his 2018 self-titled debut on his own record label, he’s earned great esteem as a country traditionalist and built a wildly devoted international following—thanks in no small part to his freewheeling live show and tendency to tour nearly 200 days a year. Recently signed to Lightning Rod Records, Daniel now offers up his fourth studio album Countin’ The Miles: a high-powered body of work born from his ardent belief in preserving country’s legacy.

You remember this 1994 album... it’s the one with the hit song “Need You Around,” which was “around” pretty much everywhere back then, including in the movie Clueless (for that matter, “Lucky Day” from this album was in Tommy Boy, “Mrs. You & Me” was in Angus, and “Gotta Know Right Now” in Boys). That led to the Popes opening for acts like Morrissey, whose voice lead singer and songwriter Josh Caterer— one of three Caterer brothers in the band—rather echoes (Moz himself proclaimed this album “extraordinary, the most lovable thing I’d heard in years”). If you like power pop hooks with heart, look no further...our release comes in pink & white “sunburn” vinyl to honor the front cover photo (put a shirt on, man!) inside a gatefold jacket.

2024 REISSUE

Gwendoline ist ein (ehemaliges) Underdog-Duo der Indie-Szene in Frankreich. Micka und Pierre, sensible Verlierer und große Blasierte der Start-up-Generation, erschaffen ihre ganz besondere Art des Elelektro Wave miteindringlichen und poetischen Sprechgesang, wobei ihre Inspirationsquelle in erster Linie die Gespräche an der Theke sind und die Menschen, die sie um sich herum beobachten. Zwischen fatalistischen Texten, Selbstironie, Sarkasmus und Verbitterung über die Mittelmäßigkeit der Welt, ist ihr aufrichtiger Cold-Wave ein Symbol für eine desillusionierte Jugend und der perfekte Soundtrack für Demonstrationen. Schon 2017 nehmen sie diese erstes Album auf, indem sie sich zwei Wochen lang selbst wegschließen und alles in einem Rutsch komponieren, wobei sie sich von ihrem täglichen Umfeld in Rennes, zahlreichen in Bars verbrachten Abenden und den Ängsten unserer Zeit nähren. ,Après c'est Gobelet!" wurde zunächst selbst digital veröffentlicht sowie in Kleinauflage auf Vinyl beim spanischen Underground-Label Dead Waxveröffentlicht. Eine zweite Auflage folgte selbstveröffentlicht 2021 (hier auch CD). Im Vorfeld der neuen, remasterten Ausgabe des Albums ,Après C'est Gobelet" wurden drei Singles und Musikvideos (,Chevalier Ricard", ,Audi RTT", ,Voldebière") veröffentlicht, die das Anliegen der Band zwischen Selbstironie und scharfer Kritik am Lebensstil der Underground-Millenials wunderbar illustrierten. Von da an ging es steil bergauf. Born Bad veröffentlichte das zweite Album zu Beginn des Jahres 2024 und findet sich im Zentrum eines Rummels, der dem seinerzeit um La femme gleicht! Da muss auch das Debut de beiden dann wieder her, nun also in der dritten Auflage.

First forging his DJ craft at underground parties and afters in Southern Brazil, Cauê's deep passion and devotion now resides in all his artistic output. He has built a solid discography spanning the likes of reputable imprints such as Affin, KVLTÖ, Circular Limited and most recently with his own project Ogan Records. In recent years, his active membership of London's budding deep techno scene has helped Cauê to garner his reputation as a highly consistent and prolific producer.

We're delighted to honour Cauê's love of the physical medium with a limited run of vinyl, pressed on 140g black vinyl in Italy and presented in a beautiful matte sleeve. Those who have followed Cauê's work will have observed the thematic constants of mysticism and theology that are woven throughout. Revelations is a brooding work of atmospheric techno. Reprobation opens the A Side with a deep sense of foreboding - a warning perhaps - before three cuts of raw and tunnelling techno that are both delicately introspective and wickedly hypnotic. Rapture is the audial equivalent of sunbeams breaking through the very blackest of storms, a beautifully melancholic piece that can only exist where darkness came before. World To Come closes the B Side with the eschatological sentiment of the wonders that await in the new age.

Jetzt auch als Neuauflage in Ltd. Edition Rotem Vinyl erhältlich!

"Songs are like tattoos" - die berühmte erste Zeile von Joni Mitchells "Blue" - ist ein Gefühl, das für die kanadische Rockerin Lee Aaron schon immer eine große Rolle gespielt hat.
Im Laufe ihrer 18 Alben umfassenden Karriere hat Aaron Musik geschrieben, aufgenommen und produziert, die mit Gold und Mehrfach-Platin ausgezeichnet wurde. Sie gilt als eine der besten Rocksängerinnen Kanadas und hat auch Ausflüge in den Jazz, Blues und sogar in die Oper unternommen. Dafür erhielt sie zahlreiche Preise und Auszeichnungen und wurde 2023 in Kanadas Walk of Fame aufgenommen.

"Das Einzige, was ich noch nie gemacht habe, war ein komplettes Cover-Album", sagt Aaron. "Es schien mir ein wirklich cooles und superlustiges Projekt zu sein, das ich zu diesem Zeitpunkt in Angriff nehmen wollte..."

"Tattoo Me" ist eine klangliche Zeitkapsel, die die Jahrzehnte überbrückt. Einmal mehr zementiert Aaron ihren Status als Rock'n'Roll-Chamäleon, indem sie Altes mit Neuem verbindet und damit nicht nur beweist, dass die transzendente Kraft der Musik niemals aufhört, sondern dass auch sie selbst nicht bereit ist, dies in absehbarer Zeit zu tun.

"Leave Of Absence" beginnt mit einer schaurigen Geigenschwellung, bevor es in den Gitarrenwahnsinn ausbricht, der von Sean Martin (Twitching
Tongues, ex-Hatebreed) und Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord) im Duett gespielt wird. Umbra Vitae bleiben mit "Belief Is Obsolete" und "Clear Cutter"
im roten Bereich und stellen die elektrisierende Rhythmusgruppe von Jon Rice (Uncle Acid, Tsjuder) und Greg Weeks (The Red Chord) vor. Das
Hook-geladene "Anti-Spirit Machine" steht dann im Mittelpunkt, ein Kriegsschrei für die Unterdrückten. Von hier aus fahren Umbra Vitae fort, alles zu
zertrümmern, was sich ihnen in den Weg stellt. Das disharmonische "Reality In Retrograde" rast mit knirschender Unschärfe in das schwerfällige "Past
Tense" und das düster-verführerische "Velvet Black". Zwei Songs, die metallische Heaviness in Reinkultur sind. "Twenty-Twenty Vision", "Algorithm Of
Fear" und "Empty Vessel" steigern die Intensität, angetrieben von den ergreifenden lyrischen Themen und den unmenschlichen Gesangseinlagen von
Jacob Bannon (Converge). Die Dreifaltigkeit aus dem langsamen "Cause & Effect", dem ultra-gewalttätigen "Deep End" und dem wirbelnden "Nature
vs. Nurture" prügeln weiter auf die Hörer ein und leiten das miteinander verbundene "Fatal Flaw" und "Light Of Death" als bösartiges Finale dieses
modernen Metal-Meisterwerks ein.

The Slovenian label Cogo is back for another unmissable 4-tracker vinyl compilation with the heaviest hitters in the scene who represent the most artistically driven hypnotic techno to date. Jeroen Search, Border One, ORBE, and Tonske all lend a hand to provide an understated and deep vibe to this release full of music actively attempting to remove your mind to otherworldly places hitherto unknown.

Jeroen Search kicks off the release with ''Observer'' expertly drawing you in with a very simplified but polyrhythmic staccato synth and kick combination that slowly builds with modulating and swirling pads until it reaches a climax with a tightly regulated drum track and disorienting LFO sequenced synth patch.

Border One continues the theme of the release of minimalistic aesthetics with ''Contour'' featuring polyrhythmic ideas and evolving dissociative synths. The release culminates in a very simplified and restrained drum track that opens up the doors to a massive sonic environment where you're lost completely within the music, sitting somewhat awestruck by passing elements unfolding in front of your mind's eye.

Not to be outdone, ORBE takes a different tact with ''Wolheim'' by introducing the groove elements first and bringing in his deep understanding of setting the sonic stage with his signature atmospheres and scintillating synth hits. The track also echoes the thematic choices previously laid down by Border One and invites you into this strange alien world full of sonic curiosities and audio biology.
Tonske buttons up the release with ''Droid''. A track that has an overall sense of pulling the sonic environment toward you while you travel as a listener in your mind's eye. Outward synth blips are constantly coming from the outer periphery into view as if they are passing stars while traveling forward at a deliberate and determined pace.

Auf "There Is A Garden" von BEINGS heben die sich wandelnden Melodien die Stimmen der einzelnen Musiker hervor. In der einen Sekunde mag das Album hektisch klingen, voller schroffer, unberechenbarer Melodien, aber wenn das nächste Stück kommt, verwandelt es sich in eine psychedelische Träumerei oder in ein ausuferndes Drone. Für BEINGS, das in New York ansässige Supergroup-Quartett von Zoh Amba, Steve Gunn, Shahzad Ismaily und Jim White, ergibt sich die Musik von selbst: Sie ist ein sich ständig wandelnder Organismus, der auf der Offenheit und dem Willen des Quartetts beruht, gemeinsam im Sound zu forschen.

Are you ready to hear the best live band of the early ‘70s? We at Real Gone Music have been privileged and proud to release Fanny’s four classic Reprise albums, each a tuneful testament as to why they were the first all- female band signed to a major label. But there has always been a piece missing from the Fanny fable; for while the band hooked up with big-time producers and engineers like Richard Perry, Todd Rundgren, and Geoff Emerick, their studio albums never really were able to capture the sheer excitement they could generate in concert. However, buried away in a vault thousands of miles away from their Los Angeles base there long lay a recording that could make the Fanny myth a reality, one that could provide the emphatic answer as to why these four ladies were the hottest ticket on the Sunset Strip during the early ‘70s. Now, over 50 years later, its time—and their time—has come. Live on Beat-Club ’71-’72 presents the two sets Fanny recorded for the German TV show, mastered by Mike Milchner of Sonic Vision from hi-res mono files taken from the original videotape. Aside from the incendiary and incredibly tight performances, what immediately becomes apparent is that all four of these women were powerhouses in her own right. June Millington’s stringbending Les Paul wizardry, her sister Jean’s driving, melodic bass lines and Janis Joplin-esque vocals, Nickey Barclay’s intricate yet somehow rocking keyboard work, and Alice de Buhr’s precise, piston-like drumming punctuated by ferocious fills—put together Fanny was an overwhelming display of talent, Yet somehow, as these shows reveal, live they were greater than the sum of their parts. That’s why getting these recordings released has long been a crusade for Alice, and why June tells the story in the accompanying liner notes (which feature contributions from June, Jean, and Alice) that the engineer who was assigned to do the transfers of all the Beat-Club material told her that their material was the best in the vault, better even than Hendrix. We are releasing this invaluable archival recording on juicy peach vinyl and on CD with a bonus track of the soundcheck to boot. Essential for a full understanding of ‘70s rock!

"Leave Of Absence" beginnt mit einer schaurigen Geigenschwellung, bevor es in den Gitarrenwahnsinn ausbricht, der von Sean Martin (Twitching
Tongues, ex-Hatebreed) und Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord) im Duett gespielt wird. Umbra Vitae bleiben mit "Belief Is Obsolete" und "Clear Cutter"
im roten Bereich und stellen die elektrisierende Rhythmusgruppe von Jon Rice (Uncle Acid, Tsjuder) und Greg Weeks (The Red Chord) vor. Das
Hook-geladene "Anti-Spirit Machine" steht dann im Mittelpunkt, ein Kriegsschrei für die Unterdrückten. Von hier aus fahren Umbra Vitae fort, alles zu
zertrümmern, was sich ihnen in den Weg stellt. Das disharmonische "Reality In Retrograde" rast mit knirschender Unschärfe in das schwerfällige "Past
Tense" und das düster-verführerische "Velvet Black". Zwei Songs, die metallische Heaviness in Reinkultur sind. "Twenty-Twenty Vision", "Algorithm Of
Fear" und "Empty Vessel" steigern die Intensität, angetrieben von den ergreifenden lyrischen Themen und den unmenschlichen Gesangseinlagen von
Jacob Bannon (Converge). Die Dreifaltigkeit aus dem langsamen "Cause & Effect", dem ultra-gewalttätigen "Deep End" und dem wirbelnden "Nature
vs. Nurture" prügeln weiter auf die Hörer ein und leiten das miteinander verbundene "Fatal Flaw" und "Light Of Death" als bösartiges Finale dieses
modernen Metal-Meisterwerks ein.

Waterloo To Anywhere is the debut album from the short-lived, briefly adored Dirty Pretty Things - Originally released on Vertigo Records in May 2006, the album reached No 3 in the UK charts and spawned three Top 40 singles - This re-issue is pressed on high-quality 180g black vinyl. What do you do after being in the Libertines, one of the most notorious British bands of the early 21st Century? For Carl Bart, you form Dirty Pretty Things, something of an indie supergroup of their moment. Joining Bart was Libertines drummer Gary Powell, guitarist Anthony Rossomando, who'd stood in for Doherty, and former Cooper Temple Clause bassist, Didz Hammond. Leading Waterloo To Anywhere was the infectious UK Top 5 hit Bang Bang You're Dead, which set the tone for the fabulous collection of rock, punk and ska. Recorded in Los Angeles with producer Dave Sardy and then later in Glasgow with Tony Doogan, the album showed the strength of the group's writing. Away from the standard high-octane indie of Gin & Milk and You F*cking Love It, The Gentry Cove was particularly captivating, marrying Bart's fascinating wordplay with robust Clash reggae/sea shanty interludes. Two years later, it was all over; Bart and Powell rejoined the Libertines (and Rossomando later going on to win an Oscar for co-writing Shallow from the film A Star Is Born).

On Pedro The Lion’s new album Santa Cruz, critically acclaimed musician David Bazan returns with a new chapter in his ambitious and ongoing recording project - 5 albums devoted to places he lived in throughout his life. Santa Cruz is Bazan’s third album in the series and follows up where 2022’s Havasu and 2019’s Phoenix left off. Tracks like "Modesto" and "Little Help" foreshadow Bazan's exposure and ultimate love of classic rock n' roll records, while songs like "It'll All Work Out" showcase his unique approach to synthesizers, something he introduced with the 2005 self-titled Headphones album. The stories on Santa Cruz highlight Bazan’s teenage years and solidifies what he sees as an exposition in a traditional three-act structure. After 25 years refining and building what he calls his “garden of songs,” David Bazan has sold hundreds of thousands of albums, performed in sold-out venues and living rooms around the globe, and played high-profile live sessions with the likes of NPR’s Tiny Desk, KEXP, WNYC’s Soundcheck, WXPN’s World Cafe and many others. His music has been featured in outlets such as The New York Times, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Vox, Paste, Aquarium Drunkard and others.

GATECREEPER return with their highly anticipated new album Deserted. The new album, a furious mix of snarling guitars and driving, rhythmic pummeling takes death metal from its 80's Floridian roots and 90's Swedish expansion straight into the here and now. In fact, the vanguard of death metal in 2019 can be found under Arizona’s searing sun. That’s where GATECREEPER members—Chase Mason, guitarist Eric Wagner, bassist Sean Mears, drummer Matt Arrebollo and guitarist Nate Garrett—make their homes. Of course, the band nodded to their scorching home state with the title of their 2016 full-length debut, Sonoran Depravation. The theme continues on Deserted, which boasts songs like “Sweltering Madness,” “Boiled Over” and the double-meaning title track. You can hear the results on “From The Ashes,” a crushing cut primed for the European festival circuit. Over on side two, “Boiled Over” fuses classic BOLT THROWER with the pulverizing power grooves of sludge titans CROWBAR. Album closer “Absence Of Light” upholds GATECREEPER's tradition of finishing their records with a deathly doom dirge. Deserted was recorded at Homewrecker Studios in Tucson, where GATECREEPER co-produced the album with engineer Ryan Bram. CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou handled the mix at Godcity in Salem, MA, and Brad Boatright mastered the album at Audiosiege in Portland, OR. Deserted’s hallucinatory cover art was created by Brad Moore (TOMB MOLD, MORPHEUS DESCENDS, and more.)

Nach ihrem angstgetriebenen, selbstbetitelten Debüt von 2018 und der geradezu eskapistischen Welt des zweiten Albums "On All Fours" (2021) tritt das Trio aus dem Süden Londons, bestehend aus Rosy Jones, Lottie Pendlebury und Holly Mullineaux, im Jahr 2024 in eine neue Ära ein. Gemeinsam mit Co-Produzent John "Spud" Murphy (black midi "Cavalcade", Lankum "False Lankum") ist Goat Girls Ansatz auf "Below the Waste" selbstbewusst und reif, während sie ihren Sinn für spielerische Neugier bewahren. Spuds Wissen, sein Enthusiasmus und seine Geduld haben Goat Girls ambitionierte Ziele im Studio zum Leben erweckt und einen unverwechselbaren Sound erzeugt. Die einzigartige Kombination von Stilen und unorthodoxen Aufnahmemethoden, die mühelos zwischen ausladendem Noise-Rock, delikaten Folk-Experimenten und befriedigendem Synth-Pop hin- und herpendelt, sind der Beweis. Wie eine Collage wurde die Instrumentierung größtenteils während eines 10-tägigen Aufenthalts in Irland in den Hellfire Studios aufgenommen, die im Schatten des berüchtigten Hellfire Clubs liegen. Zusätzliche Streicher (Reuben Kyriakides und Nic Pendlebury), Holzblasinstrumente (Alex McKenzie) und Gesang (einschließlich eines Chors aus Familie und Freunden) wurden den Tracks an verschiedenen Orten hinzugefügt, von einer Scheune in Essex bis zu Goat Girls eigenem Studio in Südlondon. Dieser Luxus an Zeit gab der Band die Freiheit zu produzieren, zu schreiben und zu arrangieren, so dass die Songs ihr volles Potenzial entfalten konnten. Thematisch wird die Absurdität unserer zunehmend dystopischeren Umwelt durch den entwaffnenden Realismus von Lotties Texten entlarvt, die oft das Surreale und das schmerzlich Erfahrbare nebeneinanderstellen. Wenn man einen tieferen Blick in die Lyrics wirft, kommen die Dinge zum Vorschein, die man im Leben schätzen sollte - die Schönheit und Freude, nach der diese Platte strebt. Es besteht kein Zweifel daran, dass "Below the Waste" das bisher größte Album von Goat Girl ist und gleichzeitig ihr kraftvollstes und authentischstes Statement geworden ist.

Nachpressung/Neuauflage des ausverkauften SMILE-Debuts vom letzten Jahr! Neue Vinylfarbe ist Solid Yellow, als Extra oben drauf gibt es ein 20seitiges, von Sängerin Rubee Feagan gestlatetes SMILE-Zine! SMILE zeigen mit ihrem hervorragenden Debut PRICE OF PROGRESS leichtfüßig auf, dass Post Punk im Jahre 2023 noch immer erfrischend klingen kann. Sie nehmen ihre Referenzen nicht als Dogma, bleiben experimentell, eigensinnig. Erzählerisch, eingängig, rough und anschmiegsam verschmelzen dabei die feinsinnigen, poetischen Beobachtungen von Sängerin Rubee True Fegan (USA) mit dem versierten Sound einer Band, die von Produzent Olaf Opal genau dahin gebracht wurde, wo sie hingehört: an den Startblock innovativer, kluger und sinnlicher Gitarrenmusik. In PRICE OF PROGRESS manifestiert sich das Zusammenspiel aus musikalischem Sturm und Drang und der Reife einer reflektierten Erzählperspektive. Was hier entstanden ist, klingt nun, 2023, in seiner jugendlichen Frische durchaus nach einem Debut - gleichzeitig aber nach dem Werk einer erfahrenen, über lange Zeit gewachsenen Band. Nur deutsch klingt es nicht, was sicher im Wesen von Sängerin Rubees True Fegans Heimat Albuquerque (New Mexico) begründet liegt, gleichsam aber in der Vielseitigkeit, die sich SMILE erlauben - und ihrer einhergehenden Virtuosität an den Instrumenten. SMILE versuchen sich dabei - einem Post-Punk britischer Machart folgend - durchaus in homogener Geradlinigkeit (Herrengedeck), lassen Kühle zu (Machine Dreaming) und folgen einem düsteren Ernst (Säge). Diese Facetten aber vermengen sich mit einer heiteren Experimentierfreude (Stalemate, Produce, Hungry Ghosts), mit Humor (Doohickey), mit verträumter Beschwingtheit (Commuter) und Genresprengender Pop-Af finität (Protection). So zeigt sich dieses stilsichere Album in einer Vielseitigkeit, die heute selten zu finden ist - und klingt trotzdem wie aus einem Guss. Die aus der Hüfte geschüttelte Dramaturgie ist dabei Paradebeispiel für die Innovation einer der spannendsten neuen Gitarrenbands, die nun auf dem Indielabel Siluh (Wien) eine Heimat zwischen Köln, Bonn und Albuquerque gefunden hat. Wahnsinn! (Hendrik Otremba/Messer).

When I arrived in Geneva, Claude picked me up in his Aston Martin. He had a tape deck playing Lowell Fulsom – a guy who used to come to Memphis a lot and I knew some of his musicians. I grew up around the Blues, so this was a natural sound for me. Claude didn’t tell me until much, much later that he played Blues harmonica. He took us to the hotel where we had a warm and cordial welcome. Montreux was a quaint and sleepy town in 1967. However, there was a palpable excitement in the air and we could feel it. Everyone seemed to know that they were about to launch something great – the Montreux Jazz Festival - and there was no turning back. I was their first international artist to perform there with my quartet with Keith Jarrett, Jack DeJohnette and Ron McClure.

We played two concerts at the Casino one in the afternoon and one at night. That was the start of three great and lasting friendships; Claude Nobs, Montreux Jazz Festival co-founder, Rene Langel, and the engineer of the recording, Pierre Grandjean, from Radio Suisse. And - a fourth person, who was 6 at the time, Yvan Ischer. We did not meet until many years later and have become good friends. It is thanks to Yvan’s persistent belief in this music and Pierre Grandjean’s safe keeping of the tapes, that we hear them now, more than fifty years later. live at Montreux Jazz Festival, June 18, 1967. Featuring Charles Lloyd, Keith Jarrett, Ron McClure, and Jack DeJohnette.

Principal member Keith Finch linked up with reggae manager and publisher Othman Mukhlis at Stanley House Studio in 2001 and began a series of projects featuring there love of retro reggae. JA13 worked with major reggae stars of the sixties on the ‘Heroes of Kingston’ project, Alton Ellis, Derrick Morgan, Dave Barker Dave and Ansell Collins Winston ‘Mr Fixit’ Francis, Denis Alcapone, Owen Grey, BB Seaton Gaylads and legendary trombonist Rico Rodriguez. [Which lead to two solo albums with Rico Rodriguez]. Project championed by David Rodigan and Ranking Miss P. Music in films and TV including Hawaii 5-0, various US films, BA, Tesco, various BBC, latest and currently they have many tracks on BBC most successful export ‘Death in Paradise’. They also feature two tracks in the forthcoming Shaggy documentary Other reggae artists projects include Bob Andy, Joseph Cotton, General Saint and Clint Eastwood, Don Campbell, J C Lodge, Susan Cadogan, Glen Adams [Upsetters] Pat Rhoden [first artist on Trojan] Tippe Irie, Tenor Fly, Spanna Banner, FYA [Platinum in Japan], Bounty Killer, Elephant man, and many more on ‘Bar Mitzvah riddim’ which was co written and produced with Skatta Burrell. Written for UK pop reggae band Madness on last two albums, and on the project ‘Charge of the Dance Brigade’ with Lee Thompson [Madness] and Jennie Matthias Belle stars singer] with Brazilian jazz accordionist/pianist Chico Chagas. And a host of other top musicians. [Which he co wrote, produced, engineered and nurtured] JA13 have featured on many reggae projects and remixes, the latest offering is ‘World Radio Dub – Chapter One’

Akio Niitsu's first album, "I/O(i?o)" released in 1978, was produced in a homemade studio that had been converted from a storeroom in his home, and he spent three years doing everything from composition to engineering by himself, using overdubbed guitar recordings. 's first analog re-release has been decided.

As a guitar multi-recording album, the idea was realized six years earlier than the album "E2-E4" released in 1984 by Manuel Göttsching, the central figure of "Ash La Tempel", but it was too early. A hidden experimental/ambient gem!

The paradoxical sound that makes you feel as if you are lost deep in a labyrinthine forest, combined with Tadanori Yokoo's artwork, is a piece that allows you to enjoy Akio Niitsu's worldview with your ears and eyes.

Good Looks write kindhearted and cathartic rock songs about the persistence required to make it through hard times. In April 2022, the Austin, Texas quartet released their critically acclaimed debut `Bummer Year'. Immediately after their triumphant hometown record release show, lead guitarist Jake Ames was hit by a car crossing the street, fracturing his skull and tailbone. Thankfully, Ames made a full recovery. The traumatic accident strengthened the bond that built their electric new album `Lived Here For A While'. Out May 3 via Keeled Scales, it's fearlessly direct music that captures the fullthroated intensity of their galvanizing live show. Reinvigorated, Good Looks tracked `Lived Here for a While' at Texas' Dandy Sounds with producer/engineer Dan Duszynski (of Loma and Cross Record) the following summer. Though Ames had to relearn some of his parts, his palpably energetic performances elevated the entire record. On the LP, the band trades the Americana sound that colored in the lines of `Bummer Year' for clanging post-punk guitars and expansive indie rock. Lyrically, the songs on this album are healing meditations on family dysfunction, new relationships, and how a home can become unrecognizable. Lyricist Tyler Jordan's songs explore how relationships can crumble irrevocably but also how those partnerships can be centering, hopeful, and exciting. In another horrific accident in July 2023, their tour van was rearended by a speeding car, causing their van, instruments, merch, and records, to go up in flames. Thankfully, none of the band members suffered serious injuries. This resilience is essential to Good Looks and why the songs on `Lived Here For A While' resonate so profoundly.

Drei Jahre nach ihrem morbiden Manifest "Limbo", einer bitteren Abrechnung mit der Pandemie und ihren bestialischen Folgen, kehrt Wave-Alchemist Ronny Moorings zurück. Im Gepäck hat er einen schwarzen Blumenstrauß aus Trauergesängen für eine kranke neue Welt, Elegien für einen neuen Status quo, mit dem wir alle leben müssen.

Auch 40 Jahre nach ihrer Gründung sind CLAN OF XYMOX ein Leuchtfeuer tragischer Eleganz und düsterer Tristesse. Sie sind die unbestrittene, unangefochtene Speerspitze einer Szene, die zuletzt überraschend die Aufmerksamkeit einer viel jüngeren Generation auf sich gezogen hat, die ihre Angst und ihren Schmerz durch Musik wie diese ausdrücken will. Gerne doch! "Exodus" zeugt von diesem Ausnahmestatus und führt das Feld der prosaischen Trauer mit zehn neuen Hymnen von erlesener Nachtschwere an. Das Besteck, welches Ronny Moorings benutzt, mag noch dasselbe sein; das Ergebnis ist ein weiteres Meisterwerk voller sehnsüchtiger Melodien, weltabgewandten Vocals aus den Tiefen der Erde, hallenden Gitarren und hypnotischen Drums, die die Phantome in uns allen zum Mitternachtsschmaus einladen.

Wir tanzen direkt in den Abgrund, will uns dieses Album sagen. Aber wenigstens tanzen wir noch. Denn wenn es nichts mehr gibt, an das man sich wenden kann, wenn alle Hoffnung verloren scheint und die Welt uns unter Fluten biblischen Ausmaßes begräbt, bleibt manchmal nur noch, sich der Musik hinzugeben. Diesem fesselnden Exodus in Richtung Katharsis. Vielleicht ist das der Grund, warum "Exodus" einige der düstersten und niedergeschlagensten Stücke enthält, die Ronny Moorings seit vielen Jahren geschrieben hat. Vielleicht ist das der Grund, warum diese Platte mit den besten Veröffentlichungen von THE CURE mithalten kann. Weil die Zeiten, in denen wir leben, ihn dazu gezwungen haben. Weil es einfach keinen anderen Weg gibt, als all seinen Kummer, seine Wut und seinen Weltschmerz in seine klagende Musik einfließen zu lassen. Nicht, weil die Welt danach eine bessere sein wird. Sondern weil es für ihn die einzige Möglichkeit ist, mit dem brutalen Wahnsinn, den wir Alltag nennen, fertig zu werden.

"Exodus" ist kein Album für Träumer. Es ist aber auch kein Albtraum - trotz der Schatten, die unter der Oberfläche brüten. Es ist ein Tor für all jene, die die Dunkelheit unserer Tage anerkennen und sich dennoch weigern, aufzugeben. Lasst uns also diese nächtlichen Wiegenlieder gemeinsam singen und tanzen, solange wir noch einen Boden dafür haben. Denn das ist alles, was wir im Moment tun können.

Drei Jahre nach ihrem morbiden Manifest "Limbo", einer bitteren Abrechnung mit der Pandemie und ihren bestialischen Folgen, kehrt Wave-Alchemist Ronny Moorings zurück. Im Gepäck hat er einen schwarzen Blumenstrauß aus Trauergesängen für eine kranke neue Welt, Elegien für einen neuen Status quo, mit dem wir alle leben müssen.

Auch 40 Jahre nach ihrer Gründung sind CLAN OF XYMOX ein Leuchtfeuer tragischer Eleganz und düsterer Tristesse. Sie sind die unbestrittene, unangefochtene Speerspitze einer Szene, die zuletzt überraschend die Aufmerksamkeit einer viel jüngeren Generation auf sich gezogen hat, die ihre Angst und ihren Schmerz durch Musik wie diese ausdrücken will. Gerne doch! "Exodus" zeugt von diesem Ausnahmestatus und führt das Feld der prosaischen Trauer mit zehn neuen Hymnen von erlesener Nachtschwere an. Das Besteck, welches Ronny Moorings benutzt, mag noch dasselbe sein; das Ergebnis ist ein weiteres Meisterwerk voller sehnsüchtiger Melodien, weltabgewandten Vocals aus den Tiefen der Erde, hallenden Gitarren und hypnotischen Drums, die die Phantome in uns allen zum Mitternachtsschmaus einladen.

Wir tanzen direkt in den Abgrund, will uns dieses Album sagen. Aber wenigstens tanzen wir noch. Denn wenn es nichts mehr gibt, an das man sich wenden kann, wenn alle Hoffnung verloren scheint und die Welt uns unter Fluten biblischen Ausmaßes begräbt, bleibt manchmal nur noch, sich der Musik hinzugeben. Diesem fesselnden Exodus in Richtung Katharsis. Vielleicht ist das der Grund, warum "Exodus" einige der düstersten und niedergeschlagensten Stücke enthält, die Ronny Moorings seit vielen Jahren geschrieben hat. Vielleicht ist das der Grund, warum diese Platte mit den besten Veröffentlichungen von THE CURE mithalten kann. Weil die Zeiten, in denen wir leben, ihn dazu gezwungen haben. Weil es einfach keinen anderen Weg gibt, als all seinen Kummer, seine Wut und seinen Weltschmerz in seine klagende Musik einfließen zu lassen. Nicht, weil die Welt danach eine bessere sein wird. Sondern weil es für ihn die einzige Möglichkeit ist, mit dem brutalen Wahnsinn, den wir Alltag nennen, fertig zu werden.

"Exodus" ist kein Album für Träumer. Es ist aber auch kein Albtraum - trotz der Schatten, die unter der Oberfläche brüten. Es ist ein Tor für all jene, die die Dunkelheit unserer Tage anerkennen und sich dennoch weigern, aufzugeben. Lasst uns also diese nächtlichen Wiegenlieder gemeinsam singen und tanzen, solange wir noch einen Boden dafür haben. Denn das ist alles, was wir im Moment tun können.

A1 - Polaris
Going all in to open the EP with a truly stand out 2-step roller, ASC crafts a distinctly energetic vibe with Polaris, featuring an intricate old school break seldom heard in drum & bass - packed with high-end detail and a glorious raw energy. With long radiant pad work, a classic jumpy 808 bassline and a stunning, reverberating female vocal sample whooshing and panning across the mix, Polaris will instantly become a favourite in your setlist.
A2 - Things Left Unsaid
Opening with an intriguing fusion of suspenseful keys and deliciously crisp bongos that each play a key role throughout, Things Left Unsaid asks the listener questions of yesteryear in a varied odyssey filled with a myriad of echoed vocal samples, horns and effects, set to a break-laden beat pattern that hops along with kicks and snares each snatching the attention. A calmer vibe from ASC that still packs a punch.
AA1 - Temple Bell
A thumping, spirited beat pattern with rapid kicks and metallic snares provide a visceral aural onslaught as the aptly-named Temple Bell blends our imperious breaks with darkly, epic tolls radiating through a vast ornate hall of resonance -suitably reverberating alongside a backdrop of synchronic atmospherics. Heavily EQ'd vocal samples colour the mix to complete a weighty musical collage.
AA2 - Contrast
Beginning with a flurry of cow bells in a vibrant, expertly edited take on the classic Circles break, ASC serves up a delightfully laid back yet danceable piece with Contrast. Space FX, swirling pads and a mellow, memorable key melody overlay a beautiful mosaic of calm as the continued thrust of the break drives a constant energy to the track, perfectly capturing the ethos of Spatial and closing another immense EP

Words by Chris Hayes Spatial/Red Mist

Seit mehr als drei Jahrzehnten kreieren EVERGREY Songs, die mit einer Symbiose aus Härte und Melancholie direkt ins Herz gehen und ziehen damit Fans weltweit in ihren Bann. Mit ihrem 14. Album Theories Of Emptiness schreiben die Poeten aus Schweden um Bandgründer, Sänger und Gitarrist Tom S. Englund ihre Erfolgsgeschichte weiter und beweisen, warum sie zu Recht unangefochten an der Spitze des Genres stehen.

Das Album Theories Of Emptiness wurde von Tom S. Englund und Jonas Ekdahl produziert und von Adam „Nolly“ Getgood (Ex-Periphery) gemischt, mit dem EVERGREY während des gesamten Entstehungsprozesses eng zusammengearbeitet haben, um das klangliche Profil bestmöglich zu entfalten.

Gemastert wurde Theories Of Emptiness von Thomas „Plec” Johansson, der durch seine Arbeit mit Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra, Onslaught, The Gems, Eleine und vielen weiteren Bands bekannt ist.

Seit ihrem Debüt The Dark Discover (1998) haben EVERGREY 13 Alben veröffentlicht und bewegen sich in einem Spektrum zwischen hartem Progressive und düsterem Melodic Metal. Theories Of Emptiness ist der Nachfolger des 2022 erschienenen A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), mit dem EVERGREY weltweit Charterfolge verbuchen konnten (#3 in Schweden Metal, #5 der Top New Artist Albums USA, #7 in Finnland und #12 in Deutschland).

"The debut longplayer from Washington, DC-based Ekko Astral is a complex mesh of bubblegum noise punk and no-wave art rock that holds an elastic space for the knotty, tangled horrors of living in the imperial core. Their songs thrash with intense, necessary defiance against codified gender-based violence, their distortion and sibilance a direct response to the dangers outside our front doors.

pink balloons opener “head empty blues” specifically bites back against the terrors of the normative male gaze that dominates so much of American culture. Over a post-punk passage that plays call and response with a wall of harsh noise, frontwoman Jael Holzman belts playfully morbid details of the head-exploding anxieties that haunt her daily: “is it bon eye-ver or bon iver? / i don’t care / i’ve got stalkers outside / not going out tonight / gonna sit and take pics / in my underwear.”

Holzman formed the band in 2021 with best friend Liam Hughes (guitar), and eventually rounded out the band’s lineup with Miri Tyler (drums), Guinevere Tully (bass), and Sam Elmore (guitar). Ekko Astral’s local scene quickly welcomed the band for their wildly fierce live presence, emboldened by the community-building message behind the band’s mascara mosh pit brand.

Ultimately, Ekko Astral are here to uplift, a mission exemplified by the frenetic and bewitching pre-release singles “baethoven” and “devorah,” cornerstones of pink balloons in both style and theme. The former serves as a reminder to keep your larger than life personality in a world that wants to downsize you, where the latter proclaims urgent solidarity with missing and murdered people. Such crucial messages of upliftment are the foundation of pink balloons, and, by extension Ekko Astral, whose thrashing debut leaves no stone of solidarity unturned."

One of the best reggae albums of the ‘80s and one of the real highlights in the Real Authentic Sound label catalog finally gets an LP reissue! Lascelle “Wiss” Bulgin, Albert “Apple Gabriel” Craig, and Cecil “Skelly” Spence all contracted childhood polio, and met at a Jamaican rehab center; in the ‘70s, they formed Israel Vibration and their first record, The Same Song, released in 1978 on the Top Ranking label, was an international smash. But by the time they released Strength of My Life in 1988, it had been seven years since they had made a record, having fled Jamaica in the intervening years to seek better health care and to escape the dancehall scene. Against all odds, Strength of My Life turned out to be a triumph, the beginning of the group’s partnership with the Roots Radics and a reaffirmation of the love the group’s members had for each other and a celebration, as the title goes, of the strength of their lives (we defy you not to be moved by the title track). That’s Augustus Pablo on melodica on “Greedy Dog” and Dwight Pinkney on guitar on “Jah Love Me,” by the way. Roots reggae royalty!

What Mom Jeans have proved themselves capable of in the past 2 years is nothing short of fantastic. Growing from ordinary college students to national touring artists in a matter of months, the indie rock quartet has been on a trajectory most bands could only dream of. The DIY touring route quickly had to fall by the wayside, as 200, sometimes 300, kids were showing up to house shows in basements across the country. Often, the band wouldn’t make it through more than a few songs before police had to come shut it down. Now, you can find them in venues of increasing size around the states, as one of the most sought after acts in their genre. On a constant stream of buzz, pressing after pressing of their debut hit “Best Buds” (2016) has sold out and the fans cannot get enough of the music they have been putting out. Music that takes influence from predecessors such as Modern Baseball and The Front Bottoms, but adds that new flavor that sets them into a league of their own, The Mom Jeans craze is just beginning.

It’s time to embark on the next chapter of extra-terrestrial worldbuilding - the second instalment of Seismic Records is here. Stepping in is sonic explorer Pyramid of Knowledge a.k.a. K.O.P 32. Based in Seoul but born and raised in France, the Beyond The Bridge label head is blending his Tekno roots with an introspective approach to music, carving out a trademark sound led by pensive rhythms and psychedelic atmospheres. With fierce precision and spellbinding force - you’re invited to explore the unknown depths of your psyche as you enter the state of ‘Fusion’. In all its ominous grace, the journey takes off with ‘CFU’. A kaleidoscope-esque acid ritual is guided by subtle yet uptempo kicks, lifting us into the first phase of the cleansing. Followed by ‘Xer’, where an ancient chant introduces the next dimension of consciousness-expansion. The progression of energy tells us that the higher powers have bigger plans for us - a phase that is entered on the B-side. ‘TV’ surges in tempo and raises blood pressure with an annihilating paradox of the calm and the chaotic. For those who managed to withstand all phases of the occult test, reconciliation is near as ‘Yrots’ strikes down with a mind-warping drum workout for the body and soul. Enter the heart of a psychedelic odyssey and swirl into the labyrinthine pathways of your ego as you enter the Fusion by K.O.P. 32.

Double LP set capturing some of Causa Sui's heaviest, most psychedelic tunes recorded live at Loppen - a legendary Copenhagen venue, located in the famous - and infamous - Freetown Christiania commune. This is the sound of Causa Sui at their home turf, stretching out and exploring eight epic fan-favourites from their entire catalogue in front of a small crowd of 400 people in a packed sold-out venue. The show was recorded the first week that Covid restrictions were lifted on venues in Denmark, which called for an especially buzzing night, even for a band that has exclusively played no more than a handful of shows each year since their 2005 debut. Each Causa Sui show is unique. Here we're offered a different perspective of the band's music - it's looser, more free-flowing, and some tracks are warped into something far from their original versions, bouncing off the wooden beams on the low ceiling of Loppen with renewed energy. At one point you can hear the band calling to take a breather and let some air inside the sauna-like temperature of the show, which just weeks before seemed impossible. Loppen 2021 offers a complete set from start to finish, so since chances that you'll catch the band live in person are slim, this is the next best thing. Mixed and mastered by Jonas Munk. Edition of 1000 copies on coloured ecomix vinyl.

Multi-talented US punk, Jeff Rosenstock releases fourth album on Specialist Subject Records (UK /EU) & Polyvinyl (Worldwide)! NO DREAM comes at a time of unparalleled chaos and confusion, division and despair, the depths of which would have been impossible to predict when much of it was being written over the course of the last few years. And yet the record feels prescient, unexpectedly and uniquely suited for this moment. Newly settled in Los Angeles after a lifetime on the East Coast (namely Brooklyn by way of Long Island), Rosenstock recorded NO DREAM with Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Hard Girls, Joyce Manor) at Oakland's Atomic Garden, and even took on mixing duties alongside Shirley for the first time. Opting to stay off the computer "even more than usual" and record to tape with outboard gear, the result is a lived-in sound that gives each song its own individual voice and organic energy. After building a cult following with the acerbic ska-punk of the Arrogant Sons of Bitches and DIY heroics of Bomb the Music Industry!, Rosenstock's first proper solo record, 2015's We Cool?, was a step into uncharted territory, fully untethered from genre and expectation. Followed by 2016's WORRY. and the surprise New Year's Day launch of POST- in the early hours of 2018, Rosenstock was facing down that least punk of opportunities: a career playing music. Having taken some time away from his work as a solo artist to recalibrate and reset over the last year, Rosenstock stayed busy playing alongside Mikey Erg, recording and touring with the Bruce Lee Band, releasing a Neil Young covers record with frequent collaborator Laura Stevenson, reissuing two of his own out-of-print early albums, compiling a live album which was recorded during a run of four sold-out shows at Bowery Ballroom, making a 76 page photo book, and scoring over 80 episodes of the Cartoon Network series Craig of the Creek. In fully returning to his own voice, it's no surprise that Rosenstock's output has never been more eclectic, reflected across NO DREAM's 13 songs.

Indie Exclusive Limited Turquoise col vinyl, these were only available on the European tour, we have a final box of 50 which got held up in customs so offering now as an Indie exclusive. Northern California’s punk rock cult favourites, Tsunami Bomb, has risen from the grave and reformed with their third full-length release, The Spine That Binds, and with it they have proven that this chapter of Tsunami Bomb not only embraces their signature style of aggressive pop punk supplemented by a touch of darkness but have taken it even further. Honing their skills of melody while being more in-your-face and more aggressive than ever, they conjure a dark journey of discovery with each track. Originally formed in 1998, and disbanding after many member changes in 2005, Tsunami Bomb reformed at the end of 2015. This new release finds the quintet brought to life with the return of founders Dominic Davi (bass / backing vocals), Oobliette Sparks (keyboards / co-lead vocals), and Gabriel Lindeman (drums). Joined by Kate Jacobi (lead vocals) and Andrew Pohl (guitars/backing vocals), they combine their skills to create a sound that effortlessly mixes dark musings on the search to find one’s place in an increasingly uncaring world, into unforgettable anthems, calling on one to get up and sing-a -long. The Spine That Binds is not asking for your acceptance, it demands it. This album will scratch the itch of all the diehard fans looking for that familiar Tsunami Bomb sound, but also show a new, angrier and brutally honest side of the band. With the support of Jello Biafra’s legendary punk rock label, Alternative Tentacles Records, Tsunami Bomb has not only heard the call, they are ready for the newest chapter to unfold and they are taking everything with them

Remastered vinyl of the original album which came out on CD only in 2005. Limited to 200 copies on classic black vinyl. This is an album that’s as alive as any could be. Indeed, far from sounding like the last desperate set of half-baked ideas from a once vital band (hello Oasis?) Artists Cannibals Poets Thieves is more like a debut album from a bunch of teenage upstarts: free from cynicism, fired with worldly wonder and chock full of ideas. This is certainly a different outfit from that of 1998, when they first wowed us (via John Peel, naturally) with the utterly essential sprawling noise that was The Things We Make. Long since stripped down by a series of resignations from a five strong collective to a taut three piece featuring founding members Chris Olley, James Flower and Chris Davis, the music has simplified considerably. Gone are the soundscapes of old, and in their place we have a series of sharp basslines, swirling keyboards, cutting guitar lines and the passionate hollering of frontman Olley. Opener All I Really Want From You Is Love is a perfect introduction to proceedings – a truly wonderfully distorted slab of indie rock, recalling early Jesus And Mary Chain in both its fuzz and, crucially, its wonderfully crafted tune. Next, Nowhere To Go But Home sounds like New Order if they’d emerged from Detroit in 1966. Tonight (I Wanna Make It Out) follows likewise with the best bassline Peter Hook never plucked. Throughout, Six By Seven manage to sound so natural, so refreshing free of the flab and introspection that a band on its last legs would usually succumb to. And whilst the momentum is momentarily lost as the drum machine makes an appearance to fashion the Suicide-esque trawl of Stara Paris Rescued Me, it’s not long before Just Get It Down muscles things back on course with a whispered Olley diatribe perched on top of more raw cacophony, before we reach the bitter end via the Depeche Mode-on-smack You Know I Feel Alright Now. Tracklisting:

Exit Plan" ist das 6. Studioalbum von Withering Surface nach dem Erfolg des 2020er-Comeback-Albums "Meet You Maker". Der Prozess des "Exit Plan"-Albums war lang und herausfordernd mit verschiedenen Aufnahmesessions, Besetzungswechseln, Produzenten und obendrein all den Hindernissen mit Covid und Post-Covid. Die Tatsache, dass die Engagements der Band bei Copenhell und verschiedenen anderen Festivals im Jahr 2020 um zwei Jahre auf 2022 verschoben wurden, hätte Withering Surface, die nach 15 Jahren im Dornröschenschlaf ein Comeback feierten, leicht das Leben kosten können. Stattdessen wurden alle Anstrengungen in die Entwicklung von "Exit Plan" gesteckt. Ein Album, auf dem sowohl das Songwriting als auch das lyrische Konzept der Band stärker denn je erscheinen. Hinzu kommt die Produktion von Soren Andersen (Medley Studio), der
in Rock- und Hardrockkreisen vor allem durch seine Arbeit mit Künstlern wie Thundermother, Tygers Of Pan Tang und Glenn Hughes bekannt ist.

Soren Andersen war nicht die offensichtliche Wahl als Produzent für eine Melodic-Death-Metal-Band, aber am Ende war er die perfekte Ergänzung für Withering Surface anno 2024 und lieferte einen gewaltigen Over-the-Top-Sound. Das lyrische Konzept: "Exit Plan" handelt davon, Grenzen und Normen, die einem gesetzt wurden, zu durchbrechen. Einen mentalen Schlussstrich ziehen und neu anfangen. Völlige Klarheit darüber zu bekommen, wo man ist und hingeht und enden will = "Exit Plan". Songtitel wie "Where
Dreamers Die", "Mindreader", "You Hurt This Child" und "I Finally Lost (All Faith In Humanity)" haben alle eine lyrische Grundlage in der oben genannten Lebenseinstellung, Sex, Scham, Religion und einem schwindenden Menschenbild.

a a1. [Enter]

LTD. BLACK CLOUD COLOUR VINYL

THE GHOST INSIDE stands as an unstoppable force in the realm of hard rock music. Fueled by unwavering determination and unyielding passion, this band has forged a path marked by resilience and redemption. Their latest endeavor, the 6th studio album titled Search for Solace, delves into the profound theme of grappling with one"s own thoughts - the internal struggle between good, bad, and evil. It explores the journey of finding comfort and making peace amidst the chaos of life"s ebb and flow. The album reflects the band"s commitment to not succumb to negativity, anger, or darkness, aligning with their identity as an uplifting and comforting musical force for fans seeking solace. Established in 2004, THE GHOST INSIDE has solidified its position as a trailblazer in melodic hard rock. Their music seamlessly combines raw aggression with profound lyricism, creating a resonant experience for their dedicated fanbase. Despite facing challenges, notably a tragic bus accident in 2015 that left some members with life-altering injuries, the band refused to be broken. Through unwavering perseverance, they made a triumphant return to the stage, defying the odds. Their music embodies a spirit of resilience, unity, and the indomitable power of the human spirit. Each thunderous breakdown and soaring melody strikes a deep chord within the hearts of their fans, serving as a testament to the band"s enduring impact. THE GHOST INSIDE"s journey is a testament to their ability to inspire and uplift through music. As they embark on a global tour starting this Spring, venturing into new territories, including South America and beyond, the band continues to share their message of strength and perseverance with audiences around the world.

THE GHOST INSIDE stands as an unstoppable force in the realm of hard rock music. Fueled by unwavering determination and unyielding passion, this band has forged a path marked by resilience and redemption. Their latest endeavor, the 6th studio album titled Search for Solace, delves into the profound theme of grappling with one"s own thoughts - the internal struggle between good, bad, and evil. It explores the journey of finding comfort and making peace amidst the chaos of life"s ebb and flow. The album reflects the band"s commitment to not succumb to negativity, anger, or darkness, aligning with their identity as an uplifting and comforting musical force for fans seeking solace. Established in 2004, THE GHOST INSIDE has solidified its position as a trailblazer in melodic hard rock. Their music seamlessly combines raw aggression with profound lyricism, creating a resonant experience for their dedicated fanbase. Despite facing challenges, notably a tragic bus accident in 2015 that left some members with life-altering injuries, the band refused to be broken. Through unwavering perseverance, they made a triumphant return to the stage, defying the odds. Their music embodies a spirit of resilience, unity, and the indomitable power of the human spirit. Each thunderous breakdown and soaring melody strikes a deep chord within the hearts of their fans, serving as a testament to the band"s enduring impact. THE GHOST INSIDE"s journey is a testament to their ability to inspire and uplift through music. As they embark on a global tour starting this Spring, venturing into new territories, including South America and beyond, the band continues to share their message of strength and perseverance with audiences around the world.

Streng limitierte Neuveröffentlichung auf blauem Vinyl der 1985er Mini-LP der australischen Indie-Rock-Legenden Crime & The City Solution. 'Just South Of Heaven' wurde in der "Londoner Besetzung" mit Simon Bonney, den ehemaligen Birthday-Party-Größen Mick Harvey und Rowland S. Howard, Rowlands Bassisten-Bruder Harry Howard und dem Schlagzeuger Epic Soundtracks (früher bei Swell Maps und Jacobites) aufgenommen. Die Platte präsentierte einen verfeinerten Sound im Vergleich zu ihrer selbstproduzierten EP und wurde zwischen den Hansa Tonstudios in Berlin und The Strongroom in London mit Toningenieur Flood (a-ha, Depeche Mode, Erasure) aufgenommen. In einem Interview mit Uncut erklärte Harry: "Die erste EP, 'The Dangling Man', war ein bisschen roh. Für 'Just South Of Heaven' haben wir versucht, eine elegantere Platte zu machen, und das hat ganz gut funktioniert."

2024 Repress

"DJ Sim and Dr. Phil Omanski are the focal point in the fourth part of the extremely successful series; Hardcore Legends. DJ Sim is, without a doubt, a Hardcore Legend. Tracks like “Go Get Busy”, “Cartoons in Progress”, “Simbiosis” and “Pump That Stupid Bass” have made many hardcore hearts beat faster. These tracks inspired many hardcore artists. Dr. Phil Omanski aka Jorn Hanneman is essential in this series. Everyone remembers the hit “Young Birds” with the mega catchy synth stab and Celtic vocals, but also gems such as “BZRK Feelings (Toni Salmonelli Mix)” and “One Tribes Jam” are featured. Hardcore Legends by DJ SIM x Dr. Phil Omanski is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent red coloured vinyl. "

Hardcore Legends by DJ SIM x Dr. Phil Omanski, released 4 April 2024, includes the following tracks: "BZRK Feelings (Toni Salmonelli Mix)", "One Tribes Jam (Org. Ragga Edit)", "Pump That Stupid Bass (Hardcore Mix)" and more.

This version of Hardcore Legends comes as a 1xLP.

Hello! Tim here. My band is called Strand of Oaks. This is my eighth record and it's called Miracle Focus. I spent over three years building Miracle Focus. In the midst of writing, I became a painter and spent two seasons acting on a television show (Mayans MC). The dichotomy of painting for days in my garage and then flying out to LA to play a villainous biker on TV was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. The idea of Miracle Focus was born out of one simple concept: to make people feel good. Throw in a healthy mix of Ram Dass, yoga, Freddie Mercury, Alice Coltrane, and Beastie Boys, plus over a year of writing and building the extremely dense architecture of the songs, and Miracle Focus was born. The result is FUN, wild, rhythmic music filled with synth layering and mantra-like lyrics intended to uplifting and hopefully bring some light to whoever listens. In many ways, this record is a love letter to bliss. Through meditation, I found a way to connect with something greater, a positive force that allowed me to write music as a manual towards a more love-focused life. And the miracles I refer to aren't asking the universe for anything; it's just acknowledging and celebrating this complex beautiful moment that we all get to share. It will be gone, it will re-emerge as something new, that will be gone, repeat....repeat... repeat - this eternal cycle. My most sincere hope is that whoever listens might through sonic osmosis experience a similar joy. Sending peace and love. Thank you for your time. - Tim

Hello! Tim here. My band is called Strand of Oaks. This is my eighth record and it's called Miracle Focus. I spent over three years building Miracle Focus. In the midst of writing, I became a painter and spent two seasons acting on a television show (Mayans MC). The dichotomy of painting for days in my garage and then flying out to LA to play a villainous biker on TV was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. The idea of Miracle Focus was born out of one simple concept: to make people feel good. Throw in a healthy mix of Ram Dass, yoga, Freddie Mercury, Alice Coltrane, and Beastie Boys, plus over a year of writing and building the extremely dense architecture of the songs, and Miracle Focus was born. The result is FUN, wild, rhythmic music filled with synth layering and mantra-like lyrics intended to uplifting and hopefully bring some light to whoever listens. In many ways, this record is a love letter to bliss. Through meditation, I found a way to connect with something greater, a positive force that allowed me to write music as a manual towards a more love-focused life. And the miracles I refer to aren't asking the universe for anything; it's just acknowledging and celebrating this complex beautiful moment that we all get to share. It will be gone, it will re-emerge as something new, that will be gone, repeat....repeat... repeat - this eternal cycle. My most sincere hope is that whoever listens might through sonic osmosis experience a similar joy. Sending peace and love. Thank you for your time. - Tim

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Resonant Trees, the first vinyl release from French composer-performer Léo Dupleix. An active member of the international community of younger musicians working with just intonation, Dupleix has composed works for solo instrumentalists and ensembles in Europe and Japan, as well as performing extensively on harpsichord, piano and electronics. His music is distinguished by a formal clarity and elegance of surface, gently shaping pure intervals into delicate melodic patterns and shimmering harmonic planes.

Resonant Trees presents two side-long pieces for harpsichord and ensemble, both setting slowly repeating patterns played on harpsichord and guitar within an environment of sustained tones. Dupleix performs on a French double manual harpsichord (tuned to a just intonation scheme of his own devising) and Prophet synthesizer, joined by Juliette Adam (bass clarinet), Johanna Bartz (traverso flute), Cyprien Busolini (viola), Fredrik Rasten (6- and 12-string guitars), and Mara Winter (traverso flute). The harpsichord begins Resonant Tree I alone, slowly sounding out a series of arpeggiated chords that emphasise the unique (and for unaccustomed listeners, sometimes unsettling) harmonic and timbral qualities of justly tuned intervals. Long tones from synthesiser, bass clarinet, viola and Baroque traverso flutes slowly creep into the spaces between the arpeggiated chords, joined after several minutes by delicate patterns of harmonics played by Rasten on acoustic guitars.

On Resonant Tree II, a similar structure and ensemble (without the flutes) are used with quite different results. We again hear only the harpsichord at first, but this time playing a series of flowing melodic lines, each of which is repeated several times. Joined again by long tones from the ensemble, here the viola is particularly prominent and its interplay with the harpsichord creates fascinating acoustic effects. In both pieces, repetition gives the music a static, stable quality while, at the same time, the exact shape of the repeating patterns remains difficult to grasp. As Dupleix writes, these pieces dream of music as ‘space and a sound that one could grasp in one’s hand.’ As the near-static quality of the repetitions and long tones with little incident make these two stretches of musical time feel like spaces for the listener to inhabit, the small variations on a narrow range of related material act like a three-dimensional object whose each facet is examined in turn. At once austere and seductive, Resonant Trees takes its place beside the work of contemporaries like Catherine Lamb, while also calling up the languorous melodic world of Mamoru Fujieda, the dignified melancholy of Satoshi Ashikawa’s classic Still Way and the espaliered chamber atmospherics of the Obscure catalogue.

Bob Dylan released “Triplicate”, his third collection of pop standards. Like Dylan’s earlier albums, “Shadows in the Night” (2015) and “Fallen Angels”(2016), most of the songs have an association with the great Frank Sinatra. This double LP presents Frank Sinatra’s versions of many of the songs Dylan sang in these three forays into The Great American Songbook. Orchestras accompanying the iconic singer are led by Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Billy May, Alex Stordahl, and Tommy Dorsey, among others. Dylan once related this about an encounter he had with Ol’ Blue Eyes: “He was funny, we were standing out on his patio at night and he said to me, ‘You and me, pal, we got blue eyes, we’re from up there,’ and he pointed to the stars. ‘These other bums are from down here.’ I remember thinking that he might be right.”

Roy Orbison was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's music is mostly in the rock genre and his most successful periods were in the early 1960s and the late 1980s. He performed with minimal motion and in black clothes, matching his dyed black hair and dark sunglasses. His nicknames were "The Caruso of Rock" and "The Big O". On this LP a selection of his 60’s hit singles including "Only the Lonely", "Running Scared", the ballad "Crying", the swinging rockabilly "Ooby Dooby", and "The Great Pretender”.

A leading light in the thriving Chicago hip-hop scene, Mick Jenkins has solidified his reputation over the past decade, blending atmospheric vibes, thematic depth, and captivating lyricism. The talented emcee’s remarkable career has included four celebrated studio albums, widespread critical acclaim, and collaborations with artists like Chance The Rapper, Robert Glasper, Freddie Gibbs, JID, Ghostface Killah, Disclosure, Joey Bada$$, Noname, Benny The Butcher, Vic Mensa, and more. Originally released in 2015, the classic project Waves was among the releases that propelled Jenkins’ ascent in the early stages of this journey. With textured instrumentation and chaotic percussion underpinning Mick’s elaborate flows, the collection was championed by outlets like Pitchfork, XXL, Complex, NPR, Spin, and more. Now, years after the initial pressing sold out, Wave

Experience the sonic journey that is The Black Dog's latest album, "Other, Like Me," as they delve into the intricacies of the artist's psyche, questioning the very essence of individuality and creative worth. The album invites listeners to confront darker thoughts about self-identity, imposter syndrome, and the relentless pursuit of creative value, all while celebrating the joy found in the act of artistic creation. In this introspective exploration, The Black Dog challenge both themselves and their audience, creating a musical experience that is profoundly personal and open to interpretation. The themes woven throughout the album are a poignant counterpoint between the shadows of self-doubt and the exuberance of creative expression. It's an inward exploration, offering a place of solace for listeners to find comfort amid the chaos of external influences. The album's title, "Other, Like Me", draws inspiration from an interview with Cosey Fanni Tutti in 1999, resonating deeply with The Black Dog's outsider perspective. The phrase encapsulates the essence of the album, reflecting the band's unique identity and shared experiences, while respecting each member's individual passions and interests. Navigating the waters of cognitive dissonance, The Black Dog bring an authenticity to their music that mirrors the internal and external conflicts of the contemporary music scene. With a commitment to stripping back layers and allowing the heart of each song to shine through, "Other, Like Me" offers a raw and unfiltered musical experience that speaks directly to the soul. It's an invitation to introspection, a celebration of independence, and a testament to the power of authentic artistic expression.

Blue Vinyl - After releasing two brilliant albums in 1986 (Born Sandy Devotional and In The Pines, which both were critically acclaimed), The Triffids were finally snapped up by a major label, Island. The Triffids set out to make their most epic sounding album yet, working again with producer Gil Norton (known for his for with Pixies, Echo and The Bunnymen and many others). The result was Calenture, one of the best albums made by anyone, ever! Abandoning the lo-fi sound of their last album, In The Pines, and instead returning and expanding on the lush and majestic sound heard on Born Sandy Devotional, Calenture captures The Triffids on their creative peak, and is also probably their most accessible album, since it really has no weak songs.

Unavailable for over three decades, we are happy to reissue this garage rock's essential gem, originally released in the early days of Greg Shaw's Bomp! label. Bomp! Records of Burbank, California was likely the most significant American independent record label of the 1970s. It was the first in this country to recognize and actively support the punk rock and new wave revolution with its releases, at a time when both America's vast regional disparity and an extremely conservative record business had deemed this new, strange idiom anathema. In its first five years Bomp! the label wore its heart on its sleeve with a series of fascinating, unpredictable, and memorable 45 RPM releases. And the whole was brainstormed by Greg Shaw, likely the only maverick alive at that time who could have created and populated such a scenario. The winter 1976 issue of Who Put The Bomp (Greg Shaw's fanzine) had featured a detailed report on the Boston scene, with favorable mentions of two future Bomp! acts. Willie 'Loco' Alexander was a local legend, the storied former lead singer of the Lost, and his 1975 single 'Kerouac' (reissued on Bomp!) was a suitably eccentric, Dylan-ish ode to the beat maven. DMZ was a more predictable proposition, sporting obvious glam roots and an eccentric but dedicated rock & roll fan in lead singer, Jeff 'Mono Mann' Conolly. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, Conolly and crew went for a chaotic and intense hybrid of Dolls, Stooges and most of the Nuggets bands, so Bomp! the label was a natural choice. With killer cuts like 'Busy Man' and 'When I Get Off,' their Craig Leon-produced 1977 EP captured the DMZ zeitgeist considerably better than the album they would later record for Sire.

Los York's became the epitome of Peruvian garage sound. 'Abrázame' features a beat-influenced go-go twang guitar garage psych tone throughout and the unique voice of the iconic frontman of the band resulting an irresistible Latin garage hipshaker! Set the dance floor on fire with this first time 45 reissue of the Latin garage anthem 'Abrázame'! Los York's became the epitome of Peruvian garage sound, and the kings of the multi-group concerts which teenagers flocked to on Saturday and Sunday mornings in Lima's main movie theaters. The group was in tune with the youth from popular districts who were gradually turning morning concerts into dynamic gigs as the fashion for solo rock-ballads waned and garage sounds by bands like Los Shain's, Los Derbys, Los Juniors, Los Flyers and, of course, Los York's took over. Their supportive fans would follow them to every gig. After releasing their three first singles on MAG, featuring covers of popular hits, it took them a year to turn their ideas into songs for their first LP that was successfully released at Christmas in 1967. The original version of 'Abrázame' was included in this album and also released as a single. Although clearly based on Don Covay & The Goodtimers' r&b classic 'Mercy Mercy', the recording features a beat influenced go-go twang guitar garage psych tone throughout and the unique voice of the iconic frontman of the band, Pablo Luna, resulting an irresistible Latin garage hipshaker! A rawer, fuzzier version of the same song was released one year later and renamed as 'Abrázame baby'. How cool and handy is to have both versions together on one single artifact? Set the dance floor on fire with this first time 45 reissue of the Latin garage anthem 'Abrázame'!

Die Loons aus Südkalifornien spielen seit mehr als 25 Jahren ihre ganz eigene Art von psychedelischem Garage- und Freakbeat. Mit ,Memories Have Faces" haben sie ihr bisher eindrucksvollstes Werk geschaffen, zusammen mit einer klasse Version von ,Cries from the Midnight Circus" von den Pretty Things. Gegründet in San Diego, haben The Loons fünf Alben und eine Reihe von Singles aufgenommen und veröffentlicht und sind in mehr Städten auf der ganzen Welt aufgetreten, als sie zählen können. Sie haben mit Ikonen der 60er Jahre wie Glenn Ross Campbell von The Misunderstood, Dick Taylor von The Pretty Things, Randy Holden von The Sons of Adam und Blue Cheer und Michael Stuart-Ware von Love zusammengearbeitet. Mike Stax, der auch die Zeitschrift Ugly Things herausgibt, ist der Leadsänger. Anja Stax spielt Bass und singt Backing Vocals. Marc Schroeder und Chris Marsteller spielen Gitarren, und Chris Cancelliere sitzt am Schlagzeug. Mike Stax war bereits ein Veteran in mehreren anderen Bands aus San Diego, darunter The Crawdaddys und The Tell-Tale Hearts, als er 1997 die Loons gründete. Ebbot Lundberg von The Soundtrack of Our Lives produzierte das Debütalbum der Gruppe, ,Love's Dead Leaves", das 1998 bei Get Hip Records erschien. "A perfect pairing of Love-influenced garage-psych and British underground in the mould of the Pretty Things played with preternatural style and ability." - Shindig Magazine "Fantastically talented - as a group and individually, they've worked so hard at their passion _ It has been one of the highlights of my life to have been involved with them." - Glenn Ross Campbell, the Misunderstood

Reissue of this long out of print overlooked gem of Swiss Hardcore, originally recorded in 1983. A great chance to rediscover an obscure masterpiece of primo European Hardcore. Remastered from the original master tapes. Includes a bonus track not included on the original vinyl version and a fold out insert with lyrics and an interview with the band. Remastered reissue of this overlooked gem: a long out of print Euro Hardcore classic made in Switzerland that needs to be heard to be believed. With strong sonic ties to the best American Hardcore (think Black Flag and early SST and Touch & Go bands) it still sounds as fresh, powerful and aggressive as when it was originally recorded in 1983! 15 tracks of pure unaltered anger and frustration. A must!

Limitierte farbige Splatter Vinyl-LP! Die Loons aus Südkalifornien spielen seit mehr als 25 Jahren ihre ganz eigene Art von psychedelischem Garage- und Freakbeat. Mit ,Memories Have Faces" haben sie ihr bisher eindrucksvollstes Werk geschaffen, zusammen mit einer klasse Version von ,Cries from the Midnight Circus" von den Pretty Things. Gegründet in San Diego, haben The Loons fünf Alben und eine Reihe von Singles aufgenommen und veröffentlicht und sind in mehr Städten auf der ganzen Welt aufgetreten, als sie zählen können. Sie haben mit Ikonen der 60er Jahre wie Glenn Ross Campbell von The Misunderstood, Dick Taylor von The Pretty Things, Randy Holden von The Sons of Adam und Blue Cheer und Michael Stuart-Ware von Love zusammengearbeitet. Mike Stax, der auch die Zeitschrift Ugly Things herausgibt, ist der Leadsänger. Anja Stax spielt Bass und singt Backing Vocals. Marc Schroeder und Chris Marsteller spielen Gitarren, und Chris Cancelliere sitzt am Schlagzeug. Mike Stax war bereits ein Veteran in mehreren anderen Bands aus San Diego, darunter The Crawdaddys und The Tell-Tale Hearts, als er 1997 die Loons gründete. Ebbot Lundberg von The Soundtrack of Our Lives produzierte das Debütalbum der Gruppe, ,Love's Dead Leaves", das 1998 bei Get Hip Records erschien. "A perfect pairing of Love-influenced garage-psych and British underground in the mould of the Pretty Things played with preternatural style and ability." - Shindig Magazine "Fantastically talented - as a group and individually, they've worked so hard at their passion _ It has been one of the highlights of my life to have been involved with them." - Glenn Ross Campbell, the Misunderstood

"Grand Slam’s album Hit the Ground has been given a makeover and will be re-released as Hit the Ground – Revised on June 7th via Silver Lining Music. The re-issue has been remastered and features new Artwork.

Grand Slam was formed in 1984 by Phil Lynott and guitarist Laurence Archer before being forced to break up in 1986. Originally released in 2019, Hit The Ground signalled the Archer (guitar), Mike Dyer (vocals), Benjy Reid (drums) and Rocky Newton (bass) Grand Slam incarnation and is an unequivocal part of the band’s re-energising story.

With stylistic salutes and tips to the legendary Lynott melding with the energy and vocal performance of Dyer and Archer’s fiery fretboard forays in cuts such as the crunchy “Hit The Ground” and the thrusting “Crazy”, Grand Slam stride confidently back into the conscience of classic rock devotees who didn’t know what they were missing.

Grand Slam are a band firing intention regarding their future… Let the music do the talking!"

"Pretenders ‘Learning To Crawl’ is to be reissued on standard black vinyl and clear vinyl for RSD Stores & HMV on 7th June 2024. Celebrating the album's 40th anniversary, this reissue is true to the original 1984 release with the artwork and tracklisting remaining the same. This pressing of ‘Learning To Crawl’ features 2018 remastered audio by the album’s original producer, Chris Thomas, on vinyl for the first time.

‘Learning To Crawl’ is Pretenders’ third album, released after a band hiatus which saw in this time the sad passing of guitarist James Honeyman-Scott and bassist Pete Farndon before recording started. It sees an assortment of guitar and bass players on the record before Robbie McIntosh and Malcolm Foster joined Chrissie Hynde and Martin Chambers making the band a four piece.

The 1984 album is certified Gold and Platinum in the UK and US respectively and reached #11 on the UK albums chart and #5 in Billboard 200, featuring some of their most loved songs including ‘2000 Miles’, 'Back on the Chain Gang' both singles securing spots in the UK top 20 singles chart."