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« Most aresting, however, is the film's use of sound and music, which give each scene an atmospheric lilt. »

Maya Phillips

In order to celebrate the first anniversary of Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds, the animated film by benoît Chieux, Stereo Rônin Records partners with Cristal Publishing, Sacrebleu Production, Take Five, and Ciel de Paris to offer a limited vinyl edition of the original soundtrack composed by Pablo Pico.

The soundtrack of Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Currents, composed by Pablo Pico, stands out for its melodic richness and immersive atmosphere. It accompanies the journey of Juliette and Carmen through a fantastical world. The music blends traditional instruments with modern sounds, creating a nostalgic yet dynamic ambiance. The themes evoke adventure, discovery, and magic, enriching the film’s visual narrative. With his captivating compositions, Pablo Pico captures the essence of the story, providing an auditory experience that perfectly complements the film's universe.

Synopsis

Juliette and Carmen, two fearless sisters aged 4 and 8, discover a secret passage to the Kingdom of Air Currents, their favorite book. Transformed into cats and separated from each other, they must show courage and daring to reunite. With the help of the singer Selma, they will try to return to the real world by confronting Sirocco, the master of winds and storms... But is he as terrifying as they imagine?

“Being able to release this magnificent soundtrack composed by Pablo Pico is a great pride and a real pleasure. I want to open our catalog to unique works and universes. Being able to do this from our second published title, with a first foot in the world of animation, with Sirocco is an important shift for the label”

Frédéric Claquin – Stereo Ronin

“Sirocco’s music is like a deep breath. It was inspired by the fantastic universe of the film, the epic breath and the fantasy of the characters. I hope that with this vinyl edition, you will be able to relive the adventures of Juliette and Carmen and that the songs of Selma will take you far to the Kingdom of Air Currents”

Pablo Pico – Composer

“Cristal is a music publishing house, specializing in music for images, committed to working alongside composers for over 25 years. Our mission is to highlight the emotions sought in audiovisual productions, we choose our projects carefully, Sirocco was a real favorite, both on the subject and on its treatment, where music has its place, and becomes a real actress in the film. The talent of Pablo Pico brings this accuracy to the story”

Eric Debègue – Cristal Group.

Ghost Alive was the sixth album released by the Boxer Rebellion and is reissued on limited coloured vinyl pressing as part of a reissue series across their entire album catalogue.

An album born of hope through heartache, ‘Ghost Alive’ is the band’s most personal and human record to date. Exploring the darker corners of love, loss, and grief while shining a light on shared human experience, the album leans on the London four-piece’s more cinematic elements for a gloriously widescreen journey. Stripping away any excess, this album showcases the bare bones of opulent songwriting that lays at the core of The Boxer Rebellion. Rather than being crushed under the weight of melancholia, ‘Ghost Alive’ is 11 tracks that breathe with an understanding and experience. Bracingly vulnerable and achingly real, it’s a tender triumph from a band whose prime shows no signs of fading.

The band now have an eponymous EP, six studio albums, Exits (2005), Union (2009), The Cold Still (2011), Promises (2013), Ocean by Ocean (2016) and Ghost Alive (2018), as well as a compilation album, B-Sides & Rarities Collection, Vol. 1 & 2 (2012).

Following on from the release of their highly-praised 2020 LP ‘Darkness Brings Wonders Home’, which was applauded by the likes of Mojo, Clash Magazine, Q and many more, alt-folk duo Smoke Fairies return once again to announce the details behind their sixth studio album ‘Carried In Sound’, previewed by the wondrous new single “Vanishing Line”.

Continuing to pursue more of that warm and ethereal aesthetic the pair have cultivated since their earliest beginnings, “Vanishing Line” makes for a wonderfully warm and emotive introduction to their next full-length release. Accompanied by a cinematic video, the new offering tackles the difficult and intimate feelings loss and grief can have on a person and those around them.

A sense of inner strength dominates the new record. In keeping with the times that bore it, ‘Carried In Sound’ isn’t afraid to discuss darkness – but everywhere there is a longing for light. “Although the album has themes of sadness on there, it’s looking at those things from a place of strength,” says Jessica.

“The music by Ludvig Forssell and El Michels Affair provides suitably thumping accompaniment.”
Soundtrack performed by El Michels Affair, an American cinematic soul group led by musician and producer Leon Michels.

* Leon has worked with a who’s who of talented musicians, including a brief spell as part of Wu-Tang’s touring band, he started making music under his own steam with the express intention that it be sampled by hip-hop producers. Jay Z, Beyoncé, Travis Scott and Don Toliver all used his work for their songs.
Bill Skarsgård stars as "Boy" who vows revenge after his family is murdered by Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a corrupt post-apocalyptic dynasty that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice, one which he co-opted from his favorite childhood video game, Boy trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents. Bedlam ensues as Boy commits bloody martial arts mayhem, inciting a wrath of carnage and blood-letting. As he tries to get his bearings in this delirious realm, Boy soon falls in with a desperate resistance group, all the while bickering with the apparent ghost of his rebellious little sister.

Steven Wilson is no stranger to composing music that appears to counter everything else before it in his catalogue. Bass Communion, his long running solo electronic project, is no exception to this perverse streak that apparently likes to turn all expectations upside down. The Itself of Itself, Bass Communion's first album for 12 years, skilfully pays testament to this. Long established as a purveyor of mostly atmospheric or ambient textures, the seven cuts that represent The Itself of Itself take detours from this approach in order draw as much from musique concrete, noise music, abstract electronics and uneasy listening. Whilst still rippled with the same shades of light and dark that can be found throughout all of Bass Communion's work, The Itself of Itself reveals a fascination with analogue sounds and, more importantly perhaps, 'unwanted' analogue artefacts like tape hiss, wow and flutter, static noise, and sonic break-up, taking the music into a space at once different yet familiar. 'Apparition 3' presents a stark nod to Wilson's established command of shifting textures steeped in penumbral gauze, while 'Bruise' is akin to a space probe adrift and headed towards a white dwarf as all communication is reduced to a disturbing and indecipherable crackle. Between the other five cuts we witness fragmented, garbled and buried voices, vast vacillating banks of grainy hum, what sounds like the dying gasps of an oboe, spooky swirls from an indiscernible source, swathes of tape hiss, moody drones, and spiralling slivers of noise. Meanwhile on the title track, a mellotron flute rusts and collapses in on itself in a way that renders it the very antithesis of the one deployed on 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Everything adds up to a dynamic listening experience where unease, dread and comparatively claustrophobic torrents of sound make (un)natural bedfellows to moments of enchantment and serenity. Above all, The Itself of Itself sees Steven Wilson cutting his teeth on an album that's at once cinematic and moody whilst proving him to be a master in electronic music craftsmanship. It's an album that might surprise some of those who have thus far been paying attention to his work as Bass Communion, but setting out to please everyone was never part of his raison d'etre. The Itself of Itself catches Bass Communion spreading its weatherbeaten wings to embrace new strategies and a strong desire to journey elsewhere. Arriving in a wonderful Carl Glover designed deluxe cover also comprising a 24pp. booklet of his photographs and an obi strip, this version of The Itself of Itself arrives in December on Lumberton Trading Company as a 2LP pressed in an initial run of 1000 copies.

James Massiah & Lord Tusk collaborate for Accidental Meetings for their first official record together, after being long time collaborators in many forms.

Mastered by Beau at Ten Eight Seven mastering.

Limited Press, full sleeve, labels & design by Ciaran Birch.

Fang Island's debut record, long out of print and back in stock as daisy pink splatter coloured vinyl in gatefold jacket LP via Joyful Noise, defined the sound of danc-y/math-y indie rock of the early 2010s alongside contemporaries Lightning Bolt, Titus Andronicus, and Japandroids. Fang Island described their music as the sound of "everyone high fiving everyone." No matter where they went, Fang Island's up-with-people approach made them a subversive art project by default. At a time when the belligerent noise-rock of Lightning Bolt and The Body defined Providence, Fang Island played major-key guitar harmonies and flashy tapping riffs. When people tried to call them "math-rock," they thought of themselves as "recess rock." Fang Island shared bills with uber-buzzy bands like Yeasayer and Chairlift at Cake Shop and Santos Party House, crucibles for Brooklyn hype at the turn of the aughts; but their most impactful co-sign came from Andrew WK. At least until Fang Island earned an unexpected Best New Music review at Pitchfork; in the style of the time, the group - now including drummer Marc St. Sauver and guitarist Nick Sadler - were thrust from playing "literally empty shows" at hot dog stands in Ohio to becoming the toast of SXSW and starting their North American tour with psych-rock idols the Flaming Lips in an Atlantic City casino. They would later play sprawling amphitheaters with Stone Temple Pilots, and in perhaps the best demonstration of their ability to wield pop smarts to guitar pyrotechnics, both Matt & Kim and Coheed & Cambria.

The mood is dark to melancholic, but also majestic and epic. Hailing from Rome, THE FORESHADOWING are something like the musical equivalent of the city they come from. Founded in 2005, the group can look back on a successful and eventful history. Listeners of gothic, doom and dark metal are very familiar with the quartet's work. THE FORESHADOWING gained popularity in the international scene with four acclaimed albums released between 2007 and 2016: "Days of Nothing" (2007), "Oionos" (2010), "Second World" (2012) and "Seven Heads, Ten Horns" (2016). In 2023, THE FORESHADOWING ended a forced break of several years with the EP "Forsaken Songs" and a European tour with Saturnus and In The Woods. Now, "New Wave Order" is the group's fifth full length album and their debut on LIFEFORCE RECORDS. The formation from Rome emphasizes its strengths on the album and offers cinematic tracks of dark music that is nevertheless immensely catchy and mood-enhancing. While listening to "New Wave Order", you are whisked away into a world full of secrets and allusions. The path is THE FORESHADOWING's goal, which manifests itself in all-encompassing, organically developed musicality. The Italians are outstanding songwriters who create captivating arcs of suspense and also keep an eye on the overarching strands. Nothing else can be expected from this eternal band.

"This record explores the relationships between mid century architecture, consumerism and community. The gradual or sometimes brutal removal and change of places in the name of progress. These changes leave traces that people have to deal with on a psychological level but probably never really acknowledge. This record explores loss of community and loss or unsympathetic altering of shopping spaces. When something is unceremoniously knocked down or altered and something else replaces it then the thing before it becomes ghost like and is at risk of being forgotten. Not dissimilar to when the Christian faith built their buildings upon Pagan sites. It has a similar purpose (to pray or to shop in this case) but the older thing becomes dreamlike and is confined to folklore. The community is always fed the propaganda of progress but looking back, I certainly cannot deny the beauty of what has now gone. Maybe there is a sense of dissolution and denial about such matters. The record is also interested in the sense of community of these past spaces and how shopping centres have generally declined mainly due to the rise of neo liberalism and tech giants. When you see old footage of these spaces in their prime, you get a sense of a space age future, everything looks new but paradoxically the people look to be from an older time. Today I can see real poverty and complete disenfranchisement from being in these new spaces. It's not all doom and gloom though as spaces, especially the ones in Plymouth are not that much altered and could be brought back to the architects original dreams."

David A.

Following a period of five years establishing himself and blossoming into an innovative and in in-demand creative force on the New York jazz scene, 26 year old Danish pianist/composer Rasmus Sorensen returns to his home country to present his third accomplished piano trio record in two years. Combining musicianship far beyond his years with a distinctive contemporary voice, At The Right Time is set to release on November 15th on April Records. The record follows his 2022 debut Traits " which showcased his capabilities as a modern jazz composer and instrumentalist and 2024" s Balancing Act "", which saw the rising star stretch out on American Songbook classics alongside New York bassist Alexander Claffy and celebrated drummer Kendrick Scott. Now, in 2024, At the Right Time cements Sorensen s position as a trailblazing voice on his instrument whilst providing subtle nods to modern jazz piano greats of the 21st Century: there"s some Fred Hersch counterpoint, Brad Mehldau Mehldau-esque improvisational elasticity, Vijay Iyer influenced rhythmic cycles, a touch of Robert Glasper"s acoustic hiphip-hop inflection, and hints of Craig Taborn s polytonality. Featuring 12 diverse original compositions, the focus of this trio is on togetherness, with which the three formidable players bring the music to life. Jon Henrikssons bass sound holds the trio in an enveloping warmth that seems destined to become well known to European audiences. At the drums, Francesco Ciniglio, most recently heard by those audiences as a member of Wynton Marsali"s quartet, brings out the color, energy and movement sewn into the writing. The trio juxtaposes the feelings of being tightly locked locked-in and suspended in free free-floating time, and spends most of its time in the best of both rhythmic worlds.

"It's a game of hopscotch while drunk on sleep deprivation. It's a dance based on inaudible, but irrepressible rhythms. It's interaction dressed up like a call & response game wrapped up in a sparring match full of agitation and confusion. It's a manic pursuit over wobbly scaffolding, broken roof tiles or a creaking suspension bridge. It's an irregular movement that snaps, roars, drips, defies, tumbles, slithers, cajoles, interrupts, sizzles, triples, dodges, throws curveballs, causes panic, restores order, well kinda, and stutters and mutters. It's like Jaap Blonk's invented Onderlands: a language that sounds familiar, but that ultimately defies comprehension. It's part application and part imagination, it's a mystery and a trap. It's a system, perhaps, and an attempt at something, probably, but it's not, definitely not, a holiday. The idea!" - Guy Peters Ken Vandermark (US) and Terrie `Ex' Hessels (NL) have been playing together for years. For example, the Chicago reed player has been a guest with The Ex almost 100 times and the two are also part of Lean Left, an explosive improvising quartet with Andy Moor and Paal Nilssen-Love. It took them until 2014 before they went on stage for the first time as a duo. A dozen concerts followed on various international stages and resulted in their first LP `Scaffolding' recorded upstairs in the Witte Villa, Wormer. Released in 2019. This new release is the result of an blasting tour in Poland, 2021. Recorded live in the SARP Social Club in Poznan. `This is not a holiday!' Eight improvisations; eight musical adventures!

Denovali presents the new album of the prestigious Swedish pianist and composer Matti Bye. Matti is well-known for his regular performances at various silent film festivals and screenings worldwide, where you can see him perform solo and with artists such as Lau Nau. Bye has been involved in several collaborations, including Hydras Dream, where he recorded and released an album with Anna von Hausswolff. Additionally, Matti is recognized for his scores in projects like ”Young Royals," ”Tove," „The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared,“ and "A Traves de tu Mirada” among many others.

Matti Bye's third album, "Capri Clouds", moves through the element of the air and further into space. A lone piano sounds, echoes - sometimes like a waltz. We have the sound of the wind with us and the sound of the sea below us as we fly, and above we hear the stars and planets spinning. A piano from the past, as if Satie met space - as if Spiritualized and Satie talked to each other across timeand space.These songs go straight to the heart and to the senses, and create images in your head. Stories from your own memory bank, as well as new visions – music to lean into, meditatively and hopefully longing. But there is also an undertone of something dark and desolate. Musically, Matti Bye moves within the realm of neo-classicism, but he is also approaching romanticism. References to composers suchas Schubert and Beethoven are to be found here, as well as to post-romantic bands such as Kraftwerk and The Cure. In this third album of a trilogy – the first was "Bethanien", the second "The Forgotten Land" – Bye continues his musical journey. Here we encounter a brighter and lighter production. Anders af Klintberg has brought "Capri Clouds" up from the underworld and the dreamscape, towards clouds and skies.

For Fans Of... 60's and 70's French Noir Scene / Black and White film photography, The Rugged Nuggets, Dirty Art Club, Massive Attack, Misha Panfilov, The Ironsides, Doctor Bionic, Blockhead, DJ Shadow, Sven Wunder. First Salvator Dragatto full length LP to be released on Colemine. All members of The Rugged Nuggets (205k monthly listeners / 8.4k followers on Spotify) played on this LP. 60's French Noir Cinematic Soul. Produced by Joey Reina. This record is an homage to the likes of André Kertész, Robert Frank, Jean-Luc Godard and René Groebli. Artist has previously released three successful 45s. Thoughts of You, as a phrase, might immediately associate one with feelings of love, endearment, fantasy or even obsession. These are the very sentiments that lay as cornerstones in Salvator Dragatto’s debut LP for Colemine Records. The allure and drama of black & white photography have always played a vital role in how Salvator (aka Joseph Reina) not only views the world but how he hears music. Parallels in film processing to his own recording methods started becoming more and more apparent as the record was being formed; Limitations in exposures rivaling limitations in tracks. Film grain and dust sediments rivaling tape hiss and dirty EQ pots. What most would consider to be imperfections, Dragatto leaned into and found inspiration. This record is an homage to the likes of André Kertész, Robert Frank, Jean-Luc Godard and René Groebli, who’s works have impacted Dragatto’s world so greatly both visually and sonically. Thoughts of You is an unabashed reflection of the noir. From the powerful thematic horn lines to the gentlest string passages, this record is a collection of themes and vignettes that explore the emotions set upon by black and white imagery

Scions are a new innovative experimental ensemble. The group features members from the award-winning minimalist chamber-jazz quartet New Hermitage, the Polaris-nominated drone-hymn duo Joyful Joyful, and the acclaimed producer and composer Michael Cloud Duguay. Their collaboration began at the Sappyfest music festival in Sackville, New Brunswick, in August 2022. During this event, New Hermitage and Joyful Joyful connected for the first time and teamed up with Duguay for a spontaneous improvisational performance based on his song writing. The enthusiastic response, capped by a standing ovation, solidified the ensemble's decision to pursue the project further, with Duguay deftly shifting from front-person to producer and musical director. After being awarded a Canada Council project grant in early 2023 the group took residence in Hotel Wolfe Island on Wolfe Island. Over a week the seven core members lived and worked together, culling material from sunrise improv sessions and collaboratively shaping it into a unique body of work that would later become To Cry Out In The Wilderness. In June 2023, the ensemble, now joined by double bassist Gabriella Ciurcovich, recorded their debut album in Halifax’s north end. Led by Duguay’s distinctive approach to site-specific production, the recording took place in the sanctuary of St. George’s Round Church, with engineering by Jake Nicoll, known for his sustainable recording methods using a solar-powered, mobile control room. The resulting album, To Cry Out In The Wilderness, finds the ensemble expertly exploring and powerfully combining their skills in jazz, devotional, classical, drone, folk, ambient, metal, improvisational, minimalist and avant-garde music. The project culminated in a week of production, with contributions from numerous artists from Halifax’s creative music community. Scions then presented their work live, performing on the opening night of Halifax’s Everyseeker festival of experimental music, where they shared the spotlight with the renowned Sun Ra Arkestra. Speaking on the narrative of To Cry Out In The Wilderness vocalist and lyricist Cormac Culkeen said: "When we came together to make this body of work, we started from a narrative seed; a post-apocalyptic humanity relearning and recreating itself, after a total ecological collapse." Speaking on "Fight Song" they add, "“Fight Song” became the song we thought the last of us might need. It is sung for an imagined last stand. It is a rallying cry to wholeheartedly fight a losing battle. So it is for us now, in this time of great dismay and unease. The axe must be disobeyed.

A killer fusion of bass, poetry and social consciousness from the King Midas Sound vocalist.

Roger Robinson is one of the most versatile voices in the dub poetry scene today, seamlessly blending the power of the written word with the raw energy of the soundsystem.

Teaming up once again with Dub wizard Disrupt to conclude an album trilogy that began with “Dis Side Ah Town” and “Dog Heart City“, Robinson pulls a wide range of riddims straight from the Jahtari vaults to create “Heavy Vibes“, a killer fusion of bass, poetry, and social consciousness.

With a voice oscillating between soulful falsetto and deep poetry thunder Robinson’s verses hit as hard as the bass, challenging the listener to confront uncomfortable truths, while Disrupt’s richly textured, dub-heavy production ensures the music moves both body and mind. You’ll find yourself dancing, but more importantly, you’ll find yourself thinking.

Coming with stunning cover art by Kiki Hitomi and featuring deadly riddims by Tapes, Naram, Jura Soundsystem, Maffi and Bo Marley, “Heavy Vibes” balances the weight of oppression with a glimmer of hope – the belief that change is possible, that the beat goes on, and that through solidarity and art, new futures can be forged.

From Rotterdam's fertile grounds springs another thorny rose. Composer, DJ, and producer Muzmin kicks off the maiden release of 'Fusion of Thought' with 'Yucca EP', featuring four tracks of old-school harbour city slamming techno with a heady, contemporary twist. An elegant balancing act between thought-provoking sound-design and undulating, peak-time efficacy that the San Francisco Bay Area-based artist is such an expert at. A promising start for this young label.

In the fall of 2022, celebrated UK chill-out institution Seahawks landed in Los Angeles for the first time in their 15-year history, with plans to record a sweeping new age downtempo "exploration of visionary California."

Instead, they immediately fell ill with flu (Fowler collapsed next to a taco truck; 911 was called), and were bedridden for the better part of a week. Upon recovering, they resituated at the synthesizer sanctuary of Brian Foote (Peak Oil, Kranky, Leech), channeling their post-sickness psychedelia into one of the band's lushest and most elevated creations to date: Time Enough For Love. Inspired by the "groove and mood" of Harry Nilsson demos, as well as its wider 70's wavelength - Rhodes, Wurlitzer, wood paneling - Seahawks transposed their classic post-rave ambient exotica onto a warm and woozy Golden State palette. Buoyed by the liquid touch of English maestro Kenny Dickenson on keys, the results rank high among the duo's smoothest and most multi-sensory voyages. "Sail Across The Moon" delivers on its title, a simmering, phaser-smeared cruise through the beauty of the night. "Messengers" echoes the cosmic lounge of Air's Moon Safari, shuffling, weightless, and ethereal, while "Falling Deep" reaches for the stars, pure cascading bliss, the ecstatic moment writ large.

The album skews steadily more astral as it progresses, drifting towards jazzy, galactic outer reaches. "Like A Grain Of Sand" opens with a spoken sample by the celebrated late American poet Rachel Sherwood ("The children watch, breathless / with the birds / They feel an emanation / from this shuddering place"), before taking flight on a Balearic trip through island house, PM Dawn gold dust, upright bass meditation, and kaleidoscopic light. A remix of the title track by Chicago trio Purelink closes the record in a suitably subdued and skittery state of mind. Time Enough For Love radiates color, complexity, and positivity, infused by the "life enhancing" nature of the band's time in Los Angeles - sunsets, sound systems, and sativa, framed by coastlines and cloudbanks, the city's mystic sprawl glittering beneath purple dusk.

Mads Lindgren aka Monolog, a traveler in sound across the European continent. Danish, but resident in Berlin, and working intensely in the studio and on stage alongside taking care of jobs in the audio industry for Native Instruments and Ableton. Previously Monolog had releases on Ant-Zen, Ad Noiseam, Hymen, and Ohm Resistance, as well as the Subtrakt label, which he is managing.

Music is written & produced by Monolog
Field recordings in track Forgotten Circle 10 by Andrii Nidzelskyi
Mastering and lacquer cut by Noel Summerville
Artwork & release production by Dmytro Fedorenko
Design by Zavoloka

Well-versed in vintage vernaculars, Oakland-based producer/musician Mike Walti is about to return with his sophomore offering under the Organi moniker – as new album “Babylonia” follows 2020’s “Parlez-vous Français?,” a landmark in vibe acquisition ever since.

Wyldwood Studios is a portal. It’s a secret gateway to analog spheres. Cross the threshold and you’ll feel the difference: you can pick any ol’ time, any place, any tongue or vibe, in fact. Hit the dancefloor in 1967, feel that plushy loveseat in the early 70s. It’s a welcoming place where better, saner vibes are still within reach. Fueled, at least in part, by those long-classic 12”s on the walls – just imagine the sepia-tinted countenance of Melody Nelson alongside actual Birkin sans wig, right next to Shadow’s immortal crate diggers, forever blurred –, and channeled through ancient time travel devices such as the MCI 416B only to arrive on classic 2-inch tape (MM1000 aka Ol’ Bessy), it’s a haven for all things organic, for all things imbued with that warm élan. Built and run by Oakland’s own Mike Walti, countless artists from many different genres have felt that flair, creating sonic spheres and moving back and forth along the malleable axis that is space-time. Capturing magic.

Emerging from this unique portal back in 2020, Walti’s aka Organi’s first studio album was a stunning answer to its titular question – “Parlez-vous Français?” It was a soothing, somewhat psychedelic trip so magnétique and alluring that it immediately brought back those bits of Franglais you never knew you remembered. Whereas the debut LP indeed felt like a spontané voyage to the French Riviera ca. 1968, its follow-up “Babylonia” is so much more than linguistic confusion and ancient Akkadian Rhythms. Using that hidden portal near Alameda’s finest port to access all kinds of remote regions and sonic spheres, it’s super tight and feels, well, decent, even though, just like the ol’ Babylon, it’s full of surprising tongues and dreams, schemes and melodies.

“Where do we go from here?,” someone asks in opening “Organii-“ – all majestically cinematic boom bap, buoyant bass, sick strings. A fittingly massive opener that feels like cracking open a cold one after long weeks at work (that ecstatic “ahhhh”), it perfectly sets the tone for another half hour of pure time traveling, globe-spanning bliss. Whereas that certain prédilection pour all things French makes “La Rockette” so tempting and tantalizing (think MalMalNonBien), the sophomore album’s Berlin-based guest singer Nana Lacrima soon takes us elsewhere: title track “Babylonia” spins ever so softly, like a magic lantern, with images of dreamier Stones Throw funksters or Savath y Savalas looming over the steady flow of an arrangement that washes you clean like an ancient, unpolluted River Euphrates or Brazil’s actual Amazon. A sexy Portuguese-flavored anthem, occasional guest singer Alix Koliha also enters the scene to add yet another layer of French chic to this Brazilian landscape. Next, we’re back at the Riviera, but the “Italiano” version of it, splendido sunsets and bell towers in the distance, the ragazze laughing and shaking it up, perhaps even some Portofino Gin so you can really feel that “me ne batto il belin,” as your fingers align form some half-serious “ma che vuoi?”

Tim Maia-penned “Padre Cicero” (1970) deals with the stunning transformation of the titular hero – “De reverendo a lutador,” and what a soaring, sensual hook –, and Organi’s take on Elephant Memory’s “Old Man Willow” (now an “Old Man Waltz”) perfectly underlines what Walti’s Wyldwood endeavor is all about: Easy-Going Experimental Dream Pop, fueled by Gainsbourg, Broadcast, Stereolab, etc.

Later on, even though something seems to be tres complique in “Remembering Anna,” it all sounds carefree like a spontaneous Friday afternoon with a bottle of fine wine. Right before the outro, key album guest Yea-Ming Chen (of Yea-Ming & The Rumors) returns to the mic, adding her dark and dusky trademark timbre to melancholy anthem “Pictures Of Your Face”. Reminiscent of Nico and Trish (rip & rip), it’s a track that’s both dark and strangely propelling, hypnotic and hip-shaking.

A third generation Bay Area native, Mike Walti aka Organi has been running Wyldwood Studios in Oakland CA for some 15+ years (recording artists like Tommy Guerrero, Spelling, Why?, Latyrx, Del, Dan The Automator, and Big Freedia, to name but a few). A multi-instrumentalist who’s obviously in love with the 60s/70s, he loves to work with analog equipment (“We just love us some analog!” “Just listen to those relays purr…”). Recorded and mixed by Mike Walti at Wyldwood, “Babylonia” will be released on vinyl/digital by Alien Transistor.

Ben Lukas Boysen’s new album, Alta Ripa, signifies a seismic shift in his artistic journey. It revisits the foundational impulses of his youth, shaped amidst the serene beauty of rural Germany—a bucolic backdrop where his creative palette flourished. However, it was his move to Berlin in the early 2000s that electrified his sound, infusing it with the city’s pulsating energy and diverse cultural influences. Alta Ripa captures this transformative experience, blending the introspective melodies of his rural beginnings with the bold, experimental tones born from Berlin’s vibrant electronic music scene. This album is a testament to Boysen’s evolution, showcasing how geographical shifts can profoundly shape artistic expression.

Boysen’s fourth studio album under his own name, Alta Ripa is a nod to his beginnings as much as a hint to his future, and as a work, it’s almost contradictory in its boldness and humility. He invites the listener on a journey of self-discovery; both for himself and for them, describing the music as “something the 15-year-old in me would have liked to hear but only the grown-up version of myself can write.”

His last two albums involved working closely with other musicians, including cellist Anne Müller, flugelhorn player Steffen Zimmer, and drummer Achim Färber. However, inspired in part by a recent return to live performance, Alta Ripa sees Boysen circling back to his passion for pure computer music.

For Boysen, the return to his youthful musical language marks a major turning point in his career. It represents a departure from his roots in classical music – his mother was an opera singer and his father an actor with an appreciation for Wagner, Arvo Pärt, Keith Jarrett, and Stockhausen. Although these are still important influences, Alta Ripa encapsulates a new, exploratory interplay between Boysen’s careful craft and his ability to let go of some of the process.

The album’s title comes from the original Roman name of the town that Boysen grew up in, Altrip, where he lived until his early twenties. This formative period is central to the ideas behind this album, from Boysen’s parental ‘schooling’ in classical music through to his sonic journeys through drum and bass, Aphex Twin, and Autechre — all of which changed his idea of what music could be. The extreme energy of tracks like ‘Acperience 1’ by Hardfloor, ‘Tracks & Fragment’ by Cari Lekebusch, ‘Focus2 Implan’ by Jiri.Ceiver, and ‘Low On Ice’ by Alec Empire are also pivotal influences.

For Boysen, this time of his musical development also involved knocking down the pillars that he previously thought had carried his world. A key moment for Boysen was being given a precious (pre-internet) club cassette at school that featured artists like Source Direct, Photek and Goldie. Excited by this new discovery, he introduced his father to the song ‘Dred Bass’ by Dead Dred. After the song finished, Boysen Sr. turned off the tape and proclaimed it was “the end of all music”. This heated exchange sparked a new, and more mature dialogue between the two that involved them sharing and discussing music on a regular basis.

Boysen’s classical and jazz music upbringing might not be easily noticeable from the electronic palette that he uses. But it can be found in its bones; the structure of the tracks and their dynamic shifts. On Alta Ripa, he intentionally embraces a spirit of controlled chaos, churning out sonic ideas to see what sticks.

One of Brian Eno’s Oblique Strategy cards contains the phrase “gardening, not architecture”, and the trajectory of Boysen’s creative path reflects this metaphor. In much of his previous work he followed a sort of Brutalist architect’s approach; here, he was fully responsible for the tracks’ austere structures and planned them with deliberate care. But by sacrificing some of that control on Alta Ripa, he sets the right conditions for a dark and unpredictable, organic growth. It’s a push forward into a new world.

Borusiade lands on Dark Entries with their triumphant third LP, THE FALL: A Series of Documented Experiences. The Romanian producer and DJ Miruna Boruzescu aka Borusiade has a track record of genre-bending releases on tastemaking outlets like Cómeme, Pinkman, Cititrax, and of course Dark Entries, who unleashed their stunning 2020 sophomore album Fortunate Isolation. THE FALL builds on Borusiade’s mythos with its 9 brooding and sophisticated tracks investigating the contours of memory and embodiment - the “fragile bridge between body and mind” in Borusiade’s words. Moody basslines and melancholy synths wrestle with muscular rhythms; this is electronic body music for the heart and head. This is their most diaristic work to date, as well, chronicling love and loss through the gauze of reflection. Tracks like “Save Me”, “Recovery and Redemption”, and “The Fall” sprung from painful breakups, periods which Borusiade identifies as some of their most creatively fruitful, finding themselves “making the best music when I was brokenhearted.” There are odes to musical titans we’ve lost: the minimal electro producer Porn Darsteller is comemorated on “Darsteller”, while industrial legends Genesis P-Orrige and Lady Jaye are honored on “Pandrogyne.” THE FALL comes housed in a sleeve using Gautier D'Agoty’s “Essai d'Anatomie,” an anatomical work from 1745, and also includes a lyric sheet. Trauma, from lost love to pandemic isolation, informs THE FALL, situating itself as a gap that can only be accessed through sound and the creation of art. “What can I add? When life gives you drama, make music.”

Mit ihren unberechenbaren Live-Auftritten und Songs wie "Zurück zum Beton" und "Industriemädchen" sorgten S.Y.P.H. Ende der 70er für Furore - als eine der Bands, die rund um Düsseldorfs Ratinger Hof begannen, deutschsprachig zu texten. Die Band brach von Beginn an mit genre-konformistischen Erwartungshaltungen und machte Musik, die sich bei Rock, Punk und Kraut genauso bediente wie bei der Zügellosigkeit des Dadaismus und der Realität des Tagesgeschehens. S.Y.P.H. entstand 1977 in Solingen und begann im nahen Düsseldorf Konzerte zu spielen. Anfangs deutlich am Punk angelehnt, entwickelte sich der Sound der Band schnell weiter und wurde zusehends schwerer einzuordnen. In intensiven Jahren entstanden Produktionen, bei denen immer wieder Gäste aus der Düsseldorfer Szene um den Ratinger Hof mitwirkten, aber auch Holger Czukay von der international bekannten experimentellen Rock-Band CAN, mit dem sie zwei Alben aufnahmen. Zunächst wird die erste Schaffensphase der Jahre 1977 bis 1982 aufbereitet. Die "Pure Freude Singles" inkl bisher unveröffentlichter Songs und das selbstbetitelte Album "SY.P.H". Drei weitere Wiederveröffentlichungen, zwei davon produziert von CANs Holger Czukay, folgen in 2025. Pure Freude Singles Eine Sammlung der frühen Singles: Vier Titel - darunter auch "Industriemädchen" und "Europa" - erschienen ursprünglich 1979 auf der EP "Viel Feind, viel Ehr". Dreizehn weitere Tracks - u.a. "Falsche Freunde" und "Knudelblues II" - wurden in 1982 veröffentlicht als "Der Bauer im Parkdeck". Drei weitere Songs sind bisher unveröffentlicht.

John Prine's first live album, available on vinyl from Oh Boy Records.

John Prine's first live album, available on vinyl from Oh Boy Records.

Das von der Kritik hochgelobte Debüt-Studioalbum der amerikanischen Rockband The Strokes. Aufbauend auf ihrer 2001 erschienenen EP "The Modern Age" formten die Bandmitglieder ihre Kompositionen hauptsächlich durch Live-Takes während der Aufnahmesessions, während Songwriter und Leadsänger Julian Casablancas weiterhin das Leben und die Beziehungen der urbanen Jugend detailliert beschrieb. Aus dem Album wurden drei Singles veröffentlicht: "Hard to Explain"/"New York City Cops", "Last Nite" und "Someday". Jetzt auf rotem Vinyl erhältlich.

Jazz re:freshed are proud to present the third studio album by bassist and composer Daniel Casimir.'Balance'encapsulates 'Big Band Energy', with his signature combination of Classical, Jazz and cinematic sounds.

The albumpays homage to the traditions of big band composition and historical significance whilst illustrating contemporary sensibilities.

This ambitious project explores the balance between two large and full sounds of a big band and a string section and is inspired by icon Wayne Shorter's album'Emanon'which made a deep impression on Casimir during the process of creating the album.

An organic development of Casimir's last critically acclaimed album'Boxed In'which featured a jazz quintet alongside a mini chamber Orchestra and was comprised of a woodwind, brass, with a string quartet,'Balance'is a self produced album that takes his musical vision to the next level in his most ambitious body of work to date, leading 26 musicians.

Recorded in November 2022 at Livingston Studios, in a very conscientious recording process which saw piano, bass, and drums recorded together first, followed by trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and the string section and an all star band that consists of figures from the UK Jazz scene, Cassie Kinoshi, Binker, Nubya Garcia, Rosie Turton, Sheila Maurice-Grey and Jay Phelps to name a few alongside a stunning string section performed by the London Contemporary Orchestra.

The final day of recording enlisted the powerful vocal prowess' of Zola Marcelle and Ria Moran to finesse the masterpiece. The track'Music Not Numbers'is an encouraging call to all musicians to not allow streaming culture to affect their creative process and to continue expanding the intrinsic nature of music. Whereas track,'Search for Goldilocks'explores the second meaning behind the album title 'Balance', which is to seek balance within and discover the qualities in life that are "just right".

Our much in-demand series of classic Brazilian 45’s are back! Featuring a vibrant new design, we’ve curated yet more wants-list regulars and unearthed fresh finds from Brazil that are destined to become collector’s items in their own right.

Number 80 in our Brazil.45 series, aptly sees a double-sider focusing on the awesome 80’s recordings by one of the giants of Brazilian music, Jorge Ben.

First up is the addictive, building groove of ‘Curumin Chama Cunh t Que Eu Vou Contar (Todo Dia Era Dia De ndio)’. Taken from the ‘D diva’ album from 1981, and originally released on Som Livre Records. A homage to the indigenous people and tribes of Brazil. The flip features one of Jorge’s most beloved Brazilian-Boogie joints, ‘Rio Babil nia’, which celebrates life in Rio, partying, the beach, and the city’s iconic monuments.

The song was originally released on a compacto and taken from the ‘D diva’ album from 1983, it features arrangements by the late-great, Lincoln Olivetti.

Forest Jams continues the journey into the great beyond with Mori Ra’s Mantra–an EP composed of four edits created for any inquisitive earthling and forest wanderer.

Mori Ra is a DJ based in Osaka, Japan his sets are a witches brew composed of balearic, cosmic, and electronic disco ingredients. He has released on other labels such as Rotating Souls, Macadam Mambo, Berceuse Heroique, MM Discos and more. In Mantra, Mori Ra acts as a mysterious wanderer who has stumbled upon the doors of our minds in the middle of the night. When we answer the door he is bearing gifts of creative glory and all we need to do is provide shelter in return. We invite him in so that he can rest, recharge, and continue his journey.

During his visit in our minds Mori Ra shares “Mantra” the secrets of the universe disguised as parables packaged neatly into four tracks. Catharsis begins the journey and immediately throws us into a sound that feels like we are driving a spaceship in Gran Turismo 37, the spaceship simulator. Now that we have successfully crossed the plane and have entered the digital unknown, Seinn O! becomes the story of communication. Seinn O! gave the smoke leaving my mouth color and the shamanistic chants placed me in an atmospheric state with the ability to cross over and communicate in the digital space. Then comes 孫行者 the Grandson Traveler, which embodies the story of the simulation. Imagine the sound of a bustling dystopian city in the matrix–neon signs, dancing billboards, talking vending machines, radioactive wildlife, and overgrown foliage leaking in from the jungle the city is carved into. Mori Ra seems to have melded all of those sounds together to create the soundtrack of the big city where everyone is lost. Finally, before leaving our minds Mori Ra offers the final parable, あの星 That Star. Which becomes the story of realization, the journey back home from the exploration of the mind. That Star brought me into a cave and I could see the opening at the end of it, all I had to do was walk towards it. However, I couldn’t walk. I could only galumph forward, while bouncing up and down to the beat. My arms slivered and guided my body forward as the vocals came in. As I moved forward the opening, the clearing, the destination remained the same distance away. The endless tunnel of the mind gave me a feeling of comfort because I did not want this journey to end.

The EP ends and we will never know who visited our minds that night, but we know we loved the journey. Mori Ra is the steward of our journey through consciousness, and the vessel is “Mantra”.

It’s abundantly clear from the first bars of their 5th studio album Through Other Reflection, that this is, and could only ever be, The Soundcarriers. From the enchanting vocal duets of folk-bidden Chanteuses Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway; to the precise bass lines of Paul Isherwood and the limber, jazz-cool, Hal Blaine-esque drums of his his co-songwriter Adam Cann; from the fairy-like flutes, 60s-garage guitars and organ sounds pilfered from the archives of exotica - listening to the Soundcarriers resembles a rediscovery of all the most prized, esoteric corners of the 1960s, all bundled up, warped and refracted through the quartet’s astutely modern cultural lens. Channelling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic Jazz/Funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurites beside, Through Other Reflection delivers another sonic adventure from one of the most unique and distinctive voices of British Psychedelia. After an 8 year wait for their album 4 - 2022’s Wilds - it thankfully didn’t take so long for the follow-up this time round. In many ways, this feels like a companion to Wilds; recording again at their Nottingham warehouse studio, Through Other Reflection retains that same organic glow, all the passions and imperfections of a tightly clipped unit jamming out these living, breathing pop-art nuggets as if straight onto the acetate.”We wanted to keep an air of spontaneity with this album and not get too bogged with the recording process”, explains Cann, “It was more a case of getting the songs as tightly written and arranged as possible first so we could get them down quickly in the studio. It always takes longer than you think” Less packed with strident pop hooks as its predecessor however, the music of Through… has been given extra licence to breathe, stretch out, and wander more uncharted terrains. While gleaming psych-pop of tracks like ‘The City Was’, or ‘Already Over’ confidently carry on from where they left off, from the album’s 2nd track ‘Always’, the trip becomes a little less predictable. Starting out as a smoky Procol Harum-meets-French-Psych organ ballad, the music drifts, as if of its own accord into an eerie, garage trance that lingers, cycles, and hypnotises, growing ever stranger, reaching ever-further away from its point of conception. And almost every track on Through Other Reflections holds that outer-body moment, where the band fix themselves on a limber, lysergic groove, lose all grip on time and reality, and melt themselves away into a liquid state of blind euphoria. There are sequences on this record that feel more like rituals than songs, built upon a single hypnotic rhythm which, like the centre of a vortex, pulling everything under its beatific command. Take the finale to ‘What We Found’ for instance, sounding like a ghostly march across the psychedelic moors, or ‘Feel The Way’, where a single athletic drum-loop rises and rises, growing ever more urgent and suspenseful underneath its frantic harpsichords and rasping flutes. Full of such rich stylisms as these, The Soundcarriers showcase themselves as abstract storytellers par excellence by virtue of their textures and arrangements alone. Resembling Romantic composer Maurice Ravel, but if he had just a four-piece rock band at his disposal, Through Other Reflects is rich with detail; there’s shakers, rattles, clarinets, booming drums; there’s synthesiser swarms, chiming xylophones, vintage organs and experimental Cluster & Eno-esque ambiences. Within all this nuance the music flows like some undisclosed narrative swathed in a magnetic secrecy. “It almost comes across like a story in some ways”, says Cann of the album, “the music is quite sectional with elements of exotica and cinematic type layers, it's a good balance of grooves, tunes and weirdness”. No more is this “epic cinematic feel” heard more proudly than on short instrumental ‘Sonya’s Lament” - its innate, hauntological atmospheres befitting a Peter Strickland soundtrack, or the classics of Lex Baxter, the so-called ‘Founder of Exotica’ himself. On the other hand, providing a greasier undercurrent to all these bucolic sounds is a leaning towards a more “direct” lyricism referencing more “external concerns. Laying down the first tracks for the album in the wintry gloom of pre-lockdown 2020, and drawing inspiration from time spent in Berlin, Through Other Reflections returns to some of the post-apocalyptic futurism explored in 2014’s Entropicalia - a loose concept album inspired by J.G Ballard’s The Drowned World. “The songs explore a disillusionment with the way things are going particularly after 40 years of neoliberalism”, says Cann, “They follow that folk-song tradition of wanting to escape to an imagined time, but here it’s more urban than pastoral. The first couple of ideas I came up with when doing some music in Berlin and had some time to wander aimlessly. And think the atmosphere seeped in, particularly on The City Was and Already Over. He continues, “One aspect of the title, ‘Through Other Reflections’ is about synthesis and layers of influence. How things can be filtered through other things and change the perspective. This is something you get in cities as well.” Though, as with everything The Soundcarriers make, “It can mean anything. It also just sounds kind of cool.”

Sweetheart is the first Cassie Ramone album in ten years, a crowning glory for a singular artist who has forged a unique path through the underground. Breaking out in the late 00s with the revered Vivian Girls, to her current status as a traveler on the
heartworn highway, Cassie Ramone has survived and thrived. Sweetheart is Ramone's greatest recorded statement to date:
focused songwriting shot through with American tragedies, distorted guitars and tear-stained fretboards. Recorded with
collaborator Dylan White in Richmond, VA in the latter's Valley Structures barn studio between December 2023 and March
2024, Sweetheart is Ramone's songwriting rendered direct but with a sweeping cinematic quality. Smeared with reverb and
scintillating like stars in the pitch black night, these songs fulfill the promise of Ramone's songwriting prowess.
Ranging from heart-stealers like I'm Going Home or Joy to the World to the riotous guitar scree of the titular Sweetheart,
Ramone's songwriting here is raw and direct, bolstered by White's perfectly balanced instrumentation. White's work on
Sweetheart blows up Ramone's songs to epic proportions, with waves of shoegazed guitars crashing and cresting with
emotion. As a result, Sweetheart fits effortlessly in with the best of Ramone's work with Vivian Girls and The Babies. With the
emotional vulnerability at its core, Sweetheart is Cassie Ramone emerging as one of the most honest and vital songwriters of
the underground.
Sweetheart, released on White and Ramone's new CD-R Records, builds on Cassie Ramone's legacy as a DIY pioneer. With Vivian Girls, Ramone and her bandmates forged a distinctive sound from 80s Punk, Shoegaze and 60s Girl Groups, delivering it with a dedication to world-building and Do It Yourself pragmatism. CD-Records and this first release are a continuation of Ramone's mission to maintain creative and aesthetic control over her art, communicating directly and honestly. Sweetheart may
also be the best record of her career.
Released on Cassie Ramone and Dylan White's label CD-R Records

For that Bogotá that dismantles the boundaries of our sanity. For all the broken souls wandering this city in every direction. This music overflows with love and substance, with more madness than reason, given in the present moment to this land and its fragments that intoxicate us every weekend. Here, we take responsibility; as for the future, we don’t know.

Niederländischer Metal-Klassiker remastered! Ein absolutes Highlight des 80er Speed/Power Metal endlich wieder erhältlich: „City Ad Mortis“, der
lang verschollene 80er Klassiker der niederländischen Speed/Power Metal Legenden Defender! Ursprünglich 1987 veröffentlicht, ist „City Ad Mortis“
nun remastered und endlich wieder erhältlich! Vom explosiven Opener „City Ad Mortis“ über das galoppierende „Deadly Peril“ bis hin zum epischen
„In The Beginning“ ist jeder Track ein Kraftwerk aus roher Energie, schweren Riffs und Simon Mentings hochfliegenden, wilden Vocals. Die
Bonustracks sind drei neu aufgenommene Klassiker der Originalband, die nach 38 Jahren endlich wieder auf Vinyl erhältlich sind (und natürlich auch
auf CD)!

Transparent Curacao Vinyl. Award-winning composer for video games and Scottish artist, Barry "Epoch" Topping (PARADISE KILLER, SENTRY, THATCHER'S TECHBASE, ENCOUNTERS) returns with "The Needs", 11 songs of lavish reflection in a modern city pop style. The album takes the listener through an emotional exploration of identity and change set against the backdrop of late summer. It fuses city pop, rock and dance music into a rich, dreamy blast of video game-tinged modern pop music. But "The Needs" is more than just an album title, like Barry explains: "It's a new ensemble built around a core of the musicians that worked with me on Paradise Killer: Fiona Lynch, Fabian Hernandez, Thomas Temple and Kyle Murray-Dickson. A new trio of horns Elin Andersson, Nicklas Dahlin and Simon Fransman round out the full lineup. Having such talented musicians involved in a much bigger way has allowed us to challenge ourselves and make the best, most over the top music we've made yet. 'The Needs' was created as a vehicle for my own reflections and is intended to help listeners reflect and find solace too. No album can be universal but if 'The Needs' can help people feel seen or understood then I'll feel like it's been a success. Getting to make the album has been an extremely rewarding experience."

Recorded by Grammy-winning producer Chris Dugan (Green Day, Weezer), this LP is a triumphant return after 7 years for the Cincinnati-based quartet Introducing "80/20," the highly anticipated new album from the acclaimed punk rock band, The Dopamines. Recorded by Grammy-winning producer Chris Dugan (Green Day, Weezer), this album marks a triumphant return to the scene after 7 years for the Cincinnati-based quartet, renowned for their raw energy, blistering melodies, and unapologetically honest lyrics. "80/20" perfectly encapsulates the true sound and character of The Dopamines. Each track is a testament to The Dopamines' evolution, blending their signature breakneck tempos with refined songwriting and complex arrangements. Chris Dugan's masterful production highlights the band's musicianship, capturing every nuance of their performance with clarity and intensity. Lyrically, "80/20" delves deep into themes of alienation, addiction, and the search for meaning through the lens of a chaotic punk band. Each song is a vignette of personal struggle and societal critique, written with the brutal honesty and sharp wit that fans have come to expect from The Dopamines. Chris Dugan's involvement brings a polished edge to the album without sacrificing the raw energy that defines The Dopamines. His expertise in capturing live performances translates into a recording that feels immediate and authentic, immersing listeners in the band's world. "80/20" is more than just an album; it's a declaration of The Dopamines' place in the punk rock pantheon. With its potent mix of aggression, melody, and emotional depth, this record is set to become a staple in the collections of punk enthusiasts worldwide. Don't miss out on this landmark release from one of the most compelling bands in contemporary punk rock

Prairiewolf make easy listening music for an age of fracture. They almost do it in spite of themselves. No one can seriously question the head music bona fides of the members of this Colorado-based trio.

Guitarist Stefan Beck has already assembled a formidable discography of jewel-toned guitar zone-outs under his Golden Brown moniker. And keyboardist and guitarist Jeremy Erwin and bassist Tyler Wilcox have both made their reputations as chroniclers of the vast world of out-music. Erwin helms the indispensable Heat Warps blog, a performance-by-performance archive of Miles Davis’s labyrinthine electric period. And Wilcox has been covering the ragged edges of psychedelia and experimental rock at Aquarium Drunkard and other publications, not to mention his own virtual basement for heads, the great bootleg blog Doom and Gloom from the Tomb.

These guys come by it honestly. And yet, given their backgrounds, Prairiewolf’s self-titled debut last spring was remarkably free of face-melters, brown acid blowouts, and ascendant spiritual jazz odysseys. Instead, they dropped a record of beautiful, elegant, low-key cosmic groovers that sounded like the piped-in background music to a resort hotel on Jupiter. It was an unlikely psychedelia, brocaded with mid-twentieth century sonic threading from the hi-fi era: vintage synthesizers, smears of spaghetti western, luxe tropical details, the faint schmaltz of space age pop. Imagine something like a Harmonia residency in the airport lounge. And yet somehow it all worked brilliantly. Prairiewolf became last summer’s cool-down standard. After a year woodshedding around Colorado’s Front Range region, the Prairiewolf boys have fired up their trusty Korg SR-120 drum machine for another outstanding collection of suborbital exotica. The appropriately titled Deep Time operates in its own chronology, unspooling at its unhurried pace. All its incongruous period and stylistic references—the new age pulses, Hawaiian steel, shaggy hippie rambles, lysergic guitar spirals, and orchestral synthesizer flourishes—float atop the album’s own singular temporality. Deep Time makes its own time.

From the moment Beck folds his slide guitar, origami-like, into a sound resembling the call of gulls on the tranquil album opener, “Peach Blossom Paradise,” there is a sense of departure from everyday life. The shimmering “Lighthouse” has a similar sunbaked nonchalance, like an afternoon passed day-drinking in a seaside bar. That they named their lush, kaleidoscopic downtempo track “The Meander” pretty much says it all. The ranging, propulsive “Saying Yes to Everything” seems like a nod in the direction of Rose City Band’s brand of wookie krautrock. And the motorik noir of “Demon Cicadas in the Night” also goes hard. Beck and Erwin’s intertwined guitar jam on the eerie album standout “The Cold Curve” evolves into something that sounds like primitive computer music. A genteel bassline from Wilcox on another album highlight, “Revisionist Mystery,” sets the stage for a loopy space jazz turn from guest clarinettist Matt Loewen of Rayonism. The title of post-rock cowboy tune “Another Tomorrow” might refer to the alternative future that so many critics heard in the music of Prairiewolf’s first album. Or it might simply refer to the persistence of time, however deep. Either way,

I’m thankful for the way Prairiewolf make each of their tunes a little oasis or sanctuary, each subsisting according to its own crystalline little logic for a few minutes. It is no simple task to filter out the omnipresent anger and anxiety of everyday life these days. But Prairiewolf are out here making it seem easy.

Brent S. Sirota

Avidya is back with a third EP to build on the head-turning success of the first two and it is another trip to the outer edges of the dancefloor. Odopt from Born Free and 777 Recordings kicks off with a snappy cut that is deceptively simple but devastatingly effective with its gurgling and acidic bass. Remotif is a fast-rising talent who impresses with the heavy techno sludge of 'HAJKSD15' and Full Circle aka Alexis Le Tan and Joakim link with Kris Baha to offer a remix that is all twitchy electrons, busted drum loops and fizzing pads before 53X's 'Simulaatio' is another brilliantly loose jumbled of wiry electronics, sci-fi effects and techno chug for a fantastic closing beatdown.

RIYL: Portishead, Thom Yorke, BEAK>, SUUNS, TR/ST, Radiohead. Solo project of Robert Toher who was the creator of ERAAS. Covered by Quietus,Pitchfork, NME, Stereogum, Earmilk, The 405, Clash, BBC Radio, Clash and more.... Public Memory is a mixture of damaged and dubbed-out percussion, unfurling synths and sparse sampling - all strung together by producer Robert Toher's spectral tenor. The project's sophomore LP, Demolition follows 2017's Veil of Counsel EP and 2016's Wuthering Drum LP with cinematic fortitude. While Public Memory's prominent krautrock and trip-hop rhythms are represented here, Demolition explores a greater range of tempos and an expanse of alien emotions with layers of electronic drums, live drums, Korg synths and samples from nature. Themes of rebirth and reflection imbue the album's atmosphere, rich in tape delay, spring reverb, and textures that conjure a sci fi and supernatural narrative. Opener "The Line" sets the album in motion with a driving energy and introspective unease, as if estranged from the world it was created in. A meditation on impending collapse, "Red Rainbow" begins with an arpeggiated melody that hints at a sense of dread. Like the darkness of night descends, the track unfolds with haunting atmospherics and howling synths, finishing with an unexpected climax that ominously builds until at last it falls apart, quickly, softly, without incident. The slowtempoed "Aegis" reflects on the banal reality of love lost, with shuffling rhythms, lingering inflections and a growling synth at its core. Toher's adept use of space and tension articulates the world of Demolition as eerie, emotive, and above all, narcotic. Each track is an existential procession. "Turning out the lights on your illusion," Toher sings to close the album, accepting that change is an inescapable condition of being.