quête:k lone

39 Jahre nach ihrem Debutalbum und 13 Jahre nach "Welcome Back To Insanity Hall" veröffentlichte eine der legendärsten original Psychobilly-Acts um den charismatischen, außergewöhnlichen (manche würden sagen "frenzy") Bandleader Mark "Sparky" Philips ein Dutzend neue Songs, oder sind's nicht doch 13? Schon von jeher scheren sich DAG einen Dreck um den klassischen Psychobilly-Purismus: Ihr Sound ist immer noch eine einzigartige Mischung (Hellbilly) und kombiniert Elemente von Rockabilly, Punk, höllischem Rock'n'Roll mit mal Country-esken Einflüssen oder dunkelsten Blues, alles immer geprägt von Sparkys rauem, giftigem Gesang. Und als ganz besonderer Gast tritt Emanuela Hutter von The Hillbilly Moon Explosion wieder im Duett mit Sparky bei ,Cast A Lonesome Shadow" an. Eine wilde und schräge musikalische Reise durch menschliche Abgründe, Wahnsinn und dunkle Sehnsüchte. "Psychotic Mutilation" mit genau den Songs, die diese kranke Welt verdient. Simply a masterpiece!! Die Pressung der LP-Erstauflage dürfte ein jedes Sammlerherz höherschlagen lassen, denn neben 180g Vinyl, klassisch schwarz oder Multicolour, gibt es noch ein Plakat und am Ende der der endlos B-Seiten-Rille ein verstecktes Special zu finden, oder genauer gesagt: ganz in der Mitte der B-Seite....lasst euch überraschen. LP als 180g Vinyl, Glanz-Cover & A2 Poster, CD als Digipack. Diese Version hier ist schwarzes Vinyl mit rot-orange-weiß Splatter (Lonesome Shadow Splatter)

Bill Withers was a modest, gentle, and yet towering musical figure responsible for some of the most important, universally known soul hits ever written. It’s no wonder that “Just the Two of Us” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” won him two Grammy awards and undoubtedly played a huge role in getting him inducted into both the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Live at Carnegie Hall is Withers' only live album, recorded on October 6, 1973 but not released until April 21, 1973. The fact that Bill got to play his heartfelt and honest soul at one of the most prestigious venues for both classical and pop music speaks volumes: his first two records Just As I Am and Still Bill were really that influential.

Bill Withers' Live At Carnegie Hall was recorded more than 50 years ago on a rainy Friday evening, but it is still regarded as one of the best live performances in the history of Soul music. Withers appears on stage with an ensemble of only the best session musicians the 1970s had to offer: Melvin Dunlap, Ray Jackson, James Gadson, Benorce Blackmon, and Bobbye Hall, at the time one of the few female session percussionists. They all had worked together on Still Bill and had the knack for expanding Bill's intimate songs to fit a hall of that size and stature. And as far as the recording goes, no corners were cut; it really feels like you're up there with them.

The set features evergreens such as "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lean On Me", "Grandma's Hands", but also tunes that are only available as part of this live set, such as "World Keeps Going Around" and "I Can't Write Left-Handed".

Bill Withers Live at Carnegie Hall is available as a limited edition of 5000 individually numbered copies on magenta vinyl, and includes printed inner sleeves and a 4-page booklet featuring liner notes on Bill Withers written by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and reflections by Aloe Blacc.

Newly signed to indie heavyweights Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s) EP two: ‘Marionette’ has been produced by Daniel Fox (Sprints, Melts, Psychotic Monks, Naked Lungs, Nerves, Ronan Group) and it’s set to be seminal. A set text for future musicians with aspirations of innovation. “The theme of the marionette is present throughout each song, involving some aspect of a power struggle and a lack of control within oneself.” Opener ‘Chocolate’ bounces in on a synth line as slippery and hyperactive as anything Aphex Twin ever cooked up. Crispy offbeat electronic cymbals play counterpoint to atonal guitars and pugilistic drumming before the track dry-wretches its way into a nauseating cacophony of euphoria. It’s a tale of crippling social anxiety and a preference for an unflattering, lonely reality. The muted guitar pluck in the intro to ‘Crows’ is the sonic equivalent of biting one’s nails. An anxious, involuntary tic that speaks to the theme of guilt, especially surrounding digital culture: “children can watch what they please, just with viewer discretion.” The track lurches between textures, weaving themselves in and out of focus. Guitars blare like sirens, interrupting paranoid urban centres at 2am, while the bass sounds like the inside of an insomniac’s head on day four of a REM drought.

The metallic intent of ‘Discipline’ squats on the chest as though Steve Albini is your sleep paralysis demon. The pain of accountability spews from the industrial regularity of the beat, apt to the narrative of a soldier coming to terms with the lies that made him commit atrocious, violent acts. EP closer ‘Servant’ starts like a Spectrum loading screen. Dial-up modem-coded, it pauses for moments of white-noise-vomit and existential bloops. Fitting for a more abstract take on the idea of the power struggle filtered through religious imagery and self-awareness of one’s own actions, coupled with an inability to exert control over them. The band pile on the textures with sadistic glee until the evil is exorcized and the modem melts. Connection severed. Across the EP, vocalist Joseph has a tendency to hyper-fixate on themes of control and unhappiness. Creating rooms in which doom and isolation ricochet. Not that it’s all bad news “we like to think that by shedding light on the negative, it commands a sense of hope.” Influenced as much by the liminal-space horror and uncanny dread of Silent Hill as the existentialist theatre of The Twilight Zone or the absurdity of Twin Peaks, they occupy a space between unease and impulse. Makeshift Art Bar are not a band interested in being liked. They’re a band interested in being necessary. There’s so much eating and drinking in their work that multiple listens simply don’t satisfy; something new reveals itself on each return visit. Audacious. Idiosyncratic. Vital. A young band carrying identity, defiance and an uncompromising vision as if it isn’t a rare cargo.

Newly signed to indie heavyweights Heist or Hit (Westside Cowboy, Her’s) EP two: ‘Marionette’ has been produced by Daniel Fox (Sprints, Melts, Psychotic Monks, Naked Lungs, Nerves, Ronan Group) and it’s set to be seminal. A set text for future musicians with aspirations of innovation. “The theme of the marionette is present throughout each song, involving some aspect of a power struggle and a lack of control within oneself.” Opener ‘Chocolate’ bounces in on a synth line as slippery and hyperactive as anything Aphex Twin ever cooked up. Crispy offbeat electronic cymbals play counterpoint to atonal guitars and pugilistic drumming before the track dry-wretches its way into a nauseating cacophony of euphoria. It’s a tale of crippling social anxiety and a preference for an unflattering, lonely reality. The muted guitar pluck in the intro to ‘Crows’ is the sonic equivalent of biting one’s nails. An anxious, involuntary tic that speaks to the theme of guilt, especially surrounding digital culture: “children can watch what they please, just with viewer discretion.” The track lurches between textures, weaving themselves in and out of focus. Guitars blare like sirens, interrupting paranoid urban centres at 2am, while the bass sounds like the inside of an insomniac’s head on day four of a REM drought.

The metallic intent of ‘Discipline’ squats on the chest as though Steve Albini is your sleep paralysis demon. The pain of accountability spews from the industrial regularity of the beat, apt to the narrative of a soldier coming to terms with the lies that made him commit atrocious, violent acts. EP closer ‘Servant’ starts like a Spectrum loading screen. Dial-up modem-coded, it pauses for moments of white-noise-vomit and existential bloops. Fitting for a more abstract take on the idea of the power struggle filtered through religious imagery and self-awareness of one’s own actions, coupled with an inability to exert control over them. The band pile on the textures with sadistic glee until the evil is exorcized and the modem melts. Connection severed. Across the EP, vocalist Joseph has a tendency to hyper-fixate on themes of control and unhappiness. Creating rooms in which doom and isolation ricochet. Not that it’s all bad news “we like to think that by shedding light on the negative, it commands a sense of hope.” Influenced as much by the liminal-space horror and uncanny dread of Silent Hill as the existentialist theatre of The Twilight Zone or the absurdity of Twin Peaks, they occupy a space between unease and impulse. Makeshift Art Bar are not a band interested in being liked. They’re a band interested in being necessary. There’s so much eating and drinking in their work that multiple listens simply don’t satisfy; something new reveals itself on each return visit. Audacious. Idiosyncratic. Vital. A young band carrying identity, defiance and an uncompromising vision as if it isn’t a rare cargo.

Paul Anka (born 1941) was one of pop music’s brightest early stars, celebrated for his smooth voice, heartfelt songwriting, and teen idol charisma. With hits like “Diana,” “Lonely Boy,” and “Put Your Head on My Shoulder,” he defined the sound of late-1950s and early-1960s pop. Blending romantic ballads with upbeat rock ’n’ roll, he captured the spirit of a generation and became an international sensation. His timeless melodies and enduring appeal helped shape the golden age of pop and continue to resonate with listeners around the world.

A legendary group of entertainers who dominated the nightlife of Las Vegas in the late 1950s and 1960s, The Rat Pack blended music, film, and comedy with effortless charisma and style. Its principal figures - Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , and Sammy Davis Jr. - were widely regarded as the group's leaders. They not only headlined the shows but also supplied much of the music that defined their performances, embodying the spirit of swing and sophistication through their exceptional on-stage and studio chemistry. This special gatefold edition LP brings together 21 outstanding performances, and includes the only two studio duets they ever recorded for release as singles; 'Sam's Song' (Sammy Davis Jr. & Dean Martin) and 'Me And My Shadow' (Frank Sinatra & Sammy Davis Jr.)

Der Soundtrack zur irischen Komödie ""The Spin"" (2024) in der Regie von Michael Head, der zahlreiche Auszeichnungen bei diversen unabhängigen Filmfestivals von Belfast über Chicago bis Toronto gewann und auch auf dem Filmfest Bremen lief. Die Originalmusik wurde von Mark McCausland (McKowski) komponiert und produziert und enthält Gastbeiträge von: Howe Gelb, Jolie Holland, John Parish, Nick Power, Dave Murphy, Pieta Brown, Dead Goat, Steve Wickham, Gemma Doherty, Laura McFadden, Brenock O’Connor und Drew McConnell. Die LP erscheint auf farbigem Ecomix-Vinyl, bei der jedes Format ein Unikat ist.

Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The group was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer José Pasillas while they were students at Calabasas High School. The lineup later expanded to include bassist Alex “Dirk Lance” Katunich and Gavin “DJ Lyfe” Koppel. Both were eventually replaced, Ben Kenney took over on bass, and DJ Kilmore joined as the band’s turntablist. In 2024, Nicole Row replaced Kenney on bass.

Incubus’ sound has been described as a blend of rap metal, funk, jazz, and post‑grunge, often incorporating elements of hip‑hop. This eclectic style helped them become one of the most popular alternative metal bands of the early 2000s.

The band has achieved significant commercial success, earning multiple multi‑platinum releases and producing several hit singles. In 2017, they released their eighth full‑length studio album, 8, with Skrillex contributing to production and mixing.

This solo percussion work was recorded in 1980 and released in 1981 by Masahiko Togashi, one of Japan’s leading percussionists and drummers. After becoming partially paralyzed, he created this recording of a world of sound using drums, bells, gongs, and a wide variety of percussion instruments, together with his own original playing methods and techniques.

Rough Trade Records veröffentlicht eine remasterte Doppel-Vinyl-Neuausgabe von Love Is Overtaking Me. Die Sammlung vereint Folk-, Pop- und Country-Songs von Arthur Russell, darunter "Planted a Thought", "Close My Eyes" und "I Couldn"t Say It to Your Face". Die ursprüngliche Ausgabe erschien 2007. Für die neue Edition wurden frisch entdeckte Originalbänder verwendet und von Timothy Stollenwerk in Portland neu gemastert. Ergänzt wird das Release durch überarbeitetes Artwork von Molly Smith sowie ausführliche Linernotes von Tom Lee. Seit über zwanzig Jahren macht Audika Russells vielseitiges Werk zugänglich und hat maßgeblich dazu beigetragen, ihm posthum ein größeres Publikum zu erschließen. Heute gilt er als visionärer Künstler und Einfluss für viele zeitgenössische Musiker. Schon zu Lebzeiten arbeiteten zahlreiche Künstler mit ihm, darunter Produzent John Hammond. Auf dem Album finden sich außerdem Aufnahmen mit The Flying Hearts sowie Projekten wie The Sailboats, Turbo Sporty und Bright & Early. Aus über acht Stunden Material zusammengestellt, umfasst das Album Aufnahmen von 1973 bis 1991. Einige Stücke sind auch im Film Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell von Matt Wolf zu hören.

o black heavyweight LPs
o 39 tracks from the expansion to Monster Hunter: World
o Rigid board outer box
o Printed inner sleeves

The fearsome co-op team of Laced and Capcom have hunted down more rousing music from the Monster Hunter series.

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne was a significant expansion to the hit action role-playing game, introducing players to the icy environs of Hoarfrost Reach and pitting them against intimidating foes including Velkhana and Zinogre.

The sound team for Iceborne comprised Akihiko Narita, Akiyuki Morimoto, Zhenlan Kang, Yuko Komiyama (comymusic), and Tadayoshi Makino (SpinSolfa Co., Ltd.). In true series fashion, the composers used rip-roaring orchestral and percussive instrumentation to alternately rouse and soothe players; from the propulsive "Spark of Blue - Zinogre" to the homely, Celtic folk-inspired "Theme of Seliana".

This vinyl set features artwork by Capcom highlighting the game's key monsters, with tracks pressed to heavyweight vinyl.

All music has been specially mastered for vinyl by Joe Caithness.

A lo- fi and uncompromisingly honest body of work, the record is considered a departure from his work with blur at the time, although it marks a world first hinted at in his song 'You're So Great', recorded for the eponymous blur album a year prior. Written, recorded and produced by Coxon, with original artwork by Coxon, the album was originally released on Coxon's own label Transcopic. The Sky Is Too High and The Golden D are the first in a comprehensive reissue of Coxon's complete solo catalogue, spanning 9 studio albums and 2 soundtracks, to be released across the next 12 months.

Blue Hour is the most recent release from Friday Night Plans, recently signed by Modern Obscure Music. The project marks FNP's shift from their 'pop' roots towards a more experimental and ambient sound. Friday Night Plans is pioneered by singer/songwriter Masumi who has collaborated on this project with acclaimed Japanese producer Ena. Together, they have created a collection of songs that represents the quiet introspection and emotions of the AM hours, using improvisation during the production process to create a cyclical record that is described as 'dreamlike'. Masumi attributes the project to a journey consisting of fragments of memory through each song; a reflection of how nostalgia and recollection connects us to emotions.

From his birth place in Tokyo, to New York and now Germany, Nao Katafuchi’s sound has travelled across many terrains in music. A dichotomy of tight staccato beats overlaid with sweeping gestural melodies, he leaves an electronic imprint on the mind of the listener, transferring a world of lyrical possibilities from his imagination to ours, bringing us synth full of expansive romantic sensibility.

“So Help Me God is the long-awaited second album from Kelsey Lu, arriving June 12 2026 via Dirty Hit. Moving between shadow and release, the 10-track record follows her groundbreaking 2019 debut Blood and is co-produced by Lu, Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman, mixed by Oli Jacobs, with contributions from Sampha, Kamasi Washington and Kim Gordon. Across the record, Lu blends distorted guitars, choral swells and dark electronic pulses into a sonic landscape that moves between devotional intensity and cinematic scale. So Help Me God expands Lu’s singular creative universe - where music, visual art and performance converge into one multidisciplinary project, marking the return of one of contemporary music’s most singular voices.”

"Consumação" marks a major change in Domingos' life, a break with his old self. A new found spiritual awareness is channeled into music as often as he is able. Broken and missing relationships, broken PC, but the music still flows in his mind and with the tools at hand: tablet and cellphone. The EP is therefore a transitional document, beginning to show that "my current thoughts are not the same as before". The traditional ID punctuating the music now often proclaims "Solta!". Let go.

The music, though, stays consistent with a left-field vibe, even while the appeal is pretty much universal. "Não Acredito" and especially our longtime favourite "Hot Girl" come out as monuments to loneliness and disillusionment but still with enough room to feel good about oneself. To receive all that as part of the natural course of life. None of these considerations break new ground. "Não Acredito" is simply the very human exclamation of disbelief in face of a ton of bad things happening cumulatively.

"Coração de Pedra" is about a common sentimental feature in contemporary love life: hearts of stone. Face them or develop one. "Leave Me Alone" is simply that: get lost, give me space. But one listens to the song and there's hope in there. Not even buried deep. All these contradictory feelings are played out throughout the EP and become a compositional tool, a signature, although the producer confides he's not too bothered with making the titles correspond to the mood. It just happens. The music is its (and his) own self.

Soul Jazz Records celebrate 25 years of working in partnership with Studio One with brand new editions of FIVE of their best-selling CLASSIC Studio One collections all released on limited-edition one-off pressing coloured double vinyl. Also available in new limited-edition card wallet CD editions. The new edition featured albums are Studio One Funk, Studio One Dub, Studio One Ska, Studio One Roots and Studio One Classics.

Studio One Classics features a non-stop selection of stone-cold classic Studio One killers! Spanning 40 years of the legendary label, this album is a celebration of the music of Studio One Records and features a who’s who of Jamaican Reggae: Bob Marley, The Heptones, Horace Andy, Sugar Minott, Don Drummond, Prince Jazzbo & more. This collection contains numerous legendary tracks, including Bob Marley and the Wailers’ “Simmer Down”," "Love Me Forever" by Carlton & His Shoes, Slim Smith's "Rougher Yet," Horace Andy's "Fever,", Alton Ellis’s “I’m Just A Guy’, The Skatalites’ blazing ‘Confucious’ and loads more. Timeless stuff - every track here is indeed a classic, no-one can argue about that! Studio One produced literally hundreds of hits and this selection includes some of the label’s most enduring songs.

It is simply impossible to imagine modern Jamaican music without Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, founder of the iconic Studio One where virtually every singer and musician of note in Reggae cut their teeth. Studio One's output spans over four decades, all represented here. Coxsone Dodd pioneered nearly every new form of Jamaican music as it developed over time and this album includes Ska, Dancehall, Roots, Rocksteady, DJ, Lovers and more. This is probably the best entry of the many Soul Jazz Studio One releases if you're after a primer in the Studio One sound. Like it says on the wrapper 'Classics' pretty much sums it up

Immerse yourself once again in the worlds of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, the two Studio Ghibli masterpieces created by Hayao Miyazaki and set to music by Joe Hisaishi, in this new original production for solo piano!



Based on the official piano scores by the original composer of the Studio Ghibli films, Joe Hisaishi, this album is a new journey of discovery into the two beloved worlds of Hayao Miyazaki, performed by pianist Nicolas Horvath, a Steinway & Sons artist renowned as a first-rate interpretor of composers such as Philip Glass, Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, and Eric Satie.

The album features a total of 26 tracks from the two cult films Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) and Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), composed by Joe Hisaishi.

• The new single from the J. Sands
• Featuring Grand Puba from the legendary group Brand Nubian
• The 5th 7inch in the 9 part 7 inch collection from B.U.K.A.
• ALSO COLLECT, LONE CATALYSTS – DUE PROCESS/J. SANDS 50 YEARS OF HIP HOP/ LONE CATALYSTS RENAISSANCE/MANCHESTER DECENDANTS SAME DAMN LO SWEATER

DMV-born rapper and producer kuru is already a veteran among their contemporaries. Spurred by the online renaissance that accompanied the pandemic, they began to foster a cult following while in high school, their Soundcloud releases leading to production work with artists such as Black Kray and Destroy Lonely. Over the past few years, as Kuru began to prioritize their own voice, they prioritized their solo endeavors. Growing up in Maryland, kuru was inspired as much by the work of Future, Hikaru Utada, Yuyoyuppe, and the sounds of Japanese math rock as he was by his native DMV’s rap scene. He first began making music in 2019, garnering buzz with early tracks like “clueless”, “typo” (4M Streams), and “atmosphere” (9M+ Streams) — cuts brimming with the catchiness you’d expect out of a mainstream pop hit, but uncharacteristic of the internet rap landscape at the time.

The forthcoming sophomore album is a summation of all of kuru’s work in both electronic and hip-hop. It’s the artist’s most focused effort to date, and touts credits from Lucy Bedroque, frequent collaborator xaviersobased, and a rolodex of Soundcloud’s most cutting-edge producers. “Backstage Hologram” ties together a mosaic of the current internet underground’s landscape with a veneer of dusky futurism, and panoramic wide post-production.

The Flaming Sideburns' debut album remastered 25th anniversary edition out in June via Svart Records In the beginning of the new Millennium, The Flaming Sideburns were getting ready to record our first proper album. First we rented Ismo Alanko’s old rehearsal room in Otaniemi, Espoo, and turned it into a recording facility. Old analog tape recorders, vintage microphones, a Space Echo unit, and other top equipment were brought in directly from Berlin, Germany by the album’s producer, Jürgen Hendlmeier. As producer Jürgen Hendlmeier recalls the final steps of the sessions: “Fact is, when we mastered the record at Seawolf Studios we had no real idea what to do with this equipment. We just wanted to make it louder and louder – that was all we wanted. We wanted to go to twelve instead of eleven.” When Hallelujah Rock’n’Rollah was first released, it did not sound as “natural” as it had originally been planned to be – but the album was a huge success for the band nevertheless. For this remastered edition, Hendlmeier dug deep enough to finally find the files containing all the original mixes. The album’s producer then remastered the album himself, and the end result is far more convincing. Compared to the original version—which is already very good—the album now feels as if it has been completely remixed for the better. As a bonus, on the original album some of the songs were edited shorter, but now all of them appear in their original length. -Eduardo Martinez

The Flaming Sideburns' debut album remastered 25th anniversary edition out in June via Svart Records In the beginning of the new Millennium, The Flaming Sideburns were getting ready to record our first proper album. First we rented Ismo Alanko’s old rehearsal room in Otaniemi, Espoo, and turned it into a recording facility. Old analog tape recorders, vintage microphones, a Space Echo unit, and other top equipment were brought in directly from Berlin, Germany by the album’s producer, Jürgen Hendlmeier. As producer Jürgen Hendlmeier recalls the final steps of the sessions: “Fact is, when we mastered the record at Seawolf Studios we had no real idea what to do with this equipment. We just wanted to make it louder and louder – that was all we wanted. We wanted to go to twelve instead of eleven.” When Hallelujah Rock’n’Rollah was first released, it did not sound as “natural” as it had originally been planned to be – but the album was a huge success for the band nevertheless. For this remastered edition, Hendlmeier dug deep enough to finally find the files containing all the original mixes. The album’s producer then remastered the album himself, and the end result is far more convincing. Compared to the original version—which is already very good—the album now feels as if it has been completely remixed for the better. As a bonus, on the original album some of the songs were edited shorter, but now all of them appear in their original length. -Eduardo Martinez

On the 2024 Altered Circuits release Tropicana Tracks Rotterdam-based artist Betonkust paid tribute to the former subtropical pool (now a circular entrepreneurship hub) Tropicana of his hometown. ALT025 is the follow-up: the fallen-from-grace swimming paradise again fuels a club-oriented selection, inspired by, in the artist's words, "the electronic music from 1988 up until now", more specifically "the Benelux-sound". Tropicana Tracks Two kicks off in full gear with the zero swing drums and lately bass rhythms of Don't Think I'll Be Here Too Long setting the stage for intense synth stabs. Its counterpart comes by way of Realxing, which nonetheless uses similar patches. If the A1 is the thrill of the slides, this one feels like blissfully floating in the geothermally heated waters afterwards. Will Support on the reverse side takes on Detroit techno. Minimal in its composition, it is carried by tough, loopy minor fifth synth sections and prominently mixed rides. TV For Lonely People features more big bass catchiness and melancholic, silky melodies, glued together by vintage flanger treatment and chlorine-damp reverb. The production revels in what feels like the quintessential Betonkust sound. Innershades then joins for the encore, and, characteristically, the mood turns a bit darker. Letting Go Of The Dream is an emotional New Beat update, fully equipped with thudding drum works, haunting lo-fi vocals and pivotal 303 programming - a fitting reaffirmation of the long-standing ties between two of Low Countries Electronics's finest ambassadors.

Toronto’s Ducks Ltd. (formerly Ducks Unlimited), the bright jangle-pop duo of Tom McGreevy (lead vocal, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Evan Lewis (guitar, bass, drum programming), accomplish the impossible. The pair craft songs that play to very specific inspirations without drowning underneath them—immediately evidenced on their critically acclaimed EP, Get Bleak, and sharpened on Modern Fiction, their debut LP. “The Servants, The Clean, The Chills, The Bats, Television Personalities, Felt,” Evan rattles off. “Look Blue Go Purple is one I reference a lot with our production.” Echoes of ‘80s indiepop abound, but they never overwhelm. This is not a nostalgic record, after all, nor is it a derivative one. Instead, across 10 cheery-sounding songs, Ducks Ltd. explore contemporary society in decline, examining large scale human disaster through personal turmoil (hence the title, taken from a university course called Gnosticism and Nihilism in Modern Fiction, influenced by Graham Greene novels. Bookish indie fans, look no further.)

Writing the album was intimate. Tom drafted the nucleus of a song on an unplugged electric guitar and brought it over to Evan’s apartment, where the pair sat in his bedroom, placing percussive beats from a drum machine under nascent melodies, passing a bass back and forth, adding organs and bridges where necessary. “It’s computer music trying extremely hard not to sound like computer music,” Tom jokes. Fearful that limited and expensive studio time would kneecap the project creatively, eroding their charming naivete, the pair re-recorded the album in a storage space owned by Evan’s boss. Ornamentation through collaboration followed: there’s Aaron Goldstein on Pedal Steel in the Go-Betweens’ “Cattle and Cane”-channeling interlude “Patience Wearing Thin,” Eliza Niemi on cello (“18 Cigarettes,” a song loosely inspired by a 1997 Oasis performance of “Don’t Go Away”), and backing harmonies from Carpark labelmates The Beths (on an ode to friendship at a distance, “How Lonely Are You?,” “Always There,” and on the sped-up Syd Barrett stylings of “Under The Rolling Moon.”) While in his native Australia due to covid-19, Evan worked closely with producer James Cecil (The Goon Sax, Architecture in Helsinki) on Modern Fiction’s finishing touches—at one point, in the mountains of the Macedon Ranges in Victoria, recorded a string quartet (featured on “Fit to Burst,” “Always There,” “Sullen Leering Hope,” “Twere Ever Thus,” “Grand Final Day.”)

It’s danceable, depressive fun, with some relief: in “Always There” and “Sullen Leering Hope,” Modern Fiction’s faithful heart. “There’s a tendency in my writing, because of my world view, to be very bleak.” Tom explains. “A quality I don’t always see in myself and really appreciate in others is the courage to go on.” And yet, the record manages resiliency—enough for pop fans to fall in love with.

Wer sich Drunks Debütalbum ,A Derby Spiritual" aus dem Jahr 1996 noch einmal anhört, wird feststellen, dass es charmanter, sanfter und - wenn ich das so sagen darf - farbenfroher ist, als es sein stoischer Slow-Core-Ruf aus den 90ern vermuten lässt. Und man könnte sogar bemerken, dass Rick Alversons Stimme einen bisher ungeahnten, von Niederlagen gezeichneten Tom-Petty-Singsang aufweist. Der Sound der Band aus Richmond ist zweifellos zurückhaltend, knarrend und karg. Doch die Jahrzehnte haben diesem alten, traurigen Kerl einen wärmenden bernsteinfarbenen Schimmer verliehen. Das Black-Hole-Radio-Stück am Ende des atemberaubenden Openers ,Collarbone" scheint das Kommen von ,Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" vorherzusagen. Und hier in der seltsamen Gegenwart könnten Stücke wie ,Germany Skies", ,Gideon's Trumpet" und ,Gizmo" nahtlos in den heutigen Indie-Country-Boom eingefügt werden. Der seltsame Walzer aus Akkordeon und Geige in Stücken wie ,Indeliberate Matrimony" und ,Coming Home" klingt - wage ich es noch einmal zu sagen - wie Mellencamp aus der ,The Lonesome Jubilee"-Ära am Boden eines Fasses Schnaps. Alversons Lyrik schwankt zwischen dem hoffnungsvollen Nihilismus seines zeitgenössischen Songwriter- und Dichterkollegen aus Virginia, David Berman, und dem tiefgründigen Post-Beat-Minimalismus von Robert Creeley. Ich schwöre, wenn er in dem hoch-und-einsamen, von der Mundharmonika getragenen ,Window Sill" seufzt: ,I feel willy-nill/I pissed upon your window sill", klingt das im Lenderman'schen Sinne des Wortes verdammt romantisch. Im Rahmen des 30-jährigen Jubiläums von Jagjaguwar wird ,A Derby Spiritual", Jags zweite Veröffentlichung überhaupt, zum ersten Mal auf Vinyl gepresst. Ein drei Jahrzehnte langes Unrecht wird endlich wiedergutgemacht. Tatsächlich erscheinen im Rahmen der Feierlichkeiten zum 30-jährigen Jubiläum des Labels eine Handvoll dieser frühen Veröffentlichungen aus der Charlottesville-Ära von Jagjaguwar auf Vinyl.

Irish drone-doom-folk act One Leg One Eye, the project of founding Lankum member Ian Lynch and veteran noise monger George Brennan, announce their new album, CRONE, out on 1 May on AD 93.

Today the group share the first track on the album, ‘Many are my Names Besides’, on which they are joined by the elemental force that is legendary actor, performer, writer and director Olwen Fouéré (Operating Theatre) contributing vocals.

Olwen Fouéré comments:

“When Ian and George first approached me to work with them, they were already creating the Crone album as a sonic invocation of the ‘sovereignty goddess’, who personifies the land and the legitimacy to rule it, in her darkest and most terrifying form. As we spoke, the triple goddess figure of the Morrigan entered my mind, reinforced by a marked presence of crows every time we met. The Morrigan is essentially a war goddess, frequently appearing as a crow in a battlefield, a death prophet, a guardian of sovereignty, and a very powerful figure in Irish Mythology.

So I invoked her energy as a starting point, using text extracts that Ian sent me from the Ulster Cycle and other sources. The voice recording was done in one day, improvising the source material while the already composed music occupied my psyche through headphones.

Listening back, at this time in our world, I can only wonder at how much blood and war the Crone/ Crow of sovereignty is preparing to unleash now. Watch out.”

CRONE is the second album from Lynch and Brennan, following on from 2022’s slowburn slab of ambient grit, …And Take The Black Worm With Me. Bewildering, psychedelic and ultimately transcendental, the four tracks of One Leg One Eye’s CRONE shapeshift and morph endlessly in a coarse miasma. Traditional song structures and vocal melody are eschewed, instead the trio directly channel energies from the rich seams of mythological significance submerged below the Irish psyche. The anger, rage and beauty of the sovereignty goddess burn a consistent and deliberate line through the album in the form of obscure incantations and dire pronouncements, the gnarled sinews that bind it all together.

Just as the subject matter of the tracks delve deeper into Irish myth and the remote past, the temporal reality of the album reaches back into the bands prehistory, with the majority of it the material being recorded by Lynch and Brennan in 2021 before One Leg One Eye was conceived of as an entity with Brennan working on the CRONE project while Lynch worked on …And Take The Black Worm With Me.

When they were there they saw a lone woman coming to the door of the Hostel, after sunset, and seeking to be let in. As long as a weaver’s beam was each of her two shins, and they were as dark as the back of a stag-beetle. A greyish, wooly mantle she wore. Her lower hair used to reach as far as her knee. Her lips were on one side of her head.

She came and put one of her shoulders against the door-post of the house, casting the evil eye on the king and the youths who surrounded him in the Hostel. He himself addressed her from within.

"Well, O woman," says Conaire, "if thou art a wizard, what seest thou for us?"

"Truly I see for thee," she answers, "that neither fell nor flesh of thine shall escape from the place into which thou hast come, save what birds will bear away in their claws."

"It was not an evil omen we foreboded, O woman," saith he: "it is not thou that always augurs for us. What is thy name, O woman?"

"Calib," she answers.

"That is not much of a name," says Conaire.

"Lo, many are my names besides."

"Which be they?" asks Conaire.

"Easy to say," quoth she. "Samon, Sinand, Seisclend, Sodb, Caill, Coll, Díchóem, Dichiúil, Díthím, Díchuimne, Dichruidne, Dairne, Dáríne, Déruaine, Egem, Agam, Ethamne, Gním, Cluiche, Cethardam, Níth, Némain, Nóennen, Badb, Blosc, Bloár, Huae, óe Aife la Sruth, Mache, Médé, Mod."

On one foot, and holding up one hand, and breathing one breath she sang all that to them from the door of the house.

Nach Abschluss seiner gefeierten Neuaufnahmen der ersten sechs Alben von Modern Talking präsentiert Thomas Anders mit »The Best« 2026 die Essenz dieses besonderen Projekts: eine Sammlung der größten Hits in neuem Sound, ergänzt um die brandneue Single »The Best Is Yet To Come«, die als musikalisches Versprechen verstanden werden darf und das Kapitel dieser außergewöhnlichen Reise eindrucksvoll erweitert.

Mit dem Best-of-Album bündelt der Sänger erstmals die größten Hits aus seinen aufwendig neu interpretierten Modern-Talking- Klassikern auf einem Album.

Die Songs von Modern Talking haben Musikgeschichte geschrieben und zählen bis heute zu den erfolgreichsten deutschen Pop-Exporten aller Zeiten. Mit Welthits wie »You're My Heart, You're My Soul« oder »Cheri Cheri Lady« prägte das Duo den Sound der 80er-Jahre weit über Europa hinaus und erreichte ein Millionenpublikum von Südamerika bis Asien.

Dass diese Titel auch Jahrzehnte später nichts von ihrer Strahlkraft verloren haben, zeigt nicht zuletzt ihre ungebrochene Präsenz im Radio, auf Streaming-Plattformen und bei Konzerten rund um den Globus. »The Best« erscheint als hochwertiges Best-of-Album in verschiedenen Formaten und fasst die größten Momente dieses besonderen Projekts zusammen. Ein musikalisches Statement, das zeigt: Die Geschichte dieser Songs ist noch lange nicht zu Ende erzählt, denn das Beste kommt bekanntlich erst noch.
Tracklisting

All Day I Dream offers a soft and serene close to a snowy season with A Winter Sampler VII, a 12-track compilation out now. Continuing the label’s tradition of seasonal collections, the latest installment gathers a global cast of artists whose productions capture the reflective calm and subtle warmth that arrives as winter begins to thaw.

Work of Art is not merely a sophomore album; it is a victory lap run with the precision of a master artist. Following the stratospheric global ascent of his debut, Mr. Money with the Vibe, Asake faced the kind of pressure that usually demands a pivot. Instead, he treated that intensity like clay, sculpting a project that feels at once more expansive in scale and more intimate in spirit. Released in 2023, the album serves as a definitive statement on Asake’s sonic identity, deepening his signature fusion of Amapiano, Fuji-inspired percussion, and Afrobeats while moving with a newfound sense of deliberate poise.

If his debut was a high-octane sprint to introduce his sound to the world, Work of Art is a confident stroll through his own creative museum. Anchored once again by the masterful production of Magicsticks, the album serves as the perfect architectural space for Asake’s erratic, infectious flows. The record feels richly textured—brimming with pulsating log drums, soulful samples, and the specific, ecstatic chaos of Lagos nightlife. Asake successfully bridges the gap between traditional Yoruba heritage and the deep, percussive basslines of South African Amapiano, resulting in a sound that feels simultaneously ancestral and futuristic.

The project thrives on a unique duality: it is introspective, yet undeniably club-ready. Tracks like "Amapiano," featuring Olamide, provide the anthemic energy his fans crave, while cuts like "Basquiat" showcase a lyrical swagger that frames his life as high art set to a relentless four-on-the-floor beat. By leaning into his "Mr. Money" persona with added vulnerability and a clearer focus on the craftsmanship of his vocal delivery, Asake avoids the dreaded sophomore slump entirely. He proves that he isn't just making pop songs; he is curating a moment. Ultimately, Work of Art captures the feeling of an artist standing at the peak of his powers, looking out at the landscape he has helped reshape, and confirming that, indeed, he belongs there. It is not about reinventing the wheel—it’s about proving that the wheel he built is a masterpiece.

Wenn Daniel Benyamin Musik schreibt, geht es nie nur darum, schöne Lieder zu komponieren. Es steht immer eine umfassendere Idee im Vordergrund - ein übergreifendes Konzept, eine Perspektive, durch die er bestimmte Aspekte des Lebens reflektiert. Mit seinem zweiten Soloalbum geht er jedoch über einzelne Themen hinaus und richtet seinen Blick auf das Leben als Ganzes: das Leben nach der Musik. Ein kleines Studio, hoch oben auf einer Klippe am Fuße des Olymp. Vollkommene Einsamkeit. Nur in der Ferne gibt es einen schwachen Hinweis auf Leben. Klingt so absolute Stille? ,Dolphin Palace" ist der Name des Ortes, an dem ,Life After Music" entstanden ist. Das Ergebnis ist ,Life After Music", ein Doppelalbum, unterteilt in vier thematische Seiten, das am 15. Mai 2026 über Ghost Palace Records erscheinen wird.