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Fresh one on Music With Soul - a channel for hot 7"s that always fly out here. TIP!

"Two and a half frenetic minutes that sound like Aphex Twin and The Incredible Bongo Band dancing Capoeira in the early hours of an illegal rave, somewhere in the deep amazon forest. After the success of his first solo 45, Alex Figueira comes back to the aesthetics of the early Fumaça Preta, with an utterly bonkers 45 that can only be described as an “in-your-face acid macumba techno breakbeat funk freakout”.

The flip side contains a haunting Psychedelic ballad, with the sweet vocals of Maddie Ruthless, from NY’s leading Lovers Reggae sensation, The Far East. Equally trippy and beautiful, the soothing sounds of the Wurlitzer piano and the electric sitar will be bouncing in your head for hours after first listen. The kind of song that finds collectors dropping eye-popping sums, decades after the original release. Guarantee your retirement now by getting a few copies! The song “Maracas” is the main theme of the movie “Maracas, tambourines and other hellish things” directed by fellow record nerds Matteo Fava and Dave Potsma. They managed to convince Figueira to play the main character, and later on, to do the complete music score. The movie tells the story of a struggling underground musician / part time record store clerk, whose music career is basically going nowhere until an improbable encounter gives his life a dramatic turn. They asked Figueira to give them something with “a fresh tropicalized take on Blacksploitation”. One might argue, after listening to the insanity carved on the grooves of this piece of vinyl, that he certainly did deliver.

The characteristic mix of synthesizers and heavy percussion used by Figueira in almost all his projects, gains here a somewhat freer dimension, embracing the chaos openly, without ever neglecting the groove, nor the ancestry axis. Values that are at the core of the label. Even while laying down all the instruments himself, Figueira has managed to capture the same out of control tropical psychedelic spirit of his former band, Fumaça Preta. Fans of the group’s outfit will certainly be rejoiced by this new release.

The flip carries “Grasping & Wishing”, an evocative Psych ballad that retains the same tripped-out flair of the A side, while slowing down the tempo considerably with a decidedly african 6/8 beat. Sung by New Orleans’ own “Rocksteady Queen”, Maddie Ruthless, stepping out of her classic Reggae background, to grace the track with her beautiful voice, permeating the issues of belonging, doubt and introspective reflection portrayed in the lyrics, with a thin layer of exquisite fragility that will comfort your ears.

The production includes a significant number of sound effects, ranging from different types of percussion performed with liquids to bamboo flutes of different sizes and several layers of multiprocessed electric Sitar tracks. Listen carefully and you will discover new sonic nounces every time you put the record on."

New Yorker Singer-Songwriter entdeckt den Westcoast-Sound. Das 2019 erschienene Album "The Unseen In Between" etablierte den amerikanischen Musiker Steve Gunn als einen Großmeister des US-Songwritings - mit seinem neuen Album "Other You" unterstreicht er nun diesen Anspruch. Gunn, der ursprünglich aus Pennsylvania stammt und mittlerweile in Brooklyn lebt, ist für die Aufnahmen zu seinem neuen Album an die Westküste gereist. Das passt perfekt, denn seine Musik ist der ideale Soundtrack für Roadtrips von der Ostküste an die Westküste des Landes. Sein fein destillierter Sound lässt sich dabei zwischen Roots Rock, Americana, Folk und Jazz treiben. Steve Gunn ist Traditionalist und Suchender zugleich. Zumeist geht er nur mit losen Ideen ins Studio, bei denen er am Anfang nie so genau weiß, wo sie ihn am Ende hinführen werden. Ähnlich gestaltete sich das auch dieses Mal. Sein sechstes Studioalbum "Other You" nahm Steve Gunn zusammen mit Produzentenlegende Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Kurt Vile) in dessen Mant Studios in Los Angeles Ende 2020 und Anfang 2021 auf. Schnapf hat großen Anteil an der Entstehung dieses Albums. Er schüttelte nicht nur das Soundbett auf, sondern mischte auch Steve Gunns Stimme in den Vordergrund, um den poetischen Lyrics des Songwriters die richtige Bühne zu bieten. Mit Hilfe von befreundeten Musikern wie Juliana Barwick, Mary Lattimore, Bridget St. John, Jeff Parker, Bill MacKay, Ben Bertrand und dem Schlagzeuger Ryan Sawyer (TV On The Radio, Thurston Moore, Gang Gang Dance) entstand mit "Other You" ein Album, mit dem Steve Gunn nicht nur die Grenzen von Genres auslotet, sondern auch seine eigenen.

A nice collection to relax in a warm and cosy musical atmosphere

Paladin were a British progressive rock band which released two albums during their short existence (1970-1973). They played in venues across the UK as they worked to develop their sound, performing a mix of rock, blues, soul, jazz, and Latin music. In 1971, Paladin entered the Olympic Studios in London to record their eponymous self-titled first album. The reviews were good, but the sales were disappointing. The album comes across as a smorgasbord sampling of what the era had to offer with a few original twists and turns. As diverse as it is, Paladin’s infectious rhythms and strong melodies pull the album together, and the excitement never lets up.

Paladin is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on silver coloured vinyl.

• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• GATEFOLD SLEEVE
• LIMITED EDITION OF 1000 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON SILVER COLOURED VINYL

Repressed !

Luca Cazal & Josh Baker kickstart Richy Ahmed’s new vinyl focused imprint, Back 2 Black, with a brace of intergalactic tracks. The new label’s first release also features a remix from British electronic stalwart, Radioactive Man.

Cazal remains a central figure within the house & techno community; his DJ residency at Circoloco is longstanding and releases for labels like Crosstown Rebels, Classic Music Company, his own See Double label, and Richy Ahmed’s Four Thirty Two imprint have marked out his production prowess and ear for a good groove. Josh Baker has been rising up the ranks over the last few years, with releases for Ben Rau’s META label, Locus and his own You&Me label.

On ‘Organ Nuke’, Cazal & Baker dip into the kind of spacey techno house that was forged by Detroit pioneers Underground Resistance, as funky percussion and organ stabs are coupled with dreamy pads and cosmic tones. ‘Rocket Ship’ continues these themes, with heavy 909 drums anchoring a cheeky acid bassline and flashes of cosmogonic sound.

British DJ & producer, Radioactive Man, has long since been at the coalface of electronic music’s leftfield. As one half of Two Lone Swordsman (with the late, great Andrew Weatherall), and multiple aliases for his industrious flow of releases, the revered producer injects a heavy dose of classy electro and Drexciyan vibes into ‘Rocket Ship’. Rolling breaks unfurl in the electro beats as head scrambling keys and rasping bass stimulate the senses for a funkin’ body poppin’ workout.

New York City 4-piece deliver a modern blues rock masterclass on their feisty debut album.

“A timeless classic rock sound that revels in lean riffs and raw emotion.” – Afropunk

In an age where artistic merit is awarded to those who shout the loudest, Dakota Jones pride themselves on an unwavering ability to leave a lasting impression. Spearheaded by Tristan Carter-Jones fierce and unashamedly uncensored songwriting, the band’s fast-growing reputation as formidable live act has stamped Dakota Jones with the hell-hath-no-fury power of Chaka Khan, the wild spontaneity of Janis Joplin, and the honey-dripping sensuality of Marvin Gaye. Their debut album’s message of proud black heritage and triumphant queerness manifests itself in Carter-Jones’ ability to challenge norms of adulthood and femininity as she takes a deep dive into some of life’s most visceral emotions.

Tristan Carter-Jones: “I’m a black, queer woman expressing myself through love and music. Some folks still find that to be a transgressive act in and of itself. I work to fight that idea. I write a lot about my
Continued over…
sexuality and the ways in which I express it. Songs about sex and love bounce back and forth between songs about heartache, hangovers and self-medication, and the pleasure and pain of truly finding yourself. I don’t think we get to hear these things from a woman’s mouth as often as we should.”

Serving as an instant tone setter, the album opens with the line "Stretch marks from growing pains" with Carter-Jones lamenting the woes of adjusting to adulthood on lead single ‘Did It To Myself’ - her husky and commanding vocal instantly asserting its place in the spotlight. The atmosphere soon turns steamy on the flirtatious title track ‘Blacklight,’ whilst fantasising over a modern-day Bonnie & Clyde love affair the funk-laden ‘We Playin Bad Games’ packs a punch with its tale of free spirits entwined in a haze of late-night revelry.

Elsewhere, stories of caustic heartache twist the knife into wounded blues guitar riffs on ‘Like That’ and ‘Black Magic (That Power)’, in which Carter-Jones’s stoical voice never once faulters as she mourns the memories of a previous flame. Personal prayer ‘Lord Please’ recites empowered words of reassurance, and solidarity in the face of injustice erupts into a rallying cry for change on the classic sounding ‘Noise’ – written as a reaction to the 2016 US election. “I woke up after the election feeling pure panic and fear in my body,” remembers Tristan. “I wanted people in a place of privilege to stand up for what I was feeling, stand up for injustice, stand up for all of the things we need to change as a country. I wanted their rage, and I wanted their noise.”

Finally, the band’s tender tropes of togetherness eventually boil into gritty, guitar-slung balladry on hidden bonus track, ‘California,’ where, knees buckling under the weight of past trials and tribulations, Carter-Jones sets out on one final journey of self-discovery, hastily pulling out from reality and leaving only a dust cloud in her wake.

Production comes courtesy of the Grammy-winning John Wooler, ex Virgin Records A+R and founder of the Blues label Pointblank who has worked with everyone from John Lee Hooker and John Hammond to Isaac Hayes and Van Morrison. The album also features a wealth of hugely talented and accomplished musicians, including backing vocalist Kudisan Kai, former backing vocalist for the likes of Elton John, Chaka Khan, Anita Baker, Natalie Cole, Beck, Sting, Mary J. Blige and Jill Scott. Also present; Grammy winning keyboardist Jon Gilutin, who has spent years working with some of the industry’s most respected and iconic artists including Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Lady Gaga, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Jackson Browne, Celine Dion, Bonnie Rait and Carole King. You’ll also hear the talents of acclaimed guitarist Michael Toles. Most well-known for being a part of the Stax Records group The Bar Kays, and for his contributions on famous records by Issac Hayes, Al Green, BB King, Johnny Taylor, Rufus Thomas, Albert King to name just a few.

Dakota Jones are a rising funk, soul and blues rock band from Brooklyn, New York City. Comprising of Tristan Carter-Jones (vocals), Scott Kramp (bass) Steve Ross (drums), and acclaimed musician Randy Jacobs (guitar) - former member of Was(Not Was) who has recorded for Seal, Bonnie Raitt, Tears for Fears, Elton John and many others. Though Carter-Jones and Ross first met in 1999 whilst at primary school, the band formed years later following a series of home jam sessions in 2016. The band’s collective alias originates from Carter-Jones’s middle name, ‘Dakota’. Dakota Jones have since released a string of acclaimed singles and EPs as well as received international attention for their track, ‘Have Mercy’ after it featured on Netflix’s 2019 film, Always Be My Maybe starring Ali Wong and Randall Park – and now after years of hard work and determination, the band are finally set to reveal their long awaited debut album. “We’d been regularly releasing EPs, waiting for our chance to come, and wondering what that would look like,” says Carter-Jones. “We didn’t realise until we started making this record that we needed to stop waiting for some break to come along, and just do it ourselves, independently.”

“Black Light really dives into a place of funk soul and everything that comes with it. There’s joy and dancing, sleek guitar licks and funky bass slaps. There’s pain and longing, and there’s the feeling of relief when you come out of that place and find your joy and purpose again. Black Light is my story.”

New Kscope CD Edition Of 1997 Top 30 Album This Strange Engine
“Atmospheric, melodic music that played to all of that band’s strengths... Marillion’s finest album of the last 15 years” - Classic Rock Marillion formed in 1979 and have sold over 15 million albums worldwide.
Rightly regarded as legends of progressive rock, the band have continued to evolve and have been keen to embrace the possibilities of the internet, using innovative ways to interact with listeners resulting in an incredibly loyal legion of fans around the world.
Originally released in 1997, ‘This Strange Engine’ was a top 30 hit in the UK and reached #10 in the NL album charts. The album features the singles “Man Of A Thousand Faces” and “80 Days” and shows the band exploring a revitalized sound featuring more acoustic elements.
‘This Strange Engine’ is the first of three recordings that Marillion made on a contract with Castle between departing EMI in 1995 and eventually going independent in 2000. Widely regarded as one of the most well produced Marillion albums, it finds the band in transition, ditching some of the lengthier compositions of previous albums in favour of a more succinct, commercial sound.

Limited 7inch vinyl with a risograph hand-printed poster. Be sure to get in
fast as these will sell out. Gatefold jacket.
Death Racer is the first single from Auckland via Berlin cyborg rockers,
Data Animal.
The latest signing to Oliver Ackermann’s (A Place to Bury Strangers / Death by
Audio) new label, Dedstrange, Data Animal’s sound is said to be a mix of the
harsher sides of No-Wave, industrial and techno but in rock n roll format.
Taking sonic influence from groups like Suicide, Throbbing Gristle, Spaceman 3
and Boris, Death Racer deals with themes of nihilism, narcissism and the death
drive within a digital context.
Analogue rock is turned into full out digital and chemical annihilation as kick
drums slam up giant detuned synths and walls of fuzz. Mastered by NYC noise
legend Oliver Ackermann, Death Racer is Data Animal’s algorithm bug seeking
to destroy.

Leeds art-rock outfit Mush return with new single "Peak Bleak" on limited edition green vinyl. Never ones to rest on their laurels, Peak Bleak is the immediate follow up to their hugely acclaimed second album "Lines Redacted", and sees Mush further exploring the outer reaches of art-rock with the coruscating wit and unique delivery that has become their trademark.

Get on Down is proud to present A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, the debut album by Black Sheep, available for the first time ever as double vinyl release. On the initial release of this classic it was 'The Choice Is Yours' that blew the roof off with even the most of novice rap fans gravitating to the song's energy. The cut has gone on to be featured in a long list of films and commercials (including the KIA campaign with the hip hop hamsters). Singles like 'The Choice Is Yours' and 'Flavor of the Month' made a perfect landing strip for those to delve deeper into the duo's debut. Often humorous ('Strobelite Honey'), often serious ('Black with No N.V (No Vision)', Black Sheep were able to craft an album that displayed their witty sensibilities while also staying conscious in true Native Tongue form. From the moment the album starts with Prince Paul introducing the 'lowlifes of the family tree' you know you are in for something special....and different. Mista Lawnge's production is every bit as textured as fellow counter parts Tribe or De La, while standing out as being completely original and fresh. Tracks like 'Butt in the Meantime', 'Try Counting Sheep' and 'La Menage (Featuring Q Tip)' are great examples of the duo's original style - complex layered beats (everything from Jazz, Soul and Rock all meshed together perfectly) to compliment Dres' distinct voice and word play. With other standout album cuts like 'For Those That Slept' and 'To Who It May Concern' it seemed as if they had an endless bag of treats, each offering something different while preserving the groups style. Polar opposite to what other groups at the time were doing, Black Sheep hit a homerun with their debut that few hip hop acts would ever reach. VH1 called 'The Choice Is Yours' one of the Top 100 Hip Hop tracks of all time and with not one bad or filler track, this full album certainly ranks as one of the best hip hop releases of the 90s.

Hassle Hindsight if a new sub label of Hassle Records, created to facilitate the occasional one off re-issues of releases and records from the past that the people at the label have loved and still love. Having already reissued Reef's debut 'Replenish', Kerbdog's self titled and the critically acclaimed 'On The Turn', and Skindred's much loved 2007 album 'Roots Rock Riot' - the latest release comes from UK industrial rockers Pitchshifter, with their fan favourite album 'dot, originally released in 1998.

Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter and former frontman of The Ugly Americans and The Scabs, Bob Schneider has become one of the most celebrated musicians in the live music capital. Combined with his scruffy good looks and diverse musicals styles, Schneider's talent has defied genres. Combing elements of funk, country, rock, and folk with the more traditional singer/songwriter aesthetic, Schneider draws inspiration from the '70s with a modern twist reminiscent of Beck. His powerful lyrics tackle tough subjects about alienation, drug addiction, and lost romance. Schneider has won more than 59 Austin Music Awards including Best Album, Best Songwriter, Best Musician, and Best Male Vocals making him the most decorated artist in Austin music history. Schneider's fan base reaches far beyond the city limits of Austin. He started gaining national recognition when released 2001's Lonelyland, his major-label debut for Universal Records, followed by 2004's I'm Good Now. Since leaving Universal, Schneider went on to release more award-winning albums under Vanguard and began releasing "side projects" on his label, Shockorama Records. He has released more than a dozen albums and doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. Schneider and his team will be releasing a new record 'In A Roomful Of Blood with A Sleeping Tiger' dropping in August 2021 as well numbers live shows all throughout Texas.

Mega Bog (der kosmopolitische Moniker der Musikerin/Künstlerin Erin Birgy) wendet sich von von der schwülen Atmosphäre der Grünlilien-Plantage des Vorgängeralbums "Dolphine" (2019) ab und bringt uns mit "Life, And Another" zurück auf unseren Heimatplaneten, in den dünnen Luftdruck eines Wüstentals, wo die vierzehn Songs geschrieben und wie Steine in der Landschaft verstreut wurden, jeder einzelne ein kostbares Juwel, das Birgy gemeißelt hat. Es ist eine weitere fantastische Off-World-Übertragung und ihr bisher anspruchsvollstes, forschendstes und zugänglichstes Statement. "Life, And Another" inszeniert ein halb-fiktionalisiertes Drama im Inneren des Ichs, mit Szenen kollektiver Sehnsucht auf der Bowlingbahn, Auseinandersetzungen über eine aufgeblähte Erinnerung außerhalb der Bar und einsamen Kreisen auf der Terrasse, die in sturer Ehrfurcht über den Hof hinausschauen. Diese Erinnerungen, sowohl aus der Vergangenheit als auch aus der Zukunft, sprudeln das ganze Album hindurch und präsentieren ihre Charaktere als neue Einträge in das Mega Bog Book of Symbols. Zusammen mit dem Co-Produzenten, Tontechniker und Perkussionisten James Krivchenia (BIG THIEF) lebte Erin Birgy in einer kleinen Hütte in der Nähe des Rio Grande und war zwischen ihren Tourneeplänen oft allein. In diesen Isolationen erlebte sie den teilweisen Verlust des "bekannten" Selbst inmitten der Weite. Aufgenommen in mehreren Sessions in verschiedenen Studios enthält "Life, And Another" instrumentale Beiträge von langjährigen und neuen Mitstreitern, darunter Aaron Otheim, Zach Burba, Will Segerstrom, Matt Bachmann, Andrew Dorset von Lake, James Krivchenia von Big Thief, Meg Duffy von Hand Habits, Jade Tcimpidis, Alex Liebman und die Co-Engineers Geoff Treager und Phil Hartunian. Ihre Hörer wissen inzwischen, dass sie MEGA BOG vertrauen können, dass sie kontinuierlich in tiefere und wildere, spirituelle Pop-Gefilde geführt werden. Flirrende Piano-Glissandi, eindringliche psychische Hintergrundstimmen und Tequila-inspirierte Improvisationen schleichen und kriechen über die dunkle Nacht-der-Seele-Rock'n'Roll-Traumlandschaft, bevor sie verschwinden, um Platz zu machen für Beschwörungen von stiller Klarheit und lebendig-atmenden Instrumentalpassagen. In "Life, And Another" verwandelt Mega Bog die brutale Schwere der Welt in den kollektiven Kampf des Lebens.

The latest entry in the ongoing series of exciting collaborations sees the Turkish free form ensemble KONSTRUKT live on stage with THURSTON MOORE.

# 5 in the continuing series of KONSTRUKT collaborations on KARL is a live document of the concert by the Turkish freeform group with THURSTON MOORE. KONSTRUKT, the Istanbul based free jazz / freeform group founded and led by UMUT ÇAĞLAR and KORHAN FUTACI, are known for their openness to and interest in collaborations – and regularly meet up and perform with new partners that range from JOE McPHEE, WILLIAM PARKER, AKIRA SAKATA, MARSHALL ALLEN, EVAN PARKER, ALEXANDER HAWKINS, KEN VANDERMARK or OTOMO YOSHIHIDE. This latest release sees the quartet join forces with one of the indie rock icons: THURSTON MOORE, who besides his decade-long main band SONIC YOUTH always found time and inspiration for solo projects and collaborations of different kinds.

"Turkish Belly", recorded live at SalonIKSV in Istanbul in february last year, is as adventurous and daring as one will expect from such a pairing and a highly rewarding experience for the fans of KONSTRUKT and those of MOORE alike.

[a] 01: Yapayalnız (Gezerler Sokaklarda) [Live] [feat. Thurston Moore]
[b] 02: Sis (Live) [feat. Thurston Moore]
[c] 03: Kurtadam, Pt. I (Live) [feat. Thurston Moore]
[d] 04: Kurtadam, Pt. II (Live) [feat. Thurston Moore]
[e] 05: Zor (Live) [feat. Thurston Moore]
[f] 06: Uğultular (Live) [feat. Thurston Moore]

Cole Pulice is a saxophone player from Minneapolis. An improviser of Ambient Jazz who earned his merits touring with Bon Iver, working with Godspeed You! Black Emperor and releasing wonderful electroacoustic gems with the groups Iceblink (Moon Glyph) and LCM (Orange Milk). With Gloam - his solo debut - Cole Pulice offers us six spacious audio holograms, one-take recordings of his saxophone entangled with live electronic hardware. We hear undulating pitch shifters, ring modulations and spectrally rich harmonizers. Cole applies all signal processing live, augmenting the calm, serene melodies Cole plays on his saxophone. The electronics never serve as a mere effect here. Instead, Cole’s fine-tuned setup functions as one whole instrument with which he effortlessly morphs shapes and colors, like fractals within a kaleidoscope or fragments of stained glass in a rock tumbler. Cole mentions the Synchromism visual art movement as an influence for this record, an American avantgarde style of the early 20th century in which colour and sound were treated as equivalents. It’s a spot-on analogy for these musical gems which serve to immerse us in imaginatory prisms. Cole’s sessions conjoin artificial processes with the vibrations of his breath to create electro-acoustic lullabies which reveal ever more timbral layers with each listen. Gloam was released on tape by the Moon Glyph imprint from Portland during the first lockdown in 2020 and has been licensed to Pingipung for this vinyl edition.

‘Headsoup’ is a new compilation that deepens the legend of mysterious Swedish psych collective Goat even further. Collecting rarities from across band’s celebrated career, including standalone singles, B-sides, digital edits and two enormous brand new tracks, it’s a globetrotting acid trip of a record that’s even bigger in its scope than their acclaimed studio LPs.From the incendiary heavy psych of their earliest work, like debut B-side ‘The Sun And Moon’, to the serene ‘Requiem’-era alternate take ‘Union Of Mind And Soul’, to the simmering menace of their latest material, it’s a record as multifaceted as Goat themselves, packed with detours in every conceivable direction.Taking in jazz-flute solos, pounding Afrobeat rhythms, ferocious desert blues, drifting Ethio-jazz, this is, as the name of Goat’s first album made clear, ‘World Music’ in its most complete form, a sound unrestrained by genre boundaries. Yet the band are anything but lazy appropriators. They approach their forebears with upmost reverence, articulating a celebratory cultural cross-pollination.And what about these two new tracks? ‘Fill My Mouth’ is a scuzzy psychedelic funk knockout, the sleaziest thing the band have ever recorded. ‘Queen Of The Underground’, meanwhile, is truly herculean, a swaggering psychedelic powerhouse of the very highest order.Sometimes dark and heavy, at others joyous and beautiful, like Goat themselves ‘Headsoup’ is mysterious, and constantly shapeshifting, difficult to properly pin down but constantly enthralling. Almost a decade since they first emerged from the depths of Scandinavia, there is still no other band on earth that sounds quite like them.

Bram Weijters' Crazy Men is a thrilling take on Belgian jazz-rock and fusion from the 1970s.Consisting of musicians from a wide array of contemporary jazz bands including Lucid Lucia (ex BRZZVLL), Dans Dans, STUFF. and Cargo Mas, the ensemble is led by Antwerp based piano and keyboard player, Bram Weijters.

Somewhere Different is Brandee Younger’s major label debut album, out August 13th on impulse! Brandee composed and recorded the album in New York City and at the legendary Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey from November 2020 to February 2021. Somewhere Different evokes nostalgic Black soul, informed by pioneering harpists Alice Coltrane and Dorothy Ashby as well as ‘90s R&B groups like SWV and Xscape. Side A is introspective and downtempo, soundtracking months of isolation during the pandemic, while side B includes raucous rock arrangements and more vigorous tracks. Features Allan Mednard on drums and Rashaan Carter on bass, with appearances by legendary bassist Ron Carter, trumpeter Maurice Brown, tenor saxophonist Chelsea Baratz, flutist Anne Drummond and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Ron Carter on “Olivia Benson” and “Beautiful is Black”. Tarriona “Tank” Ball (from Tank and the Bangas) on “Pretend”

New Yorker Singer-Songwriter entdeckt den Westcoast-Sound. Das 2019 erschienene Album "The Unseen In Between" etablierte den amerikanischen Musiker Steve Gunn als einen Großmeister des US-Songwritings - mit seinem neuen Album "Other You" unterstreicht er nun diesen Anspruch. Gunn, der ursprünglich aus Pennsylvania stammt und mittlerweile in Brooklyn lebt, ist für die Aufnahmen zu seinem neuen Album an die Westküste gereist. Das passt perfekt, denn seine Musik ist der ideale Soundtrack für Roadtrips von der Ostküste an die Westküste des Landes. Sein fein destillierter Sound lässt sich dabei zwischen Roots Rock, Americana, Folk und Jazz treiben. Steve Gunn ist Traditionalist und Suchender zugleich. Zumeist geht er nur mit losen Ideen ins Studio, bei denen er am Anfang nie so genau weiß, wo sie ihn am Ende hinführen werden. Ähnlich gestaltete sich das auch dieses Mal. Sein sechstes Studioalbum "Other You" nahm Steve Gunn zusammen mit Produzentenlegende Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Kurt Vile) in dessen Mant Studios in Los Angeles Ende 2020 und Anfang 2021 auf. Schnapf hat großen Anteil an der Entstehung dieses Albums. Er schüttelte nicht nur das Soundbett auf, sondern mischte auch Steve Gunns Stimme in den Vordergrund, um den poetischen Lyrics des Songwriters die richtige Bühne zu bieten. Mit Hilfe von befreundeten Musikern wie Juliana Barwick, Mary Lattimore, Bridget St. John, Jeff Parker, Bill MacKay, Ben Bertrand und dem Schlagzeuger Ryan Sawyer (TV On The Radio, Thurston Moore, Gang Gang Dance) entstand mit "Other You" ein Album, mit dem Steve Gunn nicht nur die Grenzen von Genres auslotet, sondern auch seine eigenen.

LA-based rockers The Bronx return for their sixth studio album 'Bronx VI' which comes out worldwide on Cooking Vinyl August 27th. Bronx VI builds on the legacy The Bronx has established in its near two-decade existence, but which definitely proves the door to what’s next has not just been kicked down, but chopped up and burned to a cinder. Yes, the first four tracks – “White Shadow”, “Superbloom”, “Watering The Well” and “Curb Feelers” – bristles with the wild and untamed energy that’s defined the band from the off, but then – all of a sudden, as “Peace Pipe” kicks in – the pace and mood shifts to something a little less aggressive. Elsewhere, “Mexican Summer” and its (relatively) chilled-out mariachi vibes serve as an homage to the band’s alter-ego, Mariachi El Bronx (and was written while that incarnation of the band was on tour), while fatalistic closer “Participation Trophy” masks the Caughthran’s existential dread behind searing riffs and a catchy, defiant and exuberant melody. “The feelings I got when writing for this sixth record is the same type of feeling I got writing “Heart Attack American”. It all comes from the same place and it’s all still 100% genuine and real. Believe me – I’m still feeling the raw emotion that I felt when this band first started. That’s just who I am, that’s who we are as people. You can’t fake stuff like that when it comes to music or art. You have to stay connected. You’ve just got to be real” - Matt Caughthran, vocalist. Bronx VI was produced by Joe Baressi (Melvins, Tool, Bad Religion).