Cerca:lame

Recorded in 2022 for the BBC Gideon Coe show whom put The Delines previous album The Sea Drift as his best album of 2022.

This is the band"s first Christmas track, and a classic Willy Vlautin one it is too, released just in time to battle it out for a Christmas Number 1. The single features two other exclusive tracks that will also not feature on the next album.

A Tribe Called Quest wurde 1985 in Queens, New York City, gegründet und bestand ursprünglich aus dem Rapper und Hauptproduzenten Q-Tip, dem Rapper Phife Dawg, dem DJ und Koproduzenten Ali Shaheed Muhammad und dem Rapper Jarobi White. Alle sechs Alben der Gruppe wurden mit Gold oder Platin ausgezeichnet. ATCQ gilt als eine der innovativsten und künstlerischsten Rap-Formationen der 1990er Jahre.

Circular patterns morphing through time, loop and ritual form the fabric of Proserpine, the latest work by Leeds-based musician, Teresa Winter. Recorded from a summer to a winter through 2021 and 2022, Proserpine is Winter's most cohesive, focused music to date: confidently revelling in space, fixating on isolated sounds and giving way to satisfying, swirling waves of vocal and electronic buzz. Proserpine is Teresa Winter's debut recording for Glasgow-based label, Night School.

On Proserpine, musical patterns revolve and intersect with each other, transmogrifying the music's narrative. Over-arching themes emerge: continual change, elusiveness. Insubstantiality emerges into concrete reality in the form of recognisable field recordings: the purring of a pet cat, the hum of a live cable. The loops and patterns are sometimes just out of sight, the click and whirl on Child Of Nature is the backdrop to hymnal vocalisations by Winter, who intones spell-like text in conversation with herself. On opener Circles, Winter's vocal is pre-linguistic, detached syllables falling into flowing streams, before Plume's field recordings seem to juxtapose nocturnal and diurnal wildlife. "You said I was a Flower Of The Mountain" sings Winter, as James Joyce's Molly Bloom does but the carpe diem desire in Ulysses is dissipated here, spread out by gauzy, droning organs. Here desire is blown up and out, changed into something undefinable but no less powerful.

Change is at the heart of the album. The Roman goddess Proserpine, herself a reimagined version of the earlier Greek goddess Persephone, is always between: between summer and winter, the land of the living and the underworld, constantly emerging into new states of being. It's a fitting metaphor for Winter's work. Like an Apple feels like it soundtracks this in-between state, long, trailing reverb smudging synth keys and Winter's achingly beautiful vocal performance. The effect is stirring but flitting in and out of perception, sometimes Winter's presence feels of this world, of musical instruments and practises and at others it feels like the music is about to phase into a different plane, a different universe.

While Proserpine references the myths and cults of the classical, pre-Christian era, Winter's restless preoccupation with the mechanics of religion informs the album in other ways. Ritual is present through out, either in the mantra-like vocalisations or even the private rituals we are invited to witness: on Fireworks the listener eave drops into the protagonist's private bonfire. On the stunning Lamento, layers of Choral vocal interlock in celestial patterns that recall catholic mass: it's an overt effect that simulates the ecstasy of religious fervour and also reminds the listener of the use of vocal that runs through Proserpine. Winter's vocals often echo with the euphoria of obliteration, of disintegrating in an awful bliss. It's an effect achieved with finality by the closer New Water as the piece begins with voice before burning up in the atmosphere of elegiac violins and enveloping undertows of whirring synth patterns and ghostly pads. Proserpine is forever turning, changing, always elusive and quietly revelatory.

There are few instruments more uniquely suited to capturing the beauty and ennui of the rural American midwest than the acoustic steel-string guitar. In the hands of a master, the range of evocable emotion and experience is truly limitless. Daniel Hecht is one such master. His 1973 self-released debut album, simply titled Guitar, is an indispensable piece of the endless puzzle that is instrumental Guitar Soli music.

Guitar was written and recorded while Hecht was living and working on a commune in Madison, Wisconsin. In between harvesting his own food and studying the music of Andrés Segovia and Mississippi John Hurt, Hecht found himself playing host to legendary itinerant street performer, Moondog.

On Moondog’s insistent urging, Daniel decided to record some of his recent guitar compositions. Released on his own Dragon’s Egg imprint, Guitar fused Hecht’s complex classical preoccupations with his country folk influences. The album eventually found a fan with guitar godhead, John Fahey, who eventually helped land Hecht on the eminent new age/ instrumental label, Windham Hill.

As Hecht’s playing and composition grew in complexity, he found peership with labelmates like Michael Hedges, William Ackerman, and Alex DeGrassi. But it is his debut album that remains the greatest document of Hecht’s talent and ambition in first bloom. A rolling, blissful trip through rural America, guided by the ambitious hand of a guitar master. Morning Trip is elated to release this gorgeous and seminal document of acoustic exploration on vinyl for the first time since its initial 1973 offering.

On Side A, smile your way through two songs by The Teacher Haters — in fact, we challenge you to get through these tracks without smiling. Even the name of the band invokes a chuckle as it suggests what these guys are about — and that’s the P-A-R-T-Y. Straight out of the 60s comes a group that could have been played with Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs back in the day. These whimsical works are deceptively deep as they take us to a time when garage punk fused with R&B.

Big Pig Alley is uncomplicated, and that’s what makes it great — it sounds like a bunch of college guys having a good time, writing lyrics on the spot: “If you’re lookin’ for romance, take a train, take a plane...or a raft to France.” The guys have something other than romance on their minds as they chug along on acoustic guitar and trash can drums (and possibly other things). What really makes the track, though, is the witchy background voice — the performance is loose enough, while the witch is doing his own thing entirely.

The witch returns on the second track on Side 1 in the up-tempo, dance-ready Cut Loose. No obscure artistry here — these guys tell you exactly what the song is for in the title. In fact, just in case you missed it, they state their thesis in the opening lines: “I wanna shake all night, I wanna do it right, I wanna dance, dance, dance with you…” All of their collegiate effort is put toward getting you to move your hips in this groovy, rockabilly-flavored mix.

Let's talk about Side B...

We Got A Thing is up first — a crossover soul dancer that invites you to sing along with an infectious, call-and-response chorus. It pairs nicely with The Teacher Haters as fun, simple party music from the 60s — though this time from a female perspective.

Things go deeper with Guys Today. As the name suggests, the content is about the enduring tension between the sexes and the heartbreak it can lead to. It’s a deep soul beat ballad in the vein of Betty Wright or Helene Smith. A grand opening is followed by a clear, crisp female vocal that brings the singer’s lament into focus. The band is tight, and it all comes together to portray a woman who has made up her mind and is offering a warning about guys today: I know you love your man, but I know they will hurt you in every way they can.

At first glance, these artists seem to share only a few things in common — party-themed music conceived in the 60s with an R&B flavor. But between sides A and B, it feels like these groups are talking to each other — perhaps different perspectives of the same party. Perhaps the party itself and then the fallout. The result is a balanced EP release that feels whole and satisfying. We hope you feel the same as we proudly present these found recordings as an exclusive 12” on 180 gram vinyl. Please enjoy.

Stefan Vincent is set to release his first solo EP on newly founded Boomstraat 1818. Following his contribution on the label's previous release, the Dutch producer has crafted four tracks in his signature style. The A-side provides two club-ready tracks, leaving the B-side to take on a more restrained approach, offering two deeper cuts. ‘Yearning Echoes’ is a high-energy track with filtered stabs and aggressive hihats, clocking in at 138 bpm. In contrast, ‘Merest Hint Of A Pulse’ takes the tempo down a notch and offers a multi-layered percussion-based tool. On the B-side, 'Silent Observer' takes a deeper and introspective route with its hypnotic rhythms and subtle melodies, while 'Fetishizing Oblivion' offers a colorful electro track guided by a prominent bassline and elegant pads.

How does one express the bone-chilling loneliness of having lost the love of his or her mate, even as the relationship continues in the present tense? We would venture to say that “Element Of Love”, the inaugural 45 on S’plat Records, and the record debut of vocalist Gervis Myles, pretty well answers the question. The song and the performances elevate this record well beyond many efforts which seem to get lost in the mannerisms of soul, but ultimately miss the point. Gervis Myles tears into the song, which has the feeling of a scorching King Records hard soul lament from, say, 1960. He moans, shouts, unleashes falsetto outbursts, and hits ever more impossibly high non-falsetto notes as the song goes on. Bootsy Collins commented: “Y’all takin’ me back while moving forward. I love the way you funkin’ with me!” The band, which we call “Suite Crude Revue”, consists in this instance of Andrew Spadofora on saxophone, whose solo work on the record contributes considerably to its searing intensity, John Paul Simons (upright bass), Bryan Rogers (piano), Dave Schoepke (drums) and Daniel Zelonky on guitar. The B side, “I’m Thirsty,” is a rhythm and blues stomp about drinking away “woman problems.” Standout piano work from Rogers and a blistering solo by Spadafora, in addition to the raw vocal performance, make one want to …. drink! Written, arranged, and produced by Daniel Zelonky (aka Low Res).

Having gathered up praise from Mary Anne Hobbs, Cerys Matthews, Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, The Guardian, Jazzwise and more, for his lauded ‘Crisis & Opportunity’, drummer and composer Myele Manzanza returns with the fourth instalment of his series, titled ‘Meditations’.

On ‘Meditations’, we see Myele revert to a purely acoustic line-up, channeling a focused and razor-sharp return to his Jazz roots. Showcasing an incredible level of musicianship between three musicians at the top of their game - including Matthew Sheens (Ross McHenry, John Patitucci) on piano and Matt Penman (Joshua Redman, SFJAZZ Collective) on double bass - the trio exchange motifs over the length of 7 tracks.

Opening proceedings with frenetic rhythmic improvisation, complimented by melancholic and cinematic layers of sound, ‘Crayford’s Room’ is a tribute to Myele’s musical mentor back in New Zealand. Remembering his time as a student in Wellington, Myele shows his deep connection to his origins, manifesting itself as lament on ‘Winter’ and ‘Homesick’. Introducing hypnotic, contemplative melodies take centre stage on ‘Something Old Something New’ (the first single to be released from the project)’ It maintains a sense of tension and intrigue throughout, and intensity rises to a crescendo sending sonic particles sprawling into space.

Intuitive, darker and deeply contemplative, Myele shares his innermost thoughts on ‘Crisis and Opportunities Vol.4 - Meditations’. He divulges:

‘The personal angst and existential frustration I was going through across 2020 - 2022 I believe is well reflected here. The album is deeply informed by the musicianship and sound of my trio, Matthew Sheens on piano and Matt Penman on double bass. Knowing that musicians of their calibre were going to be involved gave me licence to go further in my writing, deploying odd time signatures, sharing the melody roles across the piano and the bass, and delving deeper into the nuances of what the acoustic piano / bass / drums trio can do. The compositions present a challenge even to the best musicians, and I knew that it was essential to have a team on this level to really move the music beyond an academic exercise and draw out the emotion and colour from the material.’

Search Party is the debut album from pianist, Rupert Cox. Rupert has made a little following for himself already being a respected player for Myele Manzanza, China Moses, Chris Hyson and many more.

His debut album swings between laidback contemporary jazz and swirling electronics. There are mellow and moving moments alongside joyful, uplifting melodies and dancing rhythms.

The record has already won support from people like Deb Grant on BBC Radio 6 Music and is slowly developing an ardent following.

DJ Support:

Deb Grant (BBC Radio 6 Music) and Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM)

Jacob Collier: “Having known Rupert for more than a decade, I can honestly say that this kaleidoscopic beauty of an album does effervescent justice to his magnificent musicianship. It’s a journey for the soul! I can’t wait for the whole world to hear it.”

Brad Mehldau: “Music is all about storytelling for me at its base and it’s got that going on all the tracks… It really holds together as a singular voice.” “It feels like I’ve heard it before, like it has a familiarity, but it doesn’t sound like something or someone else.”

Back To Titanic is an album by Ost, released in 2023. Back To Titanic includes a.o. the following tracks: “Titanic Suite”, “Alexander's Ragtime Band - I. Salonisti”, “Lament”, “A Shore Never Reached” and more. The album is a Coloured Vinyl, High Quality, Gatefold Sleeve original soundtrack 2-LP.

Cinematic rockers Earthside have announced the release of their highly anticipated second album, ‘Let the Truth Speak.’ It will be released on 17 November via Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group, worldwide.

8 long years removed from their critically show-stopping entrance - A Dream in Static 2015 - the idealistic thinkers and feelers in Earthside found themselves in a different world entirely … or, perhaps, a world more honest and unhinged than they and many others had bargained for.

Let The Truth Speak is truly an international affair, featuring vocalists and storytellers from all walks of life and corners of the globe.

Für die Entstehung des Albums stellte Vince zwei Regeln auf - erstens, dass die Klänge, die er selbst für das Album erzeugte, ausschließlich von Eurorack stammen sollten (ein modulares Synthesizerformat, das Mitte der 90er Jahre eingeführt wurde) und zweitens, dass jeder Track auf einer einzigen Note basieren und eine einzige Tonart beibehalten sollte. Die daraus resultierenden Stücke, bei denen der Eurorack-Sound mit Logic Pro bearbeitet wurde, sind wortlose Erzählungen, in denen ein Gefühl von synthieerzeugter, kosmischer Abgeschiedenheit oft durch starke Interventionen durchbrochen wird, die an die menschliche Hand inmitten dieser Maschinerie erinnern.

Auf diesem Album ruht sich Vince Clarke nicht auf seinem beachtlichen Pop-Erbe aus, sondern eröffnet sich selbst und uns anderen aufregende neue elektronische Möglichkeiten, deren Permutationen und Möglichkeiten grenzenlos sind.

L+P-2 is Rivet's second album following his acclaimed debut, On Feather and Wire, released on Editions Mego in 2020. The wheels were already in motion for a subsequent album on the same label, but tragedy struck. Peter "Pita" Rehberg, the legendary owner of Editions Mego, suddenly passed away at only 53 years old, leaving the experimental electronic music community in a state of pitch-black grief. Rivet was among the many deeply affected by this loss. The inspiration and support from Rehberg had propelled Rivet to create at a level he himself was uncertain he had mastered. For Rivet, Rehberg's death felt like the death of music.

However, that brooding sentiment was abruptly shattered when Rivet's beloved dog and companion, Lilo, was diagnosed with incurable cancer just a couple of months later. They were inseparable, and now they would be separated nonetheless. The only way Rivet could cope with this double blow was to compose—for Lilo, for Pita, for his own sanity. L+P-2 is the result.

While the album naturally emerges from a place of despair, it's remarkably comforting. Partly, this stems from Rivet's singular ability to make machines not only sound human but also act human—sincere and warm, yet flawed. In more than one track on L+P-2, you'll encounter a distinctive melody and a gnarly bassline dancing hand in hand with Rivet's eccentric and captivating drum patterns. Then, seemingly on a whim, the melody takes off on its own, leaving the faithful bassline behind—much like a dear friend that suddenly vanishes from your life without warning. Yet life goes on, and so does the music. But never unchanged. Never.

L+P-2 is an album of lamentation, yet also of resolve—a dedication to those who go through life losing more than their share because they always carry too much.

Two and a half decades into a career that's never delivered the stardom forecast by legions of champions, John Hiatt has settled into a niche that's about as comfortable as a maturing singer-songwriter could ask for. No longer a major-label priority, Hiatt has hooked up with the stalwart folk label Vanguard for his 15th release. Crossing Muddy Waters adroitly captures Hiatt's comfort and confidence. Not so much blues as blusey, Crossing Muddy Waters features 11 new Hiatt compositions, half of which feel instantly familiar. The rambunctious "Lift Up Every Stone" sounds a little like some of Tom Waits's more accessible recent efforts, while "Take It Down" is a love-lost lament that's as heavy as a foggy evening. Crossing Muddy Waters was cut in three days and features only two accompanists--the uncommonly sympathetic Davey Faragher and David Immerglück. Just goes to show that Hiatt moves just fine when he's not dragging a lot of added weight and heavy expectations behind him.

The sophomore album from NYC musician and singer-songwriter Kyle Avallone, is a collection of nostalgic meditations that take you out of the smoky bar and into the gray daylight of a seaside town. It is a cinematic dreamscape steeped in warm vocals, lush synthesizers, and sweeping steel guitars. Throughout the ten songs, tender narratives play like home movies on a living room wall, revealing little worlds and distilled memories.
Recorded at Studio G in Brooklyn with Jeff Berner (Psychic TV), Avallone reaches beyond the lo-fi sleaze of his 2020 debut, Last Minute Man, for a higher fidelity and grander sound palette. “After making a record by myself on an old four-track tape machine, it felt like a natural progression to go into a proper studio and play music with my friends". The core band consists of Mark Perro (The Men) on keys and Russell Hymowitz on bass, who both sing backing vocals, along with David Christian on drums. On several tunes, pedal steel played by Jon “Catfish” DeLorme (The Nude Party) dances around Avallone’s baritone voice, delivering a twang that is distinctively more New York than Nashville.
Inspired by the conversational storytelling of artists like Terry Allen and Lou Reed, Avallone was moved to capture the drama and mystery of his own life experiences. The characters we meet here are flawed. Mistakes are made and lies are told. Love is either lost or on the line. Dreams manifold as both echoes of the past and hopes for the future – the faded glow of childhood impressions in “Down the Hill”; the single mothers’ kitchen table reverie in “Going to the Beach”; the lament for summer’s end in “Vacant Sea”.

'Ingis Fatuus' ist das Debütalbum der norwegischen Prog-Legenden White Willow, ursprünglich 1995 veröffentlicht. Es eroberte die Artrock-Szene im Sturm mit Rezensionen sogar US-amerikanischer und europäischer Musikmagazine. 5000 Exemplare waren schnell verkauft und bald saß die Band im Flugzeug nach Kalifornien, um 1995 beim Los Angeles Progfest zusammen mit Acts wie Spock's Beard, Ars Nova und Landberk aufzutreten. Die Songs auf dem Album reichen von fast reinem pastoralen Folk-Rock ('Snowfall', 'Till He Arrivals') bis zu reinem Prog-Rock ('John Dee's Lament, 'Cryptomenysis'). Die Band betrachtete sich damals nicht als Prog-Rock-Band, sondern eher als Folk-Rock-Band, die sich symphonischen Arrangements bediente. Dieses Reissue wurde von Bandmitglied Jacob Holm-Lupo sorgfältig remastert und ist erstmalig auf Vinyl erhältlich. Es ist die erste in einer Reihe von sechs Wiederveröffentlichungen von White Willow auf Karisma Records.

Neues Konzept-Album der einzigen "Winterdoom"-Band Deutschlands! Die Würzburger, die ursprünglich 2014 als Nebenprojekt der einzigartigen Instrumentalband OMEGA MASSIF gegründet worden waren, ballern uns einen fiesen und massiven dunklen Brocken um die Ohren: Black- und Postmetal vermischen sich mit Sludge, Ambient und Post-Punk auf hohem Niveau, ich wäre tatsächlich überrascht, wenn die Band nicht beim Roadburn 2024 aufschlagen würde, da gehört sie nämlich hin. Grundsätzlich melancholisch und episch, unterlegt von maschinenhaftem Stakkato-Drumming, düster, kalt und wütend. Für die 6 schleppend-schleifenden Songs muss man sich Zeit nehmen, das ausgezeichnete Songwriting entfaltet sich Schicht für Schicht zu einem Albtraum-Szenario, das stetig zu lauern scheint, angriffslustig geduckt und im Schatten. Der Kontrast zwischen sanft-melodischen E-Bow Leads und Klargesang bzw. auch Sprechgesang auf der einen Seite zu präzise drückendem Riffing, Sprachsamples und viehischem Gegrowle auf der anderen Seite verstärkt nur noch das Unwohlsein beim Hören. Insgesamt merkt man den Songs deutlich an, wieviel Mühe darin steckt, es gibt sehr viele Details zu entdecken und zu den Texten, also der Story bin ich noch gar nicht vorgedrungen: Inhaltlich orientiert sich die Platte am Romanzyklus "His Dark Materials" von Philip Pullman, was den Eindruck eines Soundtracks durch den Einsatz von Sprechtexten bzw -samples (teils englisch, teils deutsch) noch verstärkt.

"Acts of Light" ist eine Fuge, die aus neun langsamen, hypnotischen Klageliedern besteht. Auf ihrem dritten Album lehnen sich Woods' Experimentalismus und Klangforschungen an die Intimität und Zärtlichkeit dieser intuitiven Komposition an. Nach ihren Erkundungen von Gefühlen und Körperlichkeit durch Klang, die in ihrer 2021 erschienenen EP "Feral Hymns" gipfelten, ist "Acts of Light" ein beunruhigendes, persönliches Angebot an Wildnis, Verlust, Abwesenheit, Mysterien und höchste Liebe. Verletzlichkeit, Erhabenheit und Offenheit, hervorgerufen durch Drone, Noise, Synthesizer, Kontrabass, Field Recordings und sakralen Chorgesang, bilden das private Ritual. "Acts of Light" ist ein klangvolles, reichhaltiges und gewichtiges Lamento, das sowohl unterirdisch als auch abgründig ist, während gleichzeitig seine detaillierten Ranken verborgene Formen erwecken, die bei jedem Hören aus dem Schatten hervortreten. Texturaler Staub und gesprenkeltes Licht bewegen sich hier langsam und ausladend durch einen klanglichen und sensorischen Übergangsritus, bei dem Woods' bewegende Kompositionen uns das Gefühl vermitteln, mit dem ganzen Körper empfangen zu werden. Geschrieben, aufgenommen, gemischt und produziert über einen Zeitraum von zwei Jahren zwischen der Westküste Irlands und Dublin, nahm Woods die Chorsänger des Palestrina-Chores in der Pro Cathedral Dublin auf, zusammen mit den Stimmen des Galway City Chamber Choir. Die Streicher wurden von Jo Berger Myhre in Oslo aufgenommen, während die Feldaufnahmen nomadisch auf ihren Reisen durch den Nordwesten Spaniens entstanden.

Standard Sleeve singles & Engraved Wooden Box. Vinyl comes with Download Card & Custom Laser Engraved Wooden Box. Recommend If You Like: Kramer, Jad Fair, Britta Phillips, David Grubbs, Paul Leary, Rob Crow, Danielson, Eerie Wanda. “In 2022, the pandemic seemed to be receding to the point where artists could work together again, literally side by side. So, as a kind of 'follow-up' to my Joyful Noise 2020 Artist-in-Residence box set, I revisited the notion of a limited-edition vinyl box celebrating the joys of collaboration. i thought about it for a good long while, and eventually, it felt good. I then put the idea under a microscope and found that it felt even better when I minimized the project to six 33rpm EP's on 7" vinyl. The borderless landscapes of audio art, tempered by the imaginations of the artists I chose to work with, then cast against the myriad infinities of mysteries betwixt those ageless, spinning rings...those rings that seem to sing, "...listen to us..." Rings of Saturn won't change the world, but the words & music dervishing off these grooves accurately expresses the Love poured into the foundations beneath these Nocturnes (w/ Britta Phillips), Psalms (w/ David Grubbs), Preludes (w/ Eerie Wanda), Elegies (w/ Jad Fair & Danielson), Laments (w/ Paul Leary), and Hymns (w/ Rob Crow). Working with others is my lifeblood. I am nothing without them.” Kramer, 2023.

Prisoners Of Love And Hate' is an offering to community, to desires that imprison and liberate, to people in all their divinity and ugliness. Apostille - aka Night School Records’ captain Michael Kasparis - presents is third album with a bang, a bursting ball of NRG, empathy and bristling living.
Like its predecessor 'Choose Life', 'Prisoners…' was recorded at Full Ashram Celestial Garden in Glasgow with Lewis Cook (Free Love) through 2022. A nine song treatise on pop music, trauma, ecstasy and the mundanities between the extremes, Kasparis takes on classic 80s synth pop, 90s house music, 00s trance, wistful balladry, 70s power pop. The thread that runs through the album is a boundless energy, an openness to the moment, to living
the pains and joys equally, open armed.

This is a place of no judgement, of possibility, challenge and comfort. The nine songs on 'Prisoners…' can be read as separate ruminations on the feelings and desires that imprison our experience. Through it all the narrator struggles against them, transported and fooled by love and longing, peering through the bars of anguish, flailing in a cell of emotions. 'Saturday Night, Still Breathing' breaks the album open with an invigorating scream and pounds into the night with a nod to Whigfield, Kasparis’ punk roots and house music. Over a thumping 909 kick and bassline, Kasparis pens a love letter to being with people, the collective energy of hearts in a room, thrumming together, making it through together. Written as private ritual magic, manifesting community during a time of isolation, it’s as if the party is the most important thing in the world. 'Rely On Me' imagines 80s Mute synth pop, Erasure fronted by Bruce Springsteen, romance doomed and forever perfect in the mind. 'Spit Pit' completes the opening triptych of fast paced rollercoasters, an ode to childhood forged out of change and discomfort told with a bold, epic production by Lewis Cook, AFX breakbeats, 160BPM kicks and a commanding vocal performance.

On 'People Make This City', Kasparis eases off the gas, lets the mist blowing in from the Clyde River blow over his version of Glasgow. A wistful ballad about small town gossip and coming through anger to leaving it all behind, it provides some shadow to the bright light of the vibrancy of the album. 'Natural Angel' owes much to 70s and 80s power pop, guitar melodrama, Thin Lizzy and Rick Springfield through the prism of co-dependence in relationships. It’s a theme that’s picked up in slow burner 'Nothing But Perfect', a hazy synth soul-inflected song about building your own mythology, constructing a dream to hide in, to hold on to. The most surprising track of the album, 'Summer of ’03' re-imagines the trance music of early noughties Europe into a lament for an eternal summer or as a fan once put it, “Meat Loaf with a donk on it.” A recognition that all ecstasy has tragedy laced within it, it’s a theme that is sewn throughout the LP and continued on the final song 'Feel Good (You Can Make Me)'. Referencing Shalamar’s 1982 mega hit by way of N-Trance’s piano riffs, the epic closer is riddled with heartbreak, vulnerability and power. It’s a testament to the new confidence in Kasparis’s songwriting, sure, but also to the enduring power of people to come together in mutual dependence and love. If ecstasy is always laced with tragedy, then 'Prisoners of Love and Hate' can always reach out between the bars to meet in the middle, the eternal now.

Transparent rotes Vinyl. Weihnachtslieder gibt es viele. Die meisten sind weichgespült und kitschig und verfolgen die geplagten Eltern häufig noch als unangenehmer Ohrwurm, wenn Lametta und Kugel längst wieder im Keller verstaut sind. Und wer sagt eigentlich, dass Kinder auf seichtes Gedudel stehen? Niemand! Und genau deshalb ist es gut, dass es die Band "Randale" gibt. Die vier Musiker Jochen Vahle, Christian Keller, Garrelt Riepelmeier und Marc Jürgen machen Rockmusik für Kinder. Manchmal laut und krachig, manchmal nachdenklich und leise, aber mit einem Augenzwinkern und viel Witz. Jetzt legen die Bielefelder mit ihrer wiederveröffentlichten CD ein ganz spezielles Weihnachts- Album vor: 10 Songs, die in bewährter Randale-Manier auf die besondere Zeit einstimmen. Und das heißt: Als Country-, Reggae-, Rock- oder Punkversion. 6 Titel stammen von der original CD von 2006. "Harald und Peter feiern Weihnachten" sowie "Jeder kann helfen" sind brandneu. "Der Kuckuck und der Esel" streiten nicht über die schönste Stimme, sondern über den schönsten Baum. Und die "Affendisco" verwandelt sich in die "Weihnachtsdisco". Die Fangruppe wächst und wächst. Fazit: Dieses Album gehört nicht unter den Baum. Es sollte spätestens zu Nikolaus in der Tüte beziehungsweise im Strumpf stecken! Und was wünscht sich die Band? "Dass die CD zusammen mit dem Christbaumschmuck sicher verstaut wird und damit auch in den nächsten Jahren zum festen Bestandteil des Festes wird!"

In March of 2020, after learning that a dear friend’s life was coming to an end, Johansing sat down and in one sitting wrote the song “Daffodils”. An elegiac tribute to someone facing death with grace and curiosity, the lyrics confront Johansing’s own mortality by observing the brief lifespan of a Hlower. Only a week later when the world came to an abrupt standstill, she soon found herself processing this recent loss while trying to make sense of a new global reality. Across the ensuing months, Johansing found herself increasingly untethered by a world of isolation and political upheaval.

Having been a frequent touring member of bands like Hand Habits and Fruit Bats, and often being called into the studio to lend her harmonies and multi-instrumental talents to records, Johansing’s phone no longer rang. Living in Los Angeles she feared her musical community was vanishing, as friends and collaborators continually announced they were leaving the city. It was in returning to her piano nightly that she found the greatest solace, feverishly writing the songs that would be collected on her next album. Resulting from this new sense of time and focus was a deepening of her songwriting. As Johansing recalls, “I felt like a metamorphosis happened during that time. There was a lot of personal growth and healing.”

Throughout Year Away Johansing traverses uncharted emotional landscapes brought upon by the changes occurring all around her. The forced self-reflection of the moment is aptly captured by “Old Friend”, featuring an aching melody and swooning production that recalls the best of Harry Nilsson. The epic piano and saxophone-driven “Smile with My Eyes” addresses the loss of community as friends became distant and political divides between family grew. On “Smile” Johansing pushes her vocals further than ever, expanding her range and using her peerless voice as the singular instrument it is. Facing the loss of a family home due to environmental destruction, “Shifting Sands” is marked by soaring Hlutes, Hield recordings and glassy synthesizers that nod to Japanese New Age.

“Daffodils”, the stunning album centerpiece, is built from a pastiche of looping samples, swirling Mellotron and dazzling vibraphone. “Keep your heart open wide, you never know your time / Keep your heart wild, true Hlower child”, Johansing sings as she says goodbye to an elder, while the band reaches a grief-stricken crescendo of woodwinds and chiming bells. On the title track, Johansing takes listeners on an eerily meditative journey of collective experiences. “I wanted to keep the progression simple and repetitive so that musically we could add new elements little by little, while the emotional tone of the lyrics becomes increasingly more strained and expressive”. The song grows to a fever pitch as Johansing sings higher than she thought possible; the tension of the repeating chords Hinally resolving into a hopeful coda as multiple soloists weave around each other.

Amidst heavier themes, Johansing still leaves room for her love of irresistible pop melodies and lush production. The driving “Last Drop” and mid-tempo “Valley Green” are two of her catchiest songs to date. On the former Johansing sings the anthemic chorus, “As if it were the last drop, and nothing ever lasts forever / As if it were the last stop, too far out to come back ever”, longing for a love that she’ll never take for granted, while also admitting that she doesn’t always know how good she has it. “Valley Green” features shimmering layers of 12- string guitars, stacked horns and an impeccable solo by co-producer and multi- instrumentalist Tim Ramsey (Vetiver, Fruit Bats), hinting at a love for bands like NRBQ.

Having been eager to capture the initial spark of songwriting, Johansing booked time at Highland Park’s 64 Sound Studio the week that it reopened. Over the course of three days, she and her band gathered basic tracks for 10 songs, before returning home to Hinish the record with Ramsey. Setting forth to make an album that paid homage to the music that kept them company during the months spent alone together, the duo pulled inspiration from a wide net including Burt Bacharach, John Carroll Kirby & Haruomi Hosono. Ramsey’s newfound love of early digital synthesizers dovetailed effortlessly with Johansing’s fondness for classic 70’s horn and string arrangements, creating a sound that is distinctly modern yet warm and familiar.

Once again Johansing called upon some of the Hinest players of Northeast Los Angeles’ vibrant music community to lend a hand with the record. The 70s R&B-folk of “Watch It Like a Show” features an electric guitar solo from Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, while album closer “Endless Sound” boasts backing vocals from electronic musician Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith and swooping Indian-inspired violins from Amir Yaghmai (HAIM, The Voidz). The record shines brightly thanks to an ace mix from veteran producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, Cat Power), woodwinds from Logan Hone (John Carroll Kirby, Eddie Chacon), and a featured rhythm section of drummer Josh Adams (Jenny Lewis, Bedouine) and bassist Todd Dahlhoff (Feist, Devendra Banhart). Recorded across multiple studios including LA’s famed Sunset Sound, the album remains steadfastly buoyed by the adept engineering of Tyler Karmen (MGMT, Alvvays).

Though born of turbulent times, Year Away is ultimately interested in moving forward. The album ends with “Endless Sound,” where Johansing laments seismic global changes, (“The water is hotter, the mighty thaw / The current’s reversing, the last are lost”) but vows to keep going (“No storm can take me down / Endless light, endless sound”). It’s Year Away’s resilience that shines through despite the darkness. It’s a sound all her own and Johansing’s most cohesive set of songs yet.

Die unerschrockenen Australier VOYAGER legen mit ihrem brandneuen Album "Fearless in Love" ihren bisher epischsten Electro-Progressive-Pop-Metal vor. Das Album ist eine berauschende Mischung aus 80er Jahre Synthpop und modernem Progressive Metal und bietet ihr bisher mitreißendstes und hymnischstes Werk. Mit dem Eurovisions-Top-10-Titel "Promise" und dem Australia Decides-Favoriten "Dreamer", dem pulsierenden "Prince of Fire", dem beschwingten "Submarine" und vielem mehr ist "Fearless in Love" Prog-Metal auf höchstem Niveau und sprengt alle Erwartungen.

I Talk To Water, the fifth album for Kompakt by Danish producer Kölsch, is the artist’s most personal statement yet. While all the trademarks that make his music so popular and powerful are still present – lush, melodic techno; swooping, trance-like figures; sensuous, shivery texturology – I Talk To Water is also a deep and intimate rapprochement with family and history, a beautiful, finely detailed document of loss and memory, and a tracing of the long, unbroken thread of grief that runs through our lives once we’ve lost those we loved.

The emotional core of I Talk To Water, then, is a cache of recordings by Kölsch’s father, Patrick Reilly, who passed away in 2003 from brain cancer. With time rendered elastic by the pandemic and its associated lockdowns, its sudden, alienating shifts in everyday living, Kölsch found himself reflecting on his father’s passing and ongoing spiritual presence, thinking about how best to memorialise such a significant figure in his own life. Those recordings opened a gateway, of sorts, for Kölsch to move through – a way to bring past and present together and entwine them in a sensitive, poetic manner.

Kölsch’s father was a musician – “touring in the sixties and seventies, in the Middle East especially, he was doing the whole hippy trail, playing guitar, and wrote some songs over the years,” he recalls. “But all in all, he decided to focus on family rather than pursue a musical career.” Reilly kept playing and writing music over the years, though Kölsch hadn’t listened to the material for some time: “I’d never had the guts to listen to it, because I just felt too fragile listening to his voice. It’s such a tough thing to go through.”

During the pandemic, though, Kölsch listened through the fragmented body of work that his father had produced over the years. “I decided I’m gonna finally release my dad’s music twenty years after his passing,” he reflects. “This whole album is about the process of loss, and for me it’s been one of my main driving forces in my musical life, the whole emotional aspect of whatever I’ve done has been based in that feeling that he’s not there anymore.”

Recordings of Reilly appear on three songs across I Talk To Water. His guitars drift pensively across “Grape”, offering a lush thread of melody that Kölsch wraps with clicking, driftwood rhythms and droning, melancholy bass. “Tell Me” is a lovely three-minute art song, a sadly beautiful reflection, minimally adorned with gentle keys and a muted pulse. And on the closing “It Ends Where It Began”, Kölsch lets his father’s acoustic guitar take centre stage for a lament that’s unexpectedly folksy, a guitar soli dream, which Reilly originally recorded in 1996. “He actually recorded it for my first album that never came out,” Kölsch reveals, “and I had it sitting around forever. That is purely him.”

These three imagined collaborations between father and son are poised and delicate. But their relationship also marks the gorgeous music Kölsch has made across the rest of I Talk To Water, from the itchy yet lush “Pet Sound” (titled in tribute to one of Reilly’s favourite albums), the flickering synths and yearning vocal samples that slide through “Khenpo”, the ecstatic shuddering that marks “Only Get Better”, or “Implant”’s slow-motion pans and subtle reveals.

There’s also the title song, where Kölsch is joined by guest Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction, Porno For Pyros), singing a mantra for internal reflection: “I talk to water / Searching for myself / Looking for answers / Oceans of you.” Farrell’s appearance brings another timbre, another spirit to the album, aligning neatly with his recent interest in electronic music. “He was completely taken by this idea of talking to water,” Kölsch says, thinking about the ways we collectively lean towards the natural world as a comfort and a listener, a guide through mourning, a way to map out the terrain of the heart. This mapping is something that Kölsch has proven remarkably adept at through the years; dance music for both body and mind, but also both for the here-and-now, and for the hereafter.

“I Talk To Water”, das fünfte Album des dänischen Produzenten Kölsch für Kompakt, ist zweifellos das persönlichste Statement des Künstlers bislang. Während alle Markenzeichen, die seine Musik so beliebt und kraftvoll machen, immer noch präsent sind – üppige, melodische Techno-Tracks; schwebende, tranceartige Elemente; sinnliche, fiebrige Texturen – ist “I Talk To Water” auch eine tiefe und intime Annäherung an Familie und Geschichte. Es ist ein wunderschönes, fein ausgearbeitetes Dokument des Verlusts und der Erinnerung, und es verfolgt den langen, ungebrochenen Faden der Trauer, der durch unser Leben läuft, sobald wir diejenigen verloren haben, die wir liebten.

Der emotionale Kern von “I Talk To Water” besteht aus Aufnahmen von Kölschs Vater, Patrick Reilly, der 2003 an Hirnkrebs verstarb. Durch die Pandemie und ihre damit verbundenen Lockdowns, die plötzlichen, entfremdenden Veränderungen im Alltag, fand Kölsch sich in Gedanken an den Tod seines Vaters und seine fortwährende spirituelle Präsenz wieder. Er überlegte, wie er eine so bedeutende Figur in seinem eigenen Leben am besten verewigen könnte. Diese Aufnahmen öffneten ihm sozusagen ein Portal, um Vergangenheit und Gegenwart miteinander zu verbinden und sie auf sensible und poetische Weise zu verweben.

Kölschs Vater war Musiker – “er tourte in den sechziger und siebziger Jahren, vor allem im Nahen Osten, auf dem Hippie Trail, spielte Gitarre und schrieb im Laufe der Jahre einige Songs”, erinnert sich Kölsch. “Aber alles in allem entschied er sich, sich auf die Familie zu konzentrieren, anstatt eine musikalische Karriere zu verfolgen.” Reilly spielte und schrieb jedoch im Laufe der Jahre weiterhin Musik, obwohl Kölsch das Material lange Zeit nicht angehört hatte: “Ich hatte nie den Mut, es anzuhören, weil ich mich einfach zu zerbrechlich fühlte, seine Stimme anzuhören. Es ist so schwer, das durchzustehen.”

Während der Pandemie hörte sich Kölsch jedoch durch das fragmentierte Werk, das sein Vater im Laufe der Jahre produziert hatte. “Ich beschloss, die Musik meines Vaters zwanzig Jahre nach seinem Tod endlich zu veröffentlichen”, reflektiert er. “Dieses ganze Album handelt von dem Verlustprozess, welcher für mich generell eine der Hauptantriebskräfte in meinem musikalischen Leben ist. Der ganze emotionale Aspekt von dem, was ich getan habe, basierte auf dem Gefühl, dass er nicht mehr da ist.”

Auf “I Talk To Water” sind Aufnahmen von Reilly in drei Songs zu hören. Seine Gitarren ziehen nachdenklich durch “Grape”, bieten einen üppigen Melodiefaden, den Kölsch mit klickenden, treibenden Rhythmen und dröhnendem, melancholischem Bass umwickelt. “Tell Me” ist ein schönes dreiminütiges Kunstlied, eine traurig-schöne Reflexion, minimal geschmückt mit sanften Tasten und einem gedämpften Puls. Und auf dem Abschlusstrack “It Ends Where It Began” lässt Kölsch die akustische Gitarre seines Vaters im Mittelpunkt stehen, ein überraschend folkiger Klagegesang, den Reilly ursprünglich 1996 aufgenommen hatte. “Er hat es tatsächlich für mein erstes Album aufgenommen, das nie veröffentlicht wurde”, enthüllt Kölsch, “und ich hatte es ewig liegen.”

Diese drei erdachten Kollaborationen zwischen Vater und Sohn sind ausgewogen und zart. Aber ihre Beziehung prägt auch die wunderschöne Musik, die Kölsch im Rest von “I Talk To Water” geschaffen hat, angefangen bei dem nervösen, aber üppigen “Pet Sound” (benannt als Hommage an eines von Reillys Lieblingsalben), den flimmernden Synthesizern und sehnsüchtigen Vocal-Samples in “Khenpo”, den ekstatischen Erschütterungen in “Only Get Better” oder den langsamen Schwenks und subtilen Enthüllungen in “Implant”.

Es gibt auch den Titelsong, in dem Kölsch von Gast Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction, Porno For Pyros) begleitet wird, der ein Mantra für die innere Reflexion singt: “I talk to water / Searching for myself / Looking for answers / Oceans of you.” Farrells Auftritt bringt eine weitere Klangfarbe, einen weiteren Geist in das Album, der gut zu seinem jüngsten Interesse an elektronischer Musik passt. “Er war völlig fasziniert von der Idee, mit Wasser zu sprechen”, sagt Kölsch und denkt darüber nach, wie wir kollektiv zur Natur als Trost, Zuhörer, Führer durch die Trauer neigen, um die Gelände des Herzens zu kartieren. Diese Kartierung ist etwas, in dem Kölsch im Laufe der Jahre erstaunlich geschickt war; Tanzmusik für Körper und Geist, sowohl für das Hier und Jetzt, als auch für das Leben danach.

Named for the rewind mechanism on the reel to reel tape machine on which the band tracked the album, Auto Locator coils up the chemical trails of ribbon binding old places and head spaces to our consciousness. Static and hiss leach between analog track layers, blurring the normal and paranormal to remind us that no memory is totally separate from a fiction - just like no drum track is totally separate from bass.

Over Auto Locator's ten songs, Del Paxton rip shit like a band entering their second decade of existence. On-the-nose opener "Freight Train Metaphor" throws listeners face first into the band's first album since 2017, with a syncopated pulse and arpeggiating guitar foreshadowing a record replete with punkish, serpentine composition. "Up With a Twist," the album's lead track, deals in Del Paxton's crashing punk vibrance, through which the band explores and laments the uninspired architecture of American sprawl.

Second single "Chart Reader", whose origins trace back to a psychedelic dream inspired by Wayfaring Strangers: Cosmic American Music, sees the trio dabbling in emo Americana, even featuring a nod to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Such unashamed references abound throughout Auto Locator, which takes further inspiration from bands like Mock Orange, Third Eye Blind, and Jimmy Eat World, all of whose influence can be heard on "Palpitations" and third single "Spiritual Gymnastics."

“Praying to god whether or not I believe there is one” - PH

Petra Hermanova and Unguarded announce In Death’s Eyes (UGD-009), the debut solo LP under the artist’s own name. This LP features nine tracks utilizing folk and sacred musical technique and instrumentation which drift between song and heavy distorted drones. In a disciplined display of beauty, pain, and astute musicianship, Hermanova brings forth a notable accomplishment of an album. In Death’s Eyes confronts death from start to finish with a rare fervor that leaves one feeling it was utterly necessary for Hermanova to produce - to survive. The transcendent impulse, or the influence of religious music, bears heavily on Hermanova’s compositions in her choir arrangements, but is most apparent in her use of pipe organ, opening the record on Black Glass. Having written organ parts for a significant portion of the record, she sought out the renowned organist Denny Wilke to record with her in the Merseburg Cathedral. Captivated by Wilke's profound skill as a player and knowledge of the Ladegast organ, Hermanova invited him to collaborate on Two Deaths where he delivers an impressive improvisation. While religious music offers spiritual solace from grief, folk speaks to the human and earthly as told by the individual, be they songs of suffering or joy, sin or salvation. To Hermanova, the clean promise of liturgical music is not enough to alleviate the blunt pain of grief. Contrasting the spiritual is the voice of the individual sufferer - the folk musician. For Hermanova, the autoharp embodies this contrast. The autoharp, a familiar sound in Appalachian folk music since its mass production in the late 1800’s, is an affordable instrument designed for the unskilled player. It is the antithesis of the organ which is costly, gargantuan, reserved for skilled players, and quite literally a part of the church. Through In Death’s Eyes the sounds of transcendence blend with the worldly, the tension between them poignantly expressing Hermanova’s struggle for spiritual resolution against the reality of death and loss. Like Hermanova’s lyrics, the artwork, conceptualized by Enes Güç and Evelyn Bencicova, is riddled with symbolism and allusion. We find Hermanova on the cover, digitally rendered. Reclining like an anatomical Venus, her vital organs are exposed, suggesting she is denied a transcendent death and is instead immaculately human. Bearing a sickle, her legs are metallic like armor, both symbols of protection. We see here in this image, as we hear in the nine tracks of IDE, the metaphoric state of someone ravaged by loss, choosing to tear herself open in an attempt to heal. - Reece Cox Petra Hermanova is a musician and visual artist based in Berlin. In 2018, Hermanova began working with the autoharp, which has since become the central pillar of her musical practice. Drawing inspiration from folk, medieval drone, and contemporary textural expressions, as well as Appalachian autoharp music, she creates emotionally driven arrangements accompanied by vocals. In her lyrics, she speaks to the fragility and tenderness of the human condition, religious conceptions of death, and introspective landscapes through narrative and symbolism. Hermanova debuted live at the Berliner Festspiele event The Sun Machine is Coming Down, performed at Trauma Bar und Kino accompanied with her choir, and recently took part in Sorour Darabi’s durational performance From the Throat to the Dawn. Her debut solo album, In Death’s Eyes, is set for release in 2023 on the art platform and label Unguarded. The album, where she wrote for the autoharp, pipe organ, solo voice and choir, features the acclaimed organist Denny Wilke playing the 19th century Ladegast organ of the Merseburg Cathedral. She has toured internationally with previous projects, including extensive sound and visual collaborations with Jon Eirik Boska (Hydropsyche) as well as with her award-winning band Fiordmoss. She was recently announced as a SHAPE+ platform artist.

Edinburgh (via Bristol) producer, DJ and balearic psychonaut takes us on a playful exploration through his cosmic arboretum on the Memory of Stolen Bush EP, with four of his own tracks and a very tasty remix from Berlin’s Glenn Astro. Café Lotito draws us into a world of atmospheric chug with dreamy whistles, rich, saturated pads and sneaky acid lines sitting atop a tasteful break and a steady, thudding kick. Gottlieb's Lament drops the tempo further, into a shimmering, melancholic lagoon of dubby psychedel ia, with marimbas and melodicas dancing amongst the mournful, lysergic synth work.
The B side steps straight into the dance with the EP’s namesake In The Shadow Of The Oleander, a pulsing, acidic drum machine workout, bustling with percs and bleeps and cru nchy rhythms, all set to a backdrop of soaring pads and drifting harmonics. Glenn Astro’s remix of Oleander pumps things up into an epic, maximalist realm with huge synth lines and a squarely pounding rhythm section turning the playful roller into a peak ti me thumper. Finally the digital bonus track Memories of Hare uses surrealist snippets of colour to pay tribute to a much missed former Bristol haunt, dropping the tempo back down and putting melody and atmosphere front and centre, with a ghostly marimba l eading the procession beside staccato guitars and shimmering synths unknown

South London ne-er-do-wells Meatraffle make huge strides forward with this third album of funky trumpet-laced street pop combining a caustic wit with a tender heart. “The best band in the country bar none!” Fat White Family // “A collective of individuals who refuse to be pigeonholed…..they conjure a rich, imaginative and often simply funny world” The Quietus // “Humorous alt-punk…potent…surreal” CLASH // “Their direct and confrontational attitude has not been seen since punk really grabbed England by the balls” FAR OUT // “Your mind will be liberated” Louder Than War // Meatraffle are thrilled to announce they will be releasing 'Base and Superstructure', their third studio album on Blang Records on 29.09.2023. Recorded during lockdown, produced & mixed by Meatraffle keyboardist Chris OC, Dante Traynor (SWEAT, Fat White Family 'Feet'), additional mixing by Angelica Björnsson (Hi - Texas feat. Wu Tang Clan) and mastered by Dean Honer (Eccentronic Research Council, I Monster, The Moonlandingz), ‘Base and Superstructure’ marks a new sonic departure for the band rightly acknowledged as godfathers of the now infamous South London scene, centred around the Windmill in Brixton. The band will be touring in support of the new album later in the year. Founded in 2014, Meatraffle have toured extensively across the UK and Europe as both a headline act and support to the likes of Fat White Family, Sleaford Mods and Warmduscher. Festival appearances include SXSW, Green Man and Liverpool Psych Fest. In addition to their previous two LPs ('Hi Fi Classics' and 'Bastard Music'), the band have released singles on Dan Carey's Speedy Wunderground and Moshi Moshi, plus numerous remixes including 'Meatraffle on the Moon' by the one and only Andrew Weatherall. The band have also played sessions for Marc Riley (BBC 6Music) plus regular plays from other 6Music DJs including Iggy Pop, Gideon Coe and Amy Lamé. “We were looking for labels for a while, sending out demos to small ‘indie’ labels to which we often had the response, “we really like it but we’re not signing anyone at the moment”, which feels like the new “don’t call us we’ll call you!”... We knew we had a good record so didn’t get knocked back and knew it would be a climb as many of these small and large ‘indie’ or ‘alternative’ labels can be even more conservative than the mainstream, I guess having less money and therefore having to ‘play it safe’. We bumped into Blang one night at The George Tavern and instantly had a good feeling about them…and guess what? They loved the music!” - Meatraffle frontman, Zsa Zsa Sapien. Genre-bending independent label Blang Records is a wildly non-commercial label firmly rooted in the DIY/anything goes attitude of punk and antifolk, and has remained consistent in its commitment to releasing outsider music by the likes of David Cronenberg's Wife, Jack Medley's Secure Men, Brix & The Extricated, Milk Kan, Thomas Truax and many more. Live Dates: 13th July 2023 - Peckham Audio, London w/SLEAZE, Brian Destiny, Neuro Placid (headline show).

South London ne-er-do-wells Meatraffle make huge strides forward with this third album of funky trumpet-laced street pop combining a caustic wit with a tender heart. “The best band in the country bar none!” Fat White Family // “A collective of individuals who refuse to be pigeonholed…..they conjure a rich, imaginative and often simply funny world” The Quietus // “Humorous alt-punk…potent…surreal” CLASH // “Their direct and confrontational attitude has not been seen since punk really grabbed England by the balls” FAR OUT // “Your mind will be liberated” Louder Than War // Meatraffle are thrilled to announce they will be releasing 'Base and Superstructure', their third studio album on Blang Records on 29.09.2023. Recorded during lockdown, produced & mixed by Meatraffle keyboardist Chris OC, Dante Traynor (SWEAT, Fat White Family 'Feet'), additional mixing by Angelica Björnsson (Hi - Texas feat. Wu Tang Clan) and mastered by Dean Honer (Eccentronic Research Council, I Monster, The Moonlandingz), ‘Base and Superstructure’ marks a new sonic departure for the band rightly acknowledged as godfathers of the now infamous South London scene, centred around the Windmill in Brixton. The band will be touring in support of the new album later in the year. Founded in 2014, Meatraffle have toured extensively across the UK and Europe as both a headline act and support to the likes of Fat White Family, Sleaford Mods and Warmduscher. Festival appearances include SXSW, Green Man and Liverpool Psych Fest. In addition to their previous two LPs ('Hi Fi Classics' and 'Bastard Music'), the band have released singles on Dan Carey's Speedy Wunderground and Moshi Moshi, plus numerous remixes including 'Meatraffle on the Moon' by the one and only Andrew Weatherall. The band have also played sessions for Marc Riley (BBC 6Music) plus regular plays from other 6Music DJs including Iggy Pop, Gideon Coe and Amy Lamé. “We were looking for labels for a while, sending out demos to small ‘indie’ labels to which we often had the response, “we really like it but we’re not signing anyone at the moment”, which feels like the new “don’t call us we’ll call you!”... We knew we had a good record so didn’t get knocked back and knew it would be a climb as many of these small and large ‘indie’ or ‘alternative’ labels can be even more conservative than the mainstream, I guess having less money and therefore having to ‘play it safe’. We bumped into Blang one night at The George Tavern and instantly had a good feeling about them…and guess what? They loved the music!” - Meatraffle frontman, Zsa Zsa Sapien. Genre-bending independent label Blang Records is a wildly non-commercial label firmly rooted in the DIY/anything goes attitude of punk and antifolk, and has remained consistent in its commitment to releasing outsider music by the likes of David Cronenberg's Wife, Jack Medley's Secure Men, Brix & The Extricated, Milk Kan, Thomas Truax and many more. Live Dates: 13th July 2023 - Peckham Audio, London w/SLEAZE, Brian Destiny, Neuro Placid (headline show).

1994 reissue

The Slow Show melden sich mit ihrem emotionalen und kraftvollen neuen Album 'Subtle Love' zurück!

Mit ihrem fünften Album 'Subtle Love' präsentieren The Slow Show eine Hommage an die Liebe und ihre bislang kraftvollste und vielfältigste Songsammlung. 'Subtle Love' lebt so nicht nur von ihrem üppig instrumentierten Indie-Pop mit Rob Goodwins beeindruckender Stimme, sondern erkundet auch neue Horizonte mit Elementen von Folk und Rockhymnen. Über die zehn Songs begibt man sich auf eine Reise von der Vergangenheit der Band bis in eine verlockende Zukunft - ein zutiefst melodisches und bewegendes Erlebnis.

Committed to tradition, yet set on innovation, Super Duty Tough Work is a constantly evolving, art-rap ensemble with their intentions set on shaking up the industry and providing offerings that elevate joy, while standing in opposition to the homicidal capitalist ideals of the ruling class and their aspiring accomplices.

Rooted in the tradition of Black American resistance arts, Super Duty Tough Work is known for their scathing wit and thorough analysis, pushing their radical politic of revolution, party, and bullshit - both on record and on stage.

Inspired by the dirty jazz sample sound of 90s east coast hip hop, Super Duty Tough Work are the live incarnation of hip hop culture's quintessential era, appearing as a band but manifesting a sound that's more akin to something straight out of an MPC or SP-404 sampler.

Revered for their methodically curated sets, Super Duty Tough Work mixes laidback rap action and razor- sharp delivery with hypnotic loops and effortless transitions, keeping audiences on their feet and transfixed in anticipation for what's coming next.

Simply put: internationalism is the theme, liberation through hedonism is the dream, and satisfaction is guaranteed from the team whose specialty is taking audiences on a journey through a culture where loops are slayed and jewels are the tools of the trade.

Super Duty Tough Work. Paradigm Shift. Worldwide 9/8 via Next Door Records.

The kind of band whose members are fully immersed in their local scene-through a handful of notable side projects and the show- promoting Philly staple 4333 Collective- the quintet's sound takes wide- spectrum influence from its environment. The result is an amalgam of complex song structures and flourishes of technical acumen, wholly unconcerned with genre, yet evoking the specific styles of touchstones such as Paramore and Circa Survive.

On their debut longplayer Where the Heart Is, Sweet Pill's unbound, raucous energy presents through ten autobiographical tracks that hinge on singer Zayna Youssef's elastic, enrapturing voice- at times belting and controlled, at others textural and guttural. Supporting Youssef are guitarists Jayce Williams and Sean McCall, bassist Ryan Cullen, and drummer Chris Kearney. Their blistering lead single "Blood" sees Youssef exploring a deteriorated friendship over Williams and McCall's trudging riffs and tactful counterpoint, with Cullen and Kearney rumbling nimbly in the song's foundations.

Second single "High Hopes" counters with introspective, melodic punk that reshapes anxiety rather than succumb to it. But third single "Diamond Eyes" momentarily slows the pace, with McCall joining Youssef on vocals for a breakup lament laden with acoustic sentimentalism and an emotive flurry from guest flutist Jill Ryan. Such range is the central facet of Where the Heart Is, where Sweet Pill's penchant for combining punkish tropes enlivened with the vibrance of math- rock and the aggression of post- hardcore sweetened with pop sensibility compound into something stylistically new yet still familiar.

High Roller Records, reissue 2023, black vinyl, ltd 300, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, poster, bonus track, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

For their fourth album, »Bear In Town«, indie avant-pop supergroup Spirit Fest made a virtue of distance, with group members split across Europe, and recording sessions taking place after a brief 2021 tour of Europe. It’s an object lesson in perseverance and commitment, as the music here is some of Spirit Fest’s most moving yet. The six songs on this album illuminate different aspects of the transnational quintet’s character – lovely, heart-rending pop songs; melancholy chants; the joys of simple repetition – with the group’s guitar pop tended by gentle flourishes of piano and electronics.

Some of those flourishes were spirited onto »Bear In Town« across the waves, with Mat Fowler (Bons, Jam Money) contributing from Britain, while the body of the music was recorded in a small apartment studio in Munich by the other members of Spirit Fest: Saya and Ueno (Tenniscoats), Markus Acher (The Notwist) and Cico Beck (Joasinho, Aloa Input). »Bear In Town« is concise and powerful, the infectious joy of the spirit communicated, beautifully, by melodies that balance the heartfelt with the melancholy. Reflecting on those sessions, Acher says, »I think the album captures how well we played together at that time.« It’s all the more impressive given this material was put down live in the studio, with a few vocal overdubs. The depth of feeling at the core of Spirit Fest’s music is evident from the opening notes of »Bear In Town«.

»Kou-Kou Land«, the first song on the album, recalls several earlier Tenniscoats songs, like »Baibaba Bimba«, in the way the musicians weave gentle complexity around a simple, repeated chant; the stop-start structure of »Kou-Kou Land« builds anticipation, while Saya’s simple melody is lovely, delivered in an absent-minded hum that’s deeply affecting. »Lost & Found« revolves around a delightful descending chord change that breaks up the swaying, folksy verses, gorgeous electronic whirrs and purring winds floating through the song. The following »In Our House« possesses such sweet sadness, it’s one of Spirit Fest’s most moving songs yet.

»Like A Plane« repurposes a song that Markus Acher originally wrote and recorded for his solo EP of the same title, released on a 2022 10-inch single on Morr Music. The original was a gentle, introverted lament, but the version on »Bear In Town« has a widescreen tenderness, its melancholy framed by raindrop piano. The album concludes with two moments of playful splendour, the bossa-inflected »Hill Blo«, and the driving title track, both led by Saya, who is in stunning voice on this album; on »Bear In Town«, her awestruck wonder perfectly captures the sense of possibility in the song’s capacious chords. Like the rest of the album, it’s full of kindness, rich with psych-pop splendour… a balm for troubled times.