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Mit The Mirror legt Buck Meek, Gitarrist von Big Thief, sein viertes Soloalbum vor - ein feinfühliges Werk über Sprache, Identität und das ständige Sich-Verändern. Freunde und Weggefährt:innen wie Adrianne Lenker, Jolie Holland oder Tucker Zimmerman wirken mit und hinterlassen ihre Spuren nicht nur musikalisch, sondern auch in den Texten. Meek begreift Songwriting als gemeinschaftlichen Prozess und nutzt den Spiegel als zentrales Bild: nicht zur Selbstbespiegelung, sondern als Gegenüber, das Fragen stellt. Aufgewachsen in einer kunst- und literaturgeprägten Familie in Texas, sammelte Meek früh vielfältige musikalische Erfahrungen - von Blues über Jazz bis Folk. Diese Offenheit prägt auch The Mirror. Gemeinsam mit Produzent James Krivchenia verbindet er die Live-Energie einer Band mit subtilen elektronischen Texturen. Die Aufnahmen entstanden in einem experimentellen, offenen Setting, das Spontaneität über Perfektion stellt. In seinen Songs geht es um Nähe, Verletzlichkeit und die Brüchigkeit von Erinnerung. Wortspiele, Spiegelungen und innere Dialoge machen Sprache selbst zum Thema. Angst und Zweifel erscheinen dabei nicht als Gegenspieler, sondern als Begleiter. The Mirror erklärt nicht - es hört zu, tastet sich vor und lädt dazu ein, dem Unbekannten mit Neugier zu begegnen.
Sicherhe

On "Another Year Older," Larry Fleet cements his status as country music’s premier blue-collar soul-singer, delivering a masterclass in honest, salt-of-the-earth storytelling. Shifting his gaze toward the reflective milestones of adulthood, the White Bluff, Tennessee native trades the restless energy of his earlier work for a grounded, hard-won perspective on what truly lasts. The project seamlessly blends the grit of classic 70s country with the soaring, gospel-infused vocal power that has become his trademark, capturing the quiet dignity of the working class and the profound beauty found in the everyday. From the steady wisdom of the title track to the heartfelt odes to faith and family, Fleet treats the passage of time not as a burden, but as a teacher. It is a record for the dreamers and the doers alike—a soulful, unvarnished progress report from a man who has clocked the miles, felt the weight of the world, and realized that getting older is just another word for getting it right.

Als Nachfolger von ,High Art Lite" ist ,Ruins" ein Album, das von Trauer, Reflexion und Transformation geprägt ist; eine Platte, die sowohl die Schwere des Verlusts als auch die seltsame Schönheit, die damit einhergeht, einfängt. Geschrieben nach einer selbst auferlegten Pause vom Songwriting, repräsentiert es eine Veränderung im Fokus und in der Perspektive von Joseph Oxley aka TVAM. ,Ich wollte mich von dem entfernen, was ich dachte, dass ich machen sollte", erklärt er. ,Der schlechteste Rat, den man geben kann, ist: ,Was nicht kaputt ist, muss man nicht reparieren.` Es ist immer kaputt. Es muss immer repariert werden." Im Kern beschäftigt sich ,Ruins" mit Verlust nicht als Leere, sondern als Präsenz, als etwas, das die Welt um einen herum neu gestaltet. Auf dem Album ringt Oxley mit den Dualitäten der menschlichen Erfahrung: der Spannung zwischen Gesagtem und Ungesagtem, zwischen Humanismus und Nihilismus, Öffentlichkeit und Privatsphäre, Verzweiflung und Akzeptanz. ,Hoffnung und Verzweiflung heben sich nicht gegenseitig auf", sagt er. ,Sie können nebeneinander existieren - das macht es real." Irgendwo inmitten eines Lebens voller Wiederholungen, Wiederaufführungen und Neustarts lebt TVAM und schafft Werke, die unsere Erinnerungen berühren und gleichzeitig mit unseren Ängsten spielen, und schafft eine Welt, in der Rundfunk zu Performance wird. Seit seinem Debütalbum ,Psychic Data", das aus einem kleinen Schlafzimmerstudio in Wigan hervorgegangen ist, hat TVAM den Sound und das Spektakel der Nostalgie im modernen Leben definiert, vom Slogan ,Porsche Majeure" bis zum Wahlkampf ,Semantics". Seine Musik wurde in die Tagesplaylist von BBC 6 Music aufgenommen und in Fernsehsendungen wie der bahnbrechenden Serie ,Succession" vorgestellt. Musikalisch ist ,Ruins" expansiv und immersiv. Dunkel, aber magisch, ist es voller hallgetränkter Synthesizer, zerbrochener Texturen und hämmernder Snares. Gitarren verweben sich mit neu entdeckter Zurückhaltung durch den Mix und schaffen Raum für Atmosphäre und Emotionen, die im Mittelpunkt stehen. ,Broken Reality"-Texturen kollidieren mit treibenden Rhythmen und erinnern an den cineastischen Puls von The Sisters of Mercy aus der ,Floodland"-Ära und die melodische Melancholie von The Cure aus der ,Disintegration"-Ära. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das Schönheit in Dissonanzen und Licht in Trümmern findet.

Hier ist "Eine Stimme für das Unsagbare, das gehört werden sollte", ein "Künstler von größter Bedeutung". So beschreibt die Band Big Thief, Freunde und Fans, Twain in einer Ankündigung seines Albums "Rare Feeling". Aufgenommen und co-produziert wurde "Rare Feeling" von Adrian Olsen (Natalie Prass, Foxygen) und Scott McMicken von Dr. Dog. Twain ist das Soloprojekt von Mt. (Mat) Davidson, ein Singer-Songwriter und Multi-Instrumentalist mit einer markanten, einnehmend klaren Stimme. Den größten Teil des letzten Jahrzehnts hat er in Bands wie The Low Anthem und Spirit Family Reunion verbracht Nun aber konzentriert er sich mehr und mehr auf sein Solo-Projekt TWAIN, eines, das seine Wurzeln zwar auch in Indie Folk und Americana hat, aber beherzt, und mit Elementen von Psychedelic Rock, seine ganz eigene Stimme bildet. "Twains unermessliche, suchende Musik beschwört den Cosmic Folk eines Tim Buckley herauf", meinte kürzlich NPR. ,Hier ist die Art von Musik" - urteilt NPR weiter - ,die, wäre sie vor 50 Jahren entstanden, heute ein geschätztes Kultalbum wäre." Es ist ein wirklich besonderes Album, etwas, das man zu finden hofft. Es ist gleichzeitig vertraut, zeitlos und zugänglich, aber es überrollt auch mit seiner eigenen Schönheit und Besinnlichkeit. Und der Albumtitel passt perfekt.

"And what about you? What are you looking for?" - René Daumal

This musical journey pays tribute to René Daumal and his enchanting world of mysteries and magic. The album shares its title with Daumal's novel, Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing, published posthumously in 1952, eight years after the author's untimely death.

Mount Analogue is a classic allegorical adventure novel. The novel describes an expedition undertaken by a group of mountaineers to travel to and climb the titular Mount Analogue an enormous mountain on a surreal continent, that is invisible and inaccessible to the outside world and can be perceived only by the application of obscure knowledge. The central theme of mountaineering is extensively explored through literary and philosophical lenses. Daumal died before the novel was completed, providing an uncanny one-way quality to the story, which ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence.

The first disc features a fifty-minute composition divided into six chapters: Introduction, Meeting, Supposition, Crossing, Arrival, and Conclusion. This album weavestogether a rich tapestry of diverse instruments, sounds, and voices that collectively tell the story of this conceptual work, loaded with a synesthetic multitude of colors, aromas, meanings, textures, and moods.

Contributors to this musical poem include Bill Laswell (bass), Henry Kaiser (guitar), Anna Clementi (vocals), Percy Howard (voice), Hideo Yamaki (percussion), Graham Haynes (cornet), Dorian Cheah (violin), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Peter Apfelbaum (keyboard), and P.ST (concept, electronics), who all lend their talents to a series of excerpts from Daumal's text.

A truly global project, the recordings took place across various locations in Europe, North America, and South America, culminating at Orange Music Studio in New York, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bill Laswell, James Dellatacoma, and Michael Fossenkemper.

The second disc presents five improvisations for solo electric guitar by Henry Kaiser. The first solo, Jodorowsky's Peradam, draws its inspiration from Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain, which was inspired by the Daumal novel. Kaiser's initial forty-eight-minute guitar solo serves as a foundational guide for his four subsequent, Rashomon-esque, solo musical interpretations of Mount Analogue, as seen through the psychedelic labyrinth of Jorodrowsky's cinematic masterpiece.

"And what about you? What are you looking for?" - René Daumal

This musical journey pays tribute to René Daumal and his enchanting world of mysteries and magic. The album shares its title with Daumal's novel, Mount Analogue: A Novel of Symbolically Authentic Non-Euclidean Adventures in Mountain Climbing, published posthumously in 1952, eight years after the author's untimely death.

Mount Analogue is a classic allegorical adventure novel. The novel describes an expedition undertaken by a group of mountaineers to travel to and climb the titular Mount Analogue an enormous mountain on a surreal continent, that is invisible and inaccessible to the outside world and can be perceived only by the application of obscure knowledge. The central theme of mountaineering is extensively explored through literary and philosophical lenses. Daumal died before the novel was completed, providing an uncanny one-way quality to the story, which ends abruptly in the middle of a sentence.

The first disc features a fifty-minute composition divided into six chapters: Introduction, Meeting, Supposition, Crossing, Arrival, and Conclusion. This album weavestogether a rich tapestry of diverse instruments, sounds, and voices that collectively tell the story of this conceptual work, loaded with a synesthetic multitude of colors, aromas, meanings, textures, and moods.

Contributors to this musical poem include Bill Laswell (bass), Henry Kaiser (guitar), Anna Clementi (vocals), Percy Howard (voice), Hideo Yamaki (percussion), Graham Haynes (cornet), Dorian Cheah (violin), Nils Petter Molvaer (trumpet), Peter Apfelbaum (keyboard), and P.ST (concept, electronics), who all lend their talents to a series of excerpts from Daumal's text.

A truly global project, the recordings took place across various locations in Europe, North America, and South America, culminating at Orange Music Studio in New York, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bill Laswell, James Dellatacoma, and Michael Fossenkemper.

The second disc presents five improvisations for solo electric guitar by Henry Kaiser. The first solo, Jodorowsky's Peradam, draws its inspiration from Alejandro Jodorowsky's 1973 film The Holy Mountain, which was inspired by the Daumal novel. Kaiser's initial forty-eight-minute guitar solo serves as a foundational guide for his four subsequent, Rashomon-esque, solo musical interpretations of Mount Analogue, as seen through the psychedelic labyrinth of Jorodrowsky's cinematic masterpiece.

With `The devil's door' And Also The Trees, one true original Post-Punk/New Wave band, presents a quiet storm of an album. At times filmic, poetic and intense with an undercurrent of dark psychedelia. It completes a trilogy of works `The Bone Carver', `Mother-of-pearl Moon' and now `The devil's door' created by the current line-up. Here there are signature `And also the trees' poetic lyrics, orchestral guitar and soundtrack influenced songs inspired by newsreel, oil paintings and folklore. But with this work we have the addition of some surprising instruments that skew the album towards a world where John Barry meets Bela Bartok. And also the trees (AATT) formed during the original post-punk era in rural Worcestershire, an environment that has provided a constant inspiration to a group whose music has often explored the dark underbelly as well as the beauty of the British countryside. They are renowned for their captivating live performances, a unique style of mandolin-like electric guitar, evocative lyrics and dark jazz rhythms - not to mention a creative independence fiercely preserved for over four decades. Back then AATT immediately caught the attention of Robert Smith of The Cure, who invited them to tour with his group on several occasions. Smith was also involved with their early recordings alongside his bandmate Lol Tolhurst, who produced their first records. This longterm friendship and mutual respect was further solidified when AATT were invited to perform at the Robert Smith curated 2018 Meltdown festival in London. This July AATT appear as The Cure's special guests at the Nimes festival. Founded by singer Simon Jones and his guitarist brother Justin, AATT have maintained a continuous presence on the post-punk, and alternative rock scenes worldwide, with a solid fanbase e.g. in Germany.

"Best - 25th Anniversary" ist die ultimative Sammlung einer der berühmtesten, einflussreichsten und beständigsten Soul/Funk-Bands Australiens, The Bamboos. Eine Reise durch 25 Jahre Musikgeschichte einer Band, die den Grundstein für die heute international anerkannte australische Soul-Szene legte. Mit 20 Tracks aus ihrem umfangreichen Katalog, darunter viele, die seit ihrem Erstrelease nicht mehr auf Vinyl erhältlich waren, und ein Track, der erstmals auf Vinyl erscheint. Von ihren Raw Deep Funk-Ursprüngen bis zu ihrem heutigen, genreübergreifenden Style haben The Bamboos einen klassischen Sound neu belebt und gleichzeitig nahtlos zeitgenössische Einflüsse integriert, um etwas völlig Neues zu schaffen. Die Band hat es geschafft, sowohl Soul/Funk-Puristen als auch Gelegenheitsmusikfans anzusprechen und sich dabei stets auf das Wesentliche konzentriert: Songwriting, Groove und kraftvolle Vocals.

Rick James Blends Brazen Attitude, Fearless Sexuality, and Shrewd Charisma on Street Songs:

Punk-Funk Album Aims for the Hips and Head, Includes the Timeless Hit “Super Freak”
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies:

Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Presents 1981 Smash in Audiophile Sound for the First Time
1/4” / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


“Punk funk” was a relatively unknown concept before 1981. But once Street Songs took the charts by storm that year, the world soon knew about what became Rick James’ signature style. And how. True to its name, Street Songs blends outspoken sexuality, brazen attitude, and edgy commentary amid contagious R&B-fueled arrangements that simultaneously aim for the hips, head, and various nether regions. And it’s never sounded better.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents James’ platinum-certified effort in audiophile quality for the first time. Playing with crisp dynamics, lively textures, airy headroom, and revealing clarity, this collectible edition of the record that stayed at the No. 1 spot on the R&B Album Charts for 20 weeks invites you to get closer to music that beckons you to turn your space into a private dance floor.

Then again, you’ll likely be so taken by how the taut bass lines, snappy rhythms, and four-on-the-floor beats — all rendered in stunning detail and with full-bodied architecture — come across with such accuracy and presence, you might stay pinned to your seat. On this pressing, the soundstaging, imaging, and lit-fuse energy of Street Songs reach new heights. Everything from the rubbery feel of the guitar lines to the depth of James’ temperature-raising vocals to the scale of the horn charts emerges as if James and his ace session crew set up in your room.

The Buffalo native and his ensemble waste no time getting their message across. On the album-opening “Give It to Me Baby,” James and company lay down a mix of sleek funk and pulsing disco that practically activates the bright lights of a discotheque and stimulates the libido of anyone within earshot. Having reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul charts, the song is pure sex — and just one of the carnal delights on a record that embraces the subject as fearlessly as James does his identity.

Of course, the most famous of James’ erotic excursions — the timeless “Super Freak” — hit No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Play charts, No. 16 on the Hot 100, and, later, No. 153 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time. Bolstered by a quavering keyboard theme and electro riffs, the much-sampled track worms itself inside your muscles with smile-inducing subject matter, gliding vocals, nimble movements, a hot tenor-saxophone solo, and backing vocals by the Temptations.

The iconic Motown group isn’t the only celebrated guest artist on the Grammy-nominated Street Songs. James’ then-labelmate, Stevie Wonder, lends harmonica to the frank sociopolitical narrative on “Mr. Policeman,” a protest tune that also manages to stroll ’n’ strut via simmering organ, staggering brass accents, and James’ gritty vocal performance. In addition to contributing backing vocals on several cuts, Teena Marie turns in one of the album’s signature moments on “Fire and Desire,” a romantic old-school duet with James that impresses with smoothness, sensitivity, and smokiness.

High-profile colleagues aside, James remains the undisputed star, a figure whose leather-and-latex attire, braided hair, and natural swagger made him misunderstood by some in the mainstream and embraced by everyone in the know as a true original. As a testament to his magnetism and skills, his charisma and rawness seemingly seep through every note, whether on the balladic sweep of the risqué “Make Love to Me” or strident, poke-and-prod persuasion of the moonwalking “Call Me Up.”

On the closing “Below the Funk (Pass the J),” an uptempo autobiographical tale that addresses the visionary musician’s second-favorite love, the singer acknowledges his upbringing and inseparable connection with his roots — an homage to where he began and a toast to where he’s gone.

Rick James, keepin’ it real on Street Songs, still as real as it gets.

A great name. A great cover. And - of course - outstanding library music.

Soul City Orchestra's Meal Ticket houses titanic funk, mellow groove and symphonic disco-soul.

Released in 1977 on Rouge, a subsidiary of the prestigious and long-established British library label Music De Wolfe, Meal Ticket was crafted by the studio band Soul City Orchestra (a pseudonym for the De Wolfe in-house composers Chris Rae & Franck McDonald).

The driving instrumental funk-rock of the A Side is enhanced with strings and no little drama. However, it's undoubtedly the peerless flipside that makes this record an essential part of any collection.

Head straight to highlight "Chamber Maid"; insistent, conga-driven funky rock with lashings of string-heightened drama. It's sophisticated, classical and deeply classy.

The majestic, powerfully emotive "Sore Head" contains an excellent intro drum break and sultry slo-mo disco breaks throughout. It's low-key stunning. With a few melodic switch-ups, it's symphonic soul heaven and is comfortably the best and most beautifully crucial track on Side A.

The breezy, Philly soul-tinged "Short Change", its intense strings reminiscent of the Salsoul Orchestra and TSOP, presents an easy-glide funk that's just irresistible.

The funky, cool and slick AF "Wheeling And Dealing" is laconic flute and string-propelled sophisticated mid-tempo disco soul. It's worth the price of admission alone.

The breezy, mellowed out disco-funk workout "The Jam" is a deliciously slinky and sophisticated soul strut. Try not swaggering into the club with this in your head next time you venture into the murky world of "the night". Just ace.

The crowning glory is the sweeping, sublime symphonic disco breaks of horn-infused "Soul City Drive", an absolute monster of radiant heavy soul-funk à la Barry White with great string & brass arrangement.

Basically, this is essential for all groove-aficionados.

The audio for Meal Ticket has been meticulously remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

WILDSTYLE HOUSE is a new compilation series where Toy Tonics invites producers and DJs that have a very special, funky, unique sound to make one new track. The compilation should show the variability and diversity of house and disco TODAY. Like the wild music mix you can hear at the Toy Tonics events and the way Toy Tonics DJs combine many different styles of "4 to the floor" music into one new soulful, multi-style, and warm-sounding blended "genre." It's about the groove, about a new soul sound, the human feel, the organic and Y2K-inspired dance music that is growing and appeals to a new generation of dance music lovers.

This first part of the compilation includes unreleased music by:

Afro-funk and salsa-house producer talents ELADO, MUSTA, and ALMA NEGRA.

Garage house maestros MELON BOMB and Italian musician DANIEL MONACO (known for his New Wave disco and proto-house releases on Rush Hour and his work for Antal).

MARLA KETHER, the London bass player and DJ, who is known for her work with Little Simz, Oscar Jerome, and Loyle Carner, and has now started to release her own tracks.

Argentinian singer, musician, and DJ ALOT, combining proto-house vibes with Spanish rap.

Funk house producer and edit maestro PAUL OLDER, who is starting to become one of the key names of the new soul house scene (supported by DJs like Folamour, David Penn, Seth Troxler, Kirollus, Breakbot...).

And also Toy Tonics' own GEE LANE, KAPOTE, and ARPY BROWN contributed new tracks.

"Nearly two decades after their 2007 debut and a 2010–2022 hiatus, Austin, TX’s Voxtrot return with Dreamers in Exile, a new LP that turns an underdog story into a true second act.

The band who quietly became cult heroes in the streaming era deliver a record that carries the electric rush longtime fans remember while speaking directly to the new era of youth who discovered them through playlists and word of mouth.

Musically, Dreamers in Exile folds Voxtrot’s classic DNA—C86 sparkle, Sarah Records romanticism, the pulse of The Velvet Underground, the elegance of Felt—into a sharper, more confident sound.

Guitars chime and sprint, rhythms push forward, and Ramesh Srivastava’s literate, heart-forward lyrics trace the distance between youth and maturity, exile and home, regret and renewal. Mixed by Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, James Blake), it reads as both reintroduction and redemption.

For a band born of the 2000s blog wave alongside Vampire Weekend, The National, and Grizzly Bear, Dreamers in Exile is less nostalgia than proof of life. It’s the sound of a beloved group returning on their own terms and finding their songs resonating more widely than ever."

Rikk Agnew's All by Myself is one of those records that feels like a secret you're lucky to stumble upon -- a raw, weird, totally personal snapshot of a restless artist at a pivotal moment. Originally released in 1982 on Frontier Records, the album stands apart from most of what was coming out of Southern California at the time, even though it was born right in the middle of the exploding hardcore punk scene. By 1982, Rikk Agnew was already a big deal underground. As the guitarist for Adolescents, he helped shape the sound of Orange County hardcore with sharp riffs, surf-inflected melodies, and a sense of urgency that became hugely influential. He also played in bands like D.I. and later Christian Death, moving fluidly between hardcore punk, post-punk, and darker, more experimental territory. Agnew wasn't just a fast, aggressive guitarist -- he was a songwriter with range, curiosity, and a strong DIY instinct. All by Myself lives up to its title in the most literal way. Agnew recorded the album largely on his own, playing all the instruments and handling vocals himself. Instead of delivering another straight-up hardcore record, he went inward. The result is a lo-fi, home-recorded collection of songs that blend punk energy with new wave, post-punk, psychedelic touches, and even moments of pop sensitivity. It's rough around the edges, but that's exactly the point -- the album feels intimate, unfiltered, and honest. In the early '80s, Southern California punk was loud, fast, and often confrontational. Bands were pushing against the mainstream and even against each other, racing toward more extreme sounds. While All by Myself shares that DIY spirit, it doesn't fully play by hardcore rules. The tempos shift, the moods wander, and the songs feel more like personal experiments than scene anthems. That made the record a bit of an outlier at the time -- but also what gives it lasting appeal. Frontier Records was the perfect home for a release like this. The label was known for supporting artists who didn't quite fit into neat categories, and All by Myself captured that ethos perfectly. Today, All by Myself is often seen as a cult classic. For fans of early punk, post-punk, or anyone interested in the roots of DIY recording culture, this album is essential listening

remastered

After the success of part one, the second half of this fabed Aspect double pack from 2000 gets a separate reissue by popular demand. M-Core's 'Get Down' starts proceedings, a slow techno burner that starts with spaced out eeriness but builds its momentum rhythm-wise almost literally brick-by-back. 'Evolved' by Soul Capsule Productions has a fresher, cheerier atmosphere to it, before the gloomy clouds gather again for closing track 'The Prayer' by Dark Boys.

“Mi Manifesto” = “I just show up”. No warning.

MI MANIFESTO is an album slow-cooked—actually, really slow-cooked—pretty much over a match flame. It’s a little peek into my everyday life. If you stumble into it, you might bolt… or sit down, watch it unfold, and let this train hit you head-on. It’s not an album for everyone—only for those who walked in, got it, and decided to stay.

Pressed on a brilliant acid-yellow 12”, this special release is packed with surprises:
Each copy includes a custom insert by Pan Dan featuring the album’s lyrics. Inside every package, you’ll also find a personalized surprise gift — a small creative token straight from Pan Dan’s imagination. It might be playful, poetic, unexpected… or all of these at once. In any case, it will always be yours alone.

Alongside with the release of the new album “Tote Winkel”, Sankt Otten will be delighting us with another limited vinyl bonus release. “Hymnen und Helden” (hymns and heroes) is a collection of cover versions created over the last few years. As the album title suggests, it pays homage to self-proclaimed musical hymns and heroes from the seventies and eighties.

HYMNEN UND HELDEN – track by track: A well-known Moog sequence leads us on the way into the cover album. Giorgio Moroders 1977 disco classic “I feel love” has been tackled here. Sankt Ottens instrumental interpretation starts out familiar, but ends in a slightly disturbing disharmony of mellotron and ebow guitar.

The instrumental version of the melancholy Wipers anthem from 1983 starts with a rather unusually fast 808 beat for Sankt Otten. The 80s electronic echoes suit the punk rock earworm “Doom Towen” surprisingly well.

Without Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft, more unusual electronic music would hardly have been conceivable in Germany in the early 1980s. “Alles ist gut” tribute to this band and singer Gabi Delgado-Lopez, who passed away in 2020 and with whom they shared the festival stage in 2015. Gabi‘s lyrics are rendered by text- to-speech software with the voice of an unknown Claudia.

“Wishing (If I had a photograph of you)” was made famous in 1982 by A Flock of Seagulls. This record was regularly played on Stephan Ottens turntable back then. Reason enough to remember this with “Sehnen (Hät- te Ich von dir eine Fotografie)”. The recordings for this album were made in 2007 and have been updated and completed in the last year. Carsten Sandkämper, who was also featured on Sankt Ottens debut album “Eine kleine Traurigkeit”, contributed the vocals and lyrics.

The Swiss band Grauzone became famous with the NDW hit “Eisbär”. Instead of this title, they took on the B-side of this single with “Ich liebe sie”. A synthpop love song full of innocence, stylishly sung by Carsten San- kämper and refined with Kraftwerk-like choral sounds and an herbaceous motorik beat.

The band has enjoyed a personal friendship with Harald Grosskopf since their collaboration in 2013 on the album “Messias Maschine”. With “So weit, so gut”, they take on his little hit from the album “Synthesist”, which is one of the gems of the synthesizer albums of the eighties.

“Kriegsmaschinen, fahrt zur Hölle” is an anti-war song from 1974 by Günter Schickert, the Berlin master of the echo guitar. Unfortunately, the lyrics are still relevant. Oliver Klemm contributes the delay guitars and Stephan Otten puts the lyrics through a vocoder. Sankt Otten compress the 17-minute original to just under 5 minutes and move it musically from the 70s to the 80s.

Sankt Otten’s adaptation of David Bowies “Heroes” is equipped with warm Juno 106 sounds, ebow guitar and synthesizer pads. The German “Helden” version, known from the movie Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, is sung in a touching way by Carsten Sandkämper.

New York-based Rafael Anton Irisarri was responsible for mastering the record. As part of the series with graphic covers, this die-cut artwork was also created by Mexican designer Daniel Castrejon. The one time only vinyl pressing, limited to 350 copies, comes in a beautifully designed die-cut cover and colored vinyl. The Osnabrück duo Sankt Otten, founded in 1999, have been releasing on Denovali since 2009. The band has dedicated itself to the holy trinity of Krautrock, Ambient and contemporary Electronics.






d Sehnen [Haette ich von Dir eine Fotografie]

West Mineral returns with lushly amorphous actions by Shiner, Pontiac Streator & Ben Bondy aka Shinetiac; together fused for an immersive flux of vapoured dub, chopped and droned Billie Eilish, and fidgety algorithmic jams.

There's not a single, specific sound you can peg to the West Mineral axis at this stage in the label’s evolution - it's rather a set of shared aesthetics that freely bend into various interconnected shapes. Shinetiac's contemptuous, critic-baiting gear is the ideal example; on their last album, 2023's 'Not All Who Wander Are Lost', skittery, ketamized IDM sparkled over Spice Girls samples and the Foo Fighters' 'Everlong' was transmuted into Sneaker Pimps-style trip-hop. 'Infiltrating Roku City' might be a little less blatant with its out-and-out poptimism, but it takes a similarly dim view of conservative "big ambient" snobbishness. Just a few minutes of 'Bluemosa' should be enough to let you know what's up; the overall character of the sound is hazed, with frozen pads and garbled, dubbed-out voices smudged into a mess of effects and samples. But it sups up different nuances as it wriggles, absorbing scampering breaks, dizzy acoustic guitar strums and half-heard wordless vocals, flipping in the third act to emerge from its shell as minimalist balearic folk-pop - something like Bon Iver doing 'Electric Counterpoint'.

Brooklyn's Shiner, Philly's Pontiac Streator and Berlin-based Ben Bondy navigate the labyrinthine streaming landscape, guided by their own private experiences of mindless doom-scrolling and cruising the darkest corners of YouTube. They formulated 'Infiltrating Roku City' while they were rehearsing last year and spent the winter stitching together various recordings and jams into a layered, dry-witted commentary on our algorithmic reality. Laden with inside jokes and refried memes, it's surprisingly elegant gear; handling the most unseemly elements like sonic recyclers, earnestly repurposing pop and nostalgia to create an atmospheric echo of contemporary reality.

Screwing Chief Keef's enduring 'Citgo', 'Clublyfe (hulu)' emphasises the original's AFX-pilled euphoria with Robert Miles-style piano hits, replacing Young Ravisu's brittle 128kbps trap rhythm with a glitchy rattle that picks up dembow spikes as it rolls. 'I Hate Being Sober' vaporises the Chicago drill pioneer's 'Hate Bein' Sober', blocking out his voice with glitchy, downsampled interference and elasticated Rhodes. The trio team up with Orange Milk's goo age on the sublime 'Crisis Angel', catching a ray of Malibu's sunshine in the process, and reduce Billie Eilish's voice to a Romance-does-Celine cinder on 'Billie', stretching it to fit next to gassed Future ad-libs and swooping 808 Mafia sub womps. And although the album takes a murky diversion on 'Roku Axes Ultra’, and a cloud-stepping centrepiece ‘Purelink’ in homage to the eponymous dubbed ambient dynamos, it's back on course with 'Jiafei (NETFLIX)', taking aim at TikTok bot videos and welding screams from Florida metal band Underoath to AI-strength vocal curlicues.

Little Richard (1932–2020) was one of rock ’n’ roll’s founding fathers, known for his explosive energy, flamboyant style, and electrifying performances. With hits like “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly,” he brought gospel fire and wild showmanship to popular music. His groundbreaking sound and charisma paved the way for generations of rock, soul, and pop artists.

How do we listen when we know the human is absent? Neue Deutsche Kunst present a collection of music created for their own films, from Bubblegum Pop (literally - the first track is about Kaugummi), Dada Chanson, sugary Psychedelia, Cartoon Prog, Fake Jazz - documenting a period of Unheimlichkeit in the technological development of humankind. The music was neither composed nor recorded, no soundwaves were moved, no microphones abused. Absurd lyrics speak of non-reality, LSD, violence and revolution in a flowery almost-German non-poetry. Three songs are sung in a non-existing speculative language. It literally is Keine Nichtmusik - or is it?

Tori thanks: Mark & Tash, Mom, Dad & all the family, Irene. Mollie & Dave Ward & Arminda & Beene. Johnnie & Chelsea, Ahmet, Val, Ron, Craig. Vicky, Patti, Linda, Sharon, Laura, Andrea, Kris, Bonnie, Lee Anne, Danny, Jason, Rick, Steve, Andi, Bob, Nikke, Fran and all at Atlantic, Christian. Elyse, Matthew, Peter, Carla, Stella, Nisha & all at East West, Carol Kinzel at CAA, Mike Dewdney at ITB, Dave Brock at Rima Travel UK, Mog at Warners UK, Richard Bates, Tim Shaxon at HHB, Tony Larkin at TI. Audio, Steve Trim at Stirling Syco, John & Heather & all at SSE, Jason Ogarro at Macwarehouse, Neil at Neve, Su & Bruce at Digidesign US. John Philip Shenale - vintage keyboard finder, James Naylor at Corney & Barrow and a special thanks to David Slade. Hugs to Lesley Chilkes, Cim Mahoney & Bernice Brobbery - The Glam Squad. The Bude Contingent: Cliff "The Fish' Bowden, Super Debs & Adam at Martian, Thea & Dana, Hayley & Emily, Ros, The Falcon Hotel, Mick & Pearl and Phil and Jody, Stolichnaya & Van Nelle. And finally to all the musicians.

2026 Repress

DJ Quik is a giant of West Coast hip-hop. With his fourth album Rhythm-Al-Ism he created his masterpiece, a perfect hip-hop album. As Quik explains, “the name Rhythm-Al-Ism alone tells you what I was doing. I was mixing up rhythms. I was meshing R&B with hip-hop and jazz. And a little bit of comedy”. It’s absolutely sensational and as with a lot of mid-90s albums those original vinyl copies are now rare so here’s the Be With re-issue.

A preternaturally gifted producer/rapper, DJ Quik has produced scores of LA gangsta rap classics. He’s released platinum and gold records of his own, as well as helped craft them for the likes of Tupac, Snoop Dogg, and Dr Dre. Quik has always been quirkier and more interesting than his gangsta rap peers, both musically and lyrically. An old-school funk producer at heart, he’s also incredibly nice on the mic. His raps often deal in boasts, jokes and good times but also cover his beefs, his trials and his trauma. Partying and pain, all mixed up. DJing and producing hype beat tapes from age 14, Quik’s tracks blended the languid funk and rubbery synths of Zapp and George Clinton with a gangsta aesthetic, creating a more danceable foil to Compton’s more typical nihilistic hedonism. Ultimately, his records sound custom engineered to drift out over sun-soaked barbecues.

Released in 1998 on Profile, Rhythm-Al-Ism was the closest Quik ever got to making a commercial splash. “You’z A Ganxta” and “Hand in Hand” made radio waves across the country and the less radio-friendly tracks like “Medley For A ‘V’” were bumping out of car stereos. Combining his soulful, jazzy P-Funk/G-Funk beats with his effortlessly smooth flow, Rhythm-Al-Ism was the quintessential West Coast Party. Squelchy synths, bouncy bass, monstrously knocking drums and freaky keys - this is peaking acidic party-rap, straight out the gate. Music for gliding, for skating, for time with your people and your poison. Sunshine. No cares. BBQs. Heavy smoke in the air. Dripping with wit and good humour. A real swing to the vibe.

The album opens with Quik setting out his mission statement with “Rhythm-Al-Ism (Intro)”, telling us what this is all about before the self-explanatory “We Still Party” rocks the spot. It’s definitely all about the party here, complete with Quik’s signature head-nod/body-moving beat. Next up, the undeniable laidback funk and dripping swing of groove-laden “So Many Wayz”. This positively slaps.

Then we get to the three huge singles. The R&B-tinged radio-friendly minor-hit “Hand In Hand” closes the first side only for the flip to get straight into the rolling and scratching of bleepy computer-funk banger “Down, Down, Down” (featuring a particularly nice use of Howard Johnson’s epochal “So Fine”). The effortlessly smooth, flute and guitar-laced “You’z A Ganxta” completes the trio. Next up the fast-paced, vocoder-enhanced, woulda-beena-global-hit “I Useta Know Her”. This coulda (shoulda) been a single too. Head-nod funk workout “No Doubt”, with its ace sample of Prince's “Sexy Dancer”, closes out the second side.

“Speed” races out the gate on the second disc, sampling Edwin Birdsong’s “Rapper Dapper Snapper” in a harder, better, faster, stronger way than those daft Parisian punks. Amphetamine-swift raps over soaring, string-drenched b-boy beats. A total anthem. Up next, the staggering, near 8-minute laconic, lounge-y sax-rap of “Whateva U Do” cools things down and smooths things out with its flute wrapping around a sample of Smokey Robinson’s “So In Love” and some oh-so-classy lounge-piano tinkling. And speaking of smooth, things don’t get much smoother than the blissfully melodic glider-anthem “Thinkin’ ’Bout U” riding that ace flip of SWV’s “Use Your Heart”. Exceptional.

The exquisite funky-flute-slapper “Medley for a ‘V’ (The P***Y Medley)” opens the fourth and final side, with star turns from Snoop Dogg and a typically suave Nate Dogg. It’s followed by the supremely skanked-out “Bombudd II”, a beautifully sweet reggae-fuelled ode to the herb. “Get 2Getha Again” is slick funk. Stunning.

This 2022 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman and pressed at Record Industry. Unusual for the time, Rhythm-Al-Ism was originally pressed as a double and we’ve reproduced the original LA vibe picture sleeve and insert to match.

As that original front cover says, this is “over 70 minutes of commercial free music” and it’s absolutely perfect from start to finish. There are no stand-out tracks here. It’s all gold.
: Rhythm-al-ism (2LP)

"On a dozen restlessly expressive instrumentals recorded between Marin and Reykjavík, the American guitarist finds turbulent beauty at the edges of the fingerstyle tradition." - PITCHFORK 7.9/10

"The greatest living guitar player" - Hayden Pedigo

Today, guitarist Mason Lindahl — whose “unabashedly beautiful" (Aquarium Drunkard) sound "balances the romantic dynamics of flamenco and the meticulousness of Windham Hill with the unguarded qualities of improvised music" (Pitchfork) — announces a pair of new albums: Joshua / Same Day Walking via Mt. Brings Death.

Though packaged together, Joshua and Same Day Walking chart distinct worlds. Recorded in northern California and produced by Robby Moncrieff (Dirty Projectors, Zach Hill), Joshua is woolier and warmer, evoking haze, humidity, and overgrown Spanish moss. Meanwhile, Same Day Walking — recorded in Iceland and produced by Moncrieff alongside two-time GRAMMY-winning composer / sound designer Sam Slater (Joker, Chernobyl) — is, appropriate for its icier climes, windswept and beholden to the vast emptiness of harsh landscapes. As a pair, they provide a thorough portrait of Lindahl's singular and versatile playing.

Amid Lindahl's purely evident virtuosity, close listeners can savor wonderful imperfections freckled throughout Joshua / Same Day Walking: buzzing strings, minimal electronic ambience, soft undulations of tempo. Lindahl isn’t here to pageant his craft; he's adventuring within, uncovering fresh avenues of sound and emotive gesture.

Described by friend and contemporary Hayden Pedigo as “the greatest living guitar player,” Mason Lindahl’s “austere, gothic flamenco...dares you to submit to this odd and immersive sonic universe" (Uncut). The Northern California native's solo instrumental debut Kissing Rosy in the Rain, released in 2021 via Tompkins Square, was praised as "gorgeous" (Petal Motel) and "a minimalist gem" (Everything Is Noise). Prior to that, his only other solo release is 2009's Serrated Man Sound.

[a] A1 Cabin Talk Feat. Giancarlo Esposito [album Intro]










[l] A12 Believe (In Him) [feat. Lady Stout And K. Butler & The Collective]


[o] A15 Just How It Is (Sometimes) [feat. Jay Pharoah & Gareth Donkin]



[s] A19 Day In The Sun (Gettin' Wit U) [feat. Q-Tip & Yummy Bingham]

Alex Rex, the project of acclaimed musician and former Trembling Bells bandleader Alex Neilson, is set to release his fourth and final studio album, The National Trust, on March 28th. Written in the wake of the sudden death of his younger brother, Alastair, the album is a poignant reflection on loss, love, and renewal, deeply rooted in the landscape of Carbeth—a cabin community in the Scottish countryside that Alastair called home. For Neilson, the cabin became both a physical and emotional project, a symbol of restoration and reconnection.

"For the first four years after Alastair died, his cabin lay empty and exposed to the remorseless Scottish weather. It came to look like a rotten tooth in a beautiful mouth. Cladding was dropping off its veneer, the ashen baubles of dead wasps nests clung to the rafters, all his possessions were just as he'd left them but eaten by mice, moths and time. Ashtrays still carried the crushed centimetres of his old tab ends. The cabins are so joyfully animated by their host's specific personality and this one looked like a haunted house. Guilt, unrealised hopes and encroaching nature yoked together in a wandering sadness. Combined with the fact that I didn't know the right way round to hold a hammer made the project of its restoration seem hopeless.”

Neilson, however, gradually began chipping away at the task, determined to transform the cabin into something he hoped would resemble “a National Trust site occupied by a psychopath,” with a little help from some friends, including Lavinia Blackwall and Marco Rea.

“They poured love into the cabin and helped restore Alastair's original vision. The project also helped restore my relationship with Lavinia which had fractured after Trembling Bells broke up in 2017. Alongside long-term Rex lieutenant Rory Haye, we applied the same intensity of dedication that we did in renovating the cabin, into creating The National Trust.”

As with Neilson’s previous albums, the recording process was intentionally unpolished, with songs presented in the studio with no rehearsals and captured in just a few takes. This raw, immediate approach amplifies the emotional weight of the album, which Neilson describes as being at a “personal apex of sour self-reflection, mock misanthropy, and self-exposure.” Longtime collaborators Lavinia Blackwall, Marco Rea, and Rory Haye return, alongside guest musicians like Jill O’Sullivan (Jill Lorean) and Trembling Bells guitarist Mike Hastings, to bring Neilson’s vision to life. The result is a deeply personal and multifaceted work, blending acid wit with haunting introspection.

The songs on The National Trust traverse a wide emotional and thematic range. The title track opens the album with a sharp and confessional edge, exploring love, loathing, and cultural critique with Neilson’s signature wit. “Boss Morris” pays tribute to the all-female Morris dancing troupe that reinvents British folk with vibrant energy, while “Two Kinds of Song” turns self-referential humour into an avalanche of remorse, culminating in the unforgettable chorus: “I’ve got two kinds of song. Which one will it be; one where I hate myself or one where you hate me?” Elsewhere, tracks like “Psychic Rome” draw from the decadence and hysteria of ancient Rome, while “The Coward in the Tower” breaks new ground as the only song Neilson has composed on an instrument before recording.

Throughout the album, Neilson’s lyricism is as vivid as ever, transforming personal tragedy into poignant and often darkly humorous art. Yet, there is a sense of finality to this work. "Songwriting has encouraged me to see the whole world as a resource. The things people say and throw away can be chiselled and polished and plopped into a lyric. It’s the same with building the cabin- scouring the edges of society for pallets, discarded wood, ornaments for the garden. But while song writing brings to life orphaned parts of my personality, the cabin is a synthesis of all my interests – nurturing my emotional health instead of exploiting it. With that in mind, I think this will be my last album as Alex Rex.”

With The National Trust, Neilson closes a significant chapter of his career, blending masterful musicianship with deeply personal storytelling. Known for his collaborations with artists such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Shirley Collins, and Current 93, as well as his decade-long tenure leading the psych-folk outfit Trembling Bells, Neilson has long been celebrated for his eclectic and uncompromising vision. This final album serves as a fitting culmination of his journey as Alex Rex, capturing the essence of his artistry while offering a profound exploration of loss, renewal, and the enduring power of love.

The Cabildos remain one of the most enigmatic names to emerge from the 1970s library music scene. Little is known about the group, except that their name was inspired by Johnny Cabildo, an Italian keyboardist and composer who had relocated to Florida. Their recorded legacy is strikingly concise: just three albums—Yuxtaposición (1972, released under the name Cabildo's Three), Cross Fire (1974), and the later Where Is the Cat? (1979).

Entirely instrumental, the Cabildos' music is driven by deep grooves and a vibrant blend of Latin influences, funk, and jazz fusion, often enhanced by Afro-tribal percussion. Conceived primarily for use in films, documentaries, and advertising, their work naturally belongs to the world of synchronization music.

Cross Fire stands out as a particularly compelling chapter in their catalog, distinguished by an impressive range of textures and moods achieved through the minimalist interplay of bass, drums, and keyboards alone.

Now reissued by Redi Edizioni on clear red vinyl, this excellent record returns with a faithful reproduction of the original artwork, offering a renewed opportunity to appreciate one of library music's most elusive gems.

‘Moonlight Concessions’ goes back to basics, a return for Throwing Muses to their esoteric off-kilter best courtesy of Kristin’s pin-sharp sketches and their suitably abrasive musical arrangements. The album follows their acclaimed ‘Sun Racket’ from 2020, a heady set filled with tough and tender tales spiked with surreal imagery. Produced by Kristin Hersh at Steve Rizzo's Stable Sound Studio in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, ‘Moonlight Concessions’ is a collection of snippets from everyday life writ large - think Raymond Carver Short Cuts, overheard conversations, recounted happenings and telling one-liners, all sewed together to illustrate the times as they slowly mature, fully peppered with original Muses’ vim and vigour. ‘Drugstore Drastic’ is a kerbside soliloquy caught en route to a more alluring rendezvous. Built on a brisk acoustic strum with a guitar sub-melody underpinning proceedings, it’s an unfolding tale of social awareness from a blurred sub-conscious. ‘Summer Of Love’ began as a bet with a guy for a dollar that revolved around the idea that the seasons don’t change us. The album opener, it’s a haunting baroque overture, bowed and brooding. ‘Libretto’s strings offset the acoustic ambience, the hot and cold of longing at the very heart of it, a thematic driver filed with warmth in a safe haven lubricated by tequila. Written in the differing South Coast environs of The Gulf Of Mexico and Southern California, ‘Moonlight Concessions’ pulls from the star clusters that light both, generating optimism and hope in varying degrees. Hersh explains, “In New Orleans the stars look greenish-blue, as it’s below sea level and swamp-lit. But on Moonlight Beach, they glow icy white. All these songs were written in these two glowy places, which helped our sonic technique find itself.”

Includes demos of every track from the original album, stripped back to (mainly) guitar and voice. Originally a Norman Records exclusive, these are the last few copies available from a limited pressing of just 300. Mark Fry is a France- based, English singer- songwriter/ artist whose debut album, 'Dreaming With Alice,' released in Italy in 1971, became a much-bootlegged "acid-folk" classic three decades later. Fry returned to recording in 2008 and has since released 4 more acclaimed studio albums. These days, far less "acid" than in his youth, Fry still knows his way around a beautiful melody. This album of sketches is resplendent with love songs, the beauty of nature and the passing of time Fry is certainly no stranger to the preparatory sketch. An artist in the truest sense of the word, renowned equally for his decades- long career as a painter of vibrant abstracts and as a cult psychedelic minstrel turned intimate, evocative singersongwriter, his atelier, housed in a converted stable building at his Normandy home, literally doubles as his music studio. It was in this space that Mark's fifth solo album, 'Not On The Radar,' released back in May, was recorded in the summer of 2024, with the singer pushing back his easels to accommodate a four-piece live band and vanloads of miscellaneous accompanying paraphernalia.

Before that, the studio had been a considerably emptier space in which working versions of the album's ten languidly bucolic compositions were first demoed by the solitary songwriter (although some emergent tracks were also captured at Balintore - the home studio of Mark's regular guitarist, Iain Ross, housed on the latter's London-moored canal barge). With those sketches presented here in the same running order as on the mothership longplayer, this new album stands as a document of process - offering the opportunity for track- by- track comparison for those already familiar with Not On The Radar. Crucially, it also makes for a very fine standalone album in its own right, which, if nothing else, bears testament to the inherent robustness of Mark Fry's songwriting.

Auf dem komplett unübersichtlichen Markt der Vinyl-Wiederveröffentlichungen rarer Aufnahmen aus dem im weitesten Sinne Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues/Popcorn-Umfeld hat sich die Serie DOWN AT THE UGLY MEN’S LOUNGE mit einer komplett eigenständigen konzeptionellen Farbe etabliert. Das authentische 10“-Format und die Covergestaltung mit obskuren und anonymen Musikerfotos der ersten fünfzig Jahre des 20. Jahrhunderts sind gleichermaßen unverkennbar wie unwiderstehlich.
Das stilistische Spektrum der neuen Auswahl rarer und rarster Trouvaillen aus dem legendären Archiv von Prof. Bop bleibt dem Ursprungskonzept treu: Zwischen Boogie und Mambo, zwischen Blues und Bop, zwischen Exotica und Egozentrik...weniger amateurhaft gespielter Teenager-Rockabilly, eher Rock & Roll etc. von musikalisch versierten und Jazz-geschulten Vollprofis. Allesamt Aufnahmen der goldenen Epoche 1950 – 1962.

Un-easy listening from »anti-singer« and improviser Sofia Jernberg, a celebration of the voice in its rawest, most malleable form. Jernberg was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Vietnam and Sweden, so one can only imagine these diverse languages opened up a wealth of phonetic possibilities before she entered academia to study jazz and composition. If you dive into her catalogue you’ll clock her startling range – working as a jazz soprano and as an improviser, collaborating with everyone from Stefan Schneider to Mats Gustafsson, as well as appearances on the stage and screen, most notably in Matthew Barney, Erna Ómarsdóttir, and Valdimar Jóhannsson’s »Union of the North«.

On »Voice«, Jernberg provides a ground-level entry point to her work, meticulously running through a litany of unconventional techniques (non-verbal vocalisation, split tones, toneless singing, and distortion) without any effects, just pure batshit sonics designed to show off the voice’s scope as an experimental instrument. On »Mouth Synthesizer« she purses her lips to make ratcheting pops like some analog oscillator, hoarsely mimicking the sort of blustery, Merzbow-coded distortions you might get if you patched a RAT pedal into a broken guitar amp. It isn’t an act of caricature, it’s Jernberg’s way of demonstrating that expensive modular rigs aren’t an essential tool for experimental music, before throwing a side-eye to the field recording industrial complex on »Birds«, transforming her vocal chords into a nightmare aviary. But it’s Jernberg’s startling »multiphonic« experiments that hit hardest. The album opens on »Multiphonic I«, and it’s difficult to tell that you’re listening to a human voice at first – you could just as well be on Colin Stetson’s overblown sax airstreams. Jernberg creates a captivating spiral of crooked, phased tones and hoarse, guttural croaks that she develops over three movements. On »Multiphonic II«, her voice is turned into a storm of pained shrieks, and on the third and final segment, it almost resembles Arve Henriksen or Jon Hassell’s muted brass curlicues. Each track pulls a different musical muscle, whether it’s »One Pitch« with its unsettling yodel-like quivering drones or »Gurgle«, sounding like a close mic-ed recording of a small pot gently simmering.