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The B-52's The B-52's on Numbered Limited Edition LP from Mobile Fidelity Silver Label
Ranked at #152 on Rolling Stone's List of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Delightfully Campy, Intentionally Goofy, Lyrically Kitschy: 1979 Set Is Nothing But a Good Time
Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's World-Renowned Mastering System and Pressed at RTI (America's Best Record Plant): LP Bursts Forth With the Color and Vibrancy of the Brilliant Pop Within
The B-52's' Wild Planet and Cosmic Thing Also Available on Silver Label LP Boffo! Beehive hairdos, goofy sci-fi humor, lava-lamp kitsch, thrift-store fashions, party-starting tunes, unconventional perspectives, and the unique blending of the underground aesthetic with mainstream accessibility: The B-52's mix all this and more into a dizzying cocktail on their self-titled debut, which remains one of the most ahead-of-its-time, endlessly enjoyable, and vividly colorful albums ever released.
Ranked at #152 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, The B-52's has its roots in the band's improbable genesis, itself reflective of the record's gleeful moods and quirky charms. The five members first played after sharing a tropical alcoholic beverage at a Chinese restaurant, the ironic silliness and spontaneous irreverence indicative of the music on its breakthrough record. Not to mention how it mirrors the unusual hodgepodge of instrumentation: organs, walkie talkies, bongos, glockenspiels, tambourines, toy pianos, smoke alarms, and more!
Musically, the band proves just as adventurous and whimsical. Using pleasant harmonies as a backdrop and Kate Pierson's squealing organ as a starting point, the B-52's draw upon surf-rock grooves, beach-bound soul-pop, herky-jerky funk riffs, minimalist rhythms, and Ricky Wilson's unusual guitar lines to craft songs that tower above the sarcastic suggestiveness and campy declarations. Of course, the latter are plenty entertaining on their own, but there's no denying the dance-bound persuasiveness and melodic shimmy associated with the classic cult single 'Rock Lobster' and splendid cover of the ubiquitous Petula Clark standard 'Downtown.' You've never heard anything like this.

Indeed, the B-52s were about a decade ahead of the alt-rock revolution when they recorded this delightfully campy, intentionally goofy, lyrically tawdry, and undeniably harmonic 1979 new-wave set that comes off as the best dance party you might ever hear. This is 40 minutes of nothing but a good time.
Mastered on Mobile Fidelity's world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI (America's best record plant), Silver Label numbered limited edition LP presents the B-52's brilliant debut in a fidelity it's never previously enjoyed. So detailed and realistic are the timbres, accents, and harmonies, you'll think the band's bright outfits are appearing right in front of you. Plus, the LP is worth the cost alone for the iconic album cover, which spotlights those bouffant 'dos.

LTD. CLEAR OCEAN BLUE VINYL

A moment comes when you stop dreaming, start living and discover your destiny.

Based on author James Thurber's fantastical 1939 short story of the same name, the 2013 big screen rendering of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty features Ben Stiller directing and starring in the role of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.

The music that accompanies those reveries reflects the actor's innate quirkiness. Film score composer Theodore Shapiro has been the go-to guy for movie comedies starring the major comic actors of the early 21st century, including Ben Stiller, Will Farrell, and Owen Wilson. Shapiro has scored numerous films, including Old School, Starsky & Hutch; The Devil Wears Prada and Blades Of Glory.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- GATEFOLD SLEEVE / INSERT
- PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE
- FEATURING JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
- FIRST PRESSING OF 750 NUMBERED COPIES ON
WHITE & BLUE MIXED VINYL

At various points along the trajectory between then and now, Travis have sold millions of albums (just under three million of The Man Who in the UK alone); they’ve been the subject of an award-winning feature length documentary (Almost Fashionable) and Fran has elicited acclaim from Paul McCartney, Elton John and Graham Nash – all songwriters whose ability to divine a timeless melody out of thin air has sustained them through the decades.

’10 Songs’ is an album that holds you in its own emotional microclimate at the outset and keeps you there. It’s also a grown-up record. ’10 Songs’ is a record about the way life comes at love and what love does to weather those challenges. “This is no rehearsal/This is the take,” sings Fran at the beginning of Waving At The Window, over an insistent piano hook, “Promises you once kept/Are going to break

Every track on this album carries an even load. No passengers here. Nowhere to hide. “I write songs in an antiquated way,” explains their creator, “Sitting at the bottom of the bed, ‘pouring my simple sorrow to the sound hole and my knee’, as Joni Mitchell put it.” As a songwriter based in L.A., Fran Healy doesn’t need anyone to tell him this is no longer how it’s done. It’s far from uncommon for the credits on successful modern pop songs to feature upwards of ten writers. Hits by committee. “It’s fine,” notes Fran, “Personally though, I’ll take ten songs written by one person over one song written by ten people. And if I feel that way, then surely someone else must do too.”

Deluxe album products to include demo versions of the above tracks on disc 2.

A Single Point of Light’ is Ben Shemie’s second solo LP and the follow up to ‘A Skeleton’, which was released with Hands in the Dark in early 2019.

While the frontman of Canadian band Suuns gave us a cold, experimental sort of pop with his first album, centered around the idea of a genderless, raceless character, this record focuses on the perception of light, both figuratively and literally. The way it is created, moves and breaks apart, how we can all see the same thing but perceive it differently. Overall, the new theme encourages a broader musical universe, both in the songwriting and the production. Whilst the songs are longer and warmer, the psychedelic, dreamy tunes on this album are undoubtedly still cloaked by a certain dark atmosphere.

A Single Point of Light is still very much a performance oriented recording, using the same techniques as the previous opus. It was all recorded in one day, all live off the floor, with no overdubs. Shemie comes up once again with an original and personal approach to music, creating simple, uninhibited, catchy songs with only a few electronic elements and his voice. We couldn’t be happier to work with a such fresh and avant-garde vision.

pink vinyl
A Single Point of Light’ is Ben Shemie’s second solo LP and the follow up to ‘A Skeleton’, which was released with Hands in the Dark in early 2019.

While the frontman of Canadian band Suuns gave us a cold, experimental sort of pop with his first album, centered around the idea of a genderless, raceless character, this record focuses on the perception of light, both figuratively and literally. The way it is created, moves and breaks apart, how we can all see the same thing but perceive it differently. Overall, the new theme encourages a broader musical universe, both in the songwriting and the production. Whilst the songs are longer and warmer, the psychedelic, dreamy tunes on this album are undoubtedly still cloaked by a certain dark atmosphere.

A Single Point of Light is still very much a performance oriented recording, using the same techniques as the previous opus. It was all recorded in one day, all live off the floor, with no overdubs. Shemie comes up once again with an original and personal approach to music, creating simple, uninhibited, catchy songs with only a few electronic elements and his voice. We couldn’t be happier to work with a such fresh and avant-garde vision.

Uniting cosmic tones and lovely notes, unique sound collages and electronic noises, Muzak pour ascenseurs en panne ("Muzak for Broken Lifts"), Brigitte Barbu's first album, explores a dreamy universe, at the crossroads of electronica and the 70s’ post-tune-in/drop-out, echoing shadows of the peculiar doppelgänger; Pépé Bradock. Ça Plane pour Brigitte Barbu…

Resonant guitar notes, odd sounds, electronic hallucinations, and unexpected warm synth layers all gather together in Brigitte Barbu's first enigmatic album. Recorded and mixed during a reclusive one-week residency in a very special studio, under the benevolent cubic radiation of "Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant,” using a computer, synthesizers, and various string instruments, giving birth to this resolutely unique album. The guitars were sharply disciplined, propelling strings into strange and hypnotic limbos, somewhere between a weightless journey through time and a fresh science lab experiment.

A perky cosmic album running away from rules and gravity.

"I wanted to compose an ethereal abstract Hip-Hop LP" says Brigitte, "with guitar as a brainwashed instrument, mirroring machines and computers, even if surely far from being unplugged". So much for that… With a real introspective dimension, the record stands out for its pure whimsical mood. The artist had strict rules for composing: “Each track is based on the association between a title chosen for its consonances, an open tuning, a random tempo and frequencies chosen for their supposed effects, real or imagined, on the mind, body & soul.” For example: Taro Patch -> Whale -> 93,75 BPM or Dobro -> Bear-> 118,125 BPM, Air Resistance -> Open Em -> Panther-> 480 BPM etc.

Brigitte surgically framed an electro-acoustic compendium, finding its atmospheric mothership… Brigitte Barbu, referring to a special interlude from a vintage release "Escalope de Dingue” (Fool’s Cutlet), explains that Muzak pour Ascenseurs en Panne is in fact a custom tribute to family, friends, triggered cosmonauts, René Clément and the card game where the winner is the bearded monarch nonchalantly stabbing himself in the head. It’s a lot!

Italian producer Clap! Clap! returns to Bristol's Black Acre with his third album, ‘Liquid Portraits’. Born and bred in Florence, Cristiano
Crisci’s musical career extends back to the mid-90s where he started out as a rapper, before picking up a saxophone and exploring
both jazz and jazz/punk fusion with Trio Cane, and then returning to his electronic roots with A Smile For Timbuctu project - a
collaborative effort that released four albums and performed across Europe. By 2008, Crisci decided to strike it out on his own as Digi
G’Alessio, channeling the same hip-hop meets electronic music energies as those animating the nascent Los Angeles beat scene for a
string of EPs and albums. Soon Crisci hit upon a new formula when he started combining samples from the African continent with
energetic drum programming. The results led to the birth of Clap! Clap! in 2013, which has since been recognised and supported by the
likes of Paul Simon and Gilles Peterson. The stripped-back, high-energy yet inventive sound caught the attention of Black Acre with
whom Crisci has been working with ever since, including his first and second albums ‘Tayi Bebba’ and ‘A Thousand Skies’. Returning
to Black Acre, Clap! Clap!’s third album once again deploys his inimitable technique in fine style, however with new eyes as this new
project signifies a definite shift in his work having spent the last few years learning the art of mixing which has lead to some
breakthroughs: “In recent years I’ve spent a lot of time studying essential mixing techniques. I then built an acoustic-treated room and
set up my new studio. I started to convert digital into analogue and vice versa with good converters and achieved sounds that I’ve
never heard before from my speakers. This had a huge positive impact on my mixes and result on my music.” Entitled ‘Liquid Portraits’, the album - as the name suggests - is a collection of sonic paintings, an attempt at capturing furtive, subconscious memories through sound. The tracks reference trips Crisci took and people he met – from southern Italy to Hokkaido via the Kif Mountains of Morocco – as well as more abstract ideas of loss, calmness, and childhood. Having been approached by Paul Simon to work on his 2016 album ‘Stranger To Stranger’ after Simon discovered ‘Tayi Bebba’ through his son, Clap! Clap! is no stranger to collaborations and this album features a small cast of talents, such as south Italy percussionist Domenico Candellori (‘Southern Dub’), Belgian artist Martha Da’ro (‘Moving On’) and harpist Kety Fusco (‘Rising Fire’)

In 2020 it’s already 24 years ago that Hooverphonic released their iconic first album A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular. To say that since then the group has earned their place in the Belgian - and international - music landscape is an understatement! 25 years of Hooverphonic, that demands a Best Of from their rich career! Their music has appeared in a number of commercials and other TV series; like ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’, ‘Stealing Beauty’, ‘Cold Case’ and ‘A Lot Like Love’. Counting 32 tracks, it’s a fantastic overview of all the music they recorded during their career.

The Best Of Hooverphonic is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on translucent blue vinyl.

It’s auspicious that Sonic Boom—the solo project and nom-de-producer of Peter Kember (Spectrum, Spacemen 3)—returns in 2020 with its first new LP in three decades. Kember’s drawn to the year’s numerological potency, and this intentionality shines into every corner of All Things Being Equal. It’s a meditative, mathematical record concerned with the interconnectedness of memory, space, consumerism, consciousness—everything. Through regenerative stories told backwards and forwards, Kember explores dichotomies zen and fearsome, reverential of his analog toolkit and protective of the plants and trees that support our lives.

Sonic Boom’s second album and first for Carpark began in 2015 as electronic jams. The original sketches of electronic patterns, sequenced out of modular synths, were so appealing that Stereolab’s Tim Gane encouraged Kember to release them instrumentally. “I nearly did,” confesses Kember, “but the vibe in them was so strong that I couldn't resist trying to ice the cake.” Three years later, a move to Portugal saw him dusting off the backing tracks, adding vocals inspired by Sam Cooke, The Sandpipers, and the Everly Brothers (which he admits “don’t go far from the turntable pile”), as well as speculative, ominous spoken word segments. His new home Sintra’s parks and gardens provided a different visual context for Kember’s thoughtful observations, and he thematically incorporated sunshine and nature as well as global protests into the ten resulting tracks. “Music made in sterility sounds sterile,” he says, “And that is my idea of hell.”

Over the vivid, calculating arps of opener “Just Imagine,” Kember nudges listeners to do as the title suggests. It’s based on a story he read about a boy who healed his cancer by picturing himself as a storm cloud, raining out his illness. “The Way That You Live,” a rollicking drone powered by drum machine rattles and bright chord beds, morphs political distrust into a revolutionary mantra about ethical living. “I try and live my life by voting every day with what I do and how I do it, who I do it with and the love that I can give them along the way,” offers Kember.

An unusually curated gear list accompanies each song, unexpected layers reinforcing the monophonic skeletons. Mystery soundscapes and grinding sweeps were teased from EMS synths, synonymous with and evocative of ‘60s BBC scoring and ‘70s Eno. Pacing basslines oscillating into warbling heartbeats came from a cheap ‘80s Yamaha. A modern OP-1 generated subtle kicks and eerie theremins, while his toy Music Modem—an unused holdover from sessions Kember produced for Beach House and MGMT—finally found its recorded home.

It’s rare to see liner notes where synthesizers rather than humans are credited (other than guest vocal stints from “co-conspirators” Panda Bear and Britta Phillips), but Kember is masterful at finding the unique personality in his machines. “I tried to find the deepest essence of the instruments & let them play,” he offers. What emerges from these considerations on technology and humanity is a honed collection both philosophical and grooving, spacious even as it fills to its brim. It’s distinctly Kember—more than that, it’s distinctly Sonic Boom.

Remastered BLACK VINYL pressing
Remastered and pressed on limited edition of only 200 colour vinyl copies Disc One on WHITE vinyl Disc Two on transparent PINK vinyl.
This limited edition set contains the original LP plus an 8 track bonus LP Includes a 16pp 12” x 12” colour booklet with sleeve notes by Popkiss author, Michael White & Tim Vass. Presented in a gatefold sleeve with reverse board printing Storyteller, which saw release in February of ’88, arguably is the best album to come from the generation of indie pop bands to which Razorcuts belonged. Most of their peers tended to falter beyond the convenient restrictions of singles and EPs, but Storyteller, whether by luck or design, hangs together as a complete work, not a moment of its 35 minutes wasted or excess to requirements. Indeed, there are few lovelier songs from that year than “Brighter Now,” “Jade,” and the title track.

Oracolo is Skinshape’s second full length originally released in 2015 and now remastered for 2020. The album plays out like the soundtrack to a psychedelic Spaghetti Western. ‘Old Days’ is one of a handful of vocal-lead tracks on the release that along with ‘Summer’ and the cinematic album title track, ‘Oracolo’ conjure references to bands like Can, The Bees or modern pysch pioneers Tame Impala. The instrumentals peppered throughout like the Quentin Tarantino-esque gem ‘Mandala’ and Motown reminiscing ‘Rubber Gloves’ highlight Dorey’s superb talent as an arranger and composer. Don’t let the vintage sound fool you either. All of his magic is original, without a sample in sight. Every instrument either played by Dorey himself, or his array of guest friend musicians. For the Oracolo artwork, Skinshape joined forces with acclaimed New York based artist Jared Buschang. This is one of Buschang’s early pieces simply named ‘Untitled’. The Picasco-esqe style makes the perfect visual representation for the music within.

The Lounge Society are Cameron Davey (vocals/bass), Archie Dewis (drums), Herbie May (guitar) and Hani Paskin-Hussain (guitar).

While some bands make music that pats you on the back, The Lounge Society make music that kicks you in the teeth . Hailing from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, they are the next to emerge from the contagious 'Calder Sound', alongside Working Men's Club, The Orielles and WH Lung. An unruly bunch of talented multi-instrumentalists, The Lounge Society have pioneered a fresh approach to an eclectic range of influences spanning from The Fall and Talking Heads to The Velvet Underground and Fat White Family.
The band’s manager got in touch with the label via email – ‘and for both me and Dan it was one of those – we HAVE to do this moments’ – says (Pierre) Hall, label co-runner. All aged 16-17 years old and still in school – they needed to get permission to miss their music exams in order to come down and record. They would also need an adult in order to check them in to the Travelodge in Streatham they’d booked in order to come to the label’s HQ/studios.

But age/educational restrictions aside, when they did arrive - wow – what a racket they made. ‘They are great. Really fun to work with – and a fucking amazing band’ enthuses label boss Carey. As for the band themselves: ‘I don’t think it’s sunk in yet that we’re releasing a single with Speedy. It’s always been a dream for all of us to record with Dan Carey and release with Speedy. We love their ethos and all the music they’ve put out in the past, it’s a great scene.

On the day everything happened really quickly, we messed around for a bit, trying different amps, guitars and stuff, then when we were ready Dan said ‘shall we go for a take’ and switched the lights off, put the smoke machine on and put lasers on. Then just as we started playing the smoke alarm went off which was really funny, apparently it’s never done that before!

We went through the track and there was a real energy in the room, it was like being at a gig which is exactly what this track needed. Generation Game means a lot to all of us, and we feel it’s an ideal introduction to us as a band. To us the lyrics reflect what we’re all about – shedding light on topics and events we feel are criminally ignored - and for it to be our very first offering to the world (especially through Speedy) really helps get that across. Once we’d finished the take we all stopped dead and looked at each other (and Dan) and he just said ‘that’s it, that’s the one’. I think we were all a bit shocked but the energy was there on the recording and we completely trusted him!’

In addition – the band have also gained another new producer fan in that of The Strokes producer Gordon Raphael – who has recently relocated to Hebden Bridge (!) and caught them at a local gig: "I was seriously impressed and really enjoyed the show. For me they have it all - a great performance, they look amazing, they play their instruments like hell (and I mean that most kindly) and they take really night sharp left turns in the middle of their songs, which always grabs my interest.” Is This It? We think so. The Lounge Society. No time for sitting around.

Speedy Wunderground’s fourth singles compilation – ‘Speedy Wunderground – Year 4’ – is out now - featuring: Scottibrains, black midi, Squid, Black Country, New Road, All We Are, Alex Kapranos, Tiña, Treeboy & Arc and Sinead O’Brien.

Single 12" on Other People featuring Lydia Lunch and FKA twigs.

Salt Lake Citys Indie-Pop-Lieblinge Choir Boy melden sich nach vier Jahren mit der Veröffentlichung ihres neuen Albums "Gathering Swans" zurück. Mit der emotionalen, kraftvollen und von Pop-Nostalgie durchfluteten Platte, treiben Choir Boy ihren unverwechselbaren Sound auf eine neue Ebene. "Gathering Swans" steckt voller mitreißendem Herzschmerz und zeigt die Band von einer zärtlichen, romantischen Seite. Choir Boy startete als das Projekt von Sänger Adam Klopp, mit ständig rotierenden Bandmitgliedern. Inzwischen haben Choir Boy eine feste Besetzung bestehend aus Klopps langjährigem Wegbegleiter und Bassisten Chaz Costello, dem Saxophonisten und Keyboarder Jeff Kleinman und dem Gitarristen Michael Paulsen. 2016 veröffentlichten Choir Boy ihr, von der Kritik gefeiertes, Debütalbum "Passive With Desire", auf welches 2018 die Single "Sunday Light" folgte. Nach einer Reihe von Tourneen mit Acts wie Cold Cave, Snail Mail und Ceremony begannen Choir Boy mit dem Schreiben ihres neuen Albums. "Gathering Swans" erweist sich als ein würdiger Nachfolger und baut auf Choir Boys mitreißendem Sound mit poppiger Sensibilität auf. Das Album überzeugt mit seinem berührenden "Choral-Pop"-Klang, der zu einem Markenzeichen von Choir Boy geworden ist. "Gathering Swans" ist kreativ, authentisch, leidenschaftlich und schrill. Hinter dem melancholischen, tief emotionalen Grundton von "Gathering Swans" zeigt sich eine helle und hoffnungsvolles Aussicht.

LTD. NEON YELLOW VINYL

Salt Lake Citys Indie-Pop-Lieblinge Choir Boy melden sich nach vier Jahren mit der Veröffentlichung ihres neuen Albums "Gathering Swans" zurück. Mit der emotionalen, kraftvollen und von Pop-Nostalgie durchfluteten Platte, treiben Choir Boy ihren unverwechselbaren Sound auf eine neue Ebene. "Gathering Swans" steckt voller mitreißendem Herzschmerz und zeigt die Band von einer zärtlichen, romantischen Seite. Choir Boy startete als das Projekt von Sänger Adam Klopp, mit ständig rotierenden Bandmitgliedern. Inzwischen haben Choir Boy eine feste Besetzung bestehend aus Klopps langjährigem Wegbegleiter und Bassisten Chaz Costello, dem Saxophonisten und Keyboarder Jeff Kleinman und dem Gitarristen Michael Paulsen. 2016 veröffentlichten Choir Boy ihr, von der Kritik gefeiertes, Debütalbum "Passive With Desire", auf welches 2018 die Single "Sunday Light" folgte. Nach einer Reihe von Tourneen mit Acts wie Cold Cave, Snail Mail und Ceremony begannen Choir Boy mit dem Schreiben ihres neuen Albums. "Gathering Swans" erweist sich als ein würdiger Nachfolger und baut auf Choir Boys mitreißendem Sound mit poppiger Sensibilität auf. Das Album überzeugt mit seinem berührenden "Choral-Pop"-Klang, der zu einem Markenzeichen von Choir Boy geworden ist. "Gathering Swans" ist kreativ, authentisch, leidenschaftlich und schrill. Hinter dem melancholischen, tief emotionalen Grundton von "Gathering Swans" zeigt sich eine helle und hoffnungsvolles Aussicht.

7" Colour Vinyl

First appearance on 7” for The Vaselines classic debut single that was originally released on 53rd & 3rd Records in 1987.
2 of the 3 tracks that were on the 12” are included in this version.

Benannt nach einer analogen Drum-Machine, die LA Priest aka Sam Dust aka Sam Esatgate sich selbst erträumt und gebaut hat, ist GENE der Nachfolger des von Trüffelschweinen gefeierten Debütalbums Inji aus 2015 und der Kollaboration mit Connan Mockasin, Soft Hair, in 2016. Und natürlich ist diese Drum-Machine, die Sam über zwei Jahre erdacht und ertüftelt hat, der Dreh-und Angelpunkt dieses Albums. Es ist die bisher vollständigste Umsetzung seiner Vision. Diese Songs sind auf der Suche nach Sinn, sie erforschen die Grenzen der Fähigkeiten ihres Schöpfers.

Hier kommt die dritte EP des britischen DJ/Produzenten Alex "Kiwi" Warren (Optimo, 17 Steps, Disco Halal, Cin Cin, Correspondant, NeedWant, Futureboogie) auf seinem neuen Imprint Crossbreed zu der immer populärer werdenden, sex-positiven Patrtyreihe in London.

LTD Edition!

Benannt nach einer analogen Drum-Machine, die LA Priest aka Sam Dust aka Sam Esatgate sich selbst erträumt und gebaut hat, ist GENE der Nachfolger des von Trüffelschweinen gefeierten Debütalbums Inji aus 2015 und der Kollaboration mit Connan Mockasin, Soft Hair, in 2016. Und natürlich ist diese Drum-Machine, die Sam über zwei Jahre erdacht und ertüftelt hat, der Dreh-und Angelpunkt dieses Albums. Es ist die bisher vollständigste Umsetzung seiner Vision. Diese Songs sind auf der Suche nach Sinn, sie erforschen die Grenzen der Fähigkeiten ihres Schöpfers.

YELLOW VINYL LP

It's hard to speak about unspeakable things - violence, abuse, addiction and abandonment; especially when these things rupture the innocence of childhood. But one of the merits of Luke Jenner's new solo project is that he not only speaks of these things but he does so in a way that wrests them from the dark, small cubicle of shame, placing them firmly in the light so that we, as listeners and fellow survivors, can start to maybe walk with our head high. In this moment of empty pop music séance, the scope and ends of this project - to try and help people - feels almost revelatory. Revelatory is the right word here in that it carries with it, of course, the sense of religious or spiritual insight. As front man for the legendary post-punk NYC band, The Rapture (a band name that already attests to Jenner's abiding faith and interest in the force of spiritual reckoning), Jenner has never shied away from his belief in God, community, family - all as a means of recovering the fractured x of y. "How Deep is Your Love", "Grace"...

LTD. TRANSPARENT BLUE VINYL

+ Deluxe LP edition features 140g virgin vinyl; heavy-duty board jacket; full-color inner sleeve and labels; and high-res Bandcamp download code. + Deluxe transparent blue vinyl LP edition is limited to 650 copies. // The debut solo al bum by Mike Polizze finds the erstwhile Purling Hiss frontman and Birds of Maya shredder stepping out from behind the wall of guitar noise into the bright sunshine. Performed entirely by Polizze with longtime friend Kurt Vile (largely live and acoustic) and recorded by War on Drugs engineer Jeff Zeigler, this intimate Philadelphia affair clarifies the bittersweet earworm melodicism of Dizzy Polizzy's songwriting, revealing bona fide folk-pop chops. Long Lost Solace Find finally harvests the wild local honey from the buzzing hive of Hiss. "Beautifully melancholic_ A craftsman whose easy mastery hides the years of work it took to get there. The hooks seem to never stop." - Pitchfork "Idiosyncratic and remarkable _ unwashed, long-haired pop strum." - NPR Music

Now finally, the great "Music Exists"-series by Tokyo-based duo the Tenniscoats is completed. Apart from the regular 4 volumes, there is a heavy cardboard box, beautifully screenprinted and hand-numbered by senorburns, in 12 different color-combinations. Inside you'll find an extra-LP of bonus-tracks and alternative versions, "Music Exists disc 5", which only comes exclusively with this box. Like on the other LPs, you’ll hear heartbreaking songs, beautifully arranged with acoustic guitar, melodica, psychedelic keyboards and soundexperiments. Also included is a A3-Poster with a drawing by Ueno not used within the previous album-artworks.

Limited one-time pressing of only 500 copies worldwide. There is a small amount of full boxes with all 5 LPs and Poster available, for those, who don‘t have any of the albums so far.

Tenniscoats have devoted followers allover the world, but their releases were always hard to find outside of Japan. Except for their album "Tokinouta", which saw a very limited run on vinyl, and the seminal "Two Sunsets", their collaboration with the Pastels (and a small handfull of 7"s), there were never any vinyl-releases, and also the CDs were hard to get for any-one, who doesn't speak or read japanese.

So, this is the chance to dive deep into the beautiful, unique world of the Tenniscoats and their opus magnum "music exists".

"It may even be their greatest ever music, essential plus" Monorail Music, Glasgow

"Whatever's ailing you, Tokyo's Tenniscoats have got something for that" Boomkat, Manchester

In the winter of 2019, Bob Mould bucked the era’s despair with his most melodic, upbeat album in ages, Sunshine Rock.

Cut to spring of 2020, and he has this to say: “We’re really in deep shit now.”
That sentiment informs the new full-length album, Blue Hearts (Merge, September 25), the raging-but-catchy yin to Sunshine Rock’s yang.

To be sure, we were in some shit back in 2018, when Mould recorded Sunshine Rock with longtime colleagues Jon Wurster (drums), Jason Narducy (bass), and Beau Sorenson (engineer). Back then, he had a song called “American Crisis” that didn’t fit the album.

“That song is the seed for what we’re talking about now,” Mould says from his home in San Francisco during the COVID-19 lockdown. “At the time, it just seemed too heavy. Today it seems fucking quaint.”
“American Crisis” is the third song in a walloping first half of an album that spits plainspoken fire at the people who fomented this crisis. “This is the catchiest batch of protest songs I’ve ever written in one sitting,” he says.

Through some of the most direct, confrontational lyrics of his four-decade career, Mould makes his POV clear: “I never thought I’d see this bullshit again / To come of age in the ’80s was bad enough / We were marginalized and demonized / I watched a lot of my generation die / Welcome back to American crisis.”
Why “welcome back”? Because Mould experienced deja vu writing Blue Hearts in the fall of 2019. “Where it started to go in my head is back to a spot that I’ve been in before,” he says. “And that was the fall of 1983.”

Back then, Mould was a self-described “22-year-old closeted gay man” touring with the legendary Hüsker Dü and seeing an epidemic consume his community. Leaders, including the one in the White House, were content to let AIDS kill a generation. Mould later realized why his mind wandered back there for Blue Hearts.

“We have a charismatic, telegenic, say-anything leader being propped up by evangelicals,” he says. “These fuckers tried to kill me once. They didn’t do it. They scared me. I didn’t do enough. Guess what? I’m back, and we’re back here again. And I’m not going to sit quietly this time and worry about alienating anyone.”
Recorded at the famed Electrical Audio in Chicago with Sorenson engineering and Mould producing, Blue Hearts nods to Mould’s past while remaining firmly planted in the issues of the day. Acoustic opener “Heart on My Sleeve” catalogues the ravages of climate change. “Next Generation” worries for who comes next. “American Crisis” references “Evangelical ISIS” and features this dagger of a line: “Pro-life, pro-life until you make it in someone else’s wife.”

“There are songs that have no room,” Mould says, laughing. “The other songs, there’s room. There is room for imagination on the second half of the record.”
That’s where the songs turn personal in a different way. Tracks like “When You Left,” “Siberian Butterfly,” and “Everyth!ng to You” are grounded in personal relationships. “Racing to the End” captures the economic disparity of Mould’s neighborhood, and “Leather Dreams”… well, maybe Jon Wurster put it best.

“Jon turns to Jason and asks, ‘Is this the dirtiest song you’ve ever played on?’” Mould recalls with a chuckle. “I clearly did not put the edit tool to that one. Those are all pretty true bits. What kind of person could possibly have a life like that?” He laughs again. “Says the author.”
“Leather Dreams,” “Password to My Soul,” and “The Ocean” were composed during a writing binge before a January 2020 Solo Electric tour, when Mould stayed up for three straight days. “Songs just kept coming out,” he says. “‘Leather Dreams’ and ‘The Ocean’ both appeared within hours. I barely remember writing them.”

That feels right for an explosive, hook-laden album like Blue Hearts. Only there’s nothing forgettable about it.

"Don't Let The Ink Dry", produziert von Aaron Dessner von The National, ist ein Werk von extremer Sensibilität und Fantasie. Die Britin Eve Owen, die als Gastsängerin auf dem The National Album "I Am Easy To Find" zu hören und bereits mehrfach mit The National aufgetreten ist, nahm sich für ihr Solo Debütalbum ganze drei Jahre Zeit. Während dieser Periode verbrachte die 20-jährige ihre Sommerferien mit Dessner in New York, wo sie mit ihm schrieb und Songs aufnahm. Dieser kreative Prozess war für Owen eine willkommene Zuflucht von ihrem stressigen Schulalltag. Die Sängerin entdeckte ein neues Gefühl von Freiheit und Zugehörigkeit und entwickelte einen ganz eigenen Sound: wild aber doch zart, unruhig aber differenziert genug, um auch die flüchtigsten Gefühle einzufangen. Aufgenommen wurde im Long Pond Studio, einer umgebauten Scheune und ein altes Bauernhaus tief im Hudson Valley. Passend zum Ambiente gibt Owen sich stellenweise dem Folk hin, allerdings mit elektronischen Experimenten angereichert. Mit Hilfe von Musikern wie dem Multi-Instrumentalisten Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Perfume Genius) und dem Pianisten Thomas Bartlett (alias Doveman, der u.a. mit David Byrne, St. Vincent und Father John Misty gespielt hat) gelangen es ihr und Dessner, einen detailverliebten, experimentellen und eigenwilligen Sound zu entwickeln. "Don't Let The Ink Dry" behandelt intensiv Owens Kampf mit Angst, Entfremdung, Verletzlichkeit und Selbsterhaltung.

According to the feudal system which was introduced into England by William of Normandy, the king was an absolute monarch, so he could do whatever he liked.
(from Origins of the Magna Charta).

In a cardboard media background, where cliche is law, where the digital essence of the personal data is more meaningful than the person itself, the Bait e Borghi project arises. The natural environment beyond anthropization, the technic and technologic strained clutch inside the places that inspired the album. The traveller meant as the one that makes the trip his own life, and that inevitably moves so far away from common archetypes that defeats every possible storytelling but the sound evocation. A sound that becomes the last unreal notebook like the matter which dreams and memories are made of. An unlikely but possible distopia where our last Thule remains the passage between body and machine, cyberpunk myth yet beautifully imagined and illustrated during the eighties. Not by chance Bait e Borghi share the same starting point, the same region that assumes twisted features if observed from the mid Adriatic offshore oil platforms point of view. Squalo, Giovanna, Ombrina are the point at issue, monumental media short-circuits, disclosed and hidden truths at the same time

Limited to 1000 copies White
Vinyl
Includes postcard and poster
Exceptional second single from The Wedding Present that was originally released on Reception Records in 1985. Reissued here on White Vinyl

New SheweyTrax 12"!! Introducing SoCal artist withNme. A-side features three lyric jams full of lush indie-pop, catchy vocals, and electronix. Opener "Early Girl", a young women's struggle to make it and doing what she needs to do for a better future. Feature track "Window Sill" is your favorite cat chasin' birds without a care or just letting the wind in the sail take you away. "Skywalker" closes out sideA as a sneak peak track from the forthcoming withNme album. "Window Sill" is additionally featured on Side B, with club vibes by developing producer Delicate Instruments. Two solid deep house selections: "DELINSTR Chasin' Remix" and bonus instr mix. Vibe record leading into summer 2020!

After much anticipation, our Belgian disco diamonds Rheinzand present their debut full-length album. On their self-titled record, The Belgian trio wraps the human heart in synthetic threads of modular electronic disco. 9 songs writhing on timeless dancefloors, morphing in and out of shapes of luxuriant melody and vivid instrumentation.

The album is full of classic disco and electro sounds, wielded with imposing prowess by multi-instrumentalist Reinhard Vanbergen. It’s both an exploration ofdance music’s electronic genealogy and the vintage cool that has defined its different eras. Still, an organic atmosphere pervades as the blend of real instrumentation fixes a sort of retro-futurism, imagining an alternative timeline that’s a bit more exciting, more sensuous and libidinal, maybe more human, too, than our current outlook.

We start the engines with Break of Dawn, a compelling beat rises from the basement and soon we’re submerged by the pulsing bassline. Dark sunglasses on, we cruise through the night, letting flashing city lights flow into unbroken torrents of color. Blind awakens us, a splash of handclaps in the face, vivid strings and Charlotte’s trademark slick vocals enter the stage. Tantalizing sunbeams power up circuits of electronic synths blipping and beeping away.

Later down the road, we hit the Latin part of town. Porque fits enchanting vocal spells in beautiful Spanish on playful flamenco rhythms. Fourteen Again is a throwback to early electro, playing around with knobs and buttons. An oscillating synth imagines new worlds of plastic emotion. Still disco and still very cool, though. A constant velocity is sustained throughout the album bythis recurring locomotive synth, trudging away beneath the action. Once in a while, we hear the deep, mighty, trembling voice of Mr. Rheinzand speaking to us in incantations. Someone’s pulling the strings here.

On Slippery People, the trio cover the Talking Heads classic in a characteristic procedure of bouncy funk. We’re swirled around by the delirious glasswork of You Don’t Know Me into the hypnagogic funk noir of Strange World. Drifting through the house of mirrors after the fourth mojito.

Obey collects all these threads in a full-bodied future classic disco anthem, before Queen of The Dawn wraps up the show with a sky-bound epic of operatic choirs and ceremonious drums that lands somewhere between Kate Bush’s Aerial and Peter Gabriel’s most bombastic.

Doomshakalaka is a new project by Paul Rafferty, former vocalist and bassist for Liverpool indie rock band Hot Club De Paris. Today he announces his new self-titled album, due 5th June via Moshi Moshi Records, revealing a glistening collection of indie pearls exploring memory, nostalgia and loss.

Having last month shared the bittersweet, melodic ballad ‘Black Balloons’, he now reveals the video for new single 'James Asleep'. Shot on the sly in Ikea in Warrington, the video sees Rafferty make use of the various in-store sets as backdrops to an almighty snooze.

On the video concept Rafferty states, “The song is about affectionately remembering a particularly grim shared house not for its aesthetic but for the fact that it served as a venue to bring friends together. House shares fall apart as people pair-up, move on and sleepwalk into real life. Ikea is kind of emblematic of that moment, so I thought it made sense to shoot it there. Perhaps the fact that we had no permission to do so represents the disorder and madness so fondly recounted in the song.”

He continues, “The song tells of receiving some bad news about an old friend, passing on the news to others that might not have heard yet and in turn remembering a simpler time when the song’s cast had less looming issues to deal with.”

Bursting with ticking percussion and a sonic aesthetic that nods towards the early recording experiments of Guided by Voices, James Asleep is a trawl through fragments of memories, loss and nostalgia.

Clear Vinyl

Between Sleeps is a french producer based in Paris, passionate about sound design and synthesizers. His stage name and musical world evoke the state of semi-consciousness, when neither awake nor asleep. With dreamy pads and strong rythms, his music mixes electronica, house and techno. Boards Of Canada, Lone or The Field are among his main influences. All the tracks included in the EP Fantasia have been composed with the same hardware set-up: a sampler, an FM synthesizer and a substractive analog synthesizer. Every track has been recorded in one stereo take.

Moby today announces the March 6 release of his new album, All Visible Objects. All of Moby’s profits from All Visible Objects will be donated to the charities outlined below. The album tracklisting can be found among them. Over the last 10 years Moby has been donating 100% of the profits from most of his work to animal and human rights charities. His restaurant, little pine, his free film music site, mobygratis, his festival Circle V, and his last few albums have all donated 100% of their profits to animal and human rights organizations.

Brighter Green is a public policy action tank that works to raise awareness of and encourage policy action on issues that span the environment, animals, and sustainability, ensuring future healthy MORNINGS for all. From its SIDE and in partnership with other organizations and individuals, Brighter Green generates and incubates research and project initiatives that are both visionary and practical.

Mercy For Animals exists to end the greatest cause of suffering on the planet: the exploitation of animals for food, in particular, industrial animal agriculture, aquaculture, and fishing. MY support of MFA ONLY increases every year, as does my LOVE for the animals.

If this past year is any indication, we have our work cut out for us in 2020. Rainforest Action Network (RAN) is uniquely suited to make enormous changes happen. We're tough. We're tenacious. We think big and don’t back down. In our 30-year history, we have secured hundreds of critical victories for the environment and partnered with Indigenous communities around the world; and have helped protect millions of acres of REFUGE forests in Indonesia, Canada, Chile, Brazil and beyond.

We are facing an unprecedented global emergency, ONE of our own making. Life on Earth is in crisis: scientists agree we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown. This is our LAST chance and we are in the midst of a mass extinction. We are out of TIME. This is our Extinction Rebellion.

The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The people have the POWER, and the ACLU exists to make sure this IS never TAKEN for granted.

Animal Equality’s vision is a world in which all animals are respected and protected. We are an international organization working with society, governments, and companies to end cruelty to farm animals. We can all help if we RISE UP together IN unity, with understanding and LOVE.

The Humane League began as a tiny grassroots organization in 2005—protesting foie gras on bitterly cold nights at local restaurants in Philadelphia—has since grown into an effective and global nonprofit organization. Yet, one thing has stayed the same. We are, always have been, and FOREVER will be for the animals.

The Physicians Committee is dedicated to saving and improving human lives (and animals TOO) through plant-based diets and ethical and effective scientific research. Our efforts are producing MUCH needed CHANGE in the way doctors treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer. By putting prevention over pills, doctors are empowering their patients to take control of their own health.

We are the International Anti-Poaching Foundation. Anti-poaching rangers form the first and last line of defense for nature. Without the right training, equipment, management and support, they cannot protect the world’s natural heritage for future generations. The requirement for inspiring urgent action towards the safekeeping of the planet cannot be overstated. This responsibility should transcend all levels of industry, business and society as we strive to increase the SEPARATION of greed and humanity.

The Good Food InstituTE - We work with sCIEntists, investors, and entrepreneurs to make groundbreaking good food a reality. We focus on clean meat and plant-based alternatives to animal products - foods that are more delicious, safer to eat, and better for the planet than their outdated counterparts.

It’s about ALL of us. The Indivisible Project’s mission is to cultivate a grassroots movement of literally thousands of local IndiVISIBLE groups to elect progressive leaders, realize bold progressive policies, rebuild our democracy, and defeat the Trump agenda. These are our OBJECTiveS.

Additionally, I proudly support: NRDC, Direct Action Everywhere, Climate Emergency Fund, Everytown, Sandy Hook Promise, Common Cause, Carbon Data Project, League of Women Voters, The Climate Mobilization and Environmental Defense Fund.

Second full-length by Bay Area musician Gabriel Ramos; Inventive darkwave with a melancholic touch.

Five years after their self-titled debut Ssleeping Desiress returns with an outstanding second album Exile House. Tapping into melancholic darkwave via 1980s British post-punk guitar worship, delicious analogue synths and pulsating drums, the album unfolds like a soundtrack of city life with isolation, identity, and reconciling with one's past as central themes.

Over the course of eight tracks Sleeping Desiress showcase their ability to craft "dark pop songs” that sometimes twist and turn but ultimately weave their way into your head, determined to stay there. Ramos’s singular voice makes these songs shine even more, switching easily between slow introspective daydreams and upbeat anthems. Think: Glorious Din, Le Travo and... The Cure.

First-ever reissue of Vivien Goldman’s legendary „Launderette“ 7“, produced with Adrian Sherwood and Public Image Limited’s John Lydon and Keith Levene in 1981. A strictly limited one-off pressing of 500 copies worldwide.

The contrast between Vivien’s high, lilting tones and the deep rumble of the bass is a hallmark of all Goldman’s work, giving a haunting frisson of sex and alienation to songs like “Launderette,” which was produced with PiL’s John Lydon and Keith Levene. Vivien knew John as a fellow reggae fanatic, and he let her use PiL’s studio down time to cut “Launderette,” a song she had improvised over a bass line by Aswad’s George “Levi” Oban.

Bass is also the foundation of the angry anthem “Private Armies”, a favourite of Rock Against Racism, here available in its long album version. “Girls love bass,” Goldman says. “It’s the yang to our yin. Women really respond to the depth and grounding of bass.”

Tape / Cassette

Comforting Katharina, the solo debut of Swiss musician Remo Helfenstein, finds a tender melancholy in the small gestures in the search for atonement. Helfenstein’s music does not pursue a sublime but rather dwells in immanence and intimacy. Even in its most rapturous moments, as in his take on the gospel hymn “What a Friend”, Comforting Katharina unfolds as a question and not as a creed. The five songs might be understood as a form of devotional music; but in the sense that it subjects itself primarily to the whims of an outdated media technology.
Helfenstein recorded the majority of the material on Comforting Katharina on cassette using a four-track recorder. He then replayed those recordings, let them overlap, and manipulated them with effects while singing live, recording this process once more in one take. Resisting the regime of precision and control of digital music production, Comforting Katharina thus obtains a momentous, precarious and contingent quality.  
Comforting Katharina combines atmospheric pop, gospel, and Americana with harsh electroacoustic and dark ambient touches.

7"