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Sumer Is Icumen In is Quentin Thirionet's (Dhavali Giri, Pairi Daeza) debut album. Still, his musical escapades are vast and varied, based almost entirely on improvisation and live recordings, of which he occasionally distributes tapes without further information. Elusive to categorization and identification, unwilling to fix his musical activity under a stable pseudonym, his projects have ranged from gypsy jazz guitar swings, French traditional songs from Auvergne, and various experimental collaborations. Increasingly closer to electronic instrumentation, he crafted what Belgian label KRAAK presents here as Maibaum, his first ever solo output. As the title goes, this may be a maypole on which his multicolored sonic visions spring about.

Former rope access worker and currently a farmer of organic greens, Thirionet lives up to these lines of work as a musician. He assembles precisely what seems like a subtle balance between high manmade structures and soft fertilized soils; a high voltage pylon placed in a biotic landscape. It's all an even blend, spontaneous and steady, but this contraption comes from profound considerations. "I chose these tracks among many others," says Quentin, "because I heard the melodies all the time in my mind, and because I cried while playing them without really understanding why."
Armed with nothing more than a blackbox, a sequencer, a freeze pedal, and a tape player, Thirionet orchestrates a vivid rite of polished futures. At times reminiscent of Hans-Joachim Roedelius' enveloping arrangements, Maibaum's ambiances rely on mild repetitive patterns subsequently textured by prickling sprouts, mechanic dislocations and revamps that stoke and brighten the stirring motions. Jim O'Rourke's I'm Happy and I'm Singing comes to mind in terms of its detailed and prismatic nature, but Sumer Is Incumen In has its particular narrative. It's a tale of regeneration, of spring's delicate procedures and allure, a celebration of gracious and fortunate junctions between nature and machinery.

The album unfolds like a massive engine being made flesh to drift along the ether of a sultry land. The terrain turns pleasant and fertile in the title track; the colors and melodies of May start to unravel. Chromatic columns rise and define the scenery's depth of field breeding a synesthetic stream between crystal lights and warbling organisms. Grande Albero Buono Magico Uoma's brisk kaleidoscopic arpeggios sound like scanning a tree's litmus foliage. Then Ciguri takes us back to the foggy swamp of the beginning but is suddenly lit by an insect’s labyrinthine roundabout. The Jeweled Grid is a poem Quanta Qualia's lustrous metallic voice recites as a report of the album's phenomena. "Shiny revelations jump out. Pearls of thought flicker about." Images from within that distill to swirl around among us. The thicket dissolves as the album concludes calmly in Le Concept De Chien N'aboie Pas. Swaying under sieved solar light, leaves and branches tingle until the winds grow weak. All the warm creatures gathered along the way, and all those who danced around the maypole's splendid equilibrium now withdraw, folding up small to foster rebirth once again.

José Badía Berner

Comes with insert and download coupon.

Imagine a Latin remake of Back to the Future. The mad scientist is Arsenio Rodriguez (the godfather of salsa) and the young student who travels through time with him is Eblis Alvarez (Meridian Brothers). This album can only be described as the perfect soundtrack for that movie that never was.

After the massive buzz generated by his first solo album, Mentallogenic, Alex Figueira got back in the studio to work in a more collective fashion this time, carefully assembling the second album of his largest project to date, Conjunto Papa Upa; a team of 6 musicians, spanning 3 generations of some of the best talent in the Latin and avant-garde scenes.

In an era where tropical music is dominated by purely electronic and rhythmically uniform sounds, the ten songs encompassed in “Fruta Madura” (“Ripe Fruit”) wander through the most diverse tempos, rhythms, and motifs effortlessly. A real breath of fresh air that gracefully incorporates soul, funk, jazz, psychedelia, and electronics into a solid tropical, irresistibly polyrhythmic foundation, without ever succumbing to the many genre clichés.

The distinctive production and catchy songwriting of Figueira shine in a very distinctive light on this second full-length. Living up to his reputation (Miles Cleret, founder of Soundway Records, called him “one of the scene's truly authentic and eccentric producers”), he takes the opportunity to show he’s not afraid to keep walking his own path.

Taking the band for a wild ride through the traditions of Africa, America, and the Caribbean; contrasting them with a ridiculously wide plethora of vintage, contemporary, and futuristic sounds, and pivoting on the exuberant musicality displayed by his musicians; the result leaves no doubt: this album is destined to be considered a future classic of the exciting tropical psychedelic music of the 21st century.

Addressing the most diverse themes in this new collection of songs, things take on a much more mature tone, as the title clearly suggests.

The opening track “El segundo es más sabroso” (“The second one is tastier”) sets the tone in the most assertive way imaginable, with the band boldly declaring, through multiple metaphorical references (laid upon a crazy mix of Dominican merengue, Detroit techno, classic and free jazz, dub, and electro), that the bar will be set higher with this second album.

The remaining compositions touch upon the most diverse subjects, with a fair dose of humor, sarcasm, and postmodern “magic realism”. “El Algoritmo” (The Algorithm) is a parranda-cumbia hybrid (for lack of a specific term) about the omnipresence of technology in our lives. The sophisticated Latin soul of the titling track “Fruta Madura” makes a case for the beauty of the maturity process. Some key philosophical teachings of Marcus Aurelius (the role of causality, the impositions of “the logos” and the importance of self-control) get a twisted cumbia treatment on “Reos del Deseo” (Prisoners of Desire). “No le pongas Coca-Cola” (“Don’t put Coca Cola in it”) shows us the most satirical side of the band, accusing those who mix Coca Cola with Rum of committing "sacrilege", on a powerful base of Dem Bow (the grandfather of Reggaeton), intertwined with touches of soul, salsa, and Cuban comparsa.

"Háblame Claro" (“Talk to me clearly”) is a story of heartbreak that evokes in its first part the spirit of the erotic salsa of the 80s (a subgenre deeply despised by purists), and after an unexpected samba interlude, leads to the hardest salsa of the 70s (a subgenre adored by purists), to end up in the surprising form of pure Afro-Cuban ceremonial music.

“Tu mamá tenía razón” ("Your Mom Was Right") is an attempt to exalt the spirit of the Latin American soap opera in the key of “acid bachata”, to recount a real-life case, witnessed by the band on countless occasions: the partying woman who arrives at the show accompanied by her bitter husband, who obviously does not like to dance. A very cheeky song to talk about the very serious and pertinent topic of female empowerment.

“La misma vaina” (“The same thing”) with its indescribable blend of bantú, candomblé, and Mozambique rhythms with abstract synthesizers, is an ode to adventure in favor of the aversion to taking risks and seeking predictability.

“Amigas picadas” (“Salty friends”) is another humorous song recounting another real-life case witnessed by the band on countless occasions: a love encounter sabotaged by the girlfriend's friends, who all happen to fancy the same guy. A jazzy take on the ancient Dominican rhythm of pambiche (grandfather of merengue), with generous psychedelic touches, resembling the classy late 60s releases of Guadeloupe's legendary producer / label owner Henri Debs.

“Vinimos a hablar” (“We came to talk”) takes sarcasm to the highest level, to ridicule the absurdity (also experienced by the band firsthand) seen in live music venues where people pay a ticket to go and have conversations that could be carried out much better on any bar, where no band is playing. The music alternates between a delicate melody with loose, sparse percussion and a full-on, pumping Angolan semba, with a techno kick drum included; bringing things to an apotheotic grooving finale, where the peculiar swing of Venezuelan calypso from the Callao region is thrown on top of all the precedent elements; closing the album in the most uplifting, “end of the carnival parade” feel.

The artwork is a delicate and impactful oil painting by Colombian artist Kevin Simón Mancera, who has collaborated many times with the label before (“Maracas, tambourines and other hellish things” tape and the Lola’s Dice LP).

What the experts are saying:

“Alex (Figueira) dove into this work with a brutal cohesion between lyrics and synths. Timbre poetry, sound poetry (you name it). And that, superimposed on his always impeccable percussive base, confirms the title of “avant-garde visionary of our beautiful Latin music”".
EBLIS ALVAREZ (MERIDIAN BROTHERS)
“Papa Upa's infectious quirkiness is a balm against boredom. A mature album, but without an expiration date”.
GLADYS PALMERA

“Here there is a lot of strength, drum, cadence and psychedelia, lost dance rhythms, united in an intercontinental Latin/African/and Caribbean journey, a unique winning combination that we could consider the new “Ritmo Figueira”.
DISCODELIC

Conjunto Papa Upa are: 



Alex Figueira - Timbales, percussion, vocals. 

Gerardo Rosales - Congas, percussion, vocals. 

Ramón Mendeville - Bongos, percussion, vocals. 

Randy Winterdal - Bass.

Andrew Moreno - Guitar.

Nico Chientarolli - Organ, piano, synths.



All songs written by Alex Figueira. 

Arranged and performed by Conjunto Papa Upa. 

Recorded, produced, mixed and mastered by Alex Figueira at Heat Too Hot, Amsterdam.


In November 2023 we celebrated NOW’s 40th anniversary with a collection of massive Pop hits – but with 40 years of hits to choose from we had to leave out so many fantastic tracks – so it’s time to continue that celebration with NOW That’s What I Call 40 Years - Part 2 – again honouring the legacy with a stellar selection from the past four decades of NOW. Embark on a musical journey from 1983 right up to the present day. Released on a triple vinyl set pressed on Green, Clear Transparent, and Pink LPs with 43 essential hit tracks. and 100 essential hit tracks across the 5 CD set

Hole In One is a classic progressive techno-trance track from the early nineties, created by Marcel “Hole In One” Hol. It was a massive worldwide dance hit and was supported by famous artists such as Paul Oakenfold, Ferry Corsten, Speedy J, and Tiësto. The song even reached #1 on the UK Dance Chart in 1997. The Live At Paleis Soestdijk Mix (also featured on the 12”) was the global dance version that utilized a simple and unmistakable modulated five-tone sequence Nord lead line, and the sounds of cheering crowds. Canadian DJ and producer Jerome Robbins brings the dance-floor heat with his more recent energetic, upbeat rolling bassline melodic house version.

2024 Repress

180 Gram, Tip On Sleeve RSD version of this classic. One of the rarer records of the mythical Strata East albums is finally reissued for the first time on Heavenly Sweetness!
The recording of Earth Blossom, the John Betsch Societys one and only album, seems something of an enigma nowadays. For even though Nashville is clearly one of the towns in the US with the highest number of recording studios, who would have thought that the capital of country music would give birth to one of the forgotten masterpieces of 1970s spiritual jazz. The path leading to the album starts in 1963 when John Betsch, originally from Jacksonville in Florida, arrives in Nashville to study at Frisk University. He is a young drummer and joins Bob Holmes trio. Holmes is one of the towns major jazz organists and pianists; he becomes Betschs mentor and, over the space of two years, John will play alternately with him and with the trumpeter Louis Smiths group. However, in 1965, John leaves town to go to the prestigious Berkeley University in Boston and do a two-year course along with his fellow debutants with names like John Abercrombie, Ernie Watts and Alan Broadbent. Two years later, he is invited by a pianist friend, Billy Chilf, to join the legendary singer/songwriter Tim Hardins group. Just after Woodstock, John Betsch and Tim record a psychedelic album Columbia will never release together with the members of the future group Oregon: Colin Walcott, Glen Moore, Paul McCandles and his friend Billy Chilf. But he soon leaves this group to return to Nashville where he hooks up again with his friend Bob Holmes. Two years later, he is accepted on Archie Shepp and Max Roachs famous course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMASS) and for the next four years he participates in this collective of intellectuals and musicians under the aegis of the two masters.
During this period he returns to Nashville to form his Society whose music is obviously influenced by the Afrocentric ideas of the UMASS student and political movement. However, the album, recorded in one day and in one take, also bears the hallmark of their generations psychedelic experiences, and in the themes and playing of the musicians we can hear a less violent form of music than the radical free jazz of New York or Chicago. Nature and environmental themes are the inspiration behind tracks touched by the spirit of Coltrane but also of Flower Power.

After Amherst, John Betsch joins Marion Browns group in 1976, leaves Tennessee for good and makes his home in New York over the next ten years or so. He plays and records with Dollar Brand, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and many others, before heading off to France. He has lived in Paris for the last twenty years and played in Steve Lacy, Mal Waldron and Archie Shepp bands, as well as forming groups of his own. He now lives in Paris and plays with many musicians/bands.

“An Electric Storm” is the most renowned work of UK collective White Noise, an English experimental electronic music band consisting of virtuoso knob twiddlers and tape splicers. Although not very succes- sful on its initial release, the album is now considered an important and influential album in the develop- ment of electronic music. But beyond its historical importance, the harmonic progressions, among other things, are by no means taken for granted, and refer a lot to the Baroque and to classical composition in general. This album was obviously a labour of love, taking a whole year to complete seven amazing songs before sampling technology, synthesizers and digital equipment were readily available. There’s also chaotic humour at play on the feverish “Here Come the Fleas,” which contains more edits in its two minutes than the whole of Sgt. Pepper’s. Yet it’s the retro-futurist textures that still grab the ear most.

Endlich ist es soweit: Schwedens Electro/ Synth-Pop-Sternchen Ashbury Heights melden sich zurück mit ihrem neuen Album “Ghost House Sessions - Vol. 1”. Bekannt für Anders Hagström’s einzigartige Stimme, einen unverkennbaren Musikstil und ihre mitreißenden Live Shows, liefern Ashbury Heights nun einen brandneuen Longplayer mit 23 neuen, wunderbar eingängigen und tanzbaren Songs mit Ohrwurmgarantie. “Ghost House Sessions - Vol. 1” ist ein außergewöhnliches Produkt aus langer, intensiver Arbeit und einer aufregenden sowie anstrengenden Zeit der Band: “Das vergangene Jahr war unglaublich inspirierend. Es gab großartige Höhen, aber auch unschöne Tiefen. Diese Achterbahn der Gefühle nimmt nun Gestalt in Form neuer Musik an”. In ihren nun schon fast 20 Jahren, haben Ashbury Heights nie aufgehört, ihren Sound aus New Wave, Electro, Synth Pop und Industrial weiterzuentwickeln und zu perfektionieren und beschenken uns wieder einmal mit einzigartigen Meisterwerken, die wirklich alle Füße und Hüften schwingen werden lassen.

Repress auf purple & red splatter Vinyl. Das zweite, alles auf seinem Weg liegende vernichtende Album der Hardcore Thrasher aus Texas: POWER TRIP. Möglicherweise das beste Thrash Album des letzten Jahrzehnts! Massiv, riesig, über alle Dimensionen. Aufgenommen von Arthur Rizik (INQUISITION), gemastert von Joel Grind (POISON IDEA, TOXIC HOLOCAUST) mit Coverartwork von Paolo Girard. POWER TRIP sind eine echte Band, unvergleichlich. Ihre rohe Intensität, ihr musikalisches Können, die perfekte Songstruktur, fetter Sound, wilde Riffs, ihre Entschlossenheit und ihre bloße Einstellung machen sie zu einer der Speerspitzen im Metal, Punk und Hardcore Underground der USA. In den letzten Jahren haben POWER TRIP beinahe non-stop getourt und dabei Bands wie ANTHRAX, LAMB OF GOD, CRO-MAGS, NEGATIVE APPROACH, TURNSTILE, BACKTRACK, EYEHATEGOD, BANE, OFF! Und weitere supportet und Festivals in den USA, Europa und darüber hinaus beehrt.

"Dark Paradise" von IMPERIA ist eine ist die Fortsetzung des musikalischen Stils, den sie mit ihrem letzten Album "The Last Horizon" eingeführt haben.
Trotz seiner kompakten Länge ist "Dark Paradise" ein in sich geschlossenes Werk, das symphonische und rockige Elemente nahtlos zu einem einheitlichen musikalischen Erlebnis verschmelzen lässt.
Die Zusammenarbeit zwischen IMPERIA und Jacob Hansen für den Mix des Albums, garantiert einen qualitativ hochwertigen Sound, da Hansen einen hervorragenden Ruf genießt.
Der Gitarrist der Band, Jan Yrlund, stellt seine künstlerische Vision in den Vordergrund und sorgt dafür, dass der visuelle Aspekt des Albums der Tiefe und Komplexität der Musik entspricht.
Durch dieses Zusammenspiel überzeugt "Dark Paradise" sowohl klanglich als auch visuell und ist ein fesselndes Werk für die Fans von IMPERIAs Musik

repressed!

Kerri Chandler delivers ‘Lost & Found Vol.1’ this March, a four-track collection of revisited, unreleased archive cuts, including Kerri’s own Grampa, Calvin Reed Sr. as a featuring artist on the opening track.

New Jersey’s Kerri Chandler has been at the forefront of house music since the beginning of his career in the early 90’s. Over the past three decades he’s released an extensive back catalogue of material including several albums on his own Madhouse and Kaoz Theory imprints as well as the likes of DJ Deep’s Deeply Rooted, Apollonia, Jerome Sydenham’s Ibadan and Watergate Records.

Here we see Kerri dig up some never before heard archived material from the 90’s and early 2000’s for this four-track EP. Up first is ‘What Will We Do ft Grampa’, featuring spoken word and vocal lines from Kerri’s Grandfather Calvin Reed St. atop gritty swinging drums, organ lines and rounded subs. ‘Tonight’ follows and tips focus over to airy chord sequences, choppy bass notes, dreamy arpeggio lines and dynamic drums.

‘Into The Night’ opens the b-side next, bringing a raw bass hook, tension building strings and vocal chants of the track’s title into the forefront while bumpy stripped-back drums keep things driving. ‘This and That’ then rounds out the release, bringing twitchy resonant synths and phaser sweeps into the mix alongside stuttering drum programming for a funk-infused, loop driven eight minute workout.

DJ Feedback:

Honey Dijon - Classic
Kerri still has his A Game intact! Great Ep!

Laurent Garnier - Kompakt, MCDE, F Communications
PURE LOOOOOOOOOVE

Jimpster - Freerange, Delusions Of Grandeur
Kerri!!!! Classic tracks with that inimitable groove and production which makes him such an icon. Big ups!!

Terry Farley - Junior Boys Own
BACK 2 DA RAW

Fouk - Heist, House of Disco, Razor N Tape
Super hard to pick a fav as each track has its own vibe! LOVE THIS <3

Enzo Siragusa - Fuse London, InFuse
Quality as always from Kerri!

Harvey Sutherland - MCDE, PPU, This Thing
always.

Roy Davis Jnr
Full support.

Jason Kendig Honey Sound System
Always fire tracks from kerri!

DJ Bone - Subject, Metroplex
Love the entire release!

Politics of Dancing (Guillaume & David)
one love for Kerry as always :)

Joyce Muniz - Exploited Ghetto, 20:20 Vision
Nice Ep!

Massimiliano Pagliara - Panorama Bar, Ostgut Ton
groovy!

Shadow Child
king.

Tobi Neumann - What Came First
Brutally good House Music. This one I wanna have on vinyl. Thanks master Chandler for the music!

Chrissy - Chiwax, The Nite Owl Diner
Very excited for this one

Halo Varga - All Inn Music, Surface, Inmotion Music
Kerri is GOD

Mutiny - Azuli, Skint
Kerri on that deep classic vibe..Love

Alinka - Permanent Vacation, Twirl!
Brilliant as always

Diz - Robsoul
90's freshness!!!

Fish Go Deep - Innervisions, Defected
The long-awaited follow up to She's Crazy! Beautifully done. The other tracks also slamming, packed with dancefloor drive and emotion. Can't wait to play loud.

Art Of Tones, Llorca
Superb EP !

Lupe
The Grampa one, instant cult hit, very endearing! Great stuff

BD1982 - Diskotopia, Tokyo
Classic material from an absolute legend

Johannes Albert - Need Want, Mirau, Berlin Bass
vibes for days!

Joseph G. Bendavid
kerri can't fail, always bomb tracks

Terry Grant
Stone. Cold. Legend.

Harri - Sub Club
Lovely

Severino - Horse Meat Disco
oh yes quality

Available for the first time on vinyl, Whitney Houston's The Preacher's Wife: Original Soundtrack Album is the best-selling gospel album of all time. Released on November 26, 1996, the album features songs performed and produced by Houston, who also starred in the film. From the moment you press play, your heart will move to soul-stirring vocals like the hauntingly beautiful "I Believe In You and Me," and the spiritual "Joy To The World," "I Love The Lord," and "Step By Step." The album features guest artists including Shirley Caesar, the Georgia Mass Choir, and Houston's mother, the legendary Cissy Houston. This 2LP vinyl features a new essay by producer Mervyn Warren and fan testimonials of love.

'The Masquerade Overture' war das Album, das Pendragon 1996 zu größerer Popularität verhalf. Es verkaufte sich über 90.000 Mal und wurde zu einem Maßstab für melodischen Progrock in den 1990er Jahren. Das Album wurde ursprünglich als 2-CD-Set mit den zusätzlichen Titeln 'Schizo' und 'King Of The Castle' veröffentlicht. Diese beiden Fan-Favorites sind seit 1997 nicht mehr erhältlich, und wurden nun nochmals diesen 2LP-Reissue beigefügt. Das aufwendig von Simon Williams illustrierte und wertig verarbeitete Gatefold kommt inkl. fester bedruckter Inner Sleeves sowie einer Lederoptik! Die Band tritt im Juli beim 'Final Night Of The Prog'-Festival als Headliner auf.

ACT OF CREATIONs intensives, komplexes und kompromissloses Melodic-Death-Metal-Album "Moments To Remain" fängt die Energie der Band perfekt ein und wartet mit einer massiven Soundwand auf, die stets genügend Raum für die feinen Nuancen des ureigenen Bandsounds lässt.

"Moments To Remain" kann man als die Fortsetzung der letzten drei ACT OF CREATION Alben verstehen, dennoch sollte man es als eigenständigen Release betrachten.
Das ganze Album beruht auf dem Konzept, einen kompletten Tag Revue passieren zu lassen und über bestimmte Themen nachzudenken, während man am Wasser sitzt.
Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, welches trotz aller Komplexität keinerlei Kompromisse bei der Durchschlagskraft eingeht und somit den Hörer auf eine hochemotionale Reise durch die musikalische Welt von ACT OF CREATION einlädt.

Die psychedelischen Hardrocker WORSHIPPER haben mit ihrem dritten Album "One Way Trip" ihren grandiosen Balanceakt zwischen klassischem Hardrock und Old School Heavy Metal perfektioniert, dem die Truppe aus Boston, Massachusetts durch eine gesunde Dosis Psychedelika zu einem rauschenden Höhenflug verhilft. Sowohl Rock als auch Metal drehen sich vor allem um die Hooks und Riffs der Gitarren, die das amerikanische Quartett als echte Leckerbissen in üppigen Portionen auftischt. Textlich werfen WORSHIPPER einen kaleidoskopischen Blick auf den menschlichen Zustand durch eine psychedelische Linse. Dabei wurde die Reihenfolge der Tracks durch den psychologischen Horror Thriller "Jacob's Ladder (In der Gewalt des Jenseits)" beeinflusst, in dem ein Veteran des Krieges in Vietnam von Flashbacks und monströsen Visionen geplagt wird, durch die das Album ein loses zirkuläres Konzept erhält. Als WORSHIPPER im Jahr 2014 gegründet wurden, war es für Sänger und Gitarrist John Brookhouse, Schlagzeuger Dave Jarvis, Bassist und Backgroundsänger Bob Maloney und Gitarrist Alejandro Necochea von Anfang an klar, dass sich ihre neue Band angesichts der hohen Konzentration gleichgesinnter und talentierter lokaler Kollegen deutlich abheben musste. Mit dem Ziel, etwas aufregend Neues auf den Tisch zu bringen, setzte die immer noch intakte Originalbesetzung auf makelloses, berauschendes und wuchtiges Material, mit einem Fokus auf das Schreiben von echten Songs mit eingängigen Melodien, unheimlichen Gesangsharmonien und Doppelgitarren-Großtaten. WORSHIPPERs Talent für eingängiges, episches Songwriting blieb nicht lange unbemerkt, und schnell hatten die Amerikaner einen Plattenvertrag in der Tasche. Es dauerte nur wenig länger, bis die universell gepriesenen Alben "Shadow Hymns" (2016) und "Light in the Wire" (2019) für weltweite Bekanntheit sorgten. Mit "One Way Trip" können WORSHIPPER nicht nur die hohen Erwartungen erfüllen, die an ihr drittes Album geknüpft waren, sondern die Bostoner haben hörbar Spaß daran, genau das zu tun, was sie am besten können: Großartige Songs für ein Album schreiben, das nur Volltreffer enthält!

It's already hard to describe what Deerhoof sounds like. So we'll skip that part and say this sounds a lot like Deerhoof with a different singer. And in keeping with 30-year Hoofian tradition, melodies soar, big hit earwigs abound, harmonies are complex, and keys change frequently and unexpectedly. Arrangements are in a constant state of impatient agitation. Emotions run high but delivery is usually a falsetto deadpan. We Sang, Therefore We Were is grief delivered in code. Greg plays everything save for a few birds who join in singing now and again. He keeps the instrumentarium severely limited, the sound shambling and anti-slick. It turns out Greg is a really good bass player and guitar player, if a bit more rudimentary and slicing compared to his Deerhoof bandmates. He does play more angry guitar solos. But don't expect another Chippendale/Saunier speed-drum freakout; the songwriting is gorgeous and sophisticated, and drums are almost an afterthought. Here, song is Queen. The singing is high and whispery, tending towards the three-part harmony. What we're saying is: We Sang, Therefore We Were sounds a bit like Deerhoof fronted by The Andrews Sisters. This is a peek inside the mind of one of indie rock's most celebrated drummers, many of whose fans may not even realize the relentlessness of his musicianship and compositional prolificacy. Mozartian chords and sounds insinuate themselves here and there on this record, finally taking over in a big climax at the end, when the drums break off unexpectedly into a laugh-or-cry orchestral outpouring that ironically may be the rawest part of a very raw album. "Satomi, Ed, John and I were chatting between shows in Austin in early December. They encouraged me to make a record on my own. With no one to please but myself, it came together way faster than usual. It was basically done by the holidays. I had been excited by the announcement that the new Rolling Stones record was going to sound 'angry.' I thought, 'Yes, I'm angry too.' But Hackney Diamonds turned out more like cotton candy than punk rock. So I went back to Nirvana. I always loved the catchy melody over massive distortion, the way their songs refused to conform to simple major or minor scales, the dark sarcasm which still resonates in this age of phony blue-check-washing of fascism." The album cover is all text, penned by Greg on the familiar topic of interspecies absurdist operatic anti-Cartesian revolution. The songs' lyrics are all drawn from this epic poem. White House spokespersons are recast as The Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute, The Queen of the Night is recast as a mockingbird singing all night in a battle for survival, and ultimately the mockingbird is recast as a campy drag artist taking pleasure in her own aggressive, tireless music-making.

The 2019 released "Caligula" took the vision of Kristin Hayter's vessel to the next level of grandeur, her purging and vengeful audial vision went beyond anything preceding it and reached an unparalleled sonic plane within her oeuvre. Succeeding her self-released 2017 "All Bitches Die" opus, "CALIGULA" saw Hayter design an ambitious work, displaying the full force of her talent as a vocalist, composer, and storyteller. Vast in scope and multivalent in its influences, with delivery nothing short of demonic, "CALIGULA" is an outsider's opera; magnificent, hideous, and raw. Eschewing and disavowing genre altogether, Hayter built her own world. Here she fully embodied the moniker Lingua Ignota, from the German mystic Hildegard of Bingen, meaning "unknown language" _ this music has no home, any precedent or comparison could only be uneasily given, and there is nothing else like it in our contemporary realm. Whilst "CALIGULA" is unapologetically personal and critically self-aware, there are broader themes explored; the decadence, corruption, depravity and senseless violence of emperor Caligula is well documented and yet still permeates today. Brimming with references and sly jabs, Hayter's sardonic commentary on abuse of power and invalidation is deftly woven. Working closely with Seth Manchester at Machines With Magnets studio in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Hayter stripped away much of the industrial and electronic elements of her previous work, approaching instead the corporeal intensity and intimate menace of her notorious live performances, achieved with unconventional recording techniques and sound sources, as well as a full arsenal of live instrumentation and collaborators including harsh noise master Sam McKinlay (THE RITA), visceral drummer Lee Buford (The Body) and frenetic percussionist Ted Byrnes (Cackle Car, Wood & Metal), with guest vocals from Dylan Walker (Full of Hell), Mike Berdan (Uniform), and Noraa Kaplan (Visibilities). "CALIGULA" is a massive work, a multi-layered epic that gives voice and space to that which has been silenced and cut out.

A song is a song until it isn't, until it's pushed to its limits and beyond to become harder, faster and more dissonant. The music on Oneida's 17th full-length album, Expensive Air, all started as tightly structured, melodic rock songs _ very much in line with the non-stop bangers of Success from 2022 _ but along the way, they changed. Bobby Matador sketched the structures of these songs from his home base in Boston, then sent the demos to Oneida's New York contingent: Kid Millions, Hanoi Jane, Shahin Motia and Barry London. "We were working out the songs in New York without Bobby. We would start out riding the riffs, and then Shahin and Jane would add wild, out-of-tune licks," said Kid Millions. "It seemed so perfect." Oneida has long straddled gray-area boundaries between the NYC punk/psych/rock world and the art/experimental world, playing at gritty rock clubs and elevated cultural institutions, including the Guggenheim, MoMA PS1, ICA London, MassMOCA and the Knoxville Museum of Art. The band has been known for extended live improvisational performances, collaborating onstage with Mike Watt, members of Flaming Lips, Portishead, Boredoms, Yo La Tengo, Dead C, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and many others. Oneida's members juggle a wide variety of other music projects. Drummer Kid Millions has played with Spiritualized, Royal Trux and Boredoms and releases solo compositions under his own name and as Man Forever. Shahin Motia founded noise - punk's Ex-Models and currently plays in Knyfe Hits. Kid and Fat Bobby perform and release music as People of the North, and Bobby's outside projects New Pope and Nurse & Soldier each released new albums in 2023. Oneida's previous album, Success, came after a four-year hiatus, unleashing the band's pent up creative energy in a set of catchy, accessible, nearly poppy songs. Song structure remained important in the run up towards Expensive Air, but so was the instinctual, improvisatory interplay that has always been a part of Oneida's process. The band had been playing live together for two years, sharpening its attack and pushing its songs to go harder, faster and wilder. Oneida recorded Expensive Air in three sessions scattered across 2023, convening at Colin Marston's Menegroth The Thousand Caves studio in Woodhaven, Queens, whenever they had a few songs ready. Marston and the band mixed the album in February 2024 at Menegroth. The new album expands on what Oneida achieved with Success, but also pushes past it, laying down irresistible song structures then blowing them to psychedelic bits. "I found myself thinking about this record as a darker, looser, louder, counterpart to Success," Bobby explains. "Both records charge forward from the jump and mix the elliptical with the blunt, and longing with self-mockery. But Success is like laughing in a car gunning carelessly through an ice storm, and Expensive Air is how you laugh at yourself as the car spins into the ditch, or a tree. Same trip, but a little closer to the bone."

Shall Not Fade welcome bass music royalty Killjoy to their Time Is Now sister label with four weighty cuts!

2024 White Vinyl Repress

Next up for Time Is Now's white label series is Prozak - a Dublin-based producer who has garnered a growing following over the past year. Prozak, aka Zac Curtis, follows up an EP of remixes for Kiwi Rekords with Make Me Feel. The EP is 100% club gear dabbling in classic rave sounds and jungle before masterfully returning to his garage roots.

The title track "Make Me Feel" is equal parts euphoric rave vocalisations and growling bassy ruffage, with stuttering stop-and-start breaks thrown in for good measure that tear through the track - an instant classic that knocks you breathless.

"Missing You" builds from a gentle ebb into wobbling bass-heavy garage, Curtis chopping and changing the vocal samples into unrecognisable snatches with expert production. He then dishes up a glitching speed garage
tool with "Negative", still seasoned with a ravey edge that makes the record as a whole feel festival ready.

On the B-side, "Sunshine" is sweet buoyant UKG constructed from neatly cut up vocals that clamour against each other and a skipping irresistible rhythm.

Equally upbeat, "Falling" stands out as the most playful track, with mass appeal and large drops that shakes off some of the dark bassiness of the A-side.

The record closes with "Leave You", contrasting frenetic junglist breaks with blissed out vocals.

It's a dynamic offering from the up-and-comer that shows signs of great things to come.

Magic Words, a new project from NY-based producers Eli Cohen and Peter Hargarten, make their debut on RNT with the Wabi Soba EP, a perfect summertime record. If the title track sounds a bit familiar it’s because it’s been in Harvey’s hands for a while and has made many appearances in his sets around the world. Based around an emotive and dreamy loop, the song basically embodies Balearica, dripping with Spanish guitar and wistful, melancholic harmonies. Toronto’s Jex Opolis turns in a massive remix that preserves all the delicate texture of the origi-nal and lays it lovingly over a pulsing clubby drum foundation. Already getting a huge re-sponse in the RNT crew’s club sets, this is a special record that’s got some serious sum-mer anthem buzz!

Repress!

** Now available on vinyl* Steve Reich remains one of the most important figures in
20th century music. Though he studied at the prestigious
arts institutions Julliard and Mills College, by the mid-
1960s Reich set about dismantling the very orthodoxy that
he had been trained in. Forming a new musical language
based on repetitive processes, Reich became established
as part of the so-called 'Big Four' of New York minimalists
(along with La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Philip
Glass). Reich's influence can easily be seen today in both
the classical world and contemporary pop music.
'Four Organs' is the ultimate minimalist composition.
Performed by Reich, Glass, Art Murphy and Steve Chambers,
four identical Farfisa organs strike a single chord and
gradually lengthen each note to produce polyrhythms between
the players. Anchored by Jon Gibson's stoicallysteady
pulse on maracas, the piece deconstructs its opening
burst to a sustained mass of sound - stretching the tones to
create (in Reich's words) 'slow-motion music.'
Inspired by Reich's early training on drums, 'Phase Patterns'
treats the keyboards like tuned percussion instruments:
a basic rhythm pattern is played in unison and almost imperceptibly increases tempo to move out-of-sync.
Each progressive cycle emphasizes unique figures that are
not generated by an individual alone, but rather emerge
from the communal expression of the group.
Originally released on Shandar in 1971, Four Organs /
Phase Patterns is one of most highly regarded avant-garde
recordings in the past 45 years. This CD release features
cover photography by artist Michael Snow and is recommended
for fans of Neu!, Glenn Branca and Tim Hecker.

NOTHING MORE, das dreifach für den Grammy nominierte Quartett aus San Antonio, Texas, meldet sich mit ihrem spannungsgeladenen 8. Studioalbum CARNAL zurück, das am 28. Juni über Better Noise Music erscheint. Das Album enthält 15 Songs mit selbstreflektierten, philosophischen Texten und ungeschminkten, massiven Hymnen. Seit ihrem Debüt im Jahr 2003 haben NOTHING MORE zwei #1 Singles "This is the Time (Ballast)" und "Go To War" im US Active Rock-Radio platziert und waren insgesamt sieben mal in den Top-10 vertreten. "CARNAL" demontiert eindrucksvoll ihre musikalische Kompetenz innerhalb des Rock-Genres und weit darüber hinaus.

High Roller Records, picture disc, ltd 500, handnumbered, deluxe plastic bag, cardboard insert, mastered by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

High Roller Records, 180g black vinyl, ltd 500, 2 bonus tracks (Mrs. Victoria + Lucifer's Hammer), 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, A5 photocard, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

High Roller Records, 180g black vinyl, ltd 500, 2 bonus tracks (Mrs. Victoria + Lucifer's Hammer), 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, lyric sheet, poster, A5 photocard, mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony

High Roller Records, picture disc, ltd 500, handnumbered, deluxe plastic bag, cardboard insert, mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY

VOICE sind zurück und werden das Herz eines jeden Metalfans mit ihrem neuen Album "Holy Or Damned", das mit eingängigen Hooklines und einer beeindruckenden Produktion besticht, schneller schlagen lassen.
Nach ihrem erfolgreichen 2017er Comeback-Album "The Storm", besinnen sie sich nun zurück auf ihre Wurzeln und präsentieren mit "Holy Or Damned" ein abwechslungsreiches, neues Album, auf dem jeder Song nahtlos in den nächsten Song übergeht, ohne dass der Spannungsbogen unterbrochen wird.
Dieses Album gehört zweifelsohne in die Musiksammlung aller Metalfans, die eingängige Hooklines, ein wohldurchdachtes musikalisches Konzept und eine beeindruckende Produktion zu schätzen wissen.
In den Texten geht es um das Auf und Ab im Leben. Es geht darum, geliebt und gehasst zu werden und die Texte zeigen, dass sich der Blick auf die Welt binnen Sekunden ändern kann.
Mit "Holy Or Damned" fängt die Band die Essenz von über 30 Jahren musikalischer Kreativität ein.
Besonders hervorzuheben sind die Gastmusiker, die VOICE auf diesem Album begrüßen dürfen: Gitarrist Ragnar Zolberg (Sign, ex-Pain Of Salvation) bereichert den Song "Dream On" mit seinem Solo. Ebenso beeindruckend ist der Beitrag am Bass von Hans-Jürgen "Jäcki" Reznicek (Silly) beim Song "Tears In The Dust".

The color green can represent many things. It can symbolize money, of course, but also weed. And envy. It implies newness, the rebirth of spring, but it can also evoke illness and infection. It’s an apt name for a band that is defined by its adaptability, by its knack for doing many different things all at once. On the Color Green’s second full-length—their first as a quartet—they ground their cosmic jams in earthy melodies, drawing from ‘60s SoCal folk-r0ck, ‘70s classic rock, ‘80s underground rock, ‘90s psychedelic dance-rock, and many other sources.

In the two years the band has been touring, it has already shared stages with a range of groups that reflect both the sophistication and the wild malleability of their sound, including Fuzz, Kikagaku Moyo, Circles Around the Sun, and Young Guv. “When we play live, I don’t really know what’s going to happen,” says guitarist Noah Kohll. “You really have no idea what you’re going to get with this band, which keeps things fresh for us and maybe makes the live experience special.”

Adds drummer Corey Rose, “One thing about this band that I really appreciate is that we can camouflage into any environment or any show. We can play with Hiss Golden Messenger and lean into that funky country vibe, or we can play with the Brian Jonestown Massacre and get evil. We all love a variety of music, so let’s not put ourselves in a box.”

That wild, mercurial quality is reflected on Fool’s Parade, a meditation on loss, grief, confusion, frustration, and the clarity to which they all lead. Their songs are vehicles for self-explorations, not just a means of putting their feelings into lyrics and notes but molding them, night after night, into different shapes to get different insights.

Over the last 20 years, Portland, Oregon's Federale has carved out a unique niche within the indie music landscape, blending their signature spaghetti-Western instrumental sound with increasing doses of moody vocal arrangements in the spirit of Lee Hazlewood or later-period Leonard Cohen. Still, through it all songwriter (and lead singer, when there is one) Collin Hegna has maintained a strictly retro vibe, and Federale's records have always sounded period-correct for an alternate-universe 1971 where rock and roll never caught on.

Reverb & Seduction, Federale’s sixth studio album, marks the band’s 20th anniversary, and finds them beginning to color outside those Ennio Morricone lines. Perhaps Hegna—who also spent the last 20 years as a dues-paying member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre—has finally decided to give his psych-rock alter ego a seat at the Federale table.

“Before, I'd have an idea and think, ‘Well, that can't be a Federale song’, because it had distorted guitars or whatever,” says Hegna. “But then I thought, 'Well, why not?’” This openness to a broader palette of influences allows Reverb and Seduction to veer into psychedelic and even gothic territory—think Love and Rockets or Sisters of Mercy—that the 2010s Federale might have considered off limits.

The album's first single “Heaven Forgive Me,” for example, draws on Goblin (the Italian prog-rockers who scored Suspiria) and perhaps even a little Depeche Mode, while “Advice from a Stranger” borrows the fuzz and feedback of DIG!-era BJM and The Electric Prunes.

Hannah Mohan’s new album is a first in more ways than one. Time Is a Walnut is the first solo release from the Western Massachusetts singer and songwriter, after nearly a decade fronting indie-pop band And the Kids. The album also comes amid the longest stretch Mohan has spent in one place since she left home at 16 to hop freight trains and hitchhike across North America.

Making music has been at the center of Mohan’s life ever since, even as other circumstances have changed—sometimes radically. A long-term relationship crumbled in 2019. Then the pandemic arrived, bringing an end to her band. After writing a batch of new songs taking stock of her situation, Mohan asked Alex Toth of Rubblebucket and Tōth to produce them, the latest installment of a longtime friendship and occasional creative collaboration.

Although Time Is a Walnut is a breakup album, don’t go in expecting tearjerkers. Mohan draws from a richer palette here, with themes of messy eroticism on the sultry “Soaked,” altered consciousness on the buzzy rocker “Heaven and Drugs,"" and navigating personal hells with Lady Lamb on “Hell.” Throughout, the songs showcase Mohan’s powerful voice, prismatic melodicism and distinctive lyrical sensibility as she processes major events in her life.

Eintauchen in ein musikalisches Phänomen, das
seinesgleichen sucht: Das 30-jährige Jubiläum des
ikonischen Albums "Tales From The Thousand Lakes"
von AMORPHIS wird mit einer Live-Aufnahme zelebriert,
die in Sachen Brillanz und Intensität neue Maßstäbe
setzt. Diese einzigartige Veröffentlichung, erhältlich auf
BluRay, CD und Vinyl, wurde im geschichtsträchtigen
Tavastia-Club in Helsinki, Finnland, aufgenommen in
chronologischer Abfolge. Erhältlich ab dem 12. Juli 2024,
manifestiert diese Veröffentlichung die unvergleichliche
Dynamik und künstlerische Einzigartigkeit von
AMORPHIS. Selten wurde die rohe Kraft und emotionale
Tiefe eines Live-Auftritts so authentisch eingefangen wie
in diesem klanglichen Erinnerungsstück und
außergewöhnlichen Konzertfilm.
"Tales From The Thousand Lakes" entfaltet sich weit
mehr als ein gewöhnlicher Live-Mitschnitt; es ist eine Ode
an die finnische Mythologie, eine Verbeugung vor der
unberührten Natur Finnlands. Mit bildgewaltigen
Aufnahmen entzündet dieser Live-Mitschnitt ein Feuerwerk
intensiver Emotionen und belebt die einzigartigen
Kompositionen von AMORPHIS neu. Jeder Song ist ein
kunstvoll inszeniertes Meisterwerk, das die Zuhörer auf
eine emotionale Zeitreise entführt und tief im Herzen
berührt. Vom dramatischen Auftakt "Into Hiding" über das
unvergessliche "Black Winter Day" bis zum zauberhaften
"Magic & Mayhem" - jede Melodie eine Perle, die in der
fesselnden Live-Atmosphäre zusätzlichen Glanz erhält.

Repress!

Formed in 1968, Jazz Sabbath was considered by many to be at the forefront of the new jazz movement coming out of England at the time. The eagerly awaited debut album, scheduled for release on Friday 13th February 1970, was cancelled when news broke that founding member and pianist Milton Keanes was hospitalised with a massive heart attack which left him fighting for his life.


The record company shelved the album and cancelled the scheduled release out of financial uncertainty of releasing a debut album from a band without its musical leader. When Milton was released from hospital in September 1970, he found out that a band from Birmingham, conveniently called ‘Black Sabbath’, had since released two albums containing metal versions of what he claims were his songs.


All recalled Jazz Sabbath albums had been destroyed when the warehouse burned down in June 1970; which turned out to be a case of insurance fraud by the label owner, leaving only a few bootleg tapes of Jazz Sabbath’s live performances as proof of existence.


The album masters were said to be lost in the fire, but were actually misplaced and gathered dust in the basement vaults of the recording studio. These tapes have now been remixed and, half a decade later, will finally be heard; proving that the heavy metal band worshipped by millions around the world are in fact nothing more than musical charlatans, thieving the music from a bedridden, hospitalised genius.

Repress!

Formed in 1968, Jazz Sabbath was considered by many to be at the forefront of the new jazz movement coming out of England at the time. The eagerly awaited debut album, scheduled for release on Friday 13th February 1970, was cancelled when news broke that founding member and pianist Milton Keanes was hospitalised with a massive heart attack which left him fighting for his life.


The record company shelved the album and cancelled the scheduled release out of financial uncertainty of releasing a debut album from a band without its musical leader. When Milton was released from hospital in September 1970, he found out that a band from Birmingham, conveniently called ‘Black Sabbath’, had since released two albums containing metal versions of what he claims were his songs.


All recalled Jazz Sabbath albums had been destroyed when the warehouse burned down in June 1970; which turned out to be a case of insurance fraud by the label owner, leaving only a few bootleg tapes of Jazz Sabbath’s live performances as proof of existence.


The album masters were said to be lost in the fire, but were actually misplaced and gathered dust in the basement vaults of the recording studio. These tapes have now been remixed and, half a decade later, will finally be heard; proving that the heavy metal band worshipped by millions around the world are in fact nothing more than musical charlatans, thieving the music from a bedridden, hospitalised genius.

Steve Reich remains one of the most important figures in 20th century music. As part of the so-called "Big Four" of New York minimalists (along with La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Philip Glass), Reich influenced both the classical world and contemporary pop music.





Back in print ! Steve Reich remains one of the most important figures in 20th century music. Though he studied at the prestigious arts institutions Julliard and Mills College, by the mid-1960s Reich set about dismantling the very orthodoxy that he had been trained in. Forming a new musical language based on repetitive processes, Reich became established as part of the so-called "Big Four" of New York minimalists (along with La Monte Young, Terry Riley and Philip Glass). Reich's influence can easily be seen today in both the classical world and contemporary pop music."Four Organs" is the ultimate minimalist composition. Performed by Reich, Glass, Art Murphy and Steve Chambers, four identical Farfisa organs strike a single chord and gradually lengthen each note to produce polyrhythms between the players. Anchored by Jon Gibson's stoically-steady pulse on maracas, the piece deconstructs its opening burst to a sustained mass of sound – stretching the tones to create (in Reich's words) "slow-motion music."

Inspired by Reich's early training on drums, "Phase Patterns" treats the keyboards like tuned percussion instruments: a basic rhythm pattern is played in unison and almost imperceptibly increases tempo to move out-of-sync. Each progressive cycle emphasizes unique figures that are not generated by an individual alone, but rather emerge from the communal expression of the group. Originally released on Shandar in 1971, Four Organs / Phase Patterns is one of the most highly regarded avant-garde recordings of the past 50 years. This first-time vinyl reissue features cover photography by artist Michael Snow and is recommended for fans of Neu!, Glenn Branca and Tim Hecker.

Ltd Edition! Das Darkwave Elektronik-Duo BOY HARSHER aus Northampton, Massachusetts veröffentlichen nochmals ihre Katalog-Klassiker in verschiedenen Farben!

First vinyl edition pressed on Cirrostratus Cloud colored vinyl and includes a "Footlong" OBI.

Underground lifer Nick Sakes returns on the debut LP from Upright Forms. The tight-knit Minneapolis trio feels like the culmination of Sakes' varied and prolific career to date, bringing together the unhinged prog-punk ferocity of Dazzling Killmen & Colossamite with the careening chaos of Xaddax and the shout-along hooks and dynamic songcraft of Sicbay. Blurred Wires is skewed yet tuneful, challenging yet compulsively listenable, concise yet brimming with invention. The experience of a lifetime distilled to 33 rotations across a gripping 33 minutes.

Consider "They Kept on Living," a song that first appeared in an earlier version on the SKiN GRAFT comp Sounds to Make You Shudder!. It starts off with a grinding 7/4 groove, with cryptic lines over scratchy noise-punk chords. After a brief build, the band explodes into a massive chorus, with Sakes shouting the title line against a fist-pumping riff.

The trio sound equally convincing digging into the pummeling aggression of "My Lower Self," where Sakes' vocals start off as a feral snarl and then soar triumphantly during the chorus, or the soothing indie-pop hush of the Paster-penned "Drive at Night."

Various "tug-at-your-heartstrings" touchstones informed "Long Shadow". Sakes channeled Television Personalities, cult heroes of melodic British post-punk, on "Animositine," which he accurately labels "our prettiest song."

Nearly 35 years into his career, Sakes is finding new ways to challenge himself -- and in Paster and Westphal, he's found two musicians who are equally comfortable with both the thorniest and the loveliest manifestations of underground rock. When they reflect on their chemistry, they agree that their openness to collaboration is, as Sakes puts it, "one of our superpowers."

On Blurred Wires, that superpower yields dynamic, challenging and profoundly memorable results.

KISSIN‘ DYNAMITE sind zurück! Das achte Album der Stadionrocker erscheint am 5. Juli 2024 über Napalm Records. 2007 als Teenage-Schulband gegründet, haben sie sich von Anfang an dem großen Stadionrock verschrieben. Im Laufe ihrer Erfolgskarriere sind sie auf unzähligen großen internationalen Festivals aufgetreten, sind mit Acts wie den L.A.-Rockstars Mötley Crüe getourt und haben massive ausverkaufte Headline-Touren gespielt. Die Karriere von KISSIN' DYNAMITE kennt nur den Weg nach oben, was mehrere Topresultate in den Charts beweisen, wobei das aktuelle Studioalbum und Napalm Records Debüt Not The End Of The Road (2022) direkt auf Platz 2 der Offiziellen Deutschen Album Charts eingestiegen ist.

Darüber hinaus schafften es die eingängigen Hits der Rocker mehrfach auf Platz 1 der Rock Radio Airplay Charts und die millionenfach gestreamten Musikvideos der Band erreichten jeweils über eine Million Views.

2024 veröffentlichen KISSIN' DYNAMITE ihr neues Werk Back With A Bang, das wieder von Sänger Hannes Braun (Südland Music) aufgenommen und produziert wurde. Gemastert wurde das Album von dem Grammy-nominierten Mastering Engineer Robin Schmidt (24-96 Mastering).

Mit Kasabian meldet sich eine der größten und wichtigsten britischen Rockbands in neuer Stärke mit einem brandneuen Studioalbum zurück! "Happenings" erscheint am 5. Juli 2024 via Columbia Records. Mit "Happenings" legen Kasabian ihr 8. und gleichzeitig eines ihrer besten Studioalben vor, wie die UK-Formation bereits mit der vorab ausgekoppelten Lead-Single "Call" beweist, die mit ihrem massiven Synth-Riff, den packenden Background-Chören und dem unaufhaltsamen Groove den Grundton des neuen Longplayers setzt. "Call" stellt den ersten Song dar, den Serge Pizzorno für das neue Album schrieb - ein Track, der nun einen ersten Ausblick auf die Verlockungen bietet, die Kasabian diesmal für ihre Fans im Gepäck haben. Mit dem Nachfolger ihres 2022 veröffentlichten Top 1-Albums "The Alchemist`s Euphoria" legen Kasabian auf "Happenings" zehn schnelle, geschliffene und hochdosierte Power-Tracks vor, die von der "Anything Goes"-Kunstrichtung der späten 1950er-Jahre inspiriert wurden. Während die Band einen scharfen Schlenker vom Dancefloor in Richtung Moshpit macht, wurden Tracks über drei Minuten rigoros aussortiert (jedenfalls fast). Insgesamt kommen die zehn Stücke auf eine Spielzeit von 26 Minuten ("Eine Minute kürzer als das Debütalbum der Ramones damals"). Mit anderen Worten: "Happenings" ist ein zwar kurzes, aber dafür um so intensiveres Hörvergnügen, das süchtig nach mehr macht. Alle Songs wurden in Pizzornos Homestudio The Sergery geschrieben und aufgenommen, bevor Serge und Co-Produzent Mark Ralph (Zara Larsson, Clean Bandit, Rudimental) sich gemeinsam an die Endfassung machten.

Dieser Tage erscheint das Ted Kessler Buch "To Ease My Troubled Mind: Die autorisierte unautorisierte Geschichte von Billy Childish". Als die Idee für das Buch die Idee für das Buch aufkam, wollte Billy ein prägnantes Doppelalbum zusammenstellen, das die 47 Jahre seines musikalischen Schaffens zusammenfasst. Dies ist das Ergebnis. Mein Name ist William Ivy Loveday, alias Steve Hamper, alias Guy Hamper, alias Jack Ketch, alias Billy Childish. Ich wurde in Medway, Kent, geboren, wo ich immer noch lebe. Ich verließ die Schule 1976, als ich 16 war. Da ich keinen Schulabschluss hatte, wurde ich von der Kunstschule abgelehnt und ging in der Werft von Chatham als Steinmetzlehrling arbeiten. Später schaffte ich es, aufgrund meiner Bilder in einen Malkurs an der St. Martin's School of Art aufgenommen zu werden. Ich, Bruce, Big Russ und Little Russ gründeten 1977 The Pop Rivets und machten unsere ersten Aufnahmen. Unsere Inspiration war Punkrock, TV21 und The Swinging Blue Jeans. Ich lernte Gitarre zu spielen und arbeitete 1979 vier Wochen lang im Oakwood Mental Hospital als Pförtner, dann gründeten ich, Mick und Bertie The Milkshakes. Unsere Inspirationen waren Link Wray, die Beatles-Live-at-the-Star-Club-LP, der Song "Gotta Get the First Plane Home" von den Kinks und unser Hass auf die New Romantics-Szene. Dann wurde ich von der St. Martin's School of Art verwiesen, weil ich etwas geschrieben hatte, das als "die schlimmste Art von Toilettenwand-Humor" bezeichnet wurde. Ich verprügelte meinen Vater, als er aus dem Gefängnis kam, wo er wegen Drogenschmuggels gesessen hatte. Wir haben uns bei The Milkshakes nie selbst bezahlt und das ganze Geld in die Herstellung unserer eigenen Platten gesteckt. Ich bewahrte das Geld auf einem Bankkonto unter dem Namen Kurt Schwitters auf. Ich lebte 12 Jahre lang von der Sozialhilfe. Im Jahr 1985 gründeten wir Thee Mighty Caesars. Unsere Inspiration waren Bo Diddley und The Troggs. Ich wurde Mitglied von Greenpeace. 1989 gründeten Bruce und ich Thee Headcoats. Unsere Inspiration waren Son House und Downliners Sect. 1999 gründeten ich, Wolf und Johnny Barker The Buff Medways. Unsere Inspiration war Jimi Hendrix in Beatle-Stiefeln und The Who, bevor Roger Daltry anfing, die Vorhänge seiner Oma zu tragen. Etwa 2008 gründeten Julie und ich The Musicians of the British Empire. Daraus wurde dann CTMF. Daraus wurden dann die Chatham Singers. Unsere Inspiration basierte auf uns selbst. Als Nächstes war es an der Zeit, dass Neil und ich die Spartan Dreggs gründeten, inspiriert von Homer und A. E. Housman. Andere Gruppen entstanden und zerfielen - damit niemand wusste, wer wir waren oder warum. Im Jahr 2019 entstand The William Loveday Intention - inspiriert von Hollis Brown und den Mississippi Sheiks. Das Guy Hamper Trio tauchte noch einmal auf, zusammen mit Jamie an der Hammond. Einige dieser Gruppen sind geblieben, viele haben sich zu fernen Ufern mit scharfen, versteckten Felsen aufgemacht. Hauptsächlich male ich und schreibe Gedichte und Romane. Zusammen mit der Musik, die ich spiele, ist nichts, was ich tue, jemals besonders modisch gewesen, aber genau darum geht es auch. Schon 1977 haben wir gerne Nein gesagt. Dann, als der Punk sich in New Romantic verwandelte, fielen wir in den frühen Rock 'n' Roll und den Blues zurück. Bei The Milkshakes sagte man uns, dass wir zu viele LPs veröffentlichten und damit kommerziellen Selbstmord begingen, also brachten wir an einem Tag vier verschiedene LPs heraus. Ab und zu kommt jemand Berühmtes vorbei und ein kleiner Krümel rollt über den Tisch und spritzt in unsere lauwarme Suppe. Ein anderes Mal eifern uns Unbekannte nach und erweisen sich nur als besser. Ich liebe Pop, aber keine Popstars. Ich interessiere mich nur für Klang und Farbe und das in einem kleinen Maßstab zu sein. Ich verstecke mich nicht hinter Lautstärke und Off-Stage-Mixing. Ich brauche keine Show zu spielen, weil ich lieber daheimsitze und eine Tasse Tee trinke. Meine Arbeit gehört nach unten, zum Instinkt und zum Elementaren, und ist nahe am Boden. Ich glaube an selbstgemachte Musik, selbstgemachte Kunst und selbstgemachtes Kochen. Die Musik war über die Jahre hinweg ein lohnendes Hobby. Ich habe viele gute Freunde getroffen und mit ihnen gearbeitet, und Gott hat mich vor dem Ruhm bewahrt. Ich möchte die Straßenbahn und das Pferd zurückbringen.

The third release on Multitone Recordings is FFF - Beast Remixed. This record features a re-release of the original version on side A, courtesy of Myor Massiv. On the flip, a top remix done by Rainboh features intricate drumwork and big basslines, followed by a special VIP from FFF himself. Get in on this future classic.

Artwork by Ned Woodman

Mit "To The Stars" veröffentlichen NYKTOPHOBIA den Anwärter auf das melodische Death-Metal-Album des Jahres! Aufgenommen in den Sandlane Recording Facilities (Powerwolf, Epica, Blind Guardian ...) und gemischt und gemastert von den Fascination Street Studios (Amorphis, Kreator, Amon Amarth ...) ist ein massiver und authentischer Sound garantiert! Zur Feier der Veröffentlichung wird die Band unter anderem beim Summer Breeze Open Air und dem Rockharz Festival auftreten!

Gegründet im Jahr 2015, ist "To The Stars" nun das vierte vollständige Studioalbum und wird Genre-Puristen nach dem bereits erfolgreichen
vorherigen Album "What Lasts Forever" begeistern. Die deutsche Band bleibt in ihrer Herangehensweise dem Ursprung des
kandinavisch beeinflussten melodischen Death Metal treu, webt jedoch zusätzliche Schichten und Feinheiten ein, um Songs mit einer tieferen Atmosphäre und
fesselnden Momenten zu erschaffen, die unausweichlich im Gedächtnis bleiben.

Mit "To The Stars" veröffentlichen NYKTOPHOBIA den Anwärter auf das melodische Death-Metal-Album des Jahres! Aufgenommen in den Sandlane Recording Facilities (Powerwolf, Epica, Blind Guardian ...) und gemischt und gemastert von den Fascination Street Studios (Amorphis, Kreator, Amon Amarth ...) ist ein massiver und authentischer Sound garantiert! Zur Feier der Veröffentlichung wird die Band unter anderem beim Summer Breeze Open Air und dem Rockharz Festival auftreten!

Gegründet im Jahr 2015, ist "To The Stars" nun das vierte vollständige Studioalbum und wird Genre-Puristen nach dem bereits erfolgreichen
vorherigen Album "What Lasts Forever" begeistern. Die deutsche Band bleibt in ihrer Herangehensweise dem Ursprung des
kandinavisch beeinflussten melodischen Death Metal treu, webt jedoch zusätzliche Schichten und Feinheiten ein, um Songs mit einer tieferen Atmosphäre und
fesselnden Momenten zu erschaffen, die unausweichlich im Gedächtnis bleiben.

Das zweite Studioalbum von Freundeskreis - "Esperanto"- ist eine Fusion aus Hip-Hop, Soul und Reggae, dass die musikalische Vision und Botschaft der Gruppe in die Welt getragen hat. Mit Hits wie "Mit Dir", "Esperanto" und "A-N-N-A" hat Freundeskreis die Musikszene geprägt. Zum Jubiläum der Single "Mit Dir" erstrahlt "Esperanto" in einer speziellen Jubiläumsedition. In dieser enthalten ist das Album "Esperanto" auf goldener Doppelvinyl, sowie die Single "Mit Dir" auf coke bottle greenem Vinyl. Diese Single-Vinyl beinhaltet neben der Originalversion zwei brandneue Remixe. Diese neuen Interpretationen bringen das Gefühl und die Energie des Originals in eine neue Ära und sind ein Dankeschön an alle, die diesen Song lieben und leben. Das Jubiläumsbundle ist für die treuen Fans, die Freundeskreis seit Tag eins supporten, und für die neuen Hörer, die die Musik gerade entdecken. Es ist ihre Art, Danke zu sagen und die Freundeskreis-Vibes weiterzugeben.r

Mit Kasabian meldet sich eine der größten und wichtigsten britischen Rockbands in neuer Stärke mit einem brandneuen Studioalbum zurück! "Happenings" erscheint am 5. Juli 2024 via Columbia Records. Mit "Happenings" legen Kasabian ihr 8. und gleichzeitig eines ihrer besten Studioalben vor, wie die UK-Formation bereits mit der vorab ausgekoppelten Lead-Single "Call" beweist, die mit ihrem massiven Synth-Riff, den packenden Background-Chören und dem unaufhaltsamen Groove den Grundton des neuen Longplayers setzt. "Call" stellt den ersten Song dar, den Serge Pizzorno für das neue Album schrieb - ein Track, der nun einen ersten Ausblick auf die Verlockungen bietet, die Kasabian diesmal für ihre Fans im Gepäck haben. Mit dem Nachfolger ihres 2022 veröffentlichten Top 1-Albums "The Alchemist`s Euphoria" legen Kasabian auf "Happenings" zehn schnelle, geschliffene und hochdosierte Power-Tracks vor, die von der "Anything Goes"-Kunstrichtung der späten 1950er-Jahre inspiriert wurden. Während die Band einen scharfen Schlenker vom Dancefloor in Richtung Moshpit macht, wurden Tracks über drei Minuten rigoros aussortiert (jedenfalls fast). Insgesamt kommen die zehn Stücke auf eine Spielzeit von 26 Minuten ("Eine Minute kürzer als das Debütalbum der Ramones damals"). Mit anderen Worten: "Happenings" ist ein zwar kurzes, aber dafür um so intensiveres Hörvergnügen, das süchtig nach mehr macht. Alle Songs wurden in Pizzornos Homestudio The Sergery geschrieben und aufgenommen, bevor Serge und Co-Produzent Mark Ralph (Zara Larsson, Clean Bandit, Rudimental) sich gemeinsam an die Endfassung machten.

Sheffield's hugely talented producer Hedge Maze lands on Selvamancer. Years in the making after a long search to decipher an unreleased tune from an unknown alter ego found online (title track Riding The Wave), we're excited to finally bring it to the masses. Morphed industrial violence, tearjerking post-dubstep-trap and the ruthless title track bounce off the walls. Let's commence! Face to the glass. "You use a mirror to see your face, you use a work of art to see your soul." G.B.Shaw... but if you stood with your breath appearing on the canvas what would you say to a Mane or a Rothko three inches away from it. As you push your nose up to the mirror of your soul, what to say to it in response. To listen to one's soul is to hear its depth, for it has many voices, but which voice to listen to. Fear be a man's best friend, he will accompany you should you wish. Forever on your coattails, a whisperer of half unseen truths: distorting perceptions. grief, illness, disappointment, pain, struggle, poverty, loss, terror, heartache, All to be feared. Yet, all features of a life lived! Courage then is simply to live and to live well, choose the voice that gives light. Throw the house out of the window so some say, throw yourself too, say I. Mark Warren. - written whilst listening to Strukku's Beat on Hedge Maze EP

UV & Nenor have been on a hot streak of late with great outings on the likes of the Fossils label and now they keep it up with a red hot new drop on the brand new Massa label. This tidy 7" packs a punch with two jams that will work the floor. The first is a slow motion but irresistible dub-disco fusion with squelchy bass and nice colourful, warm, gooey chords with vocals from Ranking Levy. On the flip is 'Tookey', a futuristic electro vocoder jam that comes to life with vivid synths circling round the mix and an unusual sense of swing. From laid back session at home to steamy club use, both of these are useful jams.

Dieses Album gilt als das brutalste, technischste, aggressivste und schnellste unter den klassischen PRESTIGE- Alben.
Es ist die musikalische Antwort der Band auf die damals aufkommenden Musiktrends, insbesondere auf die Grunge-Szene. Nach ihrer Auszeit im Herbst 1992 gelang es ihnen, im Gegensatz zu vielen bedeutenden Thrash-Bands dieser Ära, keine unbeholfenen, vom Grunge beeinflussten Alben zu produzieren.
Dieses konsequente Festhalten an ihrem einzigartigen Stil zeichnet PRESTIGE aus.
Für die Produktion dieses Albums wählte die Band ein neues Studio und einen anderen Produzenten als für ihre früheren Veröffentlichungen. Sie haben sowohl den Songs, als auch der Produktion große Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt und mehr Zeit im Studio verbracht als je zuvor, insgesamt etwa drei Wochen.
Wer auf kompromisslosen Highspeed-Thrash mit Attitüde steht, für den ist dieses Album ein Muss.

Dieses Album gilt als das brutalste, technischste, aggressivste und schnellste unter den klassischen PRESTIGE- Alben.
Es ist die musikalische Antwort der Band auf die damals aufkommenden Musiktrends, insbesondere auf die Grunge-Szene. Nach ihrer Auszeit im Herbst 1992 gelang es ihnen, im Gegensatz zu vielen bedeutenden Thrash-Bands dieser Ära, keine unbeholfenen, vom Grunge beeinflussten Alben zu produzieren.
Dieses konsequente Festhalten an ihrem einzigartigen Stil zeichnet PRESTIGE aus.
Für die Produktion dieses Albums wählte die Band ein neues Studio und einen anderen Produzenten als für ihre früheren Veröffentlichungen. Sie haben sowohl den Songs, als auch der Produktion große Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt und mehr Zeit im Studio verbracht als je zuvor, insgesamt etwa drei Wochen.
Wer auf kompromisslosen Highspeed-Thrash mit Attitüde steht, für den ist dieses Album ein Muss.

Given The Fall's penchant for iconoclasm, it's no surprise that they decided to say goodbye to the '70s with a series of gigs at Northern England's gruffest halls. The band's formidable live show was met with even more derision and disorder than customary during these late '79 and early '80 performances, and they skillfully amplified such sentiments back at the crowd. Totale's Turns, The Fall's first live album, was released on Rough Trade just prior to their pivotal third album, 1980's Grotesque. "The difference between you and us is that we have brains," shouts Mark E. Smith to open Totale's Turns as the band breaks into the rollicking "Fiery Jack," their latest single at the time. Each player is at their jagged best: Marc Riley and Craig Scanlon's splintering guitars, Steve Hanley's thunderous bass and Smith's combative sneer reverberate over "Rowche Rumble," "Choc-Stock" and "Spectre Vs. Rector" more than any studio would ever allow. Totale's Turns never panders to live-record conventions, serving instead as a gripping exhibit of The Fall en masse and arguably the most accurate document of the group to date. Superior Viaduct's edition is the first time that Totale's Turns has been available on vinyl domestically. Liner notes by Brian Turner.

For their fifth collaboration Marc Barreca and Kerry Leimer set aside their more abstract creative approaches to composition in favor of basing the music of Arrhythmian on beats. Using rhythm as texture, the tracks gravitate to concussive and bass voices, high bpm rates, and constantly evolving timbres shaped by granular synthesis, sampling, heavy processing, audio manipulation, rich distortion, with the maximum dynamic range vinyl can offer. “We’re always thinking about sound quality, about what’s possible in a recording for vinyl demands a very specific approach. Pitch, dynamics, layering, density all play a more significant role in analog recording and reproduction,” says Leimer, as Barreca continues, “Let’s just say it’s not music you can dance to...” Arrhythmian is released as a double disc vinyl set, produced to safely allow the grooves their maximum possible excursion while giving one’s stylus a rewarding and demanding workout. Marc Barreca and Kerry Leimer have worked on a nearly parallel musical course for more than forty years. Nearly parallel because their musical paths do occasionally cross. First in 1980 with “Four Pages From An Unfinished Novel” on K. Leimer’s first solo album Closed System Potentials. Again during the live performance of Music For Land And Water and for the massive loop piece “Heart Of Stillness” from The Neo-Realist (At Risk) by the virtual group Savant. K. Leimer founded Palace Of Lights in 1979 and has been actively producing music since the mid 1970s. Marc Barreca has created and performed electronic music since the mid-1970s. His 1980 vinyl album, Twilight, was among the first releases for Palace of Lights Records. Their work is part of the Collection of the British Library. With Steve Peters, Leimer and Barreca form the collaborative trio Three Point Circle

Love, Love, Love, Love will make you walk a thousandcmiles to be with her. She is the wisdomcyou long to have, the courage you nevercthought you had. Love is peace, she is patient, she is Kind. Love will heal that infected wound that you long gave up on to heal, more powerful than any weapon of mass destruction. Cuddled up in her grasp, her tears will roll down your face. She’s the real deal. She will fight for you, she will carry the sword for you, She will walk a thousand miles for you. She is sweet, very sweet. Welcome to Jaqee 6th and final album, a closure of a chapter in my artistry so far. This is not the end, it’s just a crossroad that is proudly and lovingly directing me into an unpredictable future. I felt a strong need for healing on this album, so I made way for Vulnerability. I have opened doors that are to be obediently followed as I dig deeper in the understanding of the one thing that we humans yearn so much for. Love is King.

Seablite is a four-piece pop band from San Francisco inspired by 80s/90s indie and shoegaze. Seablite was formed in 2016 when Lauren Matsui (vocals / guitar) and Galine Tumasyan (vocals / bass) bonded over a mutual appreciation of early 90's Britpop and UK underground music. The pair began writing songs and soon after Jen Mundy (ex-Wax Idols) joined on second guitar and Andy Pastalaniec (Chime School) would eventually join on drums. They have released an LP (2019’s “Grass Stains and Novocaine”) and 7" single (“Breadcrumbs” c/w “Ink Bleeds”) via Emotional Response Records and a 10" EP (“High-Rise Mannequins” - recorded and produced by Alicia Vanden Heuvel of the Aislers Set) in conjunction with Spain’s Meritorio Records. The band is among San Francisco’s current indie pop renaissance and have opened for the likes of Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Charlatans and Ladytron upon their recent Bay Area visits. Seablite has finished their sophomore album, “Lemon Lights” (due out this summer on Mt. St. Mtn). Recorded over the summer of 2022, “Lemon Lights” contains 12 dreamy pop tracks showcasing the group’s continued growth and maturity and marks a strong progression from their debut album. After recording basic bed tracks with Robby Joseph, the band finished overdubs in their practice space and Lauren's apartment. The freedom of home recording allowed them to experiment, resulting in an organic and intuitive manifestation of the band's emotions and creativity - a sonic inkblot of unfiltered pop appreciation. One may hear Manchester undertones on "Hit the Wall" and “Melancholy Molly”, or the feminine noise-pop of Lush on "Pot of Boiling Water" but Seablite are not to be mistaken for anglophile copycats. Seablite incorporates the jangle of their San Francisco “Fog Pop” contemporaries on tracks like “Hold My Kite” and a relentless and driving guitar on “Blink Each Day”, while the wonderfully dark elements on “Monochrome Rainbow” and the wistful closer, “Orbiting My Sleep” give them a wide range of sounds and vibes. Mastered by Mark Gardener of Ride.

"Toujours l'été" is the very first Les Négresses Vertes Best Of on Vinyl. 12 classic track on white vinyl edition fairly priced , from" Sous le soleil de Bodéga", "Voilà l'été" to "Zobi La mouche " and Massive Attack's cult remix of "Face à la mer " .
Les Négresses Vertes are a cult french alternative band formed in 1987 with a unique sound. The original line up was a group of 9 friends, some of them never played music before : we can say they very quickly improved . They can be best described as a fusion of world music and alternative rock. Their particular music influences were Raï, Mediterrean music and French café / chanson française up to lyrics. They were in the same time a big band & a rock band with tremendous concerts throughout the UK & Europe . After two first and cult albums "Mlah" & "Famille Nombreuse" and the death of the former charismatic singer Helno, the band decided to keep on playing with Stéphane Mellino & (Matias) Canavese replacing Helno as the main songwriters & singers. After "Zig-Zague" & "Trabendo" albums, they disbanded in 2001.
Following a few live reunions , Stéphane & Iza Mellino ,original members, reformed the live band in 2018 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of cult debut album "Mlah" with an intensive French tour. They have kept playing since and will be back onstage from late spring 2024 for a 30 dates new tour visiting a few countries and very likely to be extended in 2025. Longue vie aux Négresses Vertes

Repress!
Note - Sleeve says contains a bonus CD, these represses do not have a bonus CD, they have a download card.

Hate Your Friends is the 1987 debut album by the Lemonheads, one of only three full-length releases to feature the original band line- up of Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. The album showcases a hardcore-punk-to-pop-rock sound and sensibility as playfully fierce as it is surprising…especially to listeners who know the band only from their better-known major label recordings of the 1990s. The roots of Hate Your Friends begin with the genesis of the band itself: when high school friends Ben Deily and Evan Dando—inspired by a shared love of the 70’s absurdist comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre, literature, and punk rock—began playing their own songs together in 1985. Dando and Deily first started out as a two-piece ensemble: swapping back and forth between a shared Guild guitar (and a crappy amp) and vocal mic, and pounding a drum kit “borrowed” from the high school jazz band. With the addition of classmate and friend Jesse Peretz on bass, the two-man outfit quickly became a power trio. With a handful of original songs, a passionate love for their favourite bands—from Husker-Du, the Replacements, Black Flag and the Germs, to the Saints, Wire and ‘77 UK punk—and a tiny recording budget, the Lemonheads set about their first studio session within days of their high school graduation in June of 1986. During that summer, a significant amount of what would become the band’s debut album was recorded in Brookline, Massachusetts, with Deily and Dando sharing vocal, guitar and drumming duties. Above and beyond bass, Jesse proved pivotal as the band’s manager, booker and tireless promoter—helping arrange for the Lemonheads self-released debut EP, Laughing all the way to the cleaners, later that summer, and shortly thereafter helping establish the relationship with Curtis Casella of TAANG! records that paved the way to full-length LP Hate Your Friends. Finally, with the addition of full-time (and fairly short-lived) drummer Doug Trachten, the last songs of Hate Your Friends were recorded in the winter of 1986-7. BONUS TRACKS: This Fire Records re-issue features bonus tracks including 12 never-before-released live tracks from a 1987 radio session, rare tracks from the early compilation Crawling From Within, and additional tracks not included on the original release of Hate Your Friends (“Buried Alive” and “Gotta Stop”).

Sear Bliss liefern ihr Opus Magnum nach einer 30 Jahre langen Reise in die epische Dunkelheit ab - willkommen zu einer Reise in den Weltraum selbst,
dessen Göttlichkeit aus progressiven Komponenten und geschwärztem Chaos besteht: Sear Bliss' "Heavenly Down". Äußerlich mächtig und innerlich
erfüllend, wenden Ungarns metallische Vorreiter einmal mehr ihre charakteristische Formel an, Eleganz und Böses zu vereinen; zwei getrennte
Welten, die sich makellos zu einer besonderen Einheit von höchstem Rang verbinden. Heavenly Down" ist eine galaktische Reise, auf der Sear Bliss die
Regeln des experimentellen Metals neu schreiben, und die Reise ist sehr aufregend, glauben Sie uns: Obwohl "Heavenly Down" die üblichen Black
Metal-Qualitäten enthält, zeigt es eine saubere Form von Sear Bliss' eigener Originalität, gemischt mit einigen üblichen Ausstattungen. Wie nicht
anders zu erwarten, bewahren Sear Bliss ihre Blackened-Wurzeln mit epischen Tremolo-Picking-Passagen, feuernden Blastbeats und András Nagys
anmutigen Schreien, doch der Einsatz von schönen cleanen Gitarren und majestätischen Keyboards fügt dem bereits mächtigen Bild noch etwas
hinzu. Aber keine Angst vor zu viel sanftem Zeug, denn es gibt einige massive Headbanger-Riffs, die einem einfach die Augäpfel rausschreddern.

NOTHING MORE, das dreifach für den Grammy nominierte Quartett aus San Antonio, Texas, meldet sich mit ihrem spannungsgeladenen 8. Studioalbum CARNAL zurück, das am 28. Juni über Better Noise Music erscheint. Das Album enthält 15 Songs mit selbstreflektierten, philosophischen Texten und ungeschminkten, massiven Hymnen. Seit ihrem Debüt im Jahr 2003 haben NOTHING MORE zwei #1 Singles "This is the Time (Ballast)" und "Go To War" im US Active Rock-Radio platziert und waren insgesamt sieben mal in den Top-10 vertreten. "CARNAL" demontiert eindrucksvoll ihre musikalische Kompetenz innerhalb des Rock-Genres und weit darüber hinaus.

“More than ever, people need to hear songwriters talk about their lives. We don’t always have to search for monster hits. We can just write about our lives and maybe that might actually work. That’s what this record is a lot of. A lot of massive songs, but also a lot of me just writing authentically and honestly about my life. Flyin symbolizes the next phase of my career. I feel like I'm flying into this chapter where I’m the best version of myself that I've ever been. Y’all better catch-up or you’re getting left behind. I’m on fire!”

First you'll get a Korbo pityless hardcore shaker, a destructive industrial cogs.

Shady then brings Hardcore banging cruiser ina Sodom style.
L'Architecte opens the flip with a massive industrial banger... and finally... Leatherface finished the job killing you with his dancefloor tricks of a kind. Full of energy stuff !!

Underground lifer Nick Sakes returns on the debut LP from Upright Forms. The tight-knit Minneapolis trio feels like the culmination of Sakes' varied and prolific career to date, bringing together the unhinged prog-punk ferocity of Dazzling Killmen & Colossamite with the careening chaos of Xaddax and the shout-along hooks and dynamic songcraft of Sicbay. Blurred Wires is skewed yet tuneful, challenging yet compulsively listenable, concise yet brimming with invention. The experience of a lifetime distilled to 33 rotations across a gripping 33 minutes.

Consider “They Kept on Living,” a song that first appeared in an earlier version on the SKiN GRAFT comp Sounds to Make You Shudder!. It starts off with a grinding 7/4 groove, with cryptic lines over scratchy noise-punk chords. After a brief build, the band explodes into a massive chorus, with Sakes shouting the title line against a fist-pumping riff.

The trio sound equally convincing digging into the pummeling aggression of “My Lower Self,” where Sakes’ vocals start off as a feral snarl and then soar triumphantly during the chorus, or the soothing indie-pop hush of the Paster-penned “Drive at Night.”

Various “tug-at-your-heartstrings” touchstones informed “Long Shadow”. Sakes channeled Television Personalities, cult heroes of melodic British post-punk, on “Animositine,” which he accurately labels “our prettiest song.”

Nearly 35 years into his career, Sakes is finding new ways to challenge himself — and in Paster and Westphal, he’s found two musicians who are equally comfortable with both the thorniest and the loveliest manifestations of underground rock. When they reflect on their chemistry, they agree that their openness to collaboration is, as Sakes puts it, “one of our superpowers.”

On Blurred Wires, that superpower yields dynamic, challenging and profoundly memorable results.

Limited Edition MOD Compact Disc in Digipak Lite packaging."

As the summer season approaches, here comes Kito Jempere and Hard Ton with a perfect summer jam! Taken from upcoming fifth Kito Jempere album, ''The Sound of Love'' is a classic early nineties balearic beat ballad - 96 beats per minute of morning bliss, mellow
pads, enigma-esque drums and beautiful vocal drama by one and only Hard Ton.
Besides the title track and a new club driven remix from man-of-the-hour Eden Burns, vinyl is packed with an array of old and new goodies. Much requested Andras remix from 2020 previously available digitally only. Live version of previous Hard Ton collaboration, ''Your
Ghost in Me'', played by 8-piece Kito Jempere Live Band. Plus another two massive and previously ''digital only'' remixes from Eden Burns for all your dance-club needs. And all this comes with a beautiful sleeve from Berlin based photographer Alexey Kiselev.

Die US Metal-Legende Warlord wurde im Jahre 1981 von Mark Zonder und William J. Tsamis gegründet. Ein Jahr später, 1982, erschien der Song "Lucifer's Hammer" (basierend auf einem Roman von Larry Niven und Jerry Pournelle) auf der prestigeträchtigen Compilation "Metal Massacre II". Als Resultat unterzeichneten Warlord einen Kontrakt bei Metal Blade Records und nahmen ihre erste Mini-LP auf. "Deliver Us" erblickte 1983 das Licht der Welt und gilt heute als Blaupause des "Epic Metal" (zusammen mit Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol und Brocas Helm gelten Warlord als Erfinder jenes Stils). Nach zwischenzeitlicher Auflösung erschien im Jahre 2002 das starke Comeback-Album "Rising Out Of The Ashes", erst elf Jahre später gefolgt von "The Holy Empire". "The Holy Empire" sollte das letzte Warlord-Studioalbum mit neuem Songmaterial bleiben, denn Bandgründer William J. Tsamis verstarb am 13. Mai 2021 im Alter von nur 60 Jahren. Allerdings erschien danach noch ein weiteres Warlord-Album, nämlich "The Hunt For Damien" im Jahre 2015. Darauf zu hören ist als Sänger Nicholas Leptos (u.a. auch bei Astronomikon, Prodigal Earth, Gangland und Diphteria tätig). Das jetzt erscheinende "Free Spirit Soar", welches auch zwei überarbeitete Nummern von Lordian Guard enthält, ist ein Tribut von Sänger Giles Lavery an das musikalische Erbe von Bill Tsamis. Er wird dabei unterstützt von Mark Zonder (Drums), Jimmy Waldo (Keyboards/Synthesizer), Phillip Bynoe (Bass) sowie Eric Juris (Gitarre). Alle Songs wurden zwischen März und September 2023 aufgenommen.

Giles Lavery, der auch als Produzent fungierte, erklärt die Entstehungsgeschichte des Albums im Detail: "Unser erklärtes Ziel als Band war es, diese Musik für Bill fertigstellen. Und das vorliegende Material erschien uns ohne Frage stark genug, um uns dazu zu inspirieren. Bill ist bei allen Gitarrenparts zu hören, bei denen es uns möglich war, sie von den ursprünglichen Demo-Recordings zu isolieren - ganz so wie die verbliebenen Beatles die Stimme von John Lennon vom einem alten Demo-Tape zu retten in der Lage waren. Der Großteil der Gitarrenpassagen auf "Free Spirit Soar" wird zwar von Eric gespielt, aber die gesamte Musik stammt aus der Feder von Bill. Und wir haben uns wirklich sehr darum bemüht, seine Arrangements möglichst originalgetreu umzusetzen."

Line-up: Giles Lavery - vocals Eric Juris - guitars Philip Bynoe - bass Jimmy Waldo - keys Mark Zonder - drums

Die US Metal-Legende Warlord wurde im Jahre 1981 von Mark Zonder und William J. Tsamis gegründet. Ein Jahr später, 1982, erschien der Song "Lucifer's Hammer" (basierend auf einem Roman von Larry Niven und Jerry Pournelle) auf der prestigeträchtigen Compilation "Metal Massacre II". Als Resultat unterzeichneten Warlord einen Kontrakt bei Metal Blade Records und nahmen ihre erste Mini-LP auf. "Deliver Us" erblickte 1983 das Licht der Welt und gilt heute als Blaupause des "Epic Metal" (zusammen mit Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol und Brocas Helm gelten Warlord als Erfinder jenes Stils). Nach zwischenzeitlicher Auflösung erschien im Jahre 2002 das starke Comeback-Album "Rising Out Of The Ashes", erst elf Jahre später gefolgt von "The Holy Empire". "The Holy Empire" sollte das letzte Warlord-Studioalbum mit neuem Songmaterial bleiben, denn Bandgründer William J. Tsamis verstarb am 13. Mai 2021 im Alter von nur 60 Jahren. Allerdings erschien danach noch ein weiteres Warlord-Album, nämlich "The Hunt For Damien" im Jahre 2015. Darauf zu hören ist als Sänger Nicholas Leptos (u.a. auch bei Astronomikon, Prodigal Earth, Gangland und Diphteria tätig). Das jetzt erscheinende "Free Spirit Soar", welches auch zwei überarbeitete Nummern von Lordian Guard enthält, ist ein Tribut von Sänger Giles Lavery an das musikalische Erbe von Bill Tsamis. Er wird dabei unterstützt von Mark Zonder (Drums), Jimmy Waldo (Keyboards/Synthesizer), Phillip Bynoe (Bass) sowie Eric Juris (Gitarre). Alle Songs wurden zwischen März und September 2023 aufgenommen.

Giles Lavery, der auch als Produzent fungierte, erklärt die Entstehungsgeschichte des Albums im Detail: "Unser erklärtes Ziel als Band war es, diese Musik für Bill fertigstellen. Und das vorliegende Material erschien uns ohne Frage stark genug, um uns dazu zu inspirieren. Bill ist bei allen Gitarrenparts zu hören, bei denen es uns möglich war, sie von den ursprünglichen Demo-Recordings zu isolieren - ganz so wie die verbliebenen Beatles die Stimme von John Lennon vom einem alten Demo-Tape zu retten in der Lage waren. Der Großteil der Gitarrenpassagen auf "Free Spirit Soar" wird zwar von Eric gespielt, aber die gesamte Musik stammt aus der Feder von Bill. Und wir haben uns wirklich sehr darum bemüht, seine Arrangements möglichst originalgetreu umzusetzen."

Line-up: Giles Lavery - vocals Eric Juris - guitars Philip Bynoe - bass Jimmy Waldo - keys Mark Zonder - drums

"In Chambers Of Sonic Disgust", das neue Album von ILLDISPOSED, ist voller Wut und Frustration, was es zum bis dato ambitioniertesten und kreativsten Album der Band macht!
Sandie The Lilith von Defacing God hat zu zwei Songs des Albums Gastvocals beigesteuert.
Guest-Musicians:
Sandie The Lilith (Defacing God): Guest vocals on "Lay Low" and "I Suffer"

"In Chambers Of Sonic Disgust", das neue Album von ILLDISPOSED, ist voller Wut und Frustration, was es zum bis dato ambitioniertesten und kreativsten Album der Band macht!
Sandie The Lilith von Defacing God hat zu zwei Songs des Albums Gastvocals beigesteuert.
Guest-Musicians:
Sandie The Lilith (Defacing God): Guest vocals on "Lay Low" and "I Suffer"

"In Chambers Of Sonic Disgust", das neue Album von ILLDISPOSED, ist voller Wut und Frustration, was es zum bis dato ambitioniertesten und kreativsten Album der Band macht!
Sandie The Lilith von Defacing God hat zu zwei Songs des Albums Gastvocals beigesteuert.
Guest-Musicians:
Sandie The Lilith (Defacing God): Guest vocals on "Lay Low" and "I Suffer"

What might appear to be the most unlikely collaboration of 2024 proves also to be one of the most invigorating listens of the year! Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance are in full aural/metaphysical alignment in their mutual effort to become Jinxed By Being. On first listen, it becomes immediately clear that this fusion of Shackleton"s bass heavy cosmic dread and Six Organs" ritual folksong makes total sense. Longtime listeners know that both Shackleton and Six Organs of Admittance have been unafraid to pursue their muse into any and all encroaching depth of darkness or outer boundary of potential dissonance - in fact, that has always been their default mode, finding more of resonance way out there in the process. They also share that ol" maverick psychedelic ritual transcendental music vibe, don"t they? And a fascination with repetition and cycles. And a mutual inspiration drawn from alternative tunings and literature...all this considered, it"s been basically inevitable that Ben Chasny and Sam Shackleton would work together. It took a while for them to find each other-and once they did, it was almost eerie, how preordained it felt. When the music started coming, though-that"s when it got really eerie. The mood rises from the music like smoke, a sure signal of total integration. Jinxed by Being finds Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance delighting in their synthesis. Reveling in the unique sonic textures found in the collage, they launch small details that unfold into a massive space and often multiply into lines of dimensional space, crossing the stereo spectrum with enervating motility. Here lies all the proof you need against the danger of categorizing by perceived genre rather than intention-encounters like Shackleton & Six Organs of Admittance might never have found the linear space in which they sit next to each other, beyond alphabets and other institutional organizing principles. Rearrange your libraries-or you might miss getting Jinxed By Being.

*REMASTERED ROUGH TRADE 4 TRACK E.P LIMITED TO JUST 500 COPIES*

Everything on “Up Home!” is bigger, richer; the guitars are huge, as though they’re being played through the clouds, massive gusts of blue-green noise that move across the stereo spectrum like weather systems. “Baby Milk Snatcher” is built around face-flattening dub bass, with glinting piano and shards of guitar ricocheting through the song. “W.O.G.S.” is delirious to the point of expiration; “One Way Mirror” is their attempt at weird, lopsided ‘anti-funk’, the song’s melody crushed by avalanches of six-string interference. And the closing “Up” is AR Kane’s masterpiece, a disembodied thud pulsing at its heart as a six-note guitar melody spirals ever onward, Ayuli’s voice lost in its own reverie, hymning escapism via references to Jamaican political activist Marcus Garvey’s ‘black star line’.
• Jon Dale, lead review in Uncut Magazine
who grew up together in Stratford, East London. From the off the pair were outsiders in the culturally mixed (cockney/Irish/West Indian/Asian) milieu of the East End, with Alex and Rudy’s folks first generation immigrants from Nigeria and Malawi, respectively. The two of them quickly developed and fostered an innate and near-telepathic mutual understanding forged in musical, literary and
artistic exploration. Like a lot of second-generation immigrants, they were ferocious autodidacts in all kinds of areas, especially around music and literature. Diving deep into the music of afro-futurist luminaries such as Sun Ra, Miles Davis, Lee Perry and Hendrix, as well as devouring the explorations of lysergic noise and feedback from contemporaries like Sonic Youth and Butthole Surfers, they also thoroughly immersed themselves in the alternate literary realities of sci-fi and ancient history (the fascination with the arcane that gave the band their name), all to feed their voracious cultural thirsts and intellectual curiosity.

It was seeing the Cocteau Twins performing on Channel 4 show the Tube that spurred A.R. Kane into being - “They had no drummer. They used tapes and technology and Liz Fraser looked completely otherworldly with those big eyes. And the noise coming out of Robin’s guitar! That was the ‘Fuck! We could do that!
The duo debuted with the astonishing ‘When You’re Sad’ single for One Little Indian in
1986. Immediately dubbed a ‘black Jesus & Mary Chain’ by a press unsure of WHERE to put a black band clearly immersed in feedback and noise, what was immediately apparent for listeners was just how much more was going on here – a tapping of dub’s stealth and guile, a resonant umbilicus back to fusion and jazz, the music less a conjuration of past highs than a re-summoning of lost spirits.

The run of singles and EPs that followed picked up increasingly rapt reviews in the press, but it was the ‘Up Home EP’ released in 1988 on their new home, Rough Trade that really suggested something immense was about to break. SimonReynolds noted the EP was: Their most concentrated slab of iridescent awesomeness and a true pinnacle of an era that abounded with astounding
landmarks of guitar-reinvention, A.R. Kane at their most elixir-like.

If anything, the remastered ‘Up Home’ is even more dazzling, even more startling than it was when it first emerged, and listening now you again wonder not just about how many bands christened ‘shoegaze’ tried to emulate it, but how all of them fell so far short of its lambent, pellucid wonder. This
remains intrinsically experimental music but with none of the frowning orthodoxy those words imply. A.R. Kane, thanks to that second generation auto-didacticism were always supremely aware about the interstices of music and magic, but at the same time gloriously free in the way they explored that connection within their own sound, fascinated always with the creation of ‘perfect mistakes’ and the possibilities inherent in informed play.

Reissue of late-’80s release by lovably manly Australian punk rock trio! Sometime in the winter of 1989-90, I wandered into New York City’s Midnight Records, a store famous for its deep catalog of ’60s garage and psychedelic music, as well as a strong selection of classic punk rock and a cantankerous French owner with ridiculous hair. On this visit, instead of hearing a puny French bootleg of The Standells or the Seeds, as I opened the door I was enveloped in the massive opening chords to the first song on the Cosmic Psychos’ then-new album Go the Hack. “She’s a lost cause / She’s a lost, lost cause!” blasted into the air at maximum volume. In a perfect cinematic moment, the drums announced my entry, the bass dictated my walk, the air became thick with guitar fuzz and wah-wah, and snarled vocals described perfectly a girl’s descent into a cause which was lost. Instead of record shopping, I felt like I’d stepped into a biker movie and was motoring down a long, straight Outback road on a Harley. This was my introduction to the Cosmic Psychos, and I was hooked. I loved that a band could be so powerful, sound so big and unapologetically simple, and incorporate so much of what I loved about music—well, basically the attitudes and sounds of The Stooges and Ramones: setting up songs with a good title or idea, matching it with a massive riff, then running it out with squeals of wah-wah and manly disregard for cleverness or adornment. And they called themselves the Cosmic Psychos! They obviously had no regard for “makin’ it” in those days, when an alternative rock band at least had a chance to sell some records. I was an instant fan. Earlier records proved to be the same formula with even less refinement, and that was definitely a good thing. These were lovably manly Aussies singing about what they knew best: farm equipment, lusting after Elle Macpherson, wishing they were in Van Halen (for the ladies), drinking at the pub, and even more drinking at the pub. Trivia question: In what indie rock song does the lead singer bellow “I love my tractor!”? Answer: None! No scarves or looking like Stevie Nicks straight out of the hairstylist’s for these fellows. They were the real deal before the deal was dealt. And they couldn’t care less. The Psychos enjoyed a long run through the ’80s and ’90s on such Australian labels as What Goes On, Mr Spaceman, Survival and Rattlesnake, as well as American stalwarts Sub Pop and Amphetamine Reptile. Many bands from that era no longer seem vital today, lost in a murk of crisp drums, loud guitars, flannel shirts and shallow aspirations. These first Cosmic Psychos releases are as timeless and necessary as ever—still a bullshit bulldozer, a blurry loud night at the bar, a rollicking time hanging with the guys. The time has come for a new generation to be uplifted by these initial blasts from the Cosmic Psychos. Goner is proud to partner with Melbourne’s esteemed Aarght! Records to bring these platters of primal perfection back into a world that definitely needs them. — Eric Friedl, Oblivians / Goner Records 40th Anniversary tour about to hit UK / EU! Go the Hack!! Essential!!

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

Die schwedischen Heavy Rocker GREENLEAF haben mit ihrem neunten Album "The Head & The Habit" den vorläufigen Gipfel ihrer langen Evolution erklommen. Die musikalische Handschrift und Virtuosität von Gitarrist Tommi Holappa, seit mehr als 25 Jahren einer der Vorreiter und tragenden Säulen der europäischen Stoner Rock Szene, zeichnen sich deutlich ab. Die Gitarren werden perfekt ergänzt durch den gefühlvollen, intuitiven Sinn für Melodien und die charakterliche Tiefe, die der klassisch ausgebildete Sänger Arvid Hällagård dem Sound von GREENLEAF verleiht. Neben den erstklassigen Gesangslinien sowie den massiven Fuzz-Power-Riffs hat sich der Frontmann intensive Gedanken zu seinen Texten für "The Head & The Habit" gemacht, die weit über den Standard des oft klischeebeladenen Genres hinausreichen. Wie bereits der Albumtitel ("Der Kopf & Die Gewohnheit") andeutet, sind die neuen Songs als symbolische Kurzgeschichten angelegt, die sich um das Ringen mit Gefühlen bis zu psychischen Erkrankungen drehen. In Hällagårds Lyrik spiegeln sich seine Erfahrungen aus der Arbeit mit Menschen wider, die mit Sucht und anderen psychischen Problemen zu kämpfen haben. Die Heavy Rock Liebhaber GREENLEAF wurden ursprünglich als informelles Privatprojekt unter Freunden gegründet. Alle spielten bereits in anderen Bands, worunter sich so klangvolle Namen wie DOZER, LOWRIDER und DEMON CLEANER finden. Die Schweden suchten einfach nur nach einem Ventil für ihre gemeinsame Liebe zum Hard Rock und Proto-Metal der 70er Jahre, das frei von den Erwartungen und dem Druck ihrer Hauptbands sein sollte. Trotz der Absicht, GREENLEAF nur zum Vergnügen zu betreiben, führte die ungetrübte Freude beim Erschaffen eingängiger Songs dazu, dass ihr gesamtes Umfeld nach Aufnahmen von diesem Material verlangte. Dies führte schließlich zur Veröffentlichung einer selbstbetitelten Debüt-EP im Jahr 2000, der nur ein Jahr später das erste vollständige Album "Revolution Rock" folgte. Die Jahre mit wechselnden Besetzungen waren vorbei. GREENLEAFs stabiler Fokus wurde durch ihr fünftes Album "Trails & Passes" (2014) gekrönt, auf dem erstmals Arvid Hällagård als Sänger zu hören war. Dieser Meilenstein markierte den endgültigen Beginn einer neuen Phase der Band. Mit "The Head & The Habit" verbinden GREENLEAF nun das Bewusstsein für vergangene Triumphe mit reifem Handwerk. Die Schweden wissen, wie sie mehr als je zuvor stärker, härter und auf den Punkt rocken. GREENLEAF verschmelzen donnernde Riff-Magie, mitreißenden und mit Soul getränkten Gesang, frenetische Rhythmen und treibende Takt-Attacken zu einer ohrwurmverdächtigen, funkelnden Legierung von Hardrock-Hymnen!

With their fourth album, Seas of Static, the French band Dead Horse One establishes itself as one of the heaviest bands of modern shoegaze, propelling the genre to new heights of power and emotion. In this album, Dead Horse One skillfully merges the incisive alternative metal of Deftones with the enveloping and ethereal sound of My Bloody Valentine. The result is a captivating whirlwind, where walls of guitars collide in a surge of creativity, raw emotion, and energy. Far from recycling, Seas of Static is a deep exploration of the grungegaze fusion, thus creating a unique and powerful sound, far from being conventional. Assisted by a massive production by Brendan Williams (Soul Blind, Francis Lung, GoGo Penguin), Dead Horse One creates a unique sonic texture with raw energy that evokes both grunge riffs and shoegaze atmospheres while injecting a new and contemporary energy. With this album, Dead Horse One pushes the boundaries of the genre, offering listeners an immersive and uncompromising musical experience.

Bereits 2012 von den Balfour-Brüdern Ryan und David gegründet, konnten sich MAVERICK aus Belfast, Nordirland schnell in der Szene etablieren. Mit ihrem ersten Album „Quid Pro Quo“ tourten sie gemeinsam mit den schwedischen Hardrock-Stars THE POODLES durch Europa. Mit dem zweiten Album „Big Red“ war der Fünfer mit den schwedischen Superstars TREAT unterwegs. Sie spielten u.a. auch auf Festivals wie dem H.E.A.T FESTIVAL (Deutschland), ICE ROCK und ROCKNACHT TENNWIL (Schweiz), WILDFEST (Belgien) und ROCKINGHAM in Großbritannien, was ihnen dabei half ihre
schon solide Fangemeinde weiter massiv zu vergrößern! Das nächste MAVERICK Album „Cold Star Dancer“ wurde 2018 veröffentlicht. Es erhielt ebenfalls beste Kritiken von der internationalen Presse und die Band spielte ihre erste Headliner-Tour durch Europa. Zudem spielte man mehrere Shows mit den schwedischen Glam-Rockern CRASHDIET. Ein Highlight war das Schweizer ROCK THE RING Festival wo sie zusammen mit WHITESNAKE,
TESLA und DEF LEPPARD auftraten. Im Jahr 2021 veröffentlichten sie das wieder vielbeachtete und überdurchschnittlich rezensierte Album
„Ethereality“. Aufgrund der Pandemie und deren Folgen konnten sie dieses Album aber leider nicht wirklich auf die Bühne bringen. „SILVER TONGUE“ ist das 5. Album der Band und das erste Lebenszeichen vom neuen Album war die bereits 2023 erschienene Coverversion des STEELHEART respektive STEEL DRAGON Hits „We All Die Young“ aus dem Blockbuster „Rock Star“, welche als
onustrack auf der CD enthalten ist. MAVERICK sind zurück, stärker als je zuvor und beginnen mit „SILVER TONGUE“ eine neue erfolgreiche Ära!