In the years since their formation, WhoMadeWho have established themselves as one of the most important underground bands of their generation. The Danish group, consisting of Tomas Høffding, Tomas Barfod and Jeppe Kjellberg, has an exceptional sense of emotional depth, heartbreaking melodies and brilliant songwriting, boasting an expansive discography currently spanning a total of six albums and a plethora of EPs, singles and remixes released on labels such as Kompakt, Innervisions and Life & Death. On the road, they are internationally renowned for their professionalism and outstanding live performances and have become regular fixtures at some of the world’s most notable musical festivals, including Roskilde, Sonar, Melt! and Burning Man to name just a few.
The in-demand Scandinavian outfit now confirm details of their upcoming long player, UUUU. Set for worldwide release on Friday, May 27, via long standing German record label Embassy One, UUUU is the seventh full-length studio album from WhoMadeWho. A beautifully crafted record featuring thirteen original productions.
Justin K Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, JK Flesh) breathes new life into his FINAL project for an album on Helm’s ALTER label. Formed in 1984 out of an obsession with the industrial, noise & power electronics acts of the early eighties, FINAL made its public debut at the legendary Mermaid pub in Birmingham when Broadrick was just 14 years old. A string of cassette releases via his Post MortemRekordings label established the name within the underground noise scene of the time until increased activity with his various groups (Napalm Death, Head of David and later Godflesh) meant that FINAL naturally fell by the wayside before the end of the decade. Broadrick reactivated the project in 1993 during the British ambient “isolationism” period and FINAL's sound became focussed more on texture, producing beatless ambient work with a number of albums for labels like Sentrax, Utech, No Quarter and Neurot. ‘It Comes To Us All’ is the first FINAL album to appear on vinyl since 2015’s ‘Black Dollars’ on Downwards and continues to explore the textural nature of Broadrick’s ambient work - this time through a filter of blown-out harmonic noise that reconnects the project with its harsher roots. Rather than channelling the angst of early power-electronics, the noise here rumbles along blissfully through 8 untitled tracks, sombre in tone and at times beautiful. Melodies sampled from pop music are put through a process of decay, stripped of their form and worn down with a rusty, melancholic afterglow. Reducing all its parts to slow-motion shadows of their former selves, ‘It Comes To Us All’ is an exploration of the decay of all living things that we face collectively, day after day.
The Sub Pop debut by ever-evolving art-punk band Guerilla Toss, who have done prior releases with DFA, Tzadik, NNA Tapes and Feeding Tube Records. This album follows a 2020 Sub Pop Singles Club release.
Past releases have received great reviews, including acclaim from The Needledrop, Stereogum (Best EPs Of 2019) and more.
Dig deep enough inside yourself - start treating your body as your sanctuary rather than your enemy - and eventually you’ll find yourself blooming right back out into the sun. That’s the transformation Guerilla Toss trace on their newest album ‘Famously Alive’, their effervescent Sub Pop debut. After a decade sprinkling glitter into grit, building a reputation as one of the most ferociously creative art-rock groups working, the upstate New York band have eased fully into their light. This is Guerilla Toss at their most luminescent - awake, alive and extending an open invitation to anyone who wants to soak it all up beside them.
Singer and lyricist Kassie Carlson, multi-instrumentalist Peter Negroponte and guitarist Arian Shafiee wrote ‘Famously Alive’ at home in the Catskills during the pervading quiet of the pandemic year. The uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdowns and the total disruption of routine forced Carlson to negotiate with herself in new and challenging ways. “You have to be with yourself all the time during the pandemic,” she says. “I had to figure out a way to manage my anxiety. The pandemic was hard, but it helped me get comfortable inside my own body. My peace of mind came out of being thrust into the deepest shit. This album is all about being happy, being alive, and strength. It’s meant to inspire people.”
‘Famously Alive’ finds Guerilla Toss coming into the fullness of their power, celebrating their prismatic idiosyncrasies from a place of optimism and abundance. It is a joyous album, equal parts bizarre, accessible and fun.
The Sub Pop debut by ever-evolving art-punk band Guerilla Toss, who have done prior releases with DFA, Tzadik, NNA Tapes and Feeding Tube Records. This album follows a 2020 Sub Pop Singles Club release.
Past releases have received great reviews, including acclaim from The Needledrop, Stereogum (Best EPs Of 2019) and more.
Dig deep enough inside yourself - start treating your body as your sanctuary rather than your enemy - and eventually you’ll find yourself blooming right back out into the sun. That’s the transformation Guerilla Toss trace on their newest album ‘Famously Alive’, their effervescent Sub Pop debut. After a decade sprinkling glitter into grit, building a reputation as one of the most ferociously creative art-rock groups working, the upstate New York band have eased fully into their light. This is Guerilla Toss at their most luminescent - awake, alive and extending an open invitation to anyone who wants to soak it all up beside them.
Singer and lyricist Kassie Carlson, multi-instrumentalist Peter Negroponte and guitarist Arian Shafiee wrote ‘Famously Alive’ at home in the Catskills during the pervading quiet of the pandemic year. The uncertainty of COVID-19 lockdowns and the total disruption of routine forced Carlson to negotiate with herself in new and challenging ways. “You have to be with yourself all the time during the pandemic,” she says. “I had to figure out a way to manage my anxiety. The pandemic was hard, but it helped me get comfortable inside my own body. My peace of mind came out of being thrust into the deepest shit. This album is all about being happy, being alive, and strength. It’s meant to inspire people.”
‘Famously Alive’ finds Guerilla Toss coming into the fullness of their power, celebrating their prismatic idiosyncrasies from a place of optimism and abundance. It is a joyous album, equal parts bizarre, accessible and fun.
Years & Years has today announced details of brand new album, ‘Night Call’, which will see a release on Polydor Records on January 7th. Olly further introduces the record today with a brand new track, the pulsating ‘Crave’, and its incredible video featuring some of the cast of ‘It’s A Sin’ (Omari Douglas, Nathaniel Hall, David Carlisle) plus the likes of Munroe Bergdof. The record-breaking show won Best New Drama at the National Television Awards earlier this month, continuing a phenomenal year for Olly (which has also seen the release of first single ‘Starstruck’, its rework with Kylie, and a show-stopping performance of ‘It’s A Sin’ alongside Elton John at the BRIT Awards).
A daring dance track about leaning into submission to the point of embracing it, ‘Crave’ – says Olly – “is a playful way of inhabiting the deranged sexual energy I’ve always wanted. In the past I felt like I’ve been dominated by toxic relationships, and I felt like it would be fun to turn it on its head.” Consider this a risqué cut of kinked-up, club-ready pop, and Olly Alexander using his platform to push the boundaries of mainstream superstardom.
From its iconic artwork to its euphoric, rejuvenated sound, ‘Night Call’ is a thrilling new chapter for Years & Years. Inspired as much by pioneering figures like Sylvester as it is French House, at the centre of the record is that mermaid of a muse: a beautiful icon luring men to their death, on an album partly about those searching for love (or a lover) but ultimately finding power in themselves. Embodying the new perspective of a character – like Ritchie in ‘It’s A Sin’ - also deeply influenced Olly’s songwriting, with songs that blur the line between fantasy and reality but are bound together by their explorations of queer life. Hedonistic and escapist, ‘Night Call’ captures that joy and anticipation of going out precisely because, says Olly, “I was writing from a fantastical space, stuck in the same four walls. I wanted to have as much pleasure as possible in the music.”
As Years & Years, Olly Alexander has become one of the world’s most trailblazing modern pop stars. Across two hugely successful albums to date, the singer, actor, fashion icon and cultural vanguard has earned 5 Brit Award nominations, surpassed 4.4 billion global streams, and played triumphant homecoming shows at London’s O2 and Wembley Arenas. Along the way, Olly has also become a fearless, once-in-a-generation voice on important discussions around mental health, and issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community - all of which, in its own way, has taken him to ‘Night Call’, and the most essential Years & Years album to date.
Originally released on 22nd April 1991, ‘The Beast Inside’ was Inspiral Carpets’ second record and reached #5 in the UK album charts, featuring the singles ‘Caravan’ & ‘Please Be Cruel’. This release sees ‘The Beast Inside’ re-issued on vinyl for the first time since its original release 30 years ago and will be housed in a widespine 12” sleeve on limited edition double 140g purple vinyl.
– 27 tracks from the soundtrack to Yakuza 0, picked by the Yakuza team
– Two 180g vinyl (light blue and green)
– Printed inner sleeves in a widespined outer sleeve
SEGA and Laced Records have formed a pact to present the music of Yakuza 0 (Ryū ga Gotoku Zero: Chikai No Basho) on vinyl.
The double LP set features 27 remastered tracks picked by the Yakuza team. Two heavyweight 180g LPs in light blue and green will come in printed inner sleeves, all housed in a widespined outer sleeve.
The game’s vibrant soundtrack includes a modern — yet often ‘80s-inflected — blend of pop, rock and electronic dance styles. The vast array of composition and production talent was led by long-time SEGA composer Hidenori Shoji.
Let’s get back to the program. Picking up from where things were left off in July 2020…
Whilst most electronic producers of the dance-floor persuasion dabbled with conducting micro-symphonies for their micro-herbs, locked inside their micro-mansions, Dreems has dusted off his dance-floor accreditations and got back to work creating some serious indoor waves for Le Temps Perdu.
The Blue Water EP has all the stuff that encapsulates the label - raw, fun, powerful and free, yet deep, loving, warm and friendly. The music carries on from the previous Shark Water and Blue Hole EPs, calling all sea monsters with Die Orangen Remix of Shark Water, later emerging in calm waters for mermaid pleasing Iñigo Vontier Remix of The Dolphin Communion, and finally swimming into the salty, acidic tones of the Blue Hole (Break Mix).
Dear water-lily enthusiast, you need fear not, there is a hearty nod to the plant-life in Something Else for Spring that grows and sprouts new life with each turning phrase and finally blossoms with a sprinkle of joy. Label head-gardener V gives it the extra push put on the dance floor with his tougher take.
You grab a copy of the vinyl at some bricks and mortar stores if you are fond of wearing your scuba suit whilst browsing the shelves, otherwise head to the regular online outlets to get this small slice of history. It contains, we feel, the best of the past 2 EPs.
“Flim & the BB’s have been one of the most popular jazz fusion bands of
the 80s. Their albums quickly found a large base among contemporary jazz
fans as well as friends of an audiophile sound.
Several albums, including Tunnel, have been voted Jazz CD of the Year by Digital
Audio. Tunnel is an asset not just for every friend of jazz fusion. It represents
everything a jazz fusion album should offer: Unique sound, competent musicality and solid harmony, combined with excellent sound quality.
The album by Flim and the BB’s, which is still legendary today, was no longer
available in mint condition for over a decade. Now Tunnel is emerging again - as
a Double-LP. 180 Gr. Virgin Vinyl”
Los Angeles-based harpist Mary Lattimore returns with Silver Ladders, the full-length follow-up to acclaimed album Hundreds of Days. Since 2018, Lattimore has toured internationally, released collaborative albums with artists such as Meg Baird and Mac McCaughan, and shared a friends-based remix album featuring artists such as Jónsi and Julianna Barwick. At one of her festival appearances, Lattimore met Slowdive’s Neil Halstead: “A friend introduced us because she knew how big of a fan I was and Neil and I had a little chat... The next day, I just thought maybe he’d be into producing my next record.” He was. Lattimore traditionally records her albums holed up by herself, so the addition of Halstead’s touches as a producer and collaborator leave a profound trace. “I flew on a little plane to Newquay in Cornwall where he lives with his lovely partner Ingrid and their baby. I didn’t know what his studio was like, he’d never recorded a harp, but somehow it really worked
Recorded over nine days at Halstead’s studio stationed on an old airfield, Silver Ladders finds Lattimore exercising command and restraint. Her signature style is refined, the sprawling layers of harp reigned in and accented by flourishes of low end synth and Halstead’s guitar. The music can feel ominous but not by compromising vivid wonder, like oceanic overtones that shift with the tides. This material is colored by specific memories for Lattimore; “Neil has this poster of a surfer in his studio and I’d look at it each day, looking at the sunlight glinting on the dark wave. In these songs I like the contrast between the dark lows and the glittering highs. The gloom and the glimmer, the opposites, a lively surfing town in the winter turned kinda rainy and empty and quiet.”
Lattimore and Halstead reformed three existing demos and improvised the remaining four songs. Among the batch she brought with her, the title track recalls a trip she took to Stari Grad, Croatia on the island of Hvar. “I spent some days there just swimming in the bay, silver ladders right into the sea.” The image stuck with her when she found herself performing at a cliffside wedding overlooking the Pacific. “Before anyone showed up, I had time to set up and play and this song came to me, ‘Silver Ladders (to the sea)’, so I made a little recording on my phone to remember it.” This sketch expanded; a delicately glittering harp melody comes over the horizon, swelling and rolling towards the shore on ebbs of synth and refractory delay.
After the conclusion of the successful “Vampirate” trilogy (2015’s Courting the Widow, 2017’s The Bride Said No, and 2019’s The Regal Bastard), vocalist Nad Sylvan was considering a different approach for his next project. The new album, “Spiritus Mundi”, centers around the poems coming from Nobel Prize winning William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), who Sylvan calls ‘one of the finest poets to come out of Ireland.’ Not having to write the lyrics himself this time gave Nad the opportunity to solely focus on the music. And being off the road due to the pandemic allowed for more time to mix and perfect every aspect. The result is a collection that Sylvan calls his best work. The album marks a shift musically from Sylvan’s previous outing focusing more on the lyrics and vocals in tandem with gorgeous orchestration and timely melodies. Sylvan has always managed to cull together a notable cast of guest musicians for his album and this album follows suit. Tony Levin contributes his unique skills on bass to 4 tracks, while Jonas Reingold is also present on bass for one track. For drums, Sylvan targeted The Flower Kings drummer Mirkko DeMaio. And of course, Steve Hackett makes an appearance on one track titled “To a Child Dancing in the Wind.” Nad himself concludes: “I'm so excited about this release. Anyone whio has heard it just loves it. They think that this is my best album and I tend to agree. It’s a bit different than what I’ve done before and that’s a good thing.”
Die in Los Angeles lebende Harfenistin Mary Lattimore kehrt mit ihrem neuen Album ,Silver Ladders" zurück. Seit ihrem letzten Longplayer ,Hundreds Of Days" aus dem Jahr 2018 ist Lattimore international getourt und hat gemeinsame Alben mit KünstlerInnen wie Meg Baird und Mac Mccaughan veröffentlicht. Außerdem erschien 2019 ein Remix-Album von ,Hundreds Of Days" an dem sich unter anderem Jónsi und Julianna Barwick beteiligten. Bei einem ihrer Festival-Auftritte traf Lattimore Neil Halstead von Slowdive: ,A friend introduced us because she knew how big of a fan I was and Neil and I had a little chat... The next day, I just thought maybe he'd be into producing my next record." Das tat er schlussendlich auch. Lattimore nimmt ihre Alben traditionell allein auf, daher hinterlässt Halstead als Produzent und Mitarbeiter eine ganz eigene Note. Der Aufnahmeprozess in Halsteads Studio, das auf einem alten Flugplatz stationiert ist, dauerte über neun Tage. Lattimores unverkennbarer Stil ist auch auf ,Silver Ladders" elegant - im Vordergrund stehen sich ausbreitende Harfen-Schichten, welche mit aufblühenden Low-End-Synthesizern und Halsteads Gitarre angereichert werden. Die Musik kann sich teils bedrohlich anfühlen wie der Klang des Ozeans, der sich mit den Gezeiten verändert. Inspiriert von den Erzählungen aus Cornwall, die Halstead mit Lattimore teilte, sowie von diversen Gesprächen, Ideen und ihren eigenen Reisen, haben die Songs deutlich etwas märchenhaftes - und doch ist ,Silver Ladders" offen für eigene Interpretationen. LATTIMOREs Erinnerungen - ,the Cornish landscape, the hotel from the movie The Witches, the cream tea, winning the pub quiz, the Sunday Roast, the ghosts of all of the surfers who had died in the wild waves, the night walks to the top of the hill to see the moon shining on the water." - scheinen durch diese Werke hindurch, ohne sie zu definieren. In gewisser Weise gehören sie, ähnlich wie das Meer oder der Himmel, allen. Das ist die Schönheit ihres Handwerks!
hand-painted / signed / numbered / ltd. to 99 copies
Polyarrythmics is an EP by Mark Spn, a music producer and sound engineer who lives in London. While this is his debut EP under this moniker, he has recorded under various other aliases, one favourite being Holdie Gawn on Sylphe Records.
This release slows things down a notch from Mark's other output. He presents a densely layered work that conjures Herbie Hancock's sextant & Kirk Degiorgio's arps, J. Majik's mermaids & Underdog's attic tapes. It is cerebral and cohesive, made to be consumed as a sum of its parts: found sounds and urban field recordings, hushed Hammond grooves and modulated keys, muffled beats and unsyncopated rhythms, flickering electronics and hovering pianos.
Artist John Tsombikos has been commissioned to provide one-off artwork for the limited edition physical product, to be released in mid March. Hand painted, signed and numbered, limited edition of 99.
Musically and emotionally, Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally.
And full-length it is:
The Golden Ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period.
The 9th link of The Golden Ravedays chain will be released on Hippie Dance in September 2017.
Where number 8 of the series took us to outer space, number 9 introduces two tracks that are an under-water celebration of all that is good and all that is sad.
Side A features Hiding.
Imagine galloping sea horses pulling a Christmas chariot filled with dreams-come-true past enchanting mermaids, smiling sharks, waving tortoises and nonplused eels, leaving a gifted blanket of mystical sound in their wake.
Hiding stretches and breaks into many layers of listening love without enforcing one particular sound.
Side B features Flying.
The piece is occupied by a subaquatic melody colored by whale sounds and the echoes of immersed guitar strings.
Flying is not about complex development or diversity but the weightless drifting of sounds that create a wonderfully hazy cloud to lose oneself in and fly, deliciously with the dolphins.
Rest assure, the ending is be speckled with whimsical chimes showers, paving the way for the softest of landings
