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From their new millennium rise to MTV superstardom through pop-punk’s modern resurgence that has introduced their iconic, multi-platinum sound to new audiences around the world, SIMPLE PLAN have been an indelible part of pop culture for more than two decades because they’ve never lost sight of what got them there in the first place: their fans.It’s this same sense of mutual respect that’s fully on display on “The Antidote,” the first single from their sixth studio album, HARDER THAN IT LOOKS., their first new music since 2016’s Taking One For The Team, and the most authentically Simple Plan album since 2004’s Still Not Getting Any. Free agents for the first time in their storied career, the band kept their circle tight during the recording process, enlisting longtime songwriting partners like We The Kings’ Travis Clark and producers Brian Howes and Jason Van Poederooyen (who worked on the band’s 2011’s album Get Your Heart On!) and Zakk Cervini (blink-182, Good Charlotte). From the skyscraping choruses of “Congratulations” and “Ruin My Life” (ft. Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley) to the unflinching poignancy of the album-closing “Two,” which instantly ranks alongside “Perfect” and “Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?)” as one of the band’s best closers ever, HARDER THAN IT LOOKS certainly respects Simple Plan’s storied career – and the same spirit that helped the band sell 10 million albums worldwide – without being overtly reverent. The album-opening “Wake Me Up (When This Nightmare’s Over)” is a cathartic rush of familiarity and freshness – not to mention a bit lyrically prescient, as the COVID-19 pandemic hit shortly after the band wrapped the album. (“We certainly didn’t set out to write a pandemic album,” Bouvier says with a laugh. “It’s funny how some of the songs might seem like that, though.”) There are even spiritual successors to early material, like the glass-half-full skate-punk-leaning “Best Day Of My Life,” quite a 180 for a band who put a song called “The Worst Day Ever” on their genre-defining, Platinum-selling 2002 debut No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls. But you won’t find an ounce of fat on the 10-song album, no obvious plays to recapture the radio waves they claimed in the early aughts with smash hits like “I’d Do Anything,” “I’m Just A Kid” and “Addicted.”

"The LP "World of Blue" features Merlo Podlewski on guitar. I first met Merlo in 1994. My sister Rachel Haden, who had been working with him at the Rhino Records store in Westwood, knew I was looking for a new guitarist for my band, and introduced us. Merlo is one of those guitarists whose playing is so smooth and effortless he makes anyone feel like they can play. He had an instinctual grasp of harmony and theory, which brought a great counterpoint to the technical knowledge and finesse of lead guitarist Ken. At a certain point that year we were ready to record our first 7" single, and I reserved some time at Poop Alley. Tom Grimley converted an auto-repair shop into Poop Alley Studio. The walls and floors were made of concrete, and there was no soundproofing. The mixing board was in a loft up this steep staircase with no guard rails. But it worked somehow. On the particular day we recorded basics there was a rain storm which you can clearly hear in the background. We set up and it started raining. Tom put a microphone outside. After tracking was finished, Petra came over and overdubbed violin. There was a cushioned area where I remember sitting during mixdown. There were little stacks of Aphex 16-track tape everywhere. We stayed good friends with Tom. We recorded a couple more songs with him the following year. Luckily for us, the tapes still exist. On those tapes are five songs, all of which are represented here. "I Lied" and "Her Used-To-Been" were released on the 7", the remaining three have never been released before now." - Josh Haden

“A fidgety, unique prospect, and one it’s impossible
to take your eyes off” - DIY
“Ghost Car know how to put together a bubblegum
take of garage-pop goodness, that’s for sure” -
DORK
London-based international punk quartet Ghost
Car announce their debut album, 'Truly Trash’, a
riotous, quick-witted collection of 11 garage-rock
bangers.
The album provides Ghost Car with a platform to
rage against political injustices, as their unified
battle cries attack patriarchal inequality,
homophobia, racism and toxic relationships.
‘Truly Trash’ is a call to reclaim autonomy and to
revolt against the powers that uphold an archaic
nationalist system.
Press - Reviews & features in New Noise Magazine, RNR.
Radio - 6 Music Steve Lamacq Roundtable, Amy Lamé,
Radio X X-Posure.
Online - Reviews, features & premieres for The Line of
Best Fit, Loud & Quiet, New Noise Magazine, Vive Le
Rock, Get In Her Ears, Louder Than War, Raw Meat.
Tourdates - November 24 The Lexington London,
December 9 The Hope & Ruin Brighton.

Wilson Pickett was quite simply one of THE great soul singers. Pickett's phenomenal gospel-honed voice and involvement in his best songs marked him down as a major soul performer and even as late as the mid-70's, a producer as astute as Brad Shapiro was not likely to take too many musical liberties when 'updating' Wicked Pickett. This 1976 album, recorded at Sound Shops Studio in Nashville, featurees the two R&B single hits : "The Best Part of A Man" and "Love Will Keep Us Together" This success prompted this 10-track "Chocolate Mountain" album. Shapiro chose a musical 'sound' to tie in with the more funky demands of the mid-70's but Pickett's voice and approach to a lyric never really changed. Swampy and bluesy with plenty of 'rap' from Pickett or more gospel oriented funcky tracks, Pickett works the lyrics like the soul veteran he already was by 1976 and the quality of these excellent songs for all to enjoy.

Auf dem dritten Album von Ghost Funk Orchestra klingt jeder Song wie der Soundtrack zu einer Szene aus einem imaginären Film. Die Musik könnte einem romantischen Drama, einem Action-Thriller oder einer modernen Variante eines klassischen Film Noir entstammen. Der sparsame, kaskadenartige Gesang unterstreicht die üppige instrumentale Orchestrierung, komponiert, gespielt, arrangiert und produziert von Multi-Instrumentalist Seth Applebaum. Er nutzt die klanglichen Mittel der Exotica aus der Mitte des vergangenen Jahrhunderts und die der prägnanten Pop-Orchester, die die Hitparaden der 60er und frühen 70er Jahre dominierten. Er vermischt Eindrücke aus dieser vergangenen Ära mit dem Ausdruck seiner aktuellen Erfahrungen als junger Filmemacher im 21. Jahrhundert, wobei er Einflüsse wie Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings und Antibalas aufgreift. A New Kind of Love referenziert die Vergangenheit, ohne zu versuchen, sie nachzubilden. Das 10-köpfige Ghost Funk Orchestra erweckt sein Material zum Leben und läutet mit diesem anspruchsvollen Werk die neue Ära der Band ein.

Lamentations is the debut EP by foundational cold light member Birthmark.

Part late night confessional part post rave revelations part call to arms, Birthmark dissects the nuance of of modern life & the grey area in his inimitable style, never afraid to delve into topics that many brush under the carpet.

Sonically taking as many cues from from 90's british techno, dub, j-pop & david lynch soundtracks as the grimey raps he grew up on, he conjures a pallate that fully embraces the duality of living in a place where you never quite seem to fit in.

Honestly i cannot say enough good things about this record, the initial demo's were whaat pushed me to start Cold Light, it feels like it has always been a part of my life.

“… Its not up to others to decide what kind of human being you are, you have to find the confidence to show people - this is who I am”

Limitierte Auflage - nur 500 Exemplare - alle auf violettem Vinyl. Buzzsaw Joint ist eine monatlich stattfindende Londoner Clubnacht, die die Fans mit einer hochoktanigen Mischung aus Rhythm & Blues und Rock & Roll Trash betankt. Buzzsaw Chef Fritz hat zudem eine Mixcloud Seite ins Leben gerufen, mit Mixen zum Thema von Sammlern und Jägern rund um den Globus. Da war es nur folgerichtig, dass das ganze auch auf Vinyl und CD stattfindet. Mit Stag-O-Lee fand sich schnell jemand, der das für eine gute Idee hielt. Mehr Volumen/Cuts to follow. Get your ears around the wild"n"weird sounds of the extraordinary and inimitable Buzzsaw Joint! Für den 8. Cut der Buzzsaw Joint Serie wühlen Johnny Alpha und Carl Combover in ihren reich bestückten 7"-Kisten. Beide sind Meister in Sachen sleazy, greasy und fuzzy. Carl ist Chef der Go Go Cage Nacht in Liverpool und Johnny legt in und um Wigan (legendärer Ort - Wigan Casino!) auf. Beide sind auch weltweit gefragt und unterwegs. Für Cut 8 wählten sie Tracks, die sich nicht auf anderen, ähnlich gelagerten, Compilations finden. Ein weiteres Highlight in dieser starken Serie.

20 years of Tapete Records - Our first release, if memory serves, was in 2002. Damn, time flies so fast when you"re having fun. The world has changed a lot in the last 20 years but one detail has remained the same: We"re still putting out great music. That"s a bit reassuring, isn"t it? So we thought in our Tapete Building at Stahltwiete 10 in Hamburg-Altona: Let"s look back and start a series of good, old-fashioned, fantastic label compilations in the style of "Shadow Facory", "Tamla Motown Is Hot! Hot! Hot!" or "Wanna Buy A Bridge?"...something like that. And so here is "Intact & Smiling - The Weird & Wonderful World Of Tapete Records Vol.1". It wasn"t that easy to choose 28 out of about 5000 released songs, but what"s easy? Therefore a series. "Intact & Smiling Vol. 1" concentrates on the poppy side of Tapete Records, the basic tone is upbeat and uplifting. Can"t hurt these days. The title comes from the John Howard & The Night Mail song which says: "Intact and smiling, an independent soul, nobody"s slave". What could be more fitting? We would like to thank all the great artists who have released music with us over the last two decades, especially the bands and artists who have so kindly and unbureaucratically made available their great songs for this compilation. And of course a big thank you to you who listen to, buy and stream (well, yes) Tapete Records albums and songs. So close your eyes, open your ears, open your hearts, open up a bottle and step into The Weird & Wonderful World Of Tapete Records Vol. 1.

Waterloo Teeth is true demonstration of Sugar Horse's refusal to conform or sit still. A community-building, genre-hopping release, the EP sees Sugar Horse letting the good times roll. Recorded during the Christmas break at Small Pond studios, sleeping among the amps, the four-track record is the Bristol group's excuse to work with some of the coolest musicians on the planet.

“A weird and jagged record for weird and jagged times.” – The Quietus
"A sucker punch of sludge-punk"
"Bold, charismatic, and nuanced.” – Everything Is Noise
“An extraordinary act” – Noizze
“Expertly balance filth and ambience” – Metal Hammer 7/10
“SUGAR HORSE are definitely a band to look out for.” – Distorted Sound Mag
“they truly deserve to be massive.” – Echoes And Dust

“This set was recorded and filmed at the CEMES laboratory, in Toulouse, south of France. The place is called "La Boule", and the structures you see behind us are the top of an old particle microscope. The sound turns infinitely in this sphere of aluminum. We wanted to confront our songs with this environment full of endless echoes and noises. Thank you very much to our crew, LEVITATION, and all the good people at CEMES, it was an intense sonic and physical experience for us, we hope you'll enjoy watching it. Can't wait to play for ya'll in real life, but until this day arrives... We salute you, from the deep space and the night !” - SLIFT

It’s a beautiful phenomenon,” says Trampled by Turtles’ Dave Simonett, before adding with characteristic sincerity: “Everybody should see it." Simonett is talking about alpenglow, the natural event that washes mountains on the horizon in smoldering red and pink light, just before the sun sets or rises. It’s a harbinger of change––the space between new and old. It’s also the name of Trampled by Turtles’ new album, the band’s tenth. “My favorite part about making music is making records,” says Simonett. “I’m really excited about this one.” Produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Alpenglow offers resounding proof that the beloved six-piece from Minnesota remain uncontested champs of understated virtuosity, literary songwriting, and a joyful hodgepodge of folk heart, rock-and-roll muscle, and string-band zen. Almost 20 years after first getting together, Trampled – that’s lead singer and songwriter Dave Simonett, bassist Tim Saxhaug, banjo player Dave Carroll, mandolinist Erik Berry, fiddle player Ryan Young, and cellist Eamonn McLain – also keep finding new ways to surprise us and one another. While many of the songs on Alpenglow grapple with change, none try to offer answers. Nothing’s neat and tidy. Instead, Trampled find endearing ways to sit in the tension, hope, and sense of loss that transitions and hard questions create. Then, just by expressing what’s there, the music offers comfort.

For Fans Of Temples, Allah-Las, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Khruangbin, David Axelrod. Each song on Ghost Funk Orchestra's 3rd album, A New Kind of Love, due to be released on Colemine Records … 2022, resonates like the soundtrack to a scene from an imaginary movie. The music could score a romantic drama, an action thriller, or a modern twist on a classic film noir. The spare, cascading vocals accentuate the lush instrumental orchestrations composed, performed, arranged and produced by multi-instrumentalist Seth Applebaum, whose latest brainchild was conceived and conceptualized during The Great Pause of 2020, a time of tension, bewilderment and isolation. Evoking the grooviness of an era which preceded his arrival on earth, Applebaum draws upon sonic devices of mid-century exotica and the succinct but dense arranging style of the leaders of the pop orchestras which dominated the hit parades of the 60s and early 70s. He blends impressions of this bygone era with an expression of his actual experiences as a young filmmaker coming of age in the 21st century, citing influences such as Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and Antibalas. A New Kind of Love encompasses a reverence for the past without attempting to recreate it. In the tradition of the "production forward" discographies of such record makers as David Axelrod and the Mizell Brothers, it's easy to visualize Applebaum as a "mad doctor" figure, hunkered down in a studio channeling this musical representation of his inner world into the 12 compositions which make up A New Kind of Love. His writing stretches his psyche to explore a terrain in which to capture emotional notes of love going well, love gone sour, manifesting love songs based in ghostly affairs. While the studio is obviously a wondrous happy place of experimentation and creativity for Applebaum, he's a band guy too (having actually fronted punk outfit The Mad Doctors). Applebaum has the wherewithal to bring his dreamy material to the 10 piece all star Ghost Funk Orchestra, leading them to breathe life into this sophisticated body of work which heralds the celebration of a new era for the group. Ghost Funk Orchestra will be touring in concert this summer and fall to celebrate the release of A New Kind of Love, an album which is sure to stand the test of time. Also Available From Ghost Funk Orch: Night Walker/Death Waltz LP/CD, Opaque Red LP, An Ode To Escapism LP/CD, A Song For Paul LP / CD 1. Introduction 2. Your Man's No Good 3. Scatter 4. Prism 5. Quiet Places 6. A New Kind Of Love (pt. 1) 7. Why? 8. Blockhead 9. A Song For Pearl 10. Bluebell 11. Rooted 12. A New Kind Of Love (pt. 2)

A Breath of Fresh Air is the triumphant, inspiring new album from Bread of Kaliwild, a longtime staple of the underground rap scene who continues to grow and shine as an emcee. And while he certainly made waves with the release of his solo debut, Daily Bread in 2019, Bread is on another level with the ten tracks on this project. It’s all part of his plan to capture the sound he loves and holds so dearly, all while pushing himself as a lyricist.

Specifically, the L.A. rap staple calls out “What Love Is” as one of his favorite lyrical moments, and it’s easy to see why when you hear it. During the third verse, he shows love to his children in a creative and heartfelt way like only he can. “What Love Is” is also one of several collaborations between Bread and living producer legend Nottz, one of the emcee’s go-to producers. The two linked for Daily Bread and kept creating magic for their tracks together on this record. Whether it’s on the politically charged “Eye 4 Eye” or on the moving Guru tribute “Nice Like That” (feat. Big Shug), Bread and Nottz are a force.

The Kaliwild rapper’s ear for production doesn’t stop there, either. His two other collaborators—beatsmiths Noah Ayala and Therealasethic—provide a wealth of warm, head-nodding instrumentals for Bread and his guests. Just listen to “Godz Return,” a funky West Coast banger produced by Ayala that also features Planet Asia. Or head to the Bay Area on “Feels So Good,” which boasts Therealasethic’s shimmering production and guest vocals from Keak da Sneak, URG7, and Gemini.

There’s so much to love about A Breath of Fresh Air, though the most remarkable aspect may just be Bread’s passion.

a 1 Let Us Begin (Intro) feat. DJ Romes

FEAT. DAVID SYLVIAN & KAZUKO HOHKI

On 'Upon This Fleeting Dream' Clive Bell's Twinkle3 embraces medieval and 16th-century Japanese poems and haiku about death and saying farewell. Bell and his trio, consisting of Dave Ross and Richard Scott, expand their sonic borders: bringing these pithy epigrams to a new Fourth World where electro-acoustic sounds glitches into a hypnagogic, if not the unconscious level of fragile beauty.

The distinctive voice of David Sylvian (ex-singer of Japan and known for his highly acclaimed solo work (Brilliant Trees, Secrets of The Beehive, Blemish...) who reads the English version of the poems and created field recordings and the artwork for this album - blends in the most organic way with the shakuhachi, Thai reed flutes and mouth organs played by Clive Bell.

The narrative voices of David Sylvian and Kazuko Hohki's (Frank Chickens, Kahondo Style...) velvet timbre are the cornerstones of this compelling journey while the tangling and abstract rhythms transcending from Dave Ross' modular synths and Richard Scott's sampler and analogue electronics, unravel and unfold a mesmerizing universe with unknown dimensions and frequencies of a fleeting dream.

File under: electronica, spoken word, fourth world, sound art, shakuhachi, dub, minimal, ambient, abstract, and good music

Recommended if you like: David Sylvian, Japanese poems, Jon Hassell, Pan Sonic, Laraaji, Brian Eno, excellent music

With both sides as vibrant and colourful as a hot and sweaty street party, this latest 45 is the perfect afrobeat soundtrack to end your summer.

A side, Blue G. opens explosively and delivers all that it promises in the opening bars: beautifully orchestrated twists and turn that chug along instrumentally for half the track. South African singer Nongoma unexpectedly adds a vocal spin in English and Xhosa, and with the catchy lyrics of "all the children need love, peace and harmony", it's a delight to be swept up in this swirling, festive, solar energy.

The B side, That Good Thing, follows on at exactly the same tempo, weaving horns, guitars, keys and numerous percussions in and out of an equally infectious groove. A highly polished track, full of rises and falls in all the right places.

The Konkolo Orchestra is, for now, a Zürich studio project led by multi-instrumentalist Alexis Malefakis, but let's hope that changes soon because it feels rather criminal not to have these rich sounds live and in your face. Dexterous musicianship meets fine production and execution.

Reissue of the breakthrough sophomore album by the rising Belarussian post-punk/synthpop band // The second LP by Belarussian trio Molchat Doma, Etazhi, meaning "Floors", was first released in 2018 on Berlin-based Detriti Records. It became a viral hit, garnering over one million views on YouTube and becoming a legitimate phenomenon on Bandcamp. The band may fly under the radar in their native Belarus, but they've reached huge audiences across Europe and beyond. Six separate vinyl pressings of the album have sold out in quick succession, and Sacred Bones Records is now thrilled to bring the record back in print for good. Molchat Doma (translated as "Houses Are Silent"), founded in 2017 in Minsk, Belarus, stands at the intersection of post-punk, new-wave and synth-pop. Dark yet danceable, and with a heavy dose of goth ethos, their music is reminiscent of the masters that predate them, but make no mistake: Molchat Doma creates a sound and meaning that is immediately recognizable as all their own. The band is comprised of Egor Shkutko, who sings the Russian lyrics in his deep monotone, Roman Komogortsev on guitar, synths, and drum machine, and Pavel Kozlov on bass and synths. RiYL: Depeche Mode, New Order, Drab Majesty, Black Marble

It is said, study, work hard and life shall reward.

Be good unto others and life will be kind to you.

The question is, can you break free from the external constraints of control or do you negotiate your release.

Should one endure the seemingly eternal struggle, wielding equality as a spearhead of revolution ?

Or do you count your loses and move on to a new world where the lessons of the past are acknowledged ?

A fresh start without the weight of having to shield your liberty.

A place where all past wrongs can be made right and the tentacles of evil can not reach.

A world where legacy can be held in esteem.

Up The Bracket arrived like a raging bull in a tired post-Britpop china shop and introduced the world to The Libertines, a new gang of London bohemians, whose ragged tunes, red military tunics, opiated poetry and "live now pay never" lifestyle came to define the millennial angst of the early noughties. At the heart of the band is the blood bond bromance between the ramshackle Music Hall Jagger/Richards, Peter Doherty and Carl Barat, ably assisted by the rock solid rhythm twins John Hassall and Gary Powell. Any bookie worth his salt would have given you short odds on this quartet surviving more than a month or two, given the teetering on the brink lifestyle they chose to lead, but here we are two decades later and our Byronic heroes, though older and wiser, are still fighting the good fight and making music every bit as vital as their debut. The belief, talent and fervour that Doherty spoke of in their earliest manifesto has stood them in good stead. Up The Bracket, justly considered one of the greatest albums of the noughties, was originally released on October 21st 2002 by Rough Trade Records. The album, a heady stew of indie rock, skiffle, blues, dub and English bucolic pop, was a huge shot in the arm to a largely redundant music scene and helped to inspire the rebirth of guitar music, going on to influence countless artists who followed in its wake. Up The Bracket, which was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash, takes you on a wondrously poetic journey into the band"s mythical world and their fevered dreams of Albion, a land of squalid glamour, liberty, equality, fraternity, gin palaces and chip shops. Quite simply Pete, Carl, Gary and John created a hugely compelling timeless British rock"n"roll classic debut as relevant now as it was upon its release.

(REISSUE)

Genius Loves Company is the final studio album by rhythm and blues and soul musician Ray Charles, posthumously released August 31, 2004. Recording sessions for the album took place between June 2003 and March 2004. The album consists of rhythm and blues, soul, country, blues, jazz, and pop standards performed by Charles and several guest musicians, such as Natalie Cole, Elton John, James Taylor, Norah Jones, B.B. King, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt. Genius Loves Company was the last album recorded and completed by Charles before his death in June 2004.The album is known as one of Ray Charles" most commercially successful albums. On February 2, 2005, Genius Loves Company was certified triple-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America following sales of over three million copies in the United States. It also became Charles" second to reach number one on the Billboard 200, after Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962). On February 13, 2005, the album was awarded eight Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

The Older I Get, the Funnier I Was, which follows Thomas’ brilliant 2020 HBO special The Golden One and his Can't Believe You're Happy Here EP released earlier this year, surveys a range of emotion and offers a broad sonic palette, moving between pop punk, electro, and the obvious influence of the singer-songwriters he grew up listening to in early childhood. It conjures the ennui of Bright Eyes alongside the barefaced storytelling of John Prine, the overstuffed lists of Fred Thomas with the lackadaisical humor of Colleen Green, among many others.

Thomas attributes the dexterity of the record to Duterte, who recorded and engineered most of it in addition to serving up plenty of encouragement when Thomas got down on the process. “As a comic, I used to test out new songs during sets to see if the funny bits were hitting, but since I wrote this in isolation I ended up writing lyrics and worrying less about making jokes,” Thomas says. That said, the album’s plenty funny. Stand-out and lead single “Rigamarole” opens with a Thomas-voiced infomercial that recalls his oft-cited lookalike Jim Carrey as the Grinch, before launching into a buoyant pop song about being depressed.

Whitmer Thomas will admit that when he traveled home to small town Gulf Shores, Alabama to record his HBO stand-up special, The Golden One, he expected to be greeted as a returning hero, a conquering king, or at minimum, a guy with a moderately successful career as an entertainer in Los Angeles. “I expected a big welcome home, open arms, but when I went back I realized: nobody fucking knows me. Nobody remembers me,” Thomas says. “In the years I’d been performing that show, I’d been romanticizing my childhood in this mythologized place, but the visit made me see that I’m not really from there anymore.”

The sense of alienation compounded when Thomas recognized how few people in town remembered his mom, to whom The Golden One is dedicated and largely about. Thomas grew up watching her perform with her twin sister at the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge, where he set the special, and still counts her as one of his musical influences. His new album, The Older I Get, the Funnier I Was, isn’t overtly about his mom, her presence is deeply felt throughout. While in Gulf Shores, Thomas discovered dozens of her old recordings, all of which had been wrecked by Katrina, but upon returning to LA, Thomas paid “a fancy place in Hollywood” to fix the tapes and hired Melina Duterte (Jay Som, Bachelor, Routine) to mix them. The two struck up a collaborative friendship, and Thomas had the sound of his mom’s voice back. “I was listening to songs she recorded when she was about my age, just these heartfelt, sweet Americana songs,” he says. “I decided then that I wanted to lose the Ian Curtis voice I always sing with; I wanted to do what came naturally, because my mom always sounded like herself, even when she was singing some cheesy reggae song about, like, Jamaica.”

Thus he went into The Older I Get, the Funnier I Was knowing it was time to retire his darkwave persona, and leaning into his natural, chirpier voice, which he says sounds “like a 12-year-old’s.” It makes sense: much of the album chronicles what Thomas calls “being a kid and feeling like you have no control and overcompensating by being annoying.” “So much of the album is about witnessing drug and alcohol addiction as a kid and seeing what it does to people, but also realizing that there's nothing you can do about it,” Thomas says. It’s familiar territory (see: “Partied to Death”) but the methodology is different this time around; true to its title, The Older I Get, the Funnier I Was isn’t always looking for laughs. Thomas might’ve left his hometown behind, but his kid self is still tagging along, a Peter Pan shadow he can’t untether himself from. The first line he sings on The Older I Get, the Funnier I Was is: “There should be a room at every party where you can just sit and watch a movie.” Find a 12-year-old who wouldn’t say the same.

On his debut album producer and Squama co-founder Martin Brugger hovers through Ambient, (upbeat) Downbeat and unfulfilled build-ups.
Conceptualized as a blank soundtrack, the music was sent to fellow artists who shared their visual and verbal associations which became the source for the artwork and tracktitles, effectively making the album a collective effort.
Evident in all of his recent projects is Brugger's passion for working and thriving within closely set limits.
The only audio sources in the process of making the album were his record player and a Dave Smith Prophet 08 synthesizer. In an antithesis to most sample-based music, Brugger takes the more ephemeral moments of recorded music and uses pitching tools as a magnifying glass to dive deeper into the sound and bare layers that normally remain unheard.

Dwarves frontman Blag Dahlia returns as roots music savior Ralph Champagne. Exploring various Americana genres, Blag proves that.

„Techno. Simply Techno. The way I see it and like to hear it.“ is the simplistic idea behind RICO PUESTEL's new album THE VERGE, THE ROPE & THE ROOFTOPS. And that's what is delivered on this LP – 12 high density Techno productions following his highly anticipated 2021 album OBI THINE XI.

Besides the two special Electro jams OUT OF THE BOUNDS and SAVED AGAIN, all tracks deliver a coherent forward motion that have an inner connection while being able to work seperately and individually in a functional as well as special-moment-way throughout any Techno DJ set.

While there happens to be a deeper connection within, RICO PUESTEL himself recorded an album DJ mix, giving another perspective on how these tracks are intertwined.

As the opening of the CD is declaring: „This sound is relentless. It knows no stops. Standing on the verge. Climbing on the rope. Echoes from the rooftops.“

Perpetual Doom proudly presents the new album from Austin Leonard Jones: Dead Calm. On this collection of nine new tracks, the Texas-based troubadour channels his eclectic talent into a melancholy country groove. Full of signature tumbleweed melodies and his deadpan wit, it is an essential addition to Jones’ unique and varied catalog.

Like any good country record, Dead Calm starts with a joke and ends in tears. “A werewolf walks into a bar,” Jones sings on opener “Cape Fear,” where vampires pour drinks and no one seems to escape. The town might be full of the undead, but it could be anywhere—after all, as Jones says, “It’s hard on the living in Cape Fear.” The slide guitar and faint bright keys set the tone for an album that mixes domestic sorrow with a touch of kitsch, like Conway Twitty at a seasonal Halloween outlet. “I’m the sole survivor of the all-night show,” he sings on “Back in the Black Lagoon,” “and it cost a thousand tears for every episode.” Somewhere between a funeral and a costume party, Dead Calm bursts with classic songwriting sure to get you on the dance floor and crying.

All these ghost towns, desert bars, and haunted capes emerge from the small town outside Austin where Jones wrote and recorded the album. Alongside producer Jesse Woods, he crafted a sound based on the traditional country palette of acoustic and slide guitar, organ and gentle drums. Songs like “Night Parrots” and “Demon Sands” take stock of life’s disappointments as Jones’ maudlin voice and Jesse Siebenberg’s pedal steel twist tighter around each other. “The Australia Song” puts autobiographical storytelling first, while “Exotics” laughs at our tendency to seek satisfaction in far-off places and things. It all comes together on “Its Treachery,” where Jones confronts the intimate betrayals of “a whole life not working out as planned.”

Sound familiar? Austin Leonard Jones invites you to join the club.

Having already played to 40,000 fans this year in their native Ireland, The Coronas release their new single If You Let Me, and their highly anticipated new album Time Stopped, the follow-up to 2020’s intl breakthrough and critically acclaimed True Love Waits. Prior to the release of the Time Stopped album on the 7th October, the band will embark on a 25 date European, North American and Australian tour. The tour culminates in a 4 night run at the Olympia Theatre with the final show expected to be the band’s 60th consecutive sell-out show at the prestigious Dublin venue. Known for high energy live performances and audience singalongs, it’s not surprising that The Coronas were named #1 Live Act of the Year in Ireland’s Hot Press 2022 Readers' Poll.

Lead singer Danny O’Reilly explains the origins of the new single:

“If You Let Me” is a subtle declaration of support - lyrically it’s our answer to the Jackson 5’s ‘I’ll Be There’. When you see that someone you care about is going through a tough time and even though you know that you should wait until they ask for your advice or help, you can’t stop yourself from telling them how you feel about their situation.

Produced by long-time collaborator George Murphy (Mumford & Sons, The Specials, Ellie Goulding) and mixed by Grammy award winning Peter Katis (The National), sonically If You Let Me is a joyous, catchy, indie-rock jaunt that really shows The Coronas at their radio friendly, foot-tapping best.

It’s taken a long time for me to feel good about myself,” says Andreya Triana of the journey to her third album. “As a musician, as a woman, it’s difficult getting to that space. It’s really wonderful where you reach that time of having more good days than bad.” That sense of celebration is what drives ‘Life In Colour’, Andreya’s most confident, instinctive and heartfelt work to date; a record that celebrates love, freedom, independence and womanhood. “‘Life In Colour’ is about stepping into my womanhood and being like ‘OK, I know this space. Let me try some s**t. I know it’s going to be hard but I know it’s going to be OK’. I just wanted to put some good energy out there.” The first taster of that sweet release was teased with lead single ‘Woman’ - a soulful pop anthem of self-love, tracking Andreya’s life from awkward teen to mighty queen, from memories of heartache and trauma to triumph. “You know when you’re feeling so uncomfortable in yourself and you just want to be swallowed up into a hole in the ground?,” Andreya recalls of her youth. “This is about moving on from being a victim to a place of strength, to feeling like a superhero. “Anyone who has gone through difficult times like I have, should know that it’s absolutely possible to get to a good place. It doesn’t define who you are or your future. You have to fight like hell every day to move forward but anything is possible. We’re all full of so much goodness. Don’t lose sight of that.” The lyric video is a tribute to Andreya’s mother, grandmother, the strong females of her life and the many sacrifices that women make day-to-day, generation after generation.

The third album 'Life In Colour' by the MOBO nominated British soul/jazz singer Andreya Triana who's collaborated with Bonobo, Flying Lotus been endorsed by the likes of Gilles Peterson & Jamie Cullum.

Back from a hot summer we are presenting you this great new release by Steve Mill who truly captures the sun and warmth in these new jams for us. The Greek born artist who lives between Berlin and Thessaloniki just released his “The Mistake EP” on Tensnake’s own True Romance label where we could already hear his soulful and groovey disco infused sound.

The opener “Love Attack” is a real “good times” tune with catchy vocal snips and a bad ass funky arpeggio bass line topped with spaced out strings and pads, this one reminds us a lot of Krystal Klear material and our own Lorenz Rhode. Saying that, we of course could not think of anyone better than him to take on this tune and drawing the inspiration to create his own super funked up version! As always all parts are played and recorded live in his Cologne studio with the same hot summer vibes on this one as well! You can find the vox version on vinyl and an instrumental as bonus digital track to get your party really started. On repeat!

“Make Me Feel” featuring the Berlin based vocalist Tee Amara has disco flavors all over it and is just an irresistible house tune, majestic and soulful. Followed by the slow and developing “Next to You” that’s steadily building towards a crescendo “heaven” gem, much in the tradition of disco edits from back in the 80’s. It reminded us a lot of our old Ben La Desh records we put out some good 10 years ago. Maybe this one is our personal fave, for sure a tune you could drop on any floor: disco, electro or house.

Get in the groove with Steve and Lorenz and let us surprise you with a truly funky, groovey and above all positive vibes only release to reminiscent the summer time. Enjoy!


All tracks have been mastered by Salz Mastering in Cologne. Photography & Art by Break 3000.

Growing Bin say sayonara to summer with these bittersweet Balearic gems from Japan’s Nuback. Emotional pop and daydream dub to make you feel younger than yesterday. While the Discogs hipsters hastily hunt down the last, lost street soul OGs, Growing Bin choose instead to indulge in a little Nuback swing. Enlisting the talents of Tokyo’s Dai Nakamura, Hamburg’s home for sensitive sounds provide a much needed vinyl release for the misty-eyed ‘When The Party Is Over’ and ‘Heartbeat Summer’. Largely operating through his own Too Young Records, Nuback trades in textured soul, sympathetic synthesis and forlorn funk - a master at making you move while breaking your heart. Back in 2013, he waved ‘Goodbye To Summer, Again’, giving a digital release to these two tracks, which lurked a little low for the radar until Dai and Basso met somewhere beyond the algorithm, soon bringing this release to bloom. Opening with a fanfare of featherlight pads and full bodied bass, ‘When The Party Is Over’ is pure sonic seduction, holding both Balearic boogie and City Pop in a tender embrace. Delicate guitar and sparkling sequences tug the heartstrings with nostalgic beauty, and Dai’s smooth vocals are made to make you swoon. Emotional pop at its finest folks. On the B-side, ‘Heartbeat Summer’ drops the tempo and soaks up the sun, losing its cares in a haze of loved up dub. As soulful keys sink into spring reverb and steam kettle synths ride a rolling bassline, this downbeat delight lays back in the long grass, making shapes from the clouds and sipping a cool koshu. For summer lovers everywhere; A facemask ruins a first kiss, so start your romance right with Nuback.

In the five years since, Larsen has moved across the country, studied philosophy
at a small liberal arts college, dropped out, and then moved across the country
again. Their life was also put on pause after the sudden death of their first love.
“This loss left so many people with so many unanswered questions, myself
included. I haven’t always arrived at answers to these questions, but songwriting
has provided me with a way to at least ask.” The first voice we hear on Good Grief
does not belong to Larsen, but to their first love. “Ready?” she asks. As if to
answer her, the album begins with an audio recording from 2013 of Larsen and
their high school friends singing Sufjan Stevens’ song "The Predatory Wasp Of
The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!" around a campfire. “When the record starts and
my ex says “ready?” there’s a part of me that feels like - in some way - she’s
asking grown-up-me if I’m “ready” to share my songs about grief now.” Good Grief
captures a coming-of-age story - of an artist and of a human being - as they try to
navigate the terrain of their existence and that of those around them. It’s an
experience of their loss but also honours the person that was lost to them. The
record closes with a reprise of the “Wasps” audio recording, marrying the past
and present as the old voice memo slowly fades into a newer one. Present-day
Larsen sings, “I can tell you I love her each day”: a testament to the fact that their
grief is-- finally--good.Packaging: LP Opaque "Yellowjacket" LP, with cover mount
marketing sticker

London and Dublin based women-led independent label TULLE release
TUESDAY NOTHING EXISTS - the debut album from three-piece GRAVE
GOODS
Featuring current and former members of PINS, Girls Names and September
Girls, the Sartre-rock trio are based between Manchester, Belfast and Dublin. This
highly anticipated debut full-length TUESDAY. NOTHING EXISTS was recorded at
Invada studios, Bristol.
Amongst others they have opened for Beak>, HEALTH, and Jon Spencer & the
Hitmakers and have played various festivals in Ireland and the UK.

Beneath the Massacre hit a sweet spot on this EP, avoiding several banalities and pitfalls that the genre is known for. There isn’t an obnoxious overuse of directionless wank and breakdowns. In fact, both are put to use as good songwriting techniques in applying some semblance of dynamic. The songs always seem to have a purpose and a realized direction. Marée Noire just feels right on just about every level. The production lends to a beefy and chaotic atmosphere where the low, thundering riffs and blasts of double-bass will certainly put subwoofers and good headphones to ample use. Beneath the Massacre provide what is in my opinion the right kind of brutality and heaviness. – HeavyBlogIsHeavy

Newly remastered from the original vinyl at Gearbox Studio with extended
liner notes and new information, The Joe Harriott Quintet’s ‘Swings High’,
recorded in 1967, saw Joe returning to his hard bop roots on a set that
burns with a rare light
A top band of British jazz players, including the UK’s greatest drummer, Phil
Seamen, and the sensitive and less-known-than-it-should-be trumpet playing of
Stu Hamer, create a session that transcends the difficulties of its recording to
create a timeless session, and from the point of view of pure playing, one of Joe’s
very best.
Joe Harriott: alto saxophone
Coleridge Goode: bass
Phil Seaman: drums
Pat Smythe: piano
Stu Hamer: trumpet
“Joe plays so fiercely on the record that at times it seems as though he’s about to
blow his alto apart.” - Coleridge Goode
“Shepherd's Serenade always a big one! great reissue.” - Gilles Peterson
"Some might say that this music is old- fashioned. If you’d call Bird and Fats
Navarro playing “Ornithology” old-fashioned, then this is too. But it’s still strong,
warm music played with skill and feeling, and that’s enough for me." - Richard
Williams (1970)

With a career spanning more than eight decades, The Isley Brothers have one of the longest, most influential and most diverse careers in popular music. The group began in 1954 as an American family music group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, which began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O’Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley. The Isley Brothers have sold over 18 million records in the United States alone.

Go For Your Guns is the fifteenth album by The Isley Brothers. Originally released in mid-April 1977, the album peaked a month later at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Soul chart, and at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The album Includes “Footsteps In The Dark” as sampled by hip hop artist Ice Cube for his hit “It Was A Good Day”. The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 25 on the 1993
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Go For Your Guns is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on red coloured vinyl, is housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes an insert.

Two decades since they formed in New York City and over ten years since their last album, Tel Aviv based quartet Shotnez are back with Dose a Nova, an album of 10 exhilarating jazz filtered jams, with vibrations indebted to tuareg desert blues, Ethiopian-jazz, 1950's Afro Cuban recordings, surf- rock and folk from across the East Mediterranean basin.

"Good music never dies!" - This was Diane Ellis' mantra when she set out to produce this, her first record, in 1979. She recalls hearing the Rose Royce classic Love Don't Live Here Anymore on the radio and instantly thinking it would make for a great reggae cover, immediately envisioning the sound she was looking for. Drafting in the legendary Boris Gardiner and vocalist Sharon Forrester they created this timeless version of a perennial classic - now available here in it's full extended discomix glory for the first time on 12" since it's original outing, and backed with hornsman cut placing Dean Fraser's sax front row center.

The record was made when Ellis was studio manager for the world-famous Tuff Gong studios, but wanted her outing as a record producer to be a totally independent venture - gaining the great Bob Marley & the TG team's blessings in the process. And so Aquarius Studio in Half Way Tree was where it was all laid-down. Diane credits the Legendary owner and pioneering producer, Herman Chin Loy, as also being of great help on the record, providing a guiding ear throughout the process.

Despite this the evident strength of this first production, Ellis would follow up with only one other production, Junior Tucker's cover of "One of the Poorest People" (this time one recorded at Tuff Gong studios, and releasing the 56 Hope Road subsidiery). While both records performed well on local radio and charts, Diane exited the music industry shortly after. Now 43 years later, Diane is overjoyed her production is having a comeback, saying that "the support and love felt during the project can never be replicated, and I give thanks to all who supported then and now".

We are proud to present "I'm Always Right" by Imagination, an unreleased jazz rock LP from 1977. Comprised of five tracks with a playtime of roughly 30 minutes, you will hear one of the finest German late-70s rock-tinged electric jazz albums of the era. The recording is a delightful stand-out with unique compositions, aspiring solo work, and a soulful spirit throughout. Additionally, the album veritably glows with exceptional sound quality, as it has been remastered from original tapes that were cut more than four decades ago at the WDR Funkhaus, Cologne.

Here is the story of how label founder John Raincoatman became aware of these lost tapes:
"I first got in touch with members of Imagination from Düsseldorf (not to be confused with the UK disco band under the same name) in 2017 for licensing the track "Strawberry Wine" from their collectible "Shake It" album from 1980. A couple of months later, when I was speaking with Willi Hövelmann, the guitarist for Imagination, he told me about some recordings the band had made a couple of years before, when they had been invited to to the studio of the WDR, a major German broadcaster. A couple of weeks later, when Hövelmann finally sent me the files that he had requested from the WDR, I could not believe what I heard - not only that the songs were totally different from what I expected, but that they were also very very good! The music wasn't comparable to any other kind of fusion release that I knew of. These five songs were straight forward, tight and soulful electric jazz rock, a combination rarely heard from Germany from that time period."

How come Imagination - at that time a young newcomer band consisting of musicians between 19 and 22 years of age - was able to record at the well-equipped Funkhaus studio of German radio and television? Hövelmann explains: "The WDR got to know us from a newcomer band competition called "Pop am Rhein" (Pop at the Rhine) which was set up to support local bands and was promoted by several bigger newspapers. Imagination was one of the 5 contestants which were picked from 59 bands by a jury of music journalists and our band was invited to play a concert at the Philipshalle in front of about 3500 guests. Although a band called "Accept" won the contest (yes, the heavy metal band that gained international success in the following years!) and Imagination only made 3rd place, we were invited by music host and journalist Wolfgang Neumann to record in a professional studio."

Neumann's broadcasting show at the WDR was called "Rock Studio", and one of his special goals was to help push newcomer bands by giving them airplay. As a side note, Neumann actually compiled a series of three LPs on the Harvest label from 1979-1982, each of them featuring four bands. However, the earlier recordings of Imagination had only been used for broadcasting reasons, they were aired a couple of times but never made it to a vinyl or CD release.
So, on October 10th, 1977, it was time for the band to show up and prove themselves in the studio. The tracks were all recorded in one afternoon, mainly as one takes. In some cases flute, saxophone were overdubbed, as well as the vocals on "Love is Genesis", as Hövelmann remembers.

The first song, "Jazzgang" can probably be seen as Imagination's most characteristic composition out of their early period: heavy bass, saxophone leads and speedy solos by the band members. A genuine, rough, yet funky uptempo jazz rock tune. But it's "I'm Always Right", the second track on the album, that raises the bar as the key track of the release with its 10-minute length. The song starts with a great piano solo by Mario F. Demonte. In fact, "Demonte" was a pseudonym of Ratko Delorko, a classically trained piano virtuoso who is still active today as conductor, composer and performer. At that time, it was simply impossible for him to officially be part in a band like Imagination and hence the alias was invented. Anyway, the speedy intro leads to a very soulful mid-tempo jazz funk groove that offers space and time for the band members to perform a solo. First off is Uwe Ziss with sax and flute combined. The second solo belongs to Willi "Sultan" Hövelmann on electric guitar. For the furious ending the pace is set back to high speed. Delorko serves us with one of the most brilliant uptempo piano solos you may have heard in a while on a jazz record.

The next song stylistically stands out from the rest. "Biting My Time" incorporates a rhythm and blues feel with a 60s soul jazz attitude. The track was composed by Uwe Ziss who leads through the track with aspiring flute solos which feel like an easy summer breeze after the first two rock tinged tunes.

"Himalaya" sees Imagination move away from jazz quite a bit, rather approaching the psychedelic rock genre with a vibe reminiscent of the sound of the early 70s. Again starting with a piano solo by Ratko Delorko the pace is quickly at 150 bpm with the full band laying down an energetic jazz rock sound. Just after a little over one-and-a-half minutes there is a breakdown to a slower tempo with overdubbed mysterious vocals and psyche-y screams which may remind more of the legendary krautrock band Can than what is typically known as "jazz". The mood continues with tense saxophone and guitar solos, just to speed up again towards the end with furious drumming by Andreas Oelschläger.

"Love Is Genesis" concludes the release. It was composed and sung by former bassist Robert Schlickmann. Though most of the band members didn't really like the song at that time it still is a one-of-a-kind soft rock pop ballad which partly reminds of some of the vocal song tracks later to be found on the "Shake It" LP from 1980. The track manifested that Imagination were never really supposed to be solely an instrumental band.

We are now happy to have cleared the exclusive rights for this recording from the WDR and are proud to re-present this amazing collection of songs. It should appeal to fusion, jazz rock and jazz funk aficionados but also to late krautrock collectors. We are also certain that it will also please fans of the "Shake It" album, simply in terms of being such a bright and soulful debut with great music overall.

4-time GRAMMY-winning producer Larry Klein, who produced Herbie Hancock’s GRAMMY Album of the Year winning release River: The Joni Letters, has assembled another extraordinary star-studded project with Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen. This heartfelt tribute to Klein’s dear friend, the legendary singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, presents stunning renditions of his profound songs by an impressive and eclectic line-up of guest vocalists including James Taylor, Iggy Pop, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Gregory Porter, Peter Gabriel, Nathaniel Rateliff, David Gray, Sarah McLachlan, and Luciana Souza. The backing band is no less impressive featuring a remarkable quintet of modern jazz talent including guitarist Bill Frisell, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, pianist Kevin Hays, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Nate Smith.

We are happy to release another vinyl 12“ with Carsten Halm adding up to the series we have released with him so far. This ep marks the end of the series, but not the end of the relationship with Carsten. Carsten has been very successful with his releases on Traum starting with his "Taubenflug" ep in June 2020 followed by "Fuchsbau" and "Hammerhai". As we stated with his first ep: „His music has the unique quality to bring people together and experience something very positive“. Carsten showed this quality with all of his eps and last but not least this also makes him a popular DJ. Carsten plays clubs all over Germany but he still sticks to his roots and organizes parties in his hometown Cologne in his own dedicated space which he has rebuild with his friends after it was destroyed last year.

The fourth vinyl release with Carsten Halm "Licht Und Schatten" highlights another cover design by graphic designer Daniela Thiel and shows collages of the animals in a similar graphic context as his previous releases. The idea was to keep the graphic idea of the series but to use only artifacts of his previous designs to create a new cover.

The ep kicks off with "Licht" a track that has the quality to embrace you emotionally as well as musically with a massive warm and widening synth sounds that is a true a-side tune.

"Chimäre" instead is more jumpy and good natured, resulting in a nice break to carry the listener throughout the track.

"Schatten" kicks off with a rather dry drumming but in the course of the track is joined by a merry melody which is pushed aside by a bad ass rectangle synth sound that inflates the track with a techno spirit that is very welcomed at open airs.

The ep closes with the track "Notes" a horse ride though valleys of sparse vegetation with a happy sad Morricone inspired soundtrack that is very easy to like.