Search:pan j

Seeking overlooked beauty and prizing reflection in a distracted world, Hammock creates cinematic music for the road less traveled. In stirring works of shimmering post-rock ambience that swell with hope and melancholic nostalgia, the Nashville-based duo of Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson immerse listeners in living visions of moments long past, animating life's fond remembrances and scarring losses with gentle lens-flare harmonics, heart-surging neoclassical drama, and pensive silence. A direct challenge to the passive existence of modern life, where everything can be experienced but precious little is felt, Hammock demands, and richly rewards, patience and contemplation. One of Hammock's career defining works, the Mysterium, Universalis, and Silencia trilogy came to a close in 2019. The first chapter, Mysterium, was written following the death of Byrd's 20-year-old nephew and dealt with incomprehensible, shattering loss. Difficult understanding came on Universalis, and an altered reality understood through quiet reflection took hold on Silencia. Emerging from the silence, a period that brought with it the global pandemic of Covid-19 that has kept loved ones apart, conscripted months upon months of isolation, and roused directionless longing for escape, Hammock presents Elsewhere. Recorded by Byrd and Thompson at their homes, apart and with minimal equipment, Elsewhere serves as a gateway to another place, materializes feelings of separation and loss without closure, and calls listeners back to live their lives - not spend them longing to be something or somewhere else. - Wyatt Marshal

Pink vinyl reissue of singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine's debut album, Give Me A Minute, which was originally self-released in August 2020. The album features hit tracks "Pancakes for Dinner" and "To The Mountains". Lizzy has since released two more full length album, and has grown to over 11M monthly listeners on Spotify, and just under 1M followers on Instagram.

With Generation Of The Void, NAILED TO OBSCURITY have crafted their most mature and expansive album to date. Set for release on September 5th, 2025, the album reflects the turmoil of the post-pandemic era, the shadows of war in Europe, and the relentless changes affecting all of humanity. Beyond its political and social commentary, the album also dives deep into personal struggles, confronting themes of dark emotions, depression, and fear. Every note, every lyric carries the weight of uncertainty and disillusionment, while no one knows what one will find within the void or beyond. After the success of 2019’s ‘Black Frost’, Germany’s doom/death metal veterans return with their new album ‘Generation of the Void’. First single ‘Overcast’ drips with a brutal, melancholic, apocalyptic intensity which the band have perfected over their 25 years together. After sharing the stage with legends Dark Tranquillity, Amorphis, Jinjer, Arch Enemy and At the Gates, Nailed To Obscurity will embark on their first EU headline tour at the end of this year.

It"s been six years since LA DISPUTE released their last album, Panorama. Since then, the Michigan post-hardcore band-made up of Jordan Dreyer on vocals, Brad Vander Lugt on drums, Chad Morgan-Sterenberg and Corey Stroffolino on guitar, and Adam Vass on bass-dealt with the stagnance of the pandemic, celebrated the ten-year anniversaries of Wildlife and Rooms Of The House, and began working on NO ONE WAS DRIVING THE CAR. The fifth studio LP is the first entirely produced by the group, and it came together in Grand Rapids and Detroit, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Philippines: "I think the change in environment was really helpful to breathing new life into the process each time we came back to it," Dreyer says. Partly inspired by the 2017 psychological thriller First Reformed, NO ONE WAS DRIVING THE CAR reckons with malaise in the shadow of the looming apocalypse, which has noticeably been worsened by the advancement of tech. The title comes from a quote from a police officer Dreyer read in a news article about a lethal self-driving Tesla crash, an absurd event which raises questions about the amount of control we have in our own lives. In fourteen dynamic tracks, the band grapples with the existential topic and the human need to find comfort and a sense of security in an existence where we"re often thrust into chaos without permission.

LTD Clear Vinyl
Nach der limitierten EP "The Grand Designer" im Juni 2025, präsentiert Adrian Sherwood nun mit "The Collapse Of Everything" sein brandneues Werk, gleichzeitig sein erstes Soloalbum seit 13 Jahren und das vierte seiner langen Karriere. Auf diesem sorgfältig konzipierten Album lotet der Meisterproduzent und Mixologe mit seinem stets experimentierfreudigen Sound neue Grenzen aus. Obwohl die Musik auf "The Collapse Of Everything" von einem natürlichen Gespür für Dub geprägt ist, überschreitet sie fliessend Genregrenzen und vereint nahtlos verschiedenste Einflüsse, die Sherword in seinem Leben gehört und produziert hat. An den Aufnahmen beteiligt waren einige seiner langjährigen Mitstreiter wie Doug Wimbish (Living Color, The Sugar Hill Gang, Tackhead), Mark Bandola (The Lucy Show), Ivan "Celloman" Hussey, Alex White (Primal Scream, Fat White Family) und Chris Joyce (The Mothmen). Desweiteren flossen Beiträge der jüngst verstorbenen On-U-Legenden Keith LeBlanc (Sugarhill Gang, Tackhead) und Mark Stewart (Pop Group) ein.

Adrian Sherwood war in den letzten Jahren sehr beschäftigt mit Kollaborationen mit anderen Künstlern, von Remixarbeiten für Popkünstler wie Halsey, über von der Kritik gefeierten Full-Length-Dub-Rekonstruktionen für die Indierock-Titanen Spoon und Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, bis zur Produktion gefeierter Alben für die Reggae-Ikonen Lee "Scratch" Perry und Horace Andy am Ende ihrer Karriere ("Midnight Rocker" wurde vom Guardian zum weltweiten Album Nr. 1 des Jahres 2022 gekürt). Was bedeutet, dass Sherwood seit "Survival & Resistance", das fast auf den Tag genau vor 13 Jahren erschien, kein Album mehr als Solokünstler herausgebracht hat.

Welcome to a kaleidoscopic picnic where you can feast on a music scene that was rich, sparkling, multi-colored, ground-breaking and it'll blow your mind. A prodigious soundscape that blends the Caribbean and the Amazon sophistication and flavors; raw yet delicate textures. "Joropop. Psych Pop & Folk in Venezuela, 1968-1976" features infectious Latin rock rhythms and timeless folk melodies across 15 ultra-rare tracks-most of which have never been reissued until now. Let's set off together to discover the magic of Caracas in the late '60s! DESCRIPTION Welcome to a kaleidoscopic picnic where you can feast on a music scene that was rich, sparkling, multi-colored, ground-breaking and it'll blow your mind. A prodigious soundscape that blends the Caribbean and the Amazon sophistication and flavors; raw yet delicate textures. "Joropop. Psych Pop & Folk in Venezuela, 1968-1976" features infectious Latin rock rhythms and timeless folk melodies across 15 ultra-rare tracks-most of which have never been reissued until now. The golden age of Caracas pop started in 1965. It replaced the wave of cloyingly romantic song writing as fresh talents leant into richer and more complex styles: folk-rock, psychedelia, soul, hard blues, symphonic pop, Latin rock etc. Singer-songwriters, experimental electric guitars and jam sessions all appeared on the scene, creating music that became increasingly refined and free. The industry took a while to catch on to this new trend and leave behind the teen idols and dream lifestyles. By the late 60s, there was a long list of new bands in the capital city. Young people finally found their voice. Let's set off together to discover the magic of Caracas in the late '60s!

Big Thief will release their sixth studio album, Double Infinity, on 5 September 2025.

Double Infinity is the follow-up to 2022’s Grammy-nominated album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, recorded last winter at the Power Station, New York City. For three solid weeks, the trio would ride bicycles on frozen streets between Brooklyn and Manhattan, meeting in Power’s Station’s warm wood-panelled room. Together with a community of musicians (Alena Spanger, Caleb Michel, Hannah Cohen, Jon Nellen, Joshua Crumbly, June McDoom, Laraaji, Mikel Patrick Avery, Mikey Buishas) they would play for nine hours a day, tracking together – simultaneously – improvising arrangements and making collective discoveries. Double Infinity was produced, engineered and mixed by longtime Big Thief collaborator Dom Monks.

“How can beauty that is living be anything but true?” Adrianne asks as she drives nose against the future with childhood mementos on ‘Incomprehensible’. She understands, “everything I see from now on will be something new.” The silver hairs on her shoulders are new as well. Yet fear of aging is cracked by proof. If a life is shaped by living, “Let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair.” Being born, then staying a while, remains the greatest mystery. Adrianne claims her place and time. “Incomprehensible, let me be.”









g 7. Grandmother ft. Laraaji







[g] 7. Grandmother [ft. Laraaji]







[g] 7. Grandmother [ft. Laraaji]

Big Thief will release their sixth studio album, Double Infinity, on 5 September 2025.

Double Infinity is the follow-up to 2022’s Grammy-nominated album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, recorded last winter at the Power Station, New York City. For three solid weeks, the trio would ride bicycles on frozen streets between Brooklyn and Manhattan, meeting in Power’s Station’s warm wood-panelled room. Together with a community of musicians (Alena Spanger, Caleb Michel, Hannah Cohen, Jon Nellen, Joshua Crumbly, June McDoom, Laraaji, Mikel Patrick Avery, Mikey Buishas) they would play for nine hours a day, tracking together – simultaneously – improvising arrangements and making collective discoveries. Double Infinity was produced, engineered and mixed by longtime Big Thief collaborator Dom Monks.

“How can beauty that is living be anything but true?” Adrianne asks as she drives nose against the future with childhood mementos on ‘Incomprehensible’. She understands, “everything I see from now on will be something new.” The silver hairs on her shoulders are new as well. Yet fear of aging is cracked by proof. If a life is shaped by living, “Let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair.” Being born, then staying a while, remains the greatest mystery. Adrianne claims her place and time. “Incomprehensible, let me be.”







g 7. Grandmother ft. Laraaji







g 7. Grandmother ft. Laraaji







[g] 7. Grandmother [ft. Laraaji]







[g] 7. Grandmother [ft. Laraaji]







[g] 7. Grandmother [ft. Laraaji]

"Laurel Hell" ist ein Soundtrack zur Transformation. Eine Landkarte für den Ort, an dem Verletzlichkeit und Widerstandsfähigkeit, Trauer und Freude, Fehler und Transzendenz in unserer Menschlichkeit Platz finden und als würdig angesehen werden können - um letztendlich anerkannt und geliebt zu werden. "I accept it all," verspricht MITSKI. "I forgive it all." Auf "Laurel Hell" festigt MITSKI ihren Ruf als Künstlerin, die die Kraft besitzt, unsere wildesten und zwiespältigsten Erfahrungen in ein heilendes Elixier zu verwandeln. "I wrote what I needed to hear. As I've always done." Nach der Veröffentlichung von "Be The Cowboy", einem der meistgelobten Alben des Jahres 2018, das von Outlets wie Pitchfork (u.a.) zum Album des Jahres gekürt wurde, stieg MITSKI vom Kultliebling zum Indie-Star auf. Mit spürbaren Folgen: Die Schinderei des Tourlebens und die Fallstricke die mit der erhöhten Sichtbarkeit einhergingen, beeinflussten ihre Musik ebenso wie ihren Geist, die sich in der ersten Single "Working For The Knife" niederschlägt. Ein Song, wie ein Prüfstein für das Gesamtgefühl von "Laurel Hell": "I start the day lying and end with the truth / That I'm dying for the knife." "Be The Cowboy" wurde von weiblicher Stärke und Trotz angetrieben, lebte jedoch von seinem Spiel mit Masken. Wie der Berglorbeer bzw. die "laurel hell", nach dem das neue Album benannt ist, kann die öffentliche Wahrnehmung, wie das berauschende Prisma des Internets, eine verlockende Fassade bieten, hinter der sich eine tödliche Falle verbirgt. Die sich immer enger zieht, je mehr man sich anstrengt. "I got to a point, where I just knew that if I kept going this way, I would numb myself to completion." Erschöpft von diesem verzerrten Spiegel und unserer Sucht nach falschen Binaritäten, begann MITSKI, Songs zu schreiben, die die Masken abstreifen und die komplexen und oft widersprüchlichen Realitäten dahinter offenbaren. MITSKI dazu: "I needed love songs about real relationships that are not power struggles to be won or lost. I needed songs that could help me forgive both others and myself. I make mistakes all the time. I don't want to put on a front where I'm a role model, but I'm also not a bad person. I needed to create this space mostly for myself where I sat in that gray area." Die daraus entstanden Songs verkörpern genau diesen Raum. Wie die zweite Single des Albums, "The Only Heartbreaker", die gemeinsam mit Dan Wilson geschrieben wurde und der erste Song dieser Art in ihrer Diskografie ist. "The Only Heartbreaker" verbindet treibenden 80er-Pop mit einem trügerisch einfachen Text, dessen aufrichtiger Refrain ins Ironische kippt, sobald dieser "the person always messing up in the relationship, the designated Bad Guy who gets the blame," beschreibt und sich zugleich fragt, ob "the reason you're always the one making mistakes is because you're the only one trying." MITSKI schrieb viele Songs für "Laurel Hell" während und teilweise vor 2018. Das Album wurde allerdings erst im Mai 2021 final abgemischt. Es ist die längste Zeitspanne, die MITSKI jemals für ein Album gebraucht hat und für die Musikerin inmitten einer radikal veränderten Welt endete. MITSKI nahm "Laurel Hell" mit ihrem langjährigen Produzenten Patrick Hyland in der Zeit der Isolation während der Pandemie auf, als einige der Songs "slowly took on new forms and meanings, like seed to flower." Das Album als Ganzes entwickelte sich "to be more uptempo and dance-y. I needed to create something that was also a pep talk" erklärt MITSKI. Die Spannung, die zwischen ihren raffinierten, aber wehmütigen Texten und dem sprudelnden Pop-Sound der 1980er Jahre entsteht, ist eine dringend benötigte Infusion in Zeiten wie diesen und das Werk einer reifen wie unwiderstehlichen Künstlerin, die auch zu fröhlich ansteckenden Dance-Beats immer noch etwas Profundes beizutragen hat.

With influences ranging from Burt Bacharach to Quincy Jones, Tilsley Orchestral No.10 belongs on the shelves of all record collectors. Sweeping strings, pounding drums, leaping flutes, and polished horn sections take the listener on a sonic journey of late 60’s orchestral pop. Composed and arranged by the library legend Reginald Tilsley, this eponymous collection of recordings digs deep into jazz harmonies that adds a level of complexity while maintaining the simplicity of easy listening, highlighting the true genius of the composer.
Tilsley Orchestral No. 10 spans a spectrum of spirits, from the lows of lost love (Sue) to the highs of winning the big game (Grand Slam). This LP features a favorite of hip-hop producers, Warlock, which has been sampled in songs by artists including Cam’ron, KRS-ONE, Soulja Boy, and Jay Electronica.

The formative years of Hunter Thompson’s music as Akasha System were seeded and shaped by the shrouded meadows and wet woodlands of the Pacific Northwest: Sea Glass, Shadow Self, Echo Earth, Geomind. But pandemic flux flipped the script, prompting a migration to the monsoon tropics of Tampa. Heliocene ushers in a fresh chapter in the Akashic record, recasting the project’s precision synergy of cellular melody, holographic pads, spiral tribalism, and eco-futurist swing for a new solar age.

The album’s eight songs were recorded across 2023 and 2024, inspired by explorations of the many sanctuaries hidden in Florida’s ragged paradise: singing towers, ancient grottoes, emerald lagoons. From vortex house (“Purity Vector,” “Sun Particle”) to mirage electronica (“Haunted Planet,” “Soma Totem”) to hand drum divination (“Terraform Dream”), the sides flow, glow, and gleam, dialed in but dreaming out, tracing radiant waves of the eternal now.

“This album is a meditation to experience where and when you are, fully and wholly, regardless of where the path leads.”

Nach der limitierten EP "The Grand Designer" im Juni 2025, präsentiert Adrian Sherwood nun mit "The Collapse Of Everything" sein brandneues Werk, gleichzeitig sein erstes Soloalbum seit 13 Jahren und das vierte seiner langen Karriere. Auf diesem sorgfältig konzipierten Album lotet der Meisterproduzent und Mixologe mit seinem stets experimentierfreudigen Sound neue Grenzen aus. Obwohl die Musik auf "The Collapse Of Everything" von einem natürlichen Gespür für Dub geprägt ist, überschreitet sie fliessend Genregrenzen und vereint nahtlos verschiedenste Einflüsse, die Sherword in seinem Leben gehört und produziert hat. An den Aufnahmen beteiligt waren einige seiner langjährigen Mitstreiter wie Doug Wimbish (Living Color, The Sugar Hill Gang, Tackhead), Mark Bandola (The Lucy Show), Ivan "Celloman" Hussey, Alex White (Primal Scream, Fat White Family) und Chris Joyce (The Mothmen). Desweiteren flossen Beiträge der jüngst verstorbenen On-U-Legenden Keith LeBlanc (Sugarhill Gang, Tackhead) und Mark Stewart (Pop Group) ein.

Adrian Sherwood war in den letzten Jahren sehr beschäftigt mit Kollaborationen mit anderen Künstlern, von Remixarbeiten für Popkünstler wie Halsey, über von der Kritik gefeierten Full-Length-Dub-Rekonstruktionen für die Indierock-Titanen Spoon und Panda Bear & Sonic Boom, bis zur Produktion gefeierter Alben für die Reggae-Ikonen Lee "Scratch" Perry und Horace Andy am Ende ihrer Karriere ("Midnight Rocker" wurde vom Guardian zum weltweiten Album Nr. 1 des Jahres 2022 gekürt). Was bedeutet, dass Sherwood seit "Survival & Resistance", das fast auf den Tag genau vor 13 Jahren erschien, kein Album mehr als Solokünstler herausgebracht hat.

Miles Davis' Final Collaboration with Arranger Gil Evans Yields Watershed Innovations: Flamenco-Themed Sketches of Spain Spins Graceful Webs of Sound and Emotion Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP Set Brings Out the Record's Full Spectrum of Color: 65th Anniversary Edition Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Copies 1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 64 to analogue console to lathe Miles Davis and Gil Evans bridged styles and collaborated on high-concept projects three different times during their celebrated careers. For their final act, they created Sketches of Spain, a peak moment in each luminary's legacy.

The transformative album weds Spanish themes, lush orchestrations, romantic timbres, and Davis' lyrical methods in a tender ceremony that resonates more than six decades after its original release. Part of Mobile Fidelity's Miles Davis restoration series, this 1960 landmark has been afforded the ultimate white-gloves treatment for its 65th anniversary. Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this UltraDisc One-Step 33RPM 180g LP set dramatically expands the soundstages and eradicates a dryness that many critics found inhibitive to the record's enjoyment. You can now hear the full-range responsiveness of the woodwinds, strings, and percussion, all of which come alive with superior definition and detail.

The beautiful presentation of this UD1S set befits the record's historical importance. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the 1960 LP. This reissue is made for discerning listeners who desire to fully immerse themselves with the album. And who wouldn't want to go deep with Sketches of Spain? Whether it is the somber mood piece "Concierto de Aranjuez," renowned for Davis' flugelhorn performance, or the folktale-based "Solea," Sketches of Spain transfixes with playing, ideas, and innovations exclusive to this incomparable effort. It's one reason why Mobile Fidelity's engineers took all available measures to insert listeners into the space originally occupied by Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb, percussionist Elvin Jones, and an 18-piece orchestra. The results are as breathtaking as the music.

Multi-note motifs, brief improvisational solos, fanfare sweeps, and contrapuntal exchanges inform flamenco-spiced pieces. Davis' famous Harmon-muted trumpet is complemented by an assortment of bassoons and French horns. Heard together, they create pleasing contrasts and sounds (pp, mf, ppp) that get to what resides at the heart of Sketches of Spain: color. Seldom, if ever, did Davis ever so expressively and liberally paint with color. And in Evans, he has a likewise-minded partner to help draw out tones, shades, layers, and textures. What they achieved continues to draw praise from the global music community in the 21st century. Ranked #358 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, deemed "a work of unparalleled grace and lyricism" by noted scribe J.D. Considine, bestowed a five-star review from DownBeat, and noted by Q to have taken "jazz in a new direction," the Grammy Award-winning effort has never been better.Miles Davis' Final Collaboration with Arranger Gil Evans Yields Watershed Innovations: Flamenco-Themed Sketches of Spain Spins Graceful Webs of Sound and Emotion Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM LP Set Brings Out the Record's Full Spectrum of Color: 65th Anniversary Edition Pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing and Strictly Limited to 5,000 Numbered Copies 1/4" / 15 IPS analogue master to DSD 64 to analogue console to lathe Miles Davis and Gil Evans bridged styles and collaborated on high-concept projects three different times during their celebrated careers.

For their final act, they created Sketches of Spain, a peak moment in each luminary's legacy. The transformative album weds Spanish themes, lush orchestrations, romantic timbres, and Davis' lyrical methods in a tender ceremony that resonates more than six decades after its original release. Part of Mobile Fidelity's Miles Davis restoration series, this 1960 landmark has been afforded the ultimate white-gloves treatment for its 65th anniversary. Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 5,000 numbered copies, and pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, this UltraDisc One-Step 33RPM 180g LP set dramatically expands the soundstages and eradicates a dryness that many critics found inhibitive to the record's enjoyment. You can now hear the full-range responsiveness of the woodwinds, strings, and percussion, all of which come alive with superior definition and detail. The beautiful presentation of this UD1S set befits the record's historical importance. Housed in a deluxe slipcase, it features a special foil-stamped jacket and faithful-to-the-original graphics that illuminate the splendor of the 1960 LP.

This reissue is made for discerning listeners who desire to fully immerse themselves with the album. And who wouldn't want to go deep with Sketches of Spain? Whether it is the somber mood piece "Concierto de Aranjuez," renowned for Davis' flugelhorn performance, or the folktale-based "Solea," Sketches of Spain transfixes with playing, ideas, and innovations exclusive to this incomparable effort. It's one reason why Mobile Fidelity's engineers took all available measures to insert listeners into the space originally occupied by Davis, bassist Paul Chambers, drummer Jimmy Cobb, percussionist Elvin Jones, and an 18-piece orchestra. The results are as breathtaking as the music. Multi-note motifs, brief improvisational solos, fanfare sweeps, and contrapuntal exchanges inform flamenco-spiced pieces. Davis' famous Harmon-muted trumpet is complemented by an assortment of bassoons and French horns. Heard together, they create pleasing contrasts and sounds (pp, mf, ppp) that get to what resides at the heart of Sketches of Spain: color. Seldom, if ever, did Davis ever so expressively and liberally paint with color. And in Evans, he has a likewise-minded partner to help draw out tones, shades, layers, and textures. What they achieved continues to draw praise from the global music community in the 21st century. Ranked #358 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, deemed "a work of unparalleled grace and lyricism" by noted scribe J.D. Considine, bestowed a five-star review from DownBeat, and noted by Q to have taken "jazz in a new direction," the Grammy Award-winning effort has never been better.

First time vinyl reissue, expanded and deluxe double gatefold 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork and fresh liners written by Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours)
Alan James Eastwood's glorious Seeds is a certified folk-funk lost-classic.

But who was Alan James Eastwood? He had never hit the big time and commercial success eluded him. By the mid-1970s, his musical career was pretty much over and he was almost unknown except among deep heads, amongst whom he would gain cult status.

Original copies of the 1971 vinyl release of Seeds exchange hands for high sums, if you can find one. This expanded 2LP contains an extra record, collecting 9 rare non-album singles and is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned liner notes courtesy of Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours).

With the long overdue deluxe reissue of this prized artefact, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Alan James Eastwood. RIYL Nick Drake, Rodriguez, Richie Havens.

Alan James ‘Bugsy’ Eastwood was a renowned musician and singer who came to prominence in the late 1960s with The Exception, an unsung but excellent band from Birmingham. The Exception released many singles, the first featuring friend Robert Plant on tambourine, before an album, The Exceptional Exception. However, by this time, Bugsy was feeling constrained and restless; he left the band within weeks of the release.

Having vanished from the scene, he was honing a deeper, introspective edge to his songwriting. His demos found their way to the sound engineer and producer Mike Cooper at Pan Music Studios in Denmark Street. Loving what he heard, Eastwood soon entered a recording session with Cooper. The session was just Alan, his guitar and harmonica and - by all accounts - it was remarkable. With the songs, the voice and such an exceptional talent, it was hard to go wrong. Says Mike: "We had John Hawkins do the big string arrangements and Richard Hewson arranged the string quartet. We overdubbed the orchestrations on Alan's original session recordings, adding Chris Karan on tabla and various percussion. We considered re-recording the vocals but found that the magic on that original session was so exceptional overdubbing would not be as good as the atmospheric 'live' performance."

Mike and Alan viewed each track as a different entity, giving the album a diverse sonic palette. Assessing each song individually, they decided which would be suitable for each arranger. Top-flight session musicians were added to the roster to complete the sound, with Byron Lye Fook (father of musician Omar) on drums, bassist Mike Ward, Brian Pickles on marimba and jazz drummer Chris Karan on tabla and percussion. Recorded in a matter of days in Pan's small 8-track studio, they carefully added overdubs, rhythm sections and four string sessions arranged by Hawkins, with Hewson's arrangements recorded at Trident Studios.

Seeds was Alan James Eastwood's debut solo album – indeed, his only solo album - and was originally issued on President in 1971. It melded Eastwood’s impressive rock sensibilities with a folk thread to superb effect. His arresting voice - its deep, rough-hewn soulfulness - coupled with gorgeous string-drenched backing, make this a phenomenal listen. It really is a great 70s singer-songwriter record - with touches of acid-folk and folk-funk throughout.

It opens with "She's Getting Married In August", a mellow tune with Richard Hewson's strings arranged around Alan's straightforward guitar structure. Up next, the joyous, sun-dappled guitar and strings workout "Evenin' Rain" glides by before the fragile, accordion-enhanced "Les Papillons" breezes out of the speakers. The bluesy "Zeena" follows, featuring vocals and acoustic guitar and showcasing Eastwood's effortless harmonica. Starting out as a ballad, "Virgin Morn" builds with soaring strings and gospel-tinged backing vocals from Marilyn Powell and jazz singer Josephine Stahl. The A-side closes with the title track, "Seeds". With a chugging mid-tempo beat, soulful vocals and a beautiful Bacharach-esque string arrangement, it truly is stop-you-in-your-tracks spectacular.

Side B opens with "Crystal Blue", gilded by Lye Fook's marimba, lush gospel-esque backing vocals and handclaps. Eastwood's acoustic guitar begins "Lady Carole", which starts as a bluesy ballad and builds with more string arrangement, lifting the track to another height. A towering highlight of epic proportions, "Lotus Child" is a true masterpiece of arrangement. It opens with simple yet stunning do-do-dah vocal harmonies blended with John Hawkins's strings, bass lines and rhythmic beats, forming a vibe very much in conversation with the sounds coming from LA's Laurel Canyon. Next up, the heartwarming "Last Prayer", dedicated to Alan's first and last love, contains a melancholic vocal with a wistful string-drenched arrangement that would sit comfortably in a Federico Fellini score. Bringing the album to a close, "Hymn For Today" is a melodic raga with tabla, strings and a soft-psych feel. Eastwood's prophetic whisper - "I am real. At last, I am real" - profoundly hits home.

Kicking off the extra disc is the sparsely funky and country-tinged "Boston", released as the flip to the astonishing "Seeds". Next up are the two tracks that comprised Alan’s debut solo 7" single from 1968. The laconic, Bobby Charles-esque "Blackbird Charlie" evidences a real depth and charm in Eastwood's songwriting whilst the starkly brilliant flip, "My Sun", was a horizontal, atmospheric folk-tinged soundtracky precursor to his later work on Seeds.

In 1972, two further standalone singles followed. The first was the evergreen flute-driven folk-funk bomb, "Closer To The Truth", backed by the funky blues of "Strange News". The second, a deeply moving Havens-inspired "Moonchild" - rightly fawned over to this day - was flipped with "Red Shoe Truckin'", a groove-infused track. Eastwood also paired up with Marilyn Powell for a single produced by Powell's partner, Mike Cooper. Under the name Eastwood & Powell, they released their staggering rendition of "Beautiful", a rock-blues-pop song arranged by Ivor Raymonde and written by Carole King. Over on the flip, a funky Eastwood original "Opal Blue Sunday" lurked. This is not to be overlooked.

Over the years, Alan remained active on the music scene, but problems with alcohol and health complications from diabetes severely impacted his career. He spent his latter years living in London until his untimely death from heart failure on 25 October 2007, just one day before his 62nd birthday and without his music having received the real acclaim it so dearly deserved.

This deluxe reissue, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to rectifying this tragic fact. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The original artwork has been lovingly brought back to life at Be With HQ, with the addition of passionately written liner notes specially for this landmark reissue by none other than Paul Hillery.

Vergesst alles, was ihr dachtet, über Postpunk zu wissen - BERLIN 2.0 zünden die Endstufe in der Punk-Evolution. Nach dem szeneübergreifend gefeierten Debüt "Scherbenhügel" droppt die Stuttgarter Band mit "Kaltental" jetzt ein zweites Mal eine Bombe über Postpunk Germany - und mit diesem Monster eines Longplayers ist klar: Hier wird keine Welle geritten. Hier wird eine Welle ausgelöst werden. "Kaltental" ist der dystopische Soundtrack einer brennenden Welt im Endspiel kapitalistischer Ideologie, zwischen Endzeit und Aufbruch, Resignation und Kampfbereitschaft. Härter, düsterer, dringlicher. Mit einer Mischung aus rasenden Hardcore-Ausbrüchen, klassischen Rock-Elementen, Post-Hardcore-Gitarrenwänden und melodischem Endzeitpop kracht "Kaltental" unverschämt souverän durch Genremauern und zerbombt mit radikal-klarsichtigen Texten von Ausnahmesängerin Elena Wolf Gabionenzäune in Vorgärten und Köpfen "ganz normaler" Deutscher im Aufrüstungswahnsinn. Ferdinand Führer von Fieser Schwan Recordings hat "Kaltental" aufgenommen, gemixt und gemastert und in eine rohe, dröhnende Elegie verwandelt, die aber auch keine Gefangenen auf dem Dancefloor macht. Die antifaschistische Bladerunner-Jeanne d'Arc in mittelalterlicher Rüstung auf dem Cover ist dabei mehr als eine Reminiszenz an revolutionäre Frauenfiguren in Geschichte und Kunst. Das neo-retrofuturistische Artwork der Wiener Fotografin Doris Himmelbauer ist die cineastische Visualisierung eines Albums, das Gewalt, Verletzbarkeit und die Sehnsucht nach einer besseren Welt verhandelt. "Kaltental" ist Krieg. Innerlich wie äußerlich. Aber auch ein Urschrei nach Liebe und Solidarität in der unbeirrbaren Überzeugung, dass alles auch ganz anders sein kann.

Vergesst alles, was ihr dachtet, über Postpunk zu wissen - BERLIN 2.0 zünden die Endstufe in der Punk-Evolution. Nach dem szeneübergreifend gefeierten Debüt "Scherbenhügel" droppt die Stuttgarter Band mit "Kaltental" jetzt ein zweites Mal eine Bombe über Postpunk Germany - und mit diesem Monster eines Longplayers ist klar: Hier wird keine Welle geritten. Hier wird eine Welle ausgelöst werden. "Kaltental" ist der dystopische Soundtrack einer brennenden Welt im Endspiel kapitalistischer Ideologie, zwischen Endzeit und Aufbruch, Resignation und Kampfbereitschaft. Härter, düsterer, dringlicher. Mit einer Mischung aus rasenden Hardcore-Ausbrüchen, klassischen Rock-Elementen, Post-Hardcore-Gitarrenwänden und melodischem Endzeitpop kracht "Kaltental" unverschämt souverän durch Genremauern und zerbombt mit radikal-klarsichtigen Texten von Ausnahmesängerin Elena Wolf Gabionenzäune in Vorgärten und Köpfen "ganz normaler" Deutscher im Aufrüstungswahnsinn. Ferdinand Führer von Fieser Schwan Recordings hat "Kaltental" aufgenommen, gemixt und gemastert und in eine rohe, dröhnende Elegie verwandelt, die aber auch keine Gefangenen auf dem Dancefloor macht. Die antifaschistische Bladerunner-Jeanne d'Arc in mittelalterlicher Rüstung auf dem Cover ist dabei mehr als eine Reminiszenz an revolutionäre Frauenfiguren in Geschichte und Kunst. Das neo-retrofuturistische Artwork der Wiener Fotografin Doris Himmelbauer ist die cineastische Visualisierung eines Albums, das Gewalt, Verletzbarkeit und die Sehnsucht nach einer besseren Welt verhandelt. "Kaltental" ist Krieg. Innerlich wie äußerlich. Aber auch ein Urschrei nach Liebe und Solidarität in der unbeirrbaren Überzeugung, dass alles auch ganz anders sein kann.

Students of Decay presents The Dip, a new full-length recording by Berlin-based artist and composer Thomas Ankersmit, marking his debut with the label and sixth album to date. Comprised of two expansive, sidelong pieces composed entirely on the Serge Modular synthesizer, it signals a subtle yet significant shift in Ankersmit’s trajectory, imbuing the hyper-physical, psychoacoustic intensities of his live performances with introspective, atmospheric, and even melodic elements.

Primarily known for a site-responsive approach to sound, often realized in the moment of performance, Ankersmit’s turn toward the studio in the last few years has opened up a new dimension within his practice. It is in this quiet rupture that The Dip emerged, a study in internality and suspended states, rich with cinematic undercurrents and ghostly spatial suggestion. Here, electricity itself feels transfigured – becoming supple, even organic – within an environment shaped entirely by analog signals.

Over the past two decades, Ankersmit has established himself as one of the foremost practitioners of the Serge, the notoriously idiosyncratic and expressive instrument that has remained central to his work. On The Dip, he harnesses its potential not for brute force or disorientation, but for spaciousness, resonance, and lyrical abstraction. Without resorting to additional processing or effects, he draws out tones that feel simultaneously raw and refined, articulated and blurred – intricate structures that seem to breathe and evolve of their own volition.

The result is a kind of auditory hallucination, a “cinema for the ears,” wherein impressions, emotional arcs, and imagined topographies unfold. Each side of The Dip plays like a single gesture unfolding in time – a spatial narrative constructed through vibration, density, and the movement of air.

The Dip follows acclaimed works on PAN, Touch, and Shelter Press, and reaffirms Thomas Ankersmit’s position as one of the most focused and probing voices in contemporary experimental music. Quietly radical and meticulously constructed, it is less a departure than a deepening – a descent into a more private sonic world, where the boundaries between perception, memory, and pure signal dissolve.

Im Jahre 2018 entschlossen sich im schottischen Edinburgh, fünf Death Metal Lunatics, die Fahne des britischen Bulldozer Death Metal nach den Vorbild der zu Grabe getragenen BOLT THROWER, weiterhin hoch zu halten und gründeten DEATH KOMMANDER. Es folgte eine 4-Song EP (2018) und das Debüt Album "Pro Patria Mori" im Jahre 2021. Aufgrund der Pandemie-bedingten Beschränkungen war es beschwerlich, das Album auch live zu promoten, weshalb man sich auf das Schreiben neuer Songs konzentrierte.

The members of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin couldn’t list a single music blog until their lo-fi MP3s and low-res JPEGs made them worldwide icons of Blogdom in 2005. Even Spin read an SSLYBY blog, downloaded their music and declared the Missouri band “could succeed The Shins as the band that will change your life."
 
Recorded in the attic and living room of guitarist Will Knauer's home, Broom, SSLYBY's debut record, is an expertly crafted indie pop gem.
 
Originally, SSLYBY had a simple ambition: to make the “Local Releases” bin at CD Warehouse. However, Broomturned into a classic rock ‘n’ roll record -- the kind where pop perfectionism meets studio experimentation and each track flows effortlessly. Seemingly innocuous pop songs are molded by happy accidents of fate -- sometimes involving unexplained swarming sounds and doubled drums tracks --into the warm, ethereal tracks that made the album into a sensation.
 
Originally self-released by the band to sell at shows, Broom was remastered and released via Polyvinyl in late 2006.

Indonesian duo Kuntari make music that's so distinctive, they had to devise their own genre: primal-core. On Mutu Beton, multiinstrumentalist Tesla Manaf and percussionist Rio Abror dialog with both history and their tropical surroundings in Bandung, West Java's mountainous capital. Using the cornet and hulusi, a free reed instrument made from a bottle gourd and bamboo pipes, Manaf echoes the bellows of local elephants, orangutans and rhinos, grazing Abror's ancestral Indonesian rhythms with potent overdriven riffs and evocative microtonal chimes.

It's music that's profoundly atmospheric and simultaneously raw, recorded live to fully encapsulate the dynamic and deeply human interaction between the two seasoned players. There are elements of sludge metal, noise and post-hardcore, references to traditional folk music and jazz, and gestures towards sound art, 20th century minimalism and dark ambient, but what Kuntari do is completely idiosyncratic -- it's hardly surprising it needed a similarly unique categorization.

Manaf started Kuntari as a solo project, debuting in 2020 with Black Shirt Attracts More Feather and animating his nimble instrumental improvisations with bold electronic processes and booming synthetic drums. And by the time he recorded 2022's acclaimed Last Boy Picked, his approach had evolved significantly; prioritizing organic sounds, he played prepared cornet and piano, bringing in additional percussionists to help devise a ritualistic rhythm section. Abror was one of those performers, and ended up sticking around, playing on 2023's furious LARYNX/STRIDULA, the stylistic precursor for Mutu Beton. At this stage, the duo have racked up a litany of accolades and collaborated with a spectrum of like-minded artists, from noise deity Keiji Haino to fellow Indonesian free-thinker Rully Shabara, who's best known for his work with Senyawa and avant-garde supergroup Osmium. Mutu Beton plays like a lap of honor, showcasing their most kinetic and most feral recordings to date. Kuntari surpass their own high standards, folding history and geography in on itself and suggesting a trailblazing Indonesian cultural movement that's not restricted by highbrow Western conventions. It's not just automation and technology that drives progression, it's interaction and observation. And there's nothing more primal, or revolutionary, than that.