quête:rai

tobi lou cements a connection to countless listeners through his creativity. The Nigeria-born, Chicago-raised, and Los Angeles-based rapper and producer builds music meant to last with unpredictable flare and inimitable spirit. As the story goes, tobi lou flourished as a football player and baseball player until undergoing a dream-ending injury and jumping from a semi-pro career to the mic. A series of buzzing EPs—tobi lou and the Moon, tobi lou and The Loop, and tobi lou and The Juice—paved the way for his 2019 mixtape, Live on Ice. The latter included “I Was Sad Last Night I’m OK Now,” which racked up 42.9 million Spotify streams. Earning widespread acclaim, Pitchfork hailed 2020’s “Student Loans” as “a refreshing dose of joy.” Meanwhile, Lyrical Lemonade christened him, “Chicago’s Rising Superhero.” Along the way, he headlined shows coast-to-coast and shut down festival stages at Lollapalooza and beyond. He also collaborated with everyone from Smino to Dreezy. Throughout 2021, he assembled Non-Perishable out of his East Los Angeles apartment. He notably produced on every track, lending his touch to the entirety of the project. After amassing hundreds of millions of streams, packing shows, and receiving acclaim from GQ, W Magazine, and more, he architects an immersive experience on his second full-length project and the first installment of a 2022 trilogy, Non-Perishable.

Check point Catherine

“In the afternoon we performed in a rather austere theatre in East Berlin. Then I remember we crossed Checkpoint Charlie that evening to play in a club in West Berlin. The atmosphere was completely different. I felt as though we were living in a black and white spy movie.” Nicolas Fiszman recalls that chaotic day of 13 June 1982. Two outstanding guitarists, Philip Catherine and Nicolas Fiszman, who at the time was only seventeen years old, were taken from one side of Berlin to the other in pouring rain to perform to unlikely audiences. At both concerts, they played the same programme of seven pieces written by Philip, with the exception of “Crystal Bells”, composed by Charlie Mariano. The pair were not master and student. Rather, Philip remembers Nicolas like a young brother he might have taken to the beach. After the 1960s, Philip became a major figure on the jazz scene, working with the greatest: Charles Mingus, Chet Baker, Stéphane Grapelli, Dexter Gordon, to name only a few. Nicolas has played with Charles Aznavour, Vanessa Paradis, Francis Cabrel and Eric Serra, and travels the world with Sting.

On that gloomy afternoon, the two guitarists, alone on stage, decided to brighten up the morosity that reigned. The pieces they played bore titles such as “Janet”, “Babel” and “Petit Nicolas”. It is hard to believe that this varied, well-constructed, polyphonic music was not entirely written down on paper. Philip says, “Nothing is written from beginning to end. I compose the themes and some harmonic bridges. Then we have a chord chart … and that’s it.” The foundations are written; inspiration, taste, fantasy and friendship do the rest. We feel as though we are taking a nonchalant walk through Rio or Miami. The concert is punctuated by thunderous applause.

For these brief minutes in that year 1982, the East Berliners were able to fly over their tightly closed borders.

We are privileged to have unearthed this unique concert where two outstanding artists bring together two cultures to create an intense blaze of happiness.

Philip Catherine, Guitar
Nicolas Fiszman, Guitar & Bass
With the kind authorization of the Artists

Dawn of Chromatica ist eine Neuauflage von Lady Gagas sechstem Studioalbum Chromatica, welches von BloodPop produziert wurde. Mit einer Pop- und Hyperpop-Produktion enthält das Remix-Album Kollaborationen mit zahlreichen Künstlern wie Arca, Rina Sawayama, Pabllo Vittar, Charli XCX, Ashnikko, Shygirl, Dorian Electra und Bree Runway, während die Features von Ariana Grande, Blackpink und Elton John aus dem ursprünglichen Album beibehalten wurden.

Mit dem Album will Gaga ihre Liebe und Unterstützung
für jüngere Künstler zeigen. “I invite you to dance to this album in celebration of young artists all over the world. Artists who see
the world, feel the world, and put that feeling into something bigger than all of us: music.” - Lady Gaga

Especially in this time of isolation we need to remind ourselves of the importance of art, just how magical a medium sound is to express, to raise and answer question marks, to open and mend the soul... it's the most universally speaking of all languages as it knows no borders." At a time of global separation, Erased Tapes founder and sonic explorer Robert Raths stitched together a project putting what is most important at the forefront - connection. This collection of works by undisclosed artists from the roster gives space and time to appreciate art at its most honest. By shedding the information noise usually attached to release cycles and by bringing music back to the magic of sound, we're presented with an opportunity for exploration when we need it most. Robert spoke to Mary Anne Hobbs of BBC 6Music about how releasing music without revealing its origin through the 20･･ï¼ìï¼ì0 morse code series enabled him to share what him and the artists have been working on in real-time as opposed to the usual delays that come with releasing music. "All the information, all that noise... As much as it can help give context, it also takes something away. It tends to cloud your senses and take away from the magic of when you first hear something that's completely unknown to your ears. How wonderful a sensation it is to just listen and let the music speak for itself without prejudice or the

Forte is proud to present these fantastic reissues on the Aarght label from one of Australia's greatest rock & roll bands, the Cosmic Psychos.

The band debuted on wax almost 30 years ago and since then have become an Aussie punk/pub rock institution, touring the globe and influencing a generation of Seattle musicians (Mudhoney, the Melvins and Pearl Jam among them) in the process. On top of that there's the recently released full-length documentary on the band, Blokes You Can Trust, which is doing the rounds in cinemas around Australia and the US, a US tour in September and now these! 2013 is the Year Of The Cosmic Psycho.

Let's start with 1985's Down On The Farm mini-LP. This is the record which made the original splash back in the day and hasn't been in print on vinyl anywhere since that time. Featuring original guitarist Peter 'Dirty' Jones on wah-wah guitar, it's an absolute classic of heavy-duty punk/grunge. The vinyl edition comes with a download card.

The self-titled LP from 1987 is another classic with the original line-up. The download card for the vinyl edition comes with two bonus tracks - outtakes from the same recording session - and the CD also contains the two bonus tracks PLUS the entire Down On The Farm mini-LP. 19 songs in total.

1989's Go The Hack was Dirty's last foray with the band and featured the killer single, 'Lost Cause'. The LP edition comes with a download card.

All of these classic '80s recordings by the Psychos have been out of print since the 20th century. With the band's fortunes and notoriety in the upswing this year, expect some big interest in these long-unavailable quality reissues. Blokes you can trust, indeed.

Not a great deal is known about this talented artist having released only 4 albums in a recording career that started in 1993. Raised in a musical family by piano playing parents he began learning the instrument at an early age, later concentrating on the saxophone, but became a multi-instrumentalist by the time was signed to Verve Records, playing most forms of keyboards, synths, vibes, as well as sax and flute. He moved to Florida, from his native New York, shortly after graduating from studying music at university in New Jersey, and played in local rock bands whilst developing his love for jazz, and was working on a demo to try and get a record deal. 
 
Disaster struck when he was involved in a serious boating accident in which both hands were badly crushed and he was unable to play an instrument for many months, during which time he developed a skill for singing and composing. Turning adversity into opportunity is the best way to describe the outcome.
 
So why is a soul label interested in releasing some of his material? Both tracks selected, "One" and "Sweeter", are released on vinyl for the first time and come from his third album, "Lights On", released on his own label Eaak Records following a break of 7 years which was devoted to raising his children. The sounds are undeniably late night make-out music, lush, sophisticated and sensuous. 
 
The majority of plaudits for his work previously came from the world of contemporary jazz and, dare I say it, smooth jazz, and was largely ignored by the soul magazines and radio stations. His captivating falsetto vocal style, reflects his influences by Curtis Mayfield, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. All his material is self-penned and the albums were co-produced with drummer Guy Eckstine. There is an underlying 70’s feel to the contemporary arrangements and his work is clearly deserving of greater recognition.

Steve Hobbs (Solar Radio, Totally Wired Radio)soul

Today, Toronto-based producer Sven Lochenhoer releases his quirky two-track ‘It Knows’ EP, out now via Dirtybird.

Since 2017, Sven Lochenhoer has been a consistent character among the flock, popping up on various Dirtybird compilations and sub labels over the years. Diving into the depths of house music, Sven Lochenhoer’s ‘It Knows’ EP is reminiscent of Dirtybird’s 2005 origins. Thoughtfully produced, the EP consists of its edgy, club-centered title track and experimental downtempo companion ‘Rain Check’. Each layered with gentle piano melodies, warm basslines, and wonky vocal effects, Lochenhoer has crafted an intricate duality through this two-track project.

The rising Canadian producer first appeared on the scene six years ago. Since then, Lochenhoer has gone on to release records with such labels as Dirtybird, Trippy Ass Technologies, and Dumb Fat. Through his original productions and Splice sample packs, Sven Lochenhoer continues to earn the favorable regard of artists and aural aficionados alike.

You’re Not a Bad Person, It’s Just A Bad World is the fourth studio album from the genre-bending Canadian punks, Rare Americans. Containing the massive singles, “Love Is All I Bring,” & “Lose My Cool,” (which seeks to raise awareness on bullying), the nine-track album expands on the wildly inventive world Rare Americans have created through their gripping stories and visuals. After ripping through America on their first ever US tour, of which all dates were sold out well in advance, the band’s next mission seems clear. Global domination.

Written and recorded between 1972 and 1982 in Western Oregon, Back to the Woodlands is a previously unreleased, and nearly lost, album made by Ernest Hood during the same era as his near mythical album Neighborhoods . A visionary combination of field recordings, zithers, and synthesizers, Back to the Woodlands offers an unprecedented depth of access to this singular artistic mind. Born into a musical family, Ernest Hood began a promising career as a jazz guitarist during the 1940s, touring internationally with his brother Bill Hood and the saxophonist Charlie Barnet , before contracting polio in his late twenties. The disease left Ernest unable to play the guitar and confined him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It also forced him to adapt and innovate around his musical practices in the face of adversity; Hood's value of sound matured with a remarkably democratic and nonhierarchical approach and application. Taking up the zither, a less physically-demanding stringed instrument to the guitar, embarking upon the unprecedented process of incorporating field recordings into his work as early as 1956, and eventually discovering the synthesizer, Hood's music became imbued with optimism and subtle cultural critique. This ethos and technique - refined over the coming decades - would lay the groundwork for a sprawling body of radio work, mail order recordings for homebound listeners, and Neighborhoods , self- issued as a small vinyl edition in 1975. Where Neighborhoods , a nostalgic opus, drawing from a well of collective memory of the 1950s, is defined by traces of human activity, Back to the Woodlands leaves the modern world behind, delving into Hood's love for nature. Only recently discovered in his archives, the album dramatically expands his concept of "musical cinematography," imagistically triggering states of sensory memory from within its zither and synthesizer melodies, intertwined with field recordings made during Hood's extensive travels throughout Oregon. If Neighborhoods is a retreat into the gauzy joys of a romanticized past, Back to the Woodlands is an immersion in the timeless sanctuary of the natural world. A fascinating counterpoint to its predecessor, Back to the Woodlands brings us even closer to Hood's belief in the transportive qualities of sound; that field recordings could serve as a vehicle for the imagination and liberation, particularly for those with similar mobile disabilities as his own. Across the album's twelve compositions, the rippling instrumental harmonics - shifting between abstraction and playful melody - fold so seamlessly into the birdsong, bubbling brooks, and other environmental ambiences, that they often give the impression of having been recording within the landscapes toward which they whisper. Falling somewhere between the immersive calm of healing music and New Age, the creative field recording practices of sound ecologists world building for Folkways, and the jazz infected ambiences during Obscure / Editions EG's highest heights, Back to the Woodlands sculpts an singular proximity of music for its moment; a form of ambient sonic realism that draws the consciousness toward its surroundings as much as within. Working closely with his estate to maintain his original vision, Freedom to Spend has restored and remastered this never before released, lost masterpiece by Ernest Hood from the original tapes. Ernest Hood's Back to the Woodlands will be issued on vinyl, as well as on CD in combination with its contemporary Where the Woods Begin , with new liner notes by Michael Klausman . On behalf of Ernest Hood and Freedom To Spend, a portion of the proceeds from this release will benefit Oregon Wild, an organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Oregon's wildlands, wildlife, and waters as an enduring legacy for future generations.

Waxwork Records in partnership with Back Lot Music is honored to release NOPE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Michael Abels. Oscarr winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out and then Us, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope. The film reunites Peele with Oscarr winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out, Judas and the Black Messiah), who is joined by Keke Palmer and Oscarr nominee Steven Yeun as residents in a lonely gulch of inland California who bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. NOPE marks Abels' third feature film score with director Jordan Peele, having previously scored Peele's GET OUT and US. The album also features songs from the film, including a new version of Corey Hart's classic "Sunglasses at Night (Jean Jacket Mix)", Dionne Warwick's "Walk on By", The Lost Generation's "This is the Lost Generation", Exuma's "Exuma, the Obeah Man", and a never-before-released gem by a young Jodie Foster, "La Vie C'est Chouette" from the 1977 film MOI, FLEUR BLEUE. "NOPE is my most ambitious score to date," says Abels. "There are elements from the genres of sci-fi, action, horror, and westerns, but always through the tonal palette of Jordan Peele's unique vision. The lines between source music and score are blurred, as a good part of the score seems to be playing at the theme park, which is a key location in the story. The score is at times terrifying, yet also invokes the sense of awe and wonder that the characters feel as they realize what they are seeing. The film eventually becomes a grand adventure, and so the music expands into the larger-than-life scale we expect of a summer blockbuster." He goes on to say, "it was a joy to compose a score that encompassed such a broad range of genres and emotions, and I'm thrilled to have audiences experience all of them through this album." "Michael is one the most exciting composers working today - he has this amazing ability to create new sounds which was important for this film," Jordan Peele says. "He's able to play in the familiar and in the unfamiliar at the same time, so that helps give every film its own character, and he has an incredible mastery of so many different music genres." Abels is known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films GET OUT and US, for which Abels won a World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics Choice nomination, and multiple critics' awards. The hip-hop influenced score for US was short-listed for an Academy Awardr and was named "Score of the Decade" by The Wrap. Abels is also co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, gaming and streaming media. Waxwork Records is thrilled to present the official NOPE deluxe double LP soundtrack album. The package comes complete with 180-gram colored vinyl, quality packaging, original artwork by Ethan Mesa, heavyweight gatefold jacket with matte coating, a multi-page 12" x 12" booklet, liner notes, & more!

Stella Sommer, das ist diese Frau, die so zwingend nach Stella Sommer klingt Nach vier Alben mit ihrer Band Die Heiterkeit und zwei Soloplatten übertrumpft sie sich mit ihren 24 neuen Songs auf "Silence Wore a Silver Coat" nun selbst. Auch, was das schiere Volumen, die immer dichtere Stimmung ihres sehr eigenen Universums angeht, an dem sie mit diesem Doppelalbum mit vehementer Konsequenz weiterbaut. Wie bei ihren vorherigen Solowerken ist es auch auf ihrem neuen Album ihr glänzender, dunkel changierender Gesang, der vor wildwachsenden Klanglandschaften leuchtet und ihre stimmliche Ausnahmestellung in Deutschland bestätigt. Immer noch gilt: So hoffnungslos schöne und attitüdelos stolze Popmusik schreibt sonst niemand in diesem Land. Wir hören einmal mehr eine große Songschreiberin und Arrangeurin, die ihre Kunst mit leichter Hand beherrscht, und damit ein gänzlich unangestrengtes, kalkülfreies Meisterwerk schafft. Zum ersten Mal hat Sommer ihr Album mit der ihr eigenen beiläufigen Souveränität auch selbst aufgenommen und produziert, denn warum sollte man das nicht tun, wenn man es kann. "Northern Dancer" und "Was Passiert Ist", ihre beiden jüngsten Werke, solo und als Die Heiterkeit, waren in sich geschlossene, durchkomponierte Alben - dramaturgisch fein konstruiert folgten sie beim Hören wie ein kooperatives Wildpferd am hängenden Führstrick ihrer Erschafferin.

Born and raised in Hackney, Mychelle first picked up a guitar aged 10, but put it back down again shortly after, before returning to the instrument at 17, when she quickly began making a name for herself busking around the capital. In 2019 she was spotted by Idris Elba who invited her to his studio to write and sing on his Yardie Mixtape project, the soundtrack to his directorial film debut of the same name. 2021 saw Mychelle release her stunning debut EP, Closure. It was named BBC Radio 1Xtra host Jamz Supernova’s No. 5 EP of the year, which celebrates the world of future R&B, and she went on to perform an intimate rendition of ‘Life Isn’t’ on Tonight With Target. FAMM is a management company and label which independently releases music from award-winning recording artist Jorja Smith, Maverick Sabre and rising star ENNY.

The latest edition in the Summer Sampler series offers 12 tracks from an assortment of global artists who are all connected by their chilled-out styles.

140g LP, High UV Gloss Gatefold Jacket and 60cm double-sided fold-out poster.. it's a big release! TIP!

Raised across multiple cities, Amaarae’s music reflects a life split between New Jersey, Atlanta and Accra. As indebted to raw Southern rap as it is dancehall, her work also holds echoes of glossy mall rock and bubblegum pop. Embraced and endorsed by the Nigerian Alté scene as it was exploding into action several years ago, THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW is an exuberant opening statement from Amaarae, anchoring her sound in her heritage and myriad influences, channelled through female empowerment. Whilst working on the record, Amaarae’s
reference points ranged from Paul Wall to Meat Puppets, reflected in the kaleidoscopic vision of the album, effortlessly jumping from the country trap of FANCY to an Afro-house comedown in 3AM. The vinyl release of TAYDK is packaged in a UV gloss gatefold sleeve with double- sided poster insert. It features an exclusive remix of FANCY, featuring London rap royalty Bree Runway.

Press:
"The future of Afro-pop” New Yorker “An instant classic” The Guardian
“One of the most compelling new acts on any continent” Pitchfork

For its second release, Elmir once again puts 1980s pop-raï in the spotlight with the identical reissue of Cheb Kader's masterpiece: El Awama. Originally self-produced on cassette in 1986, this album was then released on vinyl by Michel Lévy, who was then Cheb Mami's manager and producer. Back then, the album was not the hit it was expected to be, because a little too avant-garde for the time. But more than 35 years later, fans and collectors consider the few remaining copies as priceless. The raï of Cheb Kader is a subtle compromise between the melodies of Oranese suburbs, the electricity of Casablancan guitars and the roaring layers of reggae. The listener can only be fascinated by this Awama (witch) who burns in his heart and to whom he declares his love; they can only be carried away by his hypnotic Reggae-Raï. This record is a rejuvenating find that makes you fall in love with the raï of the beginnings all over again. This new edition was remastered by Josh Stevenson in Canada and enriched with notes in French and English by the specialist Rabah Mezouane.

Vector Lovers has remained a firm favourite of the underground electronic music scene cognoscenti and holds a coveted place among the most hallowed of record shelves, and with good reason. Since the early 2000s Martin Wheeler has explored a sparse audio wasteland in order to develop a new sonic palette that looks outward to electro, IDM and ambient.

After self-releasing a handful of his own productions on the Iwari label, Wheeler’s career defining album was signed by British label Soma in 2005, leading to the first great revival of 90s IDM. Capsule for One' was an unrivalled masterpiece that perfectly synthesised the heritage of the Hardcore Continuum with renewed airs and degree of clarity that ushered in a new millennia and sound. It arrived as a worthy successor to the venerated Warp artists of the time, while embracing new panoramas and technologies.

Capsule for One' is a melancholic album, with an almost cosmic spirituality that provokes daydreaming. From its opening track 'City Lights From a Train' it welcomes the listener onto an infinite journey at the speed of light, connecting the past, present and future, folding time and space and painting neon cities populated by cyborgs. The album reaches its zenith with 'Melodies and Memory', featuring Wheeler’s very own voice, which has arguably become one of this century’s greatest electronic ballads to date. In fact, the impact of 'Capsule for One' was such that Tracey Thorn commissioned him to produce her song 'Easy', from the album 'Out of the Woods' Virgin, 2007.

For its forthcoming release on Lapsus Records, Martin Wheeler has remixed each and every song on 'Capsule for One', as well as adding two previously unreleased tracks 'A Simulation' and 'Perfect Score', both produced around the same epoch. This extra special release, with artwork redesigned by Josep Basora, features a double marbled vinyl and a limited edition insert print.

red/clear splatter vinyl

Shake Chain will also be performing at Marina Abramovic’s private view at Modern Art Oxford on September 23rd.

Shake Chain have been busy demolishing audiences and expectations for the best part of three years. Vocalist Kate Mahony sets that standard by starting each live performance by crawling from the back of the room through a disbelieving crowd’s legs in a shiny yellow raincoat. The resulting questions that frantically arise of ‘what’s going on?’, ‘am I hallucinating?’ and ‘is this part of the show?’ are hallmarks of how Shake Chain approach making their unruly, lyric-bespattered rock music.

The four-piece from London are completed by Robert Syres (guitar, synth), Chris Hopkins (bass, synth) and Joe Fergey (drums), all artists hailing from Goldsmiths College, Nottingham Trent and Wimbledon, University of the Arts. A mutual love of thought-provoking performance art and a yearning for disruption have helped Shake Chain lock into their wayward sound. Twitchy guitar lines jolt and jerk, synths burble noisily and tack-sharp drums pin things down for Kate’s reeling vocal to vault and slur. Kate’s singing has drawn comparisons with Yoko Ono, Su Tissue and even a seance with it’s unique embrace of flights of atonal fancy, head-first repetition and ecstatic frenzy. Opinion-dividing arguably, but singular in making Shake Chain dauntingly brilliant.

Shake Chain’s debut album ‘Snake Chain’ was recorded in the New Forest’s Chuckalumba Studios early in 2022. The tranquil setting only slightly skewed by the intense extratropical cyclone occuring outside. When asked to sum up the album the group collectively settled on it sounding like “crying in a Catholic sex dungeon with Eastenders on”, perhaps only half tongue in cheek given the soapy dramatics of opening track ‘Stace’. ‘RU’ is a stompy triumph of ad lib monotony, heavy and wonky, its vocal slowly unwinding into residual sense. Shake Chain’s songs are populated with cowboys, cherry-pickers, content-addicts, private investments, a careless driver called Mike, architects and by much lamentation at the state of our confusing existencies. This last point underlined in luminous marker pen with slow-building vortex ‘Highly Conpeptual’ and whispered closer ‘Duck’.

‘Copy Me’ races along with radiant headbangs of dynamic abandon, one part tumble, two parts pummel, “hold your breath til something changes” commands Kate whilst everything of course is in hammering flux. ‘Second Home’ is similarly coruscating yet bouyant, whilst ‘Arthur’ feels like it could tear inside in two amid sobbing wails and the twining of its disparate parts. Throughout all the unhinged freakouts, found sounds and blasting rhythms though is Kate’s questioning, resilient presence, anchoring everything. On bruising creeper ‘Birthday’ she asks most tellingly “Do we speak language or does language speak us? Is there a mouth in the middle of the desert? Do you ask how cups are designed? Would you say yes when you really mean I don’t know”? Shake Chain are cathartic and absurd, humorous and deadly serious yet always inspired. Its this tightrope walk which makes their album such a thrilling, vital listen.

• Sony Masterworks is happy to announce the vinyl release of the Netflix live-action series Cowboy Bebop which premiered in November 2021 and is available on Netflix.

• Yoko Kanno and the band SEATBELTS, the artists behind the music in the original anime series of Cowboy Bebop, have returned to bring their signature dynamic, jazzy sound to the Netflix live-action show. The resulting compositions are characters themselves - constant companions to the crew of the Bebop and brimming with just as much personality.

• Cowboy Bebop (Soundtrack from the Netflix Original Series) is a treat for Bebop fans in an additional way - it features over twenty new tracks only available on vinyl! This wide release is pressed on red marble vinyl discs in a gatefold jacket with printed inner sleeves.

• COWBOY BEBOP is an action-packed space Western about three bounty hunters, aka “cowboys,” all trying to outrun the past. As different as they are deadly, Spike Spiegel (John Cho), Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) form a scrappy, snarky crew ready to hunt down the solar system’s most dangerous criminals — for the right price. But they can only kick and quip their way out of so many scuffles before their pasts finally catch up with them.

• Original anime series director Shinichirō Watanabe is a consultant on the series, and original composer Yoko Kanno returns for the live-action adaptation. The series also stars Alex Hassell and Elena Satine.


• Yoko Kanno is a Japanese composer, arranger and musician best known for her work on the soundtracks of anime films, television series, live-action films, video games, and advertisements. She has written scores for Cowboy Bebop and its live-action adaptation, Darker than Black, Macross Plus, Turn A Gundam, The Vision of Escaflowne, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, Kids on the Slope, Genesis of Aquarion and Terror in Resonance, and has worked with the directors Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Shinichirō Watanabe and Shōji Kawamori. Kanno has also composed music for pop artists Maaya Sakamoto and Kyōko Koizumi. She is also a keyboardist and is the frontwoman for the SEATBELTS, who perform many of Kanno's compositions and soundtracks.

Released on the heels of her breakthrough album Tapestry, Carole King's Music is every bit the equal of its more famous predecessor: a No. 1 smash that features impeccable songwriting, beautiful melodies, and extraordinary piano playing. In short, everything that's made King an institution. After of years of being overshadowed, this 1971 singer-songwriter classic has been given the audiophile treatment it's long deserved.

Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on dead-quiet vinyl at RTI, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g LP of King's second solo masterpiece is rife with intimacy, transparency, soulfulness, and you-are-there sound. Never before remastered, Music seems like a brand-new album as King's familiar voice, intelligent arrangements, and ace support band presented on a deep, three-dimensional soundstage. Your appreciation for and understanding of the depth of King's inspirational lyrics and performances will doubtlessly increase — this reissue brings you that much closer.

Accompanied by percussionist Bobbye Hall, drummer Russ Kinkel, guitarist/vocalist James Taylor, and a multitude of other professional wind musicians, King delves further into R&B and jazz-derived pop. Warm and cohesive, songs echo with simplicity and honesty. And as is typical of much of King's work, several of tunes here were later covered by other artists, including "It's Going To Take Some Time" (the Carpenters). Yet the originals trump the later renditions, and King's rendition of the standard "Some Kind of Wonderful" stands among the best ever recorded.

With Taylor lending more of a hand on Music than he does on Tapestry, King expands her reach on the piano and peppers the songs with graceful touches of saxophone, flute, pedal-steel guitar, and woodwinds. Ballads sway ("Surely"), gospel raises spirits ("Brighter"), and backup vocals float amid pop arrangements like clouds ("Song of Long Ago"). The most irresistible aspect? King's voice, infused with fondness, concern, joy, and a quiet power that parallels the delicacy and deliberate nature that define Music.

Mobile Fidelity's 180g LP is free of the limiting artifacts that have helped keep this record in the dark for the better part of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Acoustic guitars, subtle brass elements, and soft percussion contribute to the enjoyment of the songs, and King's voice —pleasant, assuring, emotional — comes through with incredible clarity and inflection. The brilliance of Lou Adler's original production is restored to its full glory.

Aptly named, this companion to Tapestry is an aural and sonic delight.