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Shadows Lifted from Invisible Hands is an autobiographical record, comprised of four songs that Hoff refers to as ambient media. Each track is composed from sources drawn from his own involuntary aural landscape, specifically musical earworms and tinnitus frequencies.

Neither sound nor a daydream, the earworm (or stuck song) emblematizes music as a commercial form—immediate, ubiquitous, and persistent. Likewise, tinnitus is inaudible and unscrupulous, manifesting across a spectrum of frequencies at will. The cognitive swirling of these phenomena provides an ambivalent, internal soundtrack that scores a person’s movement through the world.

Those suffering from tinnitus or those who have grown accustomed to the “Tinnitus Effect” in movies will likely recognize the buzzing pitches on the record, but will likely not recognize the songs. Distorted and distilled, Shadows Lifted from Invisible Hands features altered versions of four commercial pop songs: Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Madonna’s “Into the Groove,” and Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day.”

Having been haunted by these songs on and off for years, Hoff tweaks the tracks, transposing and recomposing them for orchestral instrumentation. Speaking back to these involuntary echoes, these tracks go to great lengths to obfuscate their sources; to be sure not to simply re-introduce each earworm, as though they were samples. Otherwise, what’s the point? No one needs another stream.

Besides, earworms are not music, although we perceive them as such. They are non-cochlear and exist as an affective force that is neither subjective nor objective, which is to say they are an invasive—and alien—phenomenon. Like tinnitus, they are aggravated by economic, social, and environmental forces as well as emotional states, mental health, and aging. Hoff doesn’t underplay his own struggles with mental health in discussing the record—noting a long history of depression and its acuteness over the last few years, which serve as the backdrop to the composition of this record.

Scratch any pop song hard enough and you’ll find sadness underneath it. Subdermal, the songs on this record evoke a type of ephemeral weariness and despair. By recasting the original songs through their shadowy doubles, Hoff provides a window into the dark core of pop music. At the center of which lies capitalism’s desperate attempt to replicate itself through a cheap high built on echoing refrains. Just below the surface the listener finds a hangover of shadows dancing through the mind.

Zeitkratzer director Reinhold Friedl and his ensemble present new compositions, grounded on Domenico Scarlatti's piano sonata F-minor K.466. Commissioned by the dance company Rubato and dedicated to Mario Bertoncini (1932-2019).

Little is known about Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). His music is, so to speak, left to its own devices: free, cheeky, playful, sonorous, surprising. Harmonically strolling again and again into unforeseen regions, the ear leads, not the theory; and also the fingers get their right: playful and haptic it goes. Scarlatti explained, "since nature has given me ten fingers and my instrument provides employment for all, I see no reason why I should not use all ten of them."

Freedom, friction and listening pleasure instead of convention: "He knew quite well that he had disregarded all the rules of composition in his piano pieces, but asked whether his deviation from the rules offended the ear? He believes there is almost no other rule than that of not offending the only sense whose object is music - the ear."

Reinhold Friedl applied this principle and composed the music for a choreography by dance company Rubato. Dance music drawn from Scarlatti, who was so inspired by dance music. The material of the piano sonata F-minor K.466 is twisted anew in all its richness, shifted back and forth, declined, frozen, noisified, sound structures extracted, floating. Those who know the sonata, will more than smell it’s shadows. Dedicated to Mario Bertoncini (Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza) who was particularly fond of K.466, on which all the music presented here is grounded.

"Wild flowers", Barbara Zubers had once called Scarlatti's music. Let them bloom.

Reissue of the 3rd full length by Thomas Bücker aka Bersarin Quartett.

Melancholia. Longing. It is difficult to speak about these moods or states of the mind without invoking stereotypes. In ancient medicine, melancholia was considered to be one of the four temperaments, matching the four humours. In fact, melancholia, meaning "black bile" in Ancient Greek, was thought to be caused by an excess of this very body substance. By contrast, in more modern interpretations, literates and Freudians relate many variations of longing to the one primordial longing, the desire to return to one's mother's womb. In this context, the womb is considered to be the place of absolute comfort and cosiness, of total bliss. Thus it should not be surprising that to many of us melancholia is a mood which we like to invoke and to maintain, we like to envelop ourselves in it like in a warm blanket. Our brain and our sensory systems appear to be made for perceiving and emotionally responding to music in a very immediate fashion. Consequently music is the obvious drug for all of us melancholia-addicts. However, there is a thin line between melancholia and sadness, and music which is meant to be melancholic too often crosses this line by far. Only very few artists succeed in avoiding this crossing, and in creating music which is melancholia in its most pure form. It is safe to say that BERSARIN QUARTETT - the electronic music project of Thomas Bücker - is one of them.

After his debut in 2008 and the sophomore "II" in 2012 - album of the month in many magazines and in numerous "Best of the year" lists - Bücker in 2015 returned with his third BERSARIN QUARTETT album "III". Much like his two predecessors, III is a pure paradox. It is the creation of a perfectionist, an adamant control freak. Every element, be it a note, an ambience layer, a string arrangement, a field recording, a baseline, a vocal (Clara Hill on Track 11) or a beat, is meticulously modified and then assigned its place in Bücker's vast but still minimalistic arrangements. Thus, superficially Bücker's pieces seem to radiate a certain mechanical bleakness. However, there is a unique reduced warmth and liveliness emerging from these stainless compositions and transcending them. This transcendence is precisely the point where Bücker ironically looses control over his creations. In contrast to the first two BERSARIN QUARTETT albums, III offers a few darker shades and succeeds even further in narrowing down the arrangements to the absolute essentials without loosing the characteristic grandeur of Bücker's sound. Whereas BERSARIN QUARTETT's debut was merely a description of melancholia in its most pure form, III maybe even goes as far a defining what melancholia really is. It is the only emotion in the vast spectrum of human states of mind which one can bear forever.

Lillian King's debut album In Your Long Shadow is out October 24th. It is about letting the wind in, Lake Michigan in the winter, and the silence of a long summer evening. And really it's about the grief of losing her dad, Neil King Jr. When her dad died in September 2024, grief permeated every facet of Lillian's life. The loss is felt in everything, but especially when doing the things her dad loved the most -- the simple everyday good things that make life worth living: cooking, walking the longer way to work, swimming in cold water. In the throes of grief it feels impossible to find anything that doesn't just make you sadder, but when Lillian did find those things, she grabbed onto them. Soon it was clear that the best coping mechanisms weren't gin and tonics, but talking to her mom and sister as much as possible, and producing an album. The album arrangement came together in a couple of weeks as Lillian brought bandmates and friends Robert Salazar and Nick DePrey new and old songs to build on. Robert played the drums, while Nick played keys (with a smattering of bass and guitar). The process was collaborative and intimate, and only got better when Jack Henry (producer of albums by Friko and Free Range) joined to record and mix it. Some of the songs on this album are years old, including "Underwater", which Lillian wrote one late night in Montreal a decade ago. However, most came together in the months approaching recording."Dragging Dirt" was written just a week before getting into the studio. Despite the bummer material, the recording process was spontaneous and light hearted. The song "Echo" came together unexpectedly during a break between songs. In the midst of recording In Your Long Shadow, Lillian had concerns about making a "grief album." Her sister Frances, as usual, had the right advice: "Every album from now on is going to be a grief album." In Your Long Shadow is about loss as much as it is about living with it. Take it outside on a walk.

Montreal indie rock trio Plants and Animals announce "The Jungle", their fifth studio album set to be released October 23rd via Secret City Records. Their shortest album yet and certainly their boldest, "The Jungle" is eight acts in a world full of noise. The album is auto-produced and was recorded at Mixart, their studio in Montreal. The band explains : "We started working on this a couple of years ago. Warren was afraid for a friend's health. He thought he was self-medicating too much and not taking care of himself. He couldn't let go of this image of an overworked dude swallowing too many sleeping pills and falling asleep with the stove on. So it began as the place next door, sometime before Greta Thunberg turned the expression into a rallying cry, where Earth is the house and the people are sleeping. It's terrifying, and on the whole we're not unlike this friend, are we?" "The Jungle" starts with electronic drums that sound like insects at night. A whole universe comes alive in the dark. It's beautiful, complex and unsettling. Systematic and chaotic. All instinct, no plan. Voices taunt,"yeah yeah yeah." This tangled time in which we find ourselves is reflected back in shadows. Every song is such a landscape. The first one grinds to a halt and you become a kid looking out a car window at the moon, wondering how it's still on your tail as you speed past a steady blur of trees. You watch a house go up in a yellow strobe that echoes the disco weirdness of Giorgio Moroder, Donna Summer and David Bowie. You get pummelled by a rhythm then set free by a sudden change of scenery_the wind stops, clarity returns. You're under a streetlight in Queens, soft-focus, slow motion, falling in love. You speak French now too, in case you didn't already. Bienvenue. These are personal experiences made in a volatile world, and they reflect that world right back at us, even by accident. There's one song Nic sings to his teenage son who was dealing with climate change anxiety and drifting into uncharted independence. The band carries it out slowly together into a sweet blue horizon. Warren wrote the words to another shortly after losing his father. It's about the things we inherit not necessarily being the things we want. In a broader sense, that's where a lot of people find themselves right now.

The album long sought after by Mountain Goats fans is finally back in print and features new liner notes by John Darnielle. Released on the precipice of the Mountain Goats' breakout albums All Hail West Texas and Tallahassee, The Coroner's Gambit is an introspective epic that stands as one of Darnielle's best outings in any era.Darnielle on The Coroner's Gambit:There are few records in the Mountain Goats catalog that are closer to my heart than The Coroner's Gambit. It bears a sonic thumbprint shared by none of its brethren (Panasonic RX-FT500, Marantz PMD-222, and sessions in Omaha probably recorded to a Tascam Porta-One) and while two of those sources appear on several later releases, none of the other records really sound like it. Although it contains exactly no autobiographical songs, it feels personal to me_intimate, diaristic. I have vivid memories of the songs I wrote and recorded in Colo, and foggy memories of the Greyhound trip to and from Omaha. I was taking Greyhounds across Midwestern state lines to record songs with friends when I made The Coroner's Gambit, is what I'm saying. You can maybe hear the exhaust of the Greyhound in the songs if you listen close.

Elegante Popmusik. Gewaltige Hooks. Voller Streichersound. Das L.A. Musikerkollektiv Storefront Church um den Phoebe Bridgers-Schlagzeuger Lukas Frank nahm sein 2024er Album ""Ink & Oil"", das erstmals flächendeckend erhältlich wird, mit einem kompletten Live-Orchester auf. Textlich bewegt sich Lukas auf der Schattenseite der Straße. Musikalisch ist er der Hammer. Erinnerungen an Scott Walker, Nick Cave, Brian Wilson und den frühen John Grant werden wach. Die Mitglieder treten - ähnlich Broken Social Scene oder Black Country, New Road - in wechselnder Besetzung auf, darunter Laetitia Sadier, Phoebe Bridgers, Zachary Cole Smith (DIIV), George Clarke (Deafheaven), Circuit Des Yeux, Lauren Auder, Cassidy Turbin (Beck), Sam Wilkes und ein Dutzend weitere. Storefront Church steuerten den Song ""The Gift"" zur Netflix-Serie ""The Queen’s Gambit"" bei und nahmen den Roxy Music-Klassiker ""More Than This"" als melancholische Gothic-Version auf.

Es ist alles überlebensgroß, düsterer als der Tod und das beste Album, das die Horror-Punks von Creeper je aufgenommen haben.

Das Album "SANGUIVORE" hat Creepers ohnehin schon überlebensgroße Ambitionen auf neue Höhen geführt, was zu den positivsten Kritiken ihrer Karriere führte und in ihrem ersten Headliner-Konzert in der OVO Wembley Arena in London gipfelte. Historisch gesehen schließt die Band am Ende einer Creeper-Ära den Sargdeckel, um sich erneut neu zu erfinden. Doch dieses Mal trotzt die fünfköpfige Band den Erwartungen, indem sie das kreative Universum des Vorgängeralbums erweitert und am 31. Oktober mit "Sanguivore II: Mistress Of Death" aufs Neue ins Vampir-Universum eintaucht.

"Sanguivore II: Misstress Of Death" ist eher eine thematische Fortsetzung als eine direkte Weiterführung der ursprünglichen Geschichte. Wie eine klassische Horror-Anthologie spinnt es eine neue Geschichte aus derselben Blutlinie wie das Original, diesmal mit dem blutigen Vampirherz als roter Faden, um eine brandneue Erzählung einzuführen.
Die Geschichte führt uns zurück in die moralische Hysterie der Satanic Panic und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Welt des Hardrock und Heavy Metal der 80er Jahre. Es war eine Zeit, in der der verstorbene Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne und Judas Priest von Gerichtsverfahren verfolgt wurden. Iron Maiden spielte tief im Herzen Amerikas, während W.A.S.P. und Mötley Crüe mit ihrer skandalösen Theatralik und Dekadenz die Gemüter der Konservativen erhitzten.

Wie schon das Original wurde auch "Sanguivore II" von Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Rammstein, Royal Blood) produziert.

This is a very limited new version of what was once a very limited 7" release. The original 7" contained a remix from Pete Cannon and the mash up Mozaik, but in both cases the mixes were cut down in length due to restrictions with the 7" format. So now we have this exclusive 12" version, which not only allows for the full length versions of those classic tracks, but also allows us to add the much requested Gothika Shade remix of Disturbance to the EP as a whole!

Aphasy, a dive into a fascinating sonic universe. A two-sided journey. Designed with a strong artistic vision, the artwork showcases a striking duality between Side A and Side B, offering a contrasting auditory experience. Side A, adorned with a delicate shade of pink, embodies the essence of deep, lyrical, and ethereal tracks. The melodies unfold with mesmerizing lightness, enveloping the listener in an atmosphere of softness and contemplation. Vibrant basslines and subtle rhythms intertwine with evocative sound textures, creating a musical landscape that invites reverie and escape. Flipping the record reveals Side B in all its dark and nostalgic splendor. The back of the sleeve immerses the listener in a more introspective and captivating world. The tracks on this side unveil emotional depth and hypnotic intensity. Darker tones, dissonant harmonies, and entrancing rhythms transport us into an enchanting atmosphere, evoking feelings of melancholy and introspection. This record embodies the very essence of electronic music, with its intricate sound textures, signed by Romain Mégroz.

“Stuck in My Head / Home is Behind” marks the most profound and personal release from Jamie Collomb, known to many as Oneduz - artist, father, husband, and co-founder of The Global DNB Collective. This vinyl project, created with unwavering passion and intention, was Jamie’s proudest work, a true reflection of his artistic soul.
Tragically, Jamie passed away unexpectedly just as the record entered production. Featuring original tracks by Eclipsed Shadows and Noisesmith, and powerful remixes by two of Jamie’s heroes: drum & bass legends Blame, and longtime friend and inspiration Danny Styles. This release stands as both a musical statement and a lasting tribute.
Following Jamie’s passing, his creative partner Andy (Syntax Era) and GDNBC designer Ryan Feyler (Drbblz) came together to carry his vision across the finish line. Every detail of this release honors Jamie’s legacy.
All profits from this album will go directly to support Jamie’s wife, Shanda, and their two young children, Porter and Hadley. This is more than a record, it’s a celebration of Jamie’s life, his music, and the community he helped build.

Wailin' Rhythm 'n' Blues ravers THE BREADMAKERS from Melbourne, Australia, first formed back in 1989, delivering an explosive mixture of Garage Rock Revival and rockin' Rhythm 'n' Blues

Featuring members of SHUTDOWN 66, THE BO-WEEVILS, and THE PURITANS, these guys have long achieved cult status in the Garage Punk scene. Following their selftitled LP released on SOUNDFLAT RECORDS in 2020, we couldn't get enough of their wild sound. Thankfully, our prayers have been answered with a brand-new hit record from the fantastic BREADMAKERS!

The album includes two smashing cover versions: Bo Diddley's classic "She's Fine, She's Mine" and Andre Williams' "Mojo Hannah" , alongside some fabulous BREADMAKERS originals. Whether it's the catchy, wild tunes like "Marisa In Your Ear", "Existential Homesick Blues" and "Mojo Hanna", or the cool, bluesy vibes of their take on Bo Diddley's "She's Fine, She's Mine" and the moody "Stuck In The Past", these guys prove they have rock 'n' roll coursing through their veins.

"Lonesome Sundown" is yet another fantastic release from Australian Garage Punk legends THE BREADMAKERS!

The notion of home isn’t precise, even a dictionary will offer multiple definitions. A home can be a place where you live, a place where you belong, where you originate from or a place where you’re given care; it can be a physical space, a land, a people or even a person. The concept isn’t completely universal, but everyone possesses a unique idea of what home means to them. On her fifth album, Ziúr considers not just what home symbolizes from her perspective, but the word’s resonance to the diverse community that surrounds her, and how their stories have impacted her over the years. Indeed, it’s the first time she’s felt it necessary to examine her own nationality. In the past, she’s deliberately avoided labelling herself as German, feeling disconnected from her country’s politics, culture and even the German language itself. In 2025, the idea of Germanness is in flux and progressives are under attack from all sides. The country’s politics aren’t only being turned inward by the growing throng of far-right voices, but by scared moderates, opportunists and those blinded by comfort, willing to ignore hatred to maintain their privilege. Stepping up to provide a different narrative, Ziúr scours her soul, writing and singing in German for the first time and proposing growth and evolution, not fear and regression. “I never considered being part of Germany,” she explains. “But I am.”

A solemn mood permeates the album’s opening track ‘Brown is the Color’, and Ziúr sings in measured, slow-motion breaths over noisy synth oscillations and doomed piano flourishes. Already, it’s a significant departure from her last run of releases, veering away from the frenetic, satirical chaos of 2023’s Hakuna Kulala-released ‘Eyeroll’ or its fantastical, dubby predecessor ‘Antifate’. Ziúr pulls on real world insights here, tracing her oldest, dearest musical inspirations to present her origins to anybody who might be listening. “Cold world is holding up,” she laments with a metallic crunch. “To let go of your heart, let me go.” And her voice emerges from the shadows completely on ‘Tame’; unprocessed, Ziúr sounds naked and vulnerable on ‘Tame’, curving her precise words around broken, lopsided rhythms and jangling new wave guitars. It’s pop music in its own way, inverted and reconstructed to fit snugly into her well-established sonic landscape. On ‘No Yawn’, brittle, downsampled hi-hats and industrial scrapes ping-pong around distorted riffs, provided by James Ó Ceallaigh aka WIFE; “You fail to sugarcoat your half-ass attempt,” she deadpans, “to build your promised wonderland on quicksand.” Even the beatless ‘All Odds No Chants’, a collaboration with Elvin Brandhi and Sara Persico, reveals another room in Ziúr’s autobiographical suite, mirroring György Ligeti’s enduringly influential choral works with its gnarled, dissonant vocal harmonies.

Bonbon Vodou’s third album (Épopée métèque), created by Oriane Lacaille and JereM Boucris, follows the paths of exile with lush orchestration and lyrics in French, Creole, and Gascon.

The bonbon piment (a spicy Réunionese fritter) is deceptive. Beneath its harmless appearance lies a fiery kick that can jolt you into clarity. Bonbon Vodou operates the same way. While the duo's musical influences sway between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, a sharp edge cuts through the tenderness of their graceful songs, often carried by the rhythms of maloya. This contrast gives depth to their third album, Épopée métèque, which takes us on journeys of exile—both across land and sea.
Oriane Lacaille is the daughter of accordionist René Lacaille, a key figure in the revival of Réunionese music in the 1970s, who has lived in mainland France for five decades. JereM Boucris’s father, from a Tunisian Jewish family, was 14 when he arrived in France at the end of the colonial protectorate. Their lives are interwoven with these paternal exiles, which they continue to explore and unravel, alongside the broader, universal stories of migrants fleeing poverty, persecution, and war.
The duo is now joined by a vibrant trio—Piment Piment (Juliette Minvielle, Roland Seilhes, and Yann-Lou Bertrand)—bringing a rich orchestration featuring guitars, flutes, brass, roulèr, kayamb, jaw harp… all set to lyrics in French, Creole, and Gascon. Their voices are joined by numerous guests, including Mouss and Hakim, Rosemary Standley, and Bernard Lavilliers. This playful yet poignant album explores themes of life and death—radiant but aware—seemingly echoing Camus: “There is no sun without shadow, and one must know the night.”

Unit Nine is a The Hague-based musical collective weaving together soulful melancholy, minimalist composition and soft grooves. Their debut album, Disaster Jester, will be released digitally and on 12’’ vinyl on The Hague imprint PIP Records on November 14th, 2025, celebrated with a release show at Paard, Den Haag. The album was recorded under guidance of renowned producer Tijmen van Wageningen, at The Womb Studio.

Disaster Jester revolves around the archetype of the jester, the trickster who embodies both chaos and wisdom, humour and tragedy. Across the album, music video and cover artwork, he appears as a clown in a shadowy crime narrative and as a weary detective who eventually dons the fool’s hat himself. The image becomes a mirror for the artist: observing, stumbling, laughing & fooling. The track ‘Afgesproken Plek’ features rap artists KC and MC Lost, who provided an imaginary crime skit playing on the detective persona central in the story telling of the album.

While their universal and timeless sound could travel anywhere, there’s something distinctly The Hague about Unit Nine; a mix of irony, unpolished charm, and understated design sensibility. Their city’s blend of rough edges and refined aesthetics runs through their work and places the debut album within a historical tapestry of not-so-mainstream culture and art that the sea town is known to embody.

Four producers, four shades of motion: dubby pressure, sleek trance energy, and tripped-out house psychedelia built for the floor. Our eleventh VA release brings together versatile club cuts sitting between house and trance. Familiar faces return — Tifra, Gearmater (fka Abdul Raeva) — and newcomers Olsvangèr and Earth Trax, each adding their own weight to the release.

American Nightmare's "Year One" collection on 180 gram vinyl for its 25th anniversary. Available again for the first time in decades. Originally released in 2001, the Boston hardcore band’s 25th anniversary release of "Year One" pays tribute to their formative years. This collection unites their first two 7”s, originally released by Bridge 9 Records founder and then-roommate Chris Wrenn, on a 180-gram LP, with all tracks recorded by Kurt Ballou at God City. Originally designed by Jake Bannon (Converge), this edition has been reimagined by Del Jae (Futurismo Records) and singer Wesley Eisold, and comes packaged in a gatefold with an insert of handwritten lyrics and collaged images. "Year One" doesn’t just celebrate a milestone; it reaffirms American Nightmare’s enduring legacy. Their music raised the bar for emotional depth in hardcore, adding a distinctly poetic and existential lyrical approach that set them apart and changed the rules of the scene, paving the way for countless bands that followed

The cultured dub and tech label Sushitech marks its 20th anniversary by branching out with a new imprint, Wood White Sessions, which has been designed as an outlet for more intimate, home-focused listening sounds that don't stray too far from the parent label's original ethos. Dedicated to albums from long-time collaborators and core artists, the new venture expands the Sushitech sound with a softer, more reflective edge and seasoned dub craftsman Another Channel is up first. Across eight cuts rich in texture and atmosphere, he hooks up with Prince Morella, Masis and Yassin Omidi to immerse you in the most shady and pristine dub.