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ULTRA LIMITED EDITION - Cassette/Tape - Consits of 4 DIFFERENT ARTWORKS (BUY, OBEY, WATCH TV, SLEEP) - NO REPRESS!

FULL soundtrack of John Carpenter's cult sci-fi/action/horror cult film They Live (1988) in never released on vinyl before expanded edition from legendary composer Alan Howarth.

Blues riffs surf on ambient synth, saxophone and harmonica mingle with sparse alien electronics and abstract soundscapes - Alan Howarth's score perfectly matches the eerie paranoid urban Western meets corporate sci fi vibe of John Carpenter's iconic movie.

This version, officially licensed from Alan Howarth, includes all 29 tracks from the soundtrack - the true complete music scores of They Live!

Points of interests

- For fans of soundtracks, horror, cult, sci fi, synth, Western, VHS, John Carpenter, bubble gum, conspiracies, cowboy boots, sunglasses, very rare editions of vinyl records.

- Full EXPANDED version of the They Live soundtrack on vinyl for the first time!

Following their debut on Klockworks in 2023, Spanish duo Ribé & Roll Dann return on Ben Klock’s celebrated imprint with ‘Klockworks 40’, delivering a pure driving techno four-tracker sure to be heard on dancefloors and festivals across the globe.

From the kinetic groove of opener ‘Interludio’ to the sharp-edged energy of ‘Tregua’, the A-side captures the duo’s command of movement and space on the dancefloor. The flip side pushes further with ‘Demencia’ hauntigly rolling in with a darker, hypnotic mood and ‘El Nexo’ showcases yet again immersive sound design and wonky corrosive rhythms.

Craigie Knowes day-one affiliate The Burrell Connection rejoins Craigie Knowes for his much anticipated EP ‘I Waste My Time So You Don’t Have To’. Featuring the fantastic ‘E Before I’ which has been heard in various forms across Berlin’s underground in the past few months, accompanied by an additional version taken from The Burrell Connection’s recent LIVE performance in Tresor, invited by Wania’s LNS & DJ Sotofett.

The B-Side comes correct with the dubbed-out power of ‘Celestial’ alongside the quintessential Burrell Connection galaxy-spanning pads and bass combo on ‘Ensemble’. One for the real heads, from dub to club.

Gladstone Deluxe is one of the most exciting musicians in the US right now. They make futuristic, deep, percussive yet smooth techno, deep house and electro. They also play timbales in NYC queer and trans salsa band Las Mariquitas, and are a frequent collaborator with fellow East Coast sonic trailblazers Kiernan Laveaux, Johnny Zoloft, and Mira Mira. They have released on Black Techno Matters, Data Disk, Misc, Innocent Music, How Things Are Made, and now Fixed Rhythms is excited to add to the Gladstone lore with their new offering, “No Haterade EP”.

A1 “Cleanse” is zippy tech-y house…think groovy, up-beat, sexy, like something you’d hear in a Titonton Duvante set. A2 is a remix, “Teakup – Where’s My Snare (Gladstone Deluxe Remix)”. Now the EP takes a turn towards psychedelic electro. Spacey trippy vocal manipulations, swelling deep space gravitational waves swelling and resolving. The B side opens with the “No Haterade” track. Arpeggiated electro that slaps with swagger. The final track is a longer, 9 minute driving deep housey techno tune. A bass line that you never want to stop, luscious pads, brain-tingling pings, melodic percussive synth runs, and a touch of acid.

If Gladstone is not already on your radar, take heed! Big tunes here!

Oath’s latest release features renowned producer Kreggo, founder of Art-Aud and Secret Rave, known for his genre-defying sound and deeply atmospheric productions. Active since 2014, Kreggo’s music spans IDM, Acid, Breaks, Bass, and Techno, continually evolving with each release. His label Art-Aud is celebrated for its forward-thinking output. His new EP ‘Altro Mood’ includes three original tracks and a remix by Gilb’R, blending energetic rhythms with rich, emotive layers. Tracks like ‘Sensor’, ‘Labi Inside’, and ‘Obabi’ explore intricate sonic textures, while ‘Taylor Bottle’ and Gilb’R’s remix add further depth. The EP showcases Kreggo’s signature warmth, innovation, and ever-expanding sonic world.

More than a decade after his last full album, Kim Hiorthøy returns with Ghost Note, released by the Belgian label Blickwinkel. Though his music has quietly existed in the background—shaping contemporary dance, film, and theatre—this album brings it into focus once more. Ghost Note is an exploration of sound on the edge of presence and absence, a fictional world that is both constructed and organic.

Using mostly digital technology, Hiorthøy created a set of instruments that are real—you can hear them, they have tone, timbre, and resonance—but also not. The percussion, for instance, sounds like cheap scrap metal drums. But are they real? Do they exist? Hiorthøy plays with perception, challenging what feels real and what feels like a memory. In doing so, Ghost Note becomes an invitation to embrace uncertainty and indefinability.

“It's a kind of foggy area between theatre and daily life. Ghost notes. I wanted to try to make music that existed in this in-between space. Electronic music that is acoustic, a kind of emotional music that also hides in abstraction (or the other way around), and to try to make tracks that were sort of falling apart as I was making them.” ­- Kim Hiorthøy

sferic land a debut album of thizzing and blown-out ambient trap x dub techno vapours from XTCLVR.

Produced under trying circumstances, Ukraine’s XTCLVR wrests an escapist sense of hazed beauty on a compelling maiden voyage for bleary-eyed specialists sferic, written and recorded during long nights under curfew and occasional shelling. Vocals are there, but mostly unintelligible, disrupted by a persistent offbeat churn and fragmentary instability, a paradoxically lush but anxious sound that reflects broader butterfly effects of war and its ripples of socio-economic fuckery on one level, and simply a trippy soundtrack to the afters on another.

Ten smudged shots unfurl across a 3D stereo space in gyring and shearing motion, cryptically shielding and scrambling a message meant to be deciphered by your sixth senses. A vocoder is diffused in aerosolised designs on the rugged lean of ‘Perspective’, setting up a chain reaction that buckles to more fraught feels on ‘Allergen’ and the ruptured raptures of a ‘Storm Shadow’ recalling Nazar’s recent sound design spheres for Hyperdub.

BSW948 lends nervous bars laced into the warped matrix of ’Night Shift Cut’, and OB3TH perfuses the iridescent dub techno of ‘The Wise Mystical Tree’, whilst Indy lends to the ambient drill of ‘Acid Flavour’, and closer ‘Dead Smoke’ perhaps best betrays, even if metaphorically, a feeling of psychic distress in its dank, submerged mire.

No one can help you build something beautiful quite like those who know you best. Alan Sparhawk knows this well. In his years in Low, he built decades of stirring music with his wife and lifelong creative partner Mimi Parker. In recent years, he has performed around Minnesota with his son Cyrus in DERECHO Rhythm Section, a funk band that also frequently features his daughter Hollis on vocals. There's an irreplaceable naturalism that comes with this kind of dynamic. Those who know you understand you. They love you. They want to help you bring your greatest passions to fruition. So it made sense that Sparhawk would turn to fellow Duluth musicians Trampled by Turtles to realize his latest record. As friends and mentees of Low's, taken under Sparhawk and Parker's wing from their earliest days as a bar band, Trampled by Turtles have performed with Sparhawk countless times over the years. The Duluth ties run deep: "There's a certain vibe that has to do with underdog syndrome, coming from a small town," Sparhawk muses. "Some of it is the weird grind and slackness that being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts in you. It humbles you." The two artists hold the kind of ironclad bond. Following Parker's passing in 2022, Trampled by Turtles invited Sparhawk to join them on tour to give him a space to be surrounded by friends. Occasionally, he would join them onstage. The outpouring of love was palpable every time they played together, a surge of warmth. When playing together is that powerful, why stop there? In winter, 2024, Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles created With Trampled by Turtles, a record exactly as its name implies: Collective. Communal. Fraternal. Empathetic. A vessel for comfort, a reminder of the harmony that can exist when surrounded by those closest to you. Where White Roses, My God, Sparhawk's last album, plunged headfirst into electronica and radical vocal modulation, With Trampled by Turtles leans into the folk and bluegrass stylings of its backing band, Sparhawk's voice now completely unvarnished. With Trampled by Turtles is far more than just Alan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles. It's an affirmation of all the people who have been vital in Sparhawk's life and music, and an opportunity to hold each of their gifts into the light. It's producer Nat Harvie, who has been collaborating and performing with him for years. It's Sparhawk's daughter Hollis, who duets with her father on "Not Broken." And it's Mimi Parker, too: "Too High," "Princess Road Surgery," and "Not Broken" were all tracks she and Sparhawk had been working on in the last few years. These songs finally found a setting that stirringly commemorates them, bolstered by a full ensemble to make every note sing. Their presence is a kind of eternal connection to Parker, a way her musical grace will keep flourishing.

It’s been ten years since Drew Lustman aka FaltyDL last released on Planet Mu. In the meantime he's been running his own label Blueberry Records, been in-house producer for Mykki Blanco and has become a dad. The best things come out of play and it was Drew’s relationship with his young daughter that switched on this playful side of his music. The album in question, ‘Neurotica,’ expresses Drew’s fun in creating such energetic pieces people will want to move to. It's a dizzying sugar-rush at a high-speed bounce; the music is fresh and inviting and most important of all, joyful."Summer of ’24, we were in Catalonia. My girl, our young daughter, the old folks. Days by the village pool, afternoons on the dirtbike. At night, I made salads. Simple things. Good things. One afternoon, lying back, phone in hand, I saw a friend post a GRWM. The music behind it stopped me. A song grabbed hold. The track was ‘Secret’ by Mietze Conte, which is fast-paced euro-pop dance music, like soft fluffy gabber with childlike vocals. I hunted down the full version. Played it again. And again. Twenty times over the next few days. It unlocked something. The best music does that. Like the first time I heard Burial. Had to know what was happening under the surface. That time, it led to ‘Love Is A Liability’ in 2009. This time, it led to ‘Neurotica.’“ “I started to record, getting down fast, bright, sugar-rush sounds. 185 to 200 BPM. I wrote them quick—half a day per track. In between, I slowed things down. Gave space for breath. Mike Paradinas helped shape the album, his ear guiding the flow. I tested the tracks. Played them for kids barely out of diapers and grown folks who still move like they are. It worked, on all ages. I kept it simple. Only two rules: keep it moving and don’t look at my phone. Cut the vocals like I used to.” ‘Neurotica’ is FaltyDL with his mojo refreshed, a new life squared, do yourself a favour, crack a smile and feel the joy.

Barcelona-based record label Hot Plates, founded by Nico and Dom of Suicide After 7, is thrilled to present its debut release: a four-track EP distributed by Runas. The record is a dynamic journey through analog textures and genre-blurring rhythms, unified by a shared spirit and sonic identity. Crafted with vintage gear like the TR-808, Juno-106, FM synths, and Prophet, the EP showcases a range of moods and energies:

“Blanked” sets the tone with crisp pads, a subtle Chicago house rhythm, and a blend of futuristic and retro synths. It carries an ominous yet invigorating feel—an understated dancefloor burner that slowly creeps in.

“Fish Fry” pushes into darker territory, with an edgy, slightly menacing EBM vibe. Anchored by a gritty FM bass and splashes of sharp percussion, it rolls forward with underground intensity and eerie momentum.

“Orion” shifts the tone into something romantic and nostalgic, channeling classic Italo influences. Soft pads and a hypnotic, pulsing synth create a dreamy, forwardmoving energy that feels both futuristic and wistful.

“Sole Seller” closes the EP with a disco-inspired banger—playful, stripped-back, and built to move. Sparse vocals float above the groove, giving it just the right hint of attitude while keeping it firmly locked in dance territory.

Each track opens a different window into the Hot Plates universe. Together, they form a cohesive, well-rounded EP—diverse in style, but united by that
unmistakable Suicide After 7 essence

The Bar-Kays were originally formed in Memphis, Tennessee, 1966, as a sextet backing group for Stax Records. They had a promising career in front of them as a session band & recording outfit before the backbone of the group was killed, along with Otis Redding who had hired them as his backing band for a tour, in a plane crash. Only Ben Cauley survived the crash and went on to form what could be dubbed Bar-Kays Mark II. James Alexander (Bass) was also one of the original members but was not aboard the plane because of limited seats on Redding's plane. For Alexander and Cauley and new members Michael Toles, Willie Hall, Ronnie Gordon and Harvey Henderson, the track 'Sang & Dance' was one of the first tracks from the new group, cut in late 1969. They recorded steadily for Mercury records in the 70s & 80s, the two tracks on this 7” among their best loved and sought after. “Open Your Heart” only previously a 7” B-side in Spain

Brazilian Psychedelic Rock Artist Firefriend via Cardinal Fuzz and Little Cloud Records announce a first time vinyl pressing for the classic - “999 to 666 ts Street” Prepare to take the long way through the void — Brazilian sonic architects Firefriend present the searing “999 to 666 TS Street”, a full-length LP that bends time, bleeds color, and dives deeper into the cracked corridors of psychedelic rock. With roots tangled deep in the underground of São Paulo and their eyes forever fixed on the cosmic unknown, Firefriend has carved out a space uniquely their own — a distorted dreamscape where shoegaze meets fuzz, noise folds into melody, and every track is a doorway. “999 to 666 TS Street” is a concept record that navigates a haunted psychogeography: an address etched between realities, where spiritual unrest collides with dystopian daydreams.

A Journey Through Sound and Shadow Drenched in fuzzed-out guitars, whispered vocals, analog synths, and pulsing rhythms, this LP sees the trio — Yury Hermuche (guitar/vocals), Julia Grassetti (bass/vocals), and Cacau Bandeira (drums) — begin to forge the fearless vision they seek. From the opening surge to the final fractured lullaby, “999 to 666 TS Street” is both a destination and a transmission: a call to the wanderers, the outsiders, and the seekers. But Firefriend's mission isn’t just sonic — it’s political.

As proudly left-wing artists with an internationalist vision, the band channels the disillusionment and resistance of a generation watching the world teeter. Their music radiates both critique and hope, connecting the dystopia of late capitalism with a dream of liberation. Whether playing São Paulo basements or European festivals, Firefriend brings an urgent message beneath the haze: solidarity is louder than silence. "This album is a street you can't find on any map — it's the place your mind goes when you turn the lights off," says frontman Yury Hermuche. "It's noise, beauty, and a little bit of danger." "We wanted to build a record that feels like a fever dream on vinyl," adds bassist Julia Grassetti. "Something physical, something that glows in the dark." About Firefriend Known for their hypnotic live shows and cult international following, Firefriend has shared stages with underground legends and graced the grooves of multiple celebrated independent releases.

They’ve become essential listening for fans of Spacemen 3, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and The Velvet Underground — yet remain wholly, defiantly themselves. “999 to 666 TS Street” marks the start and is another milestone in their prolific catalog, pushing the limits of psychedelic rock while remaining anchored in the beautifully bleak emotionalism that defines their sound. Beneath the distortion lies a worldview — anti-authoritarian, borderless, and defiantly alive.

DJ Support - Make A Dance, Chloe Calliet, LF System, Josh Baker, Holly Lester, Horse Meat Disco, Elliot Schooling, Blond:ish, and Jamie Jones to name a few are all on board.

The third vinyl only release from the mysterious Duzer project. Dropping two fresh cuts in two different spaces, that have seen strong support from some heavy hitting names across the scene.

Flamenco is a Spanish art, which has always been prone to hybridization with a multitude of musical languages. Therefore, the universe of "flamenco fusion" could well reflect the way in which Spaniards have related throughout history with other cultures. And that relationship may have often been one of dialogue, exchange, respect and crossbreeding. Among the circumstances that could have favored the traditional mestizaje of flamenco art is the open character of the south of the Iberian Peninsula, to all the civilizations that have settled in its territories; the encounter with America in 1492, and the brotherhood with the Spanish-speaking countries; that the Casa de contratación de Indias, the entity that regulated the transit between Spain and America for centuries, was founded in none other than... Seville! (and olé); without forgetting the FUNDAMENTAL African contribution, brought to America by millions of black slaves throughout the 400 years of the slave trade. Pícaro vol. 4 is an excellent example of how some Spanish flamenco musicians knew how to take advantage of the fashion of other styles and rhythms coming from outside Spain, creating a new sound universe and incorporating them into their repertoire. Undoubtedly, there is a generational replacement of "flamenco Ye-Ye" in Spain with artists like Rosalía or C. Tangana, although now it will be necessary to modernize "the label". This compilation offers us a snapshot of the multiple styles of flamenco hybridization that triumphed in the world during the decades of the 50's and 60's of the 20th century. Through its microsurcos we will discover immeasurable flamenco ye yé (track 1), flamenco rock & roll (tracks 3 and 4), flamenco cha cha chá (tracks 6, 7 and 15) or flamenco mambo (track 12), together with other unusual, exotic and impossible mixes of Spanish song with tango arrabalero, bluegrass, easy listening, swing, groove or soul. Always a happy mix, which are brought together with exquisite taste in this vinyl for your enjoyment.

CATCHY, MESMERIZINGLY BEAUTIFUL, DREAMY CHAMBER POP WITH A FOLKY TWIST

Music can have a multitude of emotional impacts and can create inner worlds out of voices, sounds, and moods.
If you open heart and ear to the mesmerizing, hauntingly beautiful soundscapes of AURI, you might find a beacon of light inside a sonic realm untouched by today’s often scary, grim realities; a dreamscape that can be profoundly uplifting.
On their third studio album, III - Candles & Beginnings’ the stars have aligned yet again. Propelled by the unique and celestial voice of Johanna Kurkela, the magical textures of Nightwish mastermind Tuomas Holopainen and the almost unlimited musical palette of Nigtwish multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley, Auri have presented a world to be unlocked with the senses, blending folk, progressive and symphonic elements, world music, pop and avantgarde.
Right after completing Nightwish’s 2024 monument Yesterwynde, the songwriting for the third chapter in Auri’s musical adventures started in 2023, with Troy writing in Yorkshire and Tuomas and Johanna working their creative magic in Kitee, Finland. By Autumn 2024, a 10-song demo was complete, setting the stage for what would become another breathtaking Auri journey. The band and their trusted engineer Tero “Teecee” Kinnunen took the mixing process to sunny Spain, letting the Andalucian vibes infuse the music whereas in March 2025 mastering was wrapped up by Tim Oliver at the legendary Real World Studios - a ground-breaking recording complex started by Peter Gabriel in 1989.
The album is a tapestry of emotions - each song a world of its own, touching on childhood memories, vivid life experiences, and even a nod to one of the group’s most beloved places on Earth - The Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge, a historic spot nestled in the North York Moors and one of the most remote pubs you will ever find.
Visually, the cover artwork by Pete Voutilainen, layout and watercolors by Mikko Pankasalo plus calligraphy by Johanna Kurkela provide wonderful illustrations perfectly capturing Auri’s unique musical visions.
With guest musicians like Frank Van Essen (strings), Jonas Pap (cello), Juho Kanervo (basses), and the incredible drumming and percussion courtesy of Nightwish’s Kai Hahto, Auri III - Candles & Beginnings is as lush as it is atmospheric and provides astonishing dynamics.
Having been a studio endeavor in the past, Auri is finally going on tour with their first-ever live European trek kicking off in August 2025, followed by summer festivals in 2026, allowing you to hear, see and feel songs from their previous two albums, as well as brand new pieces from III - Candles & Beginnings.

Zur Feier des 40-jährigen Jubiläums des Debütalbums "First And Last And Always" von The Sisters Of Mercy wird ein 4LP-Vinylset veröffentlicht.

Es enthält das Originalalbum sowie die drei EPs auf Black & Red Marbled Vinyl, die vor der Veröffentlichung erschienen sind - »Body & Soul«, »Walk Away« und »No Time To Cry«. Jede EP enthält Bonustracks, die nicht auf dem Album enthalten sind.

Die 1980 in Leeds von Gitarrist Gary Marx und Sänger Andrew Eldritch gegründete Band veröffentlichte im März 1985 »First And Last And Always«, den Höhepunkt von fünf Jahren unabhängiger Veröffentlichungen, mit denen sie sich eine große Fangemeinde erspielte.

Ihre erste Veröffentlichung bei Warner (die sie 1984 unter Vertrag nahmen) erreichte Platz 14 der UK Album Charts. Zu dieser Zeit spielte die Band mit Wayne Hussey an der Gitarre und Craig Adams am Bass - beide verließen später die Band und gründeten The Mission.

MEMOTONE, aka Will Yates, has announced details of a new 12-track album, smallest things, set for release on World of Echo on 1 August 2025 on vinyl and digitally.

The album launches today with first track, ‘Time Is Away Theme’, a live favourite that is finally available on album. Watch the video HERE Talking about the release, Will has said, “Staring at a square inch of neglected concrete, I recognise the beauty of existence. Quietly hysterical. While humanitarian catastrophes bubble across the planet, the tides remain in constant and disinterested motion. Your money is worth less than the dusty moss that powders this pavement.

It's certainly not worth a life. We are the smallest things, along with everything else." Will Yates has made music as Memotone since 2007. He operates in the tradition of what Robert Fripp has called 'a small, independent, mobile, and intelligent unit.' If you book him, he will come. When he arrives, he will have everything he needs to make his complex, engaging music: a clarinet, a guitar, synths, samplers and pedals, quickly unpacked in the corner of a club, gallery or village hall. Starting small, he will build layer upon layer of melody, accompanying himself and cutting across himself, creating a music that avoids cliche and moves beyond easy description. His recordings have followed the same trajectory. Moving quickly, he has released fifteen or so albums across various labels (including Trilogy Tapes, Discrepant, Soda Gong). Taken together, these recordings are the sound of a skilled, inventive composer pushing at the edges of what he wants to listen to himself. It is possible to hear a variety ofinfluences in his music: folk and jazz forms, the textural inventiveness of British DI electronica and Chicago post-rock and the blurred sci-fi brass of Jon Hassell are all discernible. But mostly, Will's work seems to stem from a constant drift between long hours in his home studio, and time spent outside in the woods and hills around his home in Wales.

Listening to the album, lushness creeps in at the edges, tiny green shoots appear on what might at first appear to be bare soil. smallest things sheds the skin of Will's previous recordings, removing the electronics and the looping and layering of previous work, to create something almost entirely acoustic. But don't be fooled into imagining music that's folksy, pastoral or twee. Opening track 'I Could See the Smallest Things' is a statement of intent. Widely spaced guitar is underpinned by earthy cello and sleepwalking clarinet, making a gorgeous threadbare pattern, which recalls a Morton Feldman miniature or a Morandi still life.

Beyond the skill involved and the years of self-taught music making that have gone into putting this record together, it is Will's close, careful attention and his talent for existing, observing and creating in the moment that make his work special. Memotone will perform at World of Echo’s annual birthday celebration on 8 Nov Expected Music, when they take over Walthamstow Trades Hall for an inter-genre, day-long investigation into some of the more outré manifestations of the contemporary worldwide underground.

Cleaning Out The Empty Administration Building ist Ross Farrars neuestes Werk aus rohem, gesprochenem Wort und experimentellem Sounddesign, hier präsentiert unter dem Namen R.J.F.. Der Frontmann der amerikanischen Bands Ceremony und SPICE begann dieses Soloprojekt zunächst als persönliche Herausforderung: Songs von Grund auf selbst zu schreiben, sich mit Instrumenten vertraut zu machen und dabei zugleich sein Unterbewusstsein freizulegen. Dabei ging es weniger um musikalische Virtuosität als um Verletzlichkeit - darum, etwas Ehrliches aus einem ungeschützten, unbearbeiteten, unpolierten Moment zu ziehen, kompromisslos amateurhaft und rein.Diese Sammlung zeigt Farrar im offenen, poetischen Dialog: mit Drumloops und gefundenen Klängen, durchbrochen von Gitarren, Bass und Tasteninstrumenten. Nach über zwanzig Jahren in der vertrauten wie chaotischen Welt von Band-Kollaborationen, legt Farrar all das ab - als Experiment. Das Ergebnis ist unverwechselbar und bewegend.Farrars Punk-Pathos ist in Spuren vorhanden, doch seine deutlichsten Einflüsse stammen von repetitiven Musikformen: Drone, No-Wave, Avant-Jazz und darüber hinaus. Seine nüchternen Texte erinnern an Lou Reed, Rowland S. Howard und andere große Exzentriker. Farrars Texte kreisen um Liebe, Sucht, Vaterschaft und das Leben in der heutigen Welt. ,Ich wollte Bilder schaffen, die die Menschen klar vor sich sehen können", sagt er. Farrar unterrichtete früher Schreiben und Literatur - und wendet hier ein einfaches Prinzip an, das er auch seinen Schülern mitgab: Nicht zu viel nachdenken. ,Ich habe mir einfach gesagt: Diese Songs sollen Spaß machen. Sie sollen nicht stressig sein. Zwei, drei Takes aufnehmen und dann gut ist. Nicht über jedes Geräusch den Kopf zerbrechen. Mach einfach das, was natürlich aus dir herauskommt - und wenn es sich gut anfühlt, dann nimm es."Aus hunderten freier Songs, die Farrar in den letzten Jahren mit geliehenem Equipment aufgenommen hat, kristallisierte sich dieses Album langsam heraus. ,Es kam einfach immer wieder."Der Ton von Cleaning scheint die Zeit zu verbiegen, versetzt die Hörer in eine Art Gang voller Songs, bei denen jede Tür in einen neuen Raum führt - Räume, die oft auf unheimliche Weise vertraut wirken. Der gurgelnde Bass des Openers ,Advance" taucht auch in anderen Stücken wieder auf, etwa im gespenstischen ,Ovidian", benannt nach Ovids Metamorphosen, in dem Farrar über das Wunder der Veränderung sinniert - begleitet von fernen Glockenklängen. Instrumentalstücke wie ,Gravity Hill" - ein Flattern aus Synth-Brummen und statischem Rauschen - oder ,Frogs", mit Saiteninstrumenten und perkussivem Topfschlagen, wirken wie tranceartige Zwischenspiele und verstärken die Wirkung der Texte drumherum.,Exile" blickt zurück auf Verluste, die sich nicht mehr reparieren lassen: ,So much of your heart caught in my exile", singt Farrar mit sanfter Resignation - über einer einsamen Klaviermelodie und schlingernden Gitarrenakkorden. Es ist das strukturierteste Stück der Sammlung und erinnert daran, dass Farrar ein Gespür für melodische Linien besitzt.Das Album endet mit ,Traveling Light From Afar", deutlich schneller als alle vorherigen Songs. Hier, über einem stoischen Motorik-Beat, spricht Farrar das zentrale Thema des Projekts direkt an:,I've been so young in my old age / Selfish & self-pitying / But that's just narcissism - man."Genau dieser Balanceakt - zwischen schonungsloser Selbstbefragung und der Klarheit, die mit dem Älterwerden kommt - schafft Raum für Entwicklung. Farrar leert das Gebäude - Zeile für Zeile.

Eine Band, die so laut spielte, dass ihre gesamte Fangemeinde taub wurde und nie wieder über sie sprach. Super Static Fever wurde 1993 im Vorort von San Jose, Kalifornien, gegründet und spielte in den kurzen zwei Jahren ihres Bestehens nur eine Handvoll Gigs, bei denen sie die Zuschauer mit einer Tinnitus verursachenden Wah-Wah-Wand aus Marshall-gestapelter Verzerrung bestraften. Ihr Sound war eine Mischung aus Melvins-esque Sludge, dem melodischen Crunch von Swervedriver und der Vorliebe von Black Flag für Lautstärke, wie man sie aus der Stereoanlage eines 1985er Ford Econoline hört. Unvollendete Bänder von zwei ohrenbetäubenden Sessions sind alles, was die folgenden 25 Jahre seit ihrer gleichgültigen Auflösung überlebt hat, gemischt von dem anspruchsvollen Steve Albini als einzige Bedingung der Band für die Wiederveröffentlichung. Die Verpackung riecht nach der computerverkrüppelten D.I.Y.-Ästhetik der 90er Jahre, mit VHS Unschärfe und undurchsichtigem weißem Raster auf Spanplatten. Eine Platte, die es gerade noch so gibt und wahrscheinlich auch nicht geben sollte.

Minor Slip ist das Felte-Debüt von Shaki Tavi, dem Hauptprojekt des aus Oklahoma stammenden und in LA lebenden DIY-Aktivisten Leon Manson und einer Gruppe von Freunden und Mitstreitern. Durch die schichtweisen Böen von verwaschenen Gitarren und übersteuerten Drums tauchen trügerisch schöne Pop-Hooks auf, die durch Mansons verwitterten, harmonischen Bariton und sein Händchen für einfallsreiche Strukturen beleuchtet werden. Als er die Ursprünge des Albums auf eine Phase des Burnouts und der Desillusionierung zurückführt, erinnert er sich: "Ich fing an, mich einfach mit ein paar minimalen Effekten und Geräten hinzusetzen, Riffs zu spielen und mich zu fragen, `Was, wenn es Spaß machen könnte? Was, wenn es für mich sein könnte?'" Das Ergebnis ist kraftvoll, verletzlich, eingängig und ungewöhnlich authentisch, eine Eruption kreativer Kraft des Kindes von Rockmusikern, dessen Leidenschaft und Antrieb als Außenseiter in einer Kleinstadt entstanden, und gestärkt inmitten der Künstlichkeit und der Selbstverteidigungsrealität von LA. Die Leadsingle "Breaker" kombiniert einen Midtempo-Breakbeat mit prismatischen Gitarren und entspanntem Gesang in einer Kreuzung von Genres, die Mansons Jahre in verschiedenen Bands und Szenen zu einer aufrichtigen, kompromisslosen Vision verdichtet. Auf "Foam" schweben Schädelrassel-Riffs und eine heulende Gitarrenhook über Big Beat-Drums und beschwören gleichermaßen arenagroße Erhabenheit und schrilles Schwanken herauf. Die Fülle und der Ehrgeiz in Mansons Arrangements entwickelten sich im Laufe von einigen Jahren des Schreibens, Überarbeitens, und Aufnehmens. Er erinnert sich: "Nach einigen überraschenden Rückmeldungen auf ein paar Bedroom-Demos holte ich meine Bandkollegen ins Studio, um ausgefeiltere Versionen zu machen; diese zweite Phase beinhaltete eine vertraute Art von existenziellem Abdriften und Zweifeln, aber die Lösung war die gleiche wie immer: es einfach halten, Sachen machen, die ich mag, und von dort aus gehen." Trotz seiner einzigartigen Vision ist Manson der Gemeinschaft sehr verbunden; er hat jahrelang bei der kreativen Non-Profit-Organisation Non Plus Ultra in LA gearbeitet, und obwohl er das enorme Ausmaß der Kunstszene an der Westküste anerkennt, merkt er an: "Das Gute an dieser Stadt ist, dass die kreative Energie unübertroffen ist, wenn man in der Lage ist, die Segel zu setzen und sie zu nutzen." Manson fasst die emotionale Investition in seine Arbeit wie folgt zusammen: "Diese Platte fühlte sich manchmal wie eine Last, manchmal wie eine Rettungsinsel an; es war ein Prozess, in dem man alles, was passiert, willkommen heißt, auch wenn es kleine Ausrutscher gibt."