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Kee Avil's music is both adventurous and intimate, intellectually challenging and emotionally resonant. The Montréal guitarist and producer's 2022 debut LP Crease garnered plaudits from outlets like The Wire, The Quietus, Mojo and Foxy Digitalis, picking up a Canadian Juno Award nomination and Bandcamp Album Of The Day and Albums Of The Year along the way. Its intricate construction, unnerving atmospheres, and knife-edge take on avant-pop prompted comparisons to early PJ Harvey, This Heat, and Gazelle Twin. A remix EP with work by claire rousay, Ami Dang, Cecile Believe, and Pelada brought collaborative perspectives to four Crease tracks, offering new pathways within those songs. With Spine, Kee Avil strips back her heavily textured compositions, opening up a much rawer sound. She calls it folk—and while traditionalists might scoff, this is urgent music that reflects the precarity of modern life, as well as the jarring mixture of electronic and real-world interactions that have become the fabric of our day-to-day experiences. There's a hypnotic post-punk somnambulance to it all, using the repetition and fracturing of melodic phrases interwoven with delicate electronics to create curious and persistent hooks. While not a concept album, themes of time's passage, remembrance, and decay crop up across multiple tracks. Each track intentionally only has four elements—guitar, electronics, and two other instruments, with Kee's voice and guitar pushed to the front. Within this minimalist framework, the juxtaposition of beauty and discomfort that is key to the Kee Avil sound stands out in skin-prickling relief. "We're shaped by many versions of ourselves," says Avil. "I was looking back at these versions of myself and what could have been, what didn't end up being and what did end up being, and going back like that through time. Seeing the future, the past." Spine was written in Kee Avil's home studio after a lapse in writing while touring Crease and working on other projects. She is a well-known and respected member of the Montréal experimental scene, and formerly ran Concrete Sound Studio with Zach Scholes, who continues to work with her as a producer on Spine. Compared to the three years that went into making her debut, Spine emerged in a matter of months—a process that may also be a factor in its intensity and sharpness: "This record was much harder, like it was really discovering everything from scratch." In her desire to not simply replicate or extend the sound of Crease, she felt she had to rip up the rule book, write in a different way, and pare back songs against her usual instincts. Sometimes, when we work against our ingrained habits, we get to the core of who we really are. Spine is an exercise in that process. Without over-intellectualizing or being didactic, it hits immediately and emotionally, especially if you are a person who has spent much time in the process of self-examination. Kee's voice hisses, whispers, and chants; her guitar bends and rings; electronics skitter and crackle; violin creaks like a door in the wind. There is something so evocative about the atmospheres she creates that it's easy to overlay one's own feelings onto her work, but to do that wholly would be to overlook one of the most important things about Spine: Kee Avil's clear and thoughtful vision. This isn't just the next step forward in her artistic trajectory; it's a stunner of a record that stands on its own, a bracing and thrilling listen that has much to reveal about the contradictions inherent in being human. — jj skolnik.

For the very first time on double vinyl, one of the most amazing musical adventures of influential singer & songwriter Julie Tippetts. Originally released on cd in 1999, Shadow Puppeteer is the result of a long running career, a devotional solo album fulfilling her royal artistic vision. Surely one of the foremost European vocalists in the field of contemporary jazz and improvised music, she started out with The Brian Auger band in the 60’s fusing soul jazz and r&b with amazing results. Moving forward into the realms of free improvisation and english jazz she found home in stunning projects as Centipede, Ovary Lodge, Ark, Mujician, The Georgian Ensemble, The Dedication Orchestra and (late husband) Keith Tippett's Tapestry. Shadow Puppeteer is a suite of compositions and improvisations in which Julie's voice and various instruments (wind chimes, tambourine, mandolin, thumb pianos, zithers and bells) are multi - tracked to showcase the full extent of her powers of expression and imagination.

Gustaf, the Brooklyn no wave / post-punk band helmed by Lydia Gammill, has announced their sophomore album for April 5th via Royal Mountain Records. Their first album since 2021’s Audio Drag for Ego Slobs, which nabbed the band a Beck cosign, tours with Idles, Sleaford Mods, and Yard Act, and critical acclaim, Package Pt. 2 continues the endlessly fascinating world-building exercise of its forbearer. Produced by Erin Tonkon, who worked on David Bowie's Blackstar, the album was recorded at Studio G Brooklyn and Circular Ruin.

South-Asian vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and composer Ganavya releases her new studio album “Like the sky I've been too quiet” on Shabaka Hutchings’ Native Rebel Recordings. The album features contributions from artists including Kofi Flexxx, Floating Points, Carlos Niño, Leafcutter John and Mercury-nominated bassist Tom Herbert.

Since graduating from Berklee College of Music, UCLA and Harvard, Ganavya has quickly become a much-in-demand artist on the US scene who consistently confounds expectations. Hailed as “among modern music's most compelling vocalists” (Wall Street Journal), “most enchanting” (NPR) and "extraordinary" (DownBeat), Ganavya has worked with an array of luminaries including the likes of Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding and on new album "Like the sky I've been too quiet" she presents thirteen compelling tracks which showcase her ethereal voice and numinous energy.

In August 2022, as her hook-filled triumph of a debut album ‘Garageband Superstar’ was soaring into the UK Top 40, she was grieving for her father, who’d died in the weeks ahead of the release. “A lot of stuff happened to me around that time – I lost my dad, I went through my first big break-up, I was living on my own for the first time,” she reflects now. It would have made sense if this intense period of grief, change and adaptation had left the 26-year-old needing to hit pause and focus on something other than music for a moment. Writing, though, became a way for her to deal with and continue processing the things she was going through. As she re-entered sessions in the studio, her second album ‘Girlfriend Material’ “just fell out” of her. “It felt like it needed to happen. I felt so much freer and a bit more capable of writing about certain topics than I did before,” she reasons. “It’s like, for the first album, someone sent me to Spain without me knowing any Spanish, and I’ve been like, ‘I’ll figure it out’. This time, I’ve had a year of learning Spanish, and I can ask for the time.”

In August 2022, as her hook-filled triumph of a debut album ‘Garageband Superstar’ was soaring into the UK Top 40, she was grieving for her father, who’d died in the weeks ahead of the release. “A lot of stuff happened to me around that time – I lost my dad, I went through my first big break-up, I was living on my own for the first time,” she reflects now. It would have made sense if this intense period of grief, change and adaptation had left the 26-year-old needing to hit pause and focus on something other than music for a moment. Writing, though, became a way for her to deal with and continue processing the things she was going through. As she re-entered sessions in the studio, her second album ‘Girlfriend Material’ “just fell out” of her. “It felt like it needed to happen. I felt so much freer and a bit more capable of writing about certain topics than I did before,” she reasons. “It’s like, for the first album, someone sent me to Spain without me knowing any Spanish, and I’ve been like, ‘I’ll figure it out’. This time, I’ve had a year of learning Spanish, and I can ask for the time.”

This album consists of unreleased Dubs recorded between 1986-90 at the early
Blakamix Studios.

Blakamix have re-opened the tape vaults and let Mixman loose to revamp and revitalise and give the Dub Doctor treatment to these early Dub tapes.

Michel Moers, the legendary Telex artist, makes a grand return with "As Is," his second solo album, released 33 years after his debut. This 2024 album features a unique blend of thoughtful electronic music and surrealism, marking a significant evolution in Moers' artistic journey. "As Is" includes collaborations with Claudia Brücken and Belgian singer Daan Stuyven, adding depth and variety to its sound. The album, reminiscent of diary entries and influenced by Erik Satie, was recorded largely in transit. It revisits and updates Moers’ classics, reflecting on modern individualism. Moers' involvement in remastering Telex's catalogue has sharpened his auditory skills, enriching this album. "As Is" is not just a comeback but a testament to Moers’ enduring creativity and relevance in the contemporary music scene

-Only available on vinyl.
The third record in a set of Soul In The Horn's very first 45 pressing featuring tracks from Rockwilder and KingPros.
Rockwilder "Love In Need" unveils a stunning mid-tempo house rendition of a classic tune by the esteemed hip-hop super producer, Rockwilder. This transformative piece takes the original track and infuses it with the soulful rhythms and melodic textures characteristic of mid-tempo house music.
King Pros "You Had to Know" - Hard-hitting soulful mid-tempo rework of one of the most revered voices in Black American Music.

Vanishing Twin is songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist Cathy Lucas, drummer Valentina Magaletti, bassist Susumu Mukai, synth/guitar player Phil MFU and visual artist/film maker Elliott Arndt on flute and percussion; and on this album they have made their first artistic statement for the ages.

Some of its great power comes from liberation. The album was produced by Lucas in a number of non-standard, non-studio settings. 'KRK (At Home In Strange Places)' summons up the spirit of Sun Ra's Lanquidity and Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio was simply recorded on an iPhone during a live set which crackled with psychic connectivity on the Croatian island of Krk.
The magical Morricone-esque lounge of 'You Are Not an Island', the blissed-out Jean-Claude Vannier style arrangement of 'Invisible World' and burbling sci fi funk ode to a 1972 cult French animation, 'Plane`te Sauvage', were all recorded in nighttime sessions in an abandoned mill in Sudbury. The only two outsiders to work on the recording were '6th member' and engineer Syd Kemp and trusted friend Malcolm Catto, band leader of the spiritual jazz/future funk outfit The Heliocentrics, who mixed seven of the tracks (with Lucas taking care of the other three).

Vanishing Twin formed in 2015 - their first LP, Choose Your Own Adventure, which came out on Soundway in 2016; followed by the darker, more abstract, mostly instrumental Dream By Numbers EP in 2017. The band explored their more experimental tendencies on the Magic And Machines tape released by Blank Editions in 2018, an improvised session recorded in the dead of night, offering a glimpse into their practice of deep listening, near band telepathy, and ritually improvised sound making. These sessions formed the basis of The Age Of Immunology.

Mammoth Penguins are a 3-piece indie powerhouse, showcasing the songwriting and vocal talents of Emma Kupa (Standard Fare) backed up by the noisiest rhythm section in indie pop. May 2024 sees the release of their fourth album Here on Fika Recordings. After 2019’s big, bold and confident There’s No Fight We Can’t Both Win, and the initial shock of the global pandemic cancelling a trip to SXSW in 2020, the band returned to the studio in the summer of 2021 to start recording. The new record leans into a raw pop-punk power-trio sound more than ever, with a deep growl in layered guitars and bursts of percussion and harmony. The songs and artwork explore themes about finding a place for yourself and familiarity with people and places. Although it turns back towards a classic three-piece sound, the band weren’t restricted by that palette, adding finishing touches of percussion, extra guitars and backing vocals in short bursts in a garden shed, and also bringing in gorgeous strings to sweeten the title track. The sound builds on the band’s first album, Hide and Seek, which was released with the much-loved and sorely missed Fortuna POP! in 2015. The follow-up LP John Doe in 2017 was an ambitious concept album, exploring the feelings of loss and anger at a man who fakes his own death only to return years later, expanding well beyond the 3-piece rock‘n’roll template, with washes of strings, synths and samples. The ‘Penguins have been smashing it at some high-profile support slots in the lead up to this album release, including at Allo Darlin’s joyous reunion at Islington Assembly Hall (Oct 2023) and Muncie Girls last ever London show (Dec 2023). They play the Leicester Indiepop all-dayer and Wales Goes Pop in March, before heading out on tour in support of the new album in May. Those big singalong choruses need your voice shouting back from the crowd with joy and defiance. Mammoth Penguins are Emma Kupa (guitar, vocals), Mark Boxall (bass, vocals) and Tom Barden (drums, vocals). Reminiscent of the pop melodies of The Beths, the indie dissonance of Land of Talk, and the guitar forward slacker rock of Weezer, Mammoth Penguins marry heart-ache indiepop with spiky guitars and Emma’s frank confessional songwriting. “wonderfully awkward indie pop with a literate flair, sounding a lot like a Weezer record or even a more feminine Wedding Present” Clash // “eminently relatable earworms” Brooklyn Vegan // “one of the finest examples of simple and true indie rock around” All Music // “her characterful voice still carrying masses of charm and the messier, grungey approach bringing a strength all of its own, aided by a clutch of cheerful hooks and riffs that contrast nicely with lyrics dealing mostly with heartbreak and misery” Drowned In Sound

Released in 1969, Bull Of The Woods is the 3rd and final studio album from the 13th Floor Elevators. They are the
first band to call their music psychedelic and are known for their innovative use of the electric pitcher. The original
vinyl has long been sold out and unavailable.

Holland, Dozier and Holland are arguably the greatest songwriters ever. More prolific than Lennon and McCartney, they shaped “the Sound of Young America” and propelled the Motown sound in the mid-1960s into a creative stratosphere unmatched by any other independent music label. Their trademark catchy teenage love songs were delivered energetically by previously unknown Detroit groups like The Supremes, the Four Tops, Martha & the Vandellas & Marvin Gaye. Although synonymous with Berry Gordy’s Motown, it was their departure from Motown after a stand-off strike in 1967 and a brutal legal battle that led them to run their own group of labels, Invictus, Hot Wax and Music Merchant. This compilation is a definitive look at this period in history, exploring how H-D-H, under a new guise ‘The Creative Corporation’, drove the next generation of soul music in a myriad of different ways, towards funk, underground disco and jazz. Featuring 55 tracks, this collection documents HDH’s creativity and growth over this seminal 8 year period. During this time the trio developed new artists to rival Motown’s success such as Chairman Of The Board, Freda Payne, Honey Cone, Glass House, Flaming Ember, 8th Day, Laura Lee & Eloise Laws. The collection is complete with a detailed depiction of this period in history by award winning author Stuart Cosgrove who wrote the Soul Trilogy, a series of books on soul music and social change - Detroit 67: the Year That Changed Soul, Memphis 68: The Tragedy of Southern Soul which won the Penderyn Prize, as Music Book of the Year in 2018, and Harlem 69: the Future of Soul. Stuart’s notes detail the relationship with Motown in the final days, the immediate fall out after the trio left Motown and the creation of the new labels Hot Wax, Invictus & Music Merchant

Im Geiste der klassischen jamaikanischen Aufnahmen der späten 70er und frühen 80er Jahre präsentiert uns Pachyman sein zweites Album mit Ausflügen in Dub und Roots Reggae. Inspiriert von der Roots Radics Band, erweitert Pachyman diesmal seine Erkundung des frühen Studio One-Sounds, Sly & Robbies Steppers-Stil und ein wenig Soul-Jazz-Reggae. Gemischt mit den Techniken von Scientist und King Tubby zollt Pachyman der Klangpalette der Dub-Meister Tribut. Aufgenommen zwischen April und Oktober 2019 in seinem eigenen 333 House Studio.

The opening line of Emily Dickinson’s short poem ‘‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers’ inspired the central image of Emily Barker’s new single ‘Feathered Thing’, written while she navigated cumulative grief.

When Barker was first introduced to producer Luke Potashnick (Gabrielle Aplin, Jack Savoretti, Katie Melua) in May 2022, she brought with her a full album’s worth of songs. But after visiting Potashnick’s storied studio, The Wool Hall and hearing his ambitious production ideas, she was inspired to write one more song.

“I also needed to process some heavy news” she comments. Barker and her husband Lukas Drinkwater had been trying to start a family. Following a couple of failed IVF cycles (and other “starts that we’d lost”), they investigated adoption and had decided to relocate to Australia to be closer to Barker’s family.

“It felt like we couldn’t work out what we wanted, but we finally reached a point where we both felt at peace with not having kids,” Barker recalls. “It had been an incredibly intense time, coinciding with a house move and the pandemic.”

And then Barker found she was pregnant. “We’d done all these things to try to make it happen, and then it happened naturally (and against all biological odds). Having previously navigated losses throughout our pregnancy journey, we now had to get our heads around what having this new person in our lives might look like - emotionally and practically.”

Soon after work began on the album, Barker had a miscarriage.

“Songwriting has always been a way of processing throughout my life.” Barker reveals how the new song came quickly as she sat at her piano at home. She shared an early version with Potashnick and remembers him politely asking, “Do you mind telling me what this is about?”

“I think I’d left it too abstract, initially,” she reflects. “It was difficult to open up about the miscarriage, but Luke was very supportive and encouraged me to dig a little deeper without necessarily being specific. I revisited the lyrics, and the result is much stronger.”

“I went to the burnt-out woods/ A tourist with some damaged goods/ Remembered how the trees withstood fires before…”

“The opening line is a metaphor for knowing that I’ll get through this,” Barker clarifies. “It’s about recovery and hope, allowing yourself both the space to grieve and permission to move on”. But Barker’s optimism is never misplaced – she knows the imprint of imagined futures and lost children are carried in hearts and minds forever:

“It’s so hard to let go, wanted to know wanted to know you …”

“I think that it's important to share and normalise these stories, which are all too common, yet not openly spoken about. People hide their pain and don’t want to burden friends and family. I think behind all this anguish, there’s a deep, often untold story.”

Now that Barker is settled back in Western Australia, she’s embracing being an auntie. “I’ve got three younger siblings over here who I’m close to, and they all have kids,” she enthuses. “I look after my brother's kids, aged two and five, one morning a week.”

Recorded - along with the entirety of the new album - at The Wool Hall, ‘Feathered Thing’ begins gently, with oscillating piano and distant drums, until the arrangement gradually transforms into an instrumental dervish of vibrant strings, bass drones and cymbal crashes. Throughout, Barker’s vocals float tantalisingly like a slipstreaming feather.

Watch the video, filmed at The Wool Hall here. The Wool Hall is a studio in Beckington, Somerset, set up by Tears for Fears in the 1980s and used by artists including The Smiths, Pretenders, Joni Mitchell and many more.

Emily Barker is an award-winning singer-songwriter, best known as the writer and performer of the theme to the hugely successful BBC crime drama ‘Wallander’ starring Kenneth Branagh.

Her last album, 2020's ‘A Dark Murmuration of Words’, was produced by Greg Freeman and recorded at StudiOwz, a converted chapel in the Welsh countryside. Lyrically probing, by turns both dark and optimistic, Barker searches for meaning through the deafening clamour of fake news and algorithmically filtered conversation, delivering a timely exploration of the grand themes of our age. It garnered widespread acclaim, with Uncut calling it “…a kind of Australian equivalent of PJ Harvey’s Let England Shake”.

Barker has released music and toured as a solo artist as well as with various bands and collaborations, most notably her long association with Frank Turner, and has written for TV and film, including composing the soundtrack for Jake Gavin’s lauded debut feature ‘Hector’ starring Peter Mullan and Keith Allen.

‘Fragile as Humans’ is scheduled for release on May 3rd 2024 through Everyone Sang/Kartel Music Group. The album will also feature earlier singles: the vast, cinematic ‘Wild to be Sharing This Moment’ and the meditative, crestfallen ‘Loneliness’.

"Due to the big success of The Original Source Series, on 3rd May 2024 Deutsche Grammophon will launch Batch #5, presenting four more legendary recordings. Same high standard as with the previous releases of The Original Source series: All are 4-track recordings from the 1970s, remastered by Emil Berliner Studios, using their own cutting-edge and 100% pure analogue techniques (AAA) to create versions of the highest possible audio quality.
The new batch presents much praised interpretations of the symphonic repertoire, including Karl Böhm’s iconic version of Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony and Claudio Abbado’s wonderful rendition of Brahms’s 1st Symphony, both with the Wiener Philharmoniker. Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are heard with their exciting recording of Bruckner’s 4th Symphony, and Rafael Kubelík’s legendary collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. Produced on 180g virgin vinyl by Optimal, these limited and numbered releases will be issued in deluxe gatefold editions featuring the original artwork and liner notes, with additional photos and facsimiles of the recording documentation on the inner sleeve. Furthermore, each release includes a note by Rainer Maillard/EBS detailing the technical background and procedure of the Original Source Series, and an additional insert with a photo of the original tape box. Each LP comes in a protective cellophane jacket with a sticker highlighting the USPs of the series:
Pure analogue mixed & cut from the original four-track ½-inch master tapes (instead of the ¼-inch stereo copies)
Mixed by Rainer Maillard & cut by Sidney C. Meyer directly from original analogue source at Emil Berliner Studios
Manufactured at optimal media on 180-gram virgin vinyl
Original Source Series = no copy used, no extra devices in the signal pass, no digital sound processing at all; more clarity, more detail, and far less noise; Pure analogue"

Dachböden haben schon immer eine unwiderstehliche Anziehungskraft auf David Js Fantasie ausgeübt. Sie können leuchtende Juwelen zum Vorschein bringen, die durch Zeit und Staub verloren schienen. Mit "Tracks from the Attic" lädt uns der Bauhaus- und Love and Rockets-Mitbegründer ein, mit ihm die Leiter hinaufzuklettern.

Es beginnt eine faszinierende Reise: Wir durchstöbern Kisten mit Tonbändern und lernen einen Künstler wieder kennen, den wir schon lange kennen - doch die intimen Songs, die er über drei Jahrzehnte hinweg in Einsamkeit aufgenommen hat, offenbaren neue Seiten an ihm. Selbst als er mit seinen beiden legendären Gruppen beschäftigt war, sprudelte David J. nur so vor Liedern. Dies ist eine aufregende Auswahl von Aufnahmen, die er zwischen 1983 und 2004 gemacht hat, einige im Studio und die meisten zu Hause, nur mit der Hilfe seiner Muse, einem Aufnahmegerät und einer brennenden Kerze. Wie alle guten Dachbodenfunde wurden auch diese Songs auf Band aufgenommen und gerieten fast in Vergessenheit - erst als ein Fan vorschlug, seine Digitalisierungskünste anzubieten, dachte David J daran, sie wieder aufleben zu lassen. Alle, mit Ausnahme des Titels "This Town", waren zuvor noch nie zu hören.

Die Tatsache, dass die meisten dieser Stücke nicht zu beliebten Klassikern geworden sind (etwas, mit dem sich die Ohren kaum abfinden können, wenn man erst einmal auf Play gedrückt hat), ist nur ein Zeichen für David Js emsiges Schaffen. Die größtenteils auf der Akustikgitarre komponierten Stücke werden langjährigen Fans unerwartete Offenbarungen bieten, da sie Facetten seines musikalischen Selbst ans Licht bringen, die in einem Bandkontext nicht vollständig zum Ausdruck gebracht werden konnten. Es ist in der Tat faszinierend, die Entwicklung von David Js Umgang mit Songs über die Jahrzehnte hinweg zu verfolgen, von den beobachtenden lyrischen Montagen der frühen Tage bis hin zu einer späteren, selbstbewussten Umarmung des zutiefst Persönlichen. Gleichzeitig kann "Tracks from the Attic" auch als eindrucksvolle Einführung für Neulinge gesehen werden - es fühlt sich tatsächlich so an, als würde man einen der großen britischen Singer-Songwriter zum ersten Mal treffen. 'Oh No! Not Another Songwriter!", ruft einer der Höhepunkte des Boxsets frech aus. Nun, dieses Box-Set wirft ein, dass dies nicht irgendein Songwriter ist

Das elektronische Musik-Trio Keys N Krates legt mit IN:TENSION sein drittes Studioalbum vor, ein prägnantes Werk, auf dem die Band aus Toronto ihre lebenslangen Einflüsse und ihre vielseitigen
produktionsfähigkeiten zu einem leidenschaftlichen Projekt voller Talente verschmilzt. IN:TENSION enthält Tracks mit R&B-Superstar Ciara, der Sängerin Lion Babe sowie den aufstrebenden Sängern Taite Imogen, Dana Williams und dem verstorbenen, großartigen Sänger Aaron Carl.

Seit ihrer Gründung vor über einem Jahrzehnt haben Keys N Krates ihren eigenen Weg in der Musik gefunden, indem sie die Bereiche Hip-Hop,
Elektronik und mehr miteinander verschmolzen haben. Die Gruppe - bestehend aus dem Schlagzeuger Adam Tune, dem Keyboarder David Matisse
und dem Turntablist Greg Dawson - hat sich durch ihre Instrumentierung auf der Bühne und ihre energiegeladenen Sets einen ehrwürdigen Ruf als
einer der führenden Live-Elektronik-Acts unserer Zeit erarbeitet.

The Red Clay Strays haben in acht Tagen zwölf Songs aufgenommen, die ihre Americana-Seele besser präsentieren als alles zuvor.
In einer digitalen Welt, die auf Perfektion ausgerichtet ist und in der Autotune und elektronische Instrumente in den Studios überhand nehmen, kann es schwierig sein, in der heutigen Zeit noch Authentizität in der Musik zu finden. Die Ära der Alben, die als echte Hörerlebnisse gestaltet wurden, ist auf der Strecke geblieben, doch die Red Clay Strays haben sie mit ihrem Debütalbum Moment of Truth kunstvoll wieder aufleben lassen. Das Ergebnis ist in mehrfacher Hinsicht ihr Moment der Wahrheit.

Pull the Rope, the new record by Ibibio Sound Machine, casts the Eno Williams and Max Grunhard-led outfit in a new light. The hope, joy, and sexiness of their music remain, but, further honing the edge of their acclaimed 2022 album Electricity, the connection they aim to foster has shifted venues from the sunny buoyancy of a sunlit festival to a sweat-soaked, all-night dance club. Williams and Grunhard attribute this shift to a matter of collaborators, recording Pull the Rope with Sheffield-based producer Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, M.I.A.) over the course of two weeks. The way the pair wrote songs changed significantly_rather than Eno penning lyrics to music generated by Max and company's jamming, Orton started with Eno and Max writing together before adding the band. With less time in the studio and a new way of considering how they built songs, the duo found making decisions about Pull the Rope's sound quicker and more instinctual than before. "Ross is from Sheffield, which has an edgier, more industrial vibe than London," Grunhard explains. "He hears things differently than us, is more grounded in rave and grungier sounds, and knew when to add drums or push the instrumentation more. It was very different for us, but it lends itself to where Ibibio Sound Machine is going." In melding their songwriting process, Grunhard and Williams have, impossibly, pulled the trick of making Ibibio Sound Machine a tighter band than ever before, building out from their core in a way that highlights the electrifying group of musicians they play with. Rather than recording with the full band in the room, Pull the Rope was sculpted, elements added and shaped by Grunhard, Williams, and Orton along the way. As a result, Pull the Rope is a nimble, sleek machine that's thrilling from the first note of the opening title track, Eno's otherworldly voice and PK Ambrose's throbbing bass driving through a kaleidoscopic array of house, post-punk, funk, Afrobeat and disco, bangers and ballads, making an argument for unity that begins on the dancefloor. "We are the places we grew up, the places we've been, and the people we've met along the way," Williams says. "Hopping around the globe, we've found that people are fundamentally the same_they're people. Opposing sides push and pull, but there is an alternative to war, violence, and suffering." Lead single "Got to Be Who U Are" literally globetrots, name checking locales across the world that would feel disparate were it not for how well-traveled they are. Eno growing up in the musical melting pot of the Ibibio region of Nigeria and Max being a conservatory-trained musician from Australia, one could call their meeting in London and formation of Ibibio Sound Machine predestined. "Mama Say" and "Let My Yes Be Yes" touch themes of female empowerment. They're indicative of the band's depth as they push further into the electronic; "Mama Say" hits notes of electropop while "Let My Yes Be Yes" fuses electro to Afrobeat. Ibibio Sound Machine have always imbued their music with political consciousness, and the light that shines through in Williams' vocals and voice has never felt more necessary. The sound of Pull the Rope, then, is hope in darkness, bliss in spite of bleakness. Once again, Ibibio Sound Machine are here to provide the soundtrack to the best night of your life, and the better world to come.

New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee Bette Smith returns with her 3rd studio album – ‘Goodthing’ – a triumphant injection of soul music and gospel into rock & roll. Produced by Grammy-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, James Bay, Paulo Nutini, Sia), the album showcases Bette Smith’s penchant for anthemic, feel-good Soul Rock carried by her signature raspy, soulful vocals inspired by legends Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Etta James.

Tracing elements of her sound to her childhood in rough Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bette connects the soul music she heard on the corners with the gospel music she heard in church and around the house every weekend - “My mother listened to nothing but gospel,” she recalls, citing Mahalia Jackson and Reverend James Cleveland as other influences.

The album sees her sound scale new heights, and build on the accolades she received on 2017’s debut ‘Jetlagger’ and 2020’s ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Bette’, and her tremendous range and power combined with ‘Goodthing’’s infectious energy, solidify her position as an authentic and dynamic rising soul artist, an iconic force in music.

New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee Bette Smith returns with her 3rd studio album – ‘Goodthing’ – a triumphant injection of soul music and gospel into rock & roll. Produced by Grammy-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, James Bay, Paulo Nutini, Sia), the album showcases Bette Smith’s penchant for anthemic, feel-good Soul Rock carried by her signature raspy, soulful vocals inspired by legends Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Etta James.

Tracing elements of her sound to her childhood in rough Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bette connects the soul music she heard on the corners with the gospel music she heard in church and around the house every weekend - “My mother listened to nothing but gospel,” she recalls, citing Mahalia Jackson and Reverend James Cleveland as other influences.

The album sees her sound scale new heights, and build on the accolades she received on 2017’s debut ‘Jetlagger’ and 2020’s ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Bette’, and her tremendous range and power combined with ‘Goodthing’’s infectious energy, solidify her position as an authentic and dynamic rising soul artist, an iconic force in music.

Ice Cream Vinyl

Since the release of their debut studio album Do Hollywood (on 4AD) in 2016, The Lemon Twigs_the New York City rock band fronted by brothers Brian (27) and Michael D'Addario (25)_have waved the same revivalist torch as Alex Chilton and his Big Star crew, working to prove that archaic music from the `60s and `70s can still be relevant in digital world. Alongside peers like Foxygen and Drugdealer, The Lemon Twigs have explicitly documented a synchronistic blend of contemporary narrative motifs, old-school recording techniques, and flawless, consistent attitudes collaged from various crucial stages of rock 'n' roll. After a whirlwind 2023, the D'Addarios are continuing the momentum of their own evolving vision and voice, distilling a history lesson of baroque and power pop into A Dream Is All We Know (out May 3 on Captured Tracks). Garnering the top-to-bottom critical acclaim the brothers have long deserved, their 2023 LP Everything Harmony was spearheaded by an impressive string of singles, including "Corner Of My Eye" and "Any Time of Day." It was the kind of record that put all of Brian and Michael's talents on display, be it the former's multi-instrumentalist gifts or the latter's boyish, explosive pop-rock charisma and eye for engineering and vocal layering. But A Dream Is All We Know is not the acoustic, nylon string-based project that Everything Harmony was. Instead, it's a return to the form the Lemon Twigs first introduced on Do Hollywood_an electric guitar-centric, anthemic assemblage of, really, everything the band does great. These two companion records are an immediate example of a band capitalizing on their fire-in-the-belly appetite to make tunes that boast ubiquitous chemistry. A Dream Is All We Know is grandiose yet grounded; meticulous, yet wild and glowing. Made with analog precision, the album was finished in the immediate months after the band completed Everything Harmony during a vibrant, prolific period split between three studios on separate coasts. A Dream Is All We Know is a profoundly dense and charged album, rife with string arrangements and a sonic thesis statement that has quaked through phases of glam, conceptualism, baroque, and Mustang-loud, stone-cold rock `n' roll for more than half-a-century. A Dream Is All We Know sounds like it's lived a thousand lives already.

From the studio of Attack on Titan, comes a new show - CHAINSAW MAN. This vinyl includes score highlights by Kensuke Ushio from the hit series The soundtrack album by Kensuke Ushio taps into different styles whilst at the core reflecting the action-gore story with lots of electronic & industrial beats and fast-paced melodies. As a contrast, the focus track "that's a dream come true" is a slow-vibing piano track with electronic beats that shows the rare but intense emotional scenes in the show. Kensuke Ushio started his solo career in 2007 under “agraph”. and creates electronic music. He has worked on music for animation TV series, music in advertising and movies such as: A Silent Voice, Devilman Crybaby, Space Dandy, Liz and the Blue Bird, Japan Sinks 2020, Heike Story and now Chainsaw Man.

The definitive vinyl reissue of the Nancy's 1966 sophomore album contains the hits "Bang, Bang". "Sand" and "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?". This special Record Store Day Exclusive is pressed on Orange Cream vinyl and features audio freshly remastered from the original analog tapes by GRAMMYr-nominated engineer John Baldwin. It also includes two bonus tracks: "The Last Of The Secret Agents?" and the previously unreleased "If Things Don't Start Picking Up". This beautifully packaged and expanded gatefold LP with 20-page booklet featuring Q&A with Nancy & GRAMMYr-nominated co-producer Hunter Lea also includes never-before-seen photos from Nancy Sinatra's personal archive. Less than two weeks after "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" made it to the top of the charts, Nancy was back in the studio working on the follow-up. With a newfound confidence and a fresh batch of songs, How Does That Grab You? is a snapshot that captures the fun, creativity, and genius of an artist embracing her moment. The album includes the sparse masterpiece "Bang, Bang," the Boots-esque "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?" and Nancy & Lee Hazlewood's very first duet, the proto-psychedelic "Sand." Equal parts strong, sultry, and savvy, Nancy Sinatra has long been ahead of her time_both in her choices as an artist and as a businesswoman. Unapologetically, she established her own path early on and paved the way for decades of female artists to come_all while firmly maintaining control over her career, her image, and her music. In 1965, Nancy Sinatra changed the face of music, fashion, and culture.

Fünf Jahre nach Jessica Pratt's 2019 erschienenen Durchbruch-Album "Quiet Signs", taucht sie mit neuen Ambitionen und neuen Parametern für ihre Musik wieder auf. Für ihr neues, viertes Album "Here in the Pitch" arbeitete sie erneut in Gary's Electric Studio in Brooklyn und mit ihrem bewährten Team: Multi-Instrumentalist/Engineer Al Carlson und Keyboarder Matt McDermott.

Zusätzlich holte sie sich das Rhythmus-Duo Spencer Zahn und Mauro Refosco (David Byrne, Atoms for Peace) an die Seite, weitere Beiträge auf dem Album kommen von Ryley Walker, Peter Mudge (Mac Miller, Kendrick Lamar) und Alex Goldberg. Die Musik ist intim und emotional, wie es die Fans erwarten und die Texte sind ein impressionistischer Lobgesang auf die Unwägbarkeiten des Ehrgeizes. In den letzten 12 Jahren hat sich die verehrte Künstlerin aus Los Angeles zu einer der einzigartigsten Songwriterinnen ihrer Generation entwickelt. Vor allem durch die mystische, schwer fassbare Mischung aus ihrer zarten Akustikgitarre und ihrem atemberaubenden Gesang. Für "Here in the Pitch" schwebte Jessica Pratt eine größere Bandbreite an Einflüssen vor - große Panoramaklänge, die an den Ozean und Kalifornien denken lassen - und in diesen neun Songs werden Pauken, Glockenspiel, Baritonsaxophon und Flöte mit robusten Gesangsarrangements überlagert, die eine triumphale Stimmung erzeugen, selbst wenn die Texte auf Verwüstung hindeuten. Diese breitere Produktionspalette wird sofort beim eindringlichen Album-Opener und der ersten Single "Life Is" deutlich. Ein Schlagzeugwirbel erinnert an den großen, orchestralen Stil von 60er-Jahre-Pop-Hits wie "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" von den Walker Brothers.

Join Zombierella, Guitaracula & (introducing) Signor Mattia on their latest adventure to the "Dark Side of Paradise" - the all-new studio album from your favorite spooky-surf combo Messer Chups!

"Chainsaw Man" ist unbestritten einer der erfolgreichsten aktuellen Animes. Basierend auf der gleichnamigen Mangareihe von Tatsuki Fujimoto wird er vom legendären Studio Mappa (Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaiser) animiert. Die Geschichte erzählt vom Teufelsjäger Denji, der zu seinem Todeszeitpunkt einen Vertrag mit seinem treuen Gefährten, dem Kettensägenteufel Pochita, schließt. Von dem Tag an ist er "Chainsaw Man".Der Soundtrack stammt von Kensuke Ushio (A Silent Voice, Devilman Crybaby), der dieses Album als eine musikalische Hommage an die turbulente Welt von Chainsaw Man konzipiert. Die Musik-Highlights wurden auf zwei Platten gepresst, die mit einem leuchtenden Rot und schwarzem Splatter-Muster beeindrucken - ein Abbild von Blut und Finsternis in Denjis unerbittlichen Kämpfen.

Today, the Toronto-born-and-raised singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Day Wilson announces her highly-anticipated sophomore album Cyan Blue out May 3rd via Stone Woman Music / XL Recordings Along with the announcement of her new album comes the release of first single, "I Don"t Love You", a stark and devastatingly beautiful confessional, highlighting Wilson"s immaculate production skills and chill inducing vocals laid atop smooth groove piano chords and soft drums. The track also arrives with a visual directed by Dani Aphrodite featuring layered low fi footage of the artist and producer performing at home, living every day life and having moments of solitude in her car, a theme that comes up throughout the album. Cyan Blue finds Wilson crafting a smoothly woven cyan tapestry of her eternal influences; thumping gospel piano, warm soul basslines, atmospheric electronics, and penetrating R&B melodies. Yet, it possesses a sense of vastness that rings in a new era for Wilson, one in which she"s embracing collaboration and newfound creative openness tinged with wistfulness and yearning and a reflection on youthful innocence. "I want to look through the unjaded eyes of my younger self again," Wilson explains of making Cyan Blue. "Before there wasn"t as much baggage, before so much life was lived. But I also wish that my younger self could see where I am now. It would be nice to be able to impart some of the wisdom and clarity that I have now onto her." Working with producers like Leon Thomas (SZA, Ariana Grande, Post Malone), and Jack Rochon (HE.R, Daniel Caesar), Cyan Blue demonstrates Wilson"s sonic expertise while also showcasing the next evolution of her time-bending songwriting. Through 13 hypnotizing tracks, she continues to use music as a vessel for unpacking relationships, which in turn allows her to meet and understand herself in life-spanning, panoramic focus. But, on Cyan Blue, she challenged herself to kick her perfectionist tendencies. "Before, I was extremely intentional about creating music with a strong foundation, a bed of artistic integrity," Wilson reflects. "But that was a bit stifling, like, "Let me just make a great piece of art that will stand the test of time, no pressure." Now, I think I"m getting out of this frozen state of needing everything to be perfect. I"m more interested in capturing feelings in the moment as they happen and leaving them in that moment." While this is only her second album, Wilson"s influence in music has made a major mainstream impact. Wilson broke out in 2016 with her critically acclaimed EP, CDW, followed by 2018"s Stone Woman and made her debut studio album an official coming out moment in 2021 with the critically acclaimed, self-released Alpha. Over the past decade, she"s been sampled by Drake, John Mayer, and James Blake, while Patti Smith has recently praised and covered Wilson"s 2016 breakout single "Work." Additionally, she"s collaborated with artists like Kaytranada, BADBADNOTGOOD, and SG Lewis, demonstrating that there"s no sound Wilson can"t adapt to and sprinkle her cyan-colored magic over.

This is the most ambitious project of Tim Garland's stellar career, with a celebration of Lighthouse Trio's 20th Anniversary (Gwilym Simcock and Asaf Sirkis), along with a stunning display of Tim's prowess as a composer and arranger with the Britten Sinfonia, featuring violinist Thomas Gould, along with trumpet ace Yazz Ahmed performing as a special guest on one track. Tim describes the project: “That Moment of Departure, from the known, the notated, towards something new is a shout of fearless freedom. The compositions on this album all have crucial and varied relationship*s with improvised music, from string orchestra to intimate trio, and completely free-form music. Classical influences and visual art have informed me, as much as my jazz heart. The series of paintings called ‘Sail To Hope’, by Esra Kizir Gokcen, provide a backbone of inspiration for the first disc’s music. The subject of journeying into the unknown, as well as the influence of Turkish rhythms, create the background atmosphere whilst maintaining the spaciousness and freedom for the jazz soloists.”

"Charismatic Leaders" ist das dritte Studioalbum und gleichzeitig das InsideOutMusic-Debüt der finnischen Progressive Metaller Wheel aus Helsinki, Finnland. Seit ihrer Gründung im Jahr 2015 haben sich Wheel schnell von Underdogs zu einer internationalen Tour de Force entwickelt. Die kantigen Riffs, unvergessliche Melodien und die abenteuerliche Bandbreite des Trios auf ihrem Debütalbum "Moving Backwards" (2019) wurden von Fans der Megastars von TOOL bis COHEED & CAMBRIA spontan verehrt. Der Nachfolger "Resident Human" (2021) erhielt begeisterte Kritiken von Medien auf der ganzen Welt, die die klangliche Weiterentwicklung und die mutigen dystopischen Themen lobten. "Charismatic Leaders" wurde akribisch ausgearbeitet, um Wheel's immer höheren Maßstäben gerecht zu werden, wobei das Songwriting bis ins Jahr 2020 zurückreicht und die Aufnahmen sich von August bis Dezember 2023 erstreckten. "Das ist unser Heavy Album", erklärt Lascelles. "Für die Leute, die Metal mögen und auf Wheel-Musik stehen, ist es genau das Richtige. Es ist nicht so, dass wir zu einer Karikatur der vorherigen Alben geworden sind, aber wir haben uns definitiv in eine Metal-Richtung bewegt, und wir wollten ein Metal-Album machen." Charismatic Leaders" ist dazu bestimmt, ein Manifest zu werden, das seine Hörer gleichermaßen begeistert und sie zum Nachdenken über die Welt um sie herum anregt.

BRUME (ausgesprochen wie das englische Wort "Broom") sind der lebende Beweis dafür, dass es auch in Kalifornien nicht nur Sonnenschein und Easy-Living gibt. Das aus San Francisco stammende Quartett verschmilzt Doom Metal, Gothic und Indie Rock zu einer oft monolithischen, aber ebenso auch zerbrechlich wirkenden Mischung aus harter Schwere, die von der dunklen Seite der Musik kommt. Nach einem Jahrzehnt verlockender Sounds und Gänsehaut-Crescendi treiben BRUME die Klangexperimente und spannenden Genre-Umdeutungen auf ihrem dritten Album "Marten" einen großen Schritt weiter voran. Die Erweiterung zum Vierer mit Jackie Perez Gratz an Cello und Gesang eröffnet den Kaliforniern einen Kosmos neuer Möglichkeiten, den sie zielstrebig erkunden. Durch das Verweben von aufsteigenden Melodien mit melancholischem Doom Pop entstehen Songs, die gleichermaßen intim und eindringlich, wie auch massiv und kraftvoll sind. BRUME gründeten sich im Jahr 2014 ursprünglich als Trio. Gitarrist Jamie McCathie aus Bristol, England kam musikalisch mit der Bassistin und Sängerin Susie McMullan aus Baton Rouge, Louisiana zusammen, nachdem die Beiden ihre gemeinsame Leidenschaft für Trip-Hop und Sludge entdeckt hatten. Die Besetzung wurde bald darauf von Jordan Perkins-Lewis am Schlagzeug vervollständigt, der mit seinem reichhaltigen und experimentellen Schlagzeugstil den Grundstein für die Studioaufnahmen der frisch gegründeten Band legte. Mit ihren Doom Metal Alben "Rooster" (2017) und "Rabbits" (2019) nahm das Trio schnell Fahrt auf, wobei ersteres von The Ripple Effect zum "Album des Jahres" gekürt wurde und letzteres den ersten Platz auf der "Best of 2019"-Liste von Wonderbox Metal einnahm. BRUME hinterließen auch auf der Bühne ihre Spuren und traten unter anderem sowohl beim Desertfest 2017 in London als auch im Jahr 2019 beim Desertfest New York und SXSW auf. Mit "Marten" machen BRUME einen mutigen Schritt in Richtung ihrer musikalischen Zukunft, indem sie zuerst sich selbst und nun auch ihre Zuhörer herausfordern, sich von vertrauten Sounds zu anspruchsvolleren, weniger vertrauten Klangräumen zu bewegen.

BRUME (ausgesprochen wie das englische Wort "Broom") sind der lebende Beweis dafür, dass es auch in Kalifornien nicht nur Sonnenschein und Easy-Living gibt. Das aus San Francisco stammende Quartett verschmilzt Doom Metal, Gothic und Indie Rock zu einer oft monolithischen, aber ebenso auch zerbrechlich wirkenden Mischung aus harter Schwere, die von der dunklen Seite der Musik kommt. Nach einem Jahrzehnt verlockender Sounds und Gänsehaut-Crescendi treiben BRUME die Klangexperimente und spannenden Genre-Umdeutungen auf ihrem dritten Album "Marten" einen großen Schritt weiter voran. Die Erweiterung zum Vierer mit Jackie Perez Gratz an Cello und Gesang eröffnet den Kaliforniern einen Kosmos neuer Möglichkeiten, den sie zielstrebig erkunden. Durch das Verweben von aufsteigenden Melodien mit melancholischem Doom Pop entstehen Songs, die gleichermaßen intim und eindringlich, wie auch massiv und kraftvoll sind. BRUME gründeten sich im Jahr 2014 ursprünglich als Trio. Gitarrist Jamie McCathie aus Bristol, England kam musikalisch mit der Bassistin und Sängerin Susie McMullan aus Baton Rouge, Louisiana zusammen, nachdem die Beiden ihre gemeinsame Leidenschaft für Trip-Hop und Sludge entdeckt hatten. Die Besetzung wurde bald darauf von Jordan Perkins-Lewis am Schlagzeug vervollständigt, der mit seinem reichhaltigen und experimentellen Schlagzeugstil den Grundstein für die Studioaufnahmen der frisch gegründeten Band legte. Mit ihren Doom Metal Alben "Rooster" (2017) und "Rabbits" (2019) nahm das Trio schnell Fahrt auf, wobei ersteres von The Ripple Effect zum "Album des Jahres" gekürt wurde und letzteres den ersten Platz auf der "Best of 2019"-Liste von Wonderbox Metal einnahm. BRUME hinterließen auch auf der Bühne ihre Spuren und traten unter anderem sowohl beim Desertfest 2017 in London als auch im Jahr 2019 beim Desertfest New York und SXSW auf. Mit "Marten" machen BRUME einen mutigen Schritt in Richtung ihrer musikalischen Zukunft, indem sie zuerst sich selbst und nun auch ihre Zuhörer herausfordern, sich von vertrauten Sounds zu anspruchsvolleren, weniger vertrauten Klangräumen zu bewegen.

It's been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood's great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. In the years since, Carpenter, Carpenter, and Davies have released close to a dozen musical projects, including a growing library of studio albums and the scores for David Gordon Green's trilogy of Halloween reboots. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they've struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration. Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as "soundtracks for the movies in your mind." On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs "noirish" is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone. The noir quality, then, is something you understand instinctively when you hear it, as in connected in an emotional way. The trio's free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine_the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John's own Christine. It's a chemistry that's helped power one of the most productive stretches of John's creative life, and Noir proves that it's nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.

It's been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood's great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. In the years since, Carpenter, Carpenter, and Davies have released close to a dozen musical projects, including a growing library of studio albums and the scores for David Gordon Green's trilogy of Halloween reboots. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they've struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration. Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as "soundtracks for the movies in your mind." On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs "noirish" is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone. The noir quality, then, is something you understand instinctively when you hear it, as in connected in an emotional way. The trio's free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine_the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John's own Christine. It's a chemistry that's helped power one of the most productive stretches of John's creative life, and Noir proves that it's nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.

It's been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood's great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. In the years since, Carpenter, Carpenter, and Davies have released close to a dozen musical projects, including a growing library of studio albums and the scores for David Gordon Green's trilogy of Halloween reboots. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they've struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration. Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as "soundtracks for the movies in your mind." On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs "noirish" is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone. The noir quality, then, is something you understand instinctively when you hear it, as in connected in an emotional way. The trio's free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine_the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John's own Christine. It's a chemistry that's helped power one of the most productive stretches of John's creative life, and Noir proves that it's nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.

It's been a decade since John Carpenter recorded the material that would become Lost Themes, his debut album of non-film music and the opening salvo in one of Hollywood's great second acts. Those vibrant, synth-driven songs, made in collaboration with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, kickstarted a musical renaissance for the pioneering composer and director. In the years since, Carpenter, Carpenter, and Davies have released close to a dozen musical projects, including a growing library of studio albums and the scores for David Gordon Green's trilogy of Halloween reboots. With Lost Themes IV: Noir, they've struck gold again, this time mining the rich history of the film noir genre for inspiration. Since the first Lost Themes, John has referred to these compositions as "soundtracks for the movies in your mind." On the fourth installment in the series, those movies are noirs. Like the film genre they were influenced by, what makes these songs "noirish" is sometimes slippery and hard to define, and not merely reducible to a collection of tropes. The scores for the great American noir pictures were largely orchestral, while the Carpenters and Davies work off a sturdy synth-and-guitar backbone. The noir quality, then, is something you understand instinctively when you hear it, as in connected in an emotional way. The trio's free-flowing chemistry means Lost Themes IV: Noir runs like a well-oiled machine_the 1951 Jaguar XK120 Roadster from Kiss Me Deadly, perhaps, or the 1958 Plymouth Fury from John's own Christine. It's a chemistry that's helped power one of the most productive stretches of John's creative life, and Noir proves that it's nowhere near done yielding brilliant results.

Die britische Instrumentalband MAYBESHEWILL feiert das 10-jährige Jubiläum ihres vierten Studioalbums "Fair Youth" mit einer brandneuen Vinyl-Edition. Neu abgemischt und remastered von Jamie Ward erscheint diese Ausgabe in einer limitierten pink-schwarz marmorierten Edition (180g Vinyl), die auch digital erhältlich sein wird. Wie Jamie erklärt: "Fair Youth ist ein ziemlich ehrgeiziges Album. Die Arrangements sind maximalistisch, und mit der Instrumentierung haben wir Neuland betreten. Für diese Wiederveröffentlichung zum 10-jährigen Jubiläum hatte ich das Gefühl, dass ich mit einem kompletten Remix mehr aus dem Album herausholen kann als mit einem einfachen Remaster. Mit 10 Jahren mehr Erfahrung beim Abmischen fühle ich mich nun besser in der Lage, die Klangwand zu überwinden und die Instrumente etwas besser voneinander zu trennen, um die Details der Arrangements wirklich zur Geltung zu bringen. Generell habe ich mich bemüht, die Dinge ein wenig härter zu machen und ein bisschen lebendiger und farbenfroher zu sein." Bei der ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung im Jahr 2014 sagte das DIY Magazine, dass die Band "nie besser geklungen hat", während Rocksound das Album als "ein unbestreitbar fesselndes Hörerlebnis" bezeichnete. Und diese neue Version bietet jetzt eine neue Möglichkeit, die Musik zu erleben.