Following on from two hugely successful debut albums (‘One Step Beyond’ & ‘Absolutely’, both #2 in the UK album charts upon the respective releases), 7 is Madness’ third studio album.
Originally released in 1981 and reaching #5 in the UK album charts, it is now subject to a brand new re-release on 180g black vinyl as part of an ongoing reissue campaign. Featuring exclusive liner notes by journalist Stevie Chick (MOJO, The Guardian & NME) and interviews with saxophonist Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson and keyboard-player Mike Barson. It features the hit singles Grey Day UK #4, Cardiac Arrest [UK #14], and Shut Up [UK #7].
Popcaan first unveiled his latest project titled FIXTAPE via Unruly / OVO Sound last year.
FIXTAPE includes a star-studded lineup, such as the Nineteen85-produced track “TWIST & TURN” featuring Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR. Additional guest appearances include French Montana, Preme, Masicka, Stylo G, Dane Ray, Frahcess One, Tommy Lee, and Jada Kingdom. FIXTAPE continues Popcaan's historic narrative as one of the most prominent global superstars in the reggae space today. It is also the follow-up to his Vanquish mixtape, which was released after it was announced that he had signed to OVO Sound.
The 19-track body of work is powered by Popcaan’s potent energy, lyrics, and unique amalgam of genres from hip-hop to dancehall and pop. FIXTAPE is further proof that his cultural appeal spans from the streets to the club.
LA-based producer, composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James McAlister is a rare creator, and highly sought after collaborator. Perhaps best known for his work with Sufjan Stevens , McAlister has also appeared on record with Lorde amongst many others, and is a regular contributor to Aaron Dessner 's projects, including the latest albums from Taylor Swift, folklore and evermore . His regular work with film music includes The Two Popes, The Big Sick, and Ron Simonsen 's recent films. In 2018 he joined Stevens, Casey Foubert , St. Vincent and Moses Sumney for the Oscar performance for music from Call Me By Your Name, where he played piano and a bottle of cupcake sprinkles. With nearly countless projects to his name, it was in 2017 that his collaboration with Stevens, Nico Muhly, and Bryce Dessner entitled Planetarium was released by 4AD. Around the same time McAlister started a deep dive into a personal sonic realm that has manifested as an ambient project under his own name. 2018 saw the release of Three Breaths , the first offering from this exploration. 2021 will see the second installment, an album called Scissortail which vividly puts McAlister's evolving master craft on display. It is a collection of moving, meditative, immediately satisfying and quietly stunning work. It is the sound of an artist letting go entirely of pre-conceptions or expectations, instead mining the depths of that very real and abstract place of sound, texture, color and feeling. Some songs arrive almost intuitively, while others feel mechanically made, fed through the framework of synthesizers and the patchwork of recording gear. And with that comes a compelling duality to the work; a machine grace informing the on-going but subconscious dialogue between energy and material, sensitivity and asceticism.
Prince Far I was a Jamaican reggae DJ and producer, and a well-known member of the Rastafarian movement. Known for his distinctive voice. Far frequently used his music to criticise the Jamaican government. On his ninth album Jamaican Heroes, he collaborated with musicians like Roots Radics and The Flying Lizards. The album was mixed by Anthony “Crucial Bunny” Graham at Studio One in Jamaica. Each song has something special, and revolves around topics that were close to Prince Far‘s heart. That makes this record a must have for everyone who is interested in reggae music and Rastafarian culture. It’s available as a very limited edition of 750 copies on orange vinyl.
Mira Lu Kovacs ist als vielfach ausgezeichnete Künstlerin und ihrer Mitwirkung in Projekten wie 5K HD, Schmieds Puls oder My Ugly Clementine eine zentrale Figur der brodelnden Wiener Indie/Songwriter-Szene. 2021 veröffentlicht sie erstmals ein Album unter eigenem Namen und unterstreicht mit ihrem einzigartigem Timbre und starkem Songwriting, dass sie - ganz in der Tradition von Ani di Franco, Aldous Harding oder Adrianne Lenker - zu den herausragenden Stimmen der Gegenwart zählt. Produziert wurde "What Else Can Break" von Aushängeschildern dieser "Zelle" in Wien, nämlich maßgeblich von Sophie Lindinger (My Ugly Clementine), in Teilen (bei "Stuck") Marco Kleebauer (Leyya, Oehl, Bilderbuch) oder der mehrfach Grammy-nominierte Yakob (bei "Pull Away").
"Flowers Bloom, Butterflies Come" is the result of a dialog between the stunning Japanese photographer and artist Miho Kajioka and the wonderful UK musicians and composers Ian Hawgood and Craig Tattersall (The Humble Bee), initiated by IIKKI, between August 2019 and January 2021.
Born in the United Kingdom, Ian Hawgood spent most of his adult life living in Japan, Italy and Poland. Currently he calls Peacehaven (on the south coast, near Brighton) his home. Since 2009, he’s well-known with his work as the curator of the Home Normal label. He makes music using an array of reel-to-reel and tape machines in his studio by the sea, where he also master works for many labels and artists alike. You could often catch him on the coast with his faithful Nagra recorder, hydrophone and field microphones. These days his focus of music is on decayed ambient works using old synths and reels mostly, alongside his childhood piano. (site)
Craig Tattersall is a former member of The Remote Viewer and Famous Boyfriend bandmate Andrew Johnson. Tattersall's music can be found these days more often under his alias The Humble Bee; as a founder member of The Boats; and in his collaborative works with the likes of Bill Seaman in The Seaman And The Tattered Sail. He has run the wonderful label Cotton Goods from 2008 to 2015 and since 2009 he has recorded 12 albums on his moniker The Humble Bee.
Miho Kajioka (b. 1973, Japan, lives in Kyoto) is an artist and a photographer since 2011. Kajioka’s work has been exhibited in Spain, Italy, France, the Netherlands, the USA, Germany, Belgium, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Kajioka’s latest book ‘so it goes’ won Prix Nadar in October 2019. "Kajioka's artistic practice is in principal snapshot based; she carries her camera everywhere and intuitively takes photos of whatever she finds interesting. These collected images serve as the basic material for her work in the darkroom where she creates her poetic and suggestive image-objects through elaborate, alternative printing methods. Kajioka regards herself more as a painter/drawer than as a photographer. She feels that photographic techniques help her to create works that fully express her artistic vision. Her images evoke a sense of mystery in her constant search for beauty. The focused, creative and respectful way in which she uses the medium of photography to creating her works seems to fit in the tradition of Japanese art that is characterized by the specifically Japanese sense of beauty, wabi sabi. (…) According to her, photography captures moments and freezes them; printing impressions is like playing with the sense of time and getting lost in its timeline." (Ibasho Gallery)
• In 1970 Miles Davis released “Bitches Brew”, which crystalised the trumpeter and bandleader’s experiments in rhythm, electronics and musical structure which he had been building on over the previous three years. The album has since become one of the most influential in musical history and was joined over the next couple of years by “Jack Johnson” and “On The Corner” in defining the future of music.
• Miles was the master bandleader and his LPs at the time declared that these were his ‘Directions In Music’, but he forged them with the help of a hand-picked group of musicians who proved themselves good enough to share his space on stage and in the studio. These players would all become central to jazz’s continued relevance and many would go on the record best-selling jazz records of their own. This compilation looks at the records that they made around the time they played with Miles and how they fed into or were fed by their time in his group.
• So we have Wayne Shorter and Joe Zawinul with versions of tracks they cut with Miles. Herbie Hancock’s journey into the electronic instruments that Miles convinced him to play, and Keith Jarrett’s firm rejection of them. Lonnie Liston Smith borrows the Indian percussion from “On The Corner” for his take on electronic funk. Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and Gary Bartz all show their distinctive talents that were allowed to shine in Miles’ band. As a bonus, we have Miles’ musicians alongside Betty Davis (his wife at the time) on a take of Cream’s ‘Politician Man’ and Miles’ 1970 group live at The Cellar Door on Joe Zawinul’s ‘Directions’.
• Available on CD and double vinyl with in-depth sleeve notes. The Miles Davis track is available on vinyl for the first time.
Armellodie Records is proud to present 'whence, the', the new album from Thirty Pounds of Bone aka, Johny Lamb. 'whence, the' is the sixth full-length album by Thirty Pounds of Bone and the third in a series of records that play deliberately with the affordances and problems of studio recording. 2015's 'The Taxidermist' was awash with huge, constructed ensemble pieces, 2019's critically-acclaimed, 'Still Every Year They Went' was recorded live, at sea, on a commercial fishing boat, and this last takes Johny Lamb's fascination with analogue synths further than before using Eurorack modular synths as the bedrock for each song. The result of working in this way is of course, that many of the parts on the record are all but impossible to recreate; the nature of the patches being built in the moment, captured, and undocumented. This time around Johny has focused on the tiny details of sadness, largely inspired by the events of 'A Story of Long' where the central moment of the song is observing a close friend pouring his husband a glass of water in a hospice, just some few hours before his death. This was an intimacy and time that Johny did not expect to be a part of (the album is dedicated to the couple in question). But this stirred a way of thinking about how huge events are often typified or defined by very small gestures or happenings, and each of the tracks here comes from that place. Be it the existential crisis brought on by stripping wallpaper in 'Woodchip', how a single day might signify the end of a long relationship ('A Note to Myself'), or the miniature resignations to compromise we make in professional life which eventually overwhelm our very identity ('The Cynical Start to a Jaded Career #1'). Johny's lyricism and composition remain oblique but touching, and these songs of little moments of sadness, regret and grief are built to remain small. They are paradoxically content in their sorrow and should perhaps be kept as companions to similar feelings. "Organic and immediate. Music you can touch with your fingertips" The Irish Times // "Talent to appeal far more than only folk fans alone" Record Collector // "Exquisite index of gin-soaked desolation.... Lamb sings like a man unable to see beyond keeping a stiff upper lip to the end of the song. Even if he manages it, you might not." Mojo
Hailing from Los Angeles, Jimmy Tamborello has been a key figure in refining what today is considered electronica for over 20 years. "The Seas Trees See" is the first of two Dntel albums to be released in 2021 by Morr Music in collaboration with Les Albums Claus: a free-floating and rather loose stroke of musical genius, giving ambience a whole new meaningful context. It combines crackles and hiss with deep, yet modest, synths and poignant, yet elegant, vocals and lyrics. "Away", its counterpart album, will follow later in 2021. It will showcase Dntel’s unapologetic love for pop music from a long-gone era, presenting yet another aspect of his multi-faceted personality. Dntel has always covered many musical grounds – from the pop-infused hits on "Life Is Full Of Possibilities" (Plug Research, 2001) to his much more abstract works on "Aimlessness" (Pampa Records, 2012), "Human Voice” (Leaving Records, 2014), and his electronics for The Postal Service (Sub Pop). Whatever his style – Tamborello has retained his very own musical voice.
When it comes to producing music, it can be a good idea to get away from the studio and find a more relaxed environment. Inspiration does not necessarily require huge bass bins. Fewer pieces of gear make it easier to really focus on ideas first and let them be. After recording "Hate In My Heart" – his most recent album, released in 2018 – this way, Tamborello continued working in that fashion, mainly jamming and getting ideas together for upcoming live shows. One of the first results of this creative process was the opening track of "The Seas Trees See" – a cover version of "The Lilac and the Apple", originally recorded by Californian folk singer Kate Wolf in 1977. Tamborello turns the acapella song into a vocoder-like extravaganza. Working with the original recording, the track perfectly sets the tone for what "The Seas Trees See" turns out to be – a quiet yet mesmerizing journey through sound and emotion, bringing together his very own sound design, disguised samples and an incredible feel for moods and atmospheres.
"I thought a lot about making an album that you would find in a thrift store", Tamborello remembers. Something "like a mysterious collection of sketches that leaves a lot unanswered. It doesn’t beg for attention or have any big moments." Despite its perfect and gentle flow, it is worth digging deeper, to surrender oneself to all the painstakingly placed details. Whether the beautiful and haunting piano work on "Movie Tears" or the almost sidechained-sounding "Yoga App" – every aspect of this album has been beautifully crafted, often bringing one of life’s biggest questions to the table: What if? What would have happened if Tamborello would have done this on that track or that on this track? It is good that he did not. Small things add up to something great, diverse and riveting.
The subtlety of his latest endeavor is fascinating. It opens up a new world, in which small musical sketches mean at least as much as perfectly produced pop anthems – if not more.
Photographs & Memories is part of a series of 1972 – 1974 Catalogue Reissues of the Legendary Jim Croce, which are now back in print on CD & 180g Black Vinyl. The set of reissues includes 3 Top 10 Gold Certified Studio Albums & Top 5 Platinum Certified Greatest Hits Release, featuring 10 Billboard Hot 100 singles, including 8 Top 40, 5 Top 10, and 2 Number 1 Classics. Released in 1974, just 1 year after his untimely death, Photographs & Memories: His Greatest Hits, reached #2 in the charts and is certified PLATINUM. It features the #1 Hits “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” and “Time In A Bottle” plus Top 10 Hits “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” and “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” and more.
Special situations call for special measures: Under the flag of this motto, LAMB OF GOD delivered two of the most impressive livestreams of 2020 last autumn. On Friday, September 18th, 2020, the groove giants from Virginia presented their new self-titled album in full length to their dedicated fans worldwide – directly and live from their own studio in Richmond, the creative home of LAMB OF GOD. With a stunning live performance in an unusually intimate setting, the Americans managed to ban the demons of the current situation and transfer the gripping energy of their live concerts to a digital space. This concert was now immortalized as a live release: "Lamb Of God - Live In Richmond, VA" captures one of the most important metal bands of the 21st century with all their fighting spirit and enthusiasm. This release is more than a live album: It is an important testimonial of the willpower of LAMB OF GOD facing the most difficult odds that Blythe and Co ever were confronted with.
Following on from two hugely successful debut albums (‘One Step Beyond’ & ‘Absolutely’, both #2 in the UK album charts upon the respective releases), 7 is Madness’ third studio album.
Originally released in 1981 and reaching #5 in the UK album charts, it is now subject to a brand new re-release on 180g black vinyl as part of an ongoing reissue campaign. Featuring exclusive liner notes by journalist Stevie Chick (MOJO, The Guardian & NME) and interviews with saxophonist Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson and keyboard-player Mike Barson. It features the hit singles Grey Day UK #4, Cardiac Arrest [UK #14], and Shut Up [UK #7].
There are no two voices like these. The late Amália Rodrigues, the Queen of Fado, a unique singer up there with the great voices of 20th century popular song like Piaf, Sinatra, Ella, Oum Kalthoum. Mariza, the young singer that has helped bring Fado into the 21st century. Two of the greatest and most influential stylists of Fado, the ex-libris of Portuguese popular music, a world cultural heritage.
Two artists who have a lot in common, beyond their origin. Mariza swept global audiences off their feet like only Amália had done in the 1950s and 1960s, with her residences at legendary venues such as the Paris Olympia or Carnegie Hall. Through her critically acclaimed recordings and unexpected collaborations, Mariza expanded what Fado could be – just like Amália had done in the 1960s and 1970s. Mariza became the ambassador of Portugal’s music in the 21st century like only Amália had been able to be in the 20th century.
2020, the 20th anniversary of Mariza’s career, the centenary of Amália’s birth. “This the best way I can find to pay my tribute to Amália, and to thank her for the legacy and inspiration she gave us,” says Mariza. It’s been a long time coming, but now it’s here: Mariza Sings Amália. Ten Amália standards reinvented for the 21st century, their soul intact, their identity unmistakable, their stylings unexpected.
For this new album, Mariza invited an old friend – Brazilian musician and producer Jaques Morelenbaum, regular accomplice of Ryuichi Sakamoto or Caetano Veloso. Morelenbaum produced Mariza’s triple-platinum 2005 album Transparente; here, he creates a seductive, inspired series of orchestral arrangements, simultaneously classic and innovative, that allow Mariza to delve into songs we all thought we knew and make them new, fresh, ravishing.
Mariza may have performed all over the world, may have multi-platinum albums that topped charts throughout the glove, may have received endless prestigious awards – but in the studio, face to face with the standards that defined Fado for global audiences, Mariza is starting from scratch. She has recorded Amália before, but never like this, never with this wisdom, this experience, this power of interpretation. Now was the time to try on for size the great Amália classics: “Gaivota”, “Estranha Forma de Vida”, “Com que Voz”, “Fado Português”, “Povo que Lavas no Rio”, “Foi Deus”... Ten in all for an album where Mariza more than lives up to her awards, her success, her performances and assumes the mantle only Amália wore before: that of an ambassador of music, culture, talent.
Recorded between Lisbon and Rio de Janeiro, Mariza sings Amália. Like only Amália could have done, like only Mariza can. Is it Fado? Yes, and no. Above all, it’s a match made in heaven.
Fueled By Ramen will be reissuing one seminal album from our 25- year history each month throughout the calendar year of 2021. For March 2021, we will be releasing Panic! At The Disco’s fifth studio album ‘Death Of A Bachelor’ on silver vinyl.
FBR 25 Podcast
We are currently working on a 16 part podcast that will delve into the history of FBR, it’s cultural relevance and Global impact over the past 25 years. Each episode will look at the careers of some of our most important artists, and deep dive into the making of albums told by the artists themselves in their own words.
25th Anniversary Merchandise
We announced the 25th Anniversary around Thanksgiving last year with our first 25th Anniversary limited merch drop, and then will be working throughout 2021 on new and exclusive designs to drop throughout the year.
Cuby + Blizzards were a Dutch blues band founded by vocalist Harry Muskee and guitarist Eelco Gelling in 1964. The band were active until Muskee’s death in 2011. Simple Man was released in 1971 as the bands ninth studio album. A perfect example of the band’s signature blues rock sound, the album was well received by fans and charted in the Dutch Album Top 100. Simple Man contains the single “Back Street”, which also charted in the Dutch Top 40.
Available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on transparent green vinyl.
The legendary Dutch progressive rock band Earth And Fire, with foxy singer Jerney Kaagman and studio wizards Chris and Gerard Koerts, rose to fame in the early 1970’s with a non-stop string of top 10 singles including “Seasons”, “Memories“ and “Maybe Tomorrow, Maybe Tonight“. This Music On Vinyl expanded edition includes three bonus tracks: “Lost Forever”, “Invitation”, “Song Of The Marching Children (single version)”, all of which were not available on their original 1971 album.
Earth And Fire Song Of The Marching Children celebrates its
50th Anniversary in 2021 and is available as a limited edition of
750 individually numbered copies on gold vinyl.
'Dark Hands, Thunderbolts' is Devon punk-roots trail-blazers, Crazy Arm's fourth album for Xtra Mile Recordings, and comes cold on the calves of 2013's 'The Southern Wild'. A return to the rowdy guitars, epic choruses and Americana twang of their first two albums, this collection of songs finds the band in a reflective but no less indignant mood. Despite spending only three weeks in the studio, it took the band four years to complete. 1ST SINGLE: Brave Starts Here - 20th November 2020 The lead track from the album, 'Brave Starts Here', will be available to stream/download from 20th November (with an accompanying video from film-maker, Russell Cleave). Rigorously road-tested, 'Brave Starts Here' is a breathless ode to heartbreak, loneliness, ageing and self-determination, occupying that sweet spot between bluegrass and punk rock. It's also a tribute to their good friends and label-mates, Larry & His Flask. 2ND SINGLE: The Golden Hind - 11th December 2020 Second single to be lifted from the album and is an acerbic take on the band’s Brexit majority hometown. Punk rock riffola, Appalachian harmonies, syncopated rhythms and anthemic singalongs. 3RD SINGLE: Fear Up - 15th January 2021 The third single out before the album’s release ‘Fear Up’ betrays the band's oft-mentioned fondness for Ennio Morricone, Murder By Death and Constantines with a strong cinematic influence fused with their trademark riffs and choruses. FOCUS TRACK FOR ALBUM RELEASE: Blessed & Cursed - 29th January 2021
'Dark Hands, Thunderbolts' is Devon punk-roots trail-blazers, Crazy Arm's fourth album for Xtra Mile Recordings, and comes cold on the calves of 2013's 'The Southern Wild'. A return to the rowdy guitars, epic choruses and Americana twang of their first two albums, this collection of songs finds the band in a reflective but no less indignant mood. Despite spending only three weeks in the studio, it took the band four years to complete. 1ST SINGLE: Brave Starts Here - 20th November 2020 The lead track from the album, 'Brave Starts Here', will be available to stream/download from 20th November (with an accompanying video from film-maker, Russell Cleave). Rigorously road-tested, 'Brave Starts Here' is a breathless ode to heartbreak, loneliness, ageing and self-determination, occupying that sweet spot between bluegrass and punk rock. It's also a tribute to their good friends and label-mates, Larry & His Flask. 2ND SINGLE: The Golden Hind - 11th December 2020 Second single to be lifted from the album and is an acerbic take on the band’s Brexit majority hometown. Punk rock riffola, Appalachian harmonies, syncopated rhythms and anthemic singalongs. 3RD SINGLE: Fear Up - 15th January 2021 The third single out before the album’s release ‘Fear Up’ betrays the band's oft-mentioned fondness for Ennio Morricone, Murder By Death and Constantines with a strong cinematic influence fused with their trademark riffs and choruses. FOCUS TRACK FOR ALBUM RELEASE: Blessed & Cursed - 29th January 2021
Wormwood is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band The Acacia Strain. This is the band's second album to feature bassist Jack Strong and third featuring drummer Kevin Boutot; it was also their last release on Prosthetic Records. The album was released on July 20, 2010. Wormwood reached #67 on the US Billboard Top 200 chart.
Swiss avant-garde metal titans Schammasch have stunned metal audiences worldwide with their spellbinding mixture of dark atmospherics, forward-thinking black metal, doom and Hermetic mysticism. Entitled 'Triangle,' the new effort is a bold triple album balancing three distinct musical movements in 100 minutes .
"To The End" is a tremendous demonstration of power that impressively unites all elements of its predecessors and paints a frightening picture of war, death and destruction at the end of which nothing remains but ashes and the realization of a masterpiece. It is the beginning of a new era. Since early October 2020, smoke is laying over Northampton near London. The machinery is well-oiled, the plan excellent - MEMORIAM have recorded their fourth studio album! The speed the British machinery has been working at since their early days is just enormous and equally amazing. Only back in 2016 the band inaugurated the public about their existence. Since those days the machines never stood still. The British Death Lead Commando caused a big rumble shortly after the first rumors about where the journey would go. "The Hellfire Demos" hit the worldwide scene with their old school Death Metal and left speechlessly torn open mouths which are still raving about the enthusiasm of this achievement today. When "For The Fallen", the debut album, is unleashed on mankind via Nuclear Blast Records in 2017, the impression is even more powerful – Truly an historic act for metal history. But as mentioned, there is no stand still in MEMORIAM. Meanwhile emancipated from other bands, they write their very own piece of history. While the first album was still heavy, oppressive and marked by grief, the second album "The Silent Vigil" (2018) showed a more merciless and aggressive side. The same applies to the third strike "Requiem For Mankind", which stands unmistakably in the short but impressive tradition of all previous MEMORIAM works. After this concentrated Death Metal trilogy, all signs were pointing to upheaval. As if the band wanted to completely break away from their old roots, they looked for a new home and signed a worldwide record deal with the upcoming label Reaper Entertainment Europe. While drummer Andy Whale had to take a forced break due to health reasons, Spike T Smith - a close friend of the band - took over the job in the rhythm section. Nevertheless "To The End" follows the tradition of its predecessors without leaving any doubt that one of the strongest albums of 2021 lurks here. Once again the groove is monstrous, the riffs deadly merciless and the atmosphere oppressive, paralyzing, even overwhelming. Willett's aggressive vocals give the sound the proverbial icing on the cake.
“It was my wish to cool things down a bit,” says David Helbock. The
Austrian-born pianist has formed a new trio with guitarist Arne
Jansen and trumpeter Sebastian Studnitzky and it is clear when he
talks about it how far he has already moved on since his previous
group: “In the Random Control Trio we had a lot of instruments on
the stage, there was a lot of changing from one instrument to
another… and a lot of notes.” And the new group? “It is more about
emotions. And emotions are the most important thing in music.”
There are other differences too. Whereas Helbock’s previous groups
have consisted of musicians from his native Austria, he has now lived
in Berlin for five years, and ‘The New Cool’ presents his first group
formed with players who have also adopted Berlin as their home city.
With Arne Jansen, originally from Kiel, what appeals to Helbock is
that “he is such an unselfish player, very centred and very calm - and
subtle too. With him it’s all about the music.” Studnitzky is originally
from the Black Forest and Helbock liked “his style of playing with that
very airy sound” and the fact the range of timbres and moods he
creates with just one effects device. And how does it work in the
trio? “All three of us are melody players, but we are all capable of
holding back and giving space to the others.”
It would be wrong, however, to see the elegiac feel of much of this
album as a response to the pandemic. Helbock and producer Siggi
Loch were having “a productive and fruitful discussion” about these
ideas a full year before the recording sessions took place at the Emil
Berliner studios in August 2020. Loch has a fascination for the way
cool jazz “turned the wheel around” to connect with a wide audience
and references and connections with the cool jazz movement are
scattered throughout this album. It is also the very first time that
Helbock has included a tune by his teacher for over a decade,
American pianist Peter Madsen, who toured extensively with Stan
Getz and also taught Maria Schneider.
Helbock has been inspired by the innovations and concepts of Lennie
Tristano and his sense of affinity with the Chicago-born genius runs
deep. Tristano once decreed that “the jazz musician’s function is to
feel.” Helbock, Jansen and Studnitzky have taken that maxim to their
hearts.
LP pressed on 180g vinyl with digital download included.
“Jazzrausch Bigband is making jazz sexy again” -
Bayerischer Rundfunk
The ensemble’s ingenious mix of techno and big
band jazz has proved to be just as accessible to
people listening to the band from the comfort of
their seats in a concert hall as it has to those
sweating it out on the dancefloor.
Since 2015 Jazzrausch Bigband have been in
residence at Harry Klein in Munich, a club
renowned for its house and techno acts as well as
for its stunning live visuals; this cooperation
between a techno club and a big band is a truly
unique one.
DownBeat magazine singled out not just the
band’s “high-voltage performances” and “party
atmosphere” but also the amount of
experimentation going on.
LP pressed on 180g vinyl.
Citizen have always eluded definition. The Toledo, Ohio-based four-piece have been making dynamic, wide-ranging guitar music for over ten years, challenging expectations with each new album and refusing to fit neatly in a box. On their fourth full-length, Life In Your Glass World, Citizen have crafted their most singular work to date completely on their own terms—proving that only the band themselves can define their identity.
This definition meant taking the entire process home to Toledo, Ohio – the Glass City – and creating everything in-house. Recorded in vocalist Mat Kerekes’ home studio in his garage, Citizen’s need to continue moving forward creatively went hand in hand with their desire to be fully in control of their creative destiny. The new process afforded the band time to focus on each song’s individual mood, making their sig-nature blend of aggression and melody all the more pronounced, and even capturing appealing imperfections. The result is an album that represents the members’ vision in its purest form, something that feels distinctly Citizen while also marking the start of a fresh chapter.
One of the most immediately striking elements of the direction on Life In Your Glass World is the band’s attention to rhythm. Many of the songs feature undeniably danceable beats and sharp, groove-laden guitar lines, which give both the barnburners and the brooding atmospheric tracks a pulsating heart. The band’s desire to assert themselves is palpable both in the music and Kerekes’ lyrics, mirroring not only their creative frustrations but also a long year of personal upheavals. It’s fitting for Life In Your Glass World, a record that proves Citizen’s true identity is rooted in the raw energy of constant evolution.
Sun Milk was recorded in two months, a much quicker process than the three years spent on their previous release, Flowers. The band recorded the album at the Pharmacy, Vroom’s home studio in Toronto, located above an actual pharmacy. It was the first album to be recorded after Little Kid solidified their live lineup, with Boothby, Vroom, and Germain having played together for over two years. Every song except “Like a Movie” began as a full-band live take, with overdubs performed democratically, with both Boothby and Germain layering guitars. It was also the first record to feature Lunn’s vocals, who joined the band shortly after the album’s release.
The result is a deeply affecting document of personal crisis, mirroring the dramatic changes in Boothby’s life—a breakup, living alone for the first time, beginning a new career. The lyrics have less Christian content and more personal overtones than other Little Kid records. “It was a relief when these songs came out,” says Boothby, “processing recent changes in my life, trying to take ownership of my identity and choices.” This lends a confessional warmth to the songs, a feeling of reconnecting with an old friend, sharing stories. Highlights include the off-kilter opening track “The Fourth” and the lovely, meandering “Ugly Moon.” The centerpiece of the album is “Slow Death in a Warm Bed.” A meditation on why people stay in flawed relationships, the song builds in calming repetitions until the guitars explode in the last minute, climaxing in a full-fledged distorted freakout. It’s one of the most beautiful and harrowing songs in Little Kid’s catalog.
The drifting, gentle “Dim Light Coming Down” features some of Boothby’s best lyrics. The narrator describes a person seeing “the likeness” of their own dead father “floating high above the road,” a mystical encounter rendered in the most plainspoken of terms. But Boothby quickly undercuts the moment: “But you'd been drinking when you saw him/And your mind was moving slow/Like your ears were full of cotton/So what he said you'll never know.” It’s a thwarted encounter that becomes more powerful for that very fact. Just before the song reaches its slow-building climax, Boothby sings, “Coming down/There’s a bright light/A gentle sound/Opening wide.” The transcendence does finally arrive, but it’s in the coming down, the hangover, the regular life that comes after the big moment. There's little wonder why it's become a live staple for the band.
The record is a high point in a remarkably consistent career. Looking back at Sun Milk, Boothby believes it’s one of the strongest in Little Kid’s oeuvre. “It’s probably my favorite,” says Boothby. “In general, I love slow songs, and this album is full of them. I like the structure of seven long songs—can’t think of too many albums with only seven songs. It gives the album an interesting flow.”
At the Moonbase, the fourth full-length album from Slaughter Beach, Dog, is a return to form for Philadelphia bandleader Jake Ewald. Written and recorded alone at home and at The Metal Shop, Ewald’s East Kensington recording studio, the album tracks an exercise in solitary production not unlike Slaughter Beach, Dog’s 2016 debut Welcome or 2017’s Motorcycle.JPG. On the heels of 2019’s Safe and Also No Fear, Ewald’s latest offering brings expanded arrangements and sharpened storytelling as he taps into salad days over slacker rock (“Do You Understand”), the dark grooves of seedy city life (“Song for Oscars”), and even a barroom-piano-driven “escapade through the great American bedroom” (“A Modern Lay”). At the Moonbase arrives March 26th on Lame-O Records.
At the Moonbase, the fourth full-length album from Slaughter Beach, Dog, is a return to form for Philadelphia bandleader Jake Ewald. Written and recorded alone at home and at The Metal Shop, Ewald’s East Kensington recording studio, the album tracks an exercise in solitary production not unlike Slaughter Beach, Dog’s 2016 debut Welcome or 2017’s Motorcycle.JPG. On the heels of 2019’s Safe and Also No Fear, Ewald’s latest offering brings expanded arrangements and sharpened storytelling as he taps into salad days over slacker rock (“Do You Understand”), the dark grooves of seedy city life (“Song for Oscars”), and even a barroom-piano-driven “escapade through the great American bedroom” (“A Modern Lay”). At the Moonbase arrives March 26th on Lame-O Records.
Quietschbunte Indie-Pop-Tunes Nachdem das letzte Tune-Yards-Album "I can feel you creep into my private life" 2018 auf 12 Songs Themen wie Geschlechterteilung, Politik, Feminismus und die nach wie vor um sich greifende Umweltverschmutzung behandelte, hinterfragen sich Merrill Garbus und ihr langjähriger Mitstreiter Nate Brenner auf dem fünften Studioalbum "sketchy." selbst. "We had really been non-stop hustling," reflektiert Merrill, die zwischen 2009 und 2018 vier hoch gelobte Alben als Tune-Yards veröffentlicht hat, durchgängig auf Tour war und zusätzlich noch den Score zum surrealistischen Boots Riley-Film "Sorry To Bother You" kreierte. Ihre eigene Rolle in den von ihr so verhassten, eingefahrenen Systemen, lähmte Merrill, ohne Idee, wie sie nun weitermachen sollte. Inspiriert vom Buch der Beastie Boys und von Questloves "Creative Quest" machte sich das Duo daran täglich für mehrere Stunden in ihrem Proberaum zu jammen, um sich ähnlich wie Athleten vor einem Wettkampf zu trainieren. Dabei tauschten sie Computer-Samples gegen Live-Instrumente ein (Merrill an den Drums, Nate am Bass) und schon nach kurzer Zeit entstanden die ersten neuen Songs. Das Ergebnis ist ein farbenfrohes und fröhliches Album mit Lyrics, die es in sich haben
THE EYE OF TIME ist das Solo-Projekt des französischen Musikers Marc Euvrie. Wesentlich geprägt wurde Euvries musikalische Entwicklung durch die DIY-Punk und Hardcore-Szene Frankreichs, obwohl er ebenso eine klassische Musikausbildung genossen hat. Mit 9 Jahren begann er Klavier zu spielen, komponierte mit 15 erste eigene Stücke und studierte später Cello am Konservatorium. Inspiriert durch Claude Debussy, Philip Glass, Eric Chopin, J.S. Bach, Michael Nyman als auch Godspeed You Black Emperor, A Silver Mt. Zion oder Portishead, fing Euvrie an, seine ganz persönliche Reflektion des komplexen Weltgeschehens in Musik zu übersetzen. Acoustic II ist das sechste Studio Album von Marc Euvrie, und sein zweites, das sich komplett auf Klavier & Cello konzentriert. Über den Entwicklungsprozess seines neuen Albums sagt Euvrie: "Klavier und Cello nahmen in den letzten Jahren einen immer wichtigeren Stellenwert in meinem kreativen Prozess ein. Nach Acoustic (2014) stieg in mir das Bedürfnis nach weiteren Akustik-Songs."
Indie rockers The Ordinary Boys, team up with ska vocalist Ranking Junior
on brand new single ‘Legacy’, a poignant yet jubilant tribute to Murphy’s
father the late Ranking Roger, front man of legendary
Birmingham band The Beat.
This limited edition 7” single also includes “Jump and Skank” on the flip side.
The Ordinary Boys first met Ranking Junior way back in 2005 at a festival in
Japan, when Junior was performing with his father as part of The Special Beat,
a band made up of members of 2 Tone heavyweights The Specials and The
Beat. The Ordinary Boys were fresh from chart success following the release
of their celebrated single ‘Boys Will Be Boys’.
After sharing the stage and performing together, the two bands bonded over
their love of ska, rock and being on the road, sparking a close friendship between The Ordinary Boy’s front man Samuel Preston and Ranking Junior.
It was when Junior called Preston to inform him of his father’s death on 26th
March 2019 at the young age of 56, that they decided to get into the studio,
both feeling the need to pay homage to Ranking Roger and mark his passing
by working together on new songs.
The result is ‘Legacy’, a catchy and accessible track that is both deep and euphoric in equal measure, that perfectly showcases Ranking Junior’s powerful
vocal and highlights the songwriting skills of Samuel Preston, who had been
penning hits for artists as diverse as Cher, Enrique Eglesias and Liam Payne
prior to recording.
Ranking Junior comments: “This song is a celebration of my father’s life and it
seems a fitting tribute to release it on the anniversary of his passing.”
In its review of pianist Shai Maestro’s ECM leader debut ‘The Dream Thief’, All
About Jazz spoke of “a searching lyrical atmosphere, emotional
eloquence and communal virtuosity that serves the music.”
All of which also applies to ‘Human’, where Maestro’s outgoing, highly-communicative
band with fellow Israeli Ofri Nemya on drums and Peruvian bassist Jorge Roeder becomes a quartet with the inspired addition of US trumpeter Philip Dizack.
Shai’s expansive pianism is well-matched by Dizack’s alert, quick-thinking approach to
improvising. And, as ever, Maestro is taking the music forward while also respecting its
sense of tradition. Near the end of a programme comprised almost entirely of Maestro
originals, exploring a range of temperaments, the quartet offers its own take on Duke
Ellington’s “In A Sentimental Mood”, while Shai’s tune “Hank and Charlie” pays tribute to
the musical empathy shared by the late Hank Jones and Charlie Haden.
‘Human’ was recorded at Studios la Buissonne in the South of France in February 2020,
and produced by Manfred Eicher.
Shai Maestro: piano,
Philip Dizack: trumpet,
Jorge Roeder: double bass,
Ofri Nehemya: drums
With Uma Elmo, his fifth album as a leader for ECM, Danish guitarist Jakob
Bro presents a new trio featuring Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen
and Spanish drummer Jorge Rossy.
Astonishingly, given the trio’s musical synergy, the first time these three musicians ever performed together was for the album’s sessions at the Swiss Radio
studio in Lugano, with ECM founder Manfred Eicher producing.
Uma Elmo reaffirms the observation about Bro’s work by London Jazz News
that “there is no hurry to this music, but there is great depth.” Among the
album’s highlights is opener “Reconstructing a Dream,” a darkly lyrical reverie.
“To Stanko” is Bro’s hushed tribute to the late, great Polish trumpeter Tomasz
Stanko, who featured the guitarist in his quintet for the ECM album Dark Eyes.
Another homage to a late elder is “Music for Black Pigeons,” which was given
its evocative title by saxophone sage Lee Konitz.
Listeners will recognize Henriksen’s whispering, poetic sound from his 2008
ECM album Cartography, as well as his collaborations for the label with Trio Mediaeval and Tigran Hamasyan. Rossy is well known to jazz fans on both sides of
the Atlantic, particularly for his decade-plus tenure in Brad Mehldau’s careermaking first trio.
As for the leader, DownBeat aptly noted in its review of his previous ECM album, Bay of Rainbows, that “Bro’s guitar is luminous... his music both hypnotic
and dramatic.”
Jakob Bro: guitar
Arve Henriksen: trumpet, piccolo trumpet
Jorge Rossy: drums
This is a sensation! For the first time, the previously unreleased jazz
recordings of the legendary German bandleader Kurt Edelhagen and his orchestra,
which were recorded between 1957 and 1974 in the
studios of the WDR, are presented here in a 3-CD box with
detailed liner notes.
Edelhagen, who was also responsible for more commercial recordings, shows off his talent for arranging and leading jazz big bands and shows that his orchestra are up there
with the best large jazz ensembles of that time. The development of the orchestra is
generously shown on this 3 CD box from the swinging 1957 ensemble to the experimental band of 1974.
The names of the contributing soloists speak for themselves: Maynard Ferguson, Mark
Murphy, Philly Joe Jones, Toots Thielemans, Albert Mangelsdorff, Benny Bailey, Jiggs
Whigham, to name just a few.
Another must have archival record from Jazzline!
MJN RECORDS Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & The MaXx / Live ‘Live’ with
Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & The MaXx is really a story of three young
Swedes, Oscar Gr nberg, Petter Kraft and Tomas J rmyr meeting in college
before starting their formal jazz education in Trondheim.
When The MaXx won the prestigious Jazz talent award (JazZtipendiatet) at
Molde International Jazz Festival in 2017, they decided to use the opportunity
to invite some of their best friends and amazing musicians from their college
years, both guitarist Anton Toorell and trombone player Petter H ngsel met the
guys from The MaXx at Fridheim Folkh gskola in 2006. A few years later Oscar,
Petter and Tomas reunited in Trondheim, and The MaXx was born.
The MaXx developed the music on ‘Live’ through hours of jamming in their
studio in an old German bunker in Trondheim. Simultaneously with the music
slowly taking shape, a theme dealing with the youth’s fascination for dystopian
sci-fi, involuntary heroes and time travels evolved. Combined with their love
for rhythmical riffs and extreme musical shifts a new piece of music appeared.
Some people have called it an abstract rock opera. The MaXx tells us that what
this project is really about is to amplify the undisguised energy and joy that
always has been the core of band.
Advice: Live is grasping the steaming atmosphere in the theatre a hot summer
night in Molde, and should be played on a high volume!
TJO & The MaXx:
Oscar Gr nberg - keyboards; Petter Kraft - guitar, tenor saxophone and vocals;
Tomas J rmyr - drums; Mia Marlen Berg - vocals; Thomas Johansson - trumpet;
Petter H ngsel - trombone and recorder; Mette Rasmussen - alto saxophone;
Kjetil M ster - tenor saxophone; Anton Toorell - electric guitar; Anja Lauvdal -
keyboards; Mattis Kleppen - electric bass; Recorded by Tor Breivik Mixed by H
vard Soknes.
New York-based Arlene Farber, who later had a bit part in The French Connection, was renamed Arlene Tiger by future husband, Jerry Gross, for the lurid Female Animal, one of the exploitation films he
directed and distributed in the late 60s and early 70s (here under the alias Juan Carlo Grinella). With a debauched plot about the raunchy misfortunes that befell an attractive peasant girl (with Gross appearing as a pimp), the film benefitted from a lush soundtrack by the Clay Pitts Orchestra, written and conducted by the enigmatic Pitts himself (the alias of US composer Derek Ware).
This easy listening LP is a true stunner of the genre, a must-have for all fans of lounge music, as well as original exploitation soundtracks.
Vertaal first mixtape, Paradigm Shifting had a soft digital released on the 23rd April 2020, on Vertaal’s Empty Quarter Tribe imprint.
Self-produced, recorded and mixed in their own studio, the EP was nominated by Jazz Revelations for EP of 2020 and produced
four singles, ‘Polar’, ‘Duels, ‘Drop Off’ and ‘Dilla5’.
2020’s lock down led to a completely remixed and partial re-recording of the mixtape into a full, seamlessly mixed double LP with 6 additional
tracks and a further 6 musical ‘skits’ recorded separately by all the contributor musicians on the album during lock-down.
The limited edition numbered coloured vinyl 2LP will be released on March 26th 2021 supported by a fifth single, Alcazar b/w Husky on April 2nd
with promo video directed by Ben Sommers (Smoke No Pony Productions) whose previous credits include Mary Epworth, Archive, Young Knives and many others.
Vertaal have been an increasingly notable presence in the nu-jazz scene over the past 3 years.
Tipped as “ones to watch for 2019” by Jazz Re:freshed, Vertaal played an exclusive pick of sold out shows at prestigious venues such as Ronnie Scott’s, Pizza Express Soho and the Jazz Café.
They have also supported the likes of Mark Guiliana (David Bowie), & Pete Ray Biggin (Level 42) and finished off 2019 guesting for Richard Spaven at The Cambridge Jazz Festival.
Of the six tracks on the current mixtape, first single ‘Polar’ was played on the uber-cool Deeper Cuts show by DJ Karl Bos who described the track as an “incredibly produced record.”
Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM) urged his listeners to “…hunt this down. They’re making incredible music!” after playing two tracks from Paradigm Shifting on his show,
and the mixtape has garnered similar excited responses from many DJs and reviewers (press list below).
Paradigm Shifting will be released on March 26th. The shrink-wrap will be stickered with full information and press quotes.
Autopsia is a cult art project dealing with music and visual production.
Its art practice began in London in the late 1970s and continued during the 1980s in the art centers of the former Yugoslavia.
Since 1990, Autopsia has acted from Prague, Czech Republic.
Above all Autopsia is not concerned with music. What is Autopsia? Art? Theory? Framing? Projection? Gaze? Autopsia is
language is image is sound. Autopsia is a tombstone on the grave of time. Autopsia is archaeology. The discourse of the
beginning and about the beginning. At the beginning is Death and the pity of Death. The music is in the pity.
The music of Autopsia oscillates from romanticism to avantgarde, from industrial rhythms and dark ambient drones to relentless
choral swells and academic minimalism.
Autopsia Archive 1982-1995
Engineered & Mastered at Mustakillah Studio Prague, 2017
Released by Other Voices Records VOX 35 LP
Marketed and distributed by Kontakt Audio
The Only Way Is Up” has long been regarded as a dance floor anthem and with its uplifiting lyric couldn’t be more appropriate as the soundtrack to current times as we slowly return to a more normal way of life. It has taken 40 years for this magnificent, original version of the song to finally see a reissue and our thanks go to Otis Clay’s daughter, Ronda, for helping to make this possible.
The song was written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson and originally recorded by Otis Clay in 1980 on his own ‘Echo’ imprint. Incredibly it was a non-hit at the time and came towards the end of a long and prolific career for the Chicago R&B singer. Clay had previously recorded for the Leaner brothers at ‘One-derful!’ before moving on to ‘Cotillion’, ‘Atlantic’ and ‘Hi’ (amongst others). George Jackson also worked as a staff writer for ‘Hi’, after a successful run at Goldwax, but it was while he was with the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio that he wrote “The Only Way Is Up” for Clay.
In 1988 Jackson hit paydirt when his song was reinveted by the dance duo Coldcut for Yazz and the Plastic Machine. It was an immediate hit and spent five weeks at the top of the U.K. pop charts. It also became a No.1 hit across Europe although barely scraped into the Hot 100 in the U.S.A. In recent times it has been used as the theme to the popular TV show The Only Way Is Essex.
But, of course, it is Otis’ ‘soulful’ original that we all want to hear and it is still packing the dancefloors across the country as witnessed at last years fabulous ‘International Soul Festival’ at the Blackpool Winter Gardens! With prices in 3-figures and rising its time to grab a bargain… “the only way is up”!
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5 years after his last studio album, Wax Tailor is back with "The Shadow Of Their Suns" a darkly elegant "sound feature" accompanied by a new and prestigious cast.
Behind this allegorical title hides a long period of brainstorm. The luxury of time in a world where everything goes fast. Time to observe the light from the shadow, the "whirlwind of life", its excesses, its drifts and its symbolic violence. Time to think and translate into music as a privileged witness of our society.
Among the guests of this new album, the rock legend Mark Lanegan & his unique voice, Del the Funky Homosapien (Gorillaz, Hieroglyphics), D Smoke (Winner Netflix Rythm + Flow, the new west coast scene sensation), the late Gil Scott Heron, Rosemary Standley (Moriarty), Mr LIF (Thievery Corporation, Def Jux), Yugen Blakrok (noticed alongside Kendrick Lamar & Vince Staples on the Black Panther album), Adeline (Brooklyn’s Best Kept secret soul singer), Boog Brown (Detroit femcee).
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This deep soul-jazz double-sider, recorded on October 3rd 1972, was released as a seven-inch single on Motella, one of the many labels of the Mavuthela Music division of Gallo Africa (now Gallo Record Company). Mavuthela was founded by the talent scout and producer Rupert Bopape in 1964. This recording of 'The Toreadors', a one-off session group, was produced by Ray Nkwe who worked as an independent producer for several different companies and was responsible for organising many African jazz-oriented sessions in the 1970s and early 80s.
On first hearing the A-side ‘Thembi’ (written by Ray Nkwe) you’ll wonder why you haven't heard this song before, but simultaneously be struck with a sense of instant familiarity. It has a loose floating jazz vibe with echoes of 60's hippy, psychedelic soul-jazz qualities, and elements that remind us of acts such as The Deirdre Wilson Tabac. The vocal deliveries are stunning, hauntingly beautiful, and from a place where it is hard to pinpoint just where this song originates.
The B-side, ‘Gwinyitshe', is also absolute fire. This song has gained more coverage and notoriety among South African music fans / collectors and DJ's over the years. It is a deep, pulsing soul-jazz-funk groove with another exceptional vocal performance that is relaxed yet engaging and spiritual, whilst managing to surf the instrumentation to perfection. 'Gwinyitshe' was written by one of the sleeping giants of South African music, Teaspoon Ndelu, who also plays on the record and whose material we can't get enough of here at Mr Bongo.
When you think you have all the records you need a gem like this resurfaces from the past, reminds you that you've only scratched the surface and there is still a wonderful treasure trove out there to enrich you and your music collection. So dive into The Toreadors world briefly, your day will be the better off for it.
• Official vinyl replica
• South African soul-jazz obscurity
• 'Gwinyitshe' written by Teaspoon Ndelu
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