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January 2023, Dorset. Snow is piled at the door, icy roads are closed, and Emily Cross is in a coffin. Not a setting typical for a rebirth. But for Loma, this is where they bring their band back from the brink. "It's like a demon enters the room, whenever we get together", writer, singer and instrumentalist Cross says of the struggle to bring new Loma music into the world. Following the release of their 2020 second album Don't Shy Away, Loma's three members were cast around the globe and the band-not for the first time-entered a deep sleep. Multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Dan Duszynski remained in his studio in Don't Shy Away's central Texas heart, but Cross, a UK citizen, moved to Dorset, and writer and instrumentalist Jonathan Meiburg left the US for Germany to research a book. In the pandemic years, even being in the same room was impossible, and attempts to start a new record faltered. The following winter, in an attempt to salvage the record and the band, Cross suggested they regroup in the UK, in the tiny stone house-once a coffin-maker's workshop-where she works as an end-of-life doula. With minimal recording gear and few instruments, Loma turned two whitewashed rooms into a makeshift studio, using a padded coffin as a vocal booth. It was a turning point. They scrapped much of what they'd made, letting a new place set a new course. The one-lane roads, hedgerows and dark skies of Dorset gave the new songs an ineffable but unmistakable Englishness. The band used the ruin of a 12th-century chapel as a reverb chamber-surprising hillwalkers who peeked in to find them singing to no one-and the sounds of Cross's chilly workshop wormed their way into the recording: a leaky pipe, a drummer's brushes on a metal lampshade, the voices left on an ancient answering machine. What emerged was How Will I Live Without A Body?: a gorgeous, unique, and oddly comforting album about partnership, loss, regeneration, and fighting the feeling that we're all in this alone. Many of its songs have a feeling of restless motion; faceless characters drift through meetings and partings, tangling together and slipping away. "I Swallowed A Stone" is like a nightmare with a happy ending; "How It Starts" and "Broken Doorbell" reflect on the challenge (and necessity) of wrestling with agoraphobia. Though the record nods to the trio's separate lives- a German percussion ensemble, a pair of Texan owls, and the surf at Chesil Beach make guest appearances-the core of Loma's sound remains intact: earthy, organic and deeply human, anchored by Cross's cool, clear voice. Loma's previous album, Don't Shy Away, was galvanized by the unexpected encouragement and contributions of Brian Eno. This time, they found inspiration in another hero, Laurie Anderson, who offered a chance to work with an AI trained on her entire body of work. Meiburg sent her a photo from his book-in-progress about the once and future life of Antarctica; Anderson's AI responded with two haunting poems. "We used parts of them in a few songs," he says. "And then Dan noticed that one of its lines, 'How will I live without a body?' would be a perfect name for the album, since we nearly lost sight of each other in the recording process." In the end, Loma's efforts to reconnect with one another are the album's central focus: what do you owe a shared past, when everyone and everything has changed? "Making this record tested us all," says Duszynski. "I think that feeling was alchemized through the music." Alchemized, because How Will I Live Without A Body? is by no means a stressed-out record: an undercurrent of deep calm runs through it. But maybe 'relaxed' isn't the right word. It's more like a feeling of relief, of making it through a tough journey together.

Through the folded sky to America

Ten albums in three years. That's still the cosmic mission of the Berlin post-kraut trio YELKA with Daniel Meteo, Christian Obermaier, and the namesake Yelka Wehmeier.

With the album "For," there was a Label change. After releasing three albums in 2023 with Maurice Summen, head of Fun In The Church they passed the label responsibilities to Karaoke Kalk. Karaoke Kalk is a friendly label founded in Cologne known for establishing the Berlin post-wende scene (fall of the wall scene).

The trio's fourth album was also created with Arne Berger at Popschutz Studio, and the team is definitely well-rehearsed. Instead of recording the planned tracks, the band decided to improvise the session, and all tracks, except for the krauty Doors cover "The Crystal Ship," were created in 5 days in the studio, mostly on the first or second take, but with significantly more overdubs - keyboards, backing vocals, second and third guitars, percussion, and piano. The sound of "For" has become warmer, and the album begins with a kind of 60s-Kinks feeling. Overall, the current record has become much more exuberant - like Alice in Wonderland, YELKA seem to want to restore innocence to things in the opener "Smile (Into Skies)," resulting in an uplifting hiking song for experimental outdoor bohemians.

The follow-up piece "The Boar" speaks to everyone from the north, south, west, and east and here YELKA encounter a horde of wild boars on their travels, before the vocals become hardly understandable and ghostly spooled in reverse, suddenly sounding like Damo Suzuki from CAN at the height of Tago-Mago times.

Finally, YELKA‘s "Crystal Ship," simply sails away with the wild boars into remote 4D worlds between the Cocteau Twins and X-Mal Deutschland.

In the first instrumental of the album "Is this enough?", the band reverse tracks like Jimi Hendrix in his Electric Ladyland, and we dive deeper and deeper into the endless sky until YELKA finally arrive on newly trodden sound paths with "MM" to their beginnings on their debut album "Nowhere Jive." At the popular intersection of post-rock and jazz, where guest singer Bela Hagel also likes to linger for a moment: "Sie wissen" (They know), he knows that too! Surely Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser would have had a lot of fun with his shamanistic singing on his "Kosmische Kuriere" label. The guitars sound like a desert, and the reverb reminds us of the expansive space in the opening track "Skies."

Finally, we land in Amerika, or rather, YELKA ponder the melancholic question of whether anyone still wants to travel to America with them, to the land of unlimited possibilities, the haven for artist souls all over the world. "Do you wanna dance?" Yelka Wehmeier finally asks, while a chorus in the best Sun Ra manner mantra-like repeats "Cold dogs, cool cats." The whole band sings. Everything sounds good.

Sanctify the Darkness ist das zweite Studioalbum der griechischen Thrash-Metal-Band Suicidal Angels in voller Länge. Das Album wurde ursprünglich im November 2009 veröffentlicht, hier kommt eine neue Ltd. Edition LP in ziegelrotem Vinyl.

Sanctify the Darkness ist das zweite Studioalbum der griechischen Thrash-Metal-Band Suicidal Angels in voller Länge. Es war das erste Mal, dass die Band die Grenzen Griechenlands verließ, genauer gesagt nach München (Deutschland), um ein Album aufzunehmen, von Anfang an bis zum letzten Detail des Masters.

Es ist auch das erste Mal, dass die Band mit einem Produzenten zusammenarbeitet, R.D Liapakis. Die Aufnahmen fanden in den Prophecy und Music Factory Studios statt, während das Mischen und Mastern in den Maranis Studios in Backnang, Deutschland, stattfand. Die Veröffentlichung des Albums fand im November 2009 statt, hier kommt eine Neuauflage in ziegelrotem Gatefold Vinyl.

Enjoy The Ride Records in conjunction with WaterTower Music, Warner Bros. Games, and NetherRealm Studios proudly presents the Mortal Kombat 1 (Original Video Game Soundtrack).

It's In Our Blood. Mortal Kombat 1 is the latest title in the acclaimed Mortal Kombat video game franchise developed by award-winning NetherRealm Studios. The game introduces a reborn Mortal Kombat Universe that has been created by the Fire God Liu Kang, featuring reimagined versions of iconic characters as they’ve never been seen before, along with a new fighting system, game modes, bone krushing finishing moves, and more.

Mortal Kombat 1 (Original Video Game Soundtrack) showcases the game's music by Wilbert Roget, II and features stage music composed by Dan Forden, Stephanie Economou, Nathan Grigg, Dan Negovan, Dean Grinsfelder, Casey Edwards, and Joel Corelitz.

Wilbert Roget, II is a veteran composer in the video game and film industries. He joined LucasArts as a staff composer in 2008, where he scored several games in the Star Wars universe, including Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Wars: First Assault. He later became a freelance writer, scoring Mortal Kombat 1, Star Wars: Outlaws, Call of Duty: WWII, the Emmy Award-winning Star Wars: Vader Immortal, and many other high-profile game scores. He has also written for Japanese anime, scoring the upcoming Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance. His work has earned him several awards and nominations from ASCAP, the Game Audio Network Guild, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (D.I.C.E. Awards), and others.

Roget also co-founded Impact Soundworks, a successful music software company, and is an accomplished lecturer on game music. He frequently gives online masterclasses and tutorials on music composition and production and has a passion for teaching the craft. He is an avid multi-instrumentalist, performing solo flute, keyboards, world instruments, and guitar on many of his scores.

Available on vinyl for the first time, Mortal Kombat 1 (Original Video Game Soundtrack) is a 3xLP, housed in a soft touch gatefold jacket with spot gloss accents. It includes a full-color double-sided 12" x 24" poster.

First in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974. Transparent blue colored LP

In 1971, an undocumented seven-member Afro-American ensemble known as the Bobby Boyd Congress made a transformative journey from the United States to France. Bandleader Frank Abel recollects, "We sensed that the soul and funk market was saturated back home, and our original plan was a brief 6-month stint in Paris. Surprisingly, we ended up staying for a decade." Upon lead singer Bobby Boyd's return to the U.S., the group rebranded as Ice and crossed paths with independent producer Pierre Jaubert, a seasoned studio professional with credits on groundbreaking recordings alongside Charles Mingus, John Lee Hooker, and Archie Shepp, among others.

Drawing inspiration from Motown's work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. He recalled, "I didn't want to mimic Berry, but with seven talented musicians collaborating daily, something unique emerged." The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango.

Under the new moniker Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group's music transitioned to predominantly instrumental compositions, featuring a denser Afro-funk sound. Their inaugural recording with the new name, 'Soul Makossa,' included a compelling rendition of Dibango's classic and the impactful break in 'Hihache.' The subsequent release a year later, 'Malik,' refined their sound with the percussive Afro party jam 'Conga,' the atmospheric vocoder and piano-led piece 'Djungi,' and the robust funk of 'Darkest Light.' Despite a limited impact upon its initial release, 'Malik' found appreciation as hip-hop culture flourished in the '80s, establishing itself as a rich source of samples and riffs. 'Conga' was featured in the 'Ultimate Breaks And Beats' series, while the opening horn line from 'Darkest Light' became a pivotal hip-hop motif, employed by Jay-Z, Public Enemy, Wreckx 'N' Effect, and many others

Second in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Soul Makossa' originally released in 1973. Transparent blue colored LP

In 1971, an undocumented seven-member Afro-American ensemble known as the Bobby Boyd Congress made a transformative journey from the United States to France. Bandleader Frank Abel recollects, "We sensed that the soul and funk market was saturated back home, and our original plan was a brief 6-month stint in Paris. Surprisingly, we ended up staying for a decade." Upon lead singer Bobby Boyd's return to the U.S., the group rebranded as Ice and crossed paths with independent producer Pierre Jaubert, a seasoned studio professional with credits on groundbreaking recordings alongside Charles Mingus, John Lee Hooker, and Archie Shepp, among others.

Drawing inspiration from Motown's work ethic, Jaubert initiated regular rehearsals with Ice. He recalled, "I didn't want to mimic Berry, but with seven talented musicians collaborating daily, something unique emerged." The band, residing in Paris and immersed in the African-dominated Barbesse district, began infusing African elements into their music frequently performing with Paris-dwelling Camaroonian and legendary composer Manu Dibango.

Rechristening themselves Lafayette Afro Rock Band, the group's musical direction shifted towards predominantly instrumental compositions, characterized by a weightier, more intricate Afro-funk sound. Their debut recording under this new moniker, 'Soul Makossa,' made a powerful impact with a dynamic rendition of Dibango's classic, coupled with the intense break of 'Hihache' and the contagious 'Nicky.' Initially released by Musidisc in France and later in the U.S. via Editions Makossa, the album omitted the title track due to publishing clearance issues.

Despite modest sales upon its initial release, the album's enduring influence became evident as hip-hop culture surged in the '80s, establishing it as a primary source for samples and riffs. The iconic 'Hihache' break found fame in Biz Markie's 'Nobody Beats The Biz,' and tracks from the album were lifted by LL Cool J, The Beatnuts, Kruder & Dorfmeister, and numerous others.

Lenticular Sleeve / White Vinyl. When Jack Tatum began work on Life of Pause, his third full-length to date, he had lofty ambitions: Don't just write another album; create another world. One with enough detail and texture and dimension that a listener could step inside, explore, and inhabit it as they see fit. "I desperately wanted for this to be the kind of record that would displace me," he says. "I'm terrified by the idea of being any one thing, or being of any one genre. And whether or not I accomplish that, I know that my only hope of getting there is to constantly reinvent. That reinvention doesn't need to be drastic, but every new record has to have its own identity, and it has to have a separate set of goals from what came before." What came before: a rightfully acclaimed, much beloved display of singular pop craftsmanship. Tatum's dreamy, unexpected 2010 debut, Gemini, was written while he was still a student at Virginia Tech University. Its equally disarming follow-up, 2012's Nocturne, marked the first time he'd been able to bring his bedroom recordings into a studio, to be performed and fully realized with the help of other musicians. There has been a set of wonderfully expansive EPs in between_each hinting at new directions and punctuating previous ideas_but with Life of Pause, Tatum delivers what he describes as his most "honest" and "mature" work yet, an exquisitely arranged and beautifully recorded collection of songs that marry the immediate with the indefinable. "I allowed myself to go down every route I could imagine even if it ended up not working for me," he says. "I owe it to myself to take as many risks as possible. Songs are songs and you have to allow yourself to be open to everything." After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation, recording took place over several weeks in both Los Angeles and Stockholm, with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks) helping Tatum in his search for a more natural and organically textured sound. In Sweden, in a studio once owned by ABBA, they enlisted Peter, Bjorn and John drummer John Ericsson and fellow Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra veteran Pelle Jacobsson, to contribute drums and marimba. In California, at Monahan's home, Tatum collaborated with Medicine guitarist Brad Laner and a crew of saxophonists. From the hypnotic polyrhythms of "Reichpop" to the sugary howl of "Japanese Alice" to the hallucinogenic R&B of "A Woman's Wisdom," the result is a complete, fully immersive listening environment. "I just kept things really simple, writing as ideas came to me," he says. "There's definitely a different kind of `self' in the picture this time around. There's no real love lost, it's much more a record of coming to terms and defining what it is that you have_your place, your relationships. I view every record as an opportunity to write better songs. At the end of the day it still sounds like me, just new."

Repress!
Note - Sleeve says contains a bonus CD, these represses do not have a bonus CD, they have a download card.

Hate Your Friends is the 1987 debut album by the Lemonheads, one of only three full-length releases to feature the original band line- up of Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. The album showcases a hardcore-punk-to-pop-rock sound and sensibility as playfully fierce as it is surprising…especially to listeners who know the band only from their better-known major label recordings of the 1990s. The roots of Hate Your Friends begin with the genesis of the band itself: when high school friends Ben Deily and Evan Dando—inspired by a shared love of the 70’s absurdist comedy troupe the Firesign Theatre, literature, and punk rock—began playing their own songs together in 1985. Dando and Deily first started out as a two-piece ensemble: swapping back and forth between a shared Guild guitar (and a crappy amp) and vocal mic, and pounding a drum kit “borrowed” from the high school jazz band. With the addition of classmate and friend Jesse Peretz on bass, the two-man outfit quickly became a power trio. With a handful of original songs, a passionate love for their favourite bands—from Husker-Du, the Replacements, Black Flag and the Germs, to the Saints, Wire and ‘77 UK punk—and a tiny recording budget, the Lemonheads set about their first studio session within days of their high school graduation in June of 1986. During that summer, a significant amount of what would become the band’s debut album was recorded in Brookline, Massachusetts, with Deily and Dando sharing vocal, guitar and drumming duties. Above and beyond bass, Jesse proved pivotal as the band’s manager, booker and tireless promoter—helping arrange for the Lemonheads self-released debut EP, Laughing all the way to the cleaners, later that summer, and shortly thereafter helping establish the relationship with Curtis Casella of TAANG! records that paved the way to full-length LP Hate Your Friends. Finally, with the addition of full-time (and fairly short-lived) drummer Doug Trachten, the last songs of Hate Your Friends were recorded in the winter of 1986-7. BONUS TRACKS: This Fire Records re-issue features bonus tracks including 12 never-before-released live tracks from a 1987 radio session, rare tracks from the early compilation Crawling From Within, and additional tracks not included on the original release of Hate Your Friends (“Buried Alive” and “Gotta Stop”).

Der Hip-Hop/House-Innovator Cakes Da Killa aus New Jersey schlägt mit 'Svengali' ein neues Kapitel in der Beziehung zwischen Hip-Hop und House Music auf. Sein zweites Studioalbum ist eine cineastische Liebesbeziehung von der ersten Begegnung bis zur Trennung, mit allen Höhen und Tiefen dazwischen. Die Beats des Produzenten Sam Katz bieten eine subtilere Stimmung als Cakes' energiegeladene Mixtapes, zudem gesellt sich ein Jazzeinfluss hinzu, der ihn mit den frühen Tagen der Queer-Kultur verbindet, der von ambitionierten Jazzliebhabern und New Yorker Jazzclubs hervorging, die zu Pionieren der House Music wurden.

Der Hip-Hop/House-Innovator Cakes Da Killa aus New Jersey schlägt mit 'Svengali' ein neues Kapitel in der Beziehung zwischen Hip-Hop und House Music auf. Sein zweites Studioalbum ist eine cineastische Liebesbeziehung von der ersten Begegnung bis zur Trennung, mit allen Höhen und Tiefen dazwischen. Die Beats des Produzenten Sam Katz bieten eine subtilere Stimmung als Cakes' energiegeladene Mixtapes, zudem gesellt sich ein Jazzeinfluss hinzu, der ihn mit den frühen Tagen der Queer-Kultur verbindet, der von ambitionierten Jazzliebhabern und New Yorker Jazzclubs hervorging, die zu Pionieren der House Music wurden.

Die in Los Angeles ansässige Dark-Melodic-Metal-Band Witherfall präsentiert ihr viertes Album über DeathWave Records. Der Vorgänger 'Curse Of Autumn' konnte großes Lob in der relevanten Fachpresse sowie die # 20 in den deutschen Album-Charts als auch US-BILLBOARD-Charts verbuchen.
Das neue Album wird von einem ehrgeizigen Zeitplan mit sieben Singles begleitet, von denen jede ein offizielles Video enthält, das die Geschichte des Albums voller Herzschmerz, Wut und Hartnäckigkeit erzählt. Das sind Witherfall, immer bereit, die Extrameile zu gehen, um endlich zur Speerspitze der internationalen Metal-Szene vorzudringen. Witherfall wurde 2013 in Los Angeles gegründet. Seitdem hat die Gruppe drei vielbeachtete Alben veröffentlicht. Die band macht keine Abstriche und engagierte für 'Curse Of Autumn' u.a. den international anerkannten Top-Drummer Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, Jordan Rudess). Die Band engagierte erneut den Produzenten/Studio-Zauberer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (Rob Zombie, Queensrÿche, Shadows Fall) als Ingenieur/Co-Produzent sowie für Mix und Master
Das Cover von Blake Armstrong (In Flames, Megadeth, Kataklysm, Harry Potter) bietet einen visuellen Gegenpol zur Musik auf dem Album sowie zu Michaels kompromissloser Text-Offenheit.
Neben der CD gibt es schwarzes Vinyl sowie zwei limitierte farbige Versionen!

Die in Los Angeles ansässige Dark-Melodic-Metal-Band Witherfall präsentiert ihr viertes Album über DeathWave Records. Der Vorgänger 'Curse Of Autumn' konnte großes Lob in der relevanten Fachpresse sowie die # 20 in den deutschen Album-Charts als auch US-BILLBOARD-Charts verbuchen.
Das neue Album wird von einem ehrgeizigen Zeitplan mit sieben Singles begleitet, von denen jede ein offizielles Video enthält, das die Geschichte des Albums voller Herzschmerz, Wut und Hartnäckigkeit erzählt. Das sind Witherfall, immer bereit, die Extrameile zu gehen, um endlich zur Speerspitze der internationalen Metal-Szene vorzudringen. Witherfall wurde 2013 in Los Angeles gegründet. Seitdem hat die Gruppe drei vielbeachtete Alben veröffentlicht. Die band macht keine Abstriche und engagierte für 'Curse Of Autumn' u.a. den international anerkannten Top-Drummer Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, Jordan Rudess). Die Band engagierte erneut den Produzenten/Studio-Zauberer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (Rob Zombie, Queensrÿche, Shadows Fall) als Ingenieur/Co-Produzent sowie für Mix und Master
Das Cover von Blake Armstrong (In Flames, Megadeth, Kataklysm, Harry Potter) bietet einen visuellen Gegenpol zur Musik auf dem Album sowie zu Michaels kompromissloser Text-Offenheit.
Neben der CD gibt es schwarzes Vinyl sowie zwei limitierte farbige Versionen!

Look through the lens of Tom Mansi & The Icebreakers and what will you see? A passion for the blues and raw rock ’n’ roll manifested in a band who have been playing together for the last 26 years. Full to the brim of delicious grooves and swirling sounds, the Icebreakers have reignited their burners and brandished us with a hot new release — their first on Lunaria Records. The band pride themselves on delivering outstanding live performances, and their ability to recreate this in the studio. Eyeball follows their celebrated album, ‘Rock ’n’ Roll On Bones’ and pays homage to the band’s rock ’n’ roll and blues roots

2LP - schwarzes, schweres Standard-Doppelvinyl; enthält einen exklusiven Hidden Track, bei dem der handgeschriebene Liedtext auf der D-Seite eingraviert ist.

Otherness" ist das zweite Studioalbum von Ferris & Sylvester. Die Musik erstreckt sich über ein Spektrum von psychedelischem Folk, Blues, Rock und Soul - und doch sind die Songs durch das starke und lebendige Storytelling des Duos verbunden. Anklänge an Alabama Shakes, Madison Cunningham und die Teskey Brothers schwingen mit. Aufgenommen im Studio der beiden auf einer Bandmaschine aus den 1960er Jahren und veröffentlicht über ihr Label Archtop Records, widmet das Ehepaar das Album "jedem, der sich als Außenseiter fühlt".

Sein drittes Studioalbum “The Learning Of Urgency“ erscheint Anfang Juni 2024 auf ODESZAs angesehenem Label, Foreign Family Collective.

Für Kasbo ist „The Learning Of Urgency“ ein extrem wichtiges Konzept. Das Songwriting kreist um das Thema Entschleunigung, da die letzten Jahre seines Lebens von einem Gefühl des akuten Drucks geprägt waren, der sich in einem unterbewussten Zwang manifestierte, ständig mehr zu erreichen und zu tun. Das Ergebnis hätte ihn fast seine Karriere gekostet, da er einen seltenen, stressbedingten Hörverlust entwickelte. Das Ende der Pandemie relativierte diese Stressfaktoren, und indem er sich mit ihnen auseinandersetzte, war er in der Lage, persönlich und beruflich wieder auf Kurs zu kommen und dieses neue Album zu schreiben. Vier Jahre lang nahm Kasbo „The Learning Of Urgency“ auf, während er hauptsächlich in Göteborg und Stockholm lebte. Er hatte die Gelegenheit, im geschichtsträchtigen Aufnahmestudio Riksmixningsverket (RMV) zu arbeiten, das auf der Insel Skeppsholmen in Stockholm liegt und dessen Besitzer:innen niemand geringeres als ABBA sind. Das Studio ist in einem 150 Jahre alten Lagerhaus untergebracht, das früher von der schwedischen Marine betrieben wurde. Kasbos Musik hat bis heute über 500 Millionen Streams erreicht. Er wurde mit dem schwedischen P3 Gold Award in der Kategorie „Dance Artist Of The Year“ ausgezeichnet und erhielt Lob von Billboard, The FADER, Stereogum und anderen. Mit seinen sich ständig erweiternden Fähigkeiten hat Kasbo als Live-Performer, DJ und Produzent die Dreifaltigkeit der modernen Tanzmusik erreicht.

“Let us advance our mortal bodies up Where hearts and minds will go Let’s walk, let’s roll.” So sings Madeleine Peyroux on the upbeat title track of her captivating tenth album, Let’s Walk, the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most assured, courageous work to date. Powered by the distinctive, honeyed croon that delivered her from the Paris streets to concert halls, these ten unabashedly personal songs, all co-written by the versatile Peyroux, deftly interweave jazz, folk, and chamber pop, with themes ranging from the confessional to the political, from whimsy to yearning. In every note, Peyroux digs deep, rendering this exquisite work with the disarming grace and gravitas of an artist in peak form. Let’s Walk was a long time coming, but well worth the wait. Following Peyroux’s 2018 album, Anthem, the enforced isolation of the global pandemic made any real-time community gathering impossible. From a creative standpoint, however, Covid offered Peyroux a silver lining: she seized the opportunity to hunker down with longtime collaborator, multi-instrumentalist Jon Herington (Steely Dan, Lucy Kaplansky). The pair reflected on the seismic era at hand and wrote and re-wrote in what Peyroux calls “a shadow of reckoning.” When multi-Emmy-and-Grammy-winning producer Elliott Scheiner (Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles) heard a sampling of the new material, including “Let’s Walk,” he mandated “no covers” for the album. The longtime studio veteran knew the time was ripe to highlight Peyroux’s incisive, often topical lyrics meshed with Herington’s ear for melody and arrangements.

Nach "Die Drift" erscheint mit "Kenne Keine Töne" nun das zweite Studioalbum der in Wien lebenden Künstlerin Conny Frischauf. Zwischen Pop und Experiment begibt sie sich auf die Suche nach dem Momenthaften, den Übergängen und sonorischen Schwellenräumen und schafft so mit "Kenne Keine Töne" ein faszinierendes Klanglabor, das uns einlädt, unsere Hörgewohnheiten neu zu adjustieren. Die Phänomene um uns herum sind nicht so, wie wir sie sehen, und so führt sie uns in ihr synästhetisches Klanglabor, wo sie Steine, Wind, Wasser und andere Phänomene als Schallereignisse akusmatisch erforscht und gepaart mit zarten Pop-Anleihen hörbar und zu wahren Wunderstücken macht. In den sechzehn Stücken ihres aktuellen Albums spielt Frischauf mit unseren Sinnen. Fieldrecordings, sorgfältig mikrofonierte Perkussionsinstrumente, Aerophone, Händeklatschen sowie heimelige Synthiesounds werden auf diesem Album zu fein ausbalancierten Antagonisten, die sich tief in unsere Gehörgänge graben. Im Innenohr angekommen beginnt die Musik uns zu kitzeln, uns anzustoßen, uns von Innen haptisch zu berühren, dass wir an unsere Ohren fassen, sie mit unseren Händen betasten möchten, um uns zu vergewissern, und uns fragen: Ist es denn möglich, sich auf beiden Seiten des Hörtrichters gleichzeitig zu befinden?

THE OMEGA SWARM, eine atmosphärische Death-Metal-Band aus Deutschland, begann im Jahr 2022, sehr bescheiden, sehr zurückgezogen. T., der bereits vier großartige Alben mit Sulphur Aeon veröffentlicht hat, hatte keinen vollwertigen Live-Act im Sinn, als er frühe Demos komponierte und das Skelett seiner - damals noch namenlosen - neuen Kreatur formte. Im Herzen ein wahrer Schöpfer, umarmt T. die akribische Arbeit an Riffs, Tönen, Klängen, den abenteuerlichen Geist des Aufbaus und der Verwirklichung von Ideen, das Experimentieren mit seinen geliebten Gitarren und Synthesizern, um erstaunliche Vibes und Songs zu produzieren, die bedeutungsvoll und doch extrem, melodisch und doch hart sind und sich in THE OMEGA SWARMs Debütalbum vereinen, einer Platte, einem Zeugnis, das der Essenz der Kunst selbst gewidmet ist.

So bodenständig T. auch ist, er ist nicht der Typ Mensch, der sich an eine Klangformel hält, er sucht nach "etwas mehr", "etwas anderem". Nachdem Sulphur Aeon mit dem monumentalen "Seven Crowns and Seven Seals" von 2023 vorerst abgeschlossen haben, was sie ausdrücken wollten, sind THE OMEGA SWARM jetzt sein Hauptaugenmerk, und das Line-up der Band, das von Sänger Christian Schettler (bekannt durch seine Arbeit bei den Labelkollegen Wound) und Schlagzeuger Max Scheefeldt (ex Misanthrope Monarch) komplettiert wird, passt perfekt zusammen. Musikalisch entstanden THE OMEGA SWARM aus T.s Experimenten mit rhythmischen Mustern, übereinanderliegenden Synthesizern, ausgefeilten Leads und etwas technischeren Riffingstrukturen.

Die wohl einzigen offensichtlichen Parallelen zu Sulphur Aeon sind die Betonung einer dichten, fesselnden Atmosphäre, epische Elemente und eine übergreifende Dunkelheit sowie die Erkenntnis nach der Fertigstellung der ersten Aufnahmen, dass auch THE OMEGA SWARM die Qualität besitzen, mehr als nur ein 'Schlafzimmerprojekt' zu sein.
Aufgenommen in den Studios von Feire Records und s/w records, gemischt und produziert von Langzeitpartner Simon Werner, wurde V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) für das Mastering angeheuert und sorgte für den letzten Schliff von "Crimson Demise", einem Album, das stolz und mühelos zwischen Death und Black Metal changiert und von einer herausragenden Gesangsleistung abgerundet wird, bei der Chris eine ähnliche Bandbreite an Growls, Screams und cleanen Parts erreicht wie Peter Tägtgren in seinen besten Zeiten.

Vom Konzept her verzichtet die Gruppe auf uralte Lovecraft'sche Schrecken und wendet sich stattdessen geradlinigen apokalyptischen Themen zu. Ob Viren, bösartige Bakterien, verrückte Diktatoren, Klimawandel, religiöse und politische Ideologien, korrupte Technologie, Terrorismus oder Krieg, die Menschheit hat sich selbst für den Untergang gezeichnet - in leuchtenden Neonfarben, damit selbst eine außerirdische Spezies, die Galaxien entfernt ist, erkennen kann, was für Narren wir wirklich sind. "Die Menschheit kann sich nicht auf eine gemeinsame Wahrheit einigen, geschweige denn auf eine Strategie zur Lösung ihrer mannigfaltigen Probleme", erklärt Chris, "und bildet somit überhaupt keine Einheit. Der einzige gemeinsame Nenner, der uns alle eint, ist unsere Zerstörungswut, die irgendwann die gesamte Existenz der Menschheit gefährden könnte. Die Utopie wurde durch dystopische Szenarien ersetzt. Welche Formen des negativen menschlichen Verhaltens uns und die Gesellschaft derzeit beeinflussen und letztlich in eine zukünftige Endzeit führen, ist Teil des lyrischen Konzepts von THE OMEGA SWARM."
Aber keine Angst, bevor die Weltuntergangsuhr zum letzten Mal schlägt, soll euch das Vergnügen vergönnt sein, ein abwechslungsreiches, intensives und fesselndes Stück Metal zu erleben, das das neu formierte Trio aus dem Schlafzimmer auf die Bühne bringen will!

NOTHING MORE, das dreifach für den Grammy nominierte Quartett aus San Antonio, Texas, meldet sich mit ihrem spannungsgeladenen 8. Studioalbum CARNAL zurück, das am 28. Juni über Better Noise Music erscheint. Das Album enthält 15 Songs mit selbstreflektierten, philosophischen Texten und ungeschminkten, massiven Hymnen. Seit ihrem Debüt im Jahr 2003 haben NOTHING MORE zwei #1 Singles "This is the Time (Ballast)" und "Go To War" im US Active Rock-Radio platziert und waren insgesamt sieben mal in den Top-10 vertreten. "CARNAL" demontiert eindrucksvoll ihre musikalische Kompetenz innerhalb des Rock-Genres und weit darüber hinaus.

Or Kantor, a respected tattoo artist and the creative force behind the renowned "Love Light" studio stepping into the music scene for the first time with his debut album "Sarda Sarda" blending the atmospheric tones of surf music with influences from Mediterranean ballads