Scott Walker, PJ Harvey, Coil, Matmos, Autechre & Pan Daijing. 180g LP with inner, 12”x24”poster + DL card. The Debut Full-Length By Montréal Producer Kee Avil, The Project Led By Avant/Improv Guitarist Vicky Mettler, Also Known As A Member Of Sam Shalabi’s Land Of Kush And As Co-Founder Of Concrete Sound Montréal. Advance Single “See, My Shadow” Premiered By Mary Ann Hobbs On BBC6 And Picked Up By Music & Riots, Backseat Mafia, Aural Aggravation, Etc In Dec 2021. Kee Avil, a project led by Montréal producer and guitarist Vicky Mettler: a singular expression of fractured dream logic concretized in chiselled postpunk guitar, sinuous low-end electronics, a panoply of organic and digital samples creating alternately twitchy and propulsive rhythm, and the anxious intimacy of her finely wrought lyricism and vocals. Bound by an outstanding production sensibility throughout, Crease unfolds one oblique earworm hook after another, with compositional innovation anchored to an inscrutable and compelling voice across 10 songs of tremendous and imaginative sonic detail. Kee Avil brings a contemporary electroacoustic sensibility to bear on traditions and conventions of pop, postpunk, electronic and sound-art songwriting, where touchstones range from Scott Walker and Coil to Fiona Apple, (early) PJ Harvey and (later) Juana Molina to Eartheater, Pan Daijing and Smerz; or Grouper produced by Autechre. Her unconventional alloys also conjure the guitar-inflected deconstructions of Gastr del Sol and the crystalline micro-worlds of Bjork, Matmos and Rashad Becker. Crease is one of those debut records that excites a wide range of peerless references precisely because it's so compelling in its own idiosyncratic authority, originality and execution. Each song on Crease is its own sculpture, meticulously assembled to resemble disassembly: “each of these worlds was built without consideration for the other; it felt impossible to me, once I would enter the atmosphere of a song, to try to start another until that idea was finished.” The album nonetheless unfolds in impressive holistic integration through a palette of textures and techniques deployed in recurring but continually refracted ways. Alongside her superb austere guitar work stitched into electro-industrial, dark-ambient and minimal-techno soundworlds, it’s her voice and lyrics confidential, hermetic, implacable that provide the galvanizing, always captivating through-line. Her more compositional, exacting, (de)constructed musical identity was first unveiled with the self-titled Kee Avil EP (Black Bough Records) and further honed by pre-pandemic tours sharing stages with Pere Ubu, Marc Ribot and Bill Orcut among others. Woodshedding since then, Crease presents a quantum leap in Kee Avil's exploration of studio-based experimentation, arrangement and production, signaling the arrival of a brilliantly genre-melding, refined and assiduous new voice in avant-garde songcraft.
Cerca:sweet dream
New pressing on Orange Vinyl
Morcheeba have released 8 albums that have sold in excess of 10 million records in their career. 'Blaze Away', their positivity- packed ninth album, marks both a fresh start in its organic approach and a return to the joyous genre-mashing of their early days, with featured guests Roots Manuva and Benjamin Biolay. There was no template for its ten, extraordinary, future-facing songs, no self-imposed limits on style, no themes to be adhered to or rules in place to break.
UK trip-hop pioneers who have sold in excess of 10 million albums worldwide. First new album in over fve years with fantastic features and collaborations including Roots Manuva, Benjamin Biolay & Kurt Wagner.Global touring in 2022.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ most famous “I Put A Spell On You” was supposed to be a blues ballad. But when he and his musicians got drunk in the studio, they churned out one of the most gut-wrenching, utterly visceral songs in the history of pop. He groaned, moaned, spluttered and spat his way through the recording, giving it a haunting feel and ensuring a ban on many radio stations.
But it became a hit, which gave him license to record more of his slightly oddball operatic music, resulting in his first album At Home With Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in 1958. Featuring dancefloor sure shots such as “Hong Kong”, the stomper “Yellow Coat”, “Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle” and of course “I Put A Spell On You”, it goes without saying that this record is a killer.
- A1: Mouse On The Keys - Plateau (Kuniyuki Remix)
- A2: Paul Randolph & Kathy Kosins - Could Cou Be Me? (Kuniyuki Remix)
- B1: Mr Raoul K - Dounougnan Magni (Kuniyuki Remix)
- B2: Kazumi Watanabe - Garuda (Kuniyuki Remix)
- C1: Erika Nishi - Summer Party (Kuniyuki Remix)
- C2: Jungle By Night - Love Boat (Kuniyuki Remix)
- D1: Sth Notional - Song With No Words (Kuniyuki Remix)
- D2: Nabowa - Ries (Kuniyuki Remix)
It works in clubs. it works at after hours. Also, small bars vibrate meaningful on it: the music of Kuniyuki Takahashi enthralls everywhere and is made for heedful listeners, that love the thrill of little musical nuances, shifting in a deeply composed ocean of sound.
In terms of composition, melodic sensitivity, and subtle progression the music of japanese producer, Sound designer and dj stands out. Ambient, Future-Jazz, Deep House, Leftfield Elec-tronics: since more then 25 years the man from Sapporo expresses his emotions with a wide stylistic range.
As Kuniyuki or under pseudonyms like Koss or Newwave project, he released a body of work consisting of numerous albums and EP’s, that display his deep musical consciousness pro-foundly. Now his home label Mule Musiq drops “Remix Works “, an eighth tune strong compila-tion featuring for the second time since 2013 Kuniyuki Takahashi’s very own virtuosity of re-mixing.
A double vinyl that carries the full pallet of his skills – from yacht rock leaning synth-pop and balearic dreams to sweet wave signals and soulful Pop House.
It all starts with Kuniyuki’s Remix of “Plateau”, a tune by japanese Nu-Jazz / Post‐Rock band mouse on the keys, released in 2013 on the short living japanese retalk label. An epic, almost ten-minute-long house voyage, full of discreet acid shades and enlightening Jazz chords, that play spirited tricks on each other’s manic musical preaching.
- 1: Aaron Lee Tasjan - Traveling After Dark
- 2: Jaime Wyatt - Need Shelter
- 3: Beachwood Sparks & Gospelbeach - You Don't See Me Crying
- 4: Marcus King With Eric Krasno - No One Above You
- 5: Fruit Bats - Feathers For Bakersfield
- 6: Billy Strings With Circles Around The Sun - All The Luck In The World
- 7: Dori Freeman W/ Teddy Thompson - Sweeten The Distance
- 8: Hiss Golden Messenger - Time Down The Wind
- 9: Johnathan Rice - Me & Queen Sylvia
- 10: Mapache - The Wisest Of The Wise
- 11: Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band - Freeway To The Canyon
- 12: Leslie Mendelson - Feel No Pain
- 13: Jonathan Wilson With Hannah Cohen - Detroit Or Buffalo
- 14: Susan Tedeschi & Derek Trucks - Day In The Sun
- 15: Jimmy Herring With Circles Around The Sun - Bird With No Name
- 16: Shooter Jennings - Maybe California
- 17: Vetiver - White Fence Round House
- 18: Todd Scheaffer - December
- 19: Courtney Jaye - Grand Island
- 20: Oteil Burbridge, Nick Johnson, Steve Kimock, John Morgan Kimock, Duane Trucks - Superhighway
- 21: Britton Buchanan - Willow Jane
- 22: Kenny Roby W/ Amy Helm - Too Much To Ask
- 23: Bob Weir - Time & Trouble
- 24: J Mascis - Death Of A Dream
- 25: Tim Heidecker - The Cold & The Darkness
- 26: Warren Haynes - Free To Go
- 27: Rachel Dean - So Far Astray
- 28: Steve Earle & The Dukes - Highway Butterfly
- 29: Victoria Reed - Angel & You're Mine
- 30: Jason Crosby - Pray Me Home
- 31: Lauren Barth - Lost Satellite
- 32: Jesse Aycock - The Losing End Again
- 33: Puss N Boots - These Days With You
- 34: Tim Bluhm With Kyle Field - Cold Waves
- 35: Zephaniah Ohora With Hazeldine - Best To Bonnie
- 36: The Mattson 2 - Let It All Begin
- 37: Cass Mccombs, Ross James, Joe Russo, Farmer Dave Scher, Dave Schools - You'll Miss It When It's Gone
- 38: Angie Mckenna - Fell On Hard Time
- 39: Allman Betts - Raining Straight Down
- 40: Hazy Malaze Featuring Jena Kraus - Soul Gets Lost
- 41: Robbi Robb - I Will Weep No More
Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal is a 5LP vinyl boxset
celebrating the prolific body of work Casal left behind over the course of
14 studio albums
Recording sessions for the project began in February 2020 led by co-producers
Dave Schools of Widespread Panic and seven time Grammy- Award winning
recording engineer/ producer Jim Scott at PLYRZ Studios in Valencia, CA.Over
forty artists appear on the tribute including Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks,
Jonathan Wilson, Phil Lesh and The Terrapin Family Band, Steve Earle, Warren
Haynes, Jaime Wyatt, and Shooter Jennings among numerous others. The first
single and video from the recording was captured during the initial sessions in
February 2020. It features Billy Strings with Circles Around the Sun performing
"All The Luck In The World.
Curtis Godino’s first album producing for The Midnight Wishers. Mastered by Shimmy-Dic’s Kramer. “Golden Wish” Yellow Vinyl LP ltd edition of 500. RIYL: the Shangri-Las, the Chiffons, the Crystals, the GTOS, Ween. What if a cute girl group scored a hit song about a car crash, then actually died in a car crash, but decades later, David Lynch conjured their spirits for a beach-themed Halloween special? That’s a feeble attempt to describe the fun, spooky universe evoked by musician, songwriter and producer Curtis Godino with his latest project, Curtis Godino Presents the Midnight Wishers. “I’ve always been a fan of girl groups and old generic love songs,” says the Brooklyn-based artist, previously known around town for his psychedelic band Worthless and his ’60s-style light projection shows. “No matter how cheesy, they always get stuck in my head, so I decided I would try to make some of my own, with the help of my friends.” Chief among those friends are the Midnight Wishers: lead vocalist Jin Lee and backing singers Rachel Herman and Jessica McFarland, all of whom Godino recruited for the project. Lee also contributed lyrics, which she tends to recite as often as she sings in a dreamy, earnest voice. The trio are the perfect messengers for Godino’s tunes, visually as well as sonically. In photos, they pose before bubble-gummy backgrounds, playing with a ouija board by candlelight, elemental like a cartoon crime-fighting team with their respective black, red and blonde hair. But make no mistake: This project belongs to Godino, a musical ringmaster in the tradition of Phil Spector or more aptly Shadow Morton, whose noir sensibilities spawned such uncanny pop marvels as the Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” In this case, Godino built the wall of sound almost entirely by himself, recording on his eight-track tape machine during the pandemic shutdown. Starting with drum tracks from Andrew Max and Adam Amram, he would add picked bass guitar in the style of L.A. studio legend Carol Kaye, then go bonkers with fuzzy guitars, Farfisa organ, mellotron, analog synthe- sizers, glockenspiel, an arsenal of other percussion instruments and an array of mysterious electronic effects. To fully realize the vision, however, Godino knew he needed more firepower. The Wishers’ multilayered harmonies and other vocal tracks were recorded and engineered by his roommate, Paul Millar, at Millar’s Bug Sound East studio. “I'm sure all those incredible old records were recorded on a four-track or whatever, but I don’t have the same discipline,” says Godino, whose stated goal was to create “songs so sweet they’ll give you a cavity
For their first installment, the Chateau Chepere crew brings a diverse EP from ambient house maestra Rai Scott.
Opening the EP is 'Logical Positivism', a deep, driving and cinematic nod to the forest dance floors of the late 90's. On 'Inspired', Rai brings the club in an introspective, melancholic mood. Slower, steady beats with rolling percussions and dreamy pads to shroud the dancers.
Picking up the pace is 'Open Your Eyes', a warm, bitter-sweet piece of house from from her own alter ego Serendipity. The club friendly 2021 rework shifts into an early morning vibe, while keeping it deep and moody. Closing out the EP is the title track 'Anahata Nada', a gorgeous, warm piece of ambient for the chill rooms.
John Carroll Kirby brings his talents as a composer
and producer to film scoring. His vivid imagination,
dreamy compositions and knack for storytelling with
instrumental music make for a perfect match with
comic book writer, artist and filmmaker Dash Shaw’s
vibrant, fantastical animated feature.
Kirby’s score is at once deeply evocative and
mysterious, evoking nostalgia, wide-eyed innocence,
and ethereal otherworldliness. As with all of Kirby’s
music, the score resists easy genre classification,
melding together sounds from new age, exotica, library
music and the sweeter side of electronic music.
‘Cryptozoo: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’
features the voice of Kacy Hill.
Artwork by the film’s director, Dash Shaw.
‘Cryptozoo’ won the NEXT Innovator Award at
Sundance, premiered internationally at the 2021
Berlinale, and was bought by Magnolia Pictures.
The film is currently streaming on MUBI UK and
Ireland as a MUBI Release and will be on the platform
for several months.
‘Cryptozoo: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is
Kirby’s latest album following the release of his
electronic-jazz album ‘Septet’ in June 2021. He will be
touring the UK and Europe in March 2022.
For fans of Bibio, Tangerine Dream, Susumu Yokota,
Laraaji, Joanna Brouk.
Support from AV Club, New York Times, The Guardian,
Cinemacy, Collider, The Wire, BBC 6 Music, triple j
and KCRW, among others.
- A1: Bless This Morning Year (2020 Remaster) 06 05
- A2: Halving The Compass (2020 Remaster) 05 29
- A3: Dragonfly Across An Ancient Sky (2020 Remaster) 05 44
- A4: Vargtimme (2020 Remaster) 03 59
- B1: Coast Off (2020 Remaster) 04 55
- B2: Paper Tiger (2020 Remaster) 04 36
- B3: First Dream Called Ocean (2020 Remaster) 03 54
- B4: The Toy Garden (2020 Remaster) 04 45
- B5: Emancipation (2020 Remaster) 02 35
Repress
Originally released in 2006, Eingya by Helios aka Keith Kenniff returns in a new 2021 edition vinyl re-release, remastered by Taylor Deupree.
Beginning the album on a high with the pastoral beauty of "Bless This Morning Year," Kenniff showcases of what he does best: heartbreaking guitar and piano melodies punctuated by crumbling beats and backed by the most atmospheric synthesizer sounds this side of Eno's Apollo. The appetizing "Halving the Compass" blends subtle field recording with the kind of piano melodies so beautiful they could be compared to Virginia Astley or Harold Budd. This is followed by the album's clear highlight, "Dragonfly Across an Ancient Sky." It's an unsurpassable folk guitar piece with a decomposing percussive background and the sort of melodies that would turn evil tyrants into weeping babies. An album that could appeal as easily to fans of Nick Drake as to fans of Boards of Canada or even early AIR, this truly has something for everyone.
Raised in rural Pennsylvania, Kenniff put out Helios's 2004 debut album, Unomia, while studying percussion at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Since then, he's released six more albums as Helios, in addition to collaborating with his wife Hollie Kenniff in the shoegaze-inspired pop duo Mint Julep and composing music for films and archival use.
"A protracted sunset of an album guaranteed to see you through the longest days of summer and into the twilight of the autumn." - The Wire
"A soundtrack of molasses-sweet, midsummer sunset melancholy and pastoral mellifluence." - Tinymixtapes
For Fans Of : LVL UP, Crying, Paear, Sheer Mag, Krill. When his primary music project, LVL UP, stopped working together in 2018, prolific multi-instrumentalist and illustrator Nick Corbo began working on a new body of music and visual art as Spirit Was. On his debut studio album Heaven’s Just a Cloud, haunting, beautiful scenes of the natural world feel just as represented in the warm, classic, wooden floors of country rock as they do in the dark, droning, shadows of doom and black metal. With new creative liberties, Corbo is allowed an opportunity to keep exploring the heavy, distorted instrumentation and experimental techniques that have shaped his music to date. His ability to focus on small details and weave them into vast networks has been evident in all of the music and visual art in his catalogue. In its density, Heaven’s Just A Cloud is threaded with memorable lyrics and recapitulating musical themes that guide the listener. Spirit Was feels at home among the technical, melodic songwriting of Harry Nilsson’s studio recordings, or the dusty, psychedelic oblivion of Earth and Wolves in the Throne Room. A departure from his previously collaborative recordings, the album features Corbo on drums, bass, guitar, and keyboards, weaving sweet, intentional melodies and vocal harmonies over a slamming, distorted rhythm section.
»Infuso Giallo aka Philipp Carbotta originally hails from rural Western Germany, first cut his teeth in the music scene of nearby Cologne and conducts a host of activities in Berlin for a couple of years now – co-running the label Kame House, designing graphics and producing and playing leftfield electronic music. His debut LP Ocular Soda presents an intersection of these activities – self-released, self-designed and of course self-produced. Even before the first synth chords and reverse atmospheres of the two-part opener 'Every Waking Hour' tickle the ear, it is the eye that is drawn to the bright, cut-out style cover art – itself made up of two eyes on the front and what seem to be their rough shapes or discarded counterparts on the back.
To stay within that metaphor, Infuso Giallo's music is indeed of a reflective and calm nature, taking cues from Berlin School, library and New Age musics from roughly the 1970s to the 1990s – steadily repeating and slowly evolving ostinatos, lush digital pads, quirky filtered toplines and electronic percussion that mostly eschews four-four monotony in favor of much more subtle syncopations. Balearic bomb 'The Big Rip' with its big drums and acid bass turns the energy level up a notch while retaining the somnambulistic, lingering quality that makes Ocular Soda such a coherent listening experience – music on the sheath of waking and dreaming, both worlds and their inherent logics freely bleeding into each other. There are moments of great expanse, such as in 'Mole Gaze' – I couldn't help but see myself hovering somewhere in mid-air while the music unfolds as if on a great deserted plane below me. Maybe this is what it sounds like once the mole leaves his tunnels and takes in the sound of the world overground. 'Hello World', indeed, in its multitude of information to eye and ear, in its gently overwhelming quality. The title track 'Ocular Soda' closes the proceedings with a whimsical nod to 1970s botany-centered library music, its brooding chord sequence and sweet lead lines gradually fading in the distance. A fitting ending to an impressive LP of highly evocative, at times sombre and at times blissfully naive pieces that leave me yearning for more.«
Written, recorded & produced by Infuso Giallo in 2020 & 2021 in Berlin. Mixed by Philipp Janzen & Sebastian Blume at Dumbo Studios, Cologne. Mastered by Sam Irl in Vienna. Design by Infuso Giallo.
- A1: Unknown Artist – When She Finds The Way Back Home
- A2: The Lavenders – Wanderer
- A3: Nancy Lee Jordan – Happpy Don't Last Forever
- A4: Artie Minz, Ellie Shepperd & The Countryment – Just Another Name
- A5: Curley Fields & The Kentuckians – Firsco Flower Tale
- A6: Dave Davis – Kentucky Sunshine
- A7: Patti Whipp – It's Gone
- B1: Gene Ski & The Troubadours – Six Foot Down
- B2: Dixie Drifter – Little Hero
- B3: Larry Phillipson – Challenge
- B4: Harrison Two – Run Little Girl
- B5: Johnny Madrid – Hello Houston (Goodby Ol' L.a.)
- B6: Duane And The Drifters – Tell Me
- B7: Sam Podany – There's A River
- C1: Shunka Wa Kaon – Legend Of The White Buffalo
- C2: Frank Gay & The Gayblades – Down Bound Train
- C3: Unknown Artist – Now They're Gone
- C4: Rog Winters & The Plainsmen – When I See You
- C5: Harrison Two – La Fraja
- C6: The Chieftones – The Sun Is Shining
- C7: Patti Whip – Walkin
- D1: Gary Chamberlain & The Country Cats – Muleskinner Blues
- D2: Rod & Terry – I Still Love You
- D3: Janet Kaye – Heaven Help The Working Girl
- D6: Tom Sheehan – God Help The World
- D7: Sam Podany – Highway
- D4: Curley Fields & The Kentuckians – Trouble Sweet Trouble (Just A Barstool Away)
- D5: Georgette Beltran – This Lovely Day Is Mine
Black vinyl[43,99 €]
Home to Cuca Records and hundreds of Nashville-fantasizing pluckers and singers, Wisconsin’s Driftless region was a hotbed of country music in the 1960s. Influenced by old-timey ethnic songs, Bakersfield outlaws, countrypolitan rainbows, and the lonesome twang of every rural route roadhouse, these 17 Driftless Dreamers washed up at Jim Kirchstein’s Sauk City record plant with little more than $100 and a longing. Collected here are the fruits of Cuca’s documentary approach to record making, capturing the voices and stories of a culture and glacier in abatement.
Grace Cummings is an actor and musician from Melbourne, Australia. Grace
learned piano as a child and took up the guitar as a young adult, but only
began to write and perform music in 2018. She went from a debut gig at
Melbourne’s Old Bar to a breakthrough performance at Boogie Festival in the
space of six months, picking up support slots with J Mascis and Evan Dando
along the way.
With buzz building around her powerhouse live show, Grace grabbed the
attention of Flightless Records (King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard), who
released her debut album, ‘Refuge Cove’, in late 2019. Refuge Cove won
praise from publications around the world, including Pitchfork and All Music,
and Grace was tapped for support slots with Weyes Blood, Cash Savage,
Teskey Brothers and Allah-Lahs.
In 2020, Grace recorded the single ‘Sweet Matilda’ for Mexican Summer’s
‘Through the Looking Glass’ series before landing a worldwide deal with
indie powerhouse ATO Records (Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, King
Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard). Her sophomore album, ‘Storm Queen’, is
now set for release.
Available on CD and opaque white vinyl. (Once the coloured vinyl format has
sold out, a standard vinyl format - ATO0589LP - will be made available.)
A graduate of the drama program at the Victorian College of the Arts, Grace
appeared in Elbow Room’s award-winning production ‘Prehistoric’, which
played to packed houses and widespread critical acclaim at the 2018
Edinburgh Fringe. In 2021, she made her debut with the Melbourne Theatre
Company in 2021, in Joanna Murray-Smith’s ‘Berlin’.
“Cummings isn’t content to merely sing along to her melodies. She tears her
low, surging voice to shreds, braying like she’s beckoning you from the
opposite end of a crowded room. It adds an eerie, intense quality to her
music - a desperation behind the calm of her arrangements.” - Pitchfork
“One of Melbourne’s hottest new talents... filled with raw power.” - Beat
Magazine
“Cummings has a voice that demands to be heard, while her lyrics cut
through to the heart, leaving listeners gasping for air.” - Folk Radio UK
“Like a combination of Sandy Denny, Odetta, Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen
and Marianne Faithfull... as the last piano chord ends, you are left wanting
more.” - Your Music Radar
“There’s a striking androgyny in her tone, it brings the power needed for
these songs to make you stop and listen...Her wit is very sharp and it bites
back with cunning rhetoric.” - Stomp and Stammer
“Take notice of Cummings as a fresh new Australian talent.” - X-Press Mag
Bryan Ponce's delicate, plaintive vocal, this time accompanied by the sweet, rich timbre of Adriana Flores make for two earnest duets that exude palpable chemistry.
On "Tangled Up" the pair sing of a love affair that has run its course but (against their better judgement) lingers in the form of late night entanglements and dream-induced longing - imprisoning the lovers on a carousel of heartache and despair. "Soon Enough" is a gorgeously sparse ballad rife with melancholic guitar, percolating percussion and a groove that will have you swaying side to side with the one you love.
Not just a super-rare set of dreamy soul jazz but also a neat piece of independent label history: JSR were a Jersey-based imprint with an open source attitude to their business, allowing ambitious young musicians their first break contract-free (albeit with limited pressings) In 1980 Coleman took them up on the offer, played most of the instruments himself and even designed the artwork: Taking Care Of Business is quite a literal title. It's literally brilliant, too; just check the Shuggy style vocal leans on "Due Consideration" or the swooning Roy Ayers style vibraphone magic of "Sweet Bird" and you'll see exactly what we mean. Stunning.
. A true child of the seventies, Sojo wished to record and mix his new material straight to tape, using vintage analog equipment with according methods of work. This was made possible at Studio Kerwax, located in the heart of Brittany. A tight quintet gathered with sound engineer Christophe Chavanon to produce the warm timeless sounds of Silvatica, marking the welcome return of drummer Earl Harvin (Tindersticks, The The, Psychedelic Furs). New recruit Erik 'Raggy' Sevret (from French dub masters Zenzile) works his sax magic, breathing further life into Sweet Gum Tree's lush sonic forest.
- A1: Funky Junky
- A2: Black Autumn
- A3: Day And Age
- A4: There’ll Always Be
- A5: Billy Joe Young
- B1: The Story Of Isaac
- B2: Baltimore
- B3: Sign On The Window
- B4: Humbug Down On The River
- B5: Pain
- C1: I Desire You (Album Outtake)
- C2: Stormy Monday (Session Outtake)
- C3: Jam (Session Outtake)
- C4: Roy’s Bluz
- D1: Shotgun
- D2: After Hours/The Messiah Will Come Again
- D3: Sweet Dreams
What do you get when you blend a reverential take on the diverse canon of popular Caribbean music with an all-star cast of seasoned studio musicians from the heart of Brooklyn? The answer lies in Combo Lulo's much anticipated debut studio long-player, Neotropic Dream. The group takes its influence from the deep musical heritage of New York's cultural pedigree, especially the heyday of the city's Caribbean record distribution industry — a culture of music that still bubbles today in the crevices of the city's independent neighborhoods and record communities.
Despite the general scope of the muse, it's hard to precisely pin down this fantastic re-imagining. In some ways, that's why the title for the band's debut album is Neotropic Dream, a nod to the biogeographic region that encompasses the countries along the Afro-Caribbean diaspora, a region intensely diverse in its climate, fauna and flora. This theme manifests musically as you journey through Combo Lulo's original compositions and cleverly chosen covers. More than anything, it's a dreamy storm of styles and musical moments born anew. And just as weather swiftly travels and transforms the Caribbean, so the varied musical styles carry the listener from the album's start to finish. Not just a talented band's showcase of styles, but rather a sumptuous feast of savory and sweet ingredients on display, together. A musical curry roux, if you will, that fits together so harmoniously, it's no wonder the band engenders automatic appreciation both in their studio recordings and in their uproarious live shows.
Whether it's cumbia gone rock steady, or reggae gone chicha, or vocal vs. version, there's a little something for everybody on here, depending on where you drop the needle. With splendid original compositions and horn arrangements from band leader Mike Sarason and saxophonist Anant Pradhan, respectively, Combo Lulo is quickly proving themselves to be a powerhouse of the highest caliber.




















