Suche:the earl

Direct follow up to OKC noise rock band’s 2022’s breakthrough album God’s Country. Mixed by Benjamin Green (Uniform, Portrayal of Guilt, Drab Majesty). Mastered by Matt Coloton (The Rolling Stones, Blur, Nick Cave, Sunn O)). Full US tour in 2024, EU early 2025, with more dates to come. Like the towering mounds of toxic waste from which it gets its namesake, the music of Oklahoma City noise rock quartet Chat Pile is a suffocating, grotesque embodiment of the existential anguish that has defined the 21st Century. It figures that a band with this abrasive, unrelenting, and outlandish of a sound has stuck as strong of a chord as it has. Dread has replaced the American dream, and Chat Pile’s music is a poignant reminder of that shift—a portrait of an American rock band molded by a society defined by its cold and cruel power systems. Though very much on-brand with Chat Pile’s signature flavor of cacophonous, sludgy noise rock, the band’s shift to a global thematic focus on Cool World not only compliments the broader experimentations it employs with their songwriting but also how they dissect the album’s core theme of violence. Melded into the band’s twisted foundational sound are traces of other eclectic genre stylings, with examples of gazy, goth-tinged dirges to abrasive yet anthemic alt/indie-esque hooks and off-kilter metal grooves only scratching the surface of what can be heard in the album’s ten tracks. Besides stylistically stretching the boundaries of the Chat Pile sound, Cool World is also the band’s first record to have someone else handle mixing duties, with Ben Greenberg (Uniform) capturing and further amplifying the quartet’s unmistakably outsider and folk-art edge. While Chat Pile’s debut album was plenty disturbing with its B-movie-inspired interpretation of a “real American horror story”, what the band depicts on Cool World is unsettling not just from its visceral noise rock onslaught, but from depicting how all sorts of atrocities are pretty much standard parts of modern existence. In film terms, think something like a Criterion arthouse film by way of schlocky grindhouse splatterfest: undeniably gratuitous and thrilling in the moment but leaving a looming dread in the back of one’s mind for how close the horrors depicted mirror reality.

The Tokyo Blues is an album that reflects Horace Silver's deep musicality, cultural curiosity, and love for the blues

Its combination of relaxed grooves, melodic beauty, and hints of Eastern influence make it a unique and memorable work within Silver's extensive catalog. It's a perfect example of how jazz can both explore new territories and remain grounded in its own traditions, showcasing Silver's versatility as both a pianist and a composer. Released in 1962 it is considered a gem within Horace Silver's prolific career and offers an intriguing combination of Horace Silver's unique jazz language with the subtle influence of his experiences in Japan, producing a warm, thoughtful, and musically rich album. Horace Silver's The Tokyo Blues is the result of his quintet's tour of Japan in 1961, which left a strong impression on him. While on tour, Silver was struck by the culture, atmosphere, and aesthetics of Japan, which he sought to translate into the musical language he was deeply rooted in hard bop. The album, however, doesn't feature overt Japanese musical scales or instrumentation, but rather evokes a mood and a sense of place. Silver's approach was more about integrating his impressions of Japan, its serenity, beauty, and mood of reflection, into the compositions. He did this within the framework of the jazz tradition, creating music that remains unmistakably his own. His quintet was already known for its catchy themes, complex rhythms, and inventive solos, and The Tokyo Blues adds a layer of atmospheric and emotional depth to that established style. In the early 1960s, Horace Silver was at the height of his creative powers. His work was instrumental in shaping the hard bop movement, a style that emphasized blues, gospel, and soul influences over the more intricate, intellectual sounds of bebop. The Tokyo Blues stands as an example of Silver's ability to evolve his sound while staying true to the groove-based essence of hard bop.

CARNIVORE is an American crossover / thrash metal band from Brooklyn, New York founded by singer and bassist Peter Steele, and was formed out of the breakup of the Brooklyn metal group FALLOUT in 1982. The first CARNIVORE album was heavily influenced by the contemporary New York metal scene. It also drew inspiration from BLACK SABBATH and early JUDAS PRIEST, whereas the second album had significant crossover influences. The "post-apocalyptic" theme that dominated the first album and was carried onto parts of the second album was apparently inspired by a dream Pete Steele had and which became the basis for the lyrics of "Predator", the first song from the original album. The lyrical theme was then expanded on to describe human society ( or the lack of one ) between imaginary World Wars III, IV and possibly V (as referenced in the song "World Wars III & IV"). Other lyrical themes included nihilism, anti-religious sentiment, cynicism, and explicit but tongue-in-cheek depictions of gore and despair. Song titles such as "Jesus Hitler", "Race War", "Thermonuclear Warrior" and "God is Dead" reflect these themes. In August 2017, it was announced that CARNIVORE would officially be reformed as CARNIVORE A.D., featuring original drummer Louie Beato and guitarist Marc Piovanetti along with secondary drummer Joe Branciforte sharing drum duties and also introducing new member Baron Misuraca as the bassist/vocalist. The band then made their live festival debut at the 2018 edition of Hellfest. CARNIVORE's "Retaliation" is a legendary and authentic metal/hc crossover album and an admittedly very heavy devastating wall of music with very much tongue in cheek lyrics. It became an absolute classic in the metal genre. It has remained unreleased for too many years and has now become very much in demand, now available again in Deluxe exclusive Limited edition 2LP vinyl and Digipack with no less than 3 bonus tracks ! ESSENTIAL CLASSIC !

CARNIVORE is an American crossover / thrash metal band from Brooklyn, New York founded by singer and bassist Peter Steele, and was formed out of the breakup of the Brooklyn metal group FALLOUT in 1982. The first CARNIVORE album was heavily influenced by the contemporary New York metal scene. It also drew inspiration from BLACK SABBATH and early JUDAS PRIEST, whereas the second album had significant crossover influences. The "post-apocalyptic" theme that dominated the first album and was carried onto parts of the second album was apparently inspired by a dream Pete Steele had and which became the basis for the lyrics of "Predator", the first song from the original album. The lyrical theme was then expanded on to describe human society ( or the lack of one ) between imaginary World Wars III, IV and possibly V (as referenced in the song "World Wars III & IV"). Other lyrical themes included nihilism, anti-religious sentiment, cynicism, and explicit but tongue-in-cheek depictions of gore and despair. Song titles such as "Jesus Hitler", "Race War", "Thermonuclear Warrior" and "God is Dead" reflect these themes. In August 2017, it was announced that CARNIVORE would officially be reformed as CARNIVORE A.D., featuring original drummer Louie Beato and guitarist Marc Piovanetti along with secondary drummer Joe Branciforte sharing drum duties and also introducing new member Baron Misuraca as the bassist/vocalist. The band then made their live festival debut at the 2018 edition of Hellfest. CARNIVORE's "Retaliation" is a legendary and authentic metal/hc crossover album and an admittedly very heavy devastating wall of music with very much tongue in cheek lyrics. It became an absolute classic in the metal genre. It has remained unreleased for too many years and has now become very much in demand, now available again in Deluxe exclusive Limited edition 2LP vinyl and Digipack with no less than 3 bonus tracks ! ESSENTIAL CLASSIC !

Repress! It's safe to say that hip-hop has never seen an album like Ol’ Dirty Bastard's 1995 solo debut Return to the 36 Chambers. The brief glimpses of ODB's unhinged genius provided by Wu-Tang Clan's landmark Enter the Wu-Tang album two years earlier were begging to be expanded on to a larger canvas, and, with RZA guiding production, the album promised to give Dirty the creative license to make one of the most bizarre, entertaining and original LPs in hip-hop history. With his raspy, drunken flow and dark sense of humor, Dirty fearlessly attacks from all angles, throwing himself fearlessly into punchy rhyme attacks (“Damage,” with GZA), drugged-out party jams (the monster singles “Brooklyn Zoo” and “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”) and bizarre, grimly hilarious fantasies of sex and violence (“Don't U Know” and the R&B-tinged “Sweet Sugar Pie”). Backed by RZA's appropriately gritty, dissonant beats and appearances from the Clan, Return became an instant hit, selling over 1 million copies and earning a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album in 1996. The album stands as a high water mark in the Wu-Tang Clan's collective creative output and was selected as one of the Best 100 Rap Albums by The Source magazine in 1998. In honoring the legacy of one of hip-hop's most innovative releases, Get On Down is proud to present this incredible and unique special edition of Ol’ Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers as a double LP which contains the complete original album, remastered for optimal sound quality.

First time on LP worldwide / New liner notes by Graham Parker / Includes the fan favourites "Blue Horizon," "I'll Never Play Jacksonville Again," and "Socks 'N' Sandals" / Packaged as an LP with bonus 7" single / Remastered for vinyl by the album's original co-producer and engineer, Dave Cook / Graham Parker has been pre-promoting this upcoming LP release from the stage/ Graham Parker's fifteenth studio album, Deepcut to Nowhere, was first released by the independent label Razor & Tie in 2001. Parker recalls, "Within weeks after the release date of Deepcut to Nowhere, I was up early driving from New York State to Boston on what seemed like the most beautiful day in the history of autumn, to rehearse with the Figgs for a festival in Oregon, slated for a few weeks later, followed by a tour to support the album. That day was September 11th, 2001." In the aftermath of the attacks, Parker comments, "The press members I spoke to could barely get past the first track on Deepcut to Nowhere, 'Dark Days,' asking me if I was some kind of 'seer,' or had a mysterious crystal ball. Followed by 'I'll Never Play Jacksonville Again,' the opening salvos of the album seemed to capture imminent trauma, but of course, I was just writing songs." As the 12-song set progresses, Parker's focus expands to include the nostalgic "Blue Horizon" ("as emotionally rich a song as I'll ever write"), a dark-humoured take on the evils of colonialism ("Syphilis and Religion"), and the indignity of wearing socks with sandals. Taken together, Deepcut to Nowhere is among Parker's finest and most varied collections of songs, several of which have gone on to become setlist staples. Deepcut to Nowhere, originally released on CD only, finally makes its worldwide LP debut.

All the music in the world is at your fingertips, and it's up to you to set the vibe_ So, what should we listen to? If you're having trouble deciding, turn on the radio. It's the perfect place to discover something new, or jam along to a tried-and-true station that'll never let you down.Tune In is due out 11/1/2024 via Chiefdom Records. The second of three installments in the Terrestrial Radio series, it's a carefully curated collection of instrumental fusion, designed to serve as the perfect radio mix for fans of jazz, hip hop, funk, soul, reggae and beyond. It's the latest release from Cincinnati based executive producer Doctor Bionic (Jason Grimez). As a DJ, producer, and former member of 90s rap group MOOD, Grimez' musical career revolves around hip hop. He's always preferred to sample songs from the late 60s and early 70s because of the authentic tone. "Growing up collecting and sampling records was an education, whether we realized it or not," he explained. Grimez records and produces music using analog gear to emulate the instrumentals that he's always loved as he works with some of the best musicians in the Cincinnati area to bring his ideas to life. Among others, Jonathan Luck Spaulding and Josh "Mojo" Cole made several appearances on guitar throughout the record. Every Doctor Bionic release is accompanied by a unique, thought-provoking album cover. For Tune In, Grimez worked with Refael Idan Suissa, a painter and digital artist based in Israel.Next time you're looking for some new instrumental tunes to set the tone, you can count on the growing catalog from Doctor Bionic. Tune In is available everywhere on 11/1/24.

cLOUDDEAD's debut album, compiling six 10" EPs that appeared between 2000-2001, is aurally dense and obscured. A sprawling mass of miniature beat-suites and Dadaist lyrics, this strange and beautiful 3xLP would influence a myriad of sub-genres (cloud rap, hauntology, lo-fi hip-hop, etc.) in the two decades since its initial release.

Only the three members of cLOUDDEAD – Why?, Doseone and Odd Nosdam – can speak to the group's origins, but in the context of underground hip-hop towards the end of the 20th century, their arrival makes perfect sense. Cincinnati had a vital scene; home to Scribble Jam, an annual confluence of MCs, DJs, B-boys and graffiti artists. While the trio soon relocated to the Bay Area where they co-founded the Anticon collective, their Midwestern roots – in ramshackle basements of off-campus hovels, as the "cerberus of Southern Ohio" – would remain the atomic heart of their early recordings.

As Chris Martins writes in the liner notes, "The only reason we know their names today is because of how loudly and curiously they aired their insularity. They rewrote the entire world as they knew it through their own fucked perspective, and when those mysterious 10-inches started popping up in record shops, it wasn't just a puzzle to investigate: there seemed to be a whole cosmology hidden in those grooves."

Each side of the album represents one of those elusive 10-inches, each embodying a universe unto itself. Opening salvo "Apt. A" and "And All You Can Do Is Laugh" are perhaps most emblematic of the cLOUDDEAD experience. Why? and Dose create a new language through boundless non-sequiturs, sing-song non-choruses and call-and-response hooks, while Nosdam's dexterous production shifts from crackling ambience of Flying Saucer Attack to tight Ohio Players drum breaks and oblique film samples.

Taken all together, cLOUDDEAD is an original interpretation of hip-hop in the surreal Y2K glow – a bizarre meeting point between William Basinski's Disintegration Loops and MF DOOM's Operation: Doomsday. All it took was a Dr. Sample SP-202, Tascam cassette eight-track and cheap RadioShack mic. There's truly nothing like it.

This edition has been faithfully restored by Nosdam. European exclusive version comes on clear vinyl, incl. fold-out poster and liner notes insert.

The Blues and the Abstract Truth is not just a landmark album in Oliver Nelson's career but in the history of jazz itself

The album features an incredible ensemble of top-tier jazz musicians, often referred to as a "supergroup": Oliver Nelson (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Eric Dolphy (alto saxophone, flute), George Barrow (baritone saxophone), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), Roy Haynes (drums). The early 1960s were marked by a shift from the hard bop of the 1950s to more experimental forms, including modal jazz, free jazz, and the incorporation of avant-garde elements. Musicians like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Charles Mingus were all pushing the boundaries of jazz, and Oliver Nelson's work fits within this broader movement: in this album there's a perfect combination of modern compositional techniques, virtuosic performances, and emotional depth make it an essential listening experience for any jazz fan. It captures the moment when jazz was evolving into new, exciting directions while staying connected to its roots in the blues. The Blues and the Abstract Truth is considered one of the essential albums in modern jazz where Oliver Nelson's compositional style blends hard bop, modal jazz, and blues influences with sophisticated harmonic structures and striking arrangements. The album is noted for ts rich orchestration despite having a relatively small ensemble with use of textures and colours, particularly in tracks like "Stolen Moments," created a new standard in azz arranging.

Anything goes, everything is OK,’ is New Cool Collective’s free and easy creed. These eight jazz players are continually reinventing themselves, finding new inspiration and inspiring others. Brilliant as ever under a new spotlight, New Cool Collective excels on their 25th album Everything is OK, released by Dox Records this autumn on 25 October 2024.

Earlier this year, the band celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with a pocket-sized ode to their prolific past: 30 Years Live. Having played and partied, the group turned their attention to the future: what next for an ensemble that thrives on musical experiment and collaboration? Where to now? Which way to go to rekindle that creative spark and foster that flame?

New Cool Collective has met the challenge head-on, determined to surprise their audience, and themselves too. They spent a little time reflecting, considering suggestions, weighing up options – eight creative artists exploring, coalescing. Soon their ideas gelled into something special. They laid down a series of tracks that both build on the band’s thirty-year history and feed on a newfound freedom to simply be New Cool Collective. Everything is OK embodies that sense of a group which knows how to surpass expectations, to make music from the heart, to go back to their roots, back to the essence of those early years.

Anything goes, everything is okay on a record that features extensive brass arrangements and orchestral elements. There’s something magnificent about those seductively intimate tracks, something way beyond the traditional orchestral big band sound. New Cool love to experiment with alternative production techniques, developing the final mix themselves to create a unique, unmistakably recognizable sound – however surprising or unusual the music, you know you’re listening to New Cool Collective – like you’re there and the band is playing just for you.

Everything is OK is brimming with ideas, surprise and humour. The music is contemplative, yet it also leads straight to the dance floor: it gets you moving – body and soul. This is music for the intellect, to take you out of your comfort zone and to show you subtly, ironically: is everything really ok?

Recorded by long-time collaborator and producer Elliot Heinrich at the band’s own Pony Studios in East London, it’s clear that Tempesst spent time developing a sound tailored to the subject matter. Parallels can be drawn from the great alternative writers of the nineties (Stipe, Buckley, Cocker) by way of the storied lineage of the dark narrators (Cohen, Waits, Cave). “My process is mostly reactive, like writing a journal and reflecting on what I watch, read and listen to,” says Lyricist Toma Banjanin, citing “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus as an influence of the record. Forbidden Fruit showcases a new sound, shedding their previous Spector-esque production for a modern hi-fi approach. Tempesst maintain a surrealist soundscape with precision, conjuring images of René Magritte: layered sounds within sounds to draw the listener deeper. They lean into chaos, with fuzz-infused, reverb-laden guitars that drone through the record indifferent to harmony, restrained by a swampy rhythm section. Tempesst reach for the bright lights of the expressionist late eighties while descending into the rawness of the early nineties.

Following the success of Highly Refined Pirates' forward-thinking guitar gymnastics and Menos El Oso's groundbreaking glitch rock, Seattle's premier pop revisionists Minus The Bear dug into some of rock music's most ostentatious years for inspiration for their 2007 album, Planet of Ice. The title alone conjures images of Yes's Relayer album art, and the influence of the elder statesmen's symphonic scope can be felt throughout Planet of Ice's lush and intricate arrangements. You can also hear the band channel the ominous instrumental interplay of Lamb-era Genesis on "Dr. L'Ling", the deceptively savvy musicianship and pristine production of Steely Dan on "White Mystery", and the tightrope walk between ethereal space and pre-metal riffage of Pink Floyd's "Echoes" on "Lotus". Not that Minus The Bear completely abandoned their earlier style_elements of Menos El Oso's sample-driven technique can be heard on the lead single "Knights". But the heart of the song ultimately belongs to the haunting Fripp-esque guitar lines spliced between verses. After being out of print on record since 2010, Suicide Squeeze is proud to reintroduce Planet of Ice's creative marriage of classic motifs and modern musical wizardry with a vinyl remaster courtesy of Bernie Grundman.

Kevin Parrot, Brian McGladdery, Roger Tweedale, Gary McDougall and Tony Bamforth formed Samsun at the beginning of 1969. After several tours abroad they came to the attention of Geoff Gill (ex-The Smoke), Wil Malone (ex-Orange Bicycle) and Cliff Wade (ex-Fickle Pickle). They spent a week at Morgan Studios recording an entire album but only three songs were released for the Dutch and UK markets. A few years later, the band rebranded as Oscar.

Buried until now in the vaults, Samsun's self titled album finally emerges blinking into the daylight a mere 52 years after it was recorded to provide yet another missing piece of the seemingly forever incomplete Morgan jigsaw. Taken from the original master-tapes, it provides yet more evidence that, during a five-year period in the late Sixties/early Seventies, the in-house Morgan team was as productive as any similar-sized British pop collective. Available on both vinyl and CD with comprehensive sleeve notes.

"Raw, deep and spiritual Gnawa music from Morocco to carry you through the night...

Recorded in a single late night session in a house in Casablanca, using a Tascam field recorder and 2 microphones, Dead of Night is the incredible new solo album from Maalem Houssam Guinia, the son of Maalem Mahmoud Guinia, and one of Morocco's most exciting young Gnawa masters.

The album was recorded live on the night of 3rd January 2022 in a relaxed session that lasted into the early hours of the next morning, and it captures Houssam at his most natural, singing and playing the Gnawa songs that have been with him since his birth, completely solo and free without percussion or backing vocals. Houssam described the album as containing the songs he knows best as these were the pieces his father would play and sing late into the night in their home when he was an infant.

What you'll hear on Dead of Night is raw, deep Gnawa music in its purest form played by a young Maalem who has been immersed in the culture his whole life and is a master of his craft. The whole performance has been beautifully and sympathetically captured by bassist and producer Karl-Erik Enkelman."

Voice & Guimbri by Maalem Houssam Guinia.
Recording & Production by Karl-Erik Enkelmann.
Mastering by Julian Tardo.
Photography by Bader Naggay.
Design by Marc Teare.

With thanks to Hamza Guinia, Khalil Mounji, Karl-Erik Enkelmann & Karl Jonas Winqvist.

The experimental project Pissoff was founded in the late 60s by multimedia-artist Eberhard Kranemann and some friends who studied together at the Düsseldorf Academy Of Fine Arts. The chaotic, loud and soundwise undisciplined band took part in various events at this location and other places. Due to the intense fluctuation of band-members the performances by Pissoff were characterized by continously changing participants and variations of the involved equipment: cello, violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, flute, vocals, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, organ and drums. In 1968 Pissoff performed together with Joseph Beuys who was professor of sculpture at the Art Academy at that time. During this incomparable audiovisual interaction Joseph Beuys staged his Hndaktion: in concentrated manner he moved his hands in front of his head while listening and visually reacting to the very loud and abstract staccato-rhythms by Pissoff. The event was recorded by Eberhard Kranemann on a Telefunken mono-tape-recorder and remains the only existing audio-material by Pissoff until today. On that night Eberhard played cello, clarinet and tenor saxophone while the other members added sounds by electric guitar, electric bass and drums. Earliest musical experimentations that can be defined as the origins of the band Kraftwerk already started in 1967 by Eberhard Kranemann and Florian Schneider-Esleben. Sometimes Kranemann invited Florian Schneider-Esleben to join Pissoff.

Research Records teams up with organist and synthesist E. Bobby G. to release his sophomore album, Bobby Business. Once again, the album is primarily centered around the 1982 Kawai DX900, but it masterfully explores more genres than his debut, Giving You M.O.R.E.

Bobby Business was recorded in 2022 after E. Bobby G. received an eviction notice from his beloved sharehouse of 12 years. After moving out, he stored the organ at his workplace, Bakehouse Studios, where his boss let him use the space overnight to record until the early hours. The remainder of the album was recorded in his old studio space, NGBE.

The first track, "Ha-Ha," is as meditative as it is glittery, with floating sustained chords. "Big Boy" and "Disco Shift" bring back a slightly more polished E. Bobby G. sound—lo-fi library music with bright tones that will appeal to fans of proto-electronic icons like Brian Bennett. Tracks like "Lucky Strike" and "Tropical Dino Ride" are video game music dreams, featuring West Coast lead lines and strutting percussion. The second half of the album explores spaced-out '90s downtempo and dub elements, with a distinctive refinement that hides the fact it was created primarily using the Kawai DX900.

Bobby Business closes with "Lillian," a sonic dedication to the artist's Grandmother, with a more traditional song structure that hints at what Bobby has planned next.

Released in 1956 this album is a compilation of recordings from different sessions held between 1953 and 1954

Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins were both giants of jazz, each known for their individual approaches. Monk, with his unorthodox approach to rhythm and harmony, was one of jazz's most original composers and pianists. Rollins, one of the greatest saxophonists in jazz history, was known for his inventive and bold improvisations. Thelonious Monk was still establishing his reputation during this time. Though considered a genius by some, Monk's highly original style, marked by dissonant harmonies, abrupt rhythmic shifts, and a percussive attack on the piano, was still divisive among critics and audiences in the early '50s. It wasn't until later in the decade, when he started working with Columbia Records and gained wider recognition, that he achieved broader commercial success. Sonny Rollins, though younger, was already a notable figure in the jazz scene by this point, having played with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and Bud Powell. He was known for his inventive and bold improvisational style. In these recordings, Rollins was solidifying his status as one of the major voices on tenor saxophone. The album shows both musicians in their prime, experimenting with harmonies and extended forms. Even though the sessions were recorded at different times, there is a strong synergy between them, particularly in how Monk's percussive piano style complements Rollins' flowing saxophone. A record that captures a moment in jazz history, a testament to the artistic brilliance of both musicians and a significant piece of jazz history, blending the freewheeling spirit of jam sessions with complex, forwardthinking compositions.

Fresh Selects presents the 5 year anniversary re-issue of the underground classic debut LP from one of R&B's most promising stars, SiR. Now a member of Top Dawg Entertainment (alongside Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and more) and signed to RCA, SiR's independent debut features early appearances from both Anderson. Paak and SiR's brother D Smoke (now the winner of Netflix's hit show Rhythm & Flow), as well as production from Knxwledge, Iman Omari, Chris "Daddy" Dave, Tiffany Gouché and more. Long since out-of-print, this 2020 edition of the LP includes new artwork and a fold-out poster, including the original photo that was used for the album cover.

During the ‘Bad With Names’ promo campaign, Liam Shortall produced 108 new demo ideas for corto.alto, a process not focused on perfection, but rather with the aim to produce as many ideas as possible and deepen his individual writing and production style. Early 2024, he had 108 ideas in a folder - not fully composed tracks that would be placed well on a standard 12 track album, but not throw away ideas either. He decided to dedicate the following 4 months to finish 30 of these tracks; recording some of his favourite musicians in his home studio and remotely. The goal wasn’t to make a perfectly clean and polished album, but to get these ideas out into the world and explore new grooves, sound design worlds and composition ideas Each track has its own single artwork created from photos that Liam took on tour over the last year. The process of making these artworks was very similar to the music: create something from the material you have without doubting yourself - focusing on the creative process rather than the perfect end results.

Ltd. to 500 colored copies worldwide. The band's first album from 1993, lovingly remastered by Johannes Scheibenreif. A classic of German progressive rock. The band's only English-language album. In 1973 the band signed a contract with Brain Records and Jochen Petersen (later keyboarder with Randy Pie) produced their debut album "Banished Bridge" at the Chameleon Studios in Hamburg. The album was recorded completely without electric guitars, the centerpiece being the 17-minute title track "Banished Bridge". The music is slightly fragile, flowing, almost lyrical. The floating synthesizer and keyboard passages are reminiscent of the early works of Pink Floyd and Genesis. A debut album that already showed where the band would later go. "Banished Bridge" remained Novalis' only English-language record, but for many it is still considered a classic of German progressive rock.