Cerca:the hers

Ivy Falls, the alias of singer-songwriter Fien Deman, will release her first full album in the spring of 2024. 'Sense & Nonsense' sounds mature, with a clear vision and direction. Fien wrote the album after a breakup and leaving her home; she witnessed cracks appearing in her life and found herself in a whirlpool of insecurities. Writing turned out to be the way to reorient herself and discover what she could fill her empty 'house' with. Everything changed: a new life, a new place, new people, and a new view of herself as a musician and writer. Bram Vanparys, aka The Bony King of Nowhere, makes his debutas a producer on Ivy Falls' first release. This unreleased duo impresses with 'the best coda for the confusing time that your twenties can be.'

Sometimes hitting a wall is inevitable. This occurred, partly even literally, in 2020: a broken nose, a painful breakup, and a series of chaotic events shook Fien's foundations. Losing her job, ending her relationship, leaving her home, and returning to her parental home, she hit rock bottom and started her quest to rebuild everything from scratch. After the tumult, Fien decided to shed the oppressive norms and ideas learned as a child and wholeheartedly pursue her own choices and projects.

In the years that followed, each aspect of her life gradually fell into its right place. This extended to her musical identity, themes, and sound. Acquiring some guitars and an upright piano, she endeavored to master them as a self-taught artist. Devoting ample time to her self-made home studio, she returned to the essence, distancing herself from the polished pop sound of her initial work and reconnecting with her first musical love - the singer-songwriters who had colored her teenage years. This rediscovered inspiration marked the first time in her musical career that everything felt perfectly aligned.

The album's artistic approach aligns with a fresh, expansive outlook on life and the future. Fien aims to challenge rigid societal concepts, including the notion of 'golden years.' She questions what and when exactly should be considered the most significant, joyful, and vibrant moments of life. The album delves into topics like the perceived superiority of extroverts, narcotic materialism, and toxic positivity. It's not a lament but rather an ode to what truly matters-the essence, love, and beauty. Fien's perspective encourages finding your inner child and immersing yourself in timeless and profound feelings.

Musically, Fien discovered her perfect match in Bram Vanparys (The Bony King of Nowhere), her newfound love. She wrote the songs, and he took on the role of album producer and co-arranger. Together, they crafted a metaphorical space where every small musical idea has room to flourish, and each insight and effort carries significance. Influenced by indie folk luminaries such as Julia Jacklin, Amen Dunes, Feist, Sharon Van Etten, Sufjan Stevens, and Nick Drake, Ivy Falls has set a high standard for her sound.

The main constant? Fien's distinctive voice commands every song, now revealing greater depth and nuance than ever. In live performances, Ivy Falls is joined by a talented ensemble: Trui Amerlinck (Tsar B, Mayorga), Jasper Morel (Black Box Revelation), Simon Raman (Steiger), and Anton De Boes (Philemon).

In the past, Ivy Falls has launched two EPs, received airplay on Studio Brussels and Radio 1, and shared the stage as supportfor artists like Balthazar, Jessie Ware, Sigrid, and Mabel.

One of the hardest working singer-songwriters in the game is named Katie Crutchfield. She was born in Alabama, grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. Skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfield says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she"s never felt more confident in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting. Much like Carson McCullers"s Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen. And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City-after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road-Crutchfield has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield emerges as a powerhouse-an ethnologist of the self-forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses But now she"s arriving at revelations and she ain"t holding them back.

One of the hardest working singer-songwriters in the game is named Katie Crutchfield. She was born in Alabama, grew up near Waxahatchee Creek. Skipped town and struck out on her own as Waxahatchee. That was over a decade ago. Crutchfield says she never knew the road would lead her here, but after six critically acclaimed albums, she"s never felt more confident in herself as an artist. While her sound has evolved from lo-fi folk to lush alt-tinged country, her voice has always remained the same. Honest and close, poetic with Southern lilting. Much like Carson McCullers"s Mick Kelly, determined in her desires and convictions, ready to tell whoever will listen. And after years of being sober and stable in Kansas City-after years of sacrificing herself to her work and the road-Crutchfield has arrived at her most potent songwriting yet. On her new album, Tigers Blood, Crutchfield emerges as a powerhouse-an ethnologist of the self-forever dedicated to revisiting her wins and losses But now she"s arriving at revelations and she ain"t holding them back.

Embark on a soul-stirring voyage with Oriana Ikomo as she unveils "THE HEALING," an EP that encapsulates the profound metamorphosis she has undergone in recent years. This musical journey is an ode to personal empowerment, and Oriana's resilience echoes through each note and lyric.

The EP unfolds with a powerful, ethereal introduction where the piano and Oriana's soulful voice are in the center. With a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere, she passionately repeats the mantra, "Be kind to the mothers, the sisters, the brothers, and the sisters," serving as both an affirmation and an importantmessage to the world.

Oriana's sonic palette is a rich tapestry of genres, seamlessly weaving together R&B, Gospel, Ambient, Jazz, Electronic, and Pop influences. Her sound throughout the EP is affirmed and robust, reflecting the strength she has discovered within herself.

In each track, Oriana showcases her exceptional versatility as an artist. From the heart-wrenching 'MAMA, LET'S GO' to the rhythmically charged 'IMMA PLEASER', she navigates effortlessly through different musical landscapes. The EP becomes a sonic experience, offering you a diverse and immersive experience.

"THE HEALING" is not just an EP; it's a musical expedition that invites you to delve into the depths of Oriana Ikomo's soul. Through her evocative lyrics and dynamic melodies, she invites you to witness the beauty that emerges from personal growth and self-discovery. Join Oriana on this transformative journey as she leaves an indelible mark on the intersection of R&B, Gospel, Ambient, Jazz, Electronic, and Pop, proving that empowerment and artistry go hand in hand.

Enid Valu normally relies on lenses and light to express herself. Known to create stunning visuals, to capture sonic worlds with her preferred instrument (the camera), the US-born, Munich-based photographer and video artist has been working with various bands, shooting concerts, creating music videos, visualizing what she hears. However, now that she’s become an indispensable part of the local scene, she for once ditches the cam and steps up to the mic instead – appearing as featured vocalist on two of the four brand-new covers Hochzeitskapelle recorded for the forthcoming EP entitled “We Dance.”

“It’s later than you think,” she reminds us, just like Stephen Malkmus once did in Pavement’s “We Dance” – beautifully rearranged and reworked some three decades later. Also musing about “Stockholm Syndrome,” just like Yo La Tengo’s bass player James McNews did back then, this new Hochzeitskapelle interpretation is obviously less reminiscent of Neil Young, if compared to the original take. Instead, their Yo La Tengo cover feels almost like a song recorded by The Notwist – which, interestingly enough, is not because two of The Notwist’s core members also play in Hochzeitskapelle. Nope, it’s the vibe of Enid Valu’s guest vocals that somehow points in that direction.

As for the two remaining cover choices, it’s all-instrumental business as usual. For Low’s classic “Silver Rider,” it’s the banjo that does Alan Sparhawk’s vocal part, whereas the trombone soon joins in, contributing Mimi Parker’s second vocal layer as the tune unfolds. Eventually adding a German song to the mix – Wir Sind Helden’s “Elefant” –, it’s an EP that comprises four beautiful half-forgotten indie classics that Hochzeitskapelle reworks, adding the group’s unique, charmingly handmade/oddball “Rumpeljazz” trademark. One can immediately tell how much they love the original tracks: these are recordings, done by fans and admirers who aren’t even trying to sound much like the musicians who wrote them. However, the new versions are so compelling in their own right, they make you want to revisit the original tracks as well… (Dirk Wagner)

Since 2011, For All We Know has been the side project of Ruud Jolie, known from Within Temptation. The debut album was released in the same year, followed by the second album called 'Take Me Home' in 2017. In 2023, both albums were released on vinyl via prog rock/metal label Construction Records.

The brand new third album, entitled 'By Design Or By Disaster', will also be released on CD and colored vinyl via Construction Records.

During the writing process, Jolie again worked closely with singer Wudstik, and the band consists of the same musicians who were featured on the first two albums: Léo Margarit (Pain of Salvation), Kristoffer Gildenlöw (ex Pain of Salvation), and Marco Kuypers (ex Cloud Machine). The 11 songs on the album were produced by Jolie herself and range from heavy, thrashy metal to calm melodies.

Compared to the previous two albums, 'By Design Or By Disaster' takes the listener to even more extreme corners, ranging from beautiful atmospheric strings to powerful rhythms and heavy guitars. Despite this diversity, Jolie continues to search for unexpected melodies and harmonies, where he is not afraid to go off the beaten path. There are also some 'Easter eggs' hidden for the attentive listener; melodies from the previous albums that return in an innovative way on this new album, making the first two albums together with this album a kind of trinity, which also applies to the artwork.

Since 2011, For All We Know has been the side project of Ruud Jolie, known from Within Temptation. The debut album was released in the same year, followed by the second album called 'Take Me Home' in 2017. In 2023, both albums were released on vinyl via prog rock/metal label Construction Records.

The brand new third album, entitled 'By Design Or By Disaster', will also be released on CD and colored vinyl via Construction Records.

During the writing process, Jolie again worked closely with singer Wudstik, and the band consists of the same musicians who were featured on the first two albums: Léo Margarit (Pain of Salvation), Kristoffer Gildenlöw (ex Pain of Salvation), and Marco Kuypers (ex Cloud Machine). The 11 songs on the album were produced by Jolie herself and range from heavy, thrashy metal to calm melodies.

Compared to the previous two albums, 'By Design Or By Disaster' takes the listener to even more extreme corners, ranging from beautiful atmospheric strings to powerful rhythms and heavy guitars. Despite this diversity, Jolie continues to search for unexpected melodies and harmonies, where he is not afraid to go off the beaten path. There are also some 'Easter eggs' hidden for the attentive listener; melodies from the previous albums that return in an innovative way on this new album, making the first two albums together with this album a kind of trinity, which also applies to the artwork.

Williams was one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, but she was also a victim of geography. Her technical brilliance, complete control of the piano, creative imagination, wit, and constant desire to stretch herself put her at the top of her field although relatively few (beyond her fellow pianists) seemed to realize it during her lifetime. Born and raised in Baltimore, she recorded her first three albums in her hometown. But other than a few lesser-known sets in Europe, a handful of albums for Jazz Focus in Canada and her Red & Blue label in Detroit, and just two projects in New York for the Max Jazz label, all of her recordings were made on the West Coast where she lived starting in 1976. Jessica was reluctant to travel much, particularly in her later years, and her visits to New York were rare so she was largely overlooked by East Coast critics. Listeners who are only familiar with Jessica Williams’ later work where she is generally heard with a trio or as a soloist stretching out mostly on standards (although focusing more on originals on her own small label’s releases) will be surprised by Orgonomic Music. The pianist heads a septet, the largest group on any of her many recordings. While Jessica plays some stunning lines on the piano, the emphasis is as much on her writing as on her playing, and each of the other musicians get opportunities to have their say. Orgonomic Music, which was released by the small Clean Cuts label in 1981, has been out of print for decades. The original eight selections (six of the pianist’s originals, one piece by Stone, and John Coltrane’s “Dear Lord”) are joined by two previously unreleased performances.

In 2024, the singer and songwriter Oum is celebrating her fifteen-year career, with a live album, recorded in Marrakech, which plunges back into the magic of her three flagship records, here revisited in a different light. This seventh album, named Dakchi, which means "those things", is the opportunity for this daring off-roader to allow herself a suspended moment for a temporary assessment, a return to her roots. Dakchi is the first best-of live album, in which Oum brings together around ten titles from her repertoire woven throughout three albums with identities as singular as they are filled with a common sap: Soul of Morocco (2013), Zarabi (2015) and Daba (2019). It is the expression of typically Moroccan hybridizations - African, Berber and Andalusian - which irrigate the crossbreeding of Oum. It is also joyful and natural fireworks display of polyrhythms which galvanize her music : the Marrakech signature, playful, sunny, festive. Oum slips three unpublished pieces, including the sublime Arabic cover of the legendary bolero "Lagrimas Negras", "Toda la Gente", an introduction to "Mansit", signed by cuban musician Damian Nueva or the delicate "Intidhar", composed by Yacir Rami.

“Mother”, Logic1000’s debut album. “I felt so much love and inspiration entering into motherhood that I just needed to create something really powerful,” explains Samantha Poulter, the Berlin-based DJ and producer , who grewed up in the Sydney suburbs of Yarrawarrah and Botany Bay and better known to fans as Logic1000. “And with a lot less free time, you really make sure you make the most of any moment you get.” That vitality and renewed sense of purpose is captured on Mother.Preceded by the single ‘Grown On Me’, the 12-track set is a laser-focused “love letter to house music”, written in collaboration with her husband and long-time creative partner Thom McAlister (Cop Envy, Big Ever). Finding Poulter further fine-tuning her inventive, multi-genre approach, it’s a crucial contribution not just to the world of dance but to the canon of art inspired by parenthood. As Poulter herself puts it, a little awed, “I never thought I would be capable of something so powerful.”

Kilo Kish has always been in a league of her own. Constructing herself from the ground up, Kish’s career in music began over a decade ago, when she was relatively well-known for providing breathy, uninhibited guest appearances on songs with Childish Gambino, Vince Staples, and more.

Since then, she’s been equipped with creating her own multi-dimensional worlds. On her conceptually progressive 2014 EP Across, Kish took it one step further, taking a cross-country drive over dreamy, experimental soundscapes from producer Caleb Stone. Upon returning to New York City, Kish felt restricted by the environment that shaped her and looked to Los Angeles. Enter Reflections in Real Time, Kish’s debut album that acts as a sonic mood board where she is alone in her thoughts, whether probing her social media curiosities or meditating on her life’s purpose.

Introducing, the experimental violinist and performer Vanessa Bedoret.

The London-based French musician today announces that she’ll be joining, Scenic Route, a label renowned for selecting and nourishing rising stars for the release of her debut album, Eyes, due out on 8th of March 2024. Launching with a taste of what’s to come, today she also shares single “1/2”, a textural track that tells of the dichotomy between those who are selfless and those who are self-centred, and their need to merge as one. This duality is reflected in the industrial metallic echoes under Vanessa’s soaring vocals and the piercing strings of her chosen instrument, the violin.

Treating songwriting as an instinctive process, Bedoret transforms her deeply personal experiences into pure emotion. Not following any set narrative, Eyes takes the listener on a journey via their own experiences, prompting introspection through Bedoret’s hypnotic melodies.

Through the album, she awakens the audience's imagination, to open up their emotional response. On “Ballad”, a vague, loving lyrical letter to someone close, Bedoret’s heartbreakingly soft lament is barely audible over the dramatic atonal strings. She flips her narrative again in the titular track, “Eyes”, so the listener empathises through her isolated violin, and takes on her anguish, not needing to understand the full story.

Bedoret began her classical training at age 6 and on completion at 18 she embraced the thrill of playing guitar in punk bands, and like many at the turn of adulthood, was quickly captured by the allure of the dancefloor. Her far-reaching taste doesn’t stop there, she also counts black metal to opera and from eurodance to IDM as inspiration. Her deep understanding of musical form elevates her experimentation to a truly unique sonic experience, one that never strays too far from her original love of classical music.

With only a string of releases under her belt via independent labels like Laura Lies In and Archaic Vaults, her refined skillset has meant she’s been in high demand for both solo shows and collaborations. These accolades include playing violin with New York avant garde collective Standing On The Corner at The Serpentine, as well as a part of Kahil El’Zabar conducts MOKI at the ICA, and Linder: Another Music in a Different Arcadia at the Design Museum alongside artist Linder Sterling, Naima Cherry, Maxwell Sterling, Kenichi Iwasa & Ella Frears.

For her solo performances, she’s shared stages with Standing on the Corner, Ekaterina Bazhenova-Yamasaki, Philomème Pirecki, John T. Gast and Nexcyia to name a few. She’s also performed as a duo alongside musician Severin Black in support of their collaborative EP release, First Passage / Excommunicated.

Through the lens of a life lived to it’s fullest and one that does not shy from experiencing the rawest of emotions, it’s clear that Bedoret has a nack for translating personal observations into cinematic crescendoes. The field recordings throughout only heighten this feeling adding both a grounding and other worldy sensibility. Lyrically, she allows you to peek into her private world and for a fleeting moment letting you lock eyes with hers, asking what do you see?

This debut is a glowing experimental work that purrs with a distinctive narrative. Vanessa Bedoret is a promising new act, ready to take 2024 by storm.

Bringing to life intensely personal memories of her native County Derry and the
people, places, and customs she holds closest to her heart, Cara reveals a new
found freedom to express herself within the tiniest of details and life's larger
mysteries, leaving a profound impression.
Originally written for entirely personal reasons and without an intention to be
shared publicly, Cara's collection of poetry didn't resist the pull to be set to music
for very long. However, allowing the process of writing and recording to unfold
unconstrained by time and pressure has resulted in the finished album exceeding
expectations.
Comprising ten tracks, "Coming Home" was produced and recorded under the
expert guidance of long time musical partner Sam Lakeman and its sonic
character was brought to life with mixing by multi- Grammy winning producer/
engineer Kevin Killen, known for his work with music legends such as Kate Bush,
David Bowie, U2 and Peter Gabriel. The album marks a return to the singersongwriter style she and Sam first explored on her first solo recordings over 23
years ago, sitting within an original and contemporary soundscape. Significantly,
this is also the first of Cara's releases comprised entirely of original material.
Hailing from an exceptionally strong cultural background in the North of Ireland
and with a profound connection to her home- place and people, Cara's "Coming
Home" succeeds in distilling her reflections and feelings into compelling and
highly emotive pieces.
* Press/Publicity/Highlights:

Redrum Recordz and Fremdtunes present:
Maj Rachel - 'My Shadow Was a Nun'
With her debut "My Shadow Was a Nun", Maj Rachel creates anamalgam of soul, musique concrete, sound design experimentsand classical. She employs objects as percussion, fieldrecordings, piano, guitar, synths, violin and effects incompositions that are rich in color and contrast. Her music isabstract, paradoxical, full of emotion. At times, her voicesubmerges into a tumultuous sea of reverb and distortion, onlyto emerge in soft, bittersweet melodies. She sounds dark andeerie. She sounds romantic and whimsical. In short, it's apowerful debut album that engages the mind, heart, and gut.
This is what Maj herself says about "My Shadow Was a Nun":
"So sensitive yet so immune. Light beams shine through millionsof holes. The sun makes the black thick wall seem light grey.The light pulls apart to colors. Love feels painful yet beautiful.You are around even though you're not. A brain doesn't like tothink it's alone. Arranged sound into personal stories, all self-recorded. Because sound creates deep emotion."

Color Vinyl

Das Jahr 2024 steht für Il Civetto im Zeichen eines neuen Albums mit neuer Single und einer Tour: »Liebe auf Eis«. Im April und Mai 2024 begeben sich Il Civetto dann auf ihre bislang größte Tour. Schon immer ging es in der flirrenden Pop-Internationale von Il Civetto um Fernweh, Sehnsucht und das Gefühl, unterwegs zu sein. Die Musik dieser Band imaginiert gleichzeitig den Vibe einer lauen Sommernacht und den Kater danach. Mit ihrem letzten Album »Späti del Sol« hatten sie diesen Möglichkeitsraum bis in die letzten Winkel ausgelotet, mit »Liebe auf Eis« geht die Berliner Band noch einen Schritt weiter. So kann man den Titel als Symbolbild für alles verstehen, um das es bei dieser Band geht. Euphorie und Melancholie sind bei Il Civetto kein Gegensatzpaar, wo Licht ist, ist auch Schatten. Gesellschaftlich, privat, auf allen Ebenen - darin liegt der besondere Zauber dieser Gruppe von Freunden. Es geht in ihrer Musik darum, Widersprüche auszuhalten, Gräben zu überbrücken, die gesellschaftliche Kälte in polarisierten Zeiten mit Liebe zu überwinden - »Liebe auf Eis«. Überhaupt sind Il Civetto auf dem neuen Album persönlicher geworden, noch näher an ihren Themen. »Es wird einen Song über meine Jugend geben, einen anderen für meinen Vater und auch die Liebeslieder sind noch von eigenen Erfahrungen geprägt«, sagt Keiditsch. Aufgenommen haben sie »Liebe auf Eis« erneut mit dem Produzenten Ralf Christian Mayer (u.a. Clueso, Cro, Zimmer90, F4), der die Vision dieser Band schon immer am besten verstanden hat. Produkt-Nachhaltigkeit: FSC zertifiziertes Material, Umweltfreundliche Farbe & Lacke, Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien bei Herstellung.

HJirok is a mythical figure, conceived as a fictional character by Iranian-born Kurdish singer and artist Hani Mojahedy. Together with versatile music producer And Toma of Mouse On Mars, she combined a variety of sounds collected during their joint travels to Iraqi Kurdistan and elsewhere with heavily processed recordings of Sufi drum rhythms and setar melodies. The result is a driving, dubbed-out, and deeply intricate soundscape that perfectly sets the stage for Mojahedy's extended, unconventional vocal techniques and polyglot lyrics. Both informed by tradition and rigorously forward-looking, »Hjirok« (with a lowercase J) is at once a profoundly personal album and a universal utopian promise. As a ghost from the past, HJirok draws on Mojtahedy's memories to mould a new future out of them.

The foundation for »Hjirok« was laid in the city of Erbil in the Kurdish part of Iraq. During one of their stays in the region, Mojahedy and Toma recorded the three percussionists Hadi Alizadeh, Jawad Salkhordeh and Serdar Saydan as well as setar player Ali Choolaei from Motahedy's backing band while they were playingthe rhythms and notes that she had grown up with in the house of her grandfather in the Iranian city of Sanandaj. Her memories of that place revolve around hypnotic Sufi music, dervishes in deep trance, and ecstatic singing. Much like this music seemed to open a portal to other dimensions, the inhabitants of the house lived in a sort of alternative reality: It provided them with a hideaway from political circumstances. Following the Iranian revolution in 1979, a Kurdish rebellion ensued but was met with the utmost brutality by the new regime, which resulted in the death of thousands.

It is no coincidence that the music on »Hirok« would draw on rhythmic patterns that were passed on from one generation to the next for hundreds of years. »The project is rooted in the figures of the Sufi dervishes and thus a culture that precedes today's political, social, cultural, and religious systems,« explains Mohtahedy. »The Sufi sound travelled around the entire world. I like to think of it as a dialogue between peoples-one based on the rhythms of the drums and the sound of their voices.« Toma adds that by electronically transforming the recordings and enriching them with field recordings from both rural and urban spaces, they were able to use the stories told by the drums and the setar to create an entirely new narrative.

The story told by these eight pieces is hence a deeply personal, but also inherently political one. Moitahedy herself left Iran in 2004 and relocated to Berlin in 2010. Having continued to use her art as a platform to tirelessly advocate for the rights of the Kurdish people and women under oppressive regimes, she has not been allowed to return to her country of origin ever since. »Hani is singing for equality and there are people who are afraid of that-her femininity, her strength.« Toma says. Much like earlier Hirok sound installations addressed human-made climate change and other systemic ills, also »Hjirok« can hardly be disconnected from far-reaching struggles for liberation and equality.

This is also true on a thematic and even linguistic level. »The lyrics are about a promise,« Mojahedy says, citing Kurdish writer Ebdulla Pesêw as an inspiration. »At their core, these are about that day on which violence and fear become a thing of the past; what they tell you is ot not give up, to keep hoping,« she adds. The promise embedded in them is an emancipatory one. These contents are mirrored on a linguistic level: The lyrics were written in both Kurdish and Farsi, blurring the lines between the two languages and thus, Kurdish and Persian cultures.

Mojahedy, or rather HJirok, conveys these philosophical themes with elegance. Herversatile vocal performance is only loosely basedo n established styles. »Of course everything started with traditional rhythms, but we kept pushing things further and further, so Idid the same with my voice,« Mojahedy explains. »There were no boundaries.« The same can be said of the field recordings that she and Toma used. Whether it's conversations between members of the Pesmerge, the Kurdish armed forces, having a chat in meadow full of bunnies or the humming and buzzing of metropolises like Tehran: »Hirok« paints a sonic picture that is quite literally autopian one; that of a non-place in which different soundscapes, cultures and ways of life coexist peacefully.

What the album conjures up from Mojahedy's memory is not only a very specific place during a unique time in history as experienced by a single person. It is also ametaphorical home open to anyone who wishes to enter - promise of a better, more egalitarian future for everyone. Hence, HJirok will bring it on tour, presenting the material as an audio-visual live show that makes use of the photo and video material that Mojahedy and Toma have collected during their travels through Kurdistan.ja

»Sound of Matter« is the debut album by Romanian sound artist and composer Simina Oprescu. The two pieces draw on research conducted with 15 historical church bells at the Märkisches Museum and the Stadtmuseum Berlin. After the artist had presented the results of her studies of the connection between matter and harmony in the form of a multi-channel installation, she has translated the underlying approach of this site-specific work into an album that unfolds slowly, consistently setting in motion subtle tonal changes that continuously change the mood of the two pieces. »Sound of Matter« is both minimalist and maximalist, creating an infinitely rich and multi-layered dronescape that modestly invites its audience to get lost in the sonic experience.

Oprescu has been fascinated by church bells since her childhood spent in Transilvania since the instruments were shrouded in mystery, as she explains in an in-depth essay that accompanies the album. Having received a Bachelor’s degree at UNArte in Bucharest and after studying at the Royal Conservatory of Mons in Belgium, Oprescu enrolled at Berlin’s Universität der Künste for an M.A. in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts. She started working with the archive of the Märkisches Museum, which included 15 historical church bells that were built between the 15th and the early 19th century.

Since every bell sounds different according to its shape, material, and density, Oprescu abstracted these qualities in the formula f = K1t/d^2√E/s(1-m^2). This enabled her to recreate the harmonic tone of the individual bells with Max/MSP. She then composed a piece with semi-overlayed tones, i.e. overlapping frequencies. Naturally, this resulted in a beating effect that provided the music with a sense of urgency, though the five second-long natural reverb of the Märkisches Museum’s Große Halle turned it into a »warm blanket of sound,« as the artist herself puts it. This is perfectly recreated on »Sound of Matter« due to the music being presented in mono, bringing out the intrinsic movement of the beatings with more nuance than a stereo version would.

»Sound of Matter« feels warm and welcoming even when different frequencies seem to create friction between each other or when the subtle beating effects turn into throbbing rhythms, like at the end of the record. It manages to explore both Oprescu’s personal fascination with church bells and psychological and psychoacoustic questions relating to them as well as philosophical issues connected with them. This music is profoundly physical, but also intellectually stimulating—perfectly at home in the catalog of the Swiss Hallow Ground label between records by Kali Malone, Lawrence English, or Siavash Amini.

The booklet features an in-depth essay on church bells by Simina Oprescu.

Wewantsounds continue its extensive Meiko Kaji reissue program in partnership with Teichiku Records and Meiko Kaji herself, with the release of "Gincho Wataridori," her debut album from 1972. This is the first time the album is reissued since release and it comes with its original Japanese artwork and newly remastered audio. Famous for her 70s exploitation movies ("Lady Snowblood", the "Female Prisoner Scorpion" and "Stray Cat Rock" series) and revered by Quentin Tarantino, Meiko Kaji also released a string of great albums on Teichiku mixing Japanese Pop and cinematic grooves. This reissue comes with deluxe Gatefold sleeve LP, OBI strip and a 2-p insert featuring new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha.

Suchi’s bouncy, airy productions are so organically deft that they almost belie the complexity that exists within. Prior to her !K7 debut the Oslo-born, London-bred, Delhiinfluenced DJ and producer found herself in a period of creative stagnation, while attempting to rediscover her own voice through production. After going back to the drawing board again and again she resolved to let go of overthinking, eschew the process, and let experimentation lead the way, revisiting some simmering sketches and work in new ways.

Ghungroo EP is the result of this reset, and rediscovers Suchi’s sense of playfulness through different production styles. It’s pressed on eco-friendly vinyl, PVR free and 100% recycled. “Ghungroo” is a homage to Suchi’s early years, and named for the small metallic bells strung around the ankles of classical Indian dancers. The track is equal parts cosmic, bassy and wavy, with a downwards bassline that plumbs the depths of low frequencies. The memory of early music passions emerges as the same melodic loop undresses and redresses in different guises - between breezy pads, glowing chimes and euphoric bells.

“Blåmerke” means bruise in Suchi’s native Norweigan tongue, and it leads heavily with double-time polyrhythmic drums, ravey rhythms and percussive bubbles popping. Triplets of synth stabs are artfully deployed with reverb and warped, stretched pads, bringing a whimsical twist to a track that is otherwise a tough-edged stomper. “Bottlepop” loosens up the tempo for a funky house framework, foregrounded by a big melodic synth riff. The track’s hookiness is enhanced by its old-school school feel, with distorted whistles and evocative pads. “Blåmerke” is then given a rework by Sam Goku who was chosen for his euphoric, dusty-sounding club tracks that hit hard; in his care the remix provides exactly that, via throbbing, shimmering, deep trippiness

Susana Baron Supervielle was born in Buenos Aires in 1910, but she lived in Brazil most of her life. Creation with electroacoustic means represented one more step in her search for renewal and a new articulation of her triple cultural horizon articulated between São Paulo, Buenos Aires and Paris. The results open a new dimension in the interstices of the sound montage. Susana had been a follower of Pierre Schaffer and his peers in the Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrète from Paris since they began in the early 1950s.


Baron Superveille’s catalogue of works, as selected by the artist herself, shows nine compositions for magnetic tape. With one exception (1977’s Continuo variante), the pieces are in the personal archives of the composer filed in the Archivo del Instituto Nacional de Musicología “Carlos Vega”, in Buenos Aires, which depends on the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Argentina. This edition on Wah Wah Records is a coproduction with the Instituto Nacional de Musicología “Carlos Vega” and recovers all the available electroacoustic works composed between 1974 and 1980. While most of the collected works premiered in both Buenos Aires and São Paulo on dates close to those of their composition, there are not any previous known releases of these recordings, so this LP is not only an exception, but also a novelty.

In July of 2022, just one month before jaimie branch"s death sent shockwaves around the world, the trumpet player and composer was in Chicago at International Anthem (IARC) studios putting finishing touches on an album. It was a suite of music she had composed and then recorded with her flagship ensemble, Fly or Die, over the course of a residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. In her wake, the album was near complete, with only mixing tweaks, final titles, and artwork to be fully realized. In the months following, her family (led by sister Kate Branch), her band (Jason Ajemian, Lester St. Louis, and Chad Taylor), and her collaborators at IARC (engineers Dave Vettraino and David Allen, comrades Alejandro Ayala and Scott McNiece) banded together to gather memories, texts, emails, photographs, artwork and fragments belonging to jaimie to light the path forward. The goal was always to do what jaimie would have done. Packaged in stunning artwork by John Herndon, Damon Locks, and branch herself, Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) is jaimie"s final album with the quartet.

Die Schweiz war schon immer ein fruchtbarer Nährboden für Extreme Metal. Messiah wurden 1984 gegründet und veröffentlichten zwei bahnbrechende Alben auf Chainsaw Murder Records, "Hymn To Abramelin" im Jahr 1986 und "Extreme Cold Weather" ein Jahr später. In den frühen 1990er Jahren unterschrieben Messiah bei Karl Walterbachs Label Noise Records und veröffentlichten drei weitere Alben in voller Länge: "Choir Of Horrors" (1991), "Rotten Perish" (1992) und "Underground" (1994), bevor sie getrennte Wege gingen.

Im Jahr 2018 beschlossen Messiah, sich in der Originalbesetzung ihrer Noise Records-Alben mit Andy Kaina am Gesang, Steve Karrer am Schlagzeug, Patrick Hersche am Bass und Bandgründer R.B. Brögi an der Gitarre zu reformieren. Aufwendige Re-Issues von "Hymn To Abramelin" und "Extreme Cold Weather" erschienen auf High Roller Records, bevor 2020 ein neues Studioalbum mit dem Titel "Fracmont" veröffentlicht wurde. 2024 folgt nun endlich "Christus Hypercubus", das Opus Magnus von Messiah.

Am 4. November 2022 ereilte das Schicksal den ehemaligen Messiah-Sänger Andy Kaina, der im Alter von nur 53 Jahren an einem Herzinfarkt starb. Es war ein großer Schock für alle Beteiligten. Andys letzter Live-Auftritt mit Messiah fand am 20. November 2021 im Alten Capitol in Langenthal, Schweiz, statt. Gegen Ende des Jahres verließ Andy Messiah, weil er nach eigenen Worten "die Motivation verloren hatte, in der Band zu sein und sich auf andere Dinge im Leben konzentrieren wollte". Messiah und Andy Kaina blieben jedoch Freunde.

Messiah hatte sich aber bereits nach Andys Ausstiegsankündigung entschieden, die Band weiterzuführen. Marcus Seebach aus Chur wurde Ende 2021 der neue Messiah-Sänger. Kurze Zeit später begannen die Arbeiten an einem neuen Studioalbum. "V.O. Pulver renommierter Schweizer Plattenproduzent und derzeit auch zweiter Gitarrist bei Messiah und ich haben im Januar 2022 die Grundlagen für neue Songs geschaffen", erklärt Gitarrist und Gründungsmitglied Brögi. "Innerhalb von drei Wochen hatten V.O. und ich das gesamte neue Album geschrieben. Ich habe in dieser Zeit auch das ganze Konzept und die Texte entwickelt (bis auf einen Songtext, der von Marcus Seebach stammt). Es war wirklich eine sehr kreative Zeit."

"Wir haben es so gemacht, wie wir es immer machen", lacht Brögi, "wir haben die Songs für "Christus Hypercubus" einfach geschrieben und aufgenommen, ohne viel darüber nachzudenken, ganz spontan. Die Umstände waren dieses Mal allerdings etwas komplizierter, weil wir nicht alle zusammen im Proberaum waren, um das Material zu arrangieren. Das Schicksal schlug zu, da Steve Karrer aufgrund eines Skiunfalls sechs Monate lang nicht Schlagzeug spielen konnte. Insgesamt ist das neue Material härter und schneller als "Fracmont". Es gibt auch einen neuen Touch, der durch Marcus' Gesang entsteht, denn er ist in der Lage, diese hohen Schreie zu machen. Ich denke "Christus Hypercubus" repräsentiert unsere neue Situation sehr gut - es weht ein neuer Wind, aber wir haben nichts von den bewährten Messiah-Trademarks von früher verloren."

Hier und da tragen Songs wie das langsamere "Speedsucker Romance" oder "Christus Hypercubus" auch "progressive" Züge, was das Album interessant und frisch klingen lässt. "Das liegt wahrscheinlich daran, dass wir alle Regeln für das Arrangieren von Beats ignorieren", schmunzelt Brögi. "Wir fügen einfach verschiedene Ideen zueinander, meist angeführt von den Gitarren. Deshalb werden wir wohl auch nie einen Rockhit schreiben. Früher war es reines Chaos, heute ist es strukturierter und professioneller."

Die Schweiz war schon immer ein fruchtbarer Nährboden für Extreme Metal. Messiah wurden 1984 gegründet und veröffentlichten zwei bahnbrechende Alben auf Chainsaw Murder Records, "Hymn To Abramelin" im Jahr 1986 und "Extreme Cold Weather" ein Jahr später. In den frühen 1990er Jahren unterschrieben Messiah bei Karl Walterbachs Label Noise Records und veröffentlichten drei weitere Alben in voller Länge: "Choir Of Horrors" (1991), "Rotten Perish" (1992) und "Underground" (1994), bevor sie getrennte Wege gingen.

Im Jahr 2018 beschlossen Messiah, sich in der Originalbesetzung ihrer Noise Records-Alben mit Andy Kaina am Gesang, Steve Karrer am Schlagzeug, Patrick Hersche am Bass und Bandgründer R.B. Brögi an der Gitarre zu reformieren. Aufwendige Re-Issues von "Hymn To Abramelin" und "Extreme Cold Weather" erschienen auf High Roller Records, bevor 2020 ein neues Studioalbum mit dem Titel "Fracmont" veröffentlicht wurde. 2024 folgt nun endlich "Christus Hypercubus", das Opus Magnus von Messiah.

Am 4. November 2022 ereilte das Schicksal den ehemaligen Messiah-Sänger Andy Kaina, der im Alter von nur 53 Jahren an einem Herzinfarkt starb. Es war ein großer Schock für alle Beteiligten. Andys letzter Live-Auftritt mit Messiah fand am 20. November 2021 im Alten Capitol in Langenthal, Schweiz, statt. Gegen Ende des Jahres verließ Andy Messiah, weil er nach eigenen Worten "die Motivation verloren hatte, in der Band zu sein und sich auf andere Dinge im Leben konzentrieren wollte". Messiah und Andy Kaina blieben jedoch Freunde.

Messiah hatte sich aber bereits nach Andys Ausstiegsankündigung entschieden, die Band weiterzuführen. Marcus Seebach aus Chur wurde Ende 2021 der neue Messiah-Sänger. Kurze Zeit später begannen die Arbeiten an einem neuen Studioalbum. "V.O. Pulver renommierter Schweizer Plattenproduzent und derzeit auch zweiter Gitarrist bei Messiah und ich haben im Januar 2022 die Grundlagen für neue Songs geschaffen", erklärt Gitarrist und Gründungsmitglied Brögi. "Innerhalb von drei Wochen hatten V.O. und ich das gesamte neue Album geschrieben. Ich habe in dieser Zeit auch das ganze Konzept und die Texte entwickelt (bis auf einen Songtext, der von Marcus Seebach stammt). Es war wirklich eine sehr kreative Zeit."

"Wir haben es so gemacht, wie wir es immer machen", lacht Brögi, "wir haben die Songs für "Christus Hypercubus" einfach geschrieben und aufgenommen, ohne viel darüber nachzudenken, ganz spontan. Die Umstände waren dieses Mal allerdings etwas komplizierter, weil wir nicht alle zusammen im Proberaum waren, um das Material zu arrangieren. Das Schicksal schlug zu, da Steve Karrer aufgrund eines Skiunfalls sechs Monate lang nicht Schlagzeug spielen konnte. Insgesamt ist das neue Material härter und schneller als "Fracmont". Es gibt auch einen neuen Touch, der durch Marcus' Gesang entsteht, denn er ist in der Lage, diese hohen Schreie zu machen. Ich denke "Christus Hypercubus" repräsentiert unsere neue Situation sehr gut - es weht ein neuer Wind, aber wir haben nichts von den bewährten Messiah-Trademarks von früher verloren."

Hier und da tragen Songs wie das langsamere "Speedsucker Romance" oder "Christus Hypercubus" auch "progressive" Züge, was das Album interessant und frisch klingen lässt. "Das liegt wahrscheinlich daran, dass wir alle Regeln für das Arrangieren von Beats ignorieren", schmunzelt Brögi. "Wir fügen einfach verschiedene Ideen zueinander, meist angeführt von den Gitarren. Deshalb werden wir wohl auch nie einen Rockhit schreiben. Früher war es reines Chaos, heute ist es strukturierter und professioneller."

Shay Hazan radiates with musical diversity on "Wusul", His second solo album on Batov Records. Acclaimed Tel Aviv bassist, band leader, composer and producer, Shay Hazan emerges into the limelight with his highly anticipated second solo album "Wusul". This groundbreaking musical odyssey artfully melds the enchanting sounds of Gnawa music, spiritual jazz, hip hop grooves, and electronic production, with a rich tapestry of Middle Eastern and African influences.

‘Wear Your Natural, Baby’ was a good seller when issued on Kent Harris’ Romark label in the late 60s – judging by the, at least, three pressings of it. Understandably so, as it is a captivating rhythm for a then very current political and fashionable message. Towana was in fact Ty Karim, singing under her young daughter’s name. On this flip, Ty recorded as herself on a cover of the CB Overton’s hit ‘If I Can’t Stop You’. However, Kent Harris decided to not go with this recording at the time and re-cut it with new lyrics as ‘Keep On Doin’ Whatcha’ Doin’’ as a duet with George Griffin issued in 1980 on Sheridan House. That record has become a modern soul classic over time and this alternate solo version, with the different lyrics, by Ty is sure to excite lovers of that genre.

It’s a family affair. One formed almost thirty years ago, back in the mid-nineties, when the pair joined seminal French jazz combo Olympic Grammofon. For twenty-four years they have worked together as Bumcello, each complementing the other, echoing polar opposites. The Boom in Bumcello is none other than Cyril Atef, incisive drummer, relentlessly pushing beats towards new horizons. The Cello is Vincent Ségal, cellist without blinkers and extraordinary musical alchemist. Since 1999, these two die-hard music fans, coming together for mercurial results, have released one record after the other whilst conquering the hearts of their live audiences, old regulars as well as new recruits. We have all been seduced by the way their music leapfrogs categories - these two experts are much more interested in kindred spirits than pigeonholing, and this very spirit is celebrated on more than one track of this ninth record, whose concept is original to say the least.

Everything began with an idea by Cyril Atef - a soundtrack based upon drawings penned by Marin, Vincent’s son, architect and visual artist. The musicians involved then coached their reaction to these images on a score, and the pair were charged with collating and adjusting the results. These thirteen ink drawings, in a heroic fantasy vein, constituted a matrix which was then to serve as a guide, like a roadmap through a singular and multi-faceted labyrinth. The key to this sonic fresco is in Bumcello’s image – an eclectic aesthetic twinned with a great sense of contrast. Herein lies the trademark of this entity animated by the gift of musical ubiquity, gorged on scales and rhythms, capable of a slap as much as a gentle caress. From classical music to electronics, from improvised music to sophisti-pop, everything is allowed with no preconceived ideas. They can even reclaim the traditions of others, all the better to propel them towards new horizons - this is how the very history of music has always panned out.

If you listen between the lines and look at the details, more than one piece bears witness to the moments and individuals that have impacted the criss-crossing lives of Vincent and Cyril. The track Crash is the perfect excuse to create a Jamaican-style jam with New York inflections, and we can see, in capital letters, the name Hilaire Penda, playing alongside Bumcello at the Apollo Theater in the associated drawing. This bass player from Cameroon, who died on 5th November 2018, was more than just a friend for the two Frenchmen. He was one of the family. Similarly, they give a nod to another Cameroonian, and another departed friend - singer of rock band les Têtes brûlées, Zanzibar, through the vocals of fellow countryman Zanzi. The ghost of Rémi Kolpa Kopul, emblematic voice of Radio Nova, haunts the margins of Spark Av, in a vocal sample with a smattering of effects. As for I Remember Tim, it directly honours the memory of Timothy Jerome Parker, aka The Gift Of Gab, another friend who left us in 2021. Tim is depicted in a drawing with the docks of Oakland in the background, and it’s his alter ego within Blackalicious, Chief Xcel, who remotely added his signature to the track, notably by adding the words of Lateef The Truthspeaker to brass and woodwind sounds.

These are the only additions to Bumcello’s original nucleus, all the better to create a genuine musical concoction where Vincent Taurelle is in charge of production and mixing sessions recorded live and direct. He is also invited for a twinkle on the keys (piano, synths, Wurlitzer, organ), on a handful of tracks. Already at the commands of previous opus Monster Talk, always taking care over the slightest detail, the one that makes all the difference, this pianist is now also part of the family. “Everything he brings is perfect, whether added though slight touches or through very important choices”, say the two members of a combo which today, appears to us under the guise of a trio, adding an extra dimension to a far-reaching mix, in the image of the veiled or more explicit tributes making up the cornerstones of this release.

Booker, a drawing where we see the musicians enter a club, honours James Booker, great pianist from New Orleans who has always fascinated Vincent, in a genre that is off-beat and gender defying. Her Story was created by Cyril in support of the Iranian women’s movement. Aysyen Kampe evokes, even in the original drawing, a tradition that remains impactful for Bumcello – Haitian mysticism, and Ouï Khouïette Ouï conjures up the beats of the Allaoui, a war dance from Western Algeria, one they have taken part in in the past with the help of Cheikha Rabia. They deliver a metal version, original and surprising, especially as Marin Ségal’s drawing features the Nicholas Brothers, those iconic dancers of the 30s jazz scene!

Resolutely hard to pin down, Bumcello’s beats can initially take on the structure of disjointed house, though Sangre begins like a film soundtrack, “in a Mexican style” adds Vincent, who was at the origin of this track. A delicate alap on the cello can open up onto afrobeat rhythms, a well-pitched voice can enchant, like on the amazing The City Has Eyes which has everything of a hummable pop hit. Emblematic of this manner of encompassing all music without being exclusive, Le Grand Sommeil, a direct reference to the Howard Hawks movie inspired by Raymond Chandler, a precursor of David Lynch, begins nice and smooth but ends on a wild tempo, on a drum’n’bass tip, as in the good old days of Cithéa, when this Party story began in the other century.

For more than 30 years, singer-songwriter and guitar hero Mary Timony has cut a distinctive path through the world of independent music, most recently as vocalist and guitarist of acclaimed garage-pop power trio Ex Hex (Merge) but also as a member of seminal postpunk band Autoclave (Dischord), celebrated leader of the deeply influential Helium (Matador), multifaceted solo artist (Matador, Lookout!, Kill Rock Stars), and a co-founder of supergroup Wild Flag (Merge). Described by Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein as "Mary Shelley with a guitar" and dubbed "a trailblazer and an innovator" by Lindsey Jordan a.k.a. Snail Mail, Timony has distinguished herself as one of her generation's most influential. Although she has remained a cult hero and critical favorite since the early '90s, Timony's many triumphs have long been counterbalanced by crippling doubt and self-nullification. Her fifth solo album, Untame the Tiger, approaches these emotions head on. Her first solo release in 15 years is a startling document of an artist fully coming into her own power during the fourth decade of her career. It is the product of lessons learned during life-altering struggle. The mystical, acoustic-driven Untame the Tiger emerged after the dissolution of a long-term relationship and was bookended by the deaths of Timony's father and mother. The album was recorded during a two-year period during which she was the primary caregiver for her ailing parents. The tectonic psychic shift Mary experienced due to this loss informs many of her lyrics. Standout track "No Thirds" "is a song about losing everything and having to keep on going," says Timony. "I wanted the verses to sound like a wide-open barren space, like driving across a desert, because that is what the song is about - losing people and the feeling that your future is a giant, wide-open blank space." The stripped-back acoustic instrumentation of "The Guest" conjures Sweetheart-era Byrds. Timony describes it as a song sung directly to loneliness: "I was imagining loneliness as a house guest who keeps knocking on your door. I thought it would be funny to say loneliness is the only one who always comes back." Untame the Tiger does not eschew Timony's guitar hero reputation; in fact, "Summer" relishes in it, a straight-up banger that you'd be half tempted to call "no frills" until its initial garage rock stomp breaks into the unexpected bliss of a twin guitar solo conclusion. "I wanted the recording to have the energy of the Kinks, early Dio and Elf, or Rory Gallagher," she explains. "I was also listening to a lot of Gerry Rafferty's first solo album and was inspired to have two simultaneous guitar solos." Untame the Tiger picks up the thread woven through Timony's freak-folk-anticipating solo albums of the early '00s. Basic tracks were recorded at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, with Timony backed by Dave Mattacks, drummer of legendary British folk-rock band Fairport Convention. "Mattacks is a hero of mine and one of my favorite musicians of all time. He is a true legend. I never in a million years thought he'd agree to play on my record," says Timony. "Before the session, I had a panic attack and had to go sit alone in the parking lot_ Once we started playing together, it felt so great that the fear subsided and turned into excitement. His playing felt instantly familiar, which makes sense because it's the foundation of many of my favorite records." Untame the Tiger was produced by Mary Timony, Joe Wong, and Dennis Kane. The album was recorded over the course of two years at Studio 606, Magpie Cage, 38North, and in Mary's basement Additional engineering by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). Musicians include Chad Molter (Faraquet, Medications), David Christian (Karen O, Hospitality), and Brian Betancourt (Cass McCombs, Devendra Banhart, Hospitality). The album was mixed by Dave Fridmann (MGMT, The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev), Dennis Kane, and John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile, Waxahatchee).

For more than 30 years, singer-songwriter and guitar hero Mary Timony has cut a distinctive path through the world of independent music, most recently as vocalist and guitarist of acclaimed garage-pop power trio Ex Hex (Merge) but also as a member of seminal postpunk band Autoclave (Dischord), celebrated leader of the deeply influential Helium (Matador), multifaceted solo artist (Matador, Lookout!, Kill Rock Stars), and a co-founder of supergroup Wild Flag (Merge). Described by Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein as "Mary Shelley with a guitar" and dubbed "a trailblazer and an innovator" by Lindsey Jordan a.k.a. Snail Mail, Timony has distinguished herself as one of her generation's most influential. Although she has remained a cult hero and critical favorite since the early '90s, Timony's many triumphs have long been counterbalanced by crippling doubt and self-nullification. Her fifth solo album, Untame the Tiger, approaches these emotions head on. Her first solo release in 15 years is a startling document of an artist fully coming into her own power during the fourth decade of her career. It is the product of lessons learned during life-altering struggle. The mystical, acoustic-driven Untame the Tiger emerged after the dissolution of a long-term relationship and was bookended by the deaths of Timony's father and mother. The album was recorded during a two-year period during which she was the primary caregiver for her ailing parents. The tectonic psychic shift Mary experienced due to this loss informs many of her lyrics. Standout track "No Thirds" "is a song about losing everything and having to keep on going," says Timony. "I wanted the verses to sound like a wide-open barren space, like driving across a desert, because that is what the song is about - losing people and the feeling that your future is a giant, wide-open blank space." The stripped-back acoustic instrumentation of "The Guest" conjures Sweetheart-era Byrds. Timony describes it as a song sung directly to loneliness: "I was imagining loneliness as a house guest who keeps knocking on your door. I thought it would be funny to say loneliness is the only one who always comes back." Untame the Tiger does not eschew Timony's guitar hero reputation; in fact, "Summer" relishes in it, a straight-up banger that you'd be half tempted to call "no frills" until its initial garage rock stomp breaks into the unexpected bliss of a twin guitar solo conclusion. "I wanted the recording to have the energy of the Kinks, early Dio and Elf, or Rory Gallagher," she explains. "I was also listening to a lot of Gerry Rafferty's first solo album and was inspired to have two simultaneous guitar solos." Untame the Tiger picks up the thread woven through Timony's freak-folk-anticipating solo albums of the early '00s. Basic tracks were recorded at Studio 606 in Los Angeles, with Timony backed by Dave Mattacks, drummer of legendary British folk-rock band Fairport Convention. "Mattacks is a hero of mine and one of my favorite musicians of all time. He is a true legend. I never in a million years thought he'd agree to play on my record," says Timony. "Before the session, I had a panic attack and had to go sit alone in the parking lot_ Once we started playing together, it felt so great that the fear subsided and turned into excitement. His playing felt instantly familiar, which makes sense because it's the foundation of many of my favorite records." Untame the Tiger was produced by Mary Timony, Joe Wong, and Dennis Kane. The album was recorded over the course of two years at Studio 606, Magpie Cage, 38North, and in Mary's basement Additional engineering by J. Robbins (Jawbox, Burning Airlines). Musicians include Chad Molter (Faraquet, Medications), David Christian (Karen O, Hospitality), and Brian Betancourt (Cass McCombs, Devendra Banhart, Hospitality). The album was mixed by Dave Fridmann (MGMT, The Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev), Dennis Kane, and John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile, Waxahatchee).

Lodged between a heartbreak and a smoke break, Kathy Heideman's Move With Love wandered off I-5 somewhere just south of Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area and broke down. At its dusty roadside, cheap truck-stop java flows over plaintive coffeehouse tunesconcerning "Bob" and "Need." Her session hand's lanky, echo-laden guitar might've twanged a bit strong for the typical sandal-shoed hitchhiker, who'd have fell harder for Dylanesque grandeur on "The Earth Won't Hold Me." More Bakersfield than Laurel Canyon, and set to walkingin 1976 by the one-off Dia imprint in a plain-Jane, black-on-white sleeve, Heideman's lone LP suffered the geographical misfortune of having ripened in the presilicon orchards of San Jose, California, far from more marketable realms_Emmylou's backyard, say, or Joni Mitchell's summery lawn. Heideman herself faded out thereafter, packing her shaken, singular voice into a rustic suitcase, moseying on, and leaping into the moving sun.

lim. to 250 Copies ww!

"The world is rich, the world is colorful. So why not show it in all its complex diversity and contrasts? Why, when you go in one direction, do you have to follow it further and can't just go in all directions at once? These are all questions that Berlin-based Turkish singer Basak Yavuz may have asked herself when she began recording her new album "Raum 610."

Basak Yavuz doesn't take much time to get down to business. Right away in the opener "Promised Lands," different stylistic elements like jazz, rock, funk and hip-hop chase each other as if it were a matter of life and death. The message is unmistakable: this is about energy. The energy of the big city. Crowds on the sidewalk, congested streets, noise from construction sites, cyclists and drivers yelling at each other, barking dogs, screaming children, shattering glass, a new surprise around every corner. Basak Yavuz does not hide, but picks up the tempo of the Moloch and makes it her own pulse with all its fractures and border crossings. She is not afraid to overload her songs, but confidently juggles the explosiveness of creative oversaturation." (Wolf Kampmann)

Directed by David Robert Mitchell, the supernatural horror film It Follows tells the story of a teenager (Maika Monroe) who finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something menacing is after her. The film was met with much critical acclaim and established Monroe as the movie industry’s newest “scream queen”.

It Follows features a stunning, electronic-driven score, heavy with pulsating synths and dread in equal measure. It was composed by the renowned musician Disasterpeace. This electro, 80s influenced score is a character in itself in the movie, and will haunt the listener long after the film has stopped rolling.

"Warner Music Nashville MULTI-PLATINUM star Gabby Barrett massively anticipated sophomore album Chapter & Verse will release February 2, 2024, which you can pre-order from Friday 5th January 2024.
Her most autobiographical work to date, Chapter & Verse will follow the 23-year-old hitmaker’s PLATINUM debut Goldmine and deliver even more of the fullhearted songwriting that’s made her one of Country’s brightest young superstars

Along with fully leaning into her Country roots on Chapter & Verse, Barrett’s deepened the emotional scope of her songwriting and created an up close portrait of her experience as a wife and mother of two children, with her third baby due early this year. To that end, the album’s title refers to the chapters and verses within each book of the Bible, as well as the still-unfolding chapters in her marriage, family, career, and overall journey through life.

Gabby Barrett continues to prove herself to be an unstoppable force in Country music. Already surpassing 2.8 BILLION global career streams - listen to latest releases You’re my Texas, Glory Days, Cowboy Back & Growin’ Up Raising You’ taking off the forthcoming album Chapter & Verse."

With her captivating voice and richly detailed songwriting, Sarah Jarosz has emerged as one of the most compelling musicians of her generation. A four-time Grammy Award-winner and ten-time nominee at the age of 30, the Texas native started singing as a young girl and became an accomplished multi-instrumentalist by her early teens. After releasing her full-length debut Song Up in Her Headat 18-years-old, she went on to deliver such critically lauded albums as Follow Me Down, Build Me Up From Bones, and Undercurrent, in addition to joining forces with Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan to form the acclaimed folk trio I’m With Her. Her fifth studio album, World On The Ground, produced by John Leventhal, went on to win the Grammy award for Best Americana Album. In 2021 Jarosz released the Grammy-nominated Blue Heron Suite, a much-anticipated song cycle which she composed after being the recipient of the FreshGrass Composition Commission.

The seventh album from Sarah Jarosz finds the highly decorated songwriter at the apex of change. A Texas native, she’s spent most of her adult life living in New York City, but shortly before writing the album Jarosz left her adopted home to join her soon-to-be husband in Nashville, TN. The geographic shake-up led to a sonic one as well for Polaroid Lovers. For the first time in her career she opened herself up to collaborators, leading to writing sessions with Daniel Tashian, Ruston Kelly and Natalie Hemby. The creative reorganization of her writing process evolved to include a much richer and more electric sound in the studio and being in Nashville meant access to a world of hot shot players. She tapped guitarist Rob McNelley (Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood), Tom Bukovac (Tom Petty, Vince Gill) on guitar and organ, her husband- bassist Jeff Picker (Nickel Creek), and drummer Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, Lucinda Williams) for the album recording. Tashian took the helm as producer and the whole album was laid down at the legendary Sound Emporium.

As it goes with all change, Jarosz’s major life events had her feeling contemplative. While sitting on the precipice of adulthood, Polaroid Lovers finds her reflecting on past loves, childhood dreams, the places she lived in and all the versions of herself that she’s been. Although the listener experiences the sonic shift forward, the album’s subject matter is a photo album of the past. Jarosz has never sounded more assured. Polaroid Lovers is filled with the kind of confidence that comes from hard won life experiences and the conviction of someone who truly knows herself.

DJ Tiddles' Acid Techno/Techno label returns with a second release of explosive female/non-binary fronted tracks from Tiddles herself - teaming up with Polish Acid Techno hero Ciuciek - plus Ireland's new female Acid icon Bubbless - 2 trax including the catchy reggae techno crossover 'Rudie' - and last but not least Jungle-tek legend Mandidextrous turning in something very different to their usual fare with the rip-roaring bouncy techno classic 'Oi Oi Oi'... a classic release that is gonna set harder dancefloors alight!!

Some Female:Pressure right here with the latest NVST release; Silence Itself Is Noise! This is her debut for SSPB delivering a 6 track ep which are a reflection of her adventurous club sets, a well-balanced mix of powerful beats and expansive atmospheres haunted by skittering echoes of the dancefloor. Each track feels like fleeting memories of the club filtered through the human experience - flickering moments illuminated by strobes and shrouded in smoke, laced with the tang of sweat and psychedelics. Opener "Tiny Mistakes Feeling HOT (Hellisnotamyth version)" coalesces from curling vapors into infernal acid lines and rhythmic fragments that evaporate almost as soon as they appear. "The Devil Loves The Detail (Lucifer's Fire Version)" builds into an inescapable pulse amidst frayed synthesizers, pressure building to fever pitch before "The Danger Zone Of GFY (Freedom Version)" opens out into icy, astral synths. "Monster of Business (Style Edition)" shifts closer to the dancefloor with a slinking, syncopated groove, conversations from the smoking area or studio creeping in at the edges, before erupting into the frazzled bounce of "The Goat and the Night." "The Silence Itself is Noise (Nonstop Bass Version)" loops back once again to more cavernous atmospheres, warped bells and strafing melodic flourishes ringing out amidst fizzing distortion and skeletal percussion. Silence Itself is Noise doesn't clamour for attention, it necessitates it. Once again, NVST proves herself unafraid to challenge club orthodoxy, and unwilling to patronize listeners, instead making deft use of tension and release to create genuine moments of surprise and transcendence.

Following the reissue last year of Fairuz's classic 1979 album "Wahdon", Wewantsounds pursue their exploration of great Lebanese music with the reissue of Fairuz's highly sought-after LP "Maarifti Feek," released in 1987. Recorded in Beirut around 1983-84, the album features the Diva's superb voice combined with Ziad Rahbani's jazz and funk orchestration, making it one of the most in-demand albums on the Arabic funk scene. The release will coincide with "Arab Divas," a major exhibition set in the prestigious Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, celebrating the greatest singers from the Arab World and starting 13 May 2020. One of the greatest singers of the Middle East, Fairuz started her career in Lebanon in the 50s and quickly established herself as the most renowned Diva in the Arabic world, playing the most prestigious venues in the world. At the end of the 70s, Fairuz was at a turning point both professionally and personally. Her Husband Assi Rahbani, who, with his brother Elias, had penned her biggest successes, has suffered a stroke a few years earlier. This setback ultimately led to both the demise of their marriage and the end of their professionnal partnership. Enters Ziad Rahbani, Fairuz and Assi's son, a young musician, playwright and producer who had cut his teeth writing a handful of Fairuz's song - including her 1973 hit "Sa'alouni El Nas" - at just seventeen. Ziad Rahbani swiftly took over from his father and uncle as the singer's musical director and composer and this fruitful association, which started in 1979 with the album "Wahdon," broke many new grounds for Fairuz with funkier rhythms and edgier lyrics. It was recorded at the same time as Rahbani's own 12 inch "Abu Ali" which became a sought-after disco classic in its own right. The association between the two continued with a second album, "Maarifti Feek" ("Our Encounter"), recorded between 1983 and 84 in Beirut but only released in 1987. The album was another groundbreaking mix of influences ranging from the traditional arrangements of "Oudak Rannan" and "Ma Kdirt Nseet" to the brazilan flavour of "Version 1" via the synth funk of "Ouverture 83" and its follow up "Reprise 83". Also featured on the album is a beautiful remake of Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" in the form of a tribute to the lebanese capital, "Li Beirut." This blend of Oriental grooves with jazz and funk orchestrations by Ziad Rahbani is a unique document of Fairuz's career development in the 80s and explains why "Maarifti Feek" is such a sought after album on the DJ and collector circuits which Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue for the first time since the album first came out.

Out of print for quite a few years now, this album is a stunning power-pop gem recorded at a time when this kind of girl group pairing with punk rock was unusual.b This is one of the most iconic albums released on Greg Shaw's Bomp! Records. It now includes bonus tracks on top! Definitely stood the test of time. Check out the titles, these young ladies were wearing their collective hearts on those sleeves of theirs. This kind of girl group pairing with punk rock was unusual at the time and it provided a much-needed antidote to the male dominated skinny tie brigade. Nikki looked like Pam Dawber (Mindy from Mork and Mindy) and sounded like Clare Grogan (of Altered Images) what was not to be instantly smitten by. Born and bred in Detroit, Miss Corvette reportedly ran away from home at age 16 because her mother refused to allow her to attend an MC5 show. Greg Shaw wrote the following in the liner notes to the 20th Anniversary label compilation, Destination Bomp! "Nikki was a tireless worker. Like some coalminer's daughter, she'd travel around the country with her band. Playing 200 shows a year. She knew everybody and was a lot of fun to hang out with so, I figured that if all her friends bought the record... so I signed her. The girl had style and attitude galore plus, she had master guitarist/songwriter and former Romantic Peter James. One of Detroit's most savvy cats." The lady herself kindly supplied the following summary. "We went to LA and signed with Bomp in maybe 1979 but Greg wasn't sure what to do with us. We did the Honey Bop single with Ronny Weiser at Rollin Rock and a couple songs with the Kessel Brothers. We started something with Kim Fowley that did not work out. They kept trying different producers until we finally decided to go back to Detroit and do the album on our own. We didn't have a lot of experience but we knew what we wanted and Detroit was part of that so we recorded the album and had a blast doing it. Peter wanted us to be poppier and I wanted to be more punk. We sort of met in the middle with what I've always called Bubblegum Punk. I can't believe it's been 43 years since this came out and there are still kids discovering it and people who grew up with it that still listen to it. I constantly hear from people all different ages, all over the world about how much they love it album and that really means so, so much to me!" Hear the phenomenon for yourself.

'The Space Lady's Greatest Hits' features the best of these recordings - mostly covers of 60s pop and psych alongside interstellar originals and features archival photographs and liner notes from The Space Lady herself. "Greatest Hits" contains The Space Lady's personal favourites; her haunting take on The Electric Prunes' "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)," a frantic "Ballroom Blitz", and an unbelievably perfect version of "Major Tom" - amidst other reconstructed pop music.

Yuki Saito's 10th album "LOVE"('91) is now available for the first time on vinyl with obi.

It's a hidden masterpiece of 90s city pop and light mellow.

Emotionally fragile songs of poems she wrote herself.

Arrangements by Mioko Yamaguchi, Mayumi, Tetsuya Kakihara, and Kenjiro Sakitani. They are well known by city pop fans.