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Khanate's self titled debut (2001) has all the pleasant ambiance of a plane crash site, a bleak urban waste of mangled and torn metal beams and hissed alarms. When Khanate first issued instructions to the void in 2001, the band was embraced as the next iteration of guitarist Stephen O'Malley's tube-cracking forays into amplifier variance; a fascinating further step of vocalist Alan Dubin and low-frequency shifter James Plotkin's space charts; and a warning for the crawling-pace hammers of Tim Wyskida's drums. But Khanate was not preaching of coming doom or offering emotional catharsis. The band was totally post-dread. The worst had already happened, and would continue to happen, over and over. The 5 songs on Khanate sound like an "orchestrated root canal" (Julian Cope).

eissue des selbstbetitelten Debütalbums von 2010 der Indie-Rock-Supergroup Bad Books mit Kevin Devine und Mitgliedern von Manchester Orchestra. Gepresst auf Ecomix-Vinyl, jedes Exemplar ist ein Unikat.

"Robert Johnson" of Indonesia's Orkes Melayu music finally comes out from the shadows. Between 1961 and 1964, Kelana Ria recorded 48 songs that were spread over four records, Kafilah, Yam El Shamah, Ya Mahmud and Ya Hamidah, which become the primary sources for this compilation.

This is quite a unique release , as expected with genre-defying label Subsound Records. From a mystical frontier where the East meets the West comes a psychedelic wonder called The Cyclist Conspiracy This musical collective consisting of ten men and women creates unique sonic escapism for the soul that embark any listener onto a long-haul voyage without further ado. New album "Mashallah Plan" is a psychedelic tapestry that blends infuences from various parts of the world into a seamless unique "desert" rock experience - a monumental psychedelic piece set in the landscapes of Northern Africa and the Middle East bolstered by some magnifcent choral work and powerful riffs. The Cyclist Conspiracy, The (Anti) World Orchestra is the musical output of The Little Brothers dedicated to The Mysteries of The Last Age. Started as an informal project within the Society For The Development Of Alchemical Studies "Vasko Popa" in 2014, it is now a musical troupe consisting of ten male and female souls. The orchestra draws infuences from various parts of the world while trying to avoid superfcial, "new age" eclecticism and direct its creative efforts towards the synthesis of the given elements. Whether it's the Byzantine Empire or secret nomadic paths of the desert, the smokey cafe crowded with manges and frivolous women, or the steppe with the sky for shaman only, psychedelic or turkce rock, Middle or Far East, the journeys the cyclists taking are never the quest for the heart of this world. Sometimes they appeared as a symbolic quest for Constantinople, the heart of The Cycling of Byzantium, but they are always the quest for the heart of the only true light Agape. The Cyclist Conspiracy have played numerous concerts in Serbia and neighboring countries, whether as headliners, support for other bands (Acid Mothers Temple, King Dude, Hayvanlar Alemi), or a part of festival lineups (Haywire Festival (RO), INdirekt (CRO), Zelenkovac Jazz Festival (BH), The Music of the Secret Society that Owns Belgrade (SR)). Their new album "Mashallah Plan" is a psychedelic tapestry that blends infuences from various parts of the world into a seamless unique "desert" rock experience - a monumental psychedelic piece set in the landscapes of Northern Africa and the Middle East bolstered by some magnifcent choral work and powerful riffs.The band comments: "Mashallah Plan" is a story about a spiritual journey on a bicycle. This simple device reveals its profound symbolism only through the path of most resistance and thus represents a perfect esoteric vehicle for The Dark Age we are living through".

Legendary bass player, songwriter and vocalist of The Moody Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, John Lodge, is releasing his version of the iconic album ‘Days of Future Passed’, entitled ‘Days of Future Passed – My Sojourn’, to accompany his tour of the same name. The album was recorded over the last year, and has grown from John’s current live show as he, and his 10,000 Light Years Band, lovingly recreate this classic album. The album also features a special recording by the late Graeme Edge and performances by Jon Davison of YES. It is being released as part of John’s celebration of the album ‘that changed his life’, and with the hope that it will continue to introduce fans to the original iconic recording. The album’s orchestration is by John’s long-term collaborator, and great friend, Alan Hewitt. Now as a vinyl LP record.

Oddisee's breakthrough album: Imbued with love, honesty, and selflessness, The Good Fight is virtuosic in its musicality, direct in its language, and infinitely relatable In a landscape overrun with abstract indulgence and shallow trend-chasers, the Prince George's County, Maryland artist has created a record that reminds you that it's music before it's hip-hop. For Oddisee, "The Good Fight" is about living fully as a musician without succumbing to the traps of hedonism, avarice, and materialism. It's music that yields an intangible feeling: the sacral sound of an organ whine, brass horns, or a cymbal crash. It's a meditation on our capacity to love and the bonds binding us together. It's our ambition and greed warring with our sense of propriety - a list of paradoxes we all face when living and striving. Oddisee's production simmers in its own orchestral gumbo. You sense he's really a jazzman in different form, inhabiting the spirit of Roy Ayers and other past greats. The Fader's compared him to a musical MC Escher, calling hailing his "grandiose and symphonic sound" and "relevant relatable messages." Pitchfork praised his "eclectic soulful boom-bap.

Repress!

Here's a true West Coast soul-jazz gem originally released on pacific jazz in 1961. Les McCann's warm and emotional singing shines over some gorgeous big band arrangements signed by the great conductor and bandleader Gerald Wilson. McCann's usual trio with Herbie Lewis on bass and Ron Jefferson on drums is augmented by a phenomenal bunch of West Coast top musicians including clarinetist Buddy Collette, tenor sax lions Charles Lloyd, Teddy Edward, and Harold Land, and two absolute guest stars: tenor sax giant Ben Webster and organ stylist Richard "groove" Holmes, what else?

Soul-jazz and blues at their best. Allmusic Guide

Social Limbo is the new album by OPEZ. A collection of eleven dreamy, rough, abundant instrumental songs which have the guts to subsist and survive the fluidity of our times. With his melodies Massi Amadori tells the nostalgia and melancholy of a lived, loved and consumed Italy.

In the Limbo of a rebirth. With the desire to imagine himself female, sensitive, sexy. With a swinging mood. The dreamlike suggestion in “Male Nostrum”, the mysterious love in “Venice”, the social raids in “Social Roll”, the dust and the silence in “Limbo” are just some of the tracks that represent the meeting in a place between dark and light, between east and west, with the heart in the south. And as always in that Limbo between life and death. The eleven tracks represent a shared work with musicians and producers of the caliber of Andrea Benini (Mop Mop), Francesco Giampaoli (Sacri Cuori, Hugo Race) and Manuel Volpe (Rhabdomantic Orchestra).

Recorded between Turin and Ravenna in the hot summer months from 2020 to 2023. Once again the images and graphics are curated by the Umbrian artist Aimone Marziali. Mastered by Kelly Hibbert at Almachrome. produced by Andrea Benini.

André Roligheten is known for his strong presence in a number of collaborations with everything from Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity, Team Hegdal, Friends & Neighbors, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Susanne Sundfør, to his own release "Roligheten - Homegrown" from 2017.With his new adventurous ensemble, he is now releasing brand new music on the album "Marbles" (Odin, 03.11.23). The album contains a collection of compositions that facilitate bold interaction. The compositions are conceived as parallel universes with their own, improvised musical forms. Imagine that Sonny Rollins and Egberto Gismonti met on the beach at a yoga retreat in Hawaii and decided to make an album together! Roligheten brings out a highly personal expression in his warm tenor saxophone together with a star team of Scandinavian musicians. Each and every one of them adds a unique depth and substance to the musical universe; Strøm's rigorous double bass, Ståhl's bold vibraphone, Nilssen's elastic drums and Lindström's gripping pedal steel. This merges into a unique sound that carries Roligheten's compositions on a golden stool. The gallery of people in this ensemble has prestigious names, and they have worked with artists and bands such as Tonbruket, Bushman's Revenge, Ane Brun, Paal Nilssen-Love, Bobo Stenson, Supersonic Orchestra and Georg Riedel.

New Zealander via Berlin Philippa is a producer and DJ whose passion for house music, tireless commitment to her craft and ear for what makes a dance floor tick is slowly and surely starting to pay off. With her recent release Rainy Nights on Slothboogie and Things I’d Like To Be for Razor n Tape getting a lot of love Philippa continues to deliver the goods and has led to remixes for Fat Freddy’s Drop (The Drop) and Roach Motel (Faith).

Here on the Latent Magic EP we’re treated to three new tracks which highlight Philippa’s deft touch and musical approach to making interesting and left field house music. Opener Hold sets the tone with lush orchestral strings, crunchy drums and a bouncing analogue synth bassline which drives the track along perfectly.

Latent Magic uses a similarly wide-ranging sound palette, mixing up the electronic and organic, but goes heavier on the epic, arpeggiating synths for a spacious and uplifting genre-defying track to lift the spirits.

Closing out we have There It Is which has hints of Mr Scruff with looping horn stabs, live drum groove and rolling electric bassline. All in all another mighty fine Philippa release which reminds us of the early days of Freerange when artists such as Square One, Shur-i-kan and Jimpster were melding live musicians with electronics to make a refreshing, UK-centric take on house music.

ONLY AVAILABLE ON PREORDER!!

The first-ever LP box set gathering the entire 10 albums collection of Obscure Records produced by Brian Eno’s.
Curated by Gavin Bryars

Originally issued between 1975 and 1978, nearly 50 years on the output of Obscure remains radically forward-thinking - offering glimpses of a future yet to be fully seen - and amounts to one of the most important, influential, and creatively accomplished album series ever conceived.
Co-curated by Eno and the composers Gavin Bryars and Michael Nyman - issuing the recording debuts of Bryars, Nyman, John Adams, Christopher Hobbs, David Toop, Max Eastley, Jan Steele, Simon Jeffes / The Penguin Café Orchestra, and Harold Budd, in addition to important works by John Cage, Tom Phillips, and John White - Obscure’s collective output is a groundbreaking landmark in the histories of Minimalism, modern composition, and Experimental music, and laid much of the groundwork for the soon to emerge movement of Ambient music.

Illuminating the remarkable, and largely otherwise undocumented, creative ferment within and between the British and American scenes of experimental music during the mid to late 1970s, this collection - made in full collaboration with all of the composers or their estates - contains the entire 10 album output of Obscure, the majority of which have been out of print for years, with a number having never received a CD reissue.

Offering each of Obscure’s albums, completely remastered and housed in faithful replicas of their original covers and liner notes, as well as a 80-page book (LP dimension) for LP-BOX SET, filled with rare photos, archival material and texts by - among others - Gavin Bryars, Bradford Bailey, David Toop, Max Eastley, Richard Bernas, and Tom Recchion, this historic collection marks the first time this seminal series has received a complete LP repress.

The Roger Webb Sound's Moonshade is one of the coolest records ever. Originally appearing via the legendary De Wolfe library in 1971, it's a sumptuous jazz-soul-funk instrumental set. Full of melodic, melancholic yet sun-drenched songs, rich with colour and contrast, it was composed by self-taught jazz pianist Roger Webb and features vocal performances by Barbara Moore. That's right; *the* powerhouse library music duo! It makes Moonshade the perfect precursor and accompaniment to Barbara Moore's eternal classic Vocal Shades And Tones. It will come as no surprise that original copies, if you can ever find them, will set you back north of 200 notes.

Moonshade is a phenomenal showcase of Brit maestro Webb's own roots in jazz. Those roots are served up here with a plethora of fast-stepping rhythms that truly give flight to the vocals of Barbara Moore, as they soar in wonderful ways. Moore sings wordlessly throughout, allowing her voice to act like another instrument in concert with the horns and keyboards elevating the fine arrangements. This is a deeply beautiful record.

The album opens with the ornate Baroque pop splendour of the sun-dappled melancholia of "Sunshine". Strings, piano and wordless female vocals combine to create this brief beauty of unimaginable grace. The cool "Gentle Eyes" features haunting and beautiful vocals, smooth jazz piano and horns and a general easy vibe without being easy listening, if you know what we mean. You do. Just listen. The pounding "Heavy Lace" is one for the beat-heads, funky open drums (!) with muted organ, bassy piano chords and ace horns. Sampled by Quakers for their great debut album on Stones Throw. The nostalgic "Yesterday" is wistful and beautifully melodic instrumental soul music with gorgeous acoustic guitar and flutes. It's followed by the light, lilting "Petal Soft" which features more Baroque styles, overflowing with flutes and harps. The bright, bouncing "Coaster" is an easy-going piano-led, guitar-driven swinger whilst "Grey Sigh" is another classic. A real highlight, with more fantastic propulsive drums and percussion and plaintive wordless vocals courtesy of Barbara. Speaking of which, the soft, sweet Rhodes jazz of the lilting "Sweet Thing" is another staggering showcase of the brilliance of Barbara. Just astounding.

Head straight past the honky-tonk-by-numbers piano jaunt "Cough Drop" and luxuriate in the soft, delicate beauty of the album's melodic, cyclical title track, "Moon Shade". Fragile flutes and acoustic guitar float across judicious bass notes before giving way to slightly ominous piano and, again, those beguiling wordless vocals. And then round again to the flute refrain of the intro. This time with the vocals to see us out. Majestic drama jazz at its finest. The cello-and-flute adorned "Sapphire" is a fluid orchestral beauty whilst "Interweave" rides with more urgency in its string and bass stabs. When the warm keys enter, it's a bonafide mellifluous wonder. The softer "Musette" begins in beautifully gentle fashion before pivoting for a driving yet elegant piano middle section. It reverts back to the mellow intro, for its outro. Understood? The melodic organ and prominent rhythm section running through "Reminiscence" makes for a delightfully understated folk-funk instrumental whilst the cool, rolling piano feels of "7.30 For 8.00" seem to perfectly suit the phrase "dinner jazz". It's no bad thing, c'mon. This classy, memorable set is rounded out by the half-minute mince of the Barbara-blessed "Sparky". It's just over too soon!

The audio for Moonshade has been brilliantly remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster (born Kansas City, 1909) needs little introduction, Webster is regarded as one of the three foremost swing era tenor saxophonists - the two others being Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. His ballad playing and sound inspired such later fellow saxophonists as Archie Shepp, Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. Webster became famous for his unique sound, quick tempos, his solos that contained great virile rhythmic momentum, a rasping timbre and an almost brutal aggressiveness filled with growl, while his ballad playing was breathy, tender and sensual. The list of his collaborations is long, Ben Webster worked, recorded and played with legends from the likes of Art Tatum, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Roy Eldridge and Dexter Gordon_but a dream came true when he was offered a permanent job in Duke Ellington's orchestra where his personal style matured. Webster stayed with Ellington until 1943, after which he formed his own groups and played with other small ensembles. From 1952 on he spent his time between Los Angeles and New York playing, freelancing and recording with a variety of soloists, among them high-profile singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae and Frank Sinatra. Despite excellent reviews of his albums, it was difficult for Webster to find steady work in the US during the early 1960's, and when in 1964 he got offered to play for a month in London he accepted and sailed to England. Webster never returned to the United States. In Europe he found plenty of work, playing residences in Scandinavia, settled in Amsterdam (1966-69) and then in Copenhagen (where he even has a street named after him). He toured frequently, playing in clubs and at big festivals with local bands or with visiting American musicians. Ben Webster suffered a stroke in Amsterdam in September 1973 following a performance in Leiden and died on September 20. Even when his health started to decline during his last years, his playing never did. To the last day Webster played with passion and intensity, delivering weight on every note. Webster is the subject of two renowned documentaries and two extensive biographies have been published about his legacy. Responsible for a plethora of excellent recordings he remains THE best-selling tenor saxophonist in jazz. Ben Webster was one of those unique jazz musicians whose presence came through on every recording (He recorded for prestigious labels including Verve, Impulse!, Prestige, Reprise, Blue Note_and countless others. On the album we are proudly presenting you today (Wayfaring Stranger recorded in 1970 by the NPS Radio network in The Netherlands) you will find mind-blowing high-quality Dutch sessions that were left dormant on a shelf and weren't commercially released for over 30 years! On 'Wayfaring Stranger' the listener is treated to no less than nine sublime tracks that document Webster's trademark relaxed-swinging but imaginative playing style that never gets boring. The album features an all-star line-up from the likes of Rob Langereis (Toots Thielemans), John Engels (Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie) and Cees Slinger (Dexter Gordon, Slide Hampton). Expect a 61-year-old Ben Webster in excellent form giving a warm, dusky, gritty yet funky performance where he delivers everything from up-tempo material, 12-bar blues jams to soulful expressive ballads. Webster's quartet is in constant musical dialog with each other, creating a unique back and forth between musicians at the top of their game. Tidal Waves Music now proudly presents the FIRST EVER vinyl release of this fantastic album (originally released as a limited Compact Disc edition back in 2000). This unique record comes as a deluxe 180g DOUBLE vinyl edition (strictly limited to 1000 copies) with obi strip.

Santaka is truly the sound of a culture. The name means “confluence” in Lithuanian, and the project has been exactly that from the moment DJ/producer Manfredas and drummer/producer Marijus Aleksa resolved to work together in the early days of 2020.

Not only does it bring together the talents that Manfredas and Marijus have individually honed over their own illustrious international careers in the club underground and young jazz worlds – but their recordings have drawn on talents from across styles and generations within Lithuania, creating a fusion of experimental sounds that represents the living nation. The highest common factors of post rock, jazz, dancefloor and abstract electronics, classical and more all flow together. Now, they are deepening this further, by reworking recordings by composer Rytis Mažulis and the avant-garde choir Melos Collective.

Over two tracks, they create haunting but hopeful, weird but truly wonderful atmospheres that look back to the deep history of their home nation’s music and culture but also forward to sonic science fictions of their own. In “Autoportretas”, disembodied voices emerge from the air around Marijus’s percussion subtly at first but becoming more and more corporeal as the ritual takes shape.

The eight-minute “Ramybė” is less linear, more dreamlike, with orchestral drones, free jazz fluttering and retro electronics joining the voices and drums. But for all their eeriness and oddness, both are built on the pleasure principle too: this exploratory music joining past and future is thrilling and sustaining in the moment.

For fans of post-Chicago post-"Second Summer of Love" acid; Chris & Cosey, Terekke, Cabaret Voltaire, Anthony Naples, JTC, D.K., Luke Vibert, Khotin. The latest by Texan-turned-Angeleno progressive vaporwave producer Carlos Ramirez aka AURAGRAPH finds him shifting focus to the dance floor across eight chrome clockworks of cosmic acid house and liquid rave glide: New Standard. Inspired by lessons learned during a 5K mile American road trip tour in the summer 2022, he set to work in his Simi Valley Tuff Shed of synths and hardware, pursuing an explicitly DJfriendly muse: "I realized I wanted to make a record where every track could go off in a live setting." These cuts do just that, revved and rhythmic, peppered with slap bass, Madchester whistles, filtered acid, gated snares, baggy cowbell, and sample pack classics - record scratches, orchestral stabs, the "Yeah! Woo!" from Lynn Collins "Think (About It)." Ramirez describes the process as immediate and instinctual: "I'd turn on the MPC, pick a tempo, and just improv - it was incredibly fun." From sleek freeway techno ("110 Cruising") to arcade lurker acid ("Coast 2 Coast") to big room bangers ("666 Ambience"), the tracks time-travel across the canon of club music, sifting tricks and styles to fashion fresh anthems of hypnagogic jack. It's an album channeled as much as crafted, tapping into the decks of mythic warehouse infinities past and present, where the system rips all night and acid never dies.

International ensemble Classico Latino are proud to present their new album 'Salsa Classics' featuring salsa legend Julio Ernesto Estrada aka 'Fruko and virtuoso violinist Omar Puente. Drawing on the familiar Bolero and Tango, as well as lesser-known rhythms such as the Pasillo and Joropo, Classico Latino's new album displays the amazingly varied stories and emotions of Latin America.

'Salsa Classics' features collaborations with Colombian multi-instrumentalist and salsa legend Julio Ernesto Estrada aka 'Fruko,' a behemoth of the international salsa scene and an awe inspiring musician, who adds much creativity and authenticity to the project. The recording also features Cuban born violinist Omar Puente, a highly skilled virtuoso with a plethora of achievements, including being first violin with the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra, touring with Buena Vista's Ruben Gonzales and performing with high profile figures across a truly diverse range of genres, including John Williams, Jools Holland, and Wynton Marsalis, to name just a few.

Der wahre Blues ist lange keine Neuigkeit mehr. Hier finden sich nun 16 elektrifizierte Post-War Kracher, aufgenommen zwischen Chicago und New Orleans, die oft nur ein kurzes Leben als 7"-Single fristeten und heute begehrte Sammlerobjekte sind. Diese Musik wurde in verschwitzten Clubs und bei House Rent Parties der 50er und frühen 60er Jahre gespielt bzw. aufgelegt. Und noch heute kann man exzellent dazu tanzen, denn alle Tunes sind schnell, rauh und dafür gemacht, die Meute in Bewegung zu bringen. Volle fünf Sterne für die fünfte Veröffentlichung der Rockinitis-Reihe! Diese Zusammenstellungen zeigen die rauen und wilden Klänge des rockigen Electric Blues aus den 1950er und frühen 1960er Jahren. Auf der A-Seite ist R-Man, Chef des Stag-O-Lee-Labels, mit weiteren acht Dirty-Blues-Dancetracks zurück, zu denen die Tailfeather zwingend geshaket werden muss. Jeweils zwei Tunes von Killerlabels wie Excello, Groove, Herald und Chess/Checker. In diversen Clubs auf Tauglichkeit getestet. Die Rückseite bestreitet Donna Driscoll, langjährige Kennerin und Sammlerin zwischen Northern Soul und R&B aus London. Donna legt regelmäßig in Blues- und Soul-Clubs sowie bei Mod-Events im Vereinigten Königreich und im Ausland auf. Egal in welcher Stimmung man ist, ihre Auswahl wird jeden in Bewegung und zum Grooven bringen. Hear me now!

Die Indie-Rock-Supergroup Bad Books, bestehend aus Andy und Robert vom Manchester Orchestra sowie Kevin Devine, veröffentlicht eine atemberaubende akustische Neuinterpretation ihres zweiten Albums und Klassikers 'II' aus 2012. Dabei wurden auch Tracklisting und Artwork neu angepasst. Blau-gelb-farbiges Vinyl.

180g limited edition on high-definition premium vinyl for super fidelity Made during the first years of the LP era, Harry James in Hi-Fi (1955) comprises some of the greatest hits of the Harry James Orchestra - a unit that by that time had been working unceasingly with few changes since 1939. Recorded in Los Angeles in July of 1955, among the instrumental figures present on the album were trombonist Juan Tizol,who had made a name for himself as part of the Duke Ellington orchestra, and alto saxophonist Willie Smith who was a major force in the swing era. Also present on some of the tracks was singer Helen Forrest, another veteran of the orchestra and other swing bands, and popularly known as "The Voice of the Name Bands." The program was a mix of the orchestra's previously recorded hits, re- recorded here to take advantage of the recently developed Hi-Fidelity recording techniques. The LP was a best seller followed by a sequel, More Harry James In Hi-FI.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra came to life in basements and bedrooms, the musical vision of Portlander-via-New Zealand Ruban Nielson that fused guitar-god riffs, choppy percussion, soul and funk. II, the sophomore album from UMO, emerged in an era rampant hedonism and isolationism and became the blueprint for everything Nielson has become renowned for. It was, and is, the solidification of Unknown Mortal Orchestra as an endlessly intriguing, brave and addictive band. Ten years on, it's back with an expanded edition. Written during a punishing, debauched touring schedule during which Nielson feared for both his sanity and health, II illustrates the emotional turmoil of life on the road, painting surrealist, cartoonish portraits of loneliness, love and despair. These conflicting themes are evident immediately; on the album's sleeve is an unnerving image of Janet Farrar, the famous British witch, Wiccan, author and teacher of witchcraft. The chilling refrain of opener "Into The Sun" sees Nielson deliver the line "Isolation can put a gun in your hand," softly, his words starkly intelligible above a warm, slow-burning melody that quickly brands itself onto your brain. His playful imagery ("I'm so lonely I've gotta eat my popcorn all alone") mirrors the melody, before a solo that borders on psychotropic ends II`s introduction. UMO is unafraid to dig deeper than the rest, their intoxicating, opiate groove bringing rock'n'roll's exaggerated myths to life. And as it unfolds, II does find Nielson reenergized. "One At A Time" and "Faded In The Morning" boast dizzying choruses and instrumentals; these crusty hunks could have been excavated from a lost 1960s treasure trove. "Monki" unravels over seven minutes like the yarn from a stoner's cardigan with an eye-frying pattern. "Dawn" is a minute of disconcerting noise that stands out between the nooks and crannies of the choruses, guitar solos, groove-heavy bass and drums that were recorded live by newly-recruited drummer Greg Rogove and Kody Nielson in a move away from the electronic percussion employed on album one. II closes with "Secret Xtians," a tender observational puzzle that fizzes to a satisfied end. In celebration of the album's 10th anniversary Nielson's complete collection from the II era is finally available in one compilation, and features the five acoustic tracks from the Blue EP as well as two additional B-sides. Unknown Mortal Orchestra was once Nielson's closeted concern. With an album that uses his singular musical imagination and extraordinary talent to parade his emotions with unyielding honesty, it is now a fully realized band operating at the peak of its powers ten years on.