Cerca:the real

On ‘Fluorescent Standard,’ guitarist Anthony Vine and clarinetist Gareth Davis present two luminous and serene worlds of harmonic sound. The duo entwine sustained tones, glowing with the resonant hues of their instruments, into enveloping and expansive atmospheres. Clarinet sonorities, swelling guitar chords, and tumbling elegiac piano fragments drift quietly through time in elusive cycles that subtly change and expand with each return. Every vibration is interconnected, aligned and fused attentively, causing the instruments to dissolve into themselves and emit residual vibratory energies, like fluorescence. What emerges is a music that invites quiet contemplation and rewards deep listening. While Vine and Davis met through the world of modern classical music, ‘Fluorescent Standard’ finds itself in the realms of drone, ambient, and new age. The music is grounded in early minimalist aesthetics of composers like La Monte Young and Phill Niblock, but also shares the sensibilities of contemporary artists like Fennesz, Sarah Davachi, and Stars of the Lid.

Following 2022' acclaimed 'Topical Dancer' album with Charlotte Adigéry, here comes 'Letter To Yu', the debut solo album by Bolis Pupul : produced by fellow Belgians Soulwax & released on DEEWEE/Because Music. Exploring many themes including loss, grief, ancestry, culture, belonging/not belonging and identity. It's no coincidence that Bolis Pupul's music sounds the way it does. Born in Belgium to a Chinese mother and Belgian father and raised in the super-cool creative city of Ghent, Bolis' music is a joyous cross-cultural assemblage. Mixing widescreen electronica with the warm-hearted and wonky naivete of Belgian New Beat, Bolis' singular sonics are at once playful, emotive, unrelenting and tender. The real key to unlocking Bolis' musical secret, however, is that conversation he has between his Eastern and Western roots. The creation of the album is built around Bolis' trip to Hong Kong earlier this year, made to reconnect with his late mother's roots.

Bay area textural pop group Torrey delve deep into a translucent dreamworld on their self-titled sophomore album. Bending classic shoegaze, rainy day indie rock sounds, and 90s alt rock flair into more intricate forms, the band uses these guitar-forward songs to shapeshift between gentle drifting and noisy breakthroughs. The overall effect is blissful, but never losing sight of the sturdy tunes underneath the fuzz. Some touchstones might include Lush, Drop Nineteens, Cocteau Twins and The Breeders, but Torrey have a deft grasp of their craft and a forward-thinking studio approach that places them very much in the NOW. Singles like No Matter How, Bounce and Moving are pure 2024 and place Torrey firmly alongside like-minded groups like Seablite, Winter and Alvvays who are enlivening a similar set of inspirations.

"Torrey by Torrey" includes the following tracks: "Moving", "Hawaii", "Slow Blues", "July (And I'm)" and more.

“Imagine a man at the end of his rope. Perhaps he's made a fool of himself one too many times, or perhaps despite a lot of hard work has failed miserably at all the things he's endeavored, and the once smug upstart has over time let go of all his ambitions. At the very end of a descent into disillusionment and cynicism, when all hope and even the last sliver of willpower has left him, he unexpectedly finds a form of calm. Complete exhaustion has freed him from the torments of past and future, and in that moment of peace, reality seems to reveal itself with a freshness that he hasn't experienced in a very long time, perhaps since childhood. Let's call this a rebirth of innocence.

Since emerging in 1997, Chicago quartet Plain White T's — Tom Higgenson vocals, Tim Lopez [lead guitar, vocals], Mike Retondo [bass], and De'Mar Hamilton [drums] — have remained visible and viable. They have consistently delivered unforgettable pop rock anthems that take up real estate in your brain for months at a time. They have amassed over 2.7 billion total global streams, earned two Grammy nominations, and collected several Platinum-plus and Gold certifications across their impressive catalogue. Their signature single "Hey There Delilah" went quadruple-platinum, topped the Billboard Hot 100, and earned the pair of aforementioned GRAMMY® nominations in 2008 — for "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal." They have made their pop culture mark by appearing on highly visible shows such as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Sesame Street, iCarly, 90210, Beavis & Butthead, and Frankenweenie, all the while nabbing press accolades from TIME, Billboard, ESPN, Rolling Stone, AV Club, MTV, MSNBC, and more. Plain White T's have proven to be a reliable musical force, as well as a career band that shows no signs of stopping or slowing down.

30 Jahre Metal: Drei Jahrzehnte lang hat Wade Black mit Bands wie Crimson Glory, Leatherwolf, Seven Witches, Leash Law und Chalice of Sin den Metal gelebt und international getourt. Wade, dem Veränderungen weder fremd sind noch Angst davor hat, ein Katalysator dafür zu sein, kündigt sowohl Neuerungen als auch einige sehr verlockende Teaser für die Dinge an, die im Jahr 2024 kommen werden. Geschmiedet aus über einem Jahrzehnt des gemeinsamen Schreibens, Aufnehmens und Tourens haben Wade und Rich einen Songwriting-Stil entwickelt, der nicht von dieser Welt ist - das ist auch der der Grund, warum sie den Namen Astronomica gewählt haben. Sie glauben, dass dies der beste Weg ist, um ihren Sound zu beschreiben. Ein Blick in die Zukunft: Sie freuen sich darauf, Musik zu machen, die das Herz, den Verstand und die Vorstellungskraft ihrer Fans anspricht - sie auf eine Reise zu weit entfernten Orten mitnimmt und sie dazu inspiriert, ihr Bestes zu geben! Sie bereiten sich auch darauf vor, ihren Fans eine super Live-Show zu bieten und freuen sich darauf, all ihre METAL-Fäuste in die Luft zu strecken, wenn die Band die Bühne dezimiert. See you soon!

Slimelord, Englands eigenartigste Death Metal-Kuriosität, hat auf ihrem Debütalbum "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" eine wilde und halluzinatorische Geschichte aus den unterirdischen Tiefen zusammengetragen. Das Logbuch der Suche verwebt sich mit den ungewöhnlichsten Elementen der Geologie, alten Mythen, Weltgeschichte, Umweltschutz und Fantasie. Ein Konzept, das so detailliert und komplex bizarr ist wie die Musik selbst.

Nach mehreren hochgelobten EP-Veröffentlichungen sumpfiger Death- und Doom-Abartigkeiten zeigen sich Slimelord auf "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" in Bezug auf Geschwindigkeit und Schwere in ihrer bisher stärksten Form. Das gewaltige Riffing, gepaart mit ihrer Fähigkeit, verträumte, abgedrehte Wiederholungen und improvisierte Unorthodoxie zu beschwören, wird durch überlagerte Effektpedale und sogar Field-Recordings ergänzt, um eine Atmosphäre von extremer Dichte und exzentrischer Mythosbildung zu schaffen, die ein völliges Eintauchen in die Dunkelheit ermöglicht.

Mit Brad Moores filmischen und unheimlichen visuellen Landschaften, die Slimelords surreale Saga in eine lebendige Realität verwandeln, und zusätzlichen Story-Ebenen jenseits der Texte, die in der Veröffentlichung enthalten sind, präsentiert "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" eine enorme Weiterentwicklung der musikalischen Komposition und des Produktionswertes. Die umfassende musikalische und ästhetische Vision von Slimelord dringt wie ein Pilz in das Substrat ein, von dem sie sich ernährt.

Slimelord, Englands eigenartigste Death Metal-Kuriosität, hat auf ihrem Debütalbum "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" eine wilde und halluzinatorische Geschichte aus den unterirdischen Tiefen zusammengetragen. Das Logbuch der Suche verwebt sich mit den ungewöhnlichsten Elementen der Geologie, alten Mythen, Weltgeschichte, Umweltschutz und Fantasie. Ein Konzept, das so detailliert und komplex bizarr ist wie die Musik selbst.

Nach mehreren hochgelobten EP-Veröffentlichungen sumpfiger Death- und Doom-Abartigkeiten zeigen sich Slimelord auf "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" in Bezug auf Geschwindigkeit und Schwere in ihrer bisher stärksten Form. Das gewaltige Riffing, gepaart mit ihrer Fähigkeit, verträumte, abgedrehte Wiederholungen und improvisierte Unorthodoxie zu beschwören, wird durch überlagerte Effektpedale und sogar Field-Recordings ergänzt, um eine Atmosphäre von extremer Dichte und exzentrischer Mythosbildung zu schaffen, die ein völliges Eintauchen in die Dunkelheit ermöglicht.

Mit Brad Moores filmischen und unheimlichen visuellen Landschaften, die Slimelords surreale Saga in eine lebendige Realität verwandeln, und zusätzlichen Story-Ebenen jenseits der Texte, die in der Veröffentlichung enthalten sind, präsentiert "Chytridiomycosis Relinquished" eine enorme Weiterentwicklung der musikalischen Komposition und des Produktionswertes. Die umfassende musikalische und ästhetische Vision von Slimelord dringt wie ein Pilz in das Substrat ein, von dem sie sich ernährt.

Seit ihren Anfängen hat sich Merrimack zu einem Wesen entwickelt, das die schattigen Gefilde erforscht, in denen die Spiritualität zusammenfließt. Schon der Name MERRIMACK, der für unendliche Tiefe und Abgrund steht, ist ein Vorbote für die Reise, die sie mit ihrem Black Metal antreten.

"Of Gravity and Grace" stellt das Gewebe der Realität in Frage, in dem sich die Dichotomie zwischen flüchtigen Wahrheiten und dem göttlichen Partikel manifestiert. Dieses Album ist eine Rückkehr zu einer ursprünglichen luziferischen Revolte, die die Gefühle von Antonin Artauds Proklamation widerspiegelt: "Wir sind die Mikroben Gottes". In einer Welt, die mit oberflächlichen Ausdrücken des Satanismus vollgestopft ist, überschreitet MERRIMACK die Klischees, indem sie eine tiefgreifende Erforschung des Glaubens und der Dissidenz einschließt. Während sich die eindringlichen Melodien der sieben Titel entfalten, taucht der Hörer in eine akustische Pilgerreise ein, die die Grenzen des konventionellen Black Metal sprengt.

Erleben Sie die Essenz der Alchemie von MERRIMACK, wo das Körperliche und das Kosmische aufeinanderprallen und eine transformative Reise durch die Schatten des Kreuzes bieten. "Of Gravity and Grace" zeigt die ungebrochene Kraft des Black Metal, die den Geist provoziert, herausfordert und erhebt. Umarme die Dunkelheit und lass dich von MERRIMACK durch die Gefilde führen, in denen Chaos auf Ewigkeit trifft.

FFO: Watain, Valkyrja, Ondskapt

Seit ihren Anfängen hat sich Merrimack zu einem Wesen entwickelt, das die schattigen Gefilde erforscht, in denen die Spiritualität zusammenfließt. Schon der Name MERRIMACK, der für unendliche Tiefe und Abgrund steht, ist ein Vorbote für die Reise, die sie mit ihrem Black Metal antreten.

"Of Gravity and Grace" stellt das Gewebe der Realität in Frage, in dem sich die Dichotomie zwischen flüchtigen Wahrheiten und dem göttlichen Partikel manifestiert. Dieses Album ist eine Rückkehr zu einer ursprünglichen luziferischen Revolte, die die Gefühle von Antonin Artauds Proklamation widerspiegelt: "Wir sind die Mikroben Gottes". In einer Welt, die mit oberflächlichen Ausdrücken des Satanismus vollgestopft ist, überschreitet MERRIMACK die Klischees, indem sie eine tiefgreifende Erforschung des Glaubens und der Dissidenz einschließt. Während sich die eindringlichen Melodien der sieben Titel entfalten, taucht der Hörer in eine akustische Pilgerreise ein, die die Grenzen des konventionellen Black Metal sprengt.

Erleben Sie die Essenz der Alchemie von MERRIMACK, wo das Körperliche und das Kosmische aufeinanderprallen und eine transformative Reise durch die Schatten des Kreuzes bieten. "Of Gravity and Grace" zeigt die ungebrochene Kraft des Black Metal, die den Geist provoziert, herausfordert und erhebt. Umarme die Dunkelheit und lass dich von MERRIMACK durch die Gefilde führen, in denen Chaos auf Ewigkeit trifft.

FFO: Watain, Valkyrja, Ondskapt

Die schöne Chrysantheme in ihrer Form mit schlichter, weißer Blütenfarbe wird auch Friedhofsblume genannt. Aufgrund ihrer Langlebigkeit wird sie gerne zur Dekoration von Gräbern verwendet. Für BLACK NAIL CABARET ebnet die Blüte der Chrysantheme den Weg für unser eigenes Porträt am Sterbebett. Der Sensenmann kommt zu uns allen. Die Aussicht auf das Ende verwandelt uns in angsterfüllte Gefäße. Wir könnten diese besser mit so vielen anderen Dingen füllen, aber die Furcht vor dem Tod durchdringt alles. Der Titel des sechsten Albums des ungarischen Pop Noire Duos, "Chrysanthemum", symbolisiert ein Aufbegehren gegen die Angst, aber auch Akzeptanz. BLACK NAIL CABARET bleiben durchaus auch ihrem Hang zur sexuell expliziten Provokation treu, doch die unterbewusste Angst vor dem Tod mit ihrer großen emotionalen Kraft, zieht sich metaphorisch als roter Faden durch "Chrysanthemum". Die Erotik der Ungarn bildet statt billiger Klischees ihre gelebte BDSM-Realität künstlerisch ab, die von hohen ästhetischen Ansprüchen geleitet wird. Musikalisch haben BLACK NAIL CABARET ihr herausragendes Songwriting auf "Chrysanthemum" weiter perfektioniert. Es gelingt dem Duo scheinbar mühelos, dunkle elektronische Klänge mit Elementen des Pop Noire zu vereinigen. Ihre Kompositionen stehen auf eigenen Beinen und benötigen keine elektronischen Spielereien, wodurch sich BLACK NAIL CABARET wohltuend abheben. Spätestens mit ihrem selbst veröffentlichten vierten Langspieler "Pseudopop" (2018) verschmolzen die Ungarn erfolgreich Kunst, Pop, dunkle Harmonien und kraftvolle Elektronik miteinander. Mit dem folgenden fünften Album "Gods Verging on Sanity" (2020) setzten BLACK NAIL CABARET ihren Siegeszug auch international fort. Der exzellente Ruf des Duos verbreitete sich rasch auch durch Mundpropaganda, und das trotz aller Einschränkungen durch die globale Pandemie. Endlich stehen die Sterne günstig, dass BLACK NAIL CABARET die Welt mit diesem dunklen Soundtrack über die Schönheit des Lebens erobern, was diese strahlend weiße Blume von scheinbarer Unschuld letztlich auch symbolisiert, deren Duft aber auch die ewige Macht des Todes verbreitet: "Chrysanthemum".

For its 2nd release, Sweet Notes is happy to welcome the Italian duo Two Opposites to its imprint! Begin the adventure with "Escape Reality", where celestial synths elevate you to the cosmos. A dash of pop flair in the playful bassline lightens the mood, making you groove from head to toe on this mind-bending escape!

The second track, "Gravitone", means business from the start. A serious vibe that compels you to exchange intense looks with your mates or strangers on the dance floor. The whirling stab? It's like an old computer crashing, but in the coolest way. Paired with an acid house beat, get ready to techno-nod with newfound seriousness!

Dive into the EP's third track, "Magic Gate", where a deep bassline takes you on a mind-soaring journey. Shimmering synths elevate the experience. Once open, the magic gate leads you into its twisted slide tunnel—a wild, memorable ride awaits, so you better buckle up!

Enter the laid-back realm of "Melocity," where multi-directional stabs guide your mind on an intense self-trip. It's mellow yet positively infectious, and those shiny stabs? They're the secret giggle-inducing agents. Let the carefree vibes roll!

The founders of Cukor Bila Smert’ (Ukrainian: Цукор– Біла Смерть, English: Sugar – White Death) band were Svitlana Okhrimenko (a.k.a. Svitlana Nianio), Oleksandr Kohanovs’kyi, and Tamila Mazur, who studied at the Reinhold Glier Kyiv Academy of Music in 1984-1988. In the summer of 1988, they got acquainted with Eugene Taran, a young guitarist and artist. He joined the band and also became the ideologist of Sugar – White Death. Moreover, Eugene coined the name for the band: the irony towards the Yellow Press. The musicians gathered at Kohanovs’kyi’s house, where they spent their free time not only playing music but also listening to and discussing new records and thinking about the conception of their new project.



For two years, the band recorded a few home-made albums, such as “Rhododendrons Coral Aspides” in 1988 (which is considered lost), where Kostyantyn Dovzhenko took part as a guitarist and sound engineer. He also replaced Taran during the recording session because Eugene was passing an exam at that time. The band also recorded another album – “Lilies and Amaralises,” in 1989, which is also considered lost. Eugene remembers that the band made a lot of recordings but did not pay so much attention to them. Sugar – White Death played live occasionally but spent more time creating their own sound, which was named by Oleksii Dekhtyar (a founder of “Ivanov Down”) as a “sugar calypso sound.” At that time, the music was mostly created by Oleksandr Kohanovs’kyi, and the lyrics were written by Svitlana Okhrimenko and Eugene Taran.



In February 1990, a quartet came to the Scientists House Studio in Kyiv, where they had one studio session only, recorded by Valerii Papchenko. Musicians played live for about one take. This session was represented on the “Mannered Music” compilation by several blocks – “Venus with Long Neck,” “The New Sissies,” and “Rhododendrons Coral Aspides,” which was shortened to “Rhododendrons” on the cassette (two songs from which – “Summer Will Not Come” and “The Great Hen-Yuan’ River,” dedicated to Grigorii Khoroshylov, the sinologist from Kyiv). The compilation cover design was created by Eugene Taran. Later, this tape got to Vlodek Nakonechnyj, the founder of Koka Records, a young Polish label, who released “Mannered Music” on cassettes and made efforts to invite Sugar – White Death to play several gigs in Poland.



In November 1990, Sugar – White Death played their last gig as a quartet in Kharkiv. They were invited by Sergii Myasoyedov, who curated the art association “Nova Scena” (The New Scene). The band played selected tracks from the albums “The New Sissies” and “The Shellfishes in Gold Wrappers” (the last one is also considered lost). Due to Sergii Myasoyedov's efforts, the performance was documented: he saved a lot of photos and fragments of soundboard recordings on reel-to-reel tape.



Later, Oleksandr Kohanovs’kyi and Tamila Mazur left Sugar – White Death: Oleksandr founded his own project Pan Kifared, and Tamila became a bass player of Shake Hi-Fi (whose co-founder was Eugene Taran). Sugar became a duo of Svitlana and Eugene. They started to focus on their next work: “Antinoy Is Leaving” in late 1990.



In 1992, they were also invited by Sergii Myasoyedov for a studio session in Kharkiv, where due to the efforts of Oleksandr Vakulenko, Sugar recorded the new album called “All Secrets Of A Poem”. Some tracks from the work (“Dead Ceremony,” “Vienna Is Sleeping,” and “Untitled”) were released on their next and last album, “Selo” (“The Village”). The rest compositions were published as a part of the compilation for the first time.



In the autumn of 1992, the musicians went to Poland, where Vlodek Nakonechnyj, who wanted Sugar to come to a “real” studio, organized their last recording session. Although the journey’s beginning was unsuccessful (Eugene’s guitar was taken away by a customs officer when crossing the border), the musicians worked fast during the session at the Arek Was studio at Marki on an 8-track reel-to-reel machine. Boleslav Blazhchyk took part as a cellist, playing the parts created by Svitlana. The album was completed in three days – the musicians spent two days recording and one-day mixing, mostly done by Eugene Taran. In 1993, this work was released as “Selo” (“The Village”) album on cassette tapes by Koka Records (remastered by Tadeusz Sudnik). Later, Sugar – White Death was disbanded.



Credits:



Cukor Bila Smert’: Svitlana Okhrimenko (lyrics, keyboards, piano, vocals), Eugene Taran (lyrics, keyboards, guitar), Oleksandr Kohanovs’kyi (piano, A1-B2), Tamila Mazur (cello, A1-B2), Boleslaw Blaszczyk (cello, C5-D6)

Cover photo by Vlad Urazovs’kiy

Photo archive courtesy: Vlad Urazovs’kiy, Vlodek Nakonechnyj (Koka Records),

Oleh Yuhrinov, Sergii Myasoyedov

Audio archive courtesy: Vlodek Nakonechnyj (Koka Records), Guido Erfen,

Sergii Myasoyedov

Liner notes: Vlad Yakovlev

Compiled by Dmytro Nikolaienko, Dmytro Prutkin and Sasha Tsapenko

© ? Shukai / Cukor Bila Smert’

2024

In a world threatened by environmental decay, a passionate young man embarked on a daring quest to save the planet.

Will his vision of a sustainable future become a reality, proving that the passion of one young man could ignite a revolution and ultimately save the planet for generations to come?

Find out by following the Chronicles Of Bru, the new series of EP composed by Jesse Bru and produced by Happiness Therapy!

In a world threatened by environmental decay, a passionate young man embarked on a daring quest to save the planet. Will his vision of a sustainable future become a reality, proving that the passion of one young man could ignite a revolution and ultimately save the planet for generations to come? Find out by following the Chronicles Of Bru, the new series of EP composed by Jesse Bru and produced by Happiness Therapy!

As its title suggests, Stornoway"s 2010 debut album, Beachcomber"s Windowsill, is something of a treasure. Featuring singles "Fuel Up", "I Saw You Blink" and "Zorbing", it showed just why so many were excited by the Oxford indie-folk quartet"s arrival - a DIY guitar band unusually rooted in folk tradition. They stood out further with their deft ability to try their hand at most instruments, never shy to experiment while their pure pop harmonies soared. Warmly received on release, Beachcomber"s Windowsill quickly attained Silver status in the UK and among the many positive reviews, The Observer praised it for having a "real emotional depth that transports their music from throwaway sunny songs to something altogether more poignant and enduring", while the NME called it "beautifully rendered and melodically magnifi cent; a Constable landscape of a record." The album is complemented by a stunning sleeve by designer Chris Bigg, who has played on the album"s title and their songs about nature by working with illustrations of shells, aquatic life and old maps.

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.

With his Disco Deception album, Prince Fatty (who links up with Shniece for the occasion) delivers a captivating blend of disco-infused reggae and soulful grooves. Each track resonates with his signature low-end energy, and is fuelled by Fatty's impeccable production and Shniece's soul-stirring vocals. From funky basslines to shimmering horns, the album captures the essence of classic dub and ska while infusing it with modern flair and plenty of hooky horns and melodies. Shniece's dynamic range and emotive delivery elevate each song to really create a magnetic atmosphere that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish, all with character to spare.

With the fantastic 'Black Rabbit,' dub don Prince Fatty masterfully navigates the realms of dub and reggae, infusing each track with his signature vintage sound and infectious grooves. The single is a great trip through rich basslines, swirling echoes, and soulful melodies that all showcase Fatty's exceptional production skills and deep understanding of Jamaican music traditions. From the laid-back instrumentals to his lively vocal performance, this tune has timeless charm and undeniable authenticity so is a testament to Prince Fatty's enduring influence in the contemporary reggae scene.