NYC's Disco powerhouse West End Records should need no intro. The home of too-numerous-to-list club classics for over 30+ years is still impacting today on what we know to be club culture. The label started by one Mel Cheren (RIP) with assistance from Larry Levan and more way back in 1976 is still held in such high regard today with it's catalogue constantly being played, rediscovered, reinterpreted and loved by waves and waves of new fans and admirers. One such admirer is one of the UK's longest serving DJ's and editors, a truly legendary Northern selector who's unique reel to reel DJ sets and reworks has gained him fans worldwide and continues to do so. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Greg Wilson's West End versions, 4 tracks of unparalleled funk touched by the man himself who has also kindly supplied some choice words about this special release:
"West End has a particular place in my heart. Along with Prelude, it was my main go-to label during the early '80s, an underground New York powerhouse issuing a relentless run of now classic and cult-classic club cuts during the time I was DJing at Legend in Manchester. For me personally, the label is forever connected with this then futuristic venue, West End's progressive approach to dance music, incorporating electronic elements to play a key role in ushering in the Electro-Funk era, finding its perfect environment at Legend, with tracks by Stone, and especially the Peech Boys' hugely influential 'Don't Make Me Wait', providing major stepping stones. This is a project that holds a deeper resonance for me, given my personal relationship with the label, and I'm so happy to contribute the series; the 4 favourites tracks I selected for this release illustrating West End's best qualities - serious grooves and soulful vocals.
The edit of 'You Can't Take Your Cake And Eat It Too' by B.T. (Brenda Taylor) was originally featured on my first Credit To The Edit compilation, back in 2005, whilst Raw Silk's 'Do It To The Music' was also edited around the same period, but has never been made available until now. 'Keep On Dubbin'' by Forrrce, although not as big as the other inclusions at the time, was an ahead of its time hybrid, mixed by Francois Kevorkian, whose dub awakening had taken place the previous year, and Shirley Lites 'Heat You Up (Melt You Down)', which draws from the instrumental 'Melt Down Mix', the version of choice at Legend, where dub and instrumental mixes often trumped the main vocal versions"
A truly golden era of dance music history, all killer - no filler! All tracks featured re-edited by Greg Wilson and re-mastered, re-pressed and re-released with the permission of and in conjunction with West End Records, New York City / BMG. '
Search:the stone
- A1: The Band - Up On Cripple Creek
- A2: Big Star - The Ballad Of El Goodo
- A3: Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
- A4: Lucinda Williams - Can't Let Go
- A5: Gene Clark - For A Spanish Guitar
- A6: Delta Spirit - People, Turn Around
- B1: America - Ventura Highway
- B2: Whitley - Big Chris Sky Country
- B3: Alison Krauss - Gentle On My Mind
- B4: John Mellencamp - Small Town
- B5: The Flying Burrito Brothers - Sin City
- B6: Poco - Rose Of Cimarron
- C1: Band Of Horses - Factory
- C2: Gram Parsons - A Song For You
- C3: John Hiatt - Georgia Rae
- C4: Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
- C5: Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
- D1: The Allman Brothers Band - Midnight Rider
- D2: New Riders Of The Purple Sage - Lonesome La Cowboy
- D3: John Prine - Sam Stone
- D4: Bonnie Raitt - Thing Called Love
- D5: Townes Van Zandt - Pancho & Lefty
- D6: Jonathan Wilson - Desert Raven
- A1: (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Ashley Mcbryde
- A2: Honky Tonk Women - Brooks & Dunn
- A3: Dead Flowers - Maren Morris
- A4: It's Only Rock ?N' Roll (But I Like It) - Brothers Osborne & The War And Treaty
- B1: Miss You - Jimmie Allen
- B2: Tumbling Dice - Elle King
- B3: Can't You Hear Me Knocking - Marcus King
- B4: Wild Horses - Little Big Town
- C1: Paint It Black - Zac Brown Band
- C2: You Can't Always Get What You Want - Lainey Wilson
- C3: Sympathy For The Devil - Elvie Shane
- D1: Angie - Steve Earle
- D2: Gimme Shelter - Eric Church
- D3: Shine A Light - Koe Wetzel
Zur Feier des 60-jährigen Jubiläums der Rolling Stones
haben sich einige der größten Country-Stars für Stoned
Cold Country zusammengetan, ein Tribute-Album, das bis
zum Rand mit neu interpretierten Versionen des Katalogs
der legendären Rockband gefüllt ist. Die von Robert
Deaton produzierten Künstler - Jimmie Allen, Brooks &
Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, Steve Earle, Elle
King, Marcus King, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde,
Maren Morris, Elvie Shane, Koe Wetzel, The War And
Treaty, Lainey Wilson & Zac Brown Band - haben alle
ihren eigenen Stil in die Musik der Stones einfließen
lassen und so eine kraftvolle Hommage an eine der
beständigsten, wegweisendsten und einflussreichsten
Bands der Welt geschaffen.
Die auf STONED COLD COUNTRY vertretenen Künstler
haben zusammen über 77 Mio. Social Followers und 66
Mio. Spotify-Hörer!
- A1: You Keep Me Hangin’ On
- A2: You’re Gone (But Always In My Heart)
- A3: Love Is Here And Now You’re Gone
- A4: Mother You, Smother You
- A5: I Guess I’ll Always Love You
- A6: I’ll Turn To Stone
- B1: It,S The Same Old Song
- B2: Going Down For The Third
- B3: Love Is In Our Hearts
- B4: Remove This Doubt
- B5: There’s No Stopping Us No
- B6: Love Is Like A Heat Wave
T he tenth studio album by was released by Motown in 1967. It includes the #1 hit singles The Supremes "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone". All of the songs were
written and produced by Motown's main songwriting team of Holland–Dozier– Holland.
Most of the album was recorded during the spring and summer of 1966. However, several songs date back to the summer of 1964. The album also includes covers of H-D-H penned songs for Motown
artists The Isley Brothers ("I Guess I'll Always Love You"), The Four Tops ("It's the Same Old Song", "I'll Turn to Stone"), and Martha and the Vandellas ("Heat Wave"). This was the group's final album fully
overseen by the songwriting team
- 1: Latimore - Are You Where You Wanna Be
- 1: 2 Gwen Mccrae - Rockin' Chair
- 1: 3 Lew Kirton - Let Me Up Off My Knees
- 1: 4 Joey Gilmore - Give Me Your Love
- 1: 5 Helene Smith - I Tried So Hard To Be Good To You
- 1: 6 All The People Feat. Robert Moore - Wish I Had A Girl L
- 1: 7 George Mccrae - You Can Have It All
- 1: 8 Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together
- 1: 9 Paulette Reaves - I Forgot To Be Your Lover
- 1: 0 The Charms - Hearts Of Stone
- 1: Robert Moore - Tears Of The World
- 1: 2 The Charmettes - Surrendering My Love
- 2: 1 Betty Wright - Shoorah! Shoorah!
- 2: Little Beaver - Mama Forgot To Tell Me
- 2: 3 Miami - I'll Hold The Groove
- 2: 4 Wilson Pickett - The Best Part Of A Man
- 2: 5 The Facts Of Life - Uphill Places Of Mind
- 2: 6 Doris Duke - A Little Bit Of Your Love
- 2: 7 Willie Johnson - Between The Lines (Unreleased)
- 2: 8 Milton Wright - Be With Me
- 2: 9 The Twans - I Can't See Him Again
- 2: 10 The Diamonettes - Don't Be Surprised
- 2: 11 Audrey Royal & The Reid Singers - Come On Playboy
- 2: 1 The Blue Notes - Here I Am
- A1: Biohazard "Punishment
- A2: Madball "Set It Off
- A3: Stormtroopers Of Death "March Of The S.o.d
- A4: Life Of Agony "River Runs Red
- A5: Obituary "The End Complete
- B1: Mercyful Fate "Curse Pf The Pharaohs
- B2: King Diamond ''Abigail”
- B3: Annihilator "Alison Hell
- B4: Deicide "Dead By Dawn
- C1: Trivium "Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr
- C2: Killswitch Engage "My Last Serenade
- C3: Chimaira “Pure Hatred
- C4: Fear Factory "Replica
- D1: Type O Negative "Black No. 1
- D2: Roadrunner United “Tired ‘N Lonely
- D3: Stone Sour "Brother
- D4: Roadrunner United "The Rich Man
- E1: Roadrunner United "The Dagger
- E2: Roadrunner United "The End
- E3: Soulfly "Eye For An Eye
- E4: Sepultura "Refuse/Resist
- F1: Slipknot "Surfacing
- F2: Machine Head "Davidian
- F3: Slipknot "(Sic)
- F4: Sepultura "Roots Bloody Roots
We have opened the vault to bring to you for the first time on a 2CD set Roadrunner United ‘The Concert (Live at the Nokia Theatre, New York, NY, 12/15/2005)’, featuring members of Slipknot, Anthrax, Trivium, Machine Head, Fear Factory, Sepultura & more. Roadrunner United was a project organized by the heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records to celebrate its 25th anniversary. On December 15th, 2005, in New York City, the label produced the Metal Concert to end all Metal Concerts: 39 musicians, representing 25 different Roadrunner bands, performed 25 songs from 19 different bands’ repertoire. This unique and unprecedented aggregation of musicians was no jam session. Each song was studiously rehearsed and arranged, coming together with exuberant perfection, to produce a concert that can only be called “Legend.”
Conceived as a follow-up to the Roadrunner United All-Star recording sessions, the label recruited the core team of musicians (Dino Cazares, Adam Duce, Paul Gray, Joey Jordison, Andreas Kisser and Roy Mayorga) as the backbone of the performance. Sure enough, as they fine-tuned the songs and rehearsed them tirelessly, dozens of other musicians came on board.
This 3LP set represents the gathering of a community of musicians that spans the heavy metal history of the first 25 years of Roadrunner Records: from King Diamond to Slipknot and beyond. Those who were lucky enough to be there experienced a night they will never forget. For the first time as a live concert album, this 3LP set on red, white and black coloured vinyl is a chance to relive that special night again and again.
If there is a space in this place for a voice of this age, it’s still sealed in wax. Above the din of the noise a vocal appears, in calm
reflection, it delivers a message of hope in a time of despair. Ivan Ave is back. A lot has transpired since we last heard him on a
full-length project, there's a lot to ponder as we get into his latest LP, All Season Gear.
On his 4th solo album, Ivan offers a glimpse into the various seasons he and his friends went through in the last three years. All
Season Gear was recorded on highs and lows through a pandemic, through healing, falling in love and observing the chaos that
is the hyper-textual information age. Lyrically an all-weather-proof record, breaking even with with a joie de vivre, backed by
production from the likes of Sasac, Mndsgn, Like, DJ Harrison and Ivan Ave himself.
The Norwegian rapper’s sixth solo release percolates between desperation and buoyancy, through a tide of beats, as Ivan taps
into his signature observations. His lyrics are an astute surveillance that exploit the mundane in a pensive exploration, touching
on hedonistic heights, with a constant focus on the beauty of the everyday.
The Mutual Intentions mouthpiece breezes through a record of wistful sonorities brought together by the larger Mutual intentions
collaboration. Keys swell and bass undulates, as the production convene on vintage aesthetics, repurposed for air-pod traveling.
It extends the sonic palette of his last LP, Double Goodbyes, and plunges the sound deeper than ever before.
Ivan Ave reinforces our vision of him as a voice for our time. A philosopher’s touch-stone in a world where the incongruous prevails over the sincere.
Australian out-rock duo, Party Dozen, returned with their second album Pray For Party Dozen in May 2020. Once again self-produced, tracks like the eponymous "Party Dozen" act as a bridge from their debut album, The Living Man, where evil sample loops built the foundations upon which the duo erected a brand new temple of irreverence. Elsewhere, they flirt with electro-Krautrock ("Auto Loser"), stoner-psych ("The Great Ape") and ambient-industrial ("Scheiße Kunst"). It still sounds like Party Dozen, but somehow louder; more hushed; even wilder. Plus there are two songs with lyrics. It's smart enough to make you move and dumb enough to make you think. But it's not greater than the sum of its parts. There are no parts - there is only Party Dozen.
- A1: Biohazard' // "Punishment
- A2: Madball // "Set It Off
- A3: Stormtroopers Of Death // "March Of The S.o.d
- A4: Life Of Agony // "River Runs Red
- A5: Obituary // "The End Complete
- B1: Mercyful Fate // "Curse Pf The Pharaohs
- B2: King Diamond "'Abigail
- B3: Annihilator // "Alison Hell
- B4: Deicide // "Dead By Dawn
- C1: Trivium // "Pull Harder On The
- C2: Strings Of Your Martyr
- C3: Killswitch Engage // "My Last Serenade
- C4: Chimaira // "Pure Hatred
- C5: Fear Factory // "Replica
- D1: Type O Negative // "Black No. 1
- D2: Roadrunner United // "Tired ?N Lonely
- D3: Stone Sour // "Brother
- D4: Roadrunner United // "The Rich Man
- E1: Roadrunner United // "The Dagger
- E2: Roadrunner United // "The End
- E3: Soulfly // "Eye For An Eye
- E4: Sepultura // "Refuse/Resist
- F1: Slipknot // "Surfacing
- F2: Machine Head // "Davidian
- F3: Slipknot // "(Sic)
- F4: Sepultura // "Roots Bloody Roots
Roadrunner United war ein Projekt des berühmten
Hardrock-Labels Roadrunner Records, das 2005 zur Feier
des 25-jährigen Bestehens organisiert wurde und seinen
Höhepunkt in den "All-Star Sessions" fand, einem Album,
das für Chart-Platzierungen in Deutschland, den USA,
Großbritannien und weiteren Ländern sorgte. Vier
"Spielführer" (Joey Jordison von Slipknot, Robb
Flynn von Machine Head, Dino Cazares von Fear
Factory und Matthew K. Heafy von Trivium) wurden
auserkoren, sich mit 57 Artists aus 45 ehemaligen und
aktuellen Roadrunner-Bands einzufinden. Ein
Metal-Familientreffen der besonderen Art!
Ab dem 10. März 2023 sind sowohl das Original-Album
der "All-Star Sessions" als auch das Konzert selbst in
Vinyl wieder erhältlich.
Dooley-O commands you to STICK YOURSELF! But not before stocking his new 45 please. Bankrupt Europeans (who have previously produced for RA The rugged Man, Roc Marciano, Chill Rob G, Chubb Rock, AG, Phill Most Chill, Rise and MC Juice) started a back&forth with 90s legend and Stezo cohort Dooley-O a few years ago, even recorded a couple of demos but it wasn't until 2021 that we all had a chance to do this properly! Hands down two of the hardest and snappiest Bankrupt Europeans beats to complement Dooley-O's incredible punchlines and murderous flow. Dooley-O shows that not only has he not lost a step since the days of releases on Stones Throw and Lewis Recordings, but if anything his skills have sharpened over the years!
The A-Side is Stick Yourself and sees Bankrupt Europeans bring this absolute head nodder of a beat, heavy but very funky and laced with modular synth sounds and cuts from DJ Grazzhoppa throughout. Dooley-O’s tongue-in-cheek rap style is sharper than Rambo’s knife as he proceeds to encourage you to Stick Yourself or risk being taken out by himself. There is this comedic bravado here that has Dooley-O displaying just how good his rap style is, while between the lines he saying ‘I’m that good, I shouldn’t have to take you out, that’s your job But, If I have to do it, it ain’t gonna be pretty.’ Flipping it to the B-Side for track 2 we have Death Blow that hits hard with a brooding intro before the heavy bass and eastern sounds inject more adrenaline into your veins! Dooley-O continues the lyrical assault he began in Stick Yourself. Here he delivers a cold and calculated volley of witty punchlines with ease. His plan here is plain and simple, which is to deliver a brutal Death Blow to all those suckers left walking and talking
Available in black wax in 250 hand numbered copies in a company sleeve with a sticker.
Nachdem Steve Winwood die erfolgreiche Spencer Davis Group verlassen und die hellen Lichter zugunsten
der Countryside und der Jam-Sessions mit Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason und Chris Wood hinter sich gelassen
hatte, gründeten sich Traffic in Birmingham im April 1967. Traffic begannen als Psychedelic Rockband
und diversifizierten ihren Sound durch den Einsatz von Instrumenten wie Keyboards sowie durch die Einbeziehung von Jazz- und Improvisationstechniken. Bald darauf, im Dezember 1967, veröffentlichten Traffic
”Mr. Fantasy,” ihr Debütalbum, über Island Records. Das Album nannte der Rolling Stone „one of the
best from any contemporary group“ und es ist zu einem festen Bestandteil fast jeder Umfrage zum besten
Album des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts geworden!
Nun erscheint das Album als individuelles Re-Issue aus dem phänomenalen ”Traffic 2019 - The Studio
Albums 1967-74 Boxset.” Aus den Originalaufnahmen remastered und auf 180 g schweres Vinyl gepresst,
ist es ein Muss für jeden neuen oder erfahrenen Traffic-Fan.
”Mr. Fantasy” erscheint als Deluxe LP und digital.
Perhaps slightly better known for his dancefloor-enlivening electro productions, this is actually the third full length ambient album from UK producer Emile Facey under the Plant43 moniker. He's been writing and storing up atmospheric synthesiser experiments alongside his dancefloor oriented output since his last ambient LP The Countless Stones released in 2020, and the eight tracks here are meditative, ethereal affairs, Facey carving out a beautiful set of vivid emotions out of crystal clear pure sounds and arpeggios rolling like gentle waves lapping at a shore. Imagine classic Tangerine Dream combined with the balance and poise of Global Communication and you're getting close.
.
- A1: Maggot Brain
- A2: Can You Get To That
- A3: Hit It & Quit It
- A4: You & Your Folks, Me & My Folks
- B1: Super Stupid
- B2: Back In Our Minds
- B3: Wars Of Armageddon
- C1: Maggot Brain Live 1971
- D1: Maggot Brain Bmg Dub
Deluxe edition[39,71 €]
1971 and Black America was luxuriating in the soft soul
of the O’Jays, the Temptations had just left behind their
flirtation with psychedelia, James Brown was
explaining Soul Power, Sly & the Family Stone were
having a Family Affair, and Marvin Gaye was asking
‘What’s Going On’.
• In their own inimitable way, Funkadelic were laying
down their own statement about the ecology of the
planet in the opening of lead and title track ‘Maggot
Brain’, turning it into an elegy for the Earth in the
ensuing heart-wrenching extended Eddie Hazel guitar
solo – one of the most radical records of the period.
• The album also spawned two Top 50 singles with the
usual Funkadelic wry observational humour of ‘You
And Your Folks, Me And My Folks’ and ‘Can You Get To
That’. And just in case you think things have
normalised, the set closes with nine minutes of the
chaotic sound collage ‘Wars Of Armageddon’.
• This 50th anniversary edition includes a second 12”
with two versions of the title track. Side A features the
live version from Meadowbrook from the same year that
the studio album came out. Jump forward 46 years to
the “Reworked by Detroiters” release and side B has
the BMG Dub, showing the enduring quality of one of
the great guitar records of all time.
• This issue is mastered from fresh transfers of the tape.
• Facsimile gatefold sleeve.
• 180gram black vinyl
Seit 2009 ist Stoned Jesus aus der eine der führenden Kräfte im ukrainischen Heavy Rock. Fuzzige Riffs, treibende Basslinien und maximaler Groove sind die Grundelemente des Sounds von Stoned Jesus, die durch die Kombination von sanftem Clean-Gesang, einprägsamen Refrains sowie einer Reihe von dekorativen Gitarrenmelodien ergänzt werden. Die Stücke auf "Father Light" sind vielseitig und abwechslungsreich, wobei die für die Band typische Härte stets als Leitfaden dient.
FFV: Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Orange Goblin, Brant Bjork, The Sword
Seit 2009 ist Stoned Jesus aus der eine der führenden Kräfte im ukrainischen Heavy Rock. Fuzzige Riffs, treibende Basslinien und maximaler Groove sind die Grundelemente des Sounds von Stoned Jesus, die durch die Kombination von sanftem Clean-Gesang, einprägsamen Refrains sowie einer Reihe von dekorativen Gitarrenmelodien ergänzt werden. Die Stücke auf "Father Light" sind vielseitig und abwechslungsreich, wobei die für die Band typische Härte stets als Leitfaden dient.
FFV: Monster Magnet, Kyuss, Orange Goblin, Brant Bjork, The Sword
- A1: Dojo Cuts - Easy To Come Home (Feat. Roxie Ray)
- B2: The Tibbs - Soul Of My Life
- C1: The Diasonics - Andromeda
- D1: Whatitdo Archive Group - Blood Chief
- E2: Calibro 35 - Stainless Steel
- F1: Calibro 35 - Ungwana Bay Launch Complex
- G1: The New Mastersounds - Your Love Is Mine (Nostalgia 77 Remix)
- H1: Gizelle Smith - June (Tm Juke Remix)
- I1: Hannah Williams & The Tastemakers - I'm A Good Woman
- J1: Hannah Williams & The Affirmations - 50 Foot Woman
- K1: Marta Ren & The Groovelvets - I'm Not Your Regular Woman
- L1: Martha High - Answer To Mother Popcorn
- M1: Kokolo - Soul Power (Lack Of Afro Remix)
- N1: Tanika Charles - Soul Run
- O1: Diplomats Of Solid Sound - Soul Connection (Feat. The Diplomettes)
- P1: Trio Valore - Rehab
- Q1: Baby Charles - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
- R1: The Liberators - The Directive
- S1: The Bluebeaters - Catch That Teardrop
- T1: The Bluebeaters - Toxic (One Drop Version)
Record Kicks celebrates its 20th Anniversary with a limited edition "Rare Box Set" consisting of ten 45 vinyl with the very best of the label's catalogue.
2023 is a special year for Record Kicks: the Milan-based independent label turns 20 years old. In order to celebrate this great achievement, Record Kicks is proud to announce the release of a limited edition "Rare Box Set", coming out on March 3rd and containing 20 tracks on 10 "rare" 45 vinyl that retrace the story of these past 20 years of Record Kicks. The boxset is limited to 500 copies worldwide and it will also be released on digital format on that same day, March 3rd. The artwork by Japanese artist Ruminz is an homage to Afro-American culture. Of the 20 tracks on the "Rare Boxset", 11 tracks are previously unreleased on 45 vinyl, while 9 are reissues of mega in-demand gems.
Among the tracks released for the first time on 45, you'll find label's Funk & Soul heavyweights such as "Easy To Come Home" by Sydney funk maestros Dojo Cuts, "Your Love is Mine" by British funk band The New Mastersounds feat Corinne Bailey Rae and remixed by Nostalgia 77, "50 Foot Woman" by Hannah Williams & The Affirmations, "Soul Connection" by The Diplomats of Solid Sound and "Soul of My Life" by The Tibbs. For the first time on 45 vinyl, there are also two singles from the masters of Cinematic funk Calibro 35: "Stainless Steel" from their legendary album "Traitors" and "Ungwana Bay Launch Complex" from "S.P.A.C.E.", The Diasonics with "Andromeda", taken from their debut album "Origin Of Forms", and Whatitdo Archive Group's "Blood Chief" from the band's album "The Black Stone Affair".
On the reissue's front, among the rare tracks that by popular demand finally see the light again on 45 vinyl we find: the afrofunk cover of The Artic Monkeys' "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" by Baby Charles, JB's classic "Soul Power" by Kokolo remixed by Lack Of Afro, The Bluebeaters with "Catch That Teardrop" and "Toxic (One Drop Version)" singles, northern soul floorshaker "I'm a Good Woman" by Hannah Williams & The Tastemakers and deep funk stormer "I'm Not Your Regular Woman" by Marta Ren & The Groovelvets.
The "Rare Box Set" is just the first of many upcoming initiatives that will be revealed during the year to celebrate the Milan's label 20th anniversary. Side by side with similar imprints like Daptone, Big Crown, Colemine or Timmion Records, under its motto "The explosive sound from Today's scene", Milan-based record label and music publishing Record Kicks has been pitching the contemporary funk & soul scene since 2003. With over 250 releases under the belt, the label has released bands from all over the globe and earned support of VIP fans such as rap superstars Jay-Z, Tyler The Creator and Dr. Dre, who took inspiration from the label's catalogue by sampling it.
g g1: The New Mastersounds - Your Love Is Mine (Nostalgia 77 Remix) feat. Corinne Bailey Rae
- 1: Margaret Murie 02 46
- 2: Crux 04 07
- 3: Nameless 0 6
- 4: Eidetic 01 36
- 5: Thursday Night 03 09
- 6: Halve 03 12
- 7: Osco Drug 01 19
- 8: Lillian Isola 02 3
- 9: Safn 01 10
- 10: Maple Seed 02 21
- 11: Viridiana 03 29
- 12: Tet 01 51
- 13: God Innocent Controller 01 36
- 14: The Void 03 17
- 15: Alces 01 06
- 16: Pastel Dust 03 30
- 17: Where To 04 02
Dark Green Vinyl[24,33 €]
American singer-songwriter, poet, and photographer Thomas Meluch, known musically as Benoît Pioulard, returns with his most structured and vocal release to date. Titled »Eidetic,« a word denoting the ability to recall mental images with extraordinarily rich precision, the album presents unprecedented clarity and vitality for Benoît Pioulard. To access its thematic ground, Meluch looked inward with an affinity towards the people he loves during a period marked by his move from Seattle to Brooklyn in 2019. The resulting work engages with the universe's unflinching mortality and, as he says, »the ways it has modified and improved my relationships, especially with family.« Embodied by the creek, leaves, and ferns of the cover photography — taken in Michigan’s Burchfield Park, where he and his dad used to hike and »muse on existence« — the music glistens and unfurls with the flow of life he’s come to know. »Eidetic« is the culmination of Meluch's craft both as a producer and writer. An evocative sonic vocabulary meets deft lyrical introspection, articulated with the nuance, vulnerability, and confidence of a longtime artist hitting a stride.
Meluch has continually refined, redefined, and adjusted the focus of his gentle pop project over the last 20 years. Recorded primarily with guitar, tapes, and voice — and spanning labels with albums for Kranky, Morr Music, Beacon Sound, and Past Inside the Present — his catalog flows seamlessly between ambient improvisation and pop composition. Much like the analog photos that often accompany his releases, songs can feel dreamily softened and distant, and others beautifully vivid and detailed. 2021 full-length »Bloodless« found Meluch deep in droning decay, expressive yet wordless. With »Eidetic,« he swings back to sharpened forms. Lush banks of treated guitar and synth brush against hushed percussion; there is mist in the distance, but everything up close is intricately constructed and radiant. Meluch's voice is notably forward in the mix — a warm and calming tenor, a harmonic coo more than a whisper — ever-observant and actively processing.
To record much of the album, Meluch filled a cabin in rural Maine with his usual setup of simple percussion, a couple of Fender electrics, and a parlor guitar made by his friend who does bespoke luthier work. The modest utility is what he knows best, and here he pushes the output to its most pristine potential.
»Eidetic« opens in a swirl of familiar haze; »Margaret Murie« eases listeners in, as lush and verdant as the landscapes conserved by its famed namesake. With the setting established, Meluch, the narrator, enters the foreground with »Crux,« a tender piece written about finding new motivations in a new city. »We covet this rare green hue / Here at the farthest point from home,« he sings above a reassuring pattern of strums and percussion. Meluch's prose shines on the swiftly-moving »Nameless,« inspired by the neurological effects that came with the antiquated practice of manufacturing mercury mirrors; »folks would slowly go insane while looking into their own reflections every day,« he adds. The idea informs a series of surreal abstractions before everything drops out in the final minute, and we are left free-floating in eerie nothingness.
Across the album, labyrinthine lyrical ponderings scatter with dazzling imagery, artfully blurring scenes from world history with Meluch's more personal, present-day. The propulsive and earnest »Thursday Night« catches his mind overly active and too stoned, riffing on black holes and songwriting itself. »Halve« references the splitting of the atom, what he considers »the beginning of man's downfall,« and the unrealized initiative proposed by the US government that would have created 'nuclear refuges' in its national parks. Meluch's loved ones weave throughout; »Tet« holds his father's experience in Vietnam and its lasting effects. »Lillian Isola« touches on his maternal grandmother's spinal curvature, and »Pastel Dust« navigates the wake of his cat, who died on New Year's Eve 2020.
At first blush, Meluch's atmospheric and melodic sensibilities resonate purely in their own right. Upon closer meditation, his ability to render stories — many of which surround human tragedy, misfortune, and understanding — through the prism of his poetry makes »Eidetic« even more rewarding.
- 1: Margaret Murie 02 46
- 2: Crux 04 07
- 3: Nameless 0 6
- 4: Eidetic 01 36
- 5: Thursday Night 03 09
- 6: Halve 03 12
- 7: Osco Drug 01 19
- 8: Lillian Isola 02 3
- 9: Safn 01 10
- 10: Maple Seed 02 21
- 11: Viridiana 03 29
- 12: Tet 01 51
- 13: God Innocent Controller 01 36
- 14: The Void 03 17
- 15: Alces 01 06
- 16: Pastel Dust 03 30
- 17: Where To 04 02
Black Vinyl[24,33 €]
Dark Green Vinyl
American singer-songwriter, poet, and photographer Thomas Meluch, known musically as Benoît Pioulard, returns with his most structured and vocal release to date. Titled »Eidetic,« a word denoting the ability to recall mental images with extraordinarily rich precision, the album presents unprecedented clarity and vitality for Benoît Pioulard. To access its thematic ground, Meluch looked inward with an affinity towards the people he loves during a period marked by his move from Seattle to Brooklyn in 2019. The resulting work engages with the universe's unflinching mortality and, as he says, »the ways it has modified and improved my relationships, especially with family.« Embodied by the creek, leaves, and ferns of the cover photography — taken in Michigan’s Burchfield Park, where he and his dad used to hike and »muse on existence« — the music glistens and unfurls with the flow of life he’s come to know. »Eidetic« is the culmination of Meluch's craft both as a producer and writer. An evocative sonic vocabulary meets deft lyrical introspection, articulated with the nuance, vulnerability, and confidence of a longtime artist hitting a stride.
Meluch has continually refined, redefined, and adjusted the focus of his gentle pop project over the last 20 years. Recorded primarily with guitar, tapes, and voice — and spanning labels with albums for Kranky, Morr Music, Beacon Sound, and Past Inside the Present — his catalog flows seamlessly between ambient improvisation and pop composition. Much like the analog photos that often accompany his releases, songs can feel dreamily softened and distant, and others beautifully vivid and detailed. 2021 full-length »Bloodless« found Meluch deep in droning decay, expressive yet wordless. With »Eidetic,« he swings back to sharpened forms. Lush banks of treated guitar and synth brush against hushed percussion; there is mist in the distance, but everything up close is intricately constructed and radiant. Meluch's voice is notably forward in the mix — a warm and calming tenor, a harmonic coo more than a whisper — ever-observant and actively processing.
To record much of the album, Meluch filled a cabin in rural Maine with his usual setup of simple percussion, a couple of Fender electrics, and a parlor guitar made by his friend who does bespoke luthier work. The modest utility is what he knows best, and here he pushes the output to its most pristine potential.
»Eidetic« opens in a swirl of familiar haze; »Margaret Murie« eases listeners in, as lush and verdant as the landscapes conserved by its famed namesake. With the setting established, Meluch, the narrator, enters the foreground with »Crux,« a tender piece written about finding new motivations in a new city. »We covet this rare green hue / Here at the farthest point from home,« he sings above a reassuring pattern of strums and percussion. Meluch's prose shines on the swiftly-moving »Nameless,« inspired by the neurological effects that came with the antiquated practice of manufacturing mercury mirrors; »folks would slowly go insane while looking into their own reflections every day,« he adds. The idea informs a series of surreal abstractions before everything drops out in the final minute, and we are left free-floating in eerie nothingness.
Across the album, labyrinthine lyrical ponderings scatter with dazzling imagery, artfully blurring scenes from world history with Meluch's more personal, present-day. The propulsive and earnest »Thursday Night« catches his mind overly active and too stoned, riffing on black holes and songwriting itself. »Halve« references the splitting of the atom, what he considers »the beginning of man's downfall,« and the unrealized initiative proposed by the US government that would have created 'nuclear refuges' in its national parks. Meluch's loved ones weave throughout; »Tet« holds his father's experience in Vietnam and its lasting effects. »Lillian Isola« touches on his maternal grandmother's spinal curvature, and »Pastel Dust« navigates the wake of his cat, who died on New Year's Eve 2020.
At first blush, Meluch's atmospheric and melodic sensibilities resonate purely in their own right. Upon closer meditation, his ability to render stories — many of which surround human tragedy, misfortune, and understanding — through the prism of his poetry makes »Eidetic« even more rewarding.




















