"Mike + The Mechanics best-selling, Grammy-nominated sophomore album ‘Living Years’ is set to be reissued on colour vinyl for National Albums Day 2024. The original album, which charted at number 2 in the UK album chart, went on to achieve Gold certification in the UK. The seminal 1988 album features the Ivor Novello® Award-winning global hit single ‘The Living Years, ’ plus tracks 'Nobody Knows,' 'Seeing Is Believing' and 'Nobody’s Perfect.' It will be pressed on a limited edition black / grey marble effect, 180gram colour vinyl. Released for NAD ahead of Mike + The Mechanics 2025 UK tour ‘Looking Back – Living The Years.
THE CHEFS tauchten zum ersten Mal auf der ,Vaultage 79" Compilation aus Brighton auf. Zwischen 1980 und 1981 veröffentlichten sie drei Singles: zwei auf dem legendären Brightoner Label Attrix, eine auf Graduate Records. John Peel und andere Radio DJs spielten ihre Songs zu Tode, was schließlich in BBC Radiosessions mündete. Nachdem THE CHEFS zu SKAT geworden waren, brach die Band auseinander. Helen McCookerybook sollte als HELEN AND THE HORNS Erfolge für sich verbuchen und ist heute noch solo aktiv. Diese Doppel-LP mit 26 Tracks von THE CHEFS enthält sämtliche ihrer Aufnahmen auf Attrix und Graduate Records, dazu bisher unveröffentlichte Songs des verschollenen Debütalbums, und Songs aus den Radio Sessions für John Peel und Richard Skinner. Dies sind die Wurzeln von C-86, von Indiepop und vielem mehr. Nebenbei ist ,Records&Tea" auch noch ein wirklich gutes Album.
Kumar, former lead singer of GRAMMY-nominated roots reggae band Raging Fyah, meets Switzerland's The 18th Parallel on this album filled with classic Roots Radics-inspired riddims and positive roots lyrics and energy. Four years in the making, going back and forth from Kingston to Geneva, TALES OF REALITY is a tribute to the golden age of Jamaican roots music done in a modern way. Kumar has recently appeared on a number of releases, including as a guest on Jesse Royal's GRAMMY-nominated ROYAL and Winta James' Gratitude Riddim EP. The 18th Parallel, based in Switzerland, is the house band for Fruits Records and recently released music"with Max Romeo, Big Youth, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Derajah, Micah Shemaiah, and Joe Yorke. The album is mixed by Tippy I and JAH David of Zion I Kings. Kumar's and Fruits Records' story together goes back to the foundation of the label in 2015. " The 18th Parallel first invited Kumar to sing on 'Pass It On' (2016). At the same time, Kumar and his band Raging Fyah were exploding on the reggae scene. A couple years later, starting his solo career, Kumar was invited to sing on Najavibes' song 'This Dust' (2019), another offspring from the Fruits Records stable. In 2020, Kumar teamed up with The 18th Parallel on 'Message In The Radio.' After three singles, Fruits Records felt the need to push the collaboration further by producing a full showcase album pairing Kumar with The 18th Parallel.
Fully Restored Vinyl Remaster & Restored Original CD Release Artwork For Vinyl With
Memorabilia Assemblage Full Colour Inner-Sleeve
“A pitch-perfect exercise in the type of literary pop music that I felt had gone amiss since
Factory stopped releasing records. “ Alan McGee (On 17 Stars – The Guardian 2009 )
After a short label hiatus, Caroline True Records are delighted to bring you a limited
vinyl edition of a classic Salford /Manchester album.
The Montgolfier Brothers, Mark Tranmer (GNAC) & Roger Quigley (At Swim Two Birds)
initially released “Seventeen Stars” on the Salford-based Vespertine label in 1999.
Much critical acclaim & appreciation from pop dynamo Alan McGee led to a 2000 re
release on his nascent post-Creation Poptones imprint.
“So we ended up pressing records as usual. Our first record was Seventeen Stars by the
Montgolfier Brothers, a baroque, cinematic classic that almost no-one has ever heard.” Alan
McGee (On Poptones in “Creation Stories: Riots, Raves & Running A Label” 2013 )
Since that moment, “Seventeen Stars” has gathered universal plaudits & affection,
along with occasional live performances from the group.
To mark the 20th anniversary of the original release, CTR have remastered this brilliant
work for vinyl. The sleeve expands the original Vespertine CD release artwork to LP
size. Beautiful, memorable, fragile ... An album that proves the longevity of great
songwriting, tunes and textures that stay with you.
“An exquisitely beautiful elegy to a lifetime of misspent opportunities.”. (Exclaim – USA 2000)
For lovers of Felt, The Durutti Column, Jacques Brel, The Blue Nile & François de Roubaix.
This is a vinyl only strictly limited-edition release with no repress.
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Dernière livraison il y a 38 jours réapprovisionnement sans garantie
The most iconic holiday record in Verve Records’ repertoire and one of the most successful jazz holiday albums of all time like you’ve never heard it before! This expanded edition of Ella Fitzgerald’s classic 1960 album Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas features a second LP with six tracks making their vinyl debut - for the first time, all of Ella’s holiday recordings for Verve Records and Decca Records are together on one collection. Housed in a beautiful gatefold jacket featuring a “deluxe” take on Gene Grant’s classic 1960 album artwork, the package also includes a beautiful 8-page booklet with detailed session notes and essay from journalist Will Friedwald, plus a sheet of cut-out holiday ornaments – the perfect gift for any music fan. Nearly 65 years after its original release, Ella’s beloved holiday classic is now twice as long as it was in 1960. As Ella herself once said, “the only thing better than singing is more singing,” and the only thing better than the original Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas is the new, expanded edition!
Freestyle Records drop a killer UK soul/early street soul reissue LP from 1988, in the form of Rick Clarke's hard to come by 'Time Keeps Moving On' album.
Originally appearing on the Raven label in 1988, Time Keeps Moving On constituted Rick Clarke's first LP following his work in the earlier eighties as part of brit-funk groups Potion and Side On, and solo output including Love with a Stranger (released on The Specials' Ghost Town's producer John Collins' Local Records imprint) and a few singles for RCA. Largely co-written and co-produced with Peter Hinds (Take Three, Atmosfear, Light of the World) and a guest turn from Master T aka Toyin Agbetu - this is foundational street soul that appeared at a time when the likes of Loose Ends were starting to break through to the US, and Soul II Soul just emerging.
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Dernière livraison il y a 11 mois réapprovisionnement sans garantie
Distance as a measure of time and place informs Kelly Finnigan's, A Lover Was Born with a grit and grace that turns passion into virtue. The latest solo release from The Monophonics frontman roots itself in the best traditions of midwest soul labels like King, Curtom, Dakar, and the Bodie Recording Company. A Lover Was Born is a testimony that these deep cut grooves are not resigned to nostalgia, instead, they are at the burning heart of longing and hope. The journey Finnigan takes listeners on over Lover's eleven tracks echo the state of motion and growth since his solo debut, The Tales People Tell (2019). These two records bookend a prolific period of output, including a pair of Monophonics albums, a Christmas album, a mixtape, and a full slate of producing other artists (The Ironsides, Alanna Royale, the Sextones). "There's nothing like making records," says Finnigan. "It feels like that's my purpose _ the reason I was put on this earth." Written in California, Ohio, and Staten Island, Kelly Finnigan collaborated with old friends in and outside the studio. "I enjoy working alone but it's not how you want to make a record_almost everybody I brought in for this album I've worked with, toured with or spent a great deal of time with." Max and Joe Ramey (The Ironsides), Jimmy James (Parlor Greens), Sergio Rios (Orgone), Joey Crispiano (Dap Kings) and Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) all contribute to the overall sound of A Lover Was Born. Dramatic influences like Isaac Hayes (check out the piano on "Be Your Own Shelter") and Jerry Ragovoy are chopped and folded into Northern Soul uptempo numbers to create stompers like "Get a Hold of Yourself" or "Chosen Few". Finnigan's take on Deep Soul is captured brilliantly on "Walk Away from Me" and "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)", while Boom Bap pervades on hard hitters "His Love Ain't Real" & "Cold World". Slower songs such as "Let Me Count the Reasons", the emotional "All That's Left", and the soul-stirring album closer "Count Me Out" show the honest and tender side that has become Finnigan's calling card. All the while, the voice is raw and earthy _ in the best tradition of R&B shouters like Otis Redding, Lee Moses, and David Ruffin. The songs on A Lover Was Born reconfigure the spliced and sampled DNA of hip hop (extracted by crate diggers like Dilla and RZA) to create something new, underscoring both the spectrum and depth of soul while making a case to the timelessness of Finnigan's sound.
Distance as a measure of time and place informs Kelly Finnigan's, A Lover Was Born with a grit and grace that turns passion into virtue. The latest solo release from The Monophonics frontman roots itself in the best traditions of midwest soul labels like King, Curtom, Dakar, and the Bodie Recording Company. A Lover Was Born is a testimony that these deep cut grooves are not resigned to nostalgia, instead, they are at the burning heart of longing and hope. The journey Finnigan takes listeners on over Lover's eleven tracks echo the state of motion and growth since his solo debut, The Tales People Tell (2019). These two records bookend a prolific period of output, including a pair of Monophonics albums, a Christmas album, a mixtape, and a full slate of producing other artists (The Ironsides, Alanna Royale, the Sextones). "There's nothing like making records," says Finnigan. "It feels like that's my purpose _ the reason I was put on this earth." Written in California, Ohio, and Staten Island, Kelly Finnigan collaborated with old friends in and outside the studio. "I enjoy working alone but it's not how you want to make a record_almost everybody I brought in for this album I've worked with, toured with or spent a great deal of time with." Max and Joe Ramey (The Ironsides), Jimmy James (Parlor Greens), Sergio Rios (Orgone), Joey Crispiano (Dap Kings) and Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) all contribute to the overall sound of A Lover Was Born. Dramatic influences like Isaac Hayes (check out the piano on "Be Your Own Shelter") and Jerry Ragovoy are chopped and folded into Northern Soul uptempo numbers to create stompers like "Get a Hold of Yourself" or "Chosen Few". Finnigan's take on Deep Soul is captured brilliantly on "Walk Away from Me" and "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)", while Boom Bap pervades on hard hitters "His Love Ain't Real" & "Cold World". Slower songs such as "Let Me Count the Reasons", the emotional "All That's Left", and the soul-stirring album closer "Count Me Out" show the honest and tender side that has become Finnigan's calling card. All the while, the voice is raw and earthy _ in the best tradition of R&B shouters like Otis Redding, Lee Moses, and David Ruffin. The songs on A Lover Was Born reconfigure the spliced and sampled DNA of hip hop (extracted by crate diggers like Dilla and RZA) to create something new, underscoring both the spectrum and depth of soul while making a case to the timelessness of Finnigan's sound.
Distance as a measure of time and place informs Kelly Finnigan's, A Lover Was Born with a grit and grace that turns passion into virtue. The latest solo release from The Monophonics frontman roots itself in the best traditions of midwest soul labels like King, Curtom, Dakar, and the Bodie Recording Company. A Lover Was Born is a testimony that these deep cut grooves are not resigned to nostalgia, instead, they are at the burning heart of longing and hope. The journey Finnigan takes listeners on over Lover's eleven tracks echo the state of motion and growth since his solo debut, The Tales People Tell (2019). These two records bookend a prolific period of output, including a pair of Monophonics albums, a Christmas album, a mixtape, and a full slate of producing other artists (The Ironsides, Alanna Royale, the Sextones). "There's nothing like making records," says Finnigan. "It feels like that's my purpose _ the reason I was put on this earth." Written in California, Ohio, and Staten Island, Kelly Finnigan collaborated with old friends in and outside the studio. "I enjoy working alone but it's not how you want to make a record_almost everybody I brought in for this album I've worked with, toured with or spent a great deal of time with." Max and Joe Ramey (The Ironsides), Jimmy James (Parlor Greens), Sergio Rios (Orgone), Joey Crispiano (Dap Kings) and Jay Mumford (aka J-Zone) all contribute to the overall sound of A Lover Was Born. Dramatic influences like Isaac Hayes (check out the piano on "Be Your Own Shelter") and Jerry Ragovoy are chopped and folded into Northern Soul uptempo numbers to create stompers like "Get a Hold of Yourself" or "Chosen Few". Finnigan's take on Deep Soul is captured brilliantly on "Walk Away from Me" and "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)", while Boom Bap pervades on hard hitters "His Love Ain't Real" & "Cold World". Slower songs such as "Let Me Count the Reasons", the emotional "All That's Left", and the soul-stirring album closer "Count Me Out" show the honest and tender side that has become Finnigan's calling card. All the while, the voice is raw and earthy _ in the best tradition of R&B shouters like Otis Redding, Lee Moses, and David Ruffin. The songs on A Lover Was Born reconfigure the spliced and sampled DNA of hip hop (extracted by crate diggers like Dilla and RZA) to create something new, underscoring both the spectrum and depth of soul while making a case to the timelessness of Finnigan's sound.
Norwegian pianist Eyolf Dale’s lateral approach to composition is given full range on his beautiful new album. Featuring his trio with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, conducted by Edition Records artist Japanese maestro Miho Hazama, The Space Between Two Notes is a nuanced investigation of sound and space.
Eyolf Dale, the renowned Norwegian pianist and composer, releases his latest album, The Space Between Two Notes, his 7th album released under Edition Records. This new album elegantly reimagines selections from Dale's celebrated trio albums, Beingand The Wayfarers, with rich orchestral arrangements featuring the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, conducted by fellow Edition artist, Miho Hazama.
The Space Between Two Notes explores a mesmerising blend of jazz and classical music, harmoniously integrating the intimatedynamics of a trio with the grandeur of an orchestra.
The album is an exploration of musical intervals—the nuanced spaces between notes—which shape the auditory landscapes of Dale’s compositions. This approach sets it apart from traditional jazztropes, which often emphasize vertical structures, like chords and melodies. Dale, however, crafts his music horizontally, focusing on the relationships and distances between sounds.
Eyolf Dale’s approach to music is profoundly influenced by his rich musical upbringing and an early fascination with the varied textures of sound: from the intricate works of Pat Methany to the vibrant tones of Norwegian jazz. This diverse background informs his unique musical language, which is not confined by genre but instead resides in the intriguing liminal space between established musical traditions.
The album features not only Dale's pianistic finesse but also the empathetic interplay of his trio, including Audun Kleive on drums,whose sensitive accompaniment ensures the music's purity of expression. As Eyolf points out "One of the most challenging aspects, in my opinion, of blending classical and jazz elements lies in the delicate balance of the drummer's cymbals.” Together,they achieve a unity of sound that transcends the sum of its parts, further enriched by the poised bass playing of Per Zanussi andthe orchestral collaboration. This synergy allows the music to unfold naturally, each note and silence carefully articulated to communicate more than mere melody.
Step into the realm of legends with « This Thing EP » by Lukas Lyrestam & Simoncino, featuring the iconic voice of Robert Owens—a true gem on vinyl. This release brings together the visionary talents of rising stars Lukas Lyrestam and Simoncino with the remix artistry of house music luminary Chez Damier, crafting a blend of past and future that resonates with the magic of timeless house. The EP opens with « This Thing » a creation by Lyrestam & Simoncino, elevated by Robert Owens’ soulful vocals that weave effortlessly into the groove, setting the tone for a transcendent sonic journey. Chez Damier, one of the genre's most revered figures, takes the reins with a masterful remix that transforms « This Thing » into something even greater, infusing his deep and emotive style to further enrich the track's essence.
« This Thing EP » is more than a release; it's a celebration of house music’s enduring legacy, uniting legends across generations. Available in limited edition on Skylax Records, this vinyl is a must-have for true aficionados. Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of house history secure your copy and join the legacy.
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Dernière livraison il y a 6 mois réapprovisionnement sans garantie
Synth pop trio Bronski Beat's 1984 debut The Age of Consent is a rarity in musical history - an album that both defined a generation and challenged the status quo. Its four singles, and particular lead single 'Smalltown Boy', have endured with astonishing resonance, offering home to all listeners dreaming of escape from their familiar surroundings and situations.
Every track on the album places the listener 'in the room': they are in it, living it, rolling inside each song's thematic meaning. Through the blue-eyed wonder of singer Jimmy Somerville's vocal pirouettes, they too take the punch of hate in 'Why?', question the bible with alongside a male voice choir on 'It Ain't Necessarily So', and watch the same crappy TV advertising on 'Junk'. They are part of the trade-off between lust and commerce in 'Love and Money' and the heated near climax of 'Need A Man Blues.'
40 years later and The Age of Consent remains as prescient and vital as ever as it did on its original release; truly transgressive - defiant, queer, and laden with hooks. To celebrate this important anniversary, London Records revisit the album across a series of expanded formats, uncovering sonic archival gems, new mixes, essays and more.
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Dernière livraison il y a 20 mois réapprovisionnement sans garantie
High Roller Records, Black Vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with silver ink, booklet, poster, special envelope with 5 x A5 photo cards, 3 bonus tracks
Third Man Records geben mit großer Freude das Signing des australischen Vierers The Belair Lip Bombs und die Neuauflage ihres 2023 erschienenen
Durchbruchsalbums Lush Life bekannt.
Das Album fängt ein breites Indie-Songwriting ein, das von Maisie Everett (Gitarre, Tasten, Gesang) geleitet und von einem talentierten Trio von
Musikern in Mike Bradvica (Gitarren), Liam De Bruin (Schlagzeug) und Jimmy Droughton (Bass) ergänzt wird.
Mit den bisherigen Singles „Stay Or Go“, „Gimme Gimme“ und „Say My Name“ ist Lush Life ein perfektes Album, in das sich Ersthörer vertiefen
können.
„Die Art von druckvoller, hookgeladener Rockplatte, die kaum noch gemacht wird, geradlinig im Sound, aber nehazu unangreifbar in ihrer
Konstruktion.“ The Guardian, Ones To Watch
„Energie und Experimentierfreude kollidieren auf einem aufregenden Debüt.“ **** NME
Third Man Records geben mit großer Freude das Signing des australischen Vierers The Belair Lip Bombs und die Neuauflage ihres 2023 erschienenen
Durchbruchsalbums Lush Life bekannt.
Das Album fängt ein breites Indie-Songwriting ein, das von Maisie Everett (Gitarre, Tasten, Gesang) geleitet und von einem talentierten Trio von
Musikern in Mike Bradvica (Gitarren), Liam De Bruin (Schlagzeug) und Jimmy Droughton (Bass) ergänzt wird.
Mit den bisherigen Singles „Stay Or Go“, „Gimme Gimme“ und „Say My Name“ ist Lush Life ein perfektes Album, in das sich Ersthörer vertiefen
können.
„Die Art von druckvoller, hookgeladener Rockplatte, die kaum noch gemacht wird, geradlinig im Sound, aber nehazu unangreifbar in ihrer
Konstruktion.“ The Guardian, Ones To Watch
„Energie und Experimentierfreude kollidieren auf einem aufregenden Debüt.“ **** NME
It's been nearly a decade since Montreal's PYPY (pronounced like 'π π'...with a long 'i' rather than long 'e', thank you very much) landed with their debut Pagan Day (Slovenly), but the same lunatics behind CPC Gangbangs, Red Mass and Duchess Says are back with Sacred Times on Goner Records. One might recall the thunderous pop of their banger "She's Gone" carving out a place for itself in the high-end fashion world, becoming the soundtrack to Yves Saint Laurent's 2016 show. If that album bounced, punched and clawed like Delta 5 covered in dirt and trying to get somewhere in a booted vehicle while dodging lightning rod guitar licks the whole way, Sacred Times takes things to somewhere far beyond the proverbial "next level."
Co-vocalist/founder/multi-instrumentalist Annie-Claude Deschênes' (Duchess Says) signature howl and vocal acrobatics are present but so is a tendency towards beautiful melodies. Bassist Philippe Clement's (Duchess Says) brings a nastier bottom end that locks onto Simon Besré's drumming with a death grip for the entire affair. And guitarist/co-vocalist Roy Vucino (Red Mass, CPC Gangbangs, Black Leather Rose, Les Sexareenos, a gazillion others) goes bonkers with wildass blown-out guitar that's like hornets caught in yr hair.
"Lonely Striped Sock" grooves along like "Earthbeat"-era Slits/ESG until the chorus transforms PYPY into something else entirely. Something huge. Something with monster riffs and wah wah that pins you to the back wall. So there is clearly a brilliance with dynamics here, and it proves to be a not-so-secret-weapon that repays the "ear-vestment" in dividends throughout. "Ear-vestment"? Yikes. Then it's time for "She's Back," a sort of part 2/continuation (maybe a trilogy is in the works?) of Pagan Day's best-known gem (the aforementioned "She's Gone"). This one packs a hook that'll make your brain take out a restraining order. Looking for lost keys? Jury duty? Underwater welding? Negotiating a hostage situation? It doesn't matter...nothing will stop it from invading your thoughts. They say the only way to get a song unstuck from the noodle is to listen to it from start to finish, but you'll be doing that anyway. A lot. "Erase" is a (synth) noise-punk nugget; revealing a need for Brainiac-meets-Blondie we didn't know we had...deceptively kicking off with a no-fi drum machine that is immediately lost in the massive pop din that seemingly includes everything within reach. "Poodle Escape" is two minutes of perfect (and perfectly distorted) synth-punk and "I Am A Simulation" – with lead vox from Vucino – is yet another hit that deviates from the noise a bit and pays homage to both Devo and classic late-70's (big) power-pop (ex: the first Cars LP), but with a manic nature that is 150% circa right now. "15 Sec" (actually 3:38 in duration, thankfully) serves up a stanky-brown bass line, Deschênes' gorgeous vocals, wonderfully combative white hot, pin-the-meters Oh Sees/early Comets on Fire guitar rips, and a stunning coda that seems to utilize everything great about this band over its final minute. The album's title track is a love letter to Hawkwind in the musical language already established here. "Vanishing Blinds" is like being chased through the rain-soaked streets in an unknown dystopian nightmare from 40+ years ago. The album closes with the brooding if not playful menace of "Poodle Escape,” which, like its predecessors, is completely unlike every track before it.
Phoebe Rings is a dream-pop band offering a unique blend of introspective yearning with celestial danceable grooves. Their self-titled debut EP, a hopeful collection of musings, out on Carpark Records, is a testament to the distinctive musical style of Auckland jazz-school-trained pianist and songwriter Crystal Choi. Across six tracks, the EP is a love letter to some of the band’s influences: Studio Ghibli films, Zelda and Stardew soundtracks, Bossa Nova, Stereolab, and 90’s Korean ballads.
In 2020, the band played their first gig in a ‘funny side room’ during a festival at Auckland Town Hall. Choi’s songwriting was brought to life with Alex Freer on drums, Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent on guitar and synths, and Benjamin Locke on bass. Choi says she knew the tracks had to be recorded after the band played the songs better than she could ever imagine. And so, remotely through the COVID-19 lockdowns, the band started recording the EP.
“Daisy” is the vibrant leading single, with the shimmery refrain “Ooh-wee-a-waa” and the uplifting mantra: “When you’re next to me, the world’s full of daisies.” The swirling synths fizz on the skin like warm sun, promising growth and new starts. “Cheshire” is an Alice in Wonderland-inspired trip through the rabbit hole, pacing in anticipation. “Like a Cheshire cat, it grins and disappears in moments when you accept yourself,” explains Choi. Locke and Choi finished the lyrics one evening, huddled in the corner of a local underground music venue, with references to Murakami’s book Dance Dance Dance.
Choi grew up in Seoul, developing a palette for K-pop and retro sounds. The city-pop influence of “January Blues” shines through, with Choi crediting one of her favourite songs from the ’80s: “연극이 끝난 후 After Play”. The track explores her disconnect with the summer break. “In the Northern Hemisphere, January is winter,” says Choi. “I missed that a lot, and I don’t vibe with the beach.”
“Spissky,” chimes in with Choi’s lilting vocals reminiscent of childhood lullabies, inspired by a lonely-looking castle she saw on tour with Princess Chelsea in Slovakia. While “Ocean” leans into its mumble-core roots, taking a leaf from the Cocteau Twins. There’s an external shift in the EP, with “Lazy Universe” being the most energetic track, evolving with the band’s chaotic sci-fi experimentation. Asking, “Are you still waiting for a kiss?” Choi is self-critical and urgently speaks up from being passive.
The members of Phoebe Rings are cemented in the musical ecosystem, balancing other projects and full-time work. Yet Sundays will always be carved out for Phoebe Rings to dream up imaginative, world-building tunes — often with a Nintendo game soundtrack in the background as inspiration.
Ella Raphael ist mit einer erstaunlichen Stimme gesegnet, voller Wärme und Emotionen; sie ist einnehmend, wie ein alter Freund, der Geschichten erzählt und spinnt. Mad Sometimes ist ihr Debütalbum, das über Fire Records erschienen ist.Aufgewachsen in London, umgeben von Geräusch, hörte sie erst Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, während sie Queen, den Beatles und die Stones aus der Sammlung ihres Vaters begegnete. Ellas musikalische Reise setzte sich in Australien fort, wo sie viele andere Musiker traf und schließlich mit Möchtegern-Piraten segelte, die am Bug ihres Bootes sangen und beschlossen, dass Musik der richtige Weg für sie ist. Begeistert von der Musik, die sie auf weiteren Reisen durch die USA und Europa entdeckte, verfeinerte sie diese eklektische Mischung und fügte Love, Serge Gainsbourg, Karen Dalton, Vashti Bunyan, Catherine Riberio And Alpes, die ursprünglichen Meister des Tropicalia, exotische 50er-Jahre-Gitarren und die esoterischen Klänge der mittleren/späten Beatles hinzu. Sie hat einen Sound perfektioniert, der so vielfältig ist wie ihre Einflüsse und Erfahrungen, eine Musik, die so schön ist wie ihre Umgebung. Sie nutzt die Feinheiten und subtilen Nuancen des Klangs, um sowohl Licht als auch Dunkelheit in ihre Musik zu bringen. Auf ihrer ersten LP entsteht ein Klang aus einer stilvollen Mischung aus Lap Steel, Mandoline, Guiro, Congas, Synthesizern, einer Shruti-Box und Streichinstrumenten, die von Ella, Eyal Samson, Uzi Ramirez, Ron Ephrati, Guy Mintus und Amir Sadot gespielt werden. "A timeless, Tropicalia-tinged day-dream" Gorilla Vs Bear Goldfarbenes Vinyl (mit DLC) oder Digi-Sleeve-CD!
Produced by Wild Rivers and Gabe Wax (Soccer Mommy, Adrienne Lenker), "Better Now" consists of eight tracks that complement the recent album Never Better, as the group dives deeper into the complicated, confusing and unknown realities of life in their twenties, and the personal growth they’ve found through it all. Of the new project, Wild Rivers shares: “Better Now" is our companion record, and the other side to "Never Better".
On the first record, the songs contain raw, absolute and instinctual feelings. In many ways, Better Now is the afterglow of this. We’re reflecting and understanding that relationships change over time. Complicated situations can be just that, complicated. Feelings can remain unresolved. If the first record is bright and bold, this one is the softer gradients in between; the sunrises and the sunsets. Both projects make up the full spectrum of who we are.
"Better Now" is just the moodier, misunderstood one. Musically the records really are twins. We wrote all of the songs at the same time. Finishing Better Now, we really felt that it was the close of a massive musical and personal chapter. It’s bittersweet but so meaningful to be able to chronicle our lives between these projects. Ultimately, we are optimistic; ‘better now,’ after the ups and downs of the relationships and turbulence of our twenties. Hopefully we’re wiser for it.”
MOMO. releases his 7th album Gira, on Batov Records bringing together some very special musicians and guests from London"s bustling and hustling jazz community, with fellow Brazilian artists, recorded and cut to tape at East London"s Total Refreshment Center.
“…a surprisingly cohesive atmospheric soundtrack to a movie that does not yet exist.” LONER is the stunning album from cult auteur DAVID J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) featuring Mia Doi Todd and Tim Newman. U.K. Edition in orange vinyl with gatefold sleeve. Limited edition of 500. Former Bauhaus and current Love and Rockets bass man returns via Dakota Records with a series of deconstructions of an original twenty some year old demo. Originally streamed as part of his 2007 series of unreleased stash ‘Tracks from the Attic,’ a precursor to the now hugely successful platform: Patreon. David’s original demo titled ‘Albino Dog’ alongside singer/songwriter Mia Doi Todd’s sublime studio version both appeared via that platform in 2015; only the latter appears amongst this new series of arrangements. David’s premonition of Mia’s voice on this song is one to be applauded – perfectly suited creating a ghostly sepulchral aura. Here the Colonel is aided by a series of foot soldiers varying in rank. Veteran comrade Joyce Rooks adds texture with her trademark cello to Mia’s ‘Albino Dog’, whilst privates’ Nigel Gwennap (‘The Day that David Bowie Died’) and Whitehall Rec’s Joel Baldwin contribute electric guitar and drum programming respectively. But it’s the work of the captain that captivates this whole package. Tim Newman (Love is a Ghost), arranger, sound alchemist, mixer and lunatic. Tim’s work with David is best savoured via their ‘Analogue Excavations & Dream Excavations’ 2002 Glass Modern set. ‘Loner’ offers the listener a kaleidoscope of sounds best experienced with headphones, the journey from David’s simple ‘Albino Dog’ strummed acoustic demo to ‘Crescendo’ is quite staggering. Joel’s synth on ‘Cold, Cold, Cold’ and the glitch added to Mia’s vocal (‘Loner on the Range’) for example take the song into an altogether different direction. But it’s ‘Crescendo’ though that sits atop the apex. Building, as the title suggests, into a blistering array of guitars, bass and drums with a gorgeous, ethereal repeating low vocal motif from Mia wrapping itself around the cacophony.