Pop & Rock News

Osamu Kitajimas venture on British late 60s pop music with even a typically English sounding pseudonym to make the
impression perfect. And this album definitely is a perfect late 1960s British pop album with songs of an extraordinary greatness.
It is time that this awesome piece of late 60s style beat and psychedelic rock music gets a proper reissue. This one will be
appointed with an awesome leathery cover and comes in a strictly limited edition, available in prsale only.What do we know
about this record? It feels like Syd Barret, TBeatles, Twink, The Deviants, T-Rex, Tomorrow and The Small Faces got together for
a boozy and smoky jam session out of which a handful of beautiful songs have emerged, ranging from straight, powerful beat
tunes towards joyful flower pop anthems with a bubble gum edge with a layover at melancholic folksy singer / songwriter
sounds. What most people do not know ist that the participating musicians are only partly British. This album is the brainchild of
renowned Japanese world music / ethno jazz rock artist Osamu Kitajima, who later on went to fame under his own name with
some extraordinary progressive albums in the later 70s. He spent a year in England around 1970 to 1971 and recorded this
album under the monicker of „Justin Heathcliff“, to make the impression of a true British pop / psyche record with a distinctive
late 60s feel perfect. It might not have been a commercial starship around the time it got released, but it stood the test of time
and even nearly 50 years after it’s initial release this record still flatters our ears with songs of unearthly beauty on par with the
above mentioned English legends. More pop than alternative music of 1968 „Justin Heathcliff“ is a great soul journey to a
brighter and more colorful time. This is swinging London, not the apocalyptic hippie Utopia of Haight Asbury in late 1967, or the
revolutionary street fights in Germany or France. This is music to comfort your mind and make you feel happy. It even goes back
to 1966 when The Beatles did „Revolver“. For a 1971 release this is already a retro affair despite only going back to elements
who were five years old at most. It does not matter anyway, this is a masterpiece and Osamu Kitajima is a master of colorful UK
60s pop.For all fans of The Kinks, Tomorrow, Manfred Man in the late 60s, The Small Faces, Twink, The Beatles etc.

Formed in 1985, Jane’s Addiction are an American rock band, hailing from Los Angeles. Released in 1990, Ritual de lo Habitual is the RIAA double-platinum selling second album by Jane’s Addiction. The 2LP set features the hit singles “Stop!” and “Been Caught Stealing”.

For those of us who long for the days when Dr. John smeared himself with face paint, wore impossibly large headdresses, and sang about gris-gris, gumbo ya-ya, and croker courtbullion, Anutha Zone is indeed a heartening development.

In the late 60s Dr. John was a visionary musical alchemist, working with psychedelic imagery and funky rhythms to nab the rock crowd, then plying them with spooky swampland mythology and raw Southern R&B.

On Anutha Zone, Dr. John digs deep into that murky musical well once again, with stunning results. John Gris,' Party Hellfire,' and Soulful Warrior' brilliantly fuse slow-burn grooves, sly musicianship, and Dr. John's elegantly gruff vocals, conjuring images of dark revelry down French Quarter back alleyways. This was the comeback of 1998, hands down.

The Music On Vinyl re-issue also contains the insert with a beautiful picture of the mystic man and credits information.

Synth ambiences, acoustic landscapes, deep songwriting and subtle candombe percussions

This LP is the first in a series of full-album reissues that Vampisoul (co-produced in collaboration with Little Butterfly Records) is releasing as a valuable add-on to its recent and largely acclaimed compilation “América Invertida”, a work that focused on the obscure leftfield pop and experimental folk scene from ‘80s Uruguay, making some of these elusive and essential albums available again.
The intricate melodies and Estela Magnone’s exquisite voice invite comparisons with Elizabeth Fraser’s vocals and the ethereal pop of the Cocteau Twins. The strange textures of the Juno synthesizer and drum machines bring to mind bands that appeared after this album such as Broadcast or Stereolab. Find extremely sophisticated harmonic arrangements or songs where a mere sprinkling of elements creates a dreamlike and almost mantric ambience such as ‘Tras tus ojos’ (already supported by DJs like Gilles Peterson, Bradley Zero or John Gomez in their radio shows).
“Mujer de Sal Junto a Un Hombre Vuelto Carbón” is reissued here on vinyl for the first time, in its original artwork with an extra OBI and including a 4-page insert with liner notes by Uruguayan music writer Andrés Torrón.

John Bence uses music to probe the deepest recesses of the human psyche. Over a handful of releases the composer has already built up a striking body of work bound by an incredible clarity of vision. His elegiac works occupy an omnivorous sound-world, assimilating elements of British avant-garde and electronic music, classical, traditional and sacred medieval song into cavernous, sepulchral compositions.
Early releases for Nicholas Jaar’s Other People imprint and Yves Tumor’s label Grooming were engulfed in overwhelming emotion. Struggles with alcoholism and addiction found their outlet in brooding chamber atmospheres and caustic eruptions of choral aggression on the macabre ‘Kill’ EP.
‘Love’ forms the final chapter in a trio of works with ‘Kill’ and ‘Disquiet’ that chart Bence’s experiences with addiction and his subsequent journey to recovery. Returning to his first love, the piano, Bence explores the instrument’s deeply emotional qualities in ten movements.
Love’s stark minimalism and raw production reflect the composer's personal struggles with striking honesty, searching for the deeper meaning in human suffering

TFGCX - 10 Jahre TFGC

It all started many moons ago during a night at Salon des Amateurs in Düsseldorf, where the courage and motivation and most important off all the music was found to start a label.
Themes for great cities.

That was 2009.
Fast foward 10+ years you have the most prominent tracks of that specific Düsseldorf based time period on one record.
For all the already fans to enjoy in one ride and for all the people just discovering us, you’re welcome.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the release of their debut album Hybrid Theory, Linkin Park will release a 20th Anniversary Edition this coming October. The 3 Album (4 x LP) set features the original album, the Reanimation remix album on double vinyl and a bonus LP of B-Side Rarities includes mixes, radio sessions and live tracks.

In 2006 the musical landscape was a very different place. Social media, as we know it, was in it's infancy. The constant stream of likes, notifications and digital interruptions of today didn't fully exist yet. Those of us 'in the know' and with a thirst for the overlooked regions of the record store had to quench ourselves in the finely curated and generous climes of the online world's myriad music sites, but LA's Lovefingers site was something different, a watering hole in the burgeoning digital desert, a zone where Wally Badarou rubbed shoulders with the likes of Holger Czukay, Sylvester, Mr. Fingers and many others with ease and nobody had an issue with it. A space where a $1 thrift store score b-side could breathe the same dusty air as a $300 private press Folk rarity in comfort. Through an ongoing 'single track per day' posting Andrew 'Lovefingers' Hogge created a truly open-minded, democratic and educated selection of music for our secret, late-night right click and 'save link as' pleasure.

Did we mention that this was before almost everything that we now take for granted? That's right, you see all those Euro Pop dubs, or the 'classics' that we play at the wrong speed, or those private gems that have been reissued to the moon and back? Well, they very probably popped up on our collective record radars via the medium of first. Rightfully so, the site became an instant 'go to' and mark of quality among diggers, DJ's, voyeurs and lurkers around the globe and undoubtedly lead Andrew to instigate his much loved ESP Institute imprint, that is now almost a decade old. The Lovefingers site certainly contributed hugely to the wondrous, many faceted and open minded galaxy of records that is now the language we all speak fluently, inspiring a generation of curious diggers to delve even further into the racks.

This compilation you have within your grasp is merely a snapshot of the aural delights that were on offer to those of a 'leftfield' persuasion who found the site and dutifully tuned in for the daily shot of sonics proper. A finely and carefully crafted, lovingly curated handful of records that Andrew has revisited in order to tell the story of his most influential and essential modern musical resource. The tracklist is classic Lovefingers, an insight into the free-flowing nature of the daily posts, context free but somehow all connected via the same creative threads and energies - lo-fi loner jams brush up alongside sleazed-out Italo powerhouses, Greek new age obscurities tussle against overlooked Hawkwind related cuts, and much much more. Rumour has it that this is merely the first volume of this tale. Isn't that exciting? In the words of the man himself - 'That's not all folks' ...

One if israel's top holy grails! Fact is, the few collectors who have a copy, won't admit. It's priceless!

A Jewish organist in London, Abe Orchover, formed a wedding band called the Aristocrats together with his neighborhood friends: Alan Stockman, David Franks and Ray Morris. The band recorded one song produced by the brilliant Joe Meek but his tragic suicide brought about the band's breakup. In the summer of 1968, Stockman and Morris were on holiday in Israel. They met Mussa Maron, a taxi driver, on the beach in Tel Aviv. He told them about his connections in the local music industry and when he realized that they were members of a British rock band he quickly got them to sign one-year management contract based on a weekly salary. Orchover and Franks joined Stockman and Morris, and together with local drummer Nissim Cohen the band chose a new name: Revolver.

In September '69 the Hed Arzi record label released Revolver's only record, which contained two songs: an original song called "Imagine" - a sweet piece of psychedelic rock that sounds like a lost Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett session, alongside their unique adaptation of a cover version of the Beatles' "I'm Down", a combination of Mediterranean, psychedelia and reggae styles. Stan Solomon, lead singer of the Churchills, produced the record. This reissue was produced from the original tape for the first time since it was originally issued in 1969. Revolver's production has become a much-appreciated revival among classic rock and psychedelia music lovers as well as rare Israeli rock record collectors.

Originally released in 1984, this is the debut album from German synth-pop band, Alphaville. After releasing the single “Big In Japan” halfway through recording the album, Alphaville were propelled to success.

Improvised Suites For Analog Machines celebrates the most influential analogue synthesizers of the 70s and 80s. Each track is uniquely dedicated to a different synth, experimenting with the variation of sounds possible to produce while telling a story of their past. The whole album is a mesmerising improvisation demonstrating what each instrument is capable of, while maintaining a wonderful fusion of old and new. Performed and composed by Erik “Keysie” Ritfeld and Arp Frique. TIP!

Mannequin Records is elated to present a double-LP compilation of the Dutch industrial-experimental heroes Doxa Sinistra.

Preciously selected by the expert ears of Frank Brinkhuis, head of Trumpett, "Universo" is spanning from 1982 to 1988 through their entire discography.

Doxa Sinistra was formed in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, early 1982. On the strength of live performances at Paradiso and Ultra venue Oktopus, the two piece band was invited by Trumpett to record an album in the Freakowitz & Einstein Studio in Den Burg on Texel. Armed with their Korg MS-10 and Korg MS-20 synths they took the ferry to the West Frisian island, and spent a week recording in the legendary Trumpett HQ. The result, the debut cassette Via Del Latte, was released in June 1982. Just months later band member R. K. kidnapped the band name, formed a new duo and played one live date. After that the project fizzled out.

Until early 1984, when Trumpett and Doxa Sinistra received an invitation from Italian cassette label ADN to record a new album. The invitation was accepted and Doxa Sinistra Mark II was born. Conveyer Belt, recorded between June 1984 and February 1985, appeared as an ADN/Trumpett co-release in August 1985.

After the move of the Trumpett Studios to Amsterdam late 1986, Doxa Sinistra started demoing a new album in the Summer of 1987. California based Undergroud cassette label Ladd-Frith were keen to release the ultimate results. Recorded early 1988, Newsflashes, the group's third and final album, was released as a Ladd-Frith/Trumpett co-release in the Summer of 1988.
Limited edition of 300 copies.

The Doors returned to their roots and were reborn a rock ’n’ roll band on Morrison Hotel, the group’s fifth studio album. Completed in only a few weeks and released in February 1970, the hard-charging album took its name from the Skid Row hotel in downtown Los Angeles that’s featured in the iconic cover photo taken by Henry Diltz.

Morrison Hotel: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition includes the original album newly remastered by The Doors’ longtime engineer and mixer Bruce Botnick, plus a bonus disc of unreleased studio outtakes, and the original album on 180-gram virgin vinyl. The music will also be available from digital and streaming services the same day.

For this new collection, the original album has been expanded with more than an hour of unreleased recordings taken from the sessions for Morrison Hotel. These 19 outtakes transport listeners into the studio with Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek for an unprecedented perspective on the making of the album. Botnick says: “There are many takes, different arrangements, false starts, and insightful studio conversations between the band – who were in the studio – and producer Paul Rothchild – who was in the control room. It’s like being a fly on the wall.”

Several of these unheard recordings spotlight how Queen Of The Highway and Roadhouse Blues evolved across multiple sessions. It’s especially interesting to hear how the band played with different bass players on Roadhouse Blues. Early versions include Harvey Brooks, who played on the band’s previous album, The Soft Parade. Later takes feature guitar legend Lonnie Mack on bass along with The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian on harmonica who, due to contractual restrictions at the time, had to be credited as G. Puglese.

Among the treasure trove of unreleased outtakes are also rough versions of Morrison Hotel tracks Peace Frog and Blue Sunday, as well as The Doors rarity I Will Never Be Untrue. The collection also captures some incredible session outtakes of the band jamming on cover versions of the Motown classic Money (That’s What I Want) and B.B. King’s Rock Me.

Celebrating a monumental decade for music, birthing numerous timeless classics that pushed music to new heights Smash Hits 80s pressed on limited edition Transparent Red Vinyl takes the very best tracks from the decade across 2LPs providing the soundtrack to the era. This must-have collection contains hits featuring New Order, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, The Smiths & Talk Talk.

Limited ochre coloured vinyl. Trixie Whitley presents 'Lacuna re-imagined'. She reworked six tracks from her 'Lacuna' album from 2019. Trixie recorded new versions and invited three talented musicians to her home studio in Brooklyn to provide strings and horn arrangements

10th Anniversary reissue of Cloud Nothings acclaimed and beloved debut album.
Clear w/ Opaque Light Blue Marble LP - Uncoated Jacket with Spot UV Gloss on Cover Photo, w/ download card.

It’s been 10 years since the release of Turning On, Cloud Nothings’ debut album. Singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi was just 18 years old when he began recording the album, creating each track in his parents’ basement in Cleveland, Ohio. Over one winter, Baldi produced an album of taut, lo-fi guitar-pop songs, playing each instrument himself. His music gained traction in the increasingly popular music blog circuit, allowing Baldi to book his first shows in new places, like New York City. He gathered a band together to play live, and Cloud Nothings were on their way.

The band has accomplished a great deal since Turning On, signing to Carpark Records, releasing seven albums, and headlining numerous international tours. Yet, their debut isn’t dusted over in the band’s history. Turning On still remains the stripped-back core of Cloud Nothings style: raw and grungy, filled with catchy earworms that are surprisingly pop. The album carries all the stored potential of someone ready to venture off into the world, a feeling that bursts with energy even 10 years later.

All the tracks on Turning On are eruptive and restless, its lo-fi quality embodying the desperate need to record an idea by any means necessary. Songs like “Hey Cool Kid” encapsulate Baldi’s talent for churning, hook-filled guitar. The vocals on songs like “Can’t Stay Awake” are distorted, with scattered lyrics that echo the angst of a teenage diary. As a whole, the album delivers dissonance and edge, without sacrificing the authentic romanticism of someone who is on the verge of something big and doesn’t know it yet.

For a band that resists repeating itself, picking up lessons from a decade prior is the strange route Cloud Nothings took to create their most fully-realized album. Their new record, The Shadow I Remember, marks eleven years of touring, a return to early songwriting practices, and revisiting the studio where they first recorded together.

In a way not previously captured, this album expertly combines the group’s pummeling, aggressive approach with singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi’s extraordinary talent for perfect pop. To document this newly realized maturity, the group returned to producer Steve Albini and his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, where the band famously destroyed its initial reputation as a bedroom solo project with the release of 2012 album Attack on Memory.

Another throwback was Baldi’s return to constant songwriting à la the early solo days, which led to the nearly 30 demos that became the 11 songs on The Shadow I Remember. Instead of sticking to a tried-but-true formula, his songwriting stretched out while digging deeper into his melodic talents. “I felt like I was locked in a character,” Baldi says of becoming a reliable supplier of heavy, hook-filled rock songs. “I felt like I was playing a role and not myself. I really didn’t like that role.” More frequent writing led to the freedom in form heard on The Shadow I Remember. What he can’t do alone is get loud and play noisily, which is exactly what happened when the entire band— bassist TJ Duke, guitarist Chris Brown, and drummer Jayson Gerycz—convened.

The band had more fun in the studio than they’ve had in years, playing in their signature, pulverizing way, while also trying new things. The absurdly catchy “Nothing Without You” includes a first for the band: Macie Stewart of Ohmme contributes guest vocals. Elsewhere, celebrated electronic composer Brett Naucke adds subtle synthesizer parts.

The songs are kept trim, mostly around the three-minute mark, while being gleefully overstuffed. Almost every musical part turns into at least two parts, with guitar and drums opening up and the bass switching gears. “That’s the goal—I want the three-minute song to be an epic,” Baldi says. “That’s the short version of the long-ass jam.”

Lyrically, Baldi delivers an aching exploration of tortured existence, punishing self-doubt, and the familiar pangs of oppressive mystery. “Am I something?” Baldi screams on the song of the same name. “Does anybody living out there really need me?” It’s a heartbreaking admission of existential confusion, delivered hoarsely, with an instantly relatable melody.

“Is this the end/ of the life I've known?” he asks on lead single and album opener “Oslo.” “Am I older now/ or am I just another age?” Despite the questioning lyrics, the band plays with more assurance and joy than ever before. The Shadow I Remember announces Cloud Nothings’ second decade and it sounds like a new beginning.

For a band that resists repeating itself, picking up lessons from a decade prior is the strange route Cloud Nothings took to create their most fully-realized album. Their new record, The Shadow I Remember, marks eleven years of touring, a return to early songwriting practices, and revisiting the studio where they first recorded together.

In a way not previously captured, this album expertly combines the group’s pummeling, aggressive approach with singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi’s extraordinary talent for perfect pop. To document this newly realized maturity, the group returned to producer Steve Albini and his Electrical Audio studios in Chicago, where the band famously destroyed its initial reputation as a bedroom solo project with the release of 2012 album Attack on Memory.

Another throwback was Baldi’s return to constant songwriting à la the early solo days, which led to the nearly 30 demos that became the 11 songs on The Shadow I Remember. Instead of sticking to a tried-but-true formula, his songwriting stretched out while digging deeper into his melodic talents. “I felt like I was locked in a character,” Baldi says of becoming a reliable supplier of heavy, hook-filled rock songs. “I felt like I was playing a role and not myself. I really didn’t like that role.” More frequent writing led to the freedom in form heard on The Shadow I Remember. What he can’t do alone is get loud and play noisily, which is exactly what happened when the entire band— bassist TJ Duke, guitarist Chris Brown, and drummer Jayson Gerycz—convened.

The band had more fun in the studio than they’ve had in years, playing in their signature, pulverizing way, while also trying new things. The absurdly catchy “Nothing Without You” includes a first for the band: Macie Stewart of Ohmme contributes guest vocals. Elsewhere, celebrated electronic composer Brett Naucke adds subtle synthesizer parts.

The songs are kept trim, mostly around the three-minute mark, while being gleefully overstuffed. Almost every musical part turns into at least two parts, with guitar and drums opening up and the bass switching gears. “That’s the goal—I want the three-minute song to be an epic,” Baldi says. “That’s the short version of the long-ass jam.”

Lyrically, Baldi delivers an aching exploration of tortured existence, punishing self-doubt, and the familiar pangs of oppressive mystery. “Am I something?” Baldi screams on the song of the same name. “Does anybody living out there really need me?” It’s a heartbreaking admission of existential confusion, delivered hoarsely, with an instantly relatable melody.

“Is this the end/ of the life I've known?” he asks on lead single and album opener “Oslo.” “Am I older now/ or am I just another age?” Despite the questioning lyrics, the band plays with more assurance and joy than ever before. The Shadow I Remember announces Cloud Nothings’ second decade and it sounds like a new beginning.

180gr Vinyl + CD

The latest indie folk rock from Tokyo: ROTH BART BARON release their new album "Loud color(s) & Silence Festival".

The album's first single "Never Forget" has already been selected as one of the top 5 Japanese singles in September 2020. "Loud color(s) & Silence Festival" comes with soundscapes of gentle acoustic guitars, warm brass sections and fresh electronic sounds - dense and swarming waves of whistling atmosphere and well-constructed instrumentation, carving out the boundaries of Indie Folk.

Tokyo-based ROTH BART BARON are one of the current leading bands of Japan's vibrant indie scene. The band is the solo project of singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Masaya Mifune. With a band of seven and sometimes up to ten people, ROTH BART BARON have regularly played venues in Tokyo and all over Japan, and have performed in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Mongolia, China, Thailand and Taiwan.

ROTH BART BARON's previous albums have been welcomed with a warm reception and in April 2020, the band was awarded the grand prize at Japan's alternative music awards.

"Loud color(s) & Silence Festival", written, composed and recorded in 2020, centers around urging questions in these challenging times: what is the role of music without live concerts, music festivals and limited social interaction? How can we collect fresh colors into our hearts for long and dark days in a frozen world? Mifune's soft vocals and poetical lyrics and the band's keen eye for visuals and aesthetics may give some hints.

The album features several tracks mixed by Dan Carey (Kate Tempest, Black Midi) and Tim Pennells (Floating Points) and was mastered by Chris Athens (Drake, Kehlani). The track "Eve" features up-and-coming Tokyo-based singer HANA.

ROTH BART BARON is a Japanese indie folk band started in 2008 by singer-songwriter Masaya Mifune. Masaya independently released RBB's debut album The Ice Age in July 2014. The main part of the album was recorded at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia, with Brian McTear (Kurt Vile, the War on Drugs) as co-producer and mixing engineer Jonathan Low (The National, Sufjan Stevens).

In 2015, the band recorded at Montreal Hotel 2 Tango studio to produce their second album Atom, which received excellent reviews in Japan. The following year, ROTH BART BARON performed at major Japanese Festivals such as Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic.

They released their fourth album The Name Of The Beasts in 2019 to considerable critical acclaim. Upon release of The Name of the Beasts, the band was awarded the Japanese Apple Vinegar Music Award for the best new artist of the year in 2020. The award was established by Masafumi Gotoh, the frontman of Asian Kung-Fu Generation, a band which has been cited as one of the best modern rock bands from Japan.

The band has extensively toured Japan, as well as the U.S. and China. They also performed at Big Mountain Music Festival in Thailand and Playtime Festival in Mongolia. Besides his band activities, Masaya regularly performs solo, including a solo gig at the "Celebration David Bowie 2017 world tour" in Tokyo.

ROTH BARTH BARON will be touring Japan from November 2020 to February 2021.

Mesmerising, ghostly, seductive, urgent, poignant, “Decider” is about the ultimate endgame: death. This track draws you into its web and holds you there. There’s no escape. Is there anything after ‘the end?’ If there is, will it bring happiness, or just more pain? And, are we to be judged by The Decider when we get there?

The inspiration, if you can call it that, for the song comes from the band’s own recent experiences. “We’ve lost a few people recently that we were close to. It does tend to make you ponder the universe, and whether you get a second act,” says Butch Dante, guitarist.

Filmed on location in the Texas panhandle, the video will be the second of a triptych of films written by Butch, focused on the band’s main preoccupation: the fact that the world is ending and people should be kinder to each other while it does.

Now they’ve been remixed. By these people:

Deetron
This Swiss maestro has one of the most characterful sounds in modern day techno. Taking a big inspiration from the big expansive, moody sounds of Detroit, Sam Geiser also borrows percussive influence from Chicago House whilst instilling his very own atmospheric personality, making for one hell of a ride.

Benedikt Frey
For our money, one of the most exciting exponents of leftfield house and disco there is. His music is always pushing boundaries, with a unique experimental spirit that has indie and punk deep in its heart.

Fort Romeau
Everything from widescreen, deep house, and warm, bubbly acid right through to raw, driving Italo and ethereal disco house; the Cin Cin boss is one of the most exciting and elegant exponents of today’s underground electronic scene.

LTD. PURPLE VINYL

Limited edition: 6,000 copy pressing on Opaque Purple Vinyl. Culled from over 40 hard drives of recorded live shows spread out across years of touring behind multiple critically acclaimed records, LIVE DRUGS is unlike anything previously available in The War On Drugs' catalog. The first volume to capture the band's live interpretations, LIVE DRUGS is a document showcasing the evolution of the band's live show over the years. Additionally, LIVE DRUGS is a portrait of the enduring relationship between Adam Granduciel and Dominic East. A longtime friend, guitar tech and stage manager, East is LIVE DRUGS's co-producer and the presence Granduciel credits as holding everything together. Sequenced to reflect how a typical 70-minute set would flow, LIVE DRUGS thrives on live set staples immortalized on record for the first time. This includes "Buenos Aires Beach" from the band's 2008 fulllength debut, Wagonwheel Blues, and the longtime musical interlude flowing between "Under the Pressure" and "In Reverse" - which bookend 2014's Lost In The Dream. There's also the band's essential cover of Warren Zevon's "Accidentally like a Martyr" - a song "so true, you should ever be lucky to write a song that simple," Granduciel says.

It’s been four years since Sweatbox Dynasty, the fourth solo LP from Pennsylvanian experimentalist TOBACCO. In that time, Tom Fec’s project has toured with Nine Inch Nails, provided the theme song to HBO series Silicon Valley, and teamed with Aesop Rock for a collaborative album as Malibu Ken. He now returns to Ghostly International for Hot Wet & Sassy, a full-length album oozing with his

most playful and approachable songs to date, which, conversely, express notions of antilove, self-hate, and disappointment in others.

Pop impulses have always surged beneath the surface of his sound — blown-out bass, analog synths, drum machines, and Fec’s unmistakable analog gurgle and hiss — here they’ve bubbled to the top. “I feel like it’s the most I’ve been able to refine what I’m doing,” says Fec. “For the past decade I’ve had this motherfxcker on my shoulder that makes me pick away at structure and melody. Purposely covering up moments because I can. That really came to a peak on Sweatbox. So I wanted the opposite this time. Write the songs without ripping them in half. I went from ‘what would the Butthole Surfers do?’ to ‘what would Cyndi Lauper do?’”And what would Trent Reznor do? Fec found his answer straight from the source. Their collaborative track, “Babysitter,” fuses their voices into one deranged presence: “I’m the new babysitter,” they alert, before pivoting into a menacingly saccharine bridge. The track tumbles on a tom fill, then a punishing synth line rips into a cacophony of drums and feedback like a lawnmower gnawing through the living room carpet. “This was new for me, but I wanted to write a song that was everything I am and have been, and then like one notch further. Trent was the notch further,” adds Fec. The collaboration is a work of alchemy seamlessly blending TOBACCO’s trademarks with Reznor’s industrial rust and sonic gore.

Downcast, sincere, woozy, “Jinmenken” might be the closest Fec has come to a ballad. “Maybe you can find me down the line,” his vocoded delivery bounces along the beat. “It’s me trying to write a Jets song,” says Fec. Album opener “Centaur Skin” presents the stylistic concoction that has been the TOBACCO MO from the beginning, crossing dreamy me-lodic shimmer with the sinister tones and slime. This has become easier to digest, but also far more potent. A motorik beat steadies the track’s galloping arpeggio, acting as a springboard for Fec’s dark ruminations as well as an uncharacteristically crystalline synth solo. “It’s my feel good self hate anthem. Don’t worry, I’m good. It was fun to write.”TOBACCO hasn’t been reinvented, but it has been refined and distilled. Brighter, sharper, and far more dangerous because of it. Hot Wet & Sassyis practically staring at the sun without shades and feeling those corneas roast. Everything looks good as your vision fades. The pop-forward struc-tures exert their undeniable hooks with baneful precision, pulling listeners into their clutches; once there, sugary melody rewards submission.

• First album in four years

• TOBACCO aka Tom Fec, founder of cult favorite group Black Moth Super Rainbow

• Features a collaboration with Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails (has toured with him in the past)

Today, The Wytches announce their third album Three Mile Ditch. The album features the recently released single “Cowboy” which marked their return after four years away and to celebrate the announcement they share new single “A Love You’ll Never Know”. The track is accompanied by a music video by Mark Breed and he explains,

“The music video format was a long process. Making the set was incredibly fun with Kristian crafting most of the miniatures.I then had to film the green screen band performance within the set before recording the edited version onto my VHS camera. Finally I shot the finished edit inside the view finder.”

The album recorded with Luke Oldfield at Tile House Studios will be released on their own label Cable Code Records on Friday 2nd October.

“This is the first thing that I've ever been proud of for longer than a week,” says The Wytches frontman Kristian Bell of the band’s latest album Three Mile Ditch. This sense of vigour and enthusiasm coming from Bell about the band’s third album is matched by its contents. The album is an explosive collection of 10 tracks that weaves seamlessly between gut-wobbling monster riffs, swampy rock, slick surf, and finely tuned songcraft. It’s also the result of a band coming back from the brink of collapse.

The band’s early trajectory was a steep and speedy one as they quickly established themselves as one of the country’s most exciting and pulverising new bands. Major festival slots stacked up at places such as Glastonbury, SXSW, Reading and Leeds, and British Summertime with the Strokes. As did the tours across the US with METZ, traversing Europe with Fat White Family and Death Grips. They garnered support from BBC 6 Music, DIY, MOJO, NME and more. However, when the ascent to the stratosphere is moving at such a speed, there’s a risk of burning out and imploding, and the band came close to this.

They were on the rocks for a while, unsure of themselves and if the band should - or even could - go on. “I had it in my head that this kind of thing only really happens once and to try it again might be a big waste of time,” Bell reflects. However, despite the difficulties, the powerful pull of the band was too great to ignore.

“We had an album’s worth of songs that was some of our best material. The mission became to complete a Wytches album rather than get The Wytches back on the touring circuit. This album helped us make the decision to try it again.”

Pallbearer are back with new album, Forgotten Days. Carefully plotted throughout 2019, the quartet's fourth long-player eschews the compositional maximalism that hoisted predecessor Heartless aloft for the heaviest groove and the most visceral hooks to come out of the Arkansans to date. Spread across eight towering tracks, Forgotten Days sees Pallbearer embracing their roots again, but this time with a doom-infused metallic spark that's infectious and transcendent. Indeed, this album is everything a Pallbearer fan could love. It is a raw and riveting evolution, filled with emotion and the unique downcast exuberance that has defined the band's storied career.
Pallbearer have found the perfect musical economy on Forgotten Days . The quartet—comprised of Brett Campbell (vocals/guitars), Devin Holt (guitars), Joseph D. Rowland (bass/vocals), and Mark Lierly (drums)—have distilled the last decade of music and touring know-how into songs that have an undeniable urgency. Songs like "Riverbed," "Stasis," and "Vengeance & Ruination" feature Campbell's best vocal lines to date. Even after they're long over, Campbell's heartfelt cantations leave an indelible imprint. Other songs, like "Silver Wings," "The Quicksand of Existing," and Forgotten Days ’ stunning bookend “Caledonia,” demonstrate Pallbearer’s considerable restraint, where riffs sing out with character and feeling instead of being folded into impenetrable complex shapes. Indeed, the album's opening title track is crushing old-school heavy metal perfection. Thematically, Campbell and Rowland wanted to capture (and emphasize) the concept of family on Forgotten Days . This isn’t about reunions, halcyon celebrations, or the glow of coming home after a long spell away. Instead, songs like "Riverbed," "Silver Wings," and "Rite of Passage" tackle far more onerous topics. They deal with loss—physical and intangible—the weight of personal choices, and intense reflection. Heavier than a mountain of regret, the lyrics express where writers Campbell and Rowland are at on Forgotten Days .
Pallbearer linked up with producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Earth, Johan Johannson) on Forgotten Days . They first met Dunn when the American producer/audio engineer agreed to do live sound. As their professional and personal relationship developed, it only made sense for Pallbearer and Dunn to collaborate on Forgotten Days . So, they packed up and headed to Sonic Ranch Studios in West Texas. By day, heavy magic was captured. Between takes, nerd-out sessions over the studio’s vintage Neve console and impressive art collection were had, as were the endless sonic possibilities of Eventide H3000 harmonizers, over-spec’d Verellen amplifiers, and Campbell’s custom nine-string guitar. At night, Pallbearer, Dunn, engineer Justin Morris, and crew would drink beers and listen to the coyotes howl as a massive campfire burned up to the stars.
As with Heartless , Pallbearer's new album features the incredible cover art talents of Michael Lierly, brother of drummer Mark Lierly. To get the other Lierly started, Campbell and Rowland supplied the themes of Forgotten Days . They plied family, loss, reflection, memory, and regret, and left the painter to come up with something that evoked all of their essential themes and yet had the look/feel of a Pallbearer cover. From there, Lierly produced powerful front, back, and inside (gatefold) images that were roughly hewn yet heartbreaking in their expressive heft. The striking cover is the ideal foil to Pallbearer’s thick musical and lyrical melancholia.
Pallbearer formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2008. A heavy rock band from the South isn't that unlikely, but one that is responsible for, in part, rekindling America's passion for heavy rock/doom metal is all but unbelievable. From Sorrow and Extinction (2012) and Foundations of Burden (2014) to Heartless (2017), Pallbearer ignited in generations new and grizzled, not just a renewed interest in originators such as Black Sabbath and Candlemass but also infatuation over echelons of lesser-knowns. Even the press were taken aback, with the Arkansans landing prominent coverage in The New York Times , SPIN , NPR , Rolling Stone , and Decibel .
Today, Pallbearer defies categorization while appealing to the tenets of the very genre that now considers the group's oeuvre as crucial and influential. Forgotten Days is proof of that. One listen to "Riverbed," "Caledonia," "Stasis," and the album's 12-minute epic, "Silver Wings," and they solidify their place in music as one of the most creative and talented rock bands in the modern pantheon. They've made their mark on metal, and with Forgotten Days.

Flood is the third studio album by Brooklyn-based Alternative Rock duo They Might Be Giants. Originally released in 1990, the album is generally considered to be the band’s definitive release, as it is their best-selling and most recognizable album.

Despite minimal stylistic and instrumental differences from previous releases, Flood is distinguished by contributions from seasoned producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who as a team worked with artists like Morrissey, Elvis Costello and Madness.

The successful Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette released her seventh studio album Flavors Of Entanglement in 2008. She wrote and recorded the album with the British composer Guy Sigsworth (Björk, Madonna etc.). The album was written during a very challenging time in her personal life (break-up with actor Ryan Reynolds). It is the reason that she combines a lot of different musical genres in the sound of the album, including hip-hop, electronic and alternative rock. The album is hailed by critic as a longstanding masterpiece, fully understandable when you listen to the depth and structured layers of the songs. She shows her personal feelings in the tracks of heartbreak, regret and anger.

The first track on the album, “Citizen Of The Planet” focuses on her new sound, while the first single “Underneath” is about difficulties in communication.

Mancheiner wird sich fragen, wo in aller Welt dieses Bandfoto aufgenommen wurde. Antwort: Auf dem Vierungsturm, dem kleineren, dritten Turm des Kölner Doms, den die meisten allerdings übersehen. Von hier oben hat man einen phantastischen Blick auf den Rhein und alle sieben Kölner Brücken. Das Foto wurde am Vormittag des 16.August 2019, also am Tag des letzten Konzerts der LIVE&DEUTLICH-Tour aufgenommen. Zwei Tage später begannen dann auch schon die ALLES FLIESST-Sessions im Castle Studio in Röhrsdorf bei Dresden.

Songauswahl: Es handelt sich um vier Tracks des neues Niedeckens BAP Albums . Auf der A-Seite mit „Jeisterfahrer“ und „Ruhe vor`m Sturm“, zwei rockige Tracks mit politischen Inhalt, wie sie nur BAP
zustande bringt. Auf der B-Seite finden Rückblenden statt. Mit „Volle Kraft voraus“ beamt sich Niedecken in die frühen 70`er zurück, wo
er mit seinen Freunden so manchen Sommertag als Kunststudent am Baggersee verbrachte. „Jenau jesaat: Op Odyssee“ erzählt von den euphorischen ersten Auswärtsgigs vor ca. 40 Jahren. Die Picture Disc ist exklusiv im Rahmen der "#rundesache"-Aktion von Wolfgang Niedecken für den Trendhandel aufgelegt worden, auf 500 Stück limitiert, nummeriert und handschriftlich signiert.

With October 2nd, 2020 marking 25 years since Oasis released their iconic second album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, Big Brother Recordings release a limited edition silver coloured LP with remastered audio to celebrate this milestone. Following only 14 months after Oasis’s classic 1994 album Definitely Maybe, widely regarded one of the greatest debuts of all time, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory is the UK’s 5th best-selling album of all time and best-selling album of the nineties. The album entered the UK Official Charts at No.1 with 269,000 sales, with a total of 10 weeks at the summit since release and almost eight and a half years in the UK Official Album Chart cumulatively. Worldwide, it went Top 10 in every major market in the world and became the band’s breakthrough album in the US, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with over 5 million sales, and a global total now in excess of 22 million. Produced by Noel Gallagher and Owen Morris, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? was recorded at the fabled Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, completed in a staggeringly brief two-week period during May and June 1995. An undeniably superlative rock record, it includes several of Oasis’ biggest selling UK singles – the legendary, universally loved anthem ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, ‘Roll With It’, ‘Some Might Say’ together with tracks like ‘She’s Electric’, ‘Morning Glory’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’, which are timeless anthems and radio staples known to every generation of music fan. (What’s The Story) Morning Glory established Oasis as a national and international phenomenon, the most universally popular British guitar band since the glory days of The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, and the album’s enduring and omnipresent appeal was demonstrated when it was awarded Best British Album of 30 Years at The BRIT Awards 2010. In the years since it’s release, the album has inspired thousands of young guns to pick up guitars and form bands, and is counted by dozens of successful bands and songwriters as a major influence on their careers.

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j c3. Untitled (Remastered)

Not a lot of indie rockers have a side gig as an ortho/neuro nurse, but there’s nothing typical about Lindsey Radice. Recording and performing as Pynkie, the New Jersey native brings her own distinct style, work ethic, and personality to her nursing and music career alike. Radice’s new album #37 is a breezy pleasure that runs deceptively deep, a rallying cry of joy and positivity. Lindsey Radice first came to the guitar at age eleven, sticking mostly to Led Zeppelin and AC/DC covers. But at eighteen, she began to write her own songs. They were mostly joke tunes, odes to her shower curtains, for example, with their little duck print pattern. As she began to record her songs, Radice discovered a deeper ambition, the need to tell her own story, though she never lost track of her playful side. “What I love most about music is writing and recording,” says Radice. “It’s fun and there’s no rules about what you can write about or how to play it. You can do whatever the hell you want. And you might even change the game accidentally!” Despite having no label, press, or publicity team, Radice’s first, self-produced album neoteny garnered her a substantial cult following. Her own “lofi” remix of neoteny standout “Dew” was streamed over 1.5 million times. The album caught the ear of Gorilla vs. Bear mastermind, Chris Cantalini, who featured it as one of the best of 2018. Her brand-new follow-up, #37, promises a continuation of that vibe, but also a significant step forward. “I’ve gotten opportunities to work in ‘real’ recording studios with ‘real equipment,’” says Radice. “But, this is the first time I’ve had my stuff mixed and mastered by somebody else. It’s definitely a step up.” Radice decamped on her days off to a small studio in Queen’s Rockaway Beach with bandmates John Messina and Josh Bartsch rounding out the lineup. They would meet whenever Radice’s nursing schedule would allow for it to experiment and find the perfect sound. “I really loved the place where I was recording, Rockaway Beach Hut,” says Radice. “It’s a fun, funky-looking studio with lots of cool and funny stuff sprinkled around it. Chris had this weird baby doll head that’s also a light sensitive oscillator.

2 great downtempo tracks on another fine reissue from Melbourne's Isle Of Jura . Check out Beach for a sublime tropical winner. Tip!

Light In The Attic are celebrating their 10 year anniversary in 2012, and are releasing a series of very special colored vinyl 7's and digital downloads. The series features contemporary artists covering a track reissued by Light In The Attic on the A-side, plus the original version on the B-side. *To launch the series, LITA asked Los Angeles-based scuzzy punks Zig Zags, whose debut 7" came out on Mexican Summer earlier this year, to team up with legendary punk rock icon Iggy Pop (yes, THAT Iggy Pop!). With this, we give you Iggy Pop and Zig Zags' take on Betty Davis' 'If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up' from her self-titled debut album (LITA 026).
*Digging deep into the grooves of the original, Zig Zags discovered a secret heavy Sabbath vibe lurking just below the funk surface. Mixing that with their usual sludge-punk leanings, the god-like Iggy Pop was brought in to sing. A natural choice.
*A side was recorded by Dan Horne (Beachwood Sparks), mixed by Thom Monahan (Vetiver, Pernice Bros, Devendra Banhart), and mastered by Dave Cooley (Elysian Masters). B side features the original Dave Cooley remastering from 2007.

Maria Monti's 1974 Lp Il Bestario Is A Rare Item Even In Its Native Country. Monti Is An Italian Singer And Actress With A Noteworthy Career, Performing As A Cabaret Singer In The 60s, An Ambitious Avant-garde Folk Artist In The 70s, And Starring In Films By Directors Such Sergio Leone And Bernardo Bertolucci All The While. In Addition To Lyrics By The Infamous Poet Aldo Braibanti, Il Bestiario Features Arrangements And Synthesizer From Legendary Avant-garde Composer Alvin Curran, As Well As The Soprano Saxophone Of Jazz-great Steve Lacy. The Music Of Il Bestiario Is A Prime Example Of "the New Art-song" Of The 1970s, As Alvin Curran Calls It - Lush, Dynamic And Full Of Intelligence And Beauty. Sourced From The Original Master Tapes And Remastered By Taylor Deupree.

Marilyn Manson returns with his eleventh studio album WE ARE CHAOS via Loma Vista Recordings. Co-produced by Manson and GRAMMY® Award winner Shooter Jennings Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker, the ten-track opus was written, recorded, and finished before the global pandemic. Manson heralds the record’s arrival with the title track and lead single “WE ARE CHAOS.”

Manson’s painting, Infinite Darkness, which can be seen on the album cover, was specifically created to accompany the music. His fine art paintings continue to be shown all over the world, including gallery and museum exhibitions from Miami to Vienna to Moscow.

Manson says of the album, “When I listen to WE ARE CHAOS now, it seems like just yesterday or as if the world repeated itself, as it always does, making the title track and the stories seem as if we wrote them today. This was recorded to its completion without anyone hearing it until it was finished. There is most definitely a side A and side B in the traditional sense. But just like an LP, it is a flat circle and it’s up to the listener to put the last piece of the puzzle into the picture of songs.

“This concept album is the mirror Shooter and I built for the listener - it’s the one we won’t stare into. There are so many rooms, closets, safes and drawers. But in the soul or your museum of memories, the worst are always the mirrors. Shards and slivers of ghosts haunted my hands when I wrote most of these lyrics.

“Making this record, I had to think to myself: ‘Tame your crazy, stitch your suit. And try to pretend that you are not an animal’ but I knew that mankind is the worst of them all. Making mercy is like making murder. Tears are the human body’s largest export.”

The optimum effect of Music of the Five Elements will be achieved if each side of this recording is played through, from beginning to end without interruption. Music of the Five Elements, when used as a meditational or body work tool, rather than entertainment, will increase in effect over time. Overplaying or improper use, however, may eventually diminish its designed effect'
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Music is the healing force of the universe. It's an ancient idea bandied about by Pythagoras and Plato. In the last century, music as medication has been explored by musicians as diverse as Albert Ayler, Spacemen 3 and Pauline Oliveros. Nowhere did this concept gain more traction than in the so-called realm of New Age Music, an entire movement of synth droners and echoey flautists recording home-baked healing mantras on 4-track. In recent years, thanks to cassette collecting devotees and open-minded music journalists, New Age has shed its flowing robes and is being mined for the truly incredible music that swells under its pastel surface. Musician/acupressurist Sam McClellan's 1982 Music of the Five Elements is one of those revelatory discoveries, an unrivalled work of intense research and focus, simultaneously a near perfect work of art and a scientifically sound elixir for body and mind.

After studying electronic composition at Hampshire College with Randall McClellan (no relation), Sam McClellan became intrigued with the possibilities of healing through music. He explored this idea by applying the ancient Chinese philosophy of medicine to the principles of musical composition. Using the pentatonic scale (the traditional scale of Chinese music), McClellan related each of the notes to one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal Water), and created five variations for each. He experimented with tempo, beat, pitch, duration, and sound quality, studying the effect on people's energy levels. Using the results of his tests he developed a comprehensive theory of sonic healing and spent the next year composing an album designed to help people achieve inner balance, reducing anxiety and energy depletion.

Music of the Five Elements is not only the acoustic massage' that McClellan set out to make, but is a fully realized and peerless piece of music. Taking cues from Minimalism, American Primitive guitar (Fahey & Basho) and even psychedelia, the album is a continuous sound voyage for voice, synthesizer, guitar, bowed bass, piano, effects and ciao (Chinese flute) all played by McClellan himself. Although divided into sections, the journey is best undertaken as a whole, without distraction.