Pop & Rock News

By the turn of the 80s, the impact of David Bowie’s ground- breaking Berlin recordings – the synths, the alienation, the drily futuristic production – was being felt on music across Europe. What’s more, the records being made were reflecting back and influencing Bowie’s own work – 1979’s Lodger and 1980’s Scary Monsters owed a debt to strands of German kosmische (Holger Czukay), new electronica (Patrick Cowley, Harald Grosskopf), and the latest works from old friends and rivals like Robert Fripp, Peter Gabriel and Scott Walker, all of whom had been re-energised by the fizz of 1977.

Compiled by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and the BFI’s Jason Wood, Fantastic Voyage is the companion album to their hugely successful Café Exil collection, which imagined the soundtrack to David Bowie and Iggy Pop’s trans-European train journeys in the mid-to-late seventies. “Fantastic Voyage” is what happened next.

Bowie’s influences and Bowie’s own influence were rebounding off each other as the 70s ended and the 80s began, notably in the emergent synthpop and new romantic scenes as well as through the music of enigmatic acts like the Associates and post-punk pioneers such as Cabaret Voltaire.

Like Low and Heroes, some of the tracks on Fantastic Voyage are spiked with tension (Grauzone’s ‘Eisbär’) while some share those albums’ sense of travel (Simple Minds’ ‘Theme for Great Cities’, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Riot in Lagos’) and others find common ground with “Lodger’s” dark, subtle humour (Thomas Leer’s ‘Tight as a Drum’, Fripp’s ‘Exposure’).

This is the thrilling, adventurous sound of European music before the watershed moment when Bowie would abandon art- pop for America and the emerging world of MTV with “Let’s Dance” in 1983. Fantastic Voyage soundtracks the few brief years when the echo chamber of Bowie, his inspirations, and his followers created an exciting, borderless music that was ready to challenge Anglo American influences.

BRUME (ausgesprochen wie das englische Wort "Broom") sind der lebende Beweis dafür, dass es auch in Kalifornien nicht nur Sonnenschein und Easy-Living gibt. Das aus San Francisco stammende Quartett verschmilzt Doom Metal, Gothic und Indie Rock zu einer oft monolithischen, aber ebenso auch zerbrechlich wirkenden Mischung aus harter Schwere, die von der dunklen Seite der Musik kommt. Nach einem Jahrzehnt verlockender Sounds und Gänsehaut-Crescendi treiben BRUME die Klangexperimente und spannenden Genre-Umdeutungen auf ihrem dritten Album "Marten" einen großen Schritt weiter voran. Die Erweiterung zum Vierer mit Jackie Perez Gratz an Cello und Gesang eröffnet den Kaliforniern einen Kosmos neuer Möglichkeiten, den sie zielstrebig erkunden. Durch das Verweben von aufsteigenden Melodien mit melancholischem Doom Pop entstehen Songs, die gleichermaßen intim und eindringlich, wie auch massiv und kraftvoll sind. BRUME gründeten sich im Jahr 2014 ursprünglich als Trio. Gitarrist Jamie McCathie aus Bristol, England kam musikalisch mit der Bassistin und Sängerin Susie McMullan aus Baton Rouge, Louisiana zusammen, nachdem die Beiden ihre gemeinsame Leidenschaft für Trip-Hop und Sludge entdeckt hatten. Die Besetzung wurde bald darauf von Jordan Perkins-Lewis am Schlagzeug vervollständigt, der mit seinem reichhaltigen und experimentellen Schlagzeugstil den Grundstein für die Studioaufnahmen der frisch gegründeten Band legte. Mit ihren Doom Metal Alben "Rooster" (2017) und "Rabbits" (2019) nahm das Trio schnell Fahrt auf, wobei ersteres von The Ripple Effect zum "Album des Jahres" gekürt wurde und letzteres den ersten Platz auf der "Best of 2019"-Liste von Wonderbox Metal einnahm. BRUME hinterließen auch auf der Bühne ihre Spuren und traten unter anderem sowohl beim Desertfest 2017 in London als auch im Jahr 2019 beim Desertfest New York und SXSW auf. Mit "Marten" machen BRUME einen mutigen Schritt in Richtung ihrer musikalischen Zukunft, indem sie zuerst sich selbst und nun auch ihre Zuhörer herausfordern, sich von vertrauten Sounds zu anspruchsvolleren, weniger vertrauten Klangräumen zu bewegen.

Consisting of four talented musicians: Lea Jaffe on vocals and guitar, Otto Klammer on vocals and bass, Brennan Wedl on vocals and guitar, and Austin Corona on drums. Their music is a unique blend of indie rock, punk, and alternative with lyrics that range from introspective to socially conscious. Their debut album features some standout tracks such as "Groan", "Wet", and "Maggot", all written by Lea Jaffe. Her songwriting skills are evident in the way she weaves her personal experiences into the lyrics, creating a relatable and emotionally charged experience for the listener. "James Deen You Let Us Down", "Sad Boys", and "Nice Nice" are co-written by Lea and Brennan Wedl, showcasing the band's collaborative approach to songwriting. Otto Klammer also contributes a powerful track to the album with "Sweet Cis Teen". The album was produced, mixed, mastered, tambourined, and sautéed by Sasha Stroud at Otto's home, adding a unique touch to the sound. Dazey and the Scouts is a band that promises to make a mark in the indie rock scene with their raw energy, introspective lyrics, and unique sound.

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

Allchival present their second look at the music of Roger Doyle and Operating Theatre (a little known proto synth-pop act and experimental theatre group that he led.)

In reverse chronological order the second disc contains music from the United Dairies release of 1979 – ‘Rapid Eye Movements’. Experimental tape work heavily influenced by the French school of music concretists and recorded at various points during the 70s in Finland, Holland and Ireland, although it is most certainly a Roger Doyle solo record the label ran by Nurses With Wounds John Fothergill decided to release it under the group name for reasons now lost to the fog of time.

After this a volte-face towards a more accessible sound, coming via his friendship with future Hollywood actress Olwen Fouéré and her connection to the theatre. It also featured the vocals of a young Spanish immigrant Elena López- bucking the 80’s trend by moving to rather than from Dublin. With Fouéré adding the theatrical element to the group (an almost essential part of any early 80s synth act) alongside pulsing synths, brass, a vocoder and the electro acoustic production talents of Doyle himself, it was the first time a Fairlight sampler was used in an Irish studio setting and gives a prescient but alternative take on the new wave sound that came to dominate the charts soon after.
Doyle’s work on the newly released Fairlight sampler had brought him to the attention of U2’s Bono who had seen a feature about his sampling experimentations and reached out to him for piano lessons. This led to a deal on the bands embryonic Mother records for what Doyle calls his first “popular song” - Queen of No Heart - which alongside “Spring is Coming” made up the backbone of the EP which was released some years later (1986) on the Mother Records label. Established by U2 in 1984 and initially intended to launch Irish bands, many of the acts – including this one – were subsequently unhappy about the label’s haphazard approach to releases and lack of promotion. The record was released as a die cut 7 inch with the two main tracks and a 12 inch EP with additional tracks – ‘Part of My Make-Up’ / ‘Atlantean’ / ‘Satanasa’. The Mother experience was for Doyle and the rest of the group a frustrating one with no promotional plan and no tour. After that Operating Theatre as a quasi pop project ‘just kind of fizzled out’ says Doyle.

Doyle, the musical maverick at the heart of the act, continues to produce to this day and has released 30 albums. A frequent collaborator we round out the record with a remix from another Irish outsider - Morgan Buckley of the Wah Wah Wino fame.

Turman first came onto the industrial scene in the late 70’s as the ominous ‘other half’ of legendary noise outfit NON. Shortly after recording the classic 1977 single Mode of Infection, Turman went on to pursue his own unique vision as a solo artist. Fusing every possible influence at his disposal while laying his ideas down on self-released cassettes like Flux (1981), Spirals of Everlasting Change (1987), Way Down (1987) and the massive Chapter Eleven cassette box set (1988). After a hiatus Turman resurfaced in 2005 to team up with seminal noise musician Aaron Dilloway. Since then, he has been gradually adding new titled to his already impressive discography.

For this archival release Turman selected 7 tracks that were recorded between 1980 and 1984. A welcome supplement to his library of avantgarde music that was released in the 80s. This album fits in nicely between the early industrial noise, the long-form minimalism of Flux and the rhythmic industrial of Way Down. Focusing on slowly shifting hypnotic loop-based layers of sound, it covers a specific side of Turman. It feels like there’s a direct link to his earliest works but it’s also a precursor to some pieces that were recorded much later. A missing link that finally gives us the opportunity of a complete overview of his early audio work.

All 7 tracks on this album have a connection to the written word in the form of a poem. Scans of the original typewriter poems are included together with collages and drawings from this specific time frame to create an essential and singular piece of art.

Landmark albums deserve to be released on Glorious Vinyl, and that's why Lovemonk is presenting the first ever vinyl edition of Martín Buscaglia's 2006 corker, El Evangelio Según Mi Jardinero.

"Brain, brain, thanks for being in my head and not in my knee, if not, I wouldn't be able to kneel down to pray or keep that promise I cannot reveal". Those are the first words (translated from Spanish) of 'Cerebro, Orgasmo, Envidia y Sofía', the song that kicks off El Evangelio Según Mi Jardinero, the fourth album by Uruguayan pop genius Martín Buscaglia and his second on Lovemonk.

El Evangelio is a wonderful collection of deliciously cheeky and brutally honest songs composed by a man who was lucky enough to grow up in a home where several of his home country's cultural greats (Eduardo Mateo, Urbano Moraes, Rubén Rada, all three of legendary candombe innovators El Kinto, and Hugo Fattoruso, of Opa) would drop by to chat, write and hang out. They, and other heroes like Marvin Gaye, Tom Waits, Stevie Wonder, and Jorge Ben, have had a lasting influence on Martín's music, and it's no different on El Evangelio. Martín wrote most of the songs and plays all kinds of instruments, conventional and not so conventional (the ravanahatha - an ancient bowed, stringed instrument used in South Asia, different toys such as the Simon device and a carousel), and there are cameos by the likes of Arnaldo Antunes, Nicolás Ibarburu and Juana Molina.

El Evangelio Según Mi Jardinero is a dazzling piece of work that will make you dance your ass of and take you to place you haven't visited since childhood. Even 12 years on, the at times complex songs actually sound deceptively simple and stunningly fresh.

This is long overdue. I mean, looooooonnnnnng overdue. A solo album by Jim. The trap kit - so straightforward, so mysterious. What"s inside those things? Air and light - from which century? Which continent? Which planet? Depending on how and when you hit them it can be a vibration sent through a prehistoric breath, particles of Saturn"s atmosphere, the dead, wet leaves you walked through on the way to the first day of school. These are the memories of the drums on this record. Infinite and personal. Editing each other as they muscle to the front or soft shoe to the shadow. Cymbals can override/cancel everything out - wipe your memory clear or make the memory clearer. Drums are the instrument where you can feel the presence of the player the most - the full body - and sense the thoughts of the player the most. The instrument with the most choices to be made sends out the most brainwaves. A bouquet of brainwaves is on this LP. Jim oversees it all, surveys from the lost place we"re in, the void - the drumless song. We trust. We trust, Jim. His big green eyes search for the right tool (mallet, brush, etc), eyes that search you like you"re a song he wants to join, wants to see if he can add to or understand. Before humans, drums were playing - these drums. Genesis was a solo drum piece. After humans, these drums, this album. Someone - the last man - is out in a spaceship at the edge of space. He plays a single chord on a synth to set time free from its bind and then lets go. This album sets time free, lets it frolic, lets it graze, lets it remember. This is a record of thoughts, memories, surgery. A deft surgical operation you may not even realize is happening as it"s happening but you"re back on your feet when it"s over. Memories refreshed. Did you really even listen to it? -Bill Callahan, November 2023

We are very happy to announce our brand-new full-length album, "Supersonic Megafauna Collision"! This product of impenetrable evil is coming out on April 5th by Heavy Psych Sounds Records! Get ready to be overtaken by a storm of pachyderm guitar riffs, wooly bass, explosive drumming, and witchy vocals! "Supersonic Megafauna Collision" is an unholy celebration of all things heavy, and as the album progresses it just keeps getting doomier! It is an evil and explosive album, with 666% fuzz! Recorded, mixed & mastered at Descent Studio. Drums recorded at Ritual Studios. Artwork by Branca Studio.

When I first moved to Ireland I was unexpectedly met by thousands of vacant churches. Massive halls formed a hollow emptiness which persisted for several months that eventually turned into years. This record was made in one of those churches on an antique, Blüthner grand piano. I worked and recorded on this piano most days, for an entire year. While working on compositions within the modern-classical realm, I fell in love with the fullness of the reverb that each note echoed throughout the room. I eventually shifted my focus entirely and decided to record just the reverb sustained on the end of each note. I did this with a variation of chords and single notes, capturing only the sustain. All of the tracks on this album were made using these recordings.

The piano is over 100 years old. The age of its parts contribute additional elements which reflect their use and time. Its sustain offered a unique, imperfect timbre with an action occasionally finishing in a deep, low rattle. Sometimes this would cause problems while recording other works. Instead of removing this additional noise from all of my previous recordings, deeming them imperfect, I borrowed them all for this concept. I increased the length of each sustain, even some of the rattling, and wove them together like an orchestra. Very little has been done to change or manipulate the analog notes you hear on the recordings. My goal is to capture this piano exactly as it was in the space and time it was played in. Some notes are mildly stretched or pitch shifted, but most are not. These minor changes to some of the notes revealed a character within them delivering expressions that are unmistakably human to the ear. It was discovered through these sessions that the unexpected sounds mentioned - which occasionally pronounce themselves as an animalistic growl - exist. The piano is capable of producing them. Upon allowing many of the notes to sit primarily as their analog form, paired with some minuscule pitch and time alterations, it is evident that these “new” sounds are not manufactured by effects but simply revealed, or conjured during the process of this arrangement.

Nachdem seine intime Underplay-Show-Tour „SHHH“ im März binnen Sekunden ausverkauft war, kündigt Archy Marshall sein mittlerweile viertes Studioalbum „Space Heavy“ als King Krule an. Erscheinen wird es am 9. Juni bei XL Recordings. Zehn Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung seines umjubelten Debütalbums „6 Feet Beneath the Moon“ zeigen die 15 neuen Songs den britischen Songwriter auf der Höhe seines Schaffens.

Entstanden ist das Album zwischen 2020 und 2022, als Archy Marshall sowohl London als auch Liverpool seine Heimat nannte und viel Zeit auf den Reisen von einem zum anderen Ort verbrachte. Während diesen Trips entstand seine Faszination für „the space between“, wie er es nennt: die Orte, die von Träumen voller Liebe verfolgt werden, während sich Archy in seinen Texten mit persönlichen Verlusten befasst. Nachdem die Texte fertig waren, entstand die Musik gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten Dilip Harris sowie seiner langjährigen Band, bestehend aus Ignacio Salvadores (Saxophone), George Bass (Schlagzeug), James Wilson (Bass) und Jack Towell (Gitarre).

In den 15 Songs von „Space Heavy“ verbinden sich viele Elemente seiner bisherigen Karriere mit dem klanglichen Kosmos, der ihm das Attribut als eine der Stimmen seiner Generation einbrachte. Die dichten Lyrics seines Debüts, die Verschiebung seines Sounds bei „The OOZ“ (2017), die Ursprünglichkeit von „Man Alive!“ und die rohe Verletzlichkeit, die er auf „You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down“ zeigte, fließen in den Sound seines neuen Albums ein.

Mit der Albumankündigung erscheint die erste Single „Seaforth“ mitsamt Video, bei dem seine regelmäßige Kollaborateurin und Visual Artist Jocelyn Anquetil Regie geführt hat.

This is Fugazi's fifth full-length record, released in 1998.
The 12" LP format was re-cut and re-issued in September 2009.

Ian MacKaye vocals & guitar Guy Picciotto vocals & guitar Joe Lally bass Brendan Canty drums

Am National Album Day (NAD), der nun schon zum sechsten Mal stattfindet, kommt die UK-Musikszene jedes Jahr zusammen, um die Albumkultur zu feiern und zu fördern. Das diesjährige Thema der 90er Jahre soll ein Licht auf ein äußerst reichhaltiges Musikjahrzehnt werfen, das sich zwischen Pop, Trip Hop und Hip Hop bewegte: NAD-Release: Jeff Buckley "Grace" - Lilac Wine Vinyl

The Japanese alternative band lead by OORUTAICHI Urichipangoon's 2nd Album on vinyl first time.

Original CD was released in 2008.

2LP Gatefold and incert.

They crossover Jazz, Brazilian, Afrobeat and folklore, and on unique Japanese poetry.

SKRAECKOEDLAN - four bearded Swedes who's forged their unique sound of progressive stoner rock in the cold northern forests. Previous album Earth was a massive domestic success as it hit the hard rock charts in Sweden. We expect SKRAECKOEDLAN to continue growing as new fans discover Vermilion Sky, out after five years of silence. Five years. Is that a long time to wait? Generally speaking, yes. Probably. Well, maybe. Time is after all relative, so there surely isn't a fail-safe answer.

ZOMBEAST erheben sich von den Toten und präsentieren "Heart Of Darkness", ihr bisher härtestes, düsterstes und wildestes Album!
Beeinflusst von Danzig, AFI, Mercyful Fate und 80er Jahre Punk, Death Rock und Thrash Metal, haben ZOMBEAST eine perfekte Crossover-Mischung aus Dark Punk und Thrash erschaffen. Die von Mario Montechello geschriebenen Texte handeln von den echten Schrecken des Lebens, vom Okkulten und von Lykanthropie.
Mit Alex Young (Leadgitarre) und Kyle Smith (Schlagzeug) betritt die Band auch in technischer Hinsicht Neuland, das sie bisher noch nie betreten hat.
Donnernde Drums und sich duellierende Gitarren treffen auf diesem lang erwarteten neuen Album auf Gesang mit Kultcharakter - lasst euch das nicht entgehen!

Madonna is the first and only recording artist to have 50 number 1 hits on any single Billboard chart. To celebrate this historic milestone, Madonna has curated a new collection titled Finally Enough Love which includes her favourite remixes of those chart-topping dance hits that have filled clubs worldwide for four decades.

This collection highlights You Can Dance, Madonna’s first ever remix collection. Celebrating 35 years this year, You Can Dance has sold more than five million copies worldwide and is still the second best-selling remix album of all time. The collection also pays homage to “Everybody,” Madonna’s first single. Each remix is newly remastered for the collection by Mike Dean, who produced Madonna’s two most-recent studio albums, Rebel Heart (2015) and Madame X (2019). Along with those rarities, this album also introduces the “Offer Nissim Promo Mix” of “Living For Love” as its first official release.

What a great little∼big gift from amigo MIKE WATT, himself → 30 years after the release of the MINUTEMEN —mythical, epic & unique— album «Double Nickels On The Dime» coinciding with the very∼first european tour curated by MadameMacario and shared with GUESS WHAT & L’Œillère from Februarry 20 to Aprril 19, 2014 ; MIKE WATT THE MISSINGMEN suggested me to help spread this —tasty & respectful— selection of 6 HOMMAGE interpretations taken from this 1984 «chef d’œuvre»… Just a sweet neat iconoclast blast !

In many ways, the music of Writhing Squares could have only originated in Philadelphia; the city itself a microcosm of creatives, go-getters, freaks & weirdos that have coalesced into a supportive & boundary-pushing crew. Former Purling Hiss bassist Daniel Provenzano & Ecstatic Vision sax-player & vocalist Kevin Nickles' first musical missive was shot forth in 2013 (the self-released CDR "Live In Space") & various singles, split releases, albums (and a double-album) later we arrive at the duo's fourth full-length "Mythology", their third for Chicago-based Trouble In Mind Records. "Mythology" picks up the pieces left shattered by their previous double-album "Chart For The Solution" and reconnects the broken shards together like Kintsugi, the ancient Japanese technique for mending broken ceramics, infusing the breaks with powdered gold. The Squares themselves are like mad-scientists, taking the ruined detritus populating junk shops & surplus outlets & constructing their own sonic laboratories in their New Jersey basements to record, mix & tweak "Mythology"s eight tracks. Their new location allowed the band to regroup, reassess & reconstruct their sound from the ground up, shearing away the cosmic excess of 2021's "Chart For The Solution" to a sharper point. Tracks like `Barbarians' & `LEM' are classic Squares; brutal, aggressive, unwavering assault of Motorhead/Stooges-inflected sci-fi punk scree, while others like `Chromatophage's mutant funk & `Cerberus's techno-slink owe a serious debt to electric-era Miles Davis or Herbie Hancock & show that the group has more to offer than bludgeoning you with sonic force. Provenzano's bass & electronics are like a tank rolling across the terrain - a gnarly construct of Hawkwind-ian headiness & `Vincebus Eruptum's snarl - uncaring of what gets in the way. Nickles' brass vacillates between Stooges-influenced sleaze, jazzy no-wave stabs, & cacophonous sonic storms, strafing the listener into oblivion. The duo are joined on "Mythology" by drummer John Schoemaker - who contributed drums to "Chart For The Solution"s epic closing track `Epilogue' - whose percussive pulse adds an organic swing to The Square's sonics, particularly on album closer "The Damned Thing"s cosmic strut. "Mythology" tackles a multitude of themes, from fantastical tales of hellhound `Cerberus' or the comic-inspired "Eternity " to `Chromatophage's colorful/evil yarn about animals that eat colors (or a Magic: The Gathering card) to the true-life influenced `Acid Rain' that deals with the uncertainty of consuming drinking water after a chemical spill in the Delaware River. Elsewhere, `Ferrell' is an homage to the late, great Ferrell "Pharaoh" Sanders & `The Damned Thing' by a short horror story penned by Ambrose Bierce about an animal whose coloring is invisible to the naked eye. Writhing Squares are in a transitional phase, mapping out a new sonic mythology for themselves after crossing the event horizon into unknown space. "Mythology" is streaming on most DSPs & released on black vinyl & limited fluorescent green vinyl (while supplies last) on April 26th, 2024.

1994 reissue

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Beastie Boys’ multi-platinum Ill Communication album, this limited-edition deluxe reissue is a rare version of the album that was originally released as a limited run in 2009. Long out-of-print and sought after by fans and collectors, it features lenticular cover art and includes a bonus LP with 12 bonus tracks (remixes, B-sides and rarities), all housed in a rigid slipcase and pressed on 180g vinyl.

Forest Green Vinyl. Als uneheliches Kind von Elvis und Lux Interior hat der israelische Gitarrist Charlie Megira während seiner viel zu kurzen 44 Reisen um die Sonne ein berauschendes Amalgam aus 50er-Jahre-Trash-Rock, Surf-Tremolo und hallgetränktem Goth gebraut. In 15 Jahren nahm er sieben Alben auf, die hauptsächlich auf CD-R veröffentlicht wurden, die meisten davon sind heute unlesbar oder liegen auf einer Mülldeponie. Nur mit einer Eko-Gitarre, einem schwarzen Smoking und seiner charakteristischen Sonnenbrille bewaffnet, war Charlie Megira ein Künstler, der sich in Luft auflöste, während wir alle auf unsere Telefone starrten. Auf seinem Debütalbum "Da Abtomatic Meisterzinger Mambo Chic" aus dem Jahr 2000 kanalisiert Megira den Optimismus der amerikanischen Nachkriegszeit, narkoleptischen Surf und den Soundtrack von Twin Peaks zu einem ganz eigenen Lo-Fi-Meisterwerk. "Mambo Chic", das sowohl auf Hebräisch als auch auf Englisch gesungen wird, bewegt sich in einem bedächtigen Tempo, unbekümmert um den Verkehr der modernen Welt und eingehüllt in eine Decke aus Tascam-4-Spur-Rauschen. Auf "Tomorrow's Gone" gelingt Megira das Kunststück, so weit in der Vergangenheit zu sein, dass er irgendwie in der Zukunft lebt und darauf wartet, dass der Rest von uns ankommt.

McKeown creates a patchwork of dream sequences and woozy psychedelia that range from low key groove and floating-in-space cosmic horror. “Electronic folk horror” was how it was described to me, and I gotta say I can get on board with that description. But there’s much more happening here. Moments I’m reminded of Colin Stetson’s excellent Color Out Of Space score, while other times there’s a real Tangerine Dream vibe, ala their Legend soundtrack.

This is the assumption; what are the facts?

In an exhilarating convergence of sonic exploration, experimental noise guitarist Nina Garcia and danish trombone virtuoso Maria Bertel have teamed up to create a heavy-hitting, collaborative record that pushes the boundaries between extreme improvisation and harsh noise. Both renowned in their respective fields, Garcia and Bertel bring their unique styles and influences to create a masterpiece of collaborative improvisation.

Known for her fearless approach to the guitar and her ability to conjure otherworldly sounds, Nina Garcia has carved a niche for herself in the experimental music scene. With a minimal setup consisting of only guitar, pedal & amp; constantly touring, collaborating and evolving, Garcia has established herself as a trailblazer, challenging conventional norms and redefining the possibilities of the guitar beyond tonality. There‘s as much free improvisation in her playing as it is informed by no wave and the energy of free jazz, but most of all, this is kinetic music.

And this might be the intersection where Garcia and Maria Bertel meet.

Bertel, an accomplished trombonist active in the free noise rock monolith Selvhenter and in the duo Gud Er Kvinde (God Is A Woman), is no stranger to pushing the limits of her instrument. Known for her dynamic performances and innovative approach, Bertel has earned international acclaim for her ability to seamlessly blend genres and traverse musical landscapes - from delivering the low end in Selvhenter to the drone explorations of G.E.K., together with Nina, she focuses on rhythmic possibilities of her instrument. The distorted, feedbacking trombone is as controlled and precise as it is sonically explorative.

KNÆKKET SMIL (meaning „broken smile“) is a living, breathing, moving entity. It‘s a testament to the raw and emotive power of these two players. Bertel and Garcia‘s practice of mutual listening, reacting and merging is as radically tender as lovers exploring each other‘s scars.

This approach to collaboration is also reflected in every other part of that record. It‘s a joint effort of three labels, french label No Lagos, which is a home to many of Garcia‘s ventures (and the graphic work of Helene Marian), germany‘s Otomatik Muziek, where Maria previously released with G.E.K., and belgian experimental stalwarts Kraak as focal point.

Mit „Rockstar“ veröffentlicht Dolly Parton, die am meisten geehrte und verehrte Country-Sängerin aller Zeiten, ihr erstes Rock Album. Sie wurde bereits für ihre musikalische Arbeit in die „Rock n‘ Roll Hall of
Fame” aufgenommen. Mit Alben in mehr als vier verschiedenen Genres, darunter Country, Folk, Bluegrass und jetzt Rock, überzeugt die international erfolgreiche Künstlerin bereits seit mehr als 5 Jahrzehnten.

The mind-flowing 'Dices' somehow did not make it onto the Grupo Pan's only album and instead found its home on the B side of a long-forgotten 1972 single. One can only wonder why this great song with a devastating guitar riff and an irresistible rhythm section was not granted a place in the grooves of the LP of the Venezuelan band_ Late 60s hard rock sounds made by salsa musicians! On the flip, a rare hard psych gem from Peru by the one and only Jean Paul "El Troglodita". First time single reissue! The few records released by Venezuela's most prolific percussionist, Nené Quintero, and his first band sound like a somewhat artisanal classic rock recording from the end of the 60s but made by "salseros" (as involved in Salsa music). Their only LP "Pan" (recently reissued for the first time on Vampisoul) succeeded in overcoming through its grooves the eternal rivalry between the followers of the hard rock sounds and those who, on the contrary, were devotees of salsa. Grupo Pan also released a bunch of 45s mostly comprising LP tracks. However, the mind-flowing 'Dices' somehow did not make it onto the album and instead found its home on the B side of a 1972 single. Enrique Tellería (aka Jean Paul) was nicknamed "El Troglodita" (The Caveman) due to his wild performances in his native Peru. Screams, extreme body shaking and, quite often, stage destruction were part of his energetic shows. His hard psych gem 'Fuera de Atracción' was originally released on a much sought-after 45 on the tiny Peruvian label Rey Record. We thought it would be a perfect pairing with the stunning A side to finish off this single. First time single reissue!

• Following on from the highly successful first two editions
of Dance Masters featuring the classics mixes from
maestros Shep Pettibone and Arthur Baker the spotlight
turns to another remix legend, John Luongo.
• Boston born, John is one of the truly legendary DJ's and
remixers of the Disco era. John got his break at Epic by
overdubbing percussion from salt shakers and spoons
onto a promo and then passing them back the tape. This
resulted in him being flown to New York, and put in a
studio (of his choice) to mix and produce Melba Moore`s
“You Stepped Into My Life”. From this point everything he
touched was a hit. He went onto remix Disco classics by
Jackie Moore – “This Time Baby”, Dan Hartman “Vertigo
/ Relight My Fire” and Patti Labelle “Music Is My Way Of
Life”.

• John, however was not afraid of remixing artists that
didn’t fit into the disco genre and this attitude is borne out
by the tracklisting of this compilation on which Gladys
Knight and The Pips rub shoulders with ZZ Top and Billy
Idol, and Baltimora appears alongside Bill Nelson and ILevel.
• “…if you played this whole thing, just put it on and
didn’t tell anyone it was me, they’d say ‘boy, what a great
group of songs this is!’” - John Luongo
• The collection is housed in a beautiful lift-off-lid box, with
a 16 page booklet featuring foreword by Arthur Baker, an
in-depth essay written by Alexis Petridis (Rock and Pop
reviewer for The Guardian) and complete with rare photos
from John’s personal collection plus a limited signed insert.

• All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound
Mastering.
• A 43-track 4CD edition is also available, along with a 2LP
vinyl edition featuring 16 highlights.

Most audiophiles know Alan Parsons Project's I Robot by heart. Engineered by Parsons after he performed the same duties on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, the 1977 record reigns as a disc whose taut bass, crisp highs, clean production, and seemingly limitless dynamic range are matched only by the sensational prog-rock fare helmed by the keyboardist and his creative partner, Eric Woolfson. Not surprisingly, it's been issued myriad times. Can it be improved? Relish Mobile Fidelity's stupendous UltraDisc One-Step 180g 33RPM box set and the question becomes moot.


Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI on MoFi SuperVinyl, I Robot comes to life with reference-setting realism on this numbered, limited-edition reissue. Boasting immaculate highs and lows, generous spaciousness, and see-through transparency that takes you into the studio with Parsons and Woolfson at Abbey Road, this definitive edition is designed to demonstrate the full-range capabilities of the world's best stereo systems while offering listeners the convenience of having all the music on one LP.

Featuring a nearly inaudible noise floor, this transcendent UD1S edition functions as a repeat invitation to savor reference-grade soundstages, immersive smoothness, sought-after instrumental separation, three-dimensional imaging, and consummate tonal balances. Able to be played back at high volumes without compromise or fatigue, it is a demonstration record for the ages – the likes of which are no longer being made. This is the very reason you own and invest in high-end audio gear.

The special characteristics of this UD1S version extend to the premium packaging. Housed in an elegant slipcase, the reissue features special foil-stamped jackets and faithful-to-the-original graphics. Aurally and visually, it is made for discerning listeners who prize sound quality and production, and who desire to fully immerse themselves in everything about this conceptual landmark. The Alan Parsons Project's most famous record deserves nothing less.

Inspired by and loosely based around the Isaac Asimov stories of the same name, I Robot delves into themes of artificial intelligence and technological dominance that make the record extremely relevant in the 21st century. Indeed, Parsons and Woolfson's pinnacle creation dovetailed with the ascendency of Star Wars, which itself is experiencing a rebirth in an age of self-driving cars, smart devices, and mindless automation. Lyrically, songs such as "The Voice" call into question human behavior – and their relationship to increasing robotic supremacy – in everyday life. Parsons and Woolfson reflect the associated paranoia, dichotomy, and transformation via shifting sci-fi arrangements steeped in drama and moodiness.

The absorbing tunes on I Robot also continue to fascinate due to their perfectionism and innovation. Borrowing from Pink Floyd's strategies, Parsons and Woolfson utilize a looped sequence on the title track to create new downbeats. "Some Other Time" employs two different lead vocalists and yet gives the illusion that only one is involved. Captivating strings, a piccolo trumpet, and bona fide pipe organ grace "Don't Let It Show." The origins of "Nucleus" stem from a unique analog keyboard concoction dubbed "the Projectron," devised by Parsons and electronic engineer Keith Johnson. Andrew Powell's orchestral and choral arrangements top it all off, with "Total Eclipse" arriving as a frightening track that presages the climactic "Genesis Ch. 1 V. 32."

Does man or machine win in the end? Decide as you get lost in Mobile Fidelity's UltraDisc 180g 33RPM LP pressing. Secure your numbered copy today!

More About Mobile Fidelity UltraDisc One-Step and Why It Is Superior
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's UltraDisc One-Step (UD1S) technique bypasses generational losses inherent to the traditional three-step plating process by removing two steps: the production of father and mother plates, which are created to yield numerous stampers from each lacquer that is cut. For UD1S plating, stampers (also called "converts") are made directly from the lacquers. Since each lacquer yields only one stamper, multiple lacquers need to be cut. Mobile Fidelity's UD1S process produces a final LP with the lowest-possible noise floor. The removal of two steps of the plating process also reveals musical details and dynamics that would otherwise be lost due to the standard multi-step process. With UD1S, every aspect of vinyl production is optimized to produce the best-sounding vinyl album available today.

MoFi SuperVinyl

Developed by NEOTECH and RTI, MoFi SuperVinyl is the most exacting-to-specification vinyl compound ever devised. Analogue lovers have never seen (or heard) anything like it. Extraordinarily expensive and extremely painstaking to produce, the special proprietary compound addresses two specific areas of improvement: noise floor reduction and enhanced groove definition. The vinyl composition features a new carbonless dye (hold the disc up to the light and see) and produces the world's quietest surfaces. This high-definition formula also allows for the creation of cleaner grooves that are indistinguishable from the original lacquer. MoFi SuperVinyl provides the closest approximation of what the label's engineers hear in the mastering lab.

While 1995's Washing Machine LP moniker was a thinly-veiled jab at the corporate aesthetic ("no, you cannot turn Sonic Youth into a household appliance brand", the band even considered changing its name to Washing Machine but settled on the album title instead), their major label relationship was indeed a curious buzzpoint of talk on the street after their intake to DGC in 1990. It wouldn't be fair to say that this state of existence propelled the band to reinforce its independent mindset by releasing a series of opaque-looking, French-language-dipping, highbrow-looking releases on their own that focused on the more abstract improv/compositional side of the band; in all truths they had been heavily steeped in self-releasing spillover material prior to that. But after a pressure pot of the early 90's indoctrination into a new operational mode for the band and its visibility, and the forces around it attempting to shape their direction, it seemed like a good time to create a strong show of radical concept.

The Anagrama EP became the first in a series of the SYR label's Perspective Musicales releases seemingly cementing Sonic Youth's connectivity to an increasing public awareness in experimental composers of the 20th century (French or otherwise). The irony was that many of those original avant composers being rediscovered by the indie audience (Partch, Neuhaus, Reich, Messaien) often found themselves on major labels anyway! So, perhaps this reverse approach was a necessary concept/comment given the music biz climate of the 90's. Regardless of how apples and oranges fell in Xenakian probability/theory, it was clear that both Sonic Youth's stature in progressive music, aided by now unlimited taperoll time thanks to a home base studio downtown established after their Lollapalooza stint, gave the band plenty of trailblazing time for their self examination of untraveled avenues.

"Anagrama" unfolds into nine minutes of delicate textures, starting with thick drone segueing into moments reminiscent of the post-crescendo flutter/comedown of "Marquee Moon's" trail-out; Thurston, Lee and Kim's guitars all circling round each other taking delicate pokes and stabs before drifting into some post-rock rhythmic moves tapered with delicate percussive guidance from Steve Shelley. "Improvisation Ajoutée" reaches further out into dissolve with whirring oscillations, guitars hissing and clanking radiator-style in a short blast format that continues into "Tremens" and a spooked-out landscape of gelatinous notes snaking up slowly. The sparseness of attack is colorful, textures emit and linger, silent spots shine, all flanked by tasteful drumming that provides the thread to all the abstraction. Shelley's approach here is interestingly sideways to any kind of usual rock action, it's tempered, mutant and metronomic simultaneously. The finale track "Mieux: De Corrosion" is a real pedal-palatte showcase. Here, Plutonian guitar wash flanges upwards to buoy a myriad of colorful eruptions of amp-spuzz, chopped up tone blasts and general confusion. Out of the blue, some metallic one-note choogle kicks in and threatens to explode into some Judas Priestly motion, before it all sputters into aural glass showers, clang, and finally a ferocious wave of more flange hiss that crashes down on a dime.

This initial foray into SY's Perspectives Musicales series continued onward with releases featuring other co-conspirators, peaking with the ambitious 2CD Goodbye 20th Century that finally connects the band into full-on interpretations of other composers' pieces (as well as displaying their own new ones). The whole series is not so much an outlet for another "side" of the band, but a run that went hand in hand building new approaches of songcraft onto their own, more overground direction which included Jim O'Rourke (who hopped on during SYR3), adding additional density to A Thousand Leaves and other LPs of his era. Fans of the '86 Spinhead Sessions as well as the recently-exhumed later jams of In/Out/In will take in the sounds of SYR1 with glee.

Es gibt nur einige wenige große Bands auf unserem Planeten, die man innerhalb weniger Sekunden unfehlbar identifizieren kann. Das einzigartige
Melodieverständnis, die geschmackvolle Instrumentierung, die richtige Balance aus Tiefe und Eingängigkeit, und dann natürlich diese charismatische
Stimme: Magnum sind Magnum!
Dies gilt auch für ihr neuestes Studioalbum ‚Here Comes The Rain‘, das am 12. Januar 2024 über Steamhammer/SPV als CD+DVD, Doppel-Vinyl-LP, als
Boxset und als Digitalversion veröffentlicht wird und einmal mehr beweist: Stimmungsvoller kann klassische Rockmusik kaum klingen.
Das fantasievolle Artwork stammt wie gewohnt aus der Feder des großartigen Rodney Matthews, der bereits für zahlreiche Magnum-Scheiben das
äußere Erscheinungsbild an die atmosphärisch dichte Musik der Band perfekt angeglichen hat.
Kein Zweifel: Mit ‚Here Comes The Rain‘ ist Magnum in der Besetzung Catley, Clarkin, Keyboarder Rick Benton, Bassist Dennis Ward und Schlagzeuger
Lee Morris erneut ein farbenfrohes, abwechslungsreiches und in jeder Sekunde inspiriertes neues Studioalbum gelungen.

It's never too late to celebrate love.

"I could climb every mountain. Cross the mighty sea. Refuse water from the fountain. To have you here with me. And I know I'll endure it. I'll be waiting at your gate." A liminal love message between Ad & Frankie from W.A.T.. Both folk country'ish songs made in the mid 80's"

This group of Ole Miss grads feature Jim Weatherly (writer of “Midnight Train to Georgia”) and is often likened to the Association for their soft, trippy sound. “Everything about this well-crafted fusion of sunshine pop and gentle psychedelia is geared towards accenting all things melodic” - Grahame Bent (Record Collector) Reissued on LP for the first time! This release comes with (a) Booklet.

Älter geworden sind sie, milde jedoch nicht, denn Anlass zum Wütend-Sein und Feiern gibt es noch immer. Über 40 Jahre später folgt nun mit ihrem zweiten Album also Die Rückkehr des Bumm! Ende der Siebziger begannen Annette "Bärchen" Simons und eine Gruppe Teenager-"Milchbubis", Hannover unsicher zu machen. Von da an war die Band mit ihren humorvoll-subversiven Texten breitflächig vertreten: Von Jugendzentren, Underground-Tapes und nischigen Fanzines über die Bravo bis ins BRD-Fernsehen sowie auf den großen Bühnen des Landes - viele waren dem Bärchen-Charme verfallen. Nach einer LP und einer EP folgte 1983 mit der Label- auch die Bandauflösung und die Gruppe verschwand vorerst von der Bildfläche. 2021 meldeten sich Bächen und die Milchbubis dann mit der Werkschau Endlich Komplett Betrunken zurück. Es folgten Auftritt-Anfragen kleinerer Punk-Festivals: Hätte die Band nicht Lust, nach all der Zeit mal wieder live aufzutreten? Und wie sie es hatte! Annette Simons, die zu Gründungszeiten "nur" Sängerin war, hat sich ganz in Punk-Manier das Gitarrenspielen beigebracht. Auch Kai Nungesser bleibt an Bass und Gesang erhalten. Neuzugang ist der ehemalige Rotzkotz-Schlagzeuger Markus Joseph. Bärchen und die Milchbubis kitzeln die Wut vom ernsten Punk-Habitus am verkrampften Bierbauch und vertonen das unfreiwillige Lachen, das dabei rauskommt. Entstanden ist so also ein Album, das den Punk ins Jahr 2024

Domino are immensely proud to announce the signing of my bloody
valentine, with new physical editions of the band’s seminal catalogue
being made available. ‘Isn’t Anything’ and ‘loveless’ have been
mastered fully analogue for deluxe LPs and also mastered from new
hi-res uncompressed digital sources for standard LPs, with each
being made available widely for the first time ever. Fully analogue
cuts of ‘m b v’ will also be available on deluxe and standard LPs
globally for the first time.
my bloody valentine, the quartet of Bilinda Butcher, Kevin Shields,
Deb Googe and Colm Ó Cíosóig, are widely revered as one of the
most ground-breaking and influential groups of the past forty years.
During an era in which guitar bands denoted, at best, a retroclassicism, not only did my bloody valentine sound unlike any of their
contemporaries, the band achieved the rare feat of sounding like the
future.
The second my bloody valentine album, ‘loveless’, was released in
1991. Musically, it took an unexpected leap forwards, standing ahead
of anything released at the time. Shields and the band moved further
towards a music of pure sensation, creating textures and tones that
could be felt as much as heard; with ‘loveless’ the band created an
album that overwhelmed the senses. ‘loveless’ is widely considered a
flawless whole and rightly regarded as a masterpiece; a 1990s
equivalent to ‘Pet Sounds’, ‘In A Silent Way’ or ‘Innervisions’, a record
constructed by exploring the edges of what a recording studio is
capable of. It is a record best experienced as a whole, in one sitting -
a listening experience like no other and unmatchable in its sonic
brevity.