Pop & Rock News

November sees the release of MERRIE LAND, the second album from The Good, The Bad & The Queen, a band comprising of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen and Simon Tong. The Good, The Bad & The Queen began life as the acclaimed 2007 album of the same name, a heartfelt tribute to London described by The Observer in a 5 star review as -'One of the most surprising and magical records for which Damon Albarn has ever been responsible'. The record traced a journey from the English music hall tradition to West Africa and Afrobeat, zigzagging through the West Indies and its reggae and dub, back to England and London's punk scene, all the while taking in a strand of British beat music from the '50s right through to Britpop. The result was a record specific to a place and mood but with a background that was geographically wide-ranging. Now the four musical storytellers are back with a new studio album titled 'Merrie Land'. Produced by Tony Visconti and The Good, The Bad & The Queen was completed in London and Wales this year, during the current ongoing period in which the UK is preparing to leave the European Union, 'Merrie Land 'is a questioning good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018. Even though it has been over 10 years since the band last released a record, the timing could not be more apt - there could not be a more perfect band to untangle the optimism, disorientation and confusion in the atmosphere today. With 'Merrie Land', the band taps into a creative symbiosis of past and future, drawing inspiration from their shared glittering musical histories and wrapping the hybrid results in a brilliantly postmodern yet thoroughly British package. The album sees the band's focus move beyond London with a beautiful and hopeful paean to the Britain of today - an inclusive Britain - and the possibilities of the future. In the band's own words, Merrie Land is a ten song lament of Anglo-Saxosentialism marking the reluctant end of a relationship, and about picking up the pieces and seeing what can be salvaged. The band set a beautifully muted palette and lustrous finish to bring out a mood that is bruised yet unapologetically defiant and optimistic, and carries the underlying message: we will survive. In times of metaphysical trauma, the people need to forge ahead and wear armour. Here it is, set to the mood music of a nation about to be broken yet undefeated.

Tilian is the exciting solo project from Dance Gavin Dance front man Tilian Pearson. Tilian's unique voice is the driving force in Dance Gavin Dance, and has led to over 600,000 total consumed albums in the United States alone. The most recent Dance Gavin Dance record sold over 30,000 copies in it's first week alone proving that he has a strong, rabid fan base. 'The Skeptic' showcases everything you love about Tilian's vocal range, delivered in the most straightforward and infectious pop songs. Each of the 10 songs are melodic, funky and overall addicting, each one dripping with character. With his experience in world-renown Dance Gavin Dance, Tilian has mastered the art of powerful vocals while holding an extremely unique twist. Tilian is not just a half-hearted side project; it's a booming phase in the singer's career and is something that music is in desperate need of. Along with a jaw-dropping voice, Tilian has an immense amount of tour experience, supporting bands such as Underoath, Of Mice & Men, A Day to Remember & more. He will be embarking on a headlining tour, leading up to and following the release of 'The Skeptic'. Tilian's masterpiece 'The Skeptic' blurs the lines between genres, ensuring that it can be enjoyed by fans of Dance Gavin Dance, and beyond. It's an album that is sure to end up on multiple 'Best of Lists' by the years end.

Fleet Foxes have announced a special limited-edition collection to mark the 10th anniversary of their debut album, entitled First Collection 2006 - 2009. The package features content spanning the early days of Fleet Foxes' career, including the self-titled full-length debut album on 12' vinyl, as well as the Sun Giant EP on 10' vinyl and the first vinyl releases of both the very limited-edition, previously only self-released The Fleet Foxes EP on 10' and B-sides & Rarities on 10'. In addition to its musical offerings, the release will feature a 32-page booklet including show flyers, lyrics, and artwork from the period. The special edition will also be released on CD and on all digital platforms.

Fleet Foxes' debut album made a tremendous impact on the international musical scene, topping numerous 'best of' lists, including Rolling Stone's 100 Best Albums of the 2000's and Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2008, and earned the band Uncut's inaugural Music Award Prize. Fleet Foxes is certified Gold in North America and Platinum in both the UK and Australia. Fleet Foxes' most recent release was the critically acclaimed full-length, Crack-Up, released in June 2017 on Nonesuch following a six-year hiatus.

On June 15th, Pennsylvania's Petal will release 'Magic Gone', a 10-song declaration of personal liberation and a look into the mind and soul of singer/songwriter Kiley Lotz. ''Magic Gone' is the physical and sonic representation of me fighting for my right not only to survive but live all while coming to terms with encroaching adulthood,' says Lotz. 'I was a closeted queer person struggling with chronic mental health disorders; terrified that if I tried to deal with these two major issues in my life I would lose everyone and everything I loved. Coming out was the beginning of a long and continuing process of self-actualization, of taking a hard look at myself and the problems I had and how I could fix them. This record is the result of being the most honest I have ever been in my life, and the constant battle of overcoming the thought that, 'maybe if I were just someone else completely, everything would be better.' 'Magic Gone' is about letting go of the anger induced by all the paranoia, anxiety, guilt and pain, and embracing the magic of your own endurance and hoping for the best.'

Since it's initial limited release in 2008, Tigers Jaw's self-titled album has become a reference point for most underground indie rock to come after it. To celebrate the ten year anniversary of this iconic album, Tigers Jaw & Run For Cover Records present this deluxe anniversary reissue is packed with special features: A zine with alternate photos from the original album art sessions, a collection of stories and memories from, Nick Hamm (Citizen), Georgia Maq (Camp Cope), Jeff Casazza (RFC), Walter Schreifels (Quicksand), Phoebe Bridgers, Ben Russin (Title Fight) & many more, full color photo 7" flexi record with an alternate version of 'Chemicals', limited edition color vinyl, and a full album digital download code.

Camisole Records welcomes you on board for this Business Class Library compilation. During your flight you will be listening to music by Serge Bulot, Alan Shearer, Gérard Gésina and Pascal Wathelet. All these 80's electronic library tracks have been curated by your captain Silver Fox to assure you a pleasant journey. 'To Thwart Soul' by Gérard Gésina will guarantee you an easy take-off while 'Ondulations' by Serge Bulot is perfect to calm down during turbulences. For hours of magnificient dreams try 'Mouvements' by Pascal Wathelet. Landing with'Hollywood' or 'Marathon Life' by Alan Shearer will prepare you for your busy day to come. We thank you for flying on Camisole Records and hope to see you again on our lines. This trip is limited to 500 copies.

Through a unique and extensive discography that features a diverse range of sounds, inspirations, and collaborators, Wicca Phase Springs Eternal has become an influential pioneer in a vital new direction of underground music. Adam McIlwee continues to advance his innate gift with words and melody while also creating the perfect gateway for the uninitiated. McIlwee's instinct for innovation dates back to his time in Tigers Jaw, the trailblazing band he spearheaded before walking away in 2013 to embark on another ambitious new chapter. He began to hone Wicca Phase's singular sound through a prolific series of releases that blended the incisive wit of songwriters like Nick Cave with heart-on-sleeve earnestness and modern hip hop percussion. This unexpected mix of dark electronics, trap rhythms, and alternative music initially caught some off-guard, but as his creativity continued to grow, so did his audience. In anticipation of the new Wicca Phase Springs Eternal album due out early next year, Run For Cover will be reissuing 2016's Secret Boy LP. WPSE's standout full-length was only originally available as a limited release through Philadelphia's Disposition Collective. Featuring tracks such as "Lights On Paper" and the instantly hypnotizing title track, Secret Boy is the perfect introduction to Wicca Phase Springs Eternal.

"Grlfrnd" is the first proper single from "Don't Cry", the first full album by the Torpedo Boyz in five years. Establishing themselves as one of the most sustainable acts in independent club-pop, "Don't Cry" sees the Berlin collective as daring and outlandish as ever before. Ten years of emerging with their ground-breaking "Headache Music" debut, followed by the quirky "Cum On The Feel Boyz" two years later and the arrival of the politically forward thinking "Return Of The Ausländers" in 2010, Torpedo Boyz head into the future in full speed.

**** Hand-Embellished Acrylic Screen Print on Brown Heavyweight Cardboard Sleeve - limited to 160 pieces. Each 7 inch cover was individually screen printed in gold and silver and hand painted using a variety of acrylic paints. It is hand numbered and stamped by Kentastic on the back of the sleeve. Please note: Each print is uniquely painted and printed and will vary from the image shown ***

With the rousing and noisy guitar-pop single "Grlfrnd" Torpedo Boyz are now back in full swing. This strictly limited 7 inch vinyl single - other than the album and download version - contains an exclusive remix by Berlin-based Californian musician and producer Timothy LaLonde. "I wanted the track to be more ass-kicking, rougher and to sound a bite more like The Sonics!" Kentastic recalls. "I had a feeling Tim was the right person to ask." And he was damn right!

The B side "Pain Pain Pain" another guitar-driven smasher is exclusively available on this vinyl format.

"Don't Cry" is available as a limited deluxe vinyl edition, regular CD and digital release in January 2016.

The CD booklet contains the lyrics November sees the release of MERRIE LAND, the second album from The Good, The Bad & The Queen, a band comprising of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Tony Allen and Simon Tong. The Good, The Bad & The Queen began life as the acclaimed 2007 album of the same name, a heartfelt tribute to London described by The Observer in a 5 star review as -'One of the most surprising and magical records for which Damon Albarn has ever been responsible'.

The record traced a journey from the English music hall tradition to West Africa and Afrobeat, zigzagging through the West Indies and its reggae and dub, back to England and London's punk scene, all the while taking in a strand of British beat music from the '50s right through to Britpop. The result was a record specific to a place and mood but with a background that was geographically wide-ranging.

Now the four musical storytellers are back with a new studio album titled 'Merrie Land'.

Produced by Tony Visconti and The Good, The Bad & The Queen was completed in London and Wales this year, during the current ongoing period in which the UK is preparing to leave the European Union, 'Merrie Land 'is a questioning good-bye letter, a series of observations and reflections on Britishness in 2018. Even though it has been over 10 years since the band last released a record, the timing could not be more apt - there could not be a more perfect band to untangle the optimism, disorientation and confusion in the atmosphere today.

With 'Merrie Land', the band taps into a creative symbiosis of past and future, drawing inspiration from their shared glittering musical histories and wrapping the hybrid results in a brilliantly postmodern yet thoroughly British package.

The album sees the band's focus move beyond London with a beautiful and hopeful paean to the Britain of today - an inclusive Britain - and the possibilities of the future. In the band's own words, Merrie Land is a ten song lament of Anglo-Saxosentialism marking the reluctant end of a relationship, and about picking up the pieces and seeing what can be salvaged. The band set a beautifully muted palette and lustrous finish to bring out a mood that is bruised yet unapologetically defiant and optimistic, and carries the underlying message: we will survive.

In times of metaphysical trauma, the people need to forge ahead and wear armour. Here it is, set to the mood music of a nation about to be broken yet undefeated.

Obsession is a solo piano album written and recorded by Kit Grill during 2018.

Odd Beholder, Das Projekt Der In Zürich Lebenden Musikerin Daniela Weinmann, Veröffentlicht Das Debüt-album "all Reality Is Virtual".

"all Reality Is Virtual" Ist Ein Intelligentes, Fließendes Und Sonderbares Pop-album, Bunt Und Bestimmt. Es Setzt Sich Mit Den Seltsamen Versuchungen Unserer Zeit Auseinander: Von Ki Bis Tinder, Von Der Offline-einsamkeit Bis Zum Obsessiven Selbstmarketing. "mir Ist Aufgefallen, Dass Die Versuchung Eines Digitalisierten Lebens Vor Allem Darin Besteht, Dass Alles Gemessen, Aufgezeichnet Werden Kann Und Damit Bekannt Ist", Sagt Weinmann. "aber Ich Sehne Mich Nach Überraschung, Nach Verwunderung Und Zufall. Mir Gefällt Das Unbekannte, Das Unkontrollierbare."
Odd Beholder Haben Mit "lighting" Und "atlas" Bereits Zwei Tolle Eps Veröffentlicht. Darüber Hinaus Erschien Im Frühjahr 2018 Mit "remixes" Eine Fein Säuberlich Zusammengestellte Ep Mit Ausgewählten Bearbeitungen Von Freund_innen, Die Odd Beholder Unterwegs Gefunden Haben Oder Von Denen Sie Fans Geworden Sind: The/das, Fejká, Hundreds, Alessandro Giannelli, Kalipo, Thomas Atzmann. Nach Touren In China, Italien, Deutschland Und Der Schweiz, Hat Daniela Weinmann In Zusammenarbeit Mit Dem Schweizer Musiker Und Produzenten Martin Schenker Das Debütalbum Aufgenommen. "all Reality Is Virtual" Von Odd Beholder Erscheint Am Im Oktober 2018 Als Lp, Cd Und Digital Auf Sinnbus Und Mouthwatering Records.

Hinter Tvam Steht Produzent Joe Oxley Aus Manchester, Dessen Debütalbum "psychic Data" Von Dean Honer (moonlandingz, I Monster, Add N To (x)) Produziert Wurde. Laut Clash Magazine Kombiniert Tvam Den Aggressiven Punk Von Big Black Mit Den Treibenden Atmosphären Von Boards Of Canada. Das Ergebnis Ist Laut The Quietus Ein Epischer Rave-shoegaze-soundtrack Allerbester Güte.

Hinter Tvam Steht Produzent Joe Oxley Aus Manchester, Dessen Debütalbum "psychic Data" Von Dean Honer (moonlandingz, I Monster, Add N To (x)) Produziert Wurde. Laut Clash Magazine Kombiniert Tvam Den Aggressiven Punk Von Big Black Mit Den Treibenden Atmosphären Von Boards Of Canada. Das Ergebnis Ist Laut The Quietus Ein Epischer Rave-shoegaze-soundtrack Allerbester Güte.

Recorded at Hollywood Palladium, LA Raw Tour, Birmingham Powerhouse, Electric Folklore Tour, London Marquee, Strength Tour, The Cabaret San Jose, California Celtic Folklore Tour, Top Rank Brighton, The Sound & The

Fury Tour, London Marquee, Strength Tour, Blaze of Glory Boston Paradise, Massachusetts, The Sound & The Fury Tour, through the 80's into the 1990's.

Line-up: Mike Peters: Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica. Dave Sharp: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Backing Vocal. Eddie MacDonald: Bass, Electric Guitar, Backing Vocal. Nigel Twist: Drums, Backing Vocals.

Mark Taylor: Keyboards

The Unwound album that ended all Unwound Albums. Recorded in a moudering farmhouose basement at the crest of the new century, Leaves Turn Inside You is the no-wave response to Spector's wall of noise call. Infinite layers of choppy guitar stabs and bridge scrapes, guttural bass thronk, thrift store synths, and monotone chanting wash over suffocating rhythms to deliver the wrld's only choral grung LP. Remastered from the original analogye tapes and pressed on heavy weight vinyl for the discerning noise-nik.

'An album of uncanny splendor. 9.0' - Pitchfork
'Beautifully austere and thrillingly expansive' - The Quietus
'Atypical and stunning.' 9/10' - Mojo

'Shlom Hatzibur' - 'Yanshuf al Anaf Gavoha' a repress of a long lost new wave single along with edits by 'The Models' and 'Mule Driver'.

'Shlom Hatzibur', a band formed by Yuval Banay and Oren Elazary, was active between 1984-1985. This was the year in which the band 'Mashina' paused their activity. ('Mashina' was established in 1983 - and is considered by many ones of the most influential rock bands in Israel). In 1984, they independently published two singles, one of which was 'Yanshuf al Anaf Gavoha'.'Yanshuf al Anaf Gavoha' (Owl on a High Branch) represents a rare moment in Israeli musical history and culture: a moment of disillusionment and expression of personal voice, contemporary sound, and rhythm which stood out during a turbulent political period.

During the First Lebanon War, in the 80s, a generation of young people traveled on the weekends from the battlefields of southern Lebanon and flocked to the rising nightclubs in Tel Aviv. From army discipline to individual freedom, from the threat of death to the city's vibrancy. It is a song of adolescence in a divided and alienated society, and its reissue is more relevant than ever.

The song mixes industrial rhythm with Post-Punk, Rock and Ska. The unusual musical production and the use of a drum machine were influenced prominently by the musical soundtrack played in Tel Aviv's record shops and alternative nightclubs (eg, 'Fuzz', 'Penguin').

Former member of Dublin punk band The Threat, Stano released his debut LP on Scoff Records in 1983. Recorded in Alto Studios, the Irish artist eschewed live performances in favour of fusing collaborative, improvised, experimental music with spoken word-poetry. The LP featured contributions from fellow Irish musicians and artists such as Michael O'Shea, Roger Doyle, Donald Teskey, Vinnie Murphy, Detroit born Jerome Rimson and is a seminal document of Irish postpunk

Elvis Costello Goodbye Cruel World on Numbered Edition 180g LP from Mobile Fidelity



Goodbye Cruel World Produced by Top Production Team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley: Several Songs Enhanced With Top-Flight Horn Arrangements



Mastered from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity 180g LP of 1984 Elvis Costello Set Is the Sonically Definitive Version



Elvis Costello and the Attractions Survive "Dreadful 80s" With Songs Concerning Loss, Identity, and Matters of the Heart



Elvis Costello wasn't in a happy place when he began writing Goodbye Cruel World. His marriage collapsed between the record's start and finish. He was also dealing with what he deems the "dreadful 80s"—a period in which the importance of videos trumped musical merit, the government in his native England engaged in controversial conflicts, and nuclear threats hovered over daily life like a black cloud. What possible good came out of the age A smart batch of songs that stands up to many of the singer-songwriter's better-known works and an underrated record that now sounds better than ever.



Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g LP at RTI, this collectable edition of Goodbye Cruel World joins Mobile Fidelity's acclaimed Costello reissues series in presenting the icon's most vital records in rich, dynamic, three-dimensional analog sound. Akin to many albums from the era, Goodbye Cruel World was hampered by bright, slick textures on the original pressings and digital counterparts. Here, Costello's fare is revealed to possess a warmer, more organic and intimate character. Costello's voice, as well as his band's nimble rhythms and Steve Nieve's R&B-spiked piano, occupy their own spaces amidst a wide, unconstrained soundstage.



The improvements rendered by this numbered-edition LP bring significantly new perspective to Costello's mordantly witty songs addressing everything from stark romantic loss to erotic desire. Produced by the hit-making team of Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, Goodbye Cruel World reflects the polish of the day in places but now reveals a deeper soulfulness, grit, and honesty. Such aspects particularly come to fore on multiple tunes featuring saxophonists Gary Barnacle, trombonist Jim Paterson, and percussionist Luis Jardim—the very first guests ever welcomed on an Attractions album.



With added instrumental assistance, Costello and Co. traverse styles ranging from rambunctious new-wave rock ("The Deportees Club") to frisky New Orleans-derived blues ("Sour Milk Cow Blues") to suave, jazzy pop ("The Only Flame In Town"). In the closing "Peace In Our Time," a sobering albeit optimistic song whose verses still apply to contemporary times, Costello crafts the finale to a socio-politically conscious trilogy that began with "Shipbuilding" and "Pills and Soap." It alone is the worth the price of admission to a record that's long deserved a better reputation and, with Mobile Fidelity's reissue, finally gets its just desserts.

Repress

Here we have OCS - recorded Live, at The Chapel, San Francisco, CA in December 2017 to be exact. OCS played four shows in California last December, raising funds for charity, and also enabling OCS to play out the tracks from the (then) recently released album "Memory of a Cut off head". Bandleader John Dwyer assembled his ensemble for these shows with players from the album and current Oh Sees members also, including Brigid Dawson, Emily Elkin, Eric Clark, Heather Lockie, Heidi Maureen Alexander, Paul Quattrone, Tim Hellman, and Tomas Dolas.

The shows sold out in a trice, and thankfully one of the San Francisco shows were recorded by Eric Bauer, Dwyer mixed the record and it was passed onto old friends the Austrian Label ROCK IS HELL (Oh Sees fans will note early releases by Thee Oh Sees appeared on Rock is Hell a whiles back).

Initially released (and long sold out) as a silk screened 4 LP set with some incredible artworks by Elzo Durt (he did the art for the Carrion Crawler / The Dream EP ).. Dwyer /Rock is Hell decided to make a more widely available 2LP version. And this is it, released on November 2nd 2018, via Rock is Hell / Forte in the UK / Rock is Hell in Eu and Rock is Hell / Midheaven in the USA..
Theres 500 copies for the UK, no CD, no promos... it's a beautiful artefact / wonderful recording of a great show.

pressing will be
heavy weight black vinyl
offset printed thick cardboard slip-in cover offset printed thick cardboard innersleeves download codes included shrinkwrapped

The Levellers are releasing a series of Limited-Edition Coloured Vinyl albums spanning their 30 year career, some for the first time ever on Vinyl.

The albums will be issued by the band's own label, On The Fiddle Recordings and have been remastered by Jon Sevink from the original 1/2' Analogue Tapes.

It's not often we mention Jimi Hendrix and Trap music in the same sentence. Or Brixton and George Benson. In this case Mansur Brown embodies all of these. An integral part of the groundbreaking Yussef Kamaal album, he now releases his debut album on Black Focus Records.

As Thundercat claims the Bass Guitar, Robert Glasper the keys, the 21 year old prodigy from south east London claims the Guitar. Welcome to Shiroi.

With over 4 million album sales UK singer/TV star returns with his 6th studio album which also includes his first ever hits collectioin. A superb value 2 CD set with one disc featuring all of Olly's massive hit singles and one disc of brand new songs. Both discs contain 12 songs. The deluxe version has 2 bonus songs on each disc (14 on each disc in total). The vinyl format is the new album but contains a CD insert of all the hits. THe new songs include a collaboration with Shaggy plus the current hit single "Moves" (featuring Snoop Dogg). All the biggest hits are featured on the best of disc including "Troublemaker", "Heart Skips A Beat", "Dear Darlin", "Wrapped Up", "Dance With Me Tonight" and more. Forthcoming X Factor performance, plus Children In Need, The One Show, Sunday Brunch an an ITV1 'audience with' type primetime show on 15th December. National TV ad campaign to Xmas. Support on single across Spotify, R2, ILR, Heart, Vevo, MTV. Online/social media activity. Ads, features, interviews and reviews across all press. Poster campaign and database mailout.

Paul Smith returns this October with a brand-new album Diagrams, a release that strips bare his work to this point and ploughs fresh songwriting pathways. Now onto his fourth record as a solo artist, the Maxïmo Park frontman continues to sharpen his skills via a keenness to step out of his comfort-zone, and an ever-present desire to digest culture in all its forms. Most recently he found himself performing alongside folk star Rachel Unthank for Lauren Laverne's Great Northern Soundtrack, and he is currently a host for publisher Penguin's podcast alongside David Baddiel and Konnie Huq, discussing the latest book releases.

With each Paul Smith release we expect an evolvement, and on Diagrams he remains committed towards expanding the parameters of his songwriting. From the anthemia of his debut solo outing Margins (2010) to the exploratory minimalistic jazz of his Peter Brewis (Field Music) collaborative album Frozen By Sight (2014) and the spirited, guitar pop record that was Contradictions (2015), Diagrams sets its stall out as a vivid and complex album that binds the obscure and the everyday, searching for romance under stones that not many songwriters would think to turn over.

As a body of work, it seeks to unite the strengths that Smith has in his canon, drawing on his ability to both write from experience, yet also conjure new stories of unknown protagonists. Sidestepping (but not wholly ignoring) the more autobiographical work that played out through previous releases, Diagrams instead sees Smith further explore his nous for telling these short stories. Alongside co-producer Andrew Hodson, of 6 Music favourites, Warm Digits, he charts a course into the yearning, melancholic jangle-pop of The Go-Betweens, finding himself drawn to the literate, grunge-pop of The Lemonheads, to build a cohesive collection that pulls in his many strengths

'I try to absorb information and filter parts that interest me into the songs, while retaining my own, singular voice. I still believe in the power of a pop song to alter someone's day, and although this record was mostly made in a bedroom, I felt the songs would have a universal appeal.' - Paul Smith

With his ability to unravel the day-to-day and transform the commonplace into an eloquent turn of phrase, the thread that holds Diagrams in place is Smith's honesty and empathy. It's these matters-of-the-heart elements that push and pull at the listener's emotions. Resultingly, it's a collection that feels incredibly relatable.

Album opener The Public Eye sets the tone with a dark undercurrent and was written in the aftermath of the 'Hostile Environment' policy adopted by the British Home Office. Taking aim at our climate of suspicion, it shines a light on how vulnerable groups are attacked without factual foundation ('Convictions without proof'). Around And Around similarly details the futile merry-go-round of the news cycle, before Silver Rabbit conjures a story of self-doubt, set against the low-budget romance of the seaside, and channelled through overdriven guitars. Lake Burley Griffin - inspired by the story of Walter Burley Griffin, an American who designed Canberra alongside his wife Marion Mahony Griffin - is the album's discordant left-hand turn, taking in the post-rock influence of Slint or Tortoise. A love story featuring prominent clarinet, it showcases - along with the saxophone in The Public Eye - Smith's addition of woodwind instruments to his musical palette. Elsewhere on John he imagines a life that can never be known, inspired by a name scrawled on the back of a toilet door, extrapolating the sentiment and following it into a world where the story unfolds from schooldays to falling in love. It's in these instances that Smith's talent is subtly exemplified. He envisages unknowable situations and turns them on their head to evoke truly universal emotions of hope and regret ('what if the first chance, is the last chance').

Focusing on low-slung IDM, Acid and atmospheric Electro with nods to Krautrock & Ambient sounds, Steve Hyland's ATTRAKTTA project gets an extended outing on the FILM label. Across eight beautifully produced tracks, Hyland - one of the founding members of AI Records and subsequently Concrete Plastic, explores vibrant synthesis and intricate drum programming, with the music arriving at a sweet spot between home listening material & club-ready workouts for more intelligent dance floors.

Eschewing straightforward synth sequences in favour of blissed out - almost disharmonious sonics, Hyland transmits a curious psychedelia on his debut LP. Sounds pitch and warp organically, buoyed up by saturated low end and punchy drum machine percussion. There remains a decidedly accomplished precision to the work, though - with the music bearing all the hallmarks of an artist of some considerable experience - testament to the British producer & label head's 19 years working in the industry.

A colourful, exquisitely composed LP that riffs on a timeless production aesthetic with considerable style, Echo Principle is a fantastic entry into the FILM Records discography.

'I'd like to be as un-mysterious as I possibly can,' Graham Van Pelt says. He's about to release Time Travel, his frst record in the four years since he moved from Montreal to Toronto, and he's no longer Miracle Fortress, or Inside Touch, or any of the aliases he's used to record over the years. He's just Graham Van Pelt.

With the perspective of leaving a longtime home, of watching old friends change and familiar places become unrecognizable, came a recommitment to an emotional honesty in Van Pelt's songwriting. Time Travel's eight songs are a tangle of friendships and feelings. Moving backwards and forwards in time, they occupy a space of elegant melancholy.

Immersing himself in the work of house music legends like Larry Heard, Vincent Floyd and Maurizio and the fragile disco of Arthur Russell, along with contemporaries like Jessy Lanza and Kelly Lee Owens, Van Pelt built the album from the bottom up, rooting every track in the crude sequencer of the Roland SH-101 synth, a decades-old dance music totem. The result are melodies that are simple but affecting, anchored to deep, wandering basslines. Time Travels was engineered by twin brothers Mark and Matt Thibideau, whose techno roots deepened the grooves throughout the record.

Kiran Leonard is a 22 year old musician from Saddleworth, Greater Manchester. Debut album proper Bowler Hat Soup (2014) and follow-up Grapefruit (2016) were both recorded at home, with Kiran playing virtually every instrument himself. Dervaun Seraun (2017), a concept album in five movements inspired by five pieces of literature and arranged for piano, strings and voice, was an ambitious departure from his usual sound.

Western Culture now sees him return to the signature sound of his first two records, yet marks a huge sonic progression thanks to the involvement of his venerable live band on record for the first time, as well as being the first to have been made in a professional studio (Old Granada Studios in central Manchester). Please read on for Kiran's statement on the record, discussing the themes within.

I like the phrase 'WESTERN CULTURE' very much because it is a resounding clang from a hollow vessel, connoting so much (grandeur; authority; hostility) without possessing a concrete meaning in of itself. What does 'western culture' consist of This question changes shape depending on who is speaking: e.g., 'culture' is constantly evolving and autonomous, rapidly reacting to and altering the present in which it unfolds, but is simultaneously regarded as something static and possessed, corresponding roughly to 'tradition' or 'heritage', something people can call on when the world seems precarious and alien and antagonistic. And so very often when we talk about culture, we reveal our personal conceptions of world events and of what is to be done.

'666 Kill' is an EP with an unusual genesis. Healey set himself an experiment: to rapidly put together a body of work from his first idea to completion without overthinking any part of the process. And so he'd write lyrics in his bedroom that were rich in violent gothic imagery - an ominous home invasion from the devil ('666 Kill'), an existential bullet-in-the-head ('Lovelawn'), and a metaphorical grim reaper ('Learn Toulouse') - before rushing down to his studio / garage to record them as quickly as possible.

'I was trying to touch on different ideas I had at the time: weird things like planes going missing and an obsession with death, which sounds really depressing but at the time I found it really interesting,' he explains. 'We all have weird little things that run across our minds and we generally don't say them out loud. For good reason! But it felt like an exciting process to write in that style and not put a filter on it.'

A week later and it was done, with Healey having recorded vocals and almost all of the instrumentation himself. A fortnight later, however, he listened back and was pleasantly surprised at his latest creation. From the menacing country-folk of the title track to the beautifully bleak contrast of 'Lovelawn' and the relatively uplifting closer 'When You're Lonely', it echoes the low-fi introspection of Elliott Smith with the rawness of early Neil Young.

A notable detour is the hypnotic rhythm and screeching sax that permeates through 'Guitar Music' - ironically named given that it was the first song that Healey ever wrote on keys and features no guitar beyond some bass.

Aviv Geffen features 15 essential tracks, including 'Blackfield', 'Once', 'Family Man' and 'Pain' Open Mind is a CD presented in digipack packaging complete with a 8-page

booklet or as a 2LP with a D side etching presented in gatefold packaging featuring new artwork by Hajo Muller.



Blackfield is the collaboration between Israeli songwriter and musician Aviv Geffen, and British musician and producer Steven Wilson. The collaboration, extending from their self-titled debut in 2004 to their superb return with album

'V' produced with Alan Parsons in 2017, has proven to be a prolific partnership for creating striking and affecting music. The pair makes for a formidable musical force; Geffen has worked with legendary producers Tony Visconti and Trevor Horn, has also recently

performed with and hosted Jake Bugg, played as support for Biffy Clyro, and was a judge on the Israeli TV show The Voice. Wilson, after a long tenure as the leader of the hugely influential band Porcupine Tree, has since embarked on a

highly successful solo career, most recently earning a #3 album in the UK Charts and #2 in the DE Charts, as well 4 Grammy nominations. This collection, curated by Wilson and Geffen, selects the best works from an impressively rich Blackfield catalogue with each of the five records combining

both sweet and tart elements. It's an uncommonly potent mixture. Perhaps the debut album's Lasse Hoile cover art a bottled elixir lurking in the gloomy shadows of an apothecary signifies that Blackfield is a dark medicine to be

administered through the listener's ear. There's no recipe on the aged and frayed label of the bottle. Yet some lyrical ingredients can be discerned within the mix: Take a dash of childhood memory, sprinkle in some heartbreak, pour

in a drop of blood from an open vein, add a pinch of angry conscience (carefully weighed), puree the dew of a kiss, and then garnish with the bitter tears of adult disillusionment. Stir carefully and name it after the very first Blackfield collaboration: 'Open Mind'.

'Hooray Hooray, it's Dirt Box Day!'comes the chant from Dirt Box Disco fans every August at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool. It's also been heard at more than 300 gigs up and down the country. With a new label

and new management behind the release - Dirt Box Disco are now officially a 'big-noise' with their earworm-like punk rock punchlines. Hooray! Hooray! features the band's twelve favourite tracks, freshly polished

by Grandmaster Howie Weinberg (worked with the Beastie Boys, Rammstein, Arctic Monkeys, Metallica, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mars Volta, U2 and more). The single 'My Life is Shit' is the throbbing anthem of the five

costumed punk rockers. A song written from the gut that along with the other tracks on Hooray! Hooray! has built a loyal and passionate fan base. 'My Life is Shit' is just one of many catchy tunes. Dirt Box Disco fans sing

this song by heart loudly and compete with WEAB, the rabble-rousing front man. Nothing is serious in the Dirt Box world, the band cock a snook at spotty teenage obsessives, naturally keeping their young adults energy.

The band is a five-pronged phenomenon. Behind the crazily costumed combo stand two brothers who do everything: writing, composing songs, recording demos, recording CDs, distributing CDs, and making videos. PR can never do them justice - seeing is not believing!

The new intimate studio film from the highly praised Russian duo recorded on a remote Norwegian island. Album of the year winners at the Progressive Music Awards '18 with

their previous release 'Lighthouse' Available on heavyweight 180g vinyl with a printed inner sleeve. Following the success of two highly-praised albums on Kscope, 'Belighted' and

'Lighthouse', Russian duo Gleb Kolyadin and Marjana Semkina are releasing a new studio film shot at and named after a remote recording studio on a Norwegian island. The footage offers a behind-the-scenes insight into the

recording techniques of two of modern progressive music's most talented composers. The content captures Iamthemorning's live set-up from the last three years, with the setlist consisting of songs from their first three studio

albums and an unplugged recording of 'Blue Sea', the first track to be written for their upcoming fourth album and exclusive to a Blu-ray version. The studio was designed with panoramic windows that allow the stunning backdrop

of Giske Island and the Norwegian Sea to be baked into the performances, a location that is featured in glorious high-definition on this Blu-ray. 'Ocean Sounds' builds on the recent success of Kolyadin's self-titled debut

solo album on Kscope, which has been nominated as Album of the Year at the Progressive Music Awards '18: an honour that Iamthemorning have already achieved with Lighthouse, and which is also backed by Semkina winning

Female Vocalist of the Year in the 2016 Prog Magazine Reader's poll. The pair's live performances have included the likes of London's Bush Hall, Ramblin' Man Fair and the Netherland's Midsummer Prog Festival.

The audio recording, mixing and mastering were handled by regular collaborator Vlad Avy, the film was produced and edited by Miles Skarin at Crystal Spotlight, and the watercolour artwork was designed by Constantine Nagishkin.

12' satin finish sleeve, Printed inner sleeve, Standard weight vinyl. For one night only in April of this year, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds shared a show from their celebrated 2017 world tour on cinema screens worldwide. Filmed at Copenhagen's Royal Arena in October 2017, Distant Sky captured an extraordinary and triumphant live concert from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Performing new album Skeleton Tree's beautiful compositions alongside songs from their essential catalogue.

Me At Six return with their brand new sixth studio album, VI, released on October 5th. Recorded at VADA Studios with Dan Austin (Biffy Clyro, Massive Attack, Pixies), and for the first time ever co-produced by the

band, VI showcases the band as they've never been heard before - switching moods and styles with breathless confidence.

Whilst retaining their bite, VI sees them flourish with uplifting alternative pop tracks such as 'Back Again', '3AM' & 'Pray For Me', straying into new territories with electro dance floor leanings on 'IOU', while heavier tracks like 'Fast

Forward' & 'Predictable' are set to strike a chord with the band's long standing rock fanbase.

Families sit together huddled in front of their flatscreen TVs peeking through their hands to see the new world leader being sworn in by a fading shadow of hope whilst criminals applaud. The world is crying and The End Is On TV. Outside, lost souls wander in a daze fixed on prescription drugs with Eyes In The Sky. This Is Your Life trying to escape advertising and takeaway menus and spending what you don't have and looking perfect and trying to fit in and everyone and everything always being Oh So Happy.

Escape when and how you can, get off your knees and face the sun, find your groove and create an Easy Life for yourself as the screens keep the mind bombarding of grim tales, fear and sadness. Why can't they bring us some Good News

Don't let the Natural Rewards we seek be diluted, fight the lies however you can because we realise and accept that there'll always be Something Wrong With Everything....but never give up as you've everything to win the race, it's beautiful with love and grace, keep moving on.

Die Beta Band war eine britische Musikgruppe, die ihren
eigenen Stil als Folktronic bezeichnete, was eine Mischung aus
Folk, Rock 'n' Roll, Trip Hop und hemmungslos
experimentellem Jammen darstellt.
Die Beta Band wurde 1996 in der Nähe von Edinburgh von
den Musikern Steve Mason (Gesang, Gitarre) und Gordon
Anderson gegründet. Als sie gemeinsam Songs für ihre Debüt-
EP Champion Versions verfassten, stießen mit Robin Jones
(Schlagzeug) und John MacLean (DJ, Sampler, Keyboard-
Pianist) noch zwei weitere Mitglieder hinzu. Im Juli 1997
veröffentlichten sie die von Nick McCabe produzierte EP
Champion Versions, die von Kritikern vor allem aufgrund des
innovativen "Cut'n'Paste"- Sample-Konzepts umjubelt wurde.
Zwei ähnliche EPs folgten bald darauf: The Patty Patty Sound
im März des folgenden Jahres und Los Amigos del Beta
Bandidos im Juli. Alle drei erschienen im September 1998
unter dem passend gewählten Titel The Three EP's in einer
Kollektion.