Pop & Rock Novedades

Nachdem er als Support für Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm und Fink auf Welttournee war sowie 2014 und 2015 europäische Headline-Tourneen durchführte, präsentiert der Londoner Singer/Songwriter und Pianist Douglas Dare im Herbst 2016 sein zweites Album. Wie bereits das von der Kritik intensiv gefeierte Debüt "Whelm" erscheint auch "Aforger" beim Label Erased Tapes. In unserem digitalen Zeitalter, in dem Erinnerungen durch Pixel imitiert werden und Identität so formbar wie auch statisch ist, hinterfragt Dares neues Album die Grenzen zwischen Realität und Fiktion. Der Albumtitel spielt mit dem englischen Wort für einen Fälscher ("aforger"), also jemanden, der Imitationen oder Kopien von Dingen herstellt, diese zu etwas Neuem umarbeitet und dadurch zum Konstrukteur von etwas wird, das nicht mehr real ist. Dares Konzeption von "Aforger begann, als er herausfand, dass sein Freund ein Doppelleben führte. Von da an verfolgte ihn die Frage: Was ist überhaupt noch real Im Anschluss an die Lektüre von George Orwells "1984", der Trennung vom Partner und seinem Outing gegenüber dem Vater entstanden die zehn Tracks von "Aforger". Die Platte wurde in den berühmten Abbey Road Studios gemastert und von Dares langjährigem Kompagnon Fabian Prynn produziert.

The band, made up of singer-leader Gerard Black (Findo Gask), guitarist Thomas Ogden, bassist Amaury Ranger (Francois and the Atlas Mountains) and new drummer/producer John Baillie Jnr (Bossy Love) have regrouped and refocused to deliver a record as much for the quiet hours as it is for the house party.
Kiss & Tell is an album which finds BABE striding confidently, if not swaggering, towards the dancefloor. You can hear disco music, house and techno, dream-pop and so much more on album number two, but it remains utterly cohesive. No longer uncategorized, Kiss & Tell is the only sad-disco album you'll need in 2017.
I used to be obsessed with Italo disco and all sorts of electronic dance music,' says Black, the owner of a heartbreaking falsetto which mellows the kick and thump of synth beats, and the sparkling array of Cocteau Twins-esque guitars on the album. We definitely wanted this one to be a bit more upbeat and a bit of a party.'
Part of the party atmosphere was brought by new addition John Bailie Jnr, powerhouse drummer for Bossy Love and a much-admired dance producer. He came on board after Black had made a few passes at the record, and helped capture the electric atmosphere of BABE's incredible live show. Black explains that we sent one of the songs to John for a remix and he sent it back....and we thought 'we just have to use this as the song!'. After that, we spent three days at John's mum's house in Shettleston, Glasgow, working on all the songs.'
It's not all about the party, though, on Kiss & Tell. Black's singing voice, a gorgeous high register which is at once both fragile and soothing, adds another dimension to BABE's music. There's often a sadness, a slight air of pleading desperation to the best disco and electronic music vocals, and Black is painfully aware of this: I suppose my favourite lyrics are always the really sad ones. Arthur Russell was the king of doing that, making you dance but also giving you a dagger to the heart.'

The band, made up of singer-leader Gerard Black (Findo Gask), guitarist Thomas Ogden, bassist Amaury Ranger (Francois and the Atlas Mountains) and new drummer/producer John Baillie Jnr (Bossy Love) have regrouped and refocused to deliver a record as much for the quiet hours as it is for the house party.
Kiss & Tell is an album which finds BABE striding confidently, if not swaggering, towards the dancefloor. You can hear disco music, house and techno, dream-pop and so much more on album number two, but it remains utterly cohesive. No longer uncategorized, Kiss & Tell is the only sad-disco album you'll need in 2017.
I used to be obsessed with Italo disco and all sorts of electronic dance music,' says Black, the owner of a heartbreaking falsetto which mellows the kick and thump of synth beats, and the sparkling array of Cocteau Twins-esque guitars on the album. We definitely wanted this one to be a bit more upbeat and a bit of a party.'
Part of the party atmosphere was brought by new addition John Bailie Jnr, powerhouse drummer for Bossy Love and a much-admired dance producer. He came on board after Black had made a few passes at the record, and helped capture the electric atmosphere of BABE's incredible live show. Black explains that we sent one of the songs to John for a remix and he sent it back....and we thought 'we just have to use this as the song!'. After that, we spent three days at John's mum's house in Shettleston, Glasgow, working on all the songs.'
It's not all about the party, though, on Kiss & Tell. Black's singing voice, a gorgeous high register which is at once both fragile and soothing, adds another dimension to BABE's music. There's often a sadness, a slight air of pleading desperation to the best disco and electronic music vocals, and Black is painfully aware of this: I suppose my favourite lyrics are always the really sad ones. Arthur Russell was the king of doing that, making you dance but also giving you a dagger to the heart.'

All this I do for glory' is a reasoning and exploration of the machinations of ambition and legacy, an examination of the concepts of afterlife, and the first half of a doomed love story in the model of the greek tragedies. As a narrative, it exists temporally somewhere between 2015's Never were the way she was' (with Sarah Neufeld) and the 1st volume of the NHW Trilogy.
With this, his first solo outing since 2013's To See More Light', Colin Stetson ventures into territory both familiar and strange. Here still, is the dogmatically stripped down approach to performance and capture (all songs recorded live with no overdubs or loops) but there is an immediacy to the album that belies a more invasive and thorough miking of the various instruments being utilized and a seeming influence drawn from the early nineties electronica of artists like Aphex Twin and Autechre, evident in the more pointed role played by the instruments' many percussive elements.
There are ancestries, motivic and timbral, woven through these six songs that plainly anchor them within the shared universe of his Trilogy, though the overall experience is one of extreme intimacy, the sounds and imagery more tangible and immersive than previous offerings. The brief and brutal In the clinches' recalls (or presages) echoes of songs like Judges', though now feeling like one has fallen down the bell of Stetson's ancient bass saxophone itself. Spindrift', crystalline and serene, calls to mind the ambient works of Aphex Twin, while Between Water and Wind' with it's Immigrant Song' swagger, relentlessly carves it's way into the bedrock here, paving the way with an increasing focus on the minute and the minimal, with a deepened sense of patience shared by most of the album's six tracks.
Engineered and mixed by Stetson himself, this album represents a decidedly independent approach across the entire creative process and finds him at the top of his game, both as a composer and instrumentalist as well as a producer.

All this I do for glory' is a reasoning and exploration of the machinations of ambition and legacy, an examination of the concepts of afterlife, and the first half of a doomed love story in the model of the greek tragedies. As a narrative, it exists temporally somewhere between 2015's Never were the way she was' (with Sarah Neufeld) and the 1st volume of the NHW Trilogy.
With this, his first solo outing since 2013's To See More Light', Colin Stetson ventures into territory both familiar and strange. Here still, is the dogmatically stripped down approach to performance and capture (all songs recorded live with no overdubs or loops) but there is an immediacy to the album that belies a more invasive and thorough miking of the various instruments being utilized and a seeming influence drawn from the early nineties electronica of artists like Aphex Twin and Autechre, evident in the more pointed role played by the instruments' many percussive elements.
There are ancestries, motivic and timbral, woven through these six songs that plainly anchor them within the shared universe of his Trilogy, though the overall experience is one of extreme intimacy, the sounds and imagery more tangible and immersive than previous offerings. The brief and brutal In the clinches' recalls (or presages) echoes of songs like Judges', though now feeling like one has fallen down the bell of Stetson's ancient bass saxophone itself. Spindrift', crystalline and serene, calls to mind the ambient works of Aphex Twin, while Between Water and Wind' with it's Immigrant Song' swagger, relentlessly carves it's way into the bedrock here, paving the way with an increasing focus on the minute and the minimal, with a deepened sense of patience shared by most of the album's six tracks.
Engineered and mixed by Stetson himself, this album represents a decidedly independent approach across the entire creative process and finds him at the top of his game, both as a composer and instrumentalist as well as a producer.

All this I do for glory' is a reasoning and exploration of the machinations of ambition and legacy, an examination of the concepts of afterlife, and the first half of a doomed love story in the model of the greek tragedies. As a narrative, it exists temporally somewhere between 2015's Never were the way she was' (with Sarah Neufeld) and the 1st volume of the NHW Trilogy.
With this, his first solo outing since 2013's To See More Light', Colin Stetson ventures into territory both familiar and strange. Here still, is the dogmatically stripped down approach to performance and capture (all songs recorded live with no overdubs or loops) but there is an immediacy to the album that belies a more invasive and thorough miking of the various instruments being utilized and a seeming influence drawn from the early nineties electronica of artists like Aphex Twin and Autechre, evident in the more pointed role played by the instruments' many percussive elements.
There are ancestries, motivic and timbral, woven through these six songs that plainly anchor them within the shared universe of his Trilogy, though the overall experience is one of extreme intimacy, the sounds and imagery more tangible and immersive than previous offerings. The brief and brutal In the clinches' recalls (or presages) echoes of songs like Judges', though now feeling like one has fallen down the bell of Stetson's ancient bass saxophone itself. Spindrift', crystalline and serene, calls to mind the ambient works of Aphex Twin, while Between Water and Wind' with it's Immigrant Song' swagger, relentlessly carves it's way into the bedrock here, paving the way with an increasing focus on the minute and the minimal, with a deepened sense of patience shared by most of the album's six tracks.
Engineered and mixed by Stetson himself, this album represents a decidedly independent approach across the entire creative process and finds him at the top of his game, both as a composer and instrumentalist as well as a producer.

Pleased to announce the reissue of The Spitfires critically acclaimed second album ‘A Thousand Times’ - available for the first time on lilac coloured vinyl plus a bonus 7” single with previously unreleased demo versions from the album sessions. 

Featuring the singles ‘So Long’, ‘On My Mind’ and ‘Return To Me’ - the album was to show a sharper, deeper vision for the band and a more honed songwriting craft than we’d seen previously from Billy Sullivan. 

“I think the album was basically ignored” recalls Billy. “It had only been a year since our first record and on reflection I think people may have not of been ready for a new album. It was also quite progression for us” 

UK rock band Kasabian last released a full-length album in 2014 with 48:13, and now the band have unveiled plans for its follow-up. For Crying Out Loud is due out on April 28 via Columbia.

The 12-song set sounds like it'll be an ode to a wild rock'n'roll lifestyle with track titles like "TwentyFourSeven," "Wasted," "The Party Never Ends," "All Through the Night" and "Bless This Acid House".

UK rock band Kasabian last released a full-length album in 2014 with 48:13, and now the band have unveiled plans for its follow-up. For Crying Out Loud is due out on April 28 via Columbia.

The 12-song set sounds like it'll be an ode to a wild rock'n'roll lifestyle with track titles like "TwentyFourSeven," "Wasted," "The Party Never Ends," "All Through the Night" and "Bless This Acid House".

UK rock band Kasabian last released a full-length album in 2014 with 48:13, and now the band have unveiled plans for its follow-up. For Crying Out Loud is due out on April 28 via Columbia.

The 12-song set sounds like it'll be an ode to a wild rock'n'roll lifestyle with track titles like "TwentyFourSeven," "Wasted," "The Party Never Ends," "All Through the Night" and "Bless This Acid House".

Indie favourite Marika Hackman is back with her second studio album released from new home AMF Records (Loyle Carner). The album sees a transformation into a gutsier sound packing a real punch with The Big Moon as the backing band. The artwork for the LP & CD features an impactful gatefold design by artist Tristan Pigott. Early support for 'Boyfriend' from Radio 1, 2 & 6 and across the board online and press support, this record looks set to propel Marika into the spotlight in 2017.

Indie favourite Marika Hackman is back with her second studio album released from new home AMF Records (Loyle Carner). The album sees a transformation into a gutsier sound packing a real punch with The Big Moon as the backing band. The artwork for the LP & CD features an impactful gatefold design by artist Tristan Pigott. Early support for 'Boyfriend' from Radio 1, 2 & 6 and across the board online and press support, this record looks set to propel Marika into the spotlight in 2017.

L.A. by way of New Jersey hip hop/punk mutants, Ho99o9 have announced their debut album 'United States of Horror', due out May 5th via their own imprint Toys Have Powers through Caroline. You can check out their first offering from the album, the title track, produced by David Andrew Sitek of TV on the Radio now, alongside a typically jarring yet pertinent visual accompaniment.
Ho99o9 are also set to hit the road imminently, starting with a clutch of shows at SXSW next week, followed by a headline tour of the US and Canada, leading into a plethora of European Festival appearances. The past two summers have seen the band decimating stages and whipping up a multitude of frenzied crowds on the UK and European festival circuit and this year is set to be no different.
Formed by theOGM (Jean) & Yeti Bones (Eaddy), the band is an amalgamation of punk, rap, militancy, industrial, metal and hardcore creating what they describe as Deathkult.

L.A. by way of New Jersey hip hop/punk mutants, Ho99o9 have announced their debut album 'United States of Horror', due out May 5th via their own imprint Toys Have Powers through Caroline. You can check out their first offering from the album, the title track, produced by David Andrew Sitek of TV on the Radio now, alongside a typically jarring yet pertinent visual accompaniment.
Ho99o9 are also set to hit the road imminently, starting with a clutch of shows at SXSW next week, followed by a headline tour of the US and Canada, leading into a plethora of European Festival appearances. The past two summers have seen the band decimating stages and whipping up a multitude of frenzied crowds on the UK and European festival circuit and this year is set to be no different.
Formed by theOGM (Jean) & Yeti Bones (Eaddy), the band is an amalgamation of punk, rap, militancy, industrial, metal and hardcore creating what they describe as Deathkult.

Recorded throughout Europe.
Assembled in Stockholm at EMS studios and in Copenhagen 2014-2016

Mixing assistance by Malthe Fischer, Copenhagen
Mastering by Bonati, New York
Cut at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin
Additional instrumentation by Anton Rothstein, Mikkel Reher Langberg, Alex Zhang Hungtai, Kristian Emdal & Elias Bender Rønnenfelt

Artwork by Rahbek, Emdal & Højlund


Editions Mego is pleased to welcome Danish Loke Rahbek (Damien Dubrovnik,Croatian Amorand Posh Isolation) to the fold. Known for countless creative and commercial endeavours Loke presents his first solo full length under his own name. As with all of Loke's output City of Woman harnesses the radical with the aesthetic in a manner of extreme pleasure for all who encounter.

Harnessing his thorough knowledge and experience in extreme electronics, melodic encounters and sultry showmanship Loke ties together disparate threads of various underground movements to create a singular and deeply personal journey through industrial temptation, noise refraction and melodic seduction.

This is 21st Century pop music. One which dismantles previous held borders of sound to present a wide palate of sound, song, abstraction and intense emotion.

Seattle's Foo Fighters (named after a Second World War term for UFO's) touch down in Toronto for the third time in a year on Wednesday 3rd April 1996 at the recently refurbished Concert Hall. The Foos play all of the singles from their 1995 self-titled debut long player, a million seller that is reproduced here with glorious adrenalin with only Oh George and X-Static missing from the set-list. For loud, screaming, sweaty and fun rock 'n' roll, Grohl, Smear, Mendel and Goldsmith deliver it all for Toronto in this treasured and legendary performance from 3rd April, 1996. Echoes very proudly present the entire FM broadcast, professionally re-mastered with background liners and rare,
archival photos.

Ideologic Organ is proud to present the brand-new recordings from The Necks, the legendary Australian trio who excel in bypassing musical cliche whilst exploring and extending the practices embedded within improvisation, jazz, post rock, ambient, minimal, and textural, 'sound based' music.

The latest document from this long-running ensemble, Unfold, presents itself as a double LP, with four side-length tracks. A deliberate absence of numbered sides hands a substantial swatch of participation over to the listener, allowing her to navigate his own path through the soundscape at hand. The shorter length of the vinyl format, far from being a constraint upon the members of the ensemble, instead offers them a more compact horizon to contemplate, wherein the distance travelled is recalibrated to more immediate and dynamic textural concerns.

The immediacy of Rise confirms this new path, as the mournful tones of Lloyd Swanton's bass swirl around Chris Abrahams' crystalline piano motif, with Tony Buck's percussion steering proceedings into enlightening free-jazz territories. Blue Mountain cuts a swathe through the sonic undergrowth, with soul organ, rattling percussion, whistles, and loping sound-waves all vying for the foreground. Overheard retains a sublime melancholic aura as the percussion and keyboards simultaneously embrace and fall apart, whilst Timepiece skips along as a gentle gesture of further possibilities.

Exactly how The Necks conjure their particular magic - as deceptively simple as it seems - whilst always moving forward, is anyone's guess, but Unfold proves yet again that rules and schools are to be broken and re-formed into patterns and frameworks unlike those we know.

U2 - The Joshua Tree - 2 CD Deluxe
Deluxe 2CD - 00602557482621

28 tracks / new artwork - colour version of original album
- The Joshua Tree 2007
- Live from Madison Square Garden 1987

'Find Me Finding You', the new album from the new organization called the Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble, manages to strike new chords while touching familiar keys in the song of life.
From its percolating opening beat, 'Find Me Finding You' locates new systems within the sound-universe of Laetitia Sadier. This in itself isn't a surprise - Laetitia has relentlessly followed her music through different dynamics and into a variety of dimensions over the course of four solo albums since 2010 (not to forget her three albums with Monade and the long era of Stereolab) - but the nature of the construction here stands distinctly apart from her recent albums. Laetitia was inspired by a mind's-eye envisaging of geometric forms and their possible permutations. As she sought to replicate the shapes in music, this guided the process of assembly for the album.
Part of the freshness of 'Find Me Finding You' comes from working and playing within the Source Ensemble and exploring new sound combinations via a set of youthful and evolving musical relationships. Laetitia recognized the energy of the tracks in their initial form and sought to preserve their vitality by not retaking too many performances - instead, the rawness in the tracks was retained and refined at the mixing stage, maintaining an edge throughout. When we hear synth lines diving, lifting and drifting, unusual guitar textures, the plucked sound of flat wound bass strings or the bottomless pulsing of bass pedals stepping out of the mix with an exquisite vibrancy, this is the sound of the Source Ensemble.
A key to Laetitia's music is her use of vocal arrangements. Throughout 'Finding Me Finding You' the shifting accompaniment creates space to bring this element gloriously forward. Arranged by Laetitia with Joe Watson and Jeff Parker making string charts that were subsequently transposed to vocal parts for several songs, richly arranged choirs of voices provide depth along with the thrilling presence of extra breath in the sound. Laetitia's community-politic is well-served by the groups of voices lending support to the machining of the song craft, providing additional uplift to her quintessentially forward-facing viewpoint - as well as massed voices from three different countries sharing space in harmony.
Working in collaboration is Laetita's tradition and a key to this album's view on being free together. The designation of Source Collective implies a new togetherness phase, alongside long time collaborators Emmanuel Mario and Xavi Munoz, keyboard and flutes parts played by David Thayer (Little Tornados) were essential contributions, as well as further keys, synths and electronics from Phil M FU and several intense guitar sequences from Mason le Long. Chris A Cummings (aka Marker Starling, Laetitia's favourite composer) graciously wrote 'Deep Background' for her. The duet with Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor on 'Love Captive' (not to mention Rob Mazurek's distinctive coronet playing) gives voice to an ideological cornerstone of 'Find Me Finding You'

In collaboration with Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, on PARADISE,' ANOHNI seeks to support activist conversations and disrupt assumptions about popular music through the collision of electronic sound and highly politicized lyrics.
PARADISE' includes new songs as well as material recently debuted live. On the title track, Paradise,' Anohni voices ecstatic alienation, describing a dystopian life filled with horror, awe, comfort and threat. She expresses a sense of disembodiment: "Myself, I'm here... not here, as a point of consciousness." The music is wild and invigorating with a heavy beat conceived by Hudson Mohawke and twisting vocal treatments by Daniel Lopatin.
10' LP format includes a copy of the album on CD.

In collaboration with Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke, on PARADISE,' ANOHNI seeks to support activist conversations and disrupt assumptions about popular music through the collision of electronic sound and highly politicized lyrics.
PARADISE' includes new songs as well as material recently debuted live. On the title track, Paradise,' Anohni voices ecstatic alienation, describing a dystopian life filled with horror, awe, comfort and threat. She expresses a sense of disembodiment: "Myself, I'm here... not here, as a point of consciousness." The music is wild and invigorating with a heavy beat conceived by Hudson Mohawke and twisting vocal treatments by Daniel Lopatin.
10' LP format includes a copy of the album on CD.

Phobophobes rise into 2017 nestled atop a wave of attention focused towards the revitalized South London scene with new single 'The Never Never', due for release March 17th via Ra-Ra Rok Records.

Following previous single 'Human Baby', an elegy to their late guitarist George Russell that was played every day for a week on BBC 6Music, 'The Never Never' arrives an ode to the precarious survivalism of society's most disenfranchised. Swirling through repetitive slogans, rubbishing the adverts that promise a life we can't really afford as pastiche, and asking earnestly, what separates those treading water to survive from the religious idols who struggled so similarly'

The Never Never is a critique of today's excessive consumerism. The repetitive and slogan-esque nature of the track evokes the reductive nature of advertising.' explains frontman Jamie Taylor.

In the wake of a tumultuous 2016, Phobophobes continue to forge their own path, taking whatever's thrown at them and squeezing every ounce of inspiration from it. It's the only way they know. Frontman Jamie Taylor has built studio space wherever he's roamed, from Paris to Peckham to Primrose Hill. Even Pittsburgh, Iowa, Palm Beach and New York whilst working on a touring art exhibition across America, setting up a studio in each hotel room to work on new tracks. Even when invited to Abbey Road Studios to record with Ken Scott (Bowie, Lennon, the list goes on), bass player at the time, Elliot, took swabs of their oldest microphone and grew bacteria in petri dishes, the results of which are immortalised in Phobophobes' artwork and in the centre of their 7's.

This boundless DIY mentality echoes through Phobophobes' every move. Having now found home in the basement of The Brixton Windmill, the nucleus of South London's gig circuit where Phobophobes record, rehearse and also put on their own shows, playing alongside Shame, Goat Girl, Meatraffle, The Fat White Family, Childhood and countless others, they remain progenitors of the scene.

The Joy Formidable have never been one to shy away from a challenge. Proving that time and again by holding their own as support for legendary artists and acts from Sir Paul McCartney to The Foo Fighters and The Black Keys.
'Hitch', though definitely not short of The Joy Formidable's quintessential energy, is the product of the band adopting a more minimal approach in production style. Dubbed by Ritzy as one of the most rhythmical and driving records we've made but also the saddest. This album takes you to places that we might not have taken you before".

Horsebeach is the Manchester-based project masterminded by multi-instrumentalist and producer Ryan Kennedy. Two years on from the chiming majesty of II, he returns with Beauty And Sadness - ten rain-soaked vignettes touching on love, loss, regret and remorse. Conceptual, confessional and boldly melodic, it's a deeply textured LP fusing the familiar C86 jangle with chirping synths, grooving rhythms and expansive ambience whilst meditating on break ups and fuck ups with striking lyrical honesty.

Melancholic, but never miserable, Beauty And Sadness is a celebration in the exquisite pain of longing. Named after Yasunari Kawabata's 1964 novel of the same name - a book which helped Kennedy through a difficult breakup - the source of the album's title gives a clue as to what lies within, as Ryan explains, It's about regret and an overlaying sense of loss but also a realisation of the beauty of starting again. I found some beauty in sadness, as it forced me to re-evaluate everything.'

Although the sound may be a departure from Horsebeach's norm, the recording process remains the same with Kennedy overseeing all aspects of production. Taking full control of his melodic output, Beauty And Sadness is the third record to be released on Horsebeach's own Alone Together imprint.

Drawing on inspiration from either side of the Atlantic, both new and old, Horsebeach's music retains a certain appreciation to classic British guitar bands - The Smiths, Felt and groups from the C86 era are all indebted here. But Kennedy gives it a unique twist by delving into ambient electronics inspired by the likes of William Basinski and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. From the album's dream-like intro - soft with velveteen pads and the delicate romanticism from a speech sample of Japanese author, Yukio Mishima - hazy synths give way to propulsive percussion, rippling guitars and soaring chord progressions as the band's bittersweet signature sound evolves with newfound poise and purpose.

Horsebeach is the Manchester-based project masterminded by multi-instrumentalist and producer Ryan Kennedy. Two years on from the chiming majesty of II, he returns with Beauty And Sadness - ten rain-soaked vignettes touching on love, loss, regret and remorse. Conceptual, confessional and boldly melodic, it's a deeply textured LP fusing the familiar C86 jangle with chirping synths, grooving rhythms and expansive ambience whilst meditating on break ups and fuck ups with striking lyrical honesty.

Melancholic, but never miserable, Beauty And Sadness is a celebration in the exquisite pain of longing. Named after Yasunari Kawabata's 1964 novel of the same name - a book which helped Kennedy through a difficult breakup - the source of the album's title gives a clue as to what lies within, as Ryan explains, It's about regret and an overlaying sense of loss but also a realisation of the beauty of starting again. I found some beauty in sadness, as it forced me to re-evaluate everything.'

Although the sound may be a departure from Horsebeach's norm, the recording process remains the same with Kennedy overseeing all aspects of production. Taking full control of his melodic output, Beauty And Sadness is the third record to be released on Horsebeach's own Alone Together imprint.

Drawing on inspiration from either side of the Atlantic, both new and old, Horsebeach's music retains a certain appreciation to classic British guitar bands - The Smiths, Felt and groups from the C86 era are all indebted here. But Kennedy gives it a unique twist by delving into ambient electronics inspired by the likes of William Basinski and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. From the album's dream-like intro - soft with velveteen pads and the delicate romanticism from a speech sample of Japanese author, Yukio Mishima - hazy synths give way to propulsive percussion, rippling guitars and soaring chord progressions as the band's bittersweet signature sound evolves with newfound poise and purpose.

Horsebeach is the Manchester-based project masterminded by multi-instrumentalist and producer Ryan Kennedy. Two years on from the chiming majesty of II, he returns with Beauty And Sadness - ten rain-soaked vignettes touching on love, loss, regret and remorse. Conceptual, confessional and boldly melodic, it's a deeply textured LP fusing the familiar C86 jangle with chirping synths, grooving rhythms and expansive ambience whilst meditating on break ups and fuck ups with striking lyrical honesty.

Melancholic, but never miserable, Beauty And Sadness is a celebration in the exquisite pain of longing. Named after Yasunari Kawabata's 1964 novel of the same name - a book which helped Kennedy through a difficult breakup - the source of the album's title gives a clue as to what lies within, as Ryan explains, It's about regret and an overlaying sense of loss but also a realisation of the beauty of starting again. I found some beauty in sadness, as it forced me to re-evaluate everything.'

Although the sound may be a departure from Horsebeach's norm, the recording process remains the same with Kennedy overseeing all aspects of production. Taking full control of his melodic output, Beauty And Sadness is the third record to be released on Horsebeach's own Alone Together imprint.

Drawing on inspiration from either side of the Atlantic, both new and old, Horsebeach's music retains a certain appreciation to classic British guitar bands - The Smiths, Felt and groups from the C86 era are all indebted here. But Kennedy gives it a unique twist by delving into ambient electronics inspired by the likes of William Basinski and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. From the album's dream-like intro - soft with velveteen pads and the delicate romanticism from a speech sample of Japanese author, Yukio Mishima - hazy synths give way to propulsive percussion, rippling guitars and soaring chord progressions as the band's bittersweet signature sound evolves with newfound poise and purpose.

Australian gothic synth-pop quartet The Jezabels have released the haunting animated video for 'Come Alive', the first taste of the band's third album Synthia released on February 12th through Caroline Distribution. 'Come Alive' is a dark industrial encounter, its brooding bass-led synths making way for cathartic, breathy vocals that build into a gargantuan crescendo from The Jezabels. Kerrang have confirmed an album review to run the week ahead of release and The Jezabels will be completing a Playlist and a Photo Diary for Notion to run online to be published around the album release. The Jezabels are set to play a special one-off performance at The Dome, London on March 10th in support of Synthia. Having previously playing sold out shows at Shepherds Bush Empire, KOKO, Brixton Electric, Heaven and many more in support of their extensive back catalogue. This will be a rare opportunity to catch the band in one of their most intimate appearances in the capital yet.

After releasing his SAYS HI' EP in June, swedish producer 'sir Was' put finishing touches on his debut album DIGGING A TUNNEL'. Out via City Slang on March 10th 2017.

It took me 15 years to feel brave enough to do this!' confesses Gothenburg native Joel Wästberg, the guy behind the 'sir Was' alias. To reach the point where I could let myself do this was a long struggle. But once I felt less scared, it was kind of easy. It just came out, like: 'This is the sound!'' The sir Was sound' is built around supple grooves, is strangely haunting and yet inexplicably exhilarating, voices ricocheting off one another as they address loneliness, its solution and the requisite compromises. A jam session of Beck, David Crosby, J Dilla and D'Angelo might not sound much different to this yet unheard style. The unorthodox and exceptional approach of the recluse Swedish producer delivers one of the most exciting debut records of the spring.

King Of The Nighttime World was the tune that should have been a blockbuster hit for THE HOLLYWOOD STARS in 1974 but the record was shelved by CBS and covered by KISS when pitched to them by co writer Kim Fowley two years later.THE HOLLYWOOD STARS would eventually put out their debut album in 1977 on another label and another set of tunes, but that's a story for another day.

The fve-piece Britsh band fronted by Jamie Campbell Bower issue their hard-hitng debut album 'Together We Are Stronger' on March 17th 2017. Driven by Jamie Campbell Bower's raw and honest vocals, it was produced by Thomas Mitchener (Frank Carter & The Ratlesnakes, Dead!) and recorded at Broadfelds Studio. The album features 'Addicton', ' For The Thrill Of It' and 'Lost Everything', all of which are fan favourites at the bands' incendiary live shows 2016 was a busy year for Counterfeit, seeing the fve-piece play their frst UK headline tour, which included a sell out show at London's Electric Ballroom. They then toured mainland Europe, and played festvals including Rockcamp in Germany and 2000 Trees in Cheltenham in the Summer. They capped it of with a nominaton for Best Britsh Newcomer at the Kerrang! Awards.Following the release of 'Together We Are Stronger' Counterfeit kick their tour of in Hamburg on 24th March, and work their way through cites including Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam, before hitng the UK. The band will then head to Leeds on 18th April and wrap things up in Brighton on 29th April.

The fve-piece Britsh band fronted by Jamie Campbell Bower issue their hard-hitng debut album 'Together We Are Stronger' on March 17th 2017. Driven by Jamie Campbell Bower's raw and honest vocals, it was produced by Thomas Mitchener (Frank Carter & The Ratlesnakes, Dead!) and recorded at Broadfelds Studio. The album features 'Addicton', ' For The Thrill Of It' and 'Lost Everything', all of which are fan favourites at the bands' incendiary live shows.

2016 was a busy year for Counterfeit, seeing the fve-piece play their frst UK headline tour, which included a sell out show at London's Electric Ballroom. They then toured mainland Europe, and played festvals including Rockcamp in Germany and 2000 Trees in Cheltenham in the Summer. They capped it of with a nominaton for Best Britsh Newcomer at the Kerrang! Awards.

Following the release of 'Together We Are Stronger' Counterfeit kick their tour of in Hamburg on 24th March, and work their way through cites including Berlin, Rome and Amsterdam, before hitng the UK. The band will then head to Leeds on 18th April and wrap things up in Brighton on 29th April.

RIYL THE CURE /KILLING JOKE/CHAMELEONS; Drab Majesty began as a warbled transmission received via 4-track cassette in a dim, Los Angeles bedroom in 2012. The entity known as Deb Demure, an interdimensional muse of sorts, lent an otherworldly vision to a human contact; one to be realized through meticulously composed lo-fi recordings. Focusing on the aesthetics of cult ritual and the devastating power of music, Deb sought an alternative way to share the cosmic agenda. Culminating in a cassette titled Unarian Dances, Drab Majesty's manifesto to humanity was revealed: revel in the power of artistic influences that reside beyond the self. The tape circulated through Los Angeles, catching the attention of local tastemakers like the heads at Lollipop Records in Echo Park. It quickly found a place on the shelves of LA's underground musical seekers. After a gauntlet of performances and late night manifestations, Drab Majesty came on the radar of DAIS Records.In 2015, Drab Majesty released Careless, the first LP which was received and recorded solely by Demure on living room floors and in cluttered spaces across the city. After three pressings and an imminent fourth, Careless remains a fixture in LA's somber yet sublime nightlife and a noted contribution to the murkier subcultures abroad. Wielding a left-handed guitar, Deb employs a unique style of arpeggiated finger picking, producing vast and organic musical textures reminiscent of Vinny Reilly (Durutti Column) with the anthemic power of Sisters of Mercy and Cocteau Twins. In the past two years Deb has been invited to support bands such as Cold Cave, Psychic TV, Clan of Xymox, The Frozen Autumn, Prayers, and label mates Youth Code and King Dude. From its incarnation, Drab Majesty was a solo act; an interplay between guitar and triggered machines. In 2016, with growing audiences and heightened interest, Drab expanded into a duo, employing the keyboard accompaniment of far-out twin, Mona D - filling out frequencies and upping the spectacle of the live performance.

- After Stanley Road came the more 'rootsy', stripped-down style of Heavy Soul, once again the influence of British 'blues-rock' - Free, Spooky Tooth, Cat Stevens shone through (perhaps no coincidence that the album appeared on Island Records label!). The album included hit singles - Brushed, Friday Street, the jaunty 60s-inspired Mermaids and the riotous, Jam-like Peacock Suit.
- Gatefold LP sleeve
- Colour inner sleeve with photos and lyrics
- 12 x 12' double sided colour insert with photos

Munich Fuck yeah. Rock Fuck yeah. Fuck Yeah Fuck yeah.

Four men, sweaty rooms and well-loved instruments. Hunter S Thompson would've loved them. Lou Reed would have shouted fuck yeah!

They might just be your new favourite Munich-based fortysomething German four-piece. And in a time where most people proudly proclaim they believe in nothing, Fuck Yeah believe in something: music. They don't hold back. They swear. They whistle. They keep it simple. They rock out a room.

Are they too old for rock and roll Fuck yeah. Of course they are. One of their songs bangs on about BCR. At least two of them probably have bad backs. Who cares. The spirit of rock says do it anyway, but do it well. Fuck yeah. - Danny Wallace, author and moderator "Fuck Yeah blast out of the speakers and sweep away all the Kraut Rock cliches in a torrent of tuneful guitar riffs.