Pop & Rock News

An absolute must for all fans of the most extreme rock and roll figure of the past century this 'singles' compilation includes the entire Bored To Death' 7´´ E.P. (1979), 1980´s Rock´n´Roll' 7´´ (1979), Gimme Some Head' 7´´ (1981), You Hate Me + I Hate You' 7´´ E.P. (1982), No Rules' 7´´ E.P. (1982) plus the relevant tracks from the posthumously released Out For Blood' 7´´ E.P. (1997) an Occupation' 7´´ E.P. (2000).

Some old stock that has just been located in a warehouse in the USA and we have them. With the remastered issue out of print on vinyl right now this is all that's available if you want Kill City. The album that started it all. Brought to Bomp when no other label would take a chance on Iggy, 'Kill City' opened the door to the wealth of other rare Stooges material that followed. It's also unique in Iggy's career, coming from a period following the breakup of the Stooges when his life was in disarray and his songs, as a result, expressed a personal angst never quite equaled again. This is 10" vinyl version featuring the original artwork and features the best tracks from Kill City.

Cult Melbourne band Primitive Calculators cut a single in 1979 before splitting in the true punk fashion.

A posthumous eponymous live album was released in 1981 (also reissued this Spring on desire) and that was it. Those two tracks are as fresh now as they were more than 30 years ago: in a style not dissimilar to the Screamers, Cabaret Voltaire (circa Nag Nag Nag), Metal Urbain or C.O.M.A., Primitive Calculators used raw monophonic synth lines with scratchy guitars and screaming vocals but the songs were standing on their own (as the unplugged version of Do That Dance that appears on the Primitive Calculators And Friends 1979-82 could testify. The original 7" is now incredibly rare and hard to find and this reissue is its exact replica. First pressing limited to 500 copies...

Vinyl repress in soon, now with a new higher price. This time, the root of Biafra's frustration-- aside from the threat of global terrorism, the Bush administration's response to the threat of global terrorism, and, uh, yuppies in Cadillacs-- is personal: The Melvins approached him about a possible collaboration after witnessing the supposed Dead Kennedys "reunion," which-- after a series of inter-band legal disputes-- occurred without Biafra at the helm. The Melvins are ideal musical foils to Biafra's maniacal persona, and show an admirable willingness to subdue and camouflage their normally obtrusive sound. The band members' great admiration and respect for Biafra's work are evident in the album's malleable arrangements, which strike a perfect balance between the Melvins' grimy post-alternative metal and classic Kennedys-style California punk.

From the same scene that begat the Scientists and the Victims came Perth, Australia's The Manikins. Founded by Neil Fernandes -- a former member of the legendary Cheap Nasties with future Scientists member Kim Salmon -- the Manikins bridged the rawness of their Aussie punk contemporaries with melodic Power Pop. From Broadway to Blazes features all the bands' essential recordings from 1971 to 1981, including the three criminally rare and outrageously expensive self-released 7" singles (Models for Mankind, Premonition and Love at Second Sight), their DiY cassette and more unreleased studio recordings as well as detailed liner notes by Fernandes. Manufactured Recordings presents one of the final, untold stories of the original Australian Punk and New Wave scene.

Born of working class roots in Edinburgh, Scotland, The Exploited emerged from the punk underground in 1981 with the release of their debut LP, Punk's Not Dead. A direct reaction to Crass' "Punk Is Dead", The Exploited brought to the early 80s all the fire, speed and attitude of 1977's first wave, with an street/Oi! swagger that was fresh. Peaking at #20 on the UK charts, Punk's Not Dead was the best selling independent record of 1981. Another essential piece of the UK Oi! scene of the early 1980s reissued by Radiation.

The Neon Hearts were formed in the spring of 1977 by saxophonist Steve Heart who had left Suburban Studs. Other members soon joined: Paul Raven (bass), Keith Allen (drums), Martin Ratcliffe (guitar) and Tone Dial (vocals). The band were highly committed and rehearsed for 3 hours nightly. They soon had plenty of songs and entered Ginger Studios to record the best of them. The result was the now legendary double A-side 'Regulations' and 'Venus Eccentric', released in December 1977 on their own Neon Hearts label. Packaged in an outrageous oversized 8" cover, a copy will now set you back £60.

The band established their own punk venue at the Lord Raglan in Wolverhampton and gigged furiously nationwide, building a substantial following and reaching the attention of many labels. Despite various options, Neon Hearts made the wrong decision and signed to Satril. Immediately things started to go wrong as the label tried to manipulate the band by rewriting their lyrics, allowing them no say in the production of the records and releasing singles without their consent. Satril released two singles 'Answers' and 'Popular Music'. Line-up changes followed and by the time the album (also titled 'Popular Music') was released in April 1979, the band, dispirited, had already split. There was a brief reformation before Tony joined Fashion, Paul Raven joined Killing Joke and later Prong and Steve formed 21c (21st Century).

This album closely repros the artwork of the original, but with the addition of a 12' card insert with sleeve notes from Steve Harrington, is packaged in a heavy duty cover and is on red vinyl and limited to just 500 copies.

The unsung heroes of the American DIY punk community return with their new album.  On What A Time To Be Barley Alive, Arms Aloft have carefully honed an inherent songwriting skill into something considerable and exceptional. The compositions surge with the feeling of dedicated malcontent and a primal inability to bend or bow. Every track is an ear-worm that boasts of anthemic, meaningful lyrics.  This is the very definition of what mature, thoughtful, and melodic punk was meant to be.
"It's that ability to balance emotion with aggression and uncertainty that sets Arms Aloft ahead of the pack. They're absolutely a punk band through and through. It's DIY at heart, super cynical, and built around the cusp of just-contained emotion, but it's also carefully structured with rising and falling power within each song instead of full-throttle fury." - Scene Point Blank
LP includes a 12 page booklet with original artwork by Landon Sheely and a free download coupon.
+ Recently completed a 2 week tour with The Falcon and
Kyle Kinane
+ CD version released by Red Scare Records
+ Download code included
+ Upcoming Euro tour with Guerilla Poubell

[ZZA] H4 Already There
[ZZB] H5 On The Lie
[ZZC] H6 Close Your Eyes
[ZZD] H7 So Far Away
[ZZE] I1 Long Way Down
[ZZF] I2 Burnin' Up
[ZZG] I3 Naked
[ZZH] I4 Flat Top
[ZZI] I5 Impersonality
[ZZJ] I6 Name
[ZZK] J1 Only One
[ZZL] J2 Somethin' Bad
[ZZM] J3 Ain't That Unusual
[ZZN] J4 So Long
[ZZO] J5 Eyes Wide Open
[ZZP] J6 Disconnected
[ZZQ] J7 Slave Girl

LATEST RELEASE ON DULL TOOLS..THE NEW YORK LABEL RUN BY PARQUET COURT'S ANDREW SAVAGE..

"This band gives me hope that hardcore can still be inventive and creative, while staying true to being what it is: angry, destructive music." AS

VERY LIMITED QUANTITIES/NON-RETURNABLE.

The band has a good following in the DIY punk scene (previous LP's released on Katorga Works).The band features members of: Bad Sports, Video (Third Man), Radioactivity.

RIYL: Poison Idea, Power Trip, Negative Approach

Where does the time go As I write this Wiccans has been a band for eight years now. This is confirmed by a YouTube clip from a Denton house show, uploaded in March 2009. I'm playing a white strat and wearing a cardigan sweater, therein fulfilling the unspoken rule in Wiccans of looking as not-punk as possible. All these years later, the origins of this band are hazy to me, since I'm now more of a fan than an ex-member, so I consult MRR #381 where Payton Green explains, "I had been in hardcore bands always, and Andrew (who's in Parquet Courts now) and I were driving home from a show in Dallas. We'd been talking about doing a hardcore band since we were like seventeen or eighteen together. Andrew already had the name."

"I became involved because they thought I looked like a singer or something," adds Adam Cahoon, a sweet teddy bear of a man that turns into barking lunatic behind a microphone. The original lineup was Payton Green, Adam Cahoun, Harpal Assi, Gregory Rutherford and myself. We played house shows, we recorded a 7" and wrote as many songs as we could together, our time being divided by bands like Orange Cokes, Wax Museums, Bad Sports, Teenage Cool Kids just to name a few. And then I made the move to New York.

But that truly was only the beginning for Wiccans. The Teenage Cults 7", got a lot of attention, and my friend and ex-bandmate Daniel Zeigler stepped in to fill my shoes on guitar. The band started touring and writing new songs together and becoming a well-oiled hardcore machine. The reputation as an amazing live band was now established outside of Denton. In New York, in Nashville and in Detroit. The band release Skullduggery, the first LP. They toured like madmen, then Daniel leaves the band and is replaced by Shea Brooks. Harpal and Adam leave Denton for Austin and Payton for Oklahoma City, but despite geographic distance and membership in roughly a dozen other bands, Wiccans is able to release a second album, Field II, and tour.

So now it's 2017. Wiccans members now all live in Austin they are unveiling their third full-length, Sailing a Crazy Ship. From the onset, the band made it a priority to actively avoid trends within the hardcore punk scene. Wiccans have always been the band that mysterious guys and dangly-earring, switchblade dorks wished they were in. Fads come and go, but creativity and transparency are timeless, and never before has this been so evident than on Sailing a Crazy Ship. Payton Green's talent for writing inspiring guitar lines has never been sharper (see the maddeningly catchy riff on 'Under the Sun'), and he and Shea come together as a single solid force on this record. Songwriting chops are at an all-time high for the band. I've always admired this Wiccans' ability to eschew the predictable "now we do a breakdown" structure of American hardcore. They are fucking with structure, as much as with genre. At times on Sailing I'm hearing just as much inspiration from Thin Lizzy and Roxy Music than I do Poison Idea or Negative Approach. Recorded by Denton legends Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke (of Marked Men), the nine tracks are fast and ferocious, lacking the slow dirges of previous full-lengths. The boys are sailing fast, but maintain- ing complete control over their ship. The title track's intro gives listeners the uncertain, cautious sensa- tion of a vessel lifting off, but a galloping pogo beat confirms that Wiccans have reached outer space, and are cutting through the cosmos at light-speed.- Andrew Savage

The old band from most of the Bastard Members... noisy Sonic Youth influences... or Jazzy 70's psychedelic roots... or ... just late 80'sNoisy French spirit (Sister Iodine, and others...)... A important repress to check !

Balade Garage for un-virgin ears... Superb music not too punxxx this time and bringing a bit of electro... Well a nice little pearl baby !!

Since their first demo in 2013, the Austin expats in Institute have edged their raw anarcho punk blitz into something much more expansive and nuanced. 2014's Salt EP marked the beginning of the band's working relationship with Sacred Bones, and it explored longer, more experimental song forms. Catharsis, the band's debut full-length, was another huge push forward, with a slightly cleaner production and some Krautrock influence creeping in around the edges. Subordi¬nation sees them push themselves further out of genre, incorporating hard rock and glam and writing some of the most diverse material of their career.

Subordination was written in the days leading up to Institute's first European tour, where they then had a chance to sculpt the songs live before recording them in summer of 2016. The song writing and recording process sought to close the gap between the band's records and shows, to make an album as representative of their live set as possible. It was the most collaborative Institute writing session to date, with all four band members contributing (gtr -Arak Avakian, drums - Barry Elkanick, bass- Adam Cahoon & vox - Moses Brown). They worked again with producer Ben Greenberg (Uniform) and fully captured the intensity that has made them one of the best live punk bands touring today.

Frontman Moses Brown's lyrics remain deeply personal, but rather than diving into introspection and plucking out intimate details about his life, he attempts to dismantle systems of patriarchal thought and power. Brown investigates national insecurities and American socialization failures through the lens of his personal experiences in both public school and art schools.

The songs on Subordination address the lonely sham of playing by the rules, the search for money and power, the annihilation of a true personality, and the stan¬dards of normalcy that from childhood conditions us to feel abject.

Since their first demo in 2013, the Austin expats in Institute have edged their raw anarcho punk blitz into something much more expansive and nuanced. 2014's Salt EP marked the beginning of the band's working relationship with Sacred Bones, and it explored longer, more experimental song forms. Catharsis, the band's debut full-length, was another huge push forward, with a slightly cleaner production and some Krautrock influence creeping in around the edges. Subordi¬nation sees them push themselves further out of genre, incorporating hard rock and glam and writing some of the most diverse material of their career.

Subordination was written in the days leading up to Institute's first European tour, where they then had a chance to sculpt the songs live before recording them in summer of 2016. The song writing and recording process sought to close the gap between the band's records and shows, to make an album as representative of their live set as possible. It was the most collaborative Institute writing session to date, with all four band members contributing (gtr -Arak Avakian, drums - Barry Elkanick, bass- Adam Cahoon & vox - Moses Brown). They worked again with producer Ben Greenberg (Uniform) and fully captured the intensity that has made them one of the best live punk bands touring today.

Frontman Moses Brown's lyrics remain deeply personal, but rather than diving into introspection and plucking out intimate details about his life, he attempts to dismantle systems of patriarchal thought and power. Brown investigates national insecurities and American socialization failures through the lens of his personal experiences in both public school and art schools.

The songs on Subordination address the lonely sham of playing by the rules, the search for money and power, the annihilation of a true personality, and the stan¬dards of normalcy that from childhood conditions us to feel abject.

Since their first demo in 2013, the Austin expats in Institute have edged their raw anarcho punk blitz into something much more expansive and nuanced. 2014's Salt EP marked the beginning of the band's working relationship with Sacred Bones, and it explored longer, more experimental song forms. Catharsis, the band's debut full-length, was another huge push forward, with a slightly cleaner production and some Krautrock influence creeping in around the edges. Subordi¬nation sees them push themselves further out of genre, incorporating hard rock and glam and writing some of the most diverse material of their career.

Subordination was written in the days leading up to Institute's first European tour, where they then had a chance to sculpt the songs live before recording them in summer of 2016. The song writing and recording process sought to close the gap between the band's records and shows, to make an album as representative of their live set as possible. It was the most collaborative Institute writing session to date, with all four band members contributing (gtr -Arak Avakian, drums - Barry Elkanick, bass- Adam Cahoon & vox - Moses Brown). They worked again with producer Ben Greenberg (Uniform) and fully captured the intensity that has made them one of the best live punk bands touring today.

Frontman Moses Brown's lyrics remain deeply personal, but rather than diving into introspection and plucking out intimate details about his life, he attempts to dismantle systems of patriarchal thought and power. Brown investigates national insecurities and American socialization failures through the lens of his personal experiences in both public school and art schools.

The songs on Subordination address the lonely sham of playing by the rules, the search for money and power, the annihilation of a true personality, and the stan¬dards of normalcy that from childhood conditions us to feel abject.

Second studio album repress by these clockwork punks formerly known as Major Accident. This album was first issued by Flicknife Records and has never been repressed on vinyl since the original release in 1984. The album contains 10 magnificent melodic punk-oi! cuts including the tracks "Fight To Win" and "Leaders Of Tomorrow" that went straight to the top 20 in the indie hit charts. Also includes a fantastic symphony in pure Clockwork Orange film tradition. Repress made following the original artwork that includes a printed lyrics inner bag. Surely a must for any serious UK 80´s punk collector. Limited edition of 500 copies.

**5 x CD + DVD**

"Psychic Rockers From The West" is a 5 CD plus 1 DVD package and contains The Bakerton Group's "El Rojo" (Clutch's instrumental blues jam side project), "Strange Cousins From The West", the "Earth Rocker" Deluxe triple-set (2 CD + 1 DVD) and the latest Clutch release "Psychic Warfare". This is a limited release, hand numbered and signed by all band members on the back!

Limited Edition (3000 worldwide)
Hand numbered
Signed on the back by all band members

Garage noisy pop punxing around !

The third record on Inversions is a collaborative release with the Norwegian label Drid Machine. Golden Oriole, hailing from Stavanger, comprise of Thore Warland and Kristoffer Riis, esrtwhile members of Staer + Tralten Eller Utpult.

PR is currently underway courtesy of Berlin's Dense Promotion. The tracks have received a lot of radio play, for example "The Approaching of the Disco Void" has been played by the German radio station Eldoradio.

The record has so far received reviews from Germany's "Nonpop" and "African Paper," the Italian "Music Map," "Chain D.L.K." and "Rockerilla" magazines, and France's "Hartzine."

Editions Mego presents the first release of a brand new project from JG Thirlwell. Recorded at Self Immolation studios, Brooklyn. This is Xordox.

Xordox orbits a universe inhabited by darkness, wit, mystery adventure and experimentation. The cinematic quality that exudes from Thirlwell's bent being presents itself in Neospection, unlike Thirlwell's other works this is predominantly a synthesizer record, including recording sessions from his residency at the legendary EMS studios in Stockholm. Sarah Lipstate (aka Noveller) plays her super-processed soundscape guitar on three of the tracks on the album, and additional mixing took place at Lazer Sound studios with Al Carlson (who works extensively with Oneohtrix Point Never).

Xordox.

Diamond circulating swells
Sequenced stealth sci-fi
Malleable membrane matters
Wild fabric electronic
Heart eaten beat
Fruits of fear and exhilaration.
Neospection is neon noir.
Neospection is ere 4 yor. Xordox arrives as unexpected and remote as any alien encounter but security lies in the cosmic drama and dark shadows that seep throughout Thirlwell's soul. In this, 2017 we once again enter the mind and world of one man who refuses to play along with anyone's game but the idiosyncratic one of his own devising.

Cardiff's Chain of Flowers return to Alter with their first new material since 2015's self-titled debut album. A double A sided single, 'Let Your Light In' and 'Flesh, Blood and Bone' are two tracks which see the band moving beyond the dense shoegaze sonics of their debut, bringing forward a more spacious and streamlined sound that emphasises the powerful urgency of their live performances.

Despite 'Let Your Light In' offering a more optimistic tone to what fans of their debut may be used to, the charismatic guitar hooks, hazy vocals and fist-to-the-horizon anthemic qualities of the group are no less present. On this new found optimism, vocalist Josh explains: "Relationships of all kinds keep this world moving. We live in times of profound darkness, though I somehow find myself lucky enough to be surrounded by people that pour some light and inspiration back in to my life and this is not to be taken for granted. This song is an ode to love and companionship around the world, a gratuitous nod to the better aspects of the human race. A thank you for being you."

'Flesh, Blood and Bone' on the other side appears to follow a darker and more pensive path at first with Josh singing at his most baritone and ominous. However when the chorus hits with its searing synthesiser melody, a switch is flipped. Musically it channels perfectly the bombastic new wave ambition of early Simple Minds, alongside the dramatic post-punk melancholy of the Chameleons. With this, Chain of Flowers are evidently making an effort to find a light within the darkness of the world and their own collective souls.

Ltd edition of the original 1977 mixes on Starburst Vinyl. LP STARBURST COLOR VINYL. Kill City helped bridge Iggy Pop's musical career from the drug-fueled and blazing rock of the Stooges (Raw Power, etc.) to his artier (but just as influential and passionate) David Bowie-produced solo albums (The Idiot and Lust for Life). After the Stooges broke up for good in 1974, Iggy (who was depressed, suicidal, and addicted to hard drugs) checked himself into a mental hospital to straighten out. When he emerged sober, Iggy hooked up with ex-Stooges guitarist James Williamson and began collaborating on demos. The duo tried to land a record contract on the strength of the compositions, but failed to do so. Although it's not as jaw-dropping as the releases listed above, Kill City certainly has its moments. And surprisingly, the songs sound more like laid-back Stones rockers than what the duo was known for at the time (which was barely containable near-heavy metal). There are a couple of Stooges leftovers ("Johanna" and "I Got Nothin") which lack the bite of the originals, but make up for it in Iggy's heartfelt vocals. The title track opens the album, with the lyrics painting a picture of a desperate and dangerous metropolis, and musically is the closest to the classic Stooges sound. Iggy and James' admiration of Jagger and Richards shows on the tracks "Sell Your Love," "Lucky Monkeys," and the instrumental "Night Theme." Also, synthesizers and keyboards are featured on "Master Charge," signaling the new direction Iggy would soon embark on. Also included are informative liner notes which do a good job of showing where Iggy's head was at during his mid-'70s, refocusing period. An interesting release, worthy of belonging in any Stooges/Iggy fan's collection.