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FORCED EXPOSURE MAILORDER UPDATE
NEW RELEASES FOR THE WEEK OF 10/07/2024

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PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: 1972 001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Lawrence Hayward knew that he wanted to be a pop star as a teen, and he devised a plan to release ten albums and ten singles over ten years to make that dream come true. A particular and determined individual, he would only be known as Lawrence from that day forward. His hopes for stardom would be pinned on his newly formed band, the succinctly named Felt. Soon signed to Cherry Red Records, Lawrence's achingly cool vocals and the group's way with walking melodies were evident on their debut for the label, Something Sends Me To Sleep. This compilation collects material from Felt's Cherry Red period of 1981 to 1985, kicking off with that confident start, assembling numerous high points, and closing with their biggest hit, 'Primitive Painters.' This phase of the band is defined by the songwriting partnership and unique interplay of Lawrence and guitarist Maurice Deebank, with Deebank's stylish and confident playing the envy of many of their counterparts. He delivers a constant string of shimmering hooks that wrap themselves around and over top of Lawrence's more traditional beat combo song structures, as if trying to fit four songs worth of ideas into a pre-set radio friendly cutoff time. It works wonderfully as Lawrence always counters with a solid bedrock. In one of many brushes with the brass ring, in 1984 Felt recorded versions of 'Dismantled King Is Off The Throne' and 'Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow,' for the newly formed and Warners-backed label Blanco y Negro, in hopes that the band would follow their A+R man Mike Alway to the executive suite. Despite putting forward two of their finest songs, it was not to be. While major label dreams had to remain on the shelf, fans were delighted to be able to hear these beautifully stripped down and more direct versions when this compilation was released a few years later. By 1985 the Felt roller coaster was something Maurice Deebank was constantly getting on and off of. As Gary Ainge always kept the beat, and Lawrence never lost focus, they were joined by local teen prodigy Martin Duffy on keyboards, filling out the arrangements, and following Deebank's racing six-string cascades in 'The Day The Rain Came Down' you can even hear a tiny hint of the next phase of the band in Duffy's organ before Maurice swoops to the finish. The newly expanded Felt would then put everything they had into making one of the defining releases of the '80s: 'Primitive Painters.'"

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: 1972 002LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Following a run with Cherry Red Records that featured a potential major label jump, guitarist Maurice Deebank quitting and rejoining multiple times, several pop stardom carrots just out of reach, mixing battles with Robin Guthrie, and a shocking entry into the record charts, Lawrence (just 'Lawrence', like 'Cher' or 'Madonna' thank you very much) knew he would be making a change with his band Felt. He would be seeing out his plan of ten albums and ten singles in ten years alongside a new partner in Creation Records. This compilation beautifully captures those years. Creation was beginning a rapid ascent at the time, with Alan McGee serving as its hyperactive mouthpiece and focal point. McGee was all in on the band. 'Lawrence achieved pop perfection, a breathless rush of sensitivity and intelligence. It was too understated to be commercial, too art to go pop, too pop to go art -- in other words it was a perfect combination of all the music I loved at the time.' McGee was thrilled to have what he considered a real star on the label, and Lawrence was equally thrilled to have such an enthusiastic cheerleader. He funneled that enthusiasm into some of the most focused songwriting of his career, as well as some of his wildest experiments, all of which are on display here."

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: ACIDTEST 021EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Beat machine freak duo Bill Converse and Patricia (Max Ravitz) present 380/750, a new EP on Acid Test that blends the two producers' singular styles to form an emotive "introspection on the dance floor" experience over the course of four tracks. Recorded at Ravitz's Brooklyn studio over the course of two days, 380/750 features raw, no-multitrack, no-edit live recordings that showcase the duo's intuition for expressive rhythm tracks. Considering Converse's roots in the '90s Michigan rave scene, and Ravitz's Chicago upbringing, the midwestern strains really shine through. With rhythm-composer mutations, acid dripping over atmospheric synth textures, and the ever-present jack throughout, 380/750 offers a deep sound to get lost in that feels both new and classic at the same time.

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: ARF 008EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Rasco's 'The Unassisted,' the legendary 12" single off of the Time Waits for No Man LP was part of the catalyst that helped put independent rap releases on the map during the pre-2K era. With production by Fanatic and cuts by D-Styles & Peanut Butter Wolf, this 1997 release in was an instant classic. Rasco went on to release LPs with Stones Throw and various labels in Japan and London. Working with everyone from the likes of Phife Dawg, Evidence, Da Beatminerz, Jake One, Roc Raida, Planet Asia, Royce Da 5'9, and others. Twenty-seven years later All Right Fresh steps in to give this quintessential 12" a fresh look along with updated mastering on a 7" 45rpm issue."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BING 208LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Quinnisa Kinsella-Mulkerin recorded her first song at five years old with her parents, who comprise the adventurous Maine band, Big Blood. Ever since the age of five, she was writing songs, banging on chimes, strumming guitars, and clanging together whatever else she could find. Improvisation was natural, and she stuck to the approach. Kinsella-Mulkerin brings this innate sense of songwriting to The Wickies, a duo she formed with Aiden Arel at age 16, whose chill approach and fluid delivery belie true inventiveness in the underneath mechanics. Inspired by seventies folk icons like Stevie Nicks, Krautrock bands like Can, and modern indie-rockers like Alex G, The Wickies feel like an amalgamation of these decade-spanning sounds, but uniquely their own. Kinsella-Mulkerin's voice croons like a seventies folk star, but it possesses a great and controlled tone. Her vocals feel like another instrument within the mix, building and growing each song to its fullest sound, leaving no detail within the mix unheard. Their use of echoing guitar lines recalls sixties psych, a springboard for their unique take. Kinsella-Mulkerin's lush, free-flowing lyrics, created on the spot, complement Arel's fleshed out backing instrumentation and over-dubbing. Quickly, the pair created more material than they ever needed, allowing them to mold their recordings into a self-titled debut album. Like a painter crafting the perfect exhibition of their finest work, Arel and Kinsella-Mulkerin condensed their improvisations to all the best parts. Tracks like 'Campfire Song' and 'Skipping Pond' exemplify the ethereal and lackadaisical atmosphere of their sound. 'I keep finding these weird, obscure bands from the seventies that have one album and nothing else, which is awesome,' Kinsella-Mulkerin says, 'I want my music to sound like somebody found it in a record store that no one has ever heard of and uploaded it to YouTube. I want it to sound a little strange.'"

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BNSD 017LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Accurately described by Thurston Moore as "great for meditating to the cosmos," Terry Riley's classic Descending Moonshine Dervishes is available again in a limited edition repress. Originally recorded live in Berlin in 1975 and released by Kuckuck in 1982, Beacon Sound reissued the album in 2016 to widespread acclaim. Using just intonation and a modified organ, Riley conjures forth a rich and layered sound that challenges the Western ear, reflecting his associations with Indian classical singer Pandit Pran Nath and La Monte Young, whose Well Tuned Piano was well underway. Descending Moonshine Dervishes is a virtuosic and kaleidoscopic performance, standing as one of the finest works of a revolutionary composer and musician at the height of his powers. Recorded in concert November 29, 1975 at Metamusik Festival in Berlin. Originally mastered by Stephen Hill. Remastered in 2016 by Rafael Anton Irisarri. Front cover painting by Helmut Zimmermann. Back cover photography by Roberto Masotti."Descending Moonshine Dervishes' dates from 1975 and it belongs to a larger Dervish series of compositions whose origins predate Riley's two signature works of minimalism, 'In C' (1968) and 'A Rainbow In Curved Air' (1969)? (the piece is) structured around just intonation, which stretches the listening experience into new areas. Played on a Yamaha organ with a bit of tape delay that allows Riley to duet with himself, the music of Descending Moonshine Dervishes is an ear expansion that goes through skittering arpeggios and long, droning notes that indicate something of the many levels that it operates on." --Louise Gray, The Wire Magazine (2017)"Terry Riley has become a totemic presence in music over the past half-century." --The Guardian

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: BNSD 086LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

On his third album as Etelin, Alex Cobb explores the intricacies of separation and belonging using field recordings and electronics, reconfiguring the dividing line between what is artificial and natural in the process. Maintaining a sense of playful reverence and lurking melancholy in its glitchy pastoralism, Patio User Manual hums with a meticulous and singular energy. From the loops and static pulses of "The Chemistry of Cobalt" to the tension and release of "Electrical Sailing," the listener is pulled into a sound world at once ambivalent and radiant, reaching its denouement in the lovely melody that closes the final track, "Picnic at Gas Station Park." Although the album might bring to mind the nuanced and imaginative ambient music published by labels such as Mille Plateaux, Sonig, and Silent Records in the 1990s, it is, in the end, a world of its own and very much of today. The patio as a stage for alienated life, pyrrhic in its isolation, deceptive in its promise of distinction. Orientation as disorientation, often unseen inside the frame but felt in the bones. What is out there, anyway, other than the thing we fear the most? Written, recorded, and mixed by Alex Cobb, 2022-2023. Mastered by Guiseppe Ielasi. Design by Keith Freund and Alex McCullough."Another day of weird weather and screens. What type of perfume did Philip Johnson wear when he designed Glass House? Is it actually possible to flee to the country when you've internalized a lifetime of intellectualized urban living? When you buy a DIY patio kit, you get instructions for how best to embed concrete or brick or flagstone into the natural world. The patio will make you enjoy your environment more. It will become yours. You can stand on it and think 'this is Mine.' The structuralists talked about the importance of fixed camera position, but didn't properly interrogate it because to do so would be impossible. It's hard to believe that it really wasn't long ago that computer music seemed exciting, novel, even radical. We're now thoroughly estranged from eating what's in season. Walking around the woods in southern Ohio in spring, I thought about the curious imperative of the patio, how my kids get excited about picking oyster mushrooms, the dynamics of switched capacitor filters, and how adequacy is tethered to doubt." --Alex Cobb, May 2024

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: BISON 014LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Restocked; LP version.If I don't make it, I love u is Still House Plants third album and the fullest embodiment of their sound to date. Where Fast Edit formed with quick attachment and jump cuts, If I don't make it is shaped by persistence -- a commitment to the songs that makes the music solid, warmer and accepted. Marking the trio's decade of friendship, this is the first record written whilst all live in the same city since 2017's Assemblages. The band rehearsed it relentlessly, playing for nobody except themselves, consistently building support for one another and growing the way they play. Jess's voice is deeper. Fin's guitar is full size, richer. David drums harder. Focused on one point together, everyone gets bigger and nothing falls apart. The guitar and the drums blend, raise the voice, make room for what is being said, what is felt. When able to finally record, production allowed layers, gave elasticity, a chance to fully stretch. Playing with length and connections, the band brought in analog techniques -- a Leslie cabinet on "Headlight", sidechaining the snare with the guitar, pushing vocals through cheap DJ software -- each process an attempt to bring one instrument closer to another, to give bass, body, backup. If I don't make it, I love u seeks beauty, holds feeling maximum and builds surety with its sound. The most generous SHP record to date, the music is wide open, demands less. Play it again, it will come clear.

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: BT 084LP

FILE UNDER: EXPERIMENTAL

2024 restock. Black Truffle announce For McCoy, a new work by Eiko Ishibashi dedicated to the widely loved character of Jack McCoy, portrayed by Sam Waterston in Law & Order. Following on from Hyakki Yagy? (BT 064LP), For McCoy finds Ishibashi further exploring the unique space she has carved out in recent years, bringing together musique concr?te techniques, ECM-inspired jazz, lush layers of synths and hints of pop into immersive and affecting structures crafted in her home studio, aided by a group of close collaborators. Beginning with overlapping layers of descending flute lines, the expansive "I Can Feel Guilty About Anything" (whose two parts stretch out over more than thirty minutes) unfolds with a free-associative logic, embracing dreamlike transitions and unexpected cinematic cuts. As a hovering cloud of synthetic tones and multi-tracked voices fans out from the spare opening moments, Joe Talia's skittering cymbals settle into a gently propulsive groove, soon joined by melodic fragments performed by Daisuke Fujiwara on multi-tracked saxophone. As the drums cede to field recordings and ominous synth figures, the uncommon meeting of saxophone and electroacoustic techniques call to mind the more spacious moments of Michel Redolfi and Andr? Jaume's Synclavier-propelled oddity Hardscore or the early work of Gilbert Artman's Urban Sax. As the piece continues on the LP's second side, distant dialogue rumbles beneath a surface of processed flutes, blurring into a cavernously reverberant backdrop for stark ascending lines performed by MIO.O on violin. Eventually, the piece settles into a gorgeous passage of abstracted dream pop, where Ishibashi's multitracked vocal harmonies glide atop synth chords, errant pings and snatches of outdoor sound. Fragments of melodic material reappear throughout the spacious opening piece, finally stepping to the forefront on the closing track, "Ask Me How I Sleep at Night". Here, over a shuffling groove supplied by Jim O'Rourke on double bass and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto on drums, layers of flutes, saxophones and guitars sound out melodies whose combination of twisting irregularity and soulful immediacy calls up prime Keith Jarrett, while their closely voiced harmonies suggest Kenny Wheeler or even Wayne Shorter's Atlantis. In a classical gesture of closure, the web of melodic lines eventually leads back to the descending flute figures with which the record began. Presented in an immersive, impeccably detailed mix by Jim O'Rourke and arriving in a sleeve featuring Ishibashi's beautiful drawings of Jack McCoy, For McCoy is an essential release for anyone following the enchanted and unique path being forged by Eiko Ishibashi.

 

PRICE: $12.00

CAT #: BFR 037CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"In the wake of two landmark 2020 releases, Elephant Tree and Lowrider have seized the opportunity to redefine who they are and declare where their musical voyages will go next with the collaborative album The Long Forever, easily one of the most eagerly awaited split releases in the history of heavy rock. Like two timelines converging, The Long Forever finds both bands at critical junctures: each has a broad and expanding influence, each is revered onstage and off, and each is delivering its first proper new release in four years to tremendous anticipation. Bringing these bands onto a shared collaborative platter would be an event regardless of the surrounding circumstances, but the significance of this album is even greater. The album's title comes from the nickname for the multi-week coma that Elephant Tree singer/guitarist Jack Townley was in for medical reasons after a near-fatal biking accident in early 2023. Dreaming without waking and losing all sense of time as his mind attempted to cope with the ordeal, that lyrical description only hints at the enormity of Jack's experience. The year or so that followed manifested a musical freedom in both bands' respective approaches, Elephant Tree choosing a raw, set-up-the-mics-and-go approach during Jack's gradual return to playing, while Lowrider grew more complex and expressive in building songs to follow up their massively adored 2020 album Refractions. The Long Forever subverts and supersedes expectations, orbiting around a traumatic nexus as the gravitational singularity that bends and shapes every note that escapes forth. Perseverance, healing and stubbornness of passion made The Long Forever a reality, and fans of both Elephant Tree and Lowrider are certain to rejoice at the towering result!"

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: BONER 034LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "In 1992 the Melvins' fascination/adoration/denigration of the mighty KISS rock and roll universe compelled them to excrete out three solo masterworks inspired by the KISS solo LPs. The first in the series is King Buzzo, from the Melvins' giggling guitar grumpus. Four songs of atmospheric clanging and rockin' banging. Also features the many talents, drumming and otherwise, of a famous Grunge superstar, whose name sort of rhymes with New Wave Asshole. The second in the series is Dale Crover, from the Melvins' sleepy drum caveman. Four songs of gloomy heaviness, with Dale doin' the drummin', singin', guitarin', and dancin'. The third in the series is Joe Preston, from the Melvins' electronic beard warlord. Three songs of fuzz bass computer drone temper tantrum. All three 12-inches reissued on vinyl after 100,000 years out of print."

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: BJR 056LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 restock; double LP version. Les Disques Bongo Joe, continuing their work on Sao Tom? and Principe with curator DJ Tom B., announce the release of an anthology of the group ?frica Negra. This first volume includes 12 of their key tracks, remastered for the occasion and selected only from those officially released on different media. Formed in the early 1970s by Horacio, a butcher by trade, and his guitarist friend Emidio Pontes, ?frica Negra is the best known of the great S?o Tom? and Principe bands. The catchy melodies in the local Forro language, provided by lead singer Jo?o Seria, and subtly harmonized by the enchanting backing vocals of the rest of the band, quickly ensured their influence outside the archipelago. Their incomparable blend of Puxa and Rumba rhythms and subtle melodies made them the most regular touring band from Sao Tome. Their first album (Aninha) was released in 1981, followed by three more in 1983. They contain an incredible collection of timeless hits and have achieved high ratings on the second-hand market. Then came the excellent San Lena in 1986, which was unfortunately only released on cassette, but for which we were able to digitize the original tape. In 1990 their last album in vinyl format (Paga me uma cerveja) was released, the rarest. Three CDs and five cassettes followed in the 1990s. Like most S?o Tomean bands, they recorded their compositions at Radio Nacional STP, the only studio on the island at the time, whose cramped premises forced the big bands to do sessions outside in the courtyard, at night, facing the ocean and in front of their fans. Reformed around Jo?o Seria, the band has recorded three albums since 2012, and has been touring again for a few years, offering, always with the same energy, their frenzied rhythms, their graceful harmonies, their poetry full of social metaphors, and their typical dance steps. Accompanied by a booklet with the original covers and interviews with the band members still with us.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BBR 028EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Push is back with this 7" release of their highly acclaimed classic 'Cut Me Loose.' Originally released in 1994, this JBs inspired groove monster is still a rare groove defining piece of funk art. The flipside 'Superstar' is their first new recording in ten years! It is an upbeat Roy Ayers-Pleasure-esque anthem that will become a staple in DJ's selections worldwide. Boogie Back is back for good!"

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: BBR 029EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Lalomie Washburn is a US soul vocalist (1941-2004) from the soul/funk '70s band High Voltage who released her solo album, My Music Is Hot, in 1977. Over decades she collaborated with many artists including Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, and Ray Charles. In 2005 she was inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame. In 1992, she released several 12" singles including the independent hit 'Try My Love.' This was the lead single to her second solo album (self-titled) in 1997. It became a huge acid-jazz classic to be found on various compilations in the mid to the late '90s. Lalomie Washburn's 'Try My Love' is a sophisticated blend of electronic, funk and soul, originally released in 1991. This album seamlessly merges acid jazz, soul, downtempo, and contemporary R&B styles. Side one features 'Try My Love,' an underground jam that highlights Washburn's ability to blend these genres into a classy, enjoyable track. Side two presents the 2024 Boogie Back remix of 'Try My Love,' which smooth's things out and transforms the original into a melodic disco groove. This remix adds a fresh, modern twist while retaining the soulful essence of the track. Now, 20 years later this song still got it all! The energy and musicality, the club appeal, especially with the addition of the 2024 'Boogie Back Remix' on the flipside."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: BORNBAD 141LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress; LP version. Printed under sleeve; includes download code. A pop star who turned his back to show business to become an independent artist, steered by the revolutionary ideas of his wife Jacqueline in 1960s France; these are the outlines of Henri Salvador's unusual musical career. At 50, Salvador starts experimenting with synths and drum machine, multi-track recorders and altered voice collages. He takes up editing and mixing, and solitarily makes songs for young and old from his home in Paris' Place Vend?me. Seventy years of music, a thousand of creations of all styles. Sometimes associated to ye-ye singers, he's also known to have brought rock to France (in 1956, with Boris Vian). As a kid he picks up the guitar without any theoretical basics and becomes so talented he plays with Django Reinhardt. The 30s are the years of his training; the 40s of his emancipation within musical ensembles which are to see his talents flourish. He finds his public and perfects his tricks: laughter and seduction. In the 50s he rediscovers the songs of the islands where he grew up, revisits jazz, swing, blues and sings for children. Jacqueline shapes and emancipates him. When they marry in 1950, she's a quiet and cultivated young lady who's to progressively take charge of his career. Ever reinventing themselves, the Salvadors intend to do without studios, engineers, producers and musicians altogether. "Siffler en travaillant" ("Whistle While You Work") is a brilliant reinterpretation of one of Snow White's theme song, which a young Salvador had already performed with Ray Ventura's Orchestra in the 40s; "Hello Mickey", a catchy, spirited ska; "J'aime tes g'noux", a great cover of Shirly and Co's "Shame shame shame"; on "Un jour mon prince viendra", he makes a beat borrowed from Suicide and a Les Paul solo collide. Meanwhile Rigolo also releases less family-oriented singles. Salvador takes up eroticism, the financial crisis, and the negotiations between the US and Vietnam. In 1975 Jacqueline is diagnosed with a cancer. As she manages, decides and initiates everything, Rigolo starts idling. Weary and beat, Henri doesn't feel like playing in his empty house anymore. He lets all of their projects die out: the TV show, the label, the musical editions, the PAM. Together with Jacqueline, Henri Salvador should've set an example for other artists: one of independence against an unfair and unyielding system. An inspiration not to end up enslaved by contracts signed too early, or to feed a bunch of comatose owners clenching onto millions of publishing rights. Includes liner notes French and English by Guido from Acid Arab.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: BB 468CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Forty years since their inception, and almost two decades since their last release, art-synth auteurs Propaganda return with a brand-new chapter in their enthralling story. This self-titled set from principal songwriting partnership Ralf D?rper and Michael Mertens embodies the depth and drama of their early work, while exploring fresh sounds and styles, and reflecting the personal and societal changes since their last outing. Conceived and crafted entirely in their native D?sseldorf, a deliberate decision to help them stay true to themselves, and featuring guest appearances from the acclaimed Hauschka and ascendant Thunder Bae, this is Propaganda at their most essential. Though an embryonic incarnation was formed by Ralf D?rper, former synthesist with electro-punks Die Krupps, and Andreas Thein in 1982, it wasn't until the addition of D?sseldorf Symphony Orchestra percussionist Michael Mertens that the outfit emerged as the dark synth-pop powerhouse which would see chart success as part of the ZTT machine. Upon signing with Trevor Horn's irreverent imprint in 1983, Propaganda, now comprised of vocalists Claudia Bruecken and Susanne Freytag alongside D?rper and Mertens, delivered their classic debut LP A Secret Wish and a slew of international hit singles, "Dr Mabuse," "Duel", and "P Machinery," leaving an indelible mark on the alternative scene and securing an enduring place within the pantheon of synth-dance greats. In an era of impermanence, Propaganda wanted to produce something real -- to be played from start to finish, with artwork and packaging which allows a deeper understanding of the theme of the release. Finding the perfect label to match their ambitions in Bureau B, Propaganda have delivered a third album well worth the wait.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: BB 468LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

LP version. Forty years since their inception, and almost two decades since their last release, art-synth auteurs Propaganda return with a brand-new chapter in their enthralling story. This self-titled set from principal songwriting partnership Ralf D?rper and Michael Mertens embodies the depth and drama of their early work, while exploring fresh sounds and styles, and reflecting the personal and societal changes since their last outing. Conceived and crafted entirely in their native D?sseldorf, a deliberate decision to help them stay true to themselves, and featuring guest appearances from the acclaimed Hauschka and ascendant Thunder Bae, this is Propaganda at their most essential. Though an embryonic incarnation was formed by Ralf D?rper, former synthesist with electro-punks Die Krupps, and Andreas Thein in 1982, it wasn't until the addition of D?sseldorf Symphony Orchestra percussionist Michael Mertens that the outfit emerged as the dark synth-pop powerhouse which would see chart success as part of the ZTT machine. Upon signing with Trevor Horn's irreverent imprint in 1983, Propaganda, now comprised of vocalists Claudia Bruecken and Susanne Freytag alongside D?rper and Mertens, delivered their classic debut LP A Secret Wish and a slew of international hit singles, "Dr Mabuse," "Duel", and "P Machinery," leaving an indelible mark on the alternative scene and securing an enduring place within the pantheon of synth-dance greats. In an era of impermanence, Propaganda wanted to produce something real -- to be played from start to finish, with artwork and packaging which allows a deeper understanding of the theme of the release. Finding the perfect label to match their ambitions in Bureau B, Propaganda have delivered a third album well worth the wait.

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: CF 133LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock, last copies. "I've had the pleasure of being a [The] Fall fan since I was a teen. I was lucky enough to have some guidance from my local record shop stoner-lords. They turned me on to many of my heroes, but once I heard my first slanted and barky Fall song, I was part of the army for life. The word prolific gets tossed around a lot. It almost seems like a slag-off in the press, as if they wish the artist would produce less so they wouldn't have to do their self-imposed job of judging releases for the rabble. The Fall is subjected to this lazy word often. Yet I can honestly say that I am so thankful for any nugget of Fall that lands at my feet and in my brain. Live Fall performances are always a pleasure because they seem to take what already made the Fall great and push it even a bit more into the rough and bloody uncharted wasteland that is drug scorched proto-punk and heady political poetry. So, it is with great pleasure that we introduce this Fall bootleg soundboard recording to you. Recorded during one of the many strong points in the bands vast and mighty history. They really burn bright here and bring every ounce of what you expect from this formidable force. We have reached out to every surviving member of the band, the sound person, the bootlegger who recorded it and the photographer and received their blessings and help piecing it all together. Castle Face will be donating 50% of our profits to Centrepoint, which helps the homeless in the Manchester area get back on their feet, so the local and deserving Fall fans get a little, and give a little back, too. Nothing but the hits here folks and as raw as you dig it. This one really is exceptional in terms of live sound for The Fall. All the stars were aligned over St. Helens that eve. And it wouldn't be complete with a bit of Fall fan saltiness so, fuck you too, Jason." --John Dwyer

 

PRICE: $13.50

CAT #: CVSD 113CD

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

The beginning of the 1970s was a watershed moment in the terrestrial life of Sun Ra. With his band, the Arkestra, he began touring internationally. He and his manager Alton Abraham penned a deal with ABC-Impulse! for a series of records which introduced him to many new and distant listeners, as did his Blue Thumb LP Space is the Place. The film of the same name was under way in northern California at the time, too, and Ra accepted a lectureship at University of California, Berkeley, in 1971, teaching a class titled "The Black Man and the Cosmos." This course of study was held in some secrecy, apparently open exclusively to Black students who were strictly forbidden to record the lectures. Ra's assistants did, however, document the sessions, and some of these recordings have made their way to YouTube. The incredible half-hour of Berkeley Lecture presented here, however, is previously unknown, extracted from the Creative Audio Archive's extensive holdings. It presents Ra walking his students through a series of wonderful paradoxes and riddles, the sound of his chalk on the chalkboard serving as a kind of Greek chorus, commenting on or complementing his highly creative pedagogy. At the end of the lecture, Ra performs two musical demonstrations, the first a piano version of the Arkestra classic "Love in Outer Space," followed by a blistering 16-minute solo on the Moog synthesizer. Available for the first time ever, with cover images of the original tape box and reel featuring Ra's annotations. Transfer by Todd Carter. Mastering by Alex Inglizian. Original tape box and reel from CAA. CD designed by David Khan-Giordano. Produced by John Corbett.

 

PRICE: $35.50

CAT #: DAK 020LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Decimus' Evening Ragas Vol. 4 is Pat Muranos first solo guitar LP. Pat uses setting here both as accompaniment and foil. Side A opens with the outdoors and its accompanying sound and slowly over the course of the side, mirrors them back at us in a mutated form -- a photograph melting on the dashboard of a long-inert car. Strings mingle with crickets and become a pair of twins vocalizing, reminiscent, in a way, of a children's lullaby from Night of the Hunter. A plucked string becomes a glistening soap bubble that pops on the end of a branch. A palm muting strings becomes a storm front rolling in and dissipating just as it's noticed. The guitar obscures itself as it becomes cats and foxes communicating across empty fields. The natural world and the sound world meld into some winged thing -- cicadas giving way to delay, giving way to unknown things landing in fields while most of us sleep. I'm reminded more of 'recordists' like Anne McMillan and Knud Viktor than of other guitarists. I sense that Pat is steering and being steered throughout this record. A really true improvisation where any need for authorship kind of falls away and allows for a true sense of discovery and joy in the sounds being made. The B side also twists the familiar but in a different way. Instead of something being reflected back at us, sustained notes rise up, meet and coil around the sound of crickets. A new totality that tonally feels like a microscope placed on the artificial. Melodrama smooths out into morse code. Again music becomes nature, nature becomes music and they are both held there until something real and new emerges. Some kind of Steve Ditko cosmos unfolds into something that feels very modern and very old -- like a skipping media that creates a new world completely unintended or contained in the original piece. I find Pat's approach to be very inspiring and loose, true and unconcerned with anything but what the sounds themselves want." --Bill Nace Philadelphia 2024

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: DE 297LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Dark Entries calls on Philadelphia experimental duo The Ghostwriters to resurrect their 1981 LP of minimalist mayhem, Objects In Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear. The late Buchla maestro Charles Cohen and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cain joined up in 1971 to craft electroacoustic chaos as Anomali, later renaming themselves The Ghostwriters. Their collaborations with choreographers and visual media artists led to their singular style, straddling improvisation and composition, the oneiric and the immediate. 1981 saw the release of their debut album, Objects In Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear, a whirling, messy, telepathic slipstream cascading across an imaginary landscape. Recorded in Don Buchla's childhood home, Objects offers eight cuts of minimalist electronic bliss, equal parts icy and quirky, with standout cuts including the grooving havoc of 'Fix it in the Mix' and the otherworldly hymn 'Moon Chant.' These angular pearls will be cherished by fans of John Bender, Ceramic Hello, and all strains of outsider '80s electronics. Objects In Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear has been freshly remastered and includes an insert with photos and liner notes. Proceeds from the album will be donated to SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse), a nonprofit that combats online child sex abuse and trafficking."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: DE 325LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Dark Entries summons Philadelphia synthesizer scribes The Ghostwriters to rouse their ambient masterwork Remote Dreaming. The late Buchla maestro Charles Cohen and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Cain joined up in 1971 to craft electroacoustic chaos as Anomali, later renaming themselves The Ghostwriters. Their collaborations with choreographers and visual media artists led to their singular style, straddling improvisation and composition, the oneiric and the immediate. Following their debut album, Objects in Mirrors Are Closer Than They Appear, they were approached by ambient outlet Mu-Pysch. Remote Dreaming would take shape in various studios over nine months. Jeff Cain's instruments on this project included electric and acoustic pianos, the Juno 106 synthesizer, and a Mirage sampler, while Charles Cohen used his signature Buchla 200 Series Electronic Musical Instrument. A stark departure from the tightly wound first LP, Remote Dreaming shows the duo unfurling with soothing pianos and psychoacoustic textures, its somnambulant drones just skirting the edges of the uncanny. Although ignored in its time, Remote Dreaming is now heralded as a landmark in '80s experimental ambient music. It is here released for the first time on vinyl, spread across a double LP with five additional tracks, four of which were previously unreleased. Remote Dreaming has been freshly remastered and includes an insert with photos and liner notes. Proceeds will be donated to SOSA (Safe from Online Sex Abuse), a nonprofit that combats online child sex abuse and trafficking."

 

PRICE: $21.50

CAT #: DIALECT 037EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Kool Menthol. That's the name redolent of night and nicotine from Il Est Vilaine's new EP, featuring four tracks that send shivers down the spine and warm the body. The eponymous single unfolds like an infectious groove worthy of an '80s Tokyo nightclub. Moreover, it's still the illustrator Apollo Thomas who signs the group's artworks, tinting their universe with an irresistible Japanese touch. Orientalism? Not entirely, as evidenced by "Revenge," which sounds more like the soundtrack of an electric western, and "Quetzacoatl," falsely tropical, incantatory, and metallic, rising like a Ra?lian mantra in the after-hours. "Ramassama," on the other hand, feels like a chase scene from an Italian horror film with a slightly dazed Dario Argento. In short, the two rascals from Il Est Vilaine reaffirm their stamp of cowboy clubbers with this disco-like EP where there always remains a strong rock undertone.

 

PRICE: $17.50

CAT #: DIRT 154EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Clive From Accounts is finally back on Dirt Crew Recordings! After some excellent contributions and remixes for the highly acclaimed New York based Razor-N-Tape imprint, he graced listeners again with three new gems that show the great diversity in his productions. Since his first Cooking the Books EP in 2021 and the follow up Pearls EP in 2022 he has continued to build a strong following of fans. The uplifting opener "That Rhythm' is a smooth deep house roller with chopped up dusty samples, inspired by the US and French masters but with a heavy UK sub bass added. Following up is the wonderfully crafted "Maceo," a groovy instrumental jazz funk workout built around the genius of The JBs legends Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Closing out this new EP is the acid-laden and also title track "Clive by Night," deep and lush house music. Best played at night. All tracks mastered by Salz Mastering in Cologne. Photography and art by Break 3000.

 

PRICE: $17.00

CAT #: EMEGO 289CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock on CD. KMRU is the moniker of Joseph Kamaru, a sound artist and producer based in Nairobi. One of the leading exponents of the burgeoning experimental music scene in Nairobi and beyond, he was listed by Resident Advisor as one of "15 East African Artists You Need To Hear" in 2018 and is a regular performer at the fabled Nyege Nyege Festival having also presented live performances at CTM festival and Gamma Festival. Peel is KMRU's first release for Editions Mego. An exquisite mix of field recordings and electronics unravelling at a repetitive and leisurely pace to expose a rich tapestry of sound, revered for its ability to cross borders with the sheer undertow of emotional content. The subtle calming atmosphere within Peel belies the compositional prowess as layers of delicate sounds wrap around each other creating a hybrid new form ambient music both captivating through its textural depth and kaleidoscopic patterns. The track titles lend themselves to the themes and mood set within: "Why Are You Here", "Well", "Solace", "Klang", "Insubstantial", and the title track. This is a deep heartfelt journey with a new strong voice being expressed through the means of organically presented electronic ambient sounds, one which reveals further layers on repeat listens. All tracks written and produced by KMRU. Recorded and produced in Rimpa, (Nairobi, KE). Mastered by Stephan Mathieu at Schwebung Mastering, June 2020. Photography: Claudia Mock; Layout/Design: Nik Void.

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: FAUXPAS 035EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Fauxpas Musik presents the latest release from Joe McBride, better known as Synkro. This EP features three atmospheric tracks that showcase Synkro's signature lo-fi dub sound, highlighting his talent for creating emotional and immersive soundscapes. The release is available exclusively on vinyl, accompanied by a beautifully designed cover from artist Alex Ketzer, with photography by Alexander Binder. This blend of audiovisual aesthetics and high-quality pressing makes the EP a must-have for music lovers and collectors alike.

 

PRICE: $13.00

CAT #: FEELIT 130CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Like some mutated phantom lurking in the shadows, Cincinnati based new-wave punks Louse emerge into light with their debut LP Passions Like Tar -- a heady and sullen collection of post-punk hits. Louse have been crafting hypnotic, dense gothy anthems since forming in 2021, and continue to do so with Passions like Tar. Since their conception, the group consistently deliver '80s era-correct, modulated, guitar-driven punk that is informed by bands like Killing Joke, Bauhaus, and Christian Death, but delivered with their uniquely colored angular riffs and fevered, anguished vocals. Fret not, because you can expect more of their beautifully warped vision executed on Passions Like Tar. Passions Like Tar is a collection of intense, evocative songs that traverse a sunless landscape roving between dancy hits like 'Thieves' to more spatial, gloomy tracks like 'A Potter's Field.' The songs are stylistically linked by the band's lush guitar and synth arrangements, epically crooned dismal lyrics, and tightly wound primitive drum parts that pulse and prod like amphetamine fueled detonations. The song-structures skew from linear and driving to thoughtfully plotted ballads with an intentionally executed scope. Despite the record's diverse palate, these songs collectively create a cohesive, original, and warped vision of a cryptic yet accessible post-punk dystopia. The band has clearly rallied to create a visceral yet thoughtful record that will gel with seasoned goths and new punks in exploration alike. Louse's Passions like Tar is another glorious reason to shuffle this wild and beautiful mortal coil, dancing into oblivion." --Sims Hardin

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FEELIT 135LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Artificial Go is a new four-piece hailing from the DIY post-punk scene of Cincinnati, Ohio. Local labels Feel It and Future Shock have teamed up to co-release Artificial Go's debut album, Hopscotch Fever. Consisting of eight tight tracks, this debut is just that: an introduction. A little bit mercurial, a little bit iconic. Artificial Go is operating out of their own genre -- not quite post-punk, not quite pop. Hopscotch Fever seems to have been recorded just outside of the collective-genre-periphery to form some sort of extraterrestrial kind of music. With angular guitar breaks, bouncing rhythms, and jolting vocals, Artificial Go is truly here on their own terms." --Jacob Mouser

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FEELIT 137LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"My mates went on holiday to the Isles for this one. Galactic romantic entropy three sheets to the Wind. Saxy glimmers, broken sunbeams, oil dancing in a puddle of water in a parking lot somewhere in St. Louis or Birmingham. And just as first-wave yankee punk was decidedly solipsistic, the Poms folded in a more civic bent to explain the zeitgeist of generational disaffection. Is 'Scared To Care' about spikey punks whose apartments are littered with Amazon boxes? Is 'Biggest Sale of The Year' an indictment of late-stage capitalism? Is 'The Milkman' an effective populist who wants you to sink so that he can swim? Is this record more political than those dystopian hardcore records you sold when a nice girl opened your eyes once? Merely conjecture. It's an album dripping with clandestine musical intelligence, artisanal song-writing, great voices. The illegitimate son of Dinosaurs' bassist isn't in the mix this time, but I can assure you his spirit is there -- I can almost hear the glass of side mirrors cascading to Richmond Ave on a drunken bike ride 15 years before Josh Allen and Conway The Machine made The City That Always Sleeps cool! What is soul? Soul is finding your own catalytic converter at the thrift store. Soul is trying out for the Harlem Globetrotters on your 37th birthday and it not going so well. Soul is wearing those attractive bygone eras on your sleeve without hesitation or embarrassment. Pentatonic rock didn't exactly bubble from a serious bog, and when adults who partake become artistically conservative, grow egos in a Petri dish somewhere in the well-adjusted hyper-capitalist cityslicker life they've created because they can seemingly play Vibrators riffs better than the actual kids, everything is lost! Class know this, resisting that spiritual deficit of our collective moment with the voice of honest men trying to have fun in this fuckin' wacky world, unafraid to rhyme words like 'narcissist' and 'anarchist.' I mean, how many songs wouldn't have a pinky toe to pirouette on if 'school' and 'fool' didn't rhyme?! Now get your ass to Class." --Brandon Gaffney

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: FEELIT 139LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The first full-length release from Cleveland's Disintegration brings their intricate circuitry of nocturnal synthwave and noise-saturated post-punk to a new plateau. Sharper, leaner, and more involved than the material on their first EP, Shiver in a Weak Light is a huge step forward in terms of production, atmosphere, and overall construction, with singer/synthesist Haley Himiko turning in stellar vocal performances, guitarist/vocalist Noah Anthony and bassist Christopher Brown moving in lockstep, and new drummer David MacCluskie adding clatter and thump to the gridded framework the band architects and then dismantles on every song. The album roves between shadowy dream sequences and slow-motion shatter, drawing a dark and futuristic sound that's sometimes familiar, sometimes confounding, but always captivating. Listening closely to the web of sounds on 'In Your Diary' reveals a series of unlikely turns and transitions; like the brittle guitar line that arrives out of nowhere to lace up a propulsive chorus, the nearly subliminal hits of percussion that move throughout the stereo field, and a song structure that jumps between its parts in unexpected ways, always landing on a new hook. 'Hideaway' connects its fragmented sections in a perfect balance of dissonant chaos and shout-along melodies. Live bass and guitar parts are processed until they sound more like alien synth programming, with choppy rhythms bouncing like sequenced ones and zeroes. Each repeated listen to Shiver in a Weak Light unlocks a new room of sounds and ideas that may have gone unnoticed the time before. It's an album that beckons the listener to trek ever deeper into its network of neon hallways and interconnected underground tunnels, exploring a world where it's always night and time moves differently."

 

PRICE: $48.00

CAT #: FIELD 034LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Restocked. Twenty-three years on from its original release, the debut album of American artist Mike Parker stands proud as a blueprint for deep, hypnotic techno in the new millennium. Originally published as a CD-only edition on Parker's own Geophone label, Field Records are now giving Dispatches the full vinyl release it so richly deserves -- spread across six sides and reproducing Parker's distinctive artwork at scale. Charting the course of Parker's career reads like the evolution of deep techno itself -- moving from early collaborations with Donato Dozzy to appearances on seminal labels such as Prologue, Semantica and Spazio Disponibile. The essence of his approach was forged early on, honing techno's propulsion into a raw essence without losing any of the weight. It's an exercise in minimalism, but the sound is still monolithic and engulfing, crystal clear in its intention and devoted to the power of subtle pressure. When the decay on a reverb opens up a fraction, Parker's music leaves enough space for you to notice. Incremental shifts become monumental in his hands and his commitment to subliminal layering reveals hidden depths the further you submit to his hypnotic sound. This definitive edition of Dispatches looks at the vinyl singles which accompanied the album's original release and creates a more complete picture of the area that Parker was exploring at the time. It's the first time that the alternate take of icy depth charge "Copper Variations: CV1" appears on wax, as goes for the pneumatic tension of "Reduction" and evocative miniature sound sculpture "Blue Equals Black." Expanding the album beyond its original CD form, epic rarity "Dissolution 99" presides over the final side, while the standout Voiceprint release is now represented in full with the inclusion of heavyweight stepped techno workout "Voiceprint: Voice Two." Able to sustain his own creative vision without cowing to the trends or expectations of any scene or clique, Parker's music has progressed on its own terms. What this reissue demonstrates is how fully formed his vision was -- even at a relatively early stage. In an era where the deep techno scene is thriving, Dispatches feels all the more relevant, undiluted by time and still unmatched in its immersive perfection.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: GET 54083LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress, now presented as a double LP; gatefold sleeve. "Some have made the claim that Get On Down may love James Brown just a little too much. To which the label replies, it's not possible to love James Brown too much. The label's welcome obsession with Mr. Brown and the incredible line up of talent found on his People Record imprint continues with the reissue of Funky People Part 1. Long out of print on vinyl, Funky People Part 1 features the top tier of artists from Brown's People Records label, including The J.B.'s, Lyn Collins, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker. Some of the James Brown organizations all-time best material is collected here, including The J.B.'s 'Pass The Peas' and 'Hot Pants Road', Fred Wesley's in your face politics through funk statement 'Damn Right, I Am Somebody', Lyn Collins smash hit 'Think (About It)' and many more. Newcomers and diehard fans alike continue to dig into the James Brown and People Records vaults, and the more they do so, the more they realize that it's a nearly never ending source of truly next-level funk and soul music. And you can be sure this aural goodness will keep flowing to the public, thanks to the exhaustive efforts of Get On Down."

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: GUESS 248LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Psychedelic hard-rock with occult overtones by this London based band featuring drummer Ric Parnell (Atomic Rooster, Spinal Tap). This is their sought-after sole album, originally released in 1970 and housed in a cover designed by Roger Wootton of Comus. Horse formed in 1968 when former high school friends Rod Roach and Adrian Hawkins started writing songs together. Rod had previously played lead guitar with various groups (included a brief stint with Andromeda). Horse final line-up was established in early 1969 with Adrian Hawkins on vocals, Rod Roach on guitar, Colin Standring on bass, and Ric Parnell on drums. Horse started gigging around London, sharing stage with acts like Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, and David Bowie, soon establishing a large following due to their exciting live shows. After receiving interest from several record companies, they finally signed with RCA Records. The Horse self-titled album was recorded at Olympic Studios, produced by Rod Roach, and released in 1970. It's a fantastic example of post-psychedelia and early hard-rock/proto-metal, dominated by Roach's killer fuzz-wah guitar and Hawkins powerful vocals. First ever vinyl reissue in original artwork. Sourced from the original production tapes. Includes insert with liner notes. RIYL: Black Sabbath, Andromeda, Open Mind, Black Widow, Bulldog Breed.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 254LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Recorded when he was just nineteen, Dreaming With Alice by British folk musician/artist Mark Fry was (barely) released only in Italy in 1972, making it one of the rarest and most desirable acid-folk/psychedelic albums ever. Tracks like "The Witch" or "Mandolin Man" are considered nowadays classics of the genre. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve. Sourced from the original master tapes. Includes insert with liner notes by Mark Fry and photos. RIYL: Donovan, Nick Drake, Incredible String Band, Dr. Strangely Strange, Comus.

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: GUESS 255LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

One of the rarest psychedelic garage albums ever, the Kaleidoscope album was recorded in the Dominican Republic by this Boricuan/Dominican band but released only in Mexico in 1969 as a tiny pressing, housed in a fantastic psychedelic sleeve designed by Bodo Molitor. Acid fuzz guitars, organ, demented vocals. Impossible to find in its original form, here's a welcomed reissue. Remastered sound. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve. Includes insert with detailed liner notes by Enrique Rivas and rare photos.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: GUESS 260LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Heavy-progressive, proto-metal and psychedelic hard-rock from the depths of the UK underground, 1970-71. Formed in Preston by the core of Pete Hughes (lead guitar) and Mick Carroll (vocals, rhythm guitar), Stoned Rose evolved from a band called Five Steps Beyond and at one time featured Chris Allen on bass (later of Ultravox). The band worked with a London agency called Nemesis and also with Tramps from Birmingham (owned by Black Sabbath guitarist Toni Iommi). Stoned Rose played several times at notable venues like the Temple and the Cavern and also at underground and progressive clubs and Universities, sharing stage with bands like Stray, May Blitz, and Blonde On Blonde. Exhumed from rare as hell acetates (including a Deroy one) and demo tapes, here's the first ever Stoned Rose album. File next to Bent Wind! Includes insert with liner notes by David Wells and rare photos/memorabilia.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: HPS 314CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length Fever Dream has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching, Fever Dream digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear. Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the Fever Dream. Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan).

 

PRICE: $22.50

CAT #: HPS 314LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length Fever Dream has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching, Fever Dream digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear. Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the Fever Dream. Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan). Also available on CD (HPS 314CD), Pink Vinyl (HPS 314LTD-LP), and Purple/White/Yellow Vinyl (HPS 314ULTRA-LP).

 

PRICE: $29.50

CAT #: HPS 314LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Pink color vinyl. With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length Fever Dream has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching, Fever Dream digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear. Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the Fever Dream. Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan). Also available on CD (HPS 314CD), Black Vinyl (HPS 314LP), and Purple/White/Yellow Vinyl (HPS 314ULTRA-LP).

 

PRICE: $37.50

CAT #: HPS 314ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Purple/white/yellow color vinyl. With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length Fever Dream has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching, Fever Dream digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear. Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the Fever Dream. Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan). Also available on CD (HPS 314CD), Black Vinyl (HPS 314LP), and Pink Vinyl (HPS 314LTD-LP).

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HPS 315LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Brand new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Review Your Choices, with a brand-new cover designed by Mirkow Gastow. Pentagram's fourth studio album Review Your Choices marked the band's sixth comeback after several changes of line-up and label. These acclaimed protagonists of doom metal proved once more indestructible by drug addiction, break ups, bad deals, jail terms, chronic illness, satanic blood sacrifices and various acts of self-destruction. Main-man and singer Bobby Liebling has kept his band alive for over 35 years now and might easily be awarded the title of "longest serving cult band" -- highly acclaimed by fans, press and fellow musicians alike. Review Your Choices marked the return of multi-instrumentalist Joe Hasselvander to join Bobby Liebling in his eternal quest of creating the heaviest sound possible. The album features a mix of re-recorded lost Liebling tracks from the '70s and stellar new numbers penned by Hasselvander, which gave Review Your Choices an extra heavy feeling. Pentagram once again set a standard to be followed by such illustrious followers as Cathedral, Spirit Caravan, Goatsnake, St. Vitus, Trouble, or High On Fire, among many others. Dive down deep into gloom and despair with this classic doom recording. Also available on CD (HPS 315CD), Green Vinyl (HPS 315LTD-LP), and Yellow/Orange/Purple Vinyl (HPS 315ULTRA-LP).

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HPS 315LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Green color vinyl. Brand new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Review Your Choices, with a brand-new cover designed by Mirkow Gastow. Pentagram's fourth studio album Review Your Choices marked the band's sixth comeback after several changes of line-up and label. These acclaimed protagonists of doom metal proved once more indestructible by drug addiction, break ups, bad deals, jail terms, chronic illness, satanic blood sacrifices and various acts of self-destruction. Main-man and singer Bobby Liebling has kept his band alive for over 35 years now and might easily be awarded the title of "longest serving cult band" -- highly acclaimed by fans, press and fellow musicians alike. Review Your Choices marked the return of multi-instrumentalist Joe Hasselvander to join Bobby Liebling in his eternal quest of creating the heaviest sound possible. The album features a mix of re-recorded lost Liebling tracks from the '70s and stellar new numbers penned by Hasselvander, which gave Review Your Choices an extra heavy feeling. Pentagram once again set a standard to be followed by such illustrious followers as Cathedral, Spirit Caravan, Goatsnake, St. Vitus, Trouble, or High On Fire, among many others. Dive down deep into gloom and despair with this classic doom recording.

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: HPS 315ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Yellow/orange/purple color vinyl. Brand new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Review Your Choices, with a brand-new cover designed by Mirkow Gastow. Pentagram's fourth studio album Review Your Choices marked the band's sixth comeback after several changes of line-up and label. These acclaimed protagonists of doom metal proved once more indestructible by drug addiction, break ups, bad deals, jail terms, chronic illness, satanic blood sacrifices and various acts of self-destruction. Main-man and singer Bobby Liebling has kept his band alive for over 35 years now and might easily be awarded the title of "longest serving cult band" -- highly acclaimed by fans, press and fellow musicians alike. Review Your Choices marked the return of multi-instrumentalist Joe Hasselvander to join Bobby Liebling in his eternal quest of creating the heaviest sound possible. The album features a mix of re-recorded lost Liebling tracks from the '70s and stellar new numbers penned by Hasselvander, which gave Review Your Choices an extra heavy feeling. Pentagram once again set a standard to be followed by such illustrious followers as Cathedral, Spirit Caravan, Goatsnake, St. Vitus, Trouble, or High On Fire, among many others. Dive down deep into gloom and despair with this classic doom recording. Also available on CD (HPS 315CD), Black Vinyl (HPS 315LP), and Green Vinyl (HPS 315LTD-LP).

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: HPS 316CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Brand-new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Sub-Basement with a brand-new cover designed by Solo Macello. Doom is made out of 666 tons heavy riffing, vocals filled with pain, regret and spite as well as leaden song-structures stretched taut to the point of ripping. Pentagram embody all those virtues like no other contender in this oldest of all genres of metal being founded by none other than Black Sabbath. Many have named Pentagram the true heirs of those originators of heavy metal and honorably dubbed them "the American Black Sabbath." In this sixth incarnation of the band, doom lord Bobby Liebling had reunited with drummer Joe Hasselvander, who had already been a member of Pentagram twice before. Hasselvander played all the instruments, while Liebling added his matchless vocals. Sub-Basement was the second output of this line-up and is regarded as the most rock n' roll effort of the doomsters ever. On top of Pentagram's perfect doom sound an irresistible groove and capturing catchiness was added, which made the album an all-time favorite for many fans. Sub-Basement will kick your ass and twist your legs. Also available on Black Vinyl (HPS 316LP), Blue Vinyl (HPS 316LTD-LP), and Yellow/Orange/Blue Vinyl (HPS 316ULTRA-LP).

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HPS 316LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Brand-new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Sub-Basement with a brand-new cover designed by Solo Macello. Doom is made out of 666 tons heavy riffing, vocals filled with pain, regret and spite as well as leaden song-structures stretched taut to the point of ripping. Pentagram embody all those virtues like no other contender in this oldest of all genres of metal being founded by none other than Black Sabbath. Many have named Pentagram the true heirs of those originators of heavy metal and honorably dubbed them "the American Black Sabbath." In this sixth incarnation of the band, doom lord Bobby Liebling had reunited with drummer Joe Hasselvander, who had already been a member of Pentagram twice before. Hasselvander played all the instruments, while Liebling added his matchless vocals. Sub-Basement was the second output of this line-up and is regarded as the most rock n' roll effort of the doomsters ever. On top of Pentagram's perfect doom sound an irresistible groove and capturing catchiness was added, which made the album an all-time favorite for many fans. Sub-Basement will kick your ass and twist your legs. Also available on CD (HPS 316CD), Blue Vinyl (HPS 316LTD-LP), and Yellow/Orange/Blue Vinyl (HPS 316ULTRA-LP).

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: HPS 316LTD-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Blue color vinyl. Brand-new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Sub-Basement with a brand-new cover designed by Solo Macello. Doom is made out of 666 tons heavy riffing, vocals filled with pain, regret and spite as well as leaden song-structures stretched taut to the point of ripping. Pentagram embody all those virtues like no other contender in this oldest of all genres of metal being founded by none other than Black Sabbath. Many have named Pentagram the true heirs of those originators of heavy metal and honorably dubbed them "the American Black Sabbath." In this sixth incarnation of the band, doom lord Bobby Liebling had reunited with drummer Joe Hasselvander, who had already been a member of Pentagram twice before. Hasselvander played all the instruments, while Liebling added his matchless vocals. Sub-Basement was the second output of this line-up and is regarded as the most rock n' roll effort of the doomsters ever. On top of Pentagram's perfect doom sound an irresistible groove and capturing catchiness was added, which made the album an all-time favorite for many fans. Sub-Basement will kick your ass and twist your legs. Also available on CD (HPS 316CD), Black Vinyl (HPS 316LP)), and Yellow/Orange/Blue Vinyl (HPS 316ULTRA-LP).

 

PRICE: $38.50

CAT #: HPS 316ULTRA-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Yellow/orange/blue color vinyl. Brand-new remastered version of Pentagram's legendary album Sub-Basement with a brand-new cover designed by Solo Macello. Doom is made out of 666 tons heavy riffing, vocals filled with pain, regret and spite as well as leaden song-structures stretched taut to the point of ripping. Pentagram embody all those virtues like no other contender in this oldest of all genres of metal being founded by none other than Black Sabbath. Many have named Pentagram the true heirs of those originators of heavy metal and honorably dubbed them "the American Black Sabbath." In this sixth incarnation of the band, doom lord Bobby Liebling had reunited with drummer Joe Hasselvander, who had already been a member of Pentagram twice before. Hasselvander played all the instruments, while Liebling added his matchless vocals. Sub-Basement was the second output of this line-up and is regarded as the most rock n' roll effort of the doomsters ever. On top of Pentagram's perfect doom sound an irresistible groove and capturing catchiness was added, which made the album an all-time favorite for many fans. Sub-Basement will kick your ass and twist your legs. Also available on CD (HPS 316CD), Black Vinyl (HPS 316LP)), and Blue Vinyl (HPS 316LTD-LP).

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: HITS 001-12

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

A record label is arguably the fullest possible expression of an email account; fecund with attachments, download links, and unhealthy power dynamics primed to bloom into lifelong parasitic relationships. And even a cursory glance at the roster of label founders reveals the full spectrum of our potential as a species, from the absolute dregs of humanity to successful touring DJs. Backed by a used CD billionaire and an angel investment from Major League Baseball's "New Voices in Techno" initiative, Perel's new label Hits Hits Hits! is poised to thrive amid a landscape littered with rivals with names like Sidechain Addict and Heuristics Audio. And Perel is ready to put her music where her mouth is with "1 Life" the inaugural single in the imprint's catalog. It has gained early support from promo list veteran Liquid Cory: "Will the title track make any self-respecting 10-year-old 'Do the Detention Dance'? I've been told my opinions are culturally worthless, that I am the fit arbiter of nothing at all. So I feel grateful that there's also an extended version so I have more time to decide. And the remix by Canadian taste-haver Jex Opolis made me forget that my ex believed a rumor that I had choked to death bobbing for apples. Respect."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HONEY 099LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Jamaican-born jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece recorded one of his best opus in 1962. Released on the New Jazz label the album featured greats such as bassist Ron Carter, renowned saxophonist Cecil Payne and pianist Hank Jones, it's a beautifully recorded and sequenced album, the compositions reflecting Reece's interest in the music of the Asian continent and regions of North Africa, with each piece transitioning nicely into the next. Asia Minor would be the last session Reece would lead until 1967/68. A fixture of the European jazz scene of the '50s, Reece came to New York in 1959. This intriguing, Eastern-flavored date, is still regarded has one of the best examples of cross-pollination in the jazz genre.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: HONEY 100LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Piano Espa?ol is led by Lalo Schifrin on piano with the colorful rhythms of Latin America and Spain. The record treats listeners to a listening panorama of the multi-talents of Lalo Schifrin. He wrote all the arrangements and it is this writing, along with his piano interpretations that set this recording apart. Lalo is devilishly clever. He gives listeners an ample smattering of Latin jazz through the use of four trumpets, five saxes, oboe and bongo drums as his piano cuts through "Frenes?", "My Shawl" and "El Cumbanchero." In the latter, Lalo displays his command of jazz piano and the unusual speed of his hands along the keyboard.

 

PRICE: $29.00

CAT #: IMPREC 533LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Japan's long running masters of psych/kosmische jamming return to Important Records for a vinyl outing featuring beloved original member Cotton Casino. This first edition is pressed in an edition of 500 copies. Trust Masked Replicants finds AMT in fine form, creating experimental psych-rock improvised around skeletal compositions. The group's leader, Kawabata Makoto, holds the group together while they navigate chaos infused, drone-based jamming at the outer edges of human consciousness. Side B, featuring the 20-minute track "Asoko Ananda," is a classic side-long fast paced AMT burner combining sped up kosmische rhythms, filter sweeps, free-jazz piano, tabla drumming and vocal experiments. "Asoko Ananda" utilizes many of the group's skills, ascending to the height of their collective, mountainous ability. Channeling prog, krautrock, modern composition and noise, Kawabata Makoto formed the Acid Mothers Temple in the early '90s. The group has gone on to release countless albums while touring the globe.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: KRANK 236LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"The union of composers Lawrence English and Loscil aka Scott Morgan is seamless, sublime, and long overdue. Born of a conversation centered on the notion of 'rich sources' as a forge for electronic music, Colours Of Air is a collection of recordings of a century old pipe organ housed at the historic Old Museum in Brisbane, Australia, which were then processed, transformed, and elevated into eight majestic electro-acoustic threshold devotionals. The timbre of the instrument and spatial fluctuations of room tone infuse the music with a subdued, sacred feel, like vaulted light in a nave of stained glass. They describe the album as 'an iterative project, a reduction and eventual expansion,' sifting the swells and drones of the organ for every shivering shade of radiance. The tracks are named for the hue each piece suggests -- from the gauzy levitational miasma of 'Yellow' to the pulsing melancholic mirage of 'Violet' to the seething twilit sandstorm of 'Magenta.' Morgan and English are both adept at conjuring moods of muted grandeur, like landscapes veiled in dusk, still looming and luminous. Here their combined powers open pathways to heightened realms of deep listening and bewitching restraint, finding flickering infinities in ancient configurations of wind, brass, stone, and dust."

 

PRICE: $11.00

CAT #: LEWIS 1191EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"For fans of Khruangbin, El Michels Affair, Tame Impala, and Ezra Collective. Taken from the Lewis Recordings album Another Side of Skinshape, 'Lady Sun' is a collaboration between Will Dorey aka Skinshape and West London's Hollie Cook. The hazy soul vocals perfectly compliment the mellow vibe of the track while the B-side 'It's About Time' sees Dorey's laidback delivery punctuate the groove. Skinshape is a former member of the band Palace, has played Glastonbury, BBC Maida Vale and Shepherds Bush Empire, to name a few. His 'I Didn't Know' has streamed over 50 million times."

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: LION 194LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock. "Lion's second volume of the Black Sun Ensemble's recordings for their classic first album contains an alternate version of that album, including the tracks from the Camera Obscura label CD (2000) version of that album -- well, sort of. When sifting through the masters while preparing the Lion reissue of the real, actual first Black Sun Ensemble album -- as issued in 1985 on Pyknotic -- it became clear that many of the original LP tracks were also on the Camera Obscura CD release, but under the wrong names. Others were present, but in versions which differed from the Pyknotic LP versions -- and again, under the wrong names. So, for example, 'Mayan Dance' on the CD is actually the same theme as the Pyknotic LP 'Heart of the Sky', but not the same take. Here's the kicker: some of the tracks on the Camera Obscura CD share a name with a track from the Pyknotic LP, but are in fact completely new recordings, with no comparable on that original LP. 'Blue Thunder', 'Red Ocean,' and 'Mandolin Winds' are three such compositions. This means that there are basically two quite different 'Blue Thunder's written by Jesus Acedo; two utterly different 'Red Ocean's; and two absolutely not-the-same 'Mandolin Winds' too. As a result, there are two separate Lion LP releases of Black Sun Ensemble's debut recordings: volume one (LION LP-193) with a black cover, as per the original, is just that: the original 1985 Pyknotic LP reissued for the first time. This second LP (LION LP-194), with a white cover, contains alternates and new tracks, as released on the CD reissue of BSE's debut. Lion Productions felt it was important to keep the Pyknotic LP separate, to do justice to the original vision Jesus had when he self-released that music, and (eventually) found a segment of the world very willing to embrace it. But the other variations of that music are equally excellent and important, thus this second, separate LP for those gems. This release comes with an 8-page booklet, with notes by Byron Coley, BSE bassist Mike Glidewell, Rich Hopkins, and a reproduction of a poetry volume by BSE's Jesus Acedo. Lion exclusive edition -- 150x hand-numbered copies on Transparent Seagrass Blue vinyl."

 

PRICE: $19.00

CAT #: LMS 1725112

FILE UNDER: ROCK

The Brand New Heavies revisit their seminal 1994 album Brother Sister for its 30 year anniversary. Replete with groove-driven, horn-splashed, hand-clapping funk, Brother Sister saw the band dig deep into their jazz grooves, with N'Dea Davenport in full flight as diva/lead vocalist. Featuring some of their best loved songs including the chart hits "Midnight at the Oasis," "Dream on Dreamer," and "Spend Some Time," Brother Sister debuted in the UK charts at #4 and went onto be a hit worldwide, the band rightly claiming their crown as acid jazz heavyweights, delivering knock-out punch after punch on this album. Freshly remastered, the 2LP vinyl/18-track edition (LMS 1725113) features three bonus tracks, and is pressed onto one black and one white vinyl, and is signed by Andrew and Simon from the band. The remastered 2CD /31-track edition features rarities and classic remixes from the likes of David Morales, Roger Sanchez, and a newly commissioned rework of "Back To Love" by Luke Mornay. And also includes two newly uncovered demos, "Pocketful of Bass" and an alternate demo of "Put Yourself In My Shoes," with vocals by N'dea Davenport.

 

PRICE: $26.50

CAT #: LMS 5521288

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock. London Records present a reissue of Happy Mondays' Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches, originally released in 1990. Pills 'N' Thrills And Bellyaches was Happy Mondays commercial peak, both a No. 4 victory (in the UK) and a benchmark album in history. That year the Mondays made a generation feel like the freaks were winning again, the dreamers and schemers hurtling in from the shadows to park themselves, like grin-faced goblins, in the daylight glare of the mainstream. Artwork lovingly replicated by original Manchester designers Central Station Design. Featured the singles "Step On", "Kinky Afro", and "Loose Fit". 180 gram vinyl; gatefold sleeve; printed inner-sleeve; includes download code.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: MOABIT 022LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock. January 1981 found Gudrun Gut and Bettina Koster in Christopher Franke's Berlin-Spandau Studio recording their first Malaria! EP (Zensor Records). Christine Hahn of The Static with Glenn Branca and Barbara Ess, joined in from New York, and Manon P. Duursma fresh from Nina Hagen's O.U.T. project, and Susanne Kuhnke completed the line-up. Malaria! started touring intensively soon after the release of their 12", commencing with a concert with New Order at Brussel's Ancienne Belgique, and going on from there to concerts with Siouxsie and the Banshees, Birthday Party, The Slits, The AuPairs, Raincoats, Nina Hagen, John Cale, and Einst?rzende Neubauten. They played venues as diverse as the Mudd Club, Peppermint Lounge and Studio 54 in New York, the Documenta in Kassel, the Bat Cave in London, Les Bains Douche in Paris, Milky Way and Paradiso in Amsterdam, ICA in London, the Piazza Santa Maria Novella in Florence, and Markthalle in Hamburg and naturally, again and again, at the SO36 in Berlin. While touring, Malaria! used their time off to record in Studios in New York, London, Brussels, New Orleans, and in Berlin -- How Do You Like My New Dog? 7" (1981), Weisses Wasser 12" (1982), New York Passage 12" (1982), Revisited cassette (1983), and the Emotion album (1982). At the BBC studios in London, Maida Vale, Malaria! recorded a John Peel Session. Malaria! took a break in 1984 -- Bettina and Christine re-located to New York, and Gudrun and Manon stayed in Berlin to form Matador with Beate Bartel, but not before they recorded their mini-album, Beat The Distance (1985). In 1992 Gudrun, Bettina, Christine, and Manon met up in New Orleans with Jim Thirlwell (Foetus) to record Elation 12". Elation was followed by Cheerio (1993), which again was recorded in Berlin. Chicks on Speed did their own version of Malaria!'s song, "Kaltes Klares Wasser" in 2001, and the remix went into the German Top 10. Malaria! has been an instrumental part of Berlin music history, as recently presented at the "Zur?ck zum Beton" at D?sseldorf's Kunstakademie, Kunsthalle Wien "Punk!", "Geniale Dilletanten" Goethe Institut, and in B-Movie.

 

PRICE: $35.00

CAT #: MOV 3756COL-LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"Ken Boothe released his album Blood Brothers in 1976 but was picked up by Trojan Records two years later to be distributed internationally. The album features some of his more laid-back and mellow style, as can be heard on 'Walk Away From Love,' 'Mamy Blue,' and 'Love Don't Love Nobody.' Blood Brothers also features several cover versions of Bob Marley classics, including 'No Woman No Cry' and 'I Shot The Sheriff.' Blood Brothers is being reissued for the first time since 1978 and is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on orange colored vinyl."

 

PRICE: $80.00

CAT #: MOVCL 056COL-LP

FILE UNDER: CLASSICAL

"Akhnaten is the third instalment in the Glass' trilogy of operas about men who changed the world in which they lived through the power of their ideas. Akhnaten's subject is religion. The Pharaoh Akhnaten was the first monotheist in recorded story, and his substitution of a one-god religion for the multi-god worship in use when he came to power was responsible for his violent overthrow. The opera describes the rise, reign, and fall of Akhnaten in a series of tableaus. The 3LP Akhnaten is available as an exclusive limited edition of 250 numbered copies on crystal clear vinyl. This deluxe liftoff box-set contains a 16-page libretto."

 

PRICE: $37.00

CAT #: MOVATM 422C-LP

FILE UNDER: SOUNDTRACK

"The 2024 biographical drama film Back To Black explores the life of the iconic talent Amy Winehouse, played by Marisa Abela. The biopic is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and written by Matt Greenhalgh. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis crafted the evocative soundtrack for the biopic Back To Black, which chronicles the rise and impact of Amy Winehouse. Their composition is a haunting yet soulful homage, blending melancholic strings and ambient soundscapes to mirror Winehouse's turbulent journey and profound artistry. The duo's music underscores the film's emotional depth, capturing both the rawness of Winehouse's struggles and the brilliance of her musical legacy. The original score of Black To Black is cut on 45 RPM and is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on crystal clear vinyl and includes 4-page booklet with liner notes by director Sam Taylor-Johnson."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: NSD 245CD

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"When Your Old Droog first entered the hip-hop scene a decade ago, he was cloaked in anonymity. The Ukraine-born, Brooklyn bred rap phenomenon was known solely for his sharp, punchy lyrics wrapped in a gruff delivery. He finally came into the light with his eponymous debut release, the catalyst for what has become a prolific career. Since then, Droog has crystallized his place in hip-hop as the erudite rapper who can tackle any beat with precision; a product of the underground, yet designed for the mainstream. With his new project Movie, YOD is in a new era, where his days of being the dark horse in rap are over. He has countless co-signs from some of the greatest to ever touch a mic, and now he's finally geared to join them. 'Movie is everything that's dope about me,' Droog explains. 'Every song, every mood. This is my story.' A layered masterpiece, the album features appearances by Method Man and Denzel Curry, plus production by industry stalwarts like Just Blaze, Harry Fraud, Conductor Williams, and the legendary Madlib."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: LSSN 097CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Un-American Activities is the 11th Studio album by Molly Nilsson. Written and recorded entirely on location in California at the former home of writer, poet and early opponent of the National Socialist regime in 1930s Germany, Lion Feuchtwanger and his wife Marta. An album of experimentation, genre-mashing and, above it all, Nilsson's instantly recognizable melodic skill and empathy, it continues the songwriter's explorations of power, freedom, oppression and its opposing force, a love unbound. After accepting an artist residency as part of the Villa Aurora program, Nilsson began work crafting a new album from scratch in a new environment, afforded the freedom, space and time to challenge her practice and take her music into new territory. The resulting work, Un-American Activities, is a love note not only to the artist who was among the very first to be declared an 'enemy of the state' by the Nazi regime but also to both the eternal struggle he fought and the human spirit that pervades all of Nilsson's best work. It is also a double-pointed poison pen letter: a critique of the new forms of oppression wielded by her temporary adopted country of the USA but also an acknowledgement of the promise it always offers but never fulfills. Along with the novel use of color and photography in the artwork for Un-American Activities, there are swathes of new techniques, genres and timbres new to Molly Nilsson's music in evidence, 16 years into her music career. While Un-American Activities finds Nilsson experimenting, creating instinctive music on a first-thought-best-thought basis there are still 'classic' Molly moments liberally spread throughout. 'Excalibur' feels like the Molly of old, an absolute star of a chorus refrain smudged with the vaseline of fuzz and hope, 'Red Telephone' is wide-eyed, slathered in reverb and chorus effects, distorted with soaring melody, a heart-tugger that tugs the body upwards to the heavens with each evolving wave. Glistening digital tones wash through the album, providing a Y2K etherealness to Nilsson's audacious Stars and Stripes reference to 'Wetcheeks.' Perhaps the album's standout, however, is 'Palestine (Somewhere Over The Rainbow),' which is suffuse with empathy, solidarity and, in referencing the classic socialist-penned canon song from The Wizard Of Oz, speaks directly to the tradition of fighting oppression with full hearts of hope."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5249LP

FILE UNDER: HIPHOP

"Available in a unique colored vinyl pressing with a 12-page booklet. The next release in Now Again's Memphis rap series is Gotta Get My Pimp On. Lo-fi pimp player raps recorded on a four-track cassette in Shawty Pimp's bedroom in 1994. This is part of Now Again Records multiple LP series on the History of Memphis Rap, which attempts to capture Memphis and its underground rap scene as it began to produce some of the most distinctive music of the '90s. This was a unique hip-hop strain -- visceral and often vicious. It was a local, low-fi, cassette-tape based movement - yet it went on to change the course of rap music. These albums have never been pressed on vinyl -- until now. From Skinny Pimp and Carmike to Gangsta Blac and Shawty Pimp, these albums have been relegated to the proverbial bins of history and bootlegged, with unofficial copies still fetching top dollar on the secondary market. These albums were all licensed directly from their original creators, and come on limited edition colored vinyl with artist-approved imagery for their first LP iterations. You can read the story of the Memphis Rap scene in a 12-page, oversized booklet with notes by Torii MacAdams. It captures the story of Memphis rap starting with the city's founding and ending with an auto supply shop that sold these albums over the counter, with all points in between."

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: NA 5268LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

"A hard rock mash up -- bandleader Paul Ngozi's split album with his drummer and co-vocalist Chrissy Zebby Tembo. The set includes an oversized eight-page booklet detailing Ngozi's arc, rare photographs, discography and annotations. Zamrock was a bona-fide rock scene: on the African continent, only Nigeria can claim one so comprehensive, and Nigeria's was largely catalyzed and funded by subsidiaries of the European major labels. Zamrock was as independent as the newly-named country, formerly known as Northern Rhodesia. Zamrock is starting in its completeness, especially for a scene that emerged, unfurled and disappeared so quickly. From Musi-O-Tunya?s fusion of Fela's Afro-beat, Hendrix's rock, South African jazz and traditional Zambian melodies and rhythms to Salty Dog's acid folk/rock, Zambia's rock scene contained all of rock's subgenres. Zamrock was much more than an imitation of American and European rock music: it quickly became a uniquely Zambian movement, befitting of its name. WITCH, Paul Ngozi, and Amanaz sound nothing like other rock music from the African continent -- or elsewhere. Zamrock came from a nation's youth carrying forth the momentum of a political and social revolution with a musical revolution that maintained the fiery power of early rock -- in the mid-to late-'70s. From that era, Zamrock's energy is matched only by the punk and hip hop scenes of England and America."

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: OSR 106LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Rare and sought after psychedelic hard-rock album from 1971 by this power trio from Tampa (Florida) that opened for big names like Iron Butterfly and Mountain and even played at the legendary Goose Lake Music Festival in Michigan. Wizard consisted of Ben Schultz (guitar, vocals), Paul Forney (bass and lead vocals) and Chris Luhn (drums). Together, they conjured a heavy sound full of raw and loud guitars, powerful bass and crashing drums. Wizard was their only album, recorded as a "live" in the studio demo after the band caught the attention of Decca Records, finally released on the small Peon Productions label. Remastered by Tony Reed at HeavyHead Recording Co. Original artwork in hard cardboard sleeve. Includes insert with liner notes and photos. RIYL: Who, Stack, Steppenwolf, Cream, Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Third Power, Grand Funk.

 

PRICE: $15.00

CAT #: POL 005-2024CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"In his novel The Buried Giant, Kazuo Ishiguro describes a mist of forgetfulness descending on the people, obscuring memory but not distorting historic truth. In contrast, Marc Barreca finds inspiration for the pieces of A Discourse Of Mist, not in forgotten truths but false science, false elements and a history of rumor, conjecture and untruth. Beyond Barreca's frequent exploration of obscure images, the subjects here are not simply obscure but literally false. Unexpectedly melodic, elegant, wide-ranging in tempo and coloration, A Discourse Of Mist exposes a haze of untruth within a deeply layered soundstage. Intriguing sonic images emerge from a vibrant alchemy: manipulated rich audio strata; hundreds of translucent layers; hand-built samples; synthesizer-based loops; contrasts in light and dark merged as a beautiful, false world construct. These sculpted, coherent, short-form pieces foster a narrative of clarity over misconception, comprehension over misunderstanding, reality over falsehood.""Widescreen, pastoral visions of ambient music by West Coast US pioneer Marc Barreca of Savant esteem. RIYL Eno, K. Leimer, Phillip Jeck." --Boomkat

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: PHOS 005LE-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Color vinyl. "It's abundantly clear from the first bars of their fifth studio album Through Other Reflection, that this is, and could only ever be, The Soundcarriers. From the enchanting vocal duets of folk-bidden Chanteuses Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway; to the precise bass lines of Paul Isherwood and the limber, jazz-cool, Hal Blaine-esque drums of his co-songwriter Adam Cann; from the fairy-like flutes, '60s-garage guitars and organ sounds pilfered from the archives of exotica -- listening to the Soundcarriers resembles a rediscovery of all the most prized, esoteric corners of the 1960s, all bundled up, warped and refracted through the quartet's astutely modern cultural lens. Channeling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic jazz/funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurites beside, Through Other Reflection delivers another sonic adventure from one of the most unique and distinctive voices of British psychedelia. The music of Through Other Reflections has been given extra license to breathe, stretch out, and wander more uncharted terrains. While gleaming psych-pop of tracks like 'The City Was', or 'Already Over' confidently carry on from where they left off, from the album's second track 'Always', the trip becomes a little less predictable. Starting out as a smoky Procol Harum-meets-French-Psych organ ballad, the music drifts, as if of its own accord into an eerie, garage trance that lingers, cycles, and hypnotizes, growing ever stranger, reaching ever-further away from its point of conception. And almost every track on Through Other Reflections holds that outer-body moment, where the band fix themselves on a limber, lysergic groove, lose all grip on time and reality, and melt themselves away into a liquid state of blind euphoria. There are sequences on this record that feel more like rituals than songs, built upon a single hypnotic rhythm which, like the center of a vortex, pulling everything under its beatific command. Take the finale to 'What We Found' for instance, sounding like a ghostly march across the psychedelic moors, or 'Feel The Way', where a single athletic drum-loop rises and rises, growing ever more urgent and suspenseful underneath its frantic harpsichords and rasping flutes."

 

PRICE: $25.00

CAT #: PHOS 005LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. "It's abundantly clear from the first bars of their fifth studio album Through Other Reflection, that this is, and could only ever be, The Soundcarriers. From the enchanting vocal duets of folk-bidden Chanteuses Leonore Wheatley and Dorian Conway; to the precise bass lines of Paul Isherwood and the limber, jazz-cool, Hal Blaine-esque drums of his co-songwriter Adam Cann; from the fairy-like flutes, '60s-garage guitars and organ sounds pilfered from the archives of exotica -- listening to the Soundcarriers resembles a rediscovery of all the most prized, esoteric corners of the 1960s, all bundled up, warped and refracted through the quartet's astutely modern cultural lens. Channeling Tropicalia, Middle Eastern psychedelic jazz/funk, The French Library sounds of Nino Nardini, and a whole host of lavish obscurites beside, Through Other Reflection delivers another sonic adventure from one of the most unique and distinctive voices of British psychedelia. The music of Through Other Reflections has been given extra license to breathe, stretch out, and wander more uncharted terrains. While gleaming psych-pop of tracks like 'The City Was', or 'Already Over' confidently carry on from where they left off, from the album's second track 'Always', the trip becomes a little less predictable. Starting out as a smoky Procol Harum-meets-French-Psych organ ballad, the music drifts, as if of its own accord into an eerie, garage trance that lingers, cycles, and hypnotizes, growing ever stranger, reaching ever-further away from its point of conception. And almost every track on Through Other Reflections holds that outer-body moment, where the band fix themselves on a limber, lysergic groove, lose all grip on time and reality, and melt themselves away into a liquid state of blind euphoria. There are sequences on this record that feel more like rituals than songs, built upon a single hypnotic rhythm which, like the center of a vortex, pulling everything under its beatific command. Take the finale to 'What We Found' for instance, sounding like a ghostly march across the psychedelic moors, or 'Feel The Way', where a single athletic drum-loop rises and rises, growing ever more urgent and suspenseful underneath its frantic harpsichords and rasping flutes."

 

PRICE: $18.00

CAT #: PP 111EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Bell Towers. Party Boy. Homage to life. In between Tokio City lights, neon signs, Paris Wine Bars, Stake Tartare, Berlin Sp?ti vibes wunderbar. Not out of season for a reason, never change a winning team, party on full of steam. toot toot beep beep.

 

PRICE: $15.50

CAT #: PPDISC 007CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The Chill Pill compilation hits volume VI. By now a stable in the landscape of "summer vibe" chill out compilations, Public Possession continues to gather artists to create a version of the perfect soundtrack for a "healthy dose of relaxation and hedonism." As usual the label presents an interesting mix of upcoming and more established artists, always looking for interesting combinations and unexpected twists. The idea to the compilation is clearly inspired by legendary compilation series such as Cafe Del Mar and Buddah Bar but has quickly found its own language: easy listening -- slightly oddball -- very fun. Featuring Coper, Shanae, Poeji, ddwy, DJ City, Eden Burns, Suncream, Jamma-Dee, Cluf Cluf, AV Moves, Alex Ho , Grand Voyage, Cesar Wogue, Boys' Shorts, babyxxan, Andras, Martin Brugger, Nice Girl, and Aasthma.

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: RR 381LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

DJ-turned-produced Jah Thomas' Midnight Rock helped shift roots reggae to dancehall in the late 1970s and Thomas continued producing in the new millennium, sometimes revamping Roots Radics tracks from Channel One, and alternately cutting fresh work at King Jammy's, Black Scorpio, and Mixing Lab. Secret Tapes has stellar guests like roots messenger Luciano, dancehall don Super Cat, supreme crooner Courtney Melody, Jah Thomas himself, and a collab between Pinchers and Josie Wales; Tony Curtis, Ghost, and Mitch are courtesy of a Buju Banton co-production. Special request to all dancehall fans! Also featuring Linval Thompson, Gryphan, Junior Vibes, and Daville.

 

PRICE: $26.00

CAT #: EZRDR 136LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 restock; LP version. "Here's just a few of the gems on Brown Acid - The Fourteenth Trip, the much beloved series that is the Nuggets of proto-metal, pre-stoner rock: The Legends' 'Fever Games' is a 1969 fever dream of heavy psych on par with Blue Cheer at their heaviest, featuring an incredible intro with whammy-bar gymnastics through an Echoplex. This Harrisburg, PA power trio, featuring Dan Hartman (Edgar Winter Group, et al) and his brother Dave, also name-checks Jimi Hendrix Experience in the midst of the song's most blatant Hendrix rip. Perhaps that's how Fever Games work? Transfer's velvet smooth groove has an almost proto-punk feel like a mashup of the Velvet Underground and The Flamin' Groovies. But the lyrics referencing tokin' reefer and the twanging surf lead situate them closer to their heavy rock brethren. This very rare 1974 self- released 45 is this lone archive of the band's existence -- assume they just kept right on playin' it cool into oblivion. Cox's Army deploy the grungy rocker 'I'm Tired' which sounds like if Jimi Hendrix fronted Mudhoney. Yes, please! Though they hailed from Aurora, IL, it sounds like there's definitely some Pacific Northwest in their blood. Particularly in the gritty production, which hints at The Sonics' 'bustin' outta lo-fi' style. Not much is known about the enigmatic Columbus, OH musician known as Raven, whose 'Back to Ohio Blues' closes this edition. The mantra-like droning riff of this eight-minute jam is a Black To Comm-style epic, driven by Raven's hostile, no-bullshit diatribe until it all busts open for an insane two-minute long drum solo soaked in odd effects that sounds like it was copped from a Melvins album."

 

PRICE: $23.00

CAT #: SCAT 049LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress; LP version. "Propeller was the fifth album by Guided By Voices, and was intended to be the group's last. Released as a limited edition of 500 LPs in 1992, the album featured handmade covers and blank labels to keep expenses as low as possible. Their other albums hadn't sold much, why would this one? Robert Pollard had a family to support and his musical aspirations had not exactly been a boon to their bank account. As fate would have it, the band wound up releasing an album chock full of gems Pollard had stockpiled, and for the first time sounded distinctly like the band that fans have since come to love. Propeller also marks the return of Tobin Sprout to the GBV fold, along with an increased songwriting presence. From anthem-to-be 'Over the Neptune' to the effortless melodies of closer 'On the Tundra,' Propeller is a hell of a ride, and remains one of the most important albums in the band's discography. The vinyl edition has been out of print for a decade, and features different cover art than previous pressings. The CD edition has been out of print for a minute as well, and is now housed in digipak format, also with a new, unique cover from one of the original pressings. And for the first time Propeller is available on cassette."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: SCAT 084LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Even back in 1987, Guided By Voices was not content to release just one album in a year -- Sandbox was released in the summer of that year following Devil Between My Toes' appearance that February. Likewise, in similar GBV style, the sound and approach of the two albums could not be more different. Where Devil mostly mines a darker, lo-fi psychedia, along with several instrumental explorations, Sandbox is sunny, direct, has a bigger, crunchier sound, and zero instrumentals. Where Devil has a murky and impressionistic black and white photo of a rooster for a cover, Sandbox sports a full color photo of the band relaxing on a lawn on a sunny day. Let's also recall that unlike today, in 1987 a full-color album jacket wasn't just a little more expensive than a black and white one, it was way more expensive. Right up front, the band was communicating that this was a more commercially ambitious endeavor, while behind the scenes they rented better gear for a bigger sound, and tackled more sophisticated arrangements and honed in on the hooks and harmonies of the songs. Of all the band's early self-released albums, Sandbox differs the most from the sound fans would later associate with the group, which is in itself a recommendation. Nowhere else will you hear the perfectly rendered three-part harmonies of 'Long Distance Man,' direct Beatles quotes, or Robert Pollard reveling in his southern Ohio drawl. It's also true that one of the more enjoyable aspects of the record is finding all the places where the band's future is indeed foreshadowed. Simply put, Guided By Voices just can't help but be a little weird, even when attempting something like a power pop album. At the close of the opening track, Pollard announces, 'Ladies and gentlemen! Back by popular demand for your entertainment and spiritual enlightenment...Electric Jam Soul Aquarium!' a truly 'wtf is happening here' moment. Or the stripped-down gloom of 'Trap Soul Door' -- a track that could be right at home on nearly any later GBV album wherein Pollard intones, 'Just one spark can start a hell of a fire.' Little did he know how true that statement would become."

 

PRICE: $22.00

CAT #: SCAT 087LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. "Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia was Guided By Voices' third album, self-released by the band in 1988 in a pressing of 500. While both of the band's earlier albums exhibit strong songwriting and plenty of vision, it is here that the GBV sound really begins to coalesce. While Devil Between My Toes is rife with contrasts, variety, and dark psychedelia, and its follow up Sandbox is a cohesive '60s-influenced affair, Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia marries the two approaches to outstanding effect. Unsurprisingly, recording began before Sandbox was even done pressing. These sessions would yield an aborted LP titled Learning To Hunt, but after personnel changes and second thoughts, Robert Pollard shelved most of the tracks, dismissing them as too similar to those on Sandbox. Fair enough, as many of Pollard's more recent songs were simply on another level than previously. Here are the first of the classic Pollard slow-burners, often built on a simple melodic or rhythmic figure that circles itself ever outward, accumulating heft, variation, and inevitability as the song evolves into something unexpected yet inevitable. It's the aural equivalent to watching a butterfly grow out of its cocoon. A few things are unique to this particular LP. Original powerhouse drummer Peyton Eric returns for nearly half the tracks, while engineer and lead guitarist Steve Wilbur shines at his brightest, resulting in some of the most thoroughly rocking GBV songs to ever be cut to lacquer, such as 'Earful o' Wax,' which simply explodes out of the speakers when the solo section begins. On the other end of the spectrum, you get Pollard recording perfect pop gems at home with just voice and guitar, which would become a calling card on later GBV albums. There's simply a tremendous variety of material, all strung together in such a way that the album is all of one piece, a mosaic."

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: SSCR 2024004EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Cool Million by now is a household name, when it comes to the boogie funk style. They are deeply rooted in this musical genre, that we lost by the end of the 1980s and they reinvigorated it with their very own sound. Cool Million feature singers from today and the original era of the '80s soul, funk and boogie. Glenn Jones, US soul star and Billboard top scorer delivers such a great performance, that even youngsters and hipsters run up to the DJ, to inquire about this smash. Glenn Jones keeps touring and performing the US and Europe even though his recording output is not as frequent as it was back in the days. Never the less when teaming up with Cool Million, together they become the perfect fit and Tonight a sure shot dancefloor filler. This recording follows the path of the Cool Million uplifting boogie funk sound and with the dub version on the flip side delivers a highlight for all the DJs cutting their own mixes on turntables worldwide."

 

PRICE: $30.00

CAT #: SSCVA 2023001LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"The time has come and my first solo album sees the light of day. I made the songs on it for myself. The desire to write, experiment and play with sounds has never stopped. The artists you will hear on this record, some are real life friends of mine and others are people with whom I have never spoken a personal word to this day. I've been friends forever with artists like Brixx, Farina Miss and of course Mr. David A. Tobin for years. Andre Espeut and I have maintained an online friendship for a very long time. I hired all the other artists from the vastness of the Internet. Some of the artists didn't know the parts of the other artists involved. In the end I puzzled all the pieces together and created a fine dish with beautiful ingredients from all over the world. I know that an album like this might have a hard time in this digital world and of course I don't have the marketing budget of a major release. But time will tell and well produced music will find its ways. Creating music has had a positive influence on my entire life, even though criticism and other obstacles require you to build strong armor. The good news is when you grow older, many things are no longer as important to you and you set priorities, focus more on the good things and good people in your life. I hope you have fun with my music and my people and by listening and spinning my record you will help to spread the good vibes. It's truly a Good Time For Good Times." --Rob Hardt

 

PRICE: $33.00

CAT #: SMALL 017LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

Smallville purveyor of the deep Christopher Rau with his third LP for the label, Better Times. Timeless crispy house music to stay forever. All tracks written, produced and mixed by Christopher Rau. Vibraphone on C2 by Taiko Saito. Mastering by Helmut Erler. Vinyl cut by Lathesville. Artwork and typography by Stefan Marx.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: SOMM 099CD

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Monster tripped-out Floydian psychedelia/krautrock by this band from D?sseldorf featuring visual artist Gabor Baksay. This is their sought-after album originally released in 1972. Dark, atmospheric, hypnotic sound with percussion, flute, organ, guitars and early electronics/proto-industrial sound collages. DOM (Gabor and Laszlo Baksay, Rainer Puzalowski and Hans-Georg Stopka) evolved from a beat/psychedelic band called the Early Birds, later Set Mind, who were in a sort of sporty competition with another group called Spirits of Sounds, featuring Michael Rother's Pre-NEU and Kraftwerk drummer Wolfgang Fl?r. DOM were regulars at underground clubs from D?sseldorf such as the Creamcheese, where they rubbed shoulders with early Krafwerk and Can. Edge Of Time was recorded at the legendary Neubauer Studios and subsequently released on the tiny Melocord label in 1972. Its enigmatic cover was designed by a friend of the band, Jutta Keime. Remastered sound with original artwork in cardboard sleeve and OBI. Includes insert with liner notes by Klemen Breznikar and rare photos. RIYL: Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Mythos, Kluster, Popol Vuh, Yatha Sidhra.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SOMM 099LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

LP version. Monster tripped-out Floydian psychedelia/krautrock by this band from D?sseldorf featuring visual artist Gabor Baksay. This is their sought-after album originally released in 1972. Dark, atmospheric, hypnotic sound with percussion, flute, organ, guitars and early electronics/proto-industrial sound collages. DOM (Gabor and Laszlo Baksay, Rainer Puzalowski and Hans-Georg Stopka) evolved from a beat/psychedelic band called the Early Birds, later Set Mind, who were in a sort of sporty competition with another group called Spirits of Sounds, featuring Michael Rother's Pre-NEU and Kraftwerk drummer Wolfgang Fl?r. DOM were regulars at underground clubs from D?sseldorf such as the Creamcheese, where they rubbed shoulders with early Krafwerk and Can. Edge Of Time was recorded at the legendary Neubauer Studios and subsequently released on the tiny Melocord label in 1972. Its enigmatic cover was designed by a friend of the band, Jutta Keime. Remastered sound with original artwork in cardboard sleeve and OBI. Includes insert with liner notes by Klemen Breznikar and rare photos. RIYL: Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Mythos, Kluster, Popol Vuh, Yatha Sidhra.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SOMM 100LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Ultimate Kraut basement hard-rock garage monster, originally released as a small private pressing edition of 100 copies in 1975. Originally from Brinkum (near Bremen), Grave was formed in a basement in 1975. Using a primitive tape recorder and just two mics, six tracks were recorded live at a makeshift studio located at the Brinkum Jugendhaus (Youth Center) in summer 1975, resulting in the Grave Nr. 1 album. Grave's music is raw, sincere, melancholic and unadulterated. Original artwork with audio sourced from the original masters. Includes insert with liner notes/photos, plus download card including bonus tracks.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: SOMM 102LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Led by legendary prog-fusion/session guitarist Ray Russell (John Barry Seven, Graham Bond, Georgie Fame, Running Man) and bass player Jeff Watts (Steel Mill), Mouse released their only album in 1973 for the short-lived Sovereign label. An eclectic mix of progressive sounds, hard-rock, psych, blues and glam with stunning acid lead guitar. Includes their celebrated cover of Medicine Head's "All the fallen teen-angels". Remastered sound, original artwork in gatefold sleeve just like the original, insert with liner notes and pictures.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: SCR 7001EP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"It was the San Francisco Bay Area where Herbie Hancock founded his Headhunters. It was the San Francisco Bay Area where Prince recruited Sheila E., Rosie Gaines and Larry Graham. Bands and artists such as Tower Of Power, Sly & The Family Stone, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Santana came from the San Francisco Bay Area, and Rose Ann Dimalanta, or rad. for short, also originated from the San Francisco Bay Area. Her second album gotta be (1994) had all the ingredients that made the funk heart beat faster and the legs fidget: razor-sharp breaks, excellent hooklines, staccato clavinet and organ licks, driving bass lines, forward oriented drum grooves and a voice to fall in love with. For these remastered two songs, she back then recruited her colleagues from the Syncopated Funk Champions League. Guitarist Ray Obiedo played in Herbie Hancock's band and with George Duke during the Thrust era. The percussionist Michael Spiro worked for Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, and Carlos Santana, Bobby Vega played the base for Bo Diddley, Booker T, Santana, Tower of Power, Etta James, Sly Stone, and Jefferson Starship to name a few. Beside the fuzz guitar solo of mega funk star Roger Troutman on 'Come My Way,' it is David Garibaldi and the Tower of Power Horns who add the undeniable quality of these two funk classics now pressed on 7" vinyl for the first time ever."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 152LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Brand-new remastering approved by the band, for a definitive musical experience. New artwork and CD -- with identical tracklist -- included. Se Ho Vinto, Se Ho Perso is the album that took Kina into the '90s with a brand-new sound tracing the path for the new decade. Things were moving fast for the Aosta band with their latest eighties efforts tracing a crucial change in signature. Often labeled as the North-Italian answer to Husker Du, Kina were truly pre-dating the original emo-core revolution, with a melodic driven sound seriously attending the Washington DC underground party of bands like Rites Of Spring and Soulside. A classic on its own with the very audacious anthem "Questi anni."

 

PRICE: $24.00

CAT #: SPITTLE 153LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

One of the best kept secrets of the Italian hardcore scene. Manimal took shape in the mid-1980s, in the tumultuous era of the roman underground uprising. They've been actually one of the first hardcore bands -- with label mates High Circle -- rising from the ashes of the capital city punk scene. In 1985 they were part of the historical German pack, together with Negazione and Indigesti, a tour that made history. In 1986 they recorded their sole self-titled album. The record saw the light on the legendary Contagio Records and was a furious example of the contemporary attack on the system. Eleven tracks in total, three of which previously appeared on Subject To Blackout, a cultish American tape compilation (with early Offspring, Excel, and Attitude Adjustment). No compromise classic Italian hardcore with fast guitar riffs, elaborate bass lines and hard-hitting drums. A necessary rediscovery that further delineates the greatness of the Italian scene in the early eighties.

 

PRICE: $28.50

CAT #: SQM 030LP

FILE UNDER: JAZZ

Munich-based quintet Fazer return to Squama with their fourth studio album, Yamaha, a record that melds indie jazz and psychedelic rock with humor and depth. The band recorded the album in their own studio for the first time, taking time to experiment with sound and overdubs, while retaining the vigor of a live performance. Suspenseful two-voiced themes and tickling solo interplay by Matthias Lindermayr on trumpet and Paul Br?ndle on guitar is still at the core of Fazer's music, as well as the meticulous work of their two drummers Simon Popp and Sebastian Wolfgruber, whose grooves are more rooted in the rock vernacular compared to previous records. The restrained playing of bassist and producer Martin Brugger remains a grounding force that rounds out the sound of the group.

 

PRICE: $34.00

CAT #: SV 199LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 restock; LP version. "Originally released in 1974 on Shandar, Dream House 78'17" is the second full-length album by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela. This first-time US edition reproduces the original gatefold sleeve with beautiful calligraphy by Zazeela and liner notes by Young and French musicologist Daniel Caux. Side one was recorded at a private concert (on the date and time indicated by the title) and features Young and Zazeela's voices against a sine wave drone with Jon Hassell on trumpet and Garrett List on trombone. This work is a section of the longer composition Map of 49's 'Dream the Two Systems of Eleven Sets of Galactic Intervals Ornamental Lightyears Tracery' (begun in 1966 as a sub-section of The Tortoise, His Dreams and Journeys, which was begun in 1964 with Young's group The Theatre of Eternal Music). The piece evolves with the oscillator changing pitch and dictating an ornate pattern over the course of the performance. Side two is an example of one of the sets of frequencies sustained in the Dream House, the composite sound environments conceived by Young and Zazeela. The composer suggests listening while seated -- to experience how the sound interacts with the room and other perceptions of its arrangement -- as well as while walking. As Young states, 'The frequency ratios are monitored continuously as lissajous patterns on the oscilloscopes and, in spite of the great stability of the oscillators, the phase relationships of the sine waves gradually drift which causes their amplitudes to add and subtract algebraically. Not only does the sound become a bit louder and softer, but at very loud levels, one actually begins to have a sensation that parts of the body are somehow locked in sync with the sine waves and slowly drifting with them in space and time.'"

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: TU 006LG-LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

"Ezra Feinberg's third album Soft Power sees the composer-guitarist enlist an impressive array of fellow musicians including Mary Lattimore, David Moore (Bing & Ruth), Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, and Robbie Lee. Defined by its abundance of melodies, repeating figures and ecstatic improvisations, Soft Power exudes an enlightened and transformative spirit to empower the listener. Feinberg, a practicing psychoanalyst and former founding member of the San Francisco psychedelic collective Citay (Dead Oceans/Important Records) resides in the artistic enclave of upstate New York's Hudson River Valley. Initial recordings emerged in the late summer of 2020, before added synthesis with collaborator John Thayer (Arp, Sunwatchers) during early 2021. Soft Power follows previous albums Recumbent Speech (2020) and Pentimento And Others (2018). Feinberg artfully transcends the listener to an enriched place, his compositions distinguished by the deep humanity that lies at their core, plugging the listener into a state of wide eyed being, open and alive. Soft Power then is Feinberg's own mantra but also one of power giving -- a colorful catharsis translated into music. Feinberg's music always speaks to the listener, but Soft Power, in whispering, speaks loudest."

 

PRICE: $36.00

CAT #: TU 007LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Kindred spirits Passepartout Duo and Inoyama Land embody the essence of play -- charting a new chapter and reinvigorating the environmental music and electronic landscape. Passepartout Duo is formed of Nicoletta Favari (IT) and Christopher Salvito (IT/US), who since 2015 have been on a continuous journey travelling the world's corners, engaged in a creative process they term 'slow music.' Having been guests of many notable artist residencies and with live performances in cultural spaces and institutions, their evocative music escapes categorization. With no fixed abode their musical pilgrimage brought them to Japan first in 2019, which prompted a deep connection to Kankyo? Ongaku 'environmental music', a genre in which Inoyama Land is often associated with, soundtracking the duo's first immersive experience. In 2023 the duo revisited Japan and set out to reconnect in particular with the music of Inoyama Land, performed by Makoto Inoue and Yasushi Yamashita. The highly revered album Danzindan-Pojidon (1983) produced by Haruomi Hosono amongst other well publicized and acclaimed reissues produced a global resurgence and admiration of the environmental music movement. Nicoletta took the lead to seek out Inoyama Land and in making contact successfully their intrigue and eagerness to meet was warmly reciprocated, and the group scheduled to meet in the form of a spontaneous improvisation session. Radio Yugawara was recorded in 2023 in Makoto Inoue's hometown of Yugawara where his family runs a kindergarten, whose space has doubled as a Sunday recording studio. Upon arriving a circle of four tables was set up in the school's auditorium -- the tables were carefully populated with children's instruments: a full set of handbells, a glockenspiel, a xylophone, recorders, melodicas, and harmonicas. Surrounding the tables were racks hanging all sorts of bells and wind chimes and within this environment each performer set up their own electronic instruments. Dialing into each other, a simple set of playground 'game rules' was devised where time was divided into three separate sessions (1) 'only electronic instruments', 'only acoustic', and 'a mix of both', (2) 'revolving duets' each taking turns to play through a cycle of 'four duos' and (3) 'anything permitted', accumulating to more than three hours of material which was then carefully distilled into succinct tracks. Radio Yugawara is a unique one-off transmission from a specific place and point in time, unlikely to ever occur again."

 

PRICE: $20.50

CAT #: TO 117LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Gardenia is an existing land located at the Limpopo province of South Africa, right at the border with Botswana. The place's real name is Mmabolela and it's a private nature reserve covering 6500ha of subtropical savanna and part of Limpopo River. In November 2019 I had a chance to visit the location and participate in an annual residency for composers and sound artists called 'Sonic Mmabolela,' initiated and curated by Francisco L?pez. We lived in an isolated property in the middle of savanna having a unique opportunity to exist in undisturbed touch with the African wilderness. All the natural sounds later used to create Gardenia were captured there -- during longtime recording sessions over the virgin interior of Mmabolela Reserve. The album's field recording content was selected from several hours of birdsong, calls of frogs, insect noises, sounds of trees, bushes, grass as well as non-living natural elements like stones or shells. These field recordings were later digitally processed and used as part of nine musical arrangements. However the recording sources and the location of Gardenia is defined, it was not my intention to document a South African natural soundscape nor create any other kind of strict concept album. All I do in my work is an affirmation of beauty hidden in various aspects of the Creation." --MJRecorded, composed and produced by Micha? Jacaszek. Photography and design by Jon Wozencroft. Mastered by Francisco L?pez.

 

PRICE: $14.50

CAT #: TO 126CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

"Cleared, the duo of Steven Hess and Michael Vallera has re-emerged with Hexa, their sixth release and third for the Touch label. Steven Hess recorded sessions in the group's practice space, handing them over to Vallera, who in turn added his home recordings, mixing and manipulating them. The final product provides only the barest of hints to any instrumental points of origin, such is the extent of their intermixture. Hexa brings the listener interiority and depth, beginning with the slow build of the title track, where chiming details prompt a cycling drone. The 'Magnetic Bloom' pulsations give way to granulated smears, while the well-named 'Time in Return' plays with repetition and layering. The density in the tracks relents with '53S,' a recording from a train station contributed by the field recordist Chris Watson. The spatial sensations brought by the clanking and creaking offer a respite of sorts before the accretion of processed magnetics resume on the aptly entitled 'Sunsickness.' Clouds of static overwhelm the initial melodies of 'Ash.' Pulses, bursts, and points of electronics breach the layered blankets and sheets of sound, as with the concluding track, 'Oval Waters.' If you need to identify a genre locale, put Hexa on the side of the street where current electronic music lives. However you categorize the album, it is an absorbing listen front-to-back. Each track emerges with layers peeling and/or accreting and new details revealing themselves." --Bruce Adams, 2024

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: TRESOR 367EP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The word "resistance" is deeply embedded in the ethos of techno. For her debut release on the Tresor Records, the British artist and Tresor resident, Imogen, explores the concept of resilience; a related and equally vital concept. Taking its name from a theological term meaning a fundamental change of mind or spiritual conversion, Metanoia is fueled by Imogen's processing of what she describes as one of the most challenging years of her life. Any struggle against injustice or misfortune takes time and effort which requires finding a fortitude within, not only to surpass the hardship itself but to not lose oneself to despair or bitterness in the process. Imogen's journey is summed up in the lead track, 'The Way She Moves' -- resilience is, after all, a persistence to continue, to move forward. The struggle against hardship is laid out in track titles like 'Tired Bonesand Growing in the Dark' before a sense of catharsis is reached in 'Breathe Again' and 'Melancholy Flower.' The music similarly mirrors her experiences, passing through sadness, anger, before ultimately landing at acceptance and a newfound drive for self-actualization and greater interoception; after all, the end goal of any resistance is liberation.

 

PRICE: $16.50

CAT #: TROST 253CD

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

The second album from the high-caliber improvising trio Fictional Souvenirs captures a visceral meeting between three of todays improvised music's most idiosyncratic, elusive figures. On Volatile Object, Pat Thomas (piano and electronics), John Butcher (saxophones), and St?le Liavik Solberg (drums) were recorded live at London's Caf? Oto in January of 2023. Since emerging in the 1980s, saxophonist John Butcher has been one of the most important figures in a second wave of British free improvisation, adapting the innovations of pioneers like Derek Bailey and Evan Parker for a new generation. His musical language adapted those practices with a new emphasis on pure sound, including the use of amplification or reverb-rich spaces. Thomas and Butcher first played together on a Derek Bailey Incus night in 1993. Solberg has been performing with Butcher for more than a decade, often in duo settings, but also alongside figures like bassist Barre Phillips and pianist Kaja Draksler. Still, their connection with Thomas stands out. In 2019 Astral Spirits released the album that gave the trio its name, Fictional Souvenirs, a live session from the beloved and deeply missed London venue Iklectik, where Thomas eschewed piano in favor of a Moog Theremini and electronics. The results from the Oto concert captured on Volatile Object reinforce the special rapport of these musicians, elevating the connection heard on the debut album into something truly sublime. The new album includes both sets from that thrilling evening, with Thomas on grand piano during the first half, electronics for the second. The instrumentation obviously alters the sound of each set, with the piano providing a more familiar thrust as Thomas injects thunderous left-hand patterns and skittery upper register runs with his other hand to illustrate the group's deep engagement with free jazz history. As much as Butcher is known for his original language, his roots in swing-driven sound peak through the proceedings, with forceful tenor blowing that locks in with Solberg's deliciously off-kilter propulsion. The electronics used in the second set reveal a radically different side of the trio, pushing towards a steadily evolving flow of sound-rooted abstraction. Of course, what binds the two sets together is the fierce commitment to spontaneity and heightened listening. The members of the trio push one another out of any comfort zone just as much as their sounds magically coalesce.

 

PRICE: $16.00

CAT #: WWSCD 092CD

FILE UNDER: WORLD

Wewantsounds presents Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP Coda, issued in Japan in 1983 as a solo piano version of the Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence soundtrack. The album, which has never been released outside of Japan until now, sees Sakamoto on acoustic piano reinterpreting fascinating versions of his famous soundtrack including the classic theme and "Germination," which was later used in the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack. This reissue has been remastered by Seigen Ono's Saidera Mastering studio in Tokyo and boasts the original artwork plus a four-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta. When the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence hit the cinema in Summer 1983, it was a worldwide instant success, due in no small parts to its renowned director, Nagisa Oshima, and to its superb cast including David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The latter, fresh from his success with Yellow Magic Orchestra and a thriving nascent solo career, was also enrolled to compose the score of the film. The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film in summer 1983. It became equally successful and made the Japanese composer a global icon as the instrumental theme became an instant classic all around the world and also Sakamoto's signature track from then on. That same year, his Japanese label decided to release an exclusive cassette book as the format was getting popular in Japan. The project, called Avec Piano, featured an audio cassette together with a beautiful 80-page book including illustrations and texts by various designers and writers. As for the music, Sakamoto re-recorded the Merry Christmas soundtrack on solo piano at the Onkyo Haus studio in Tokyo. This version of the theme which Sakamoto would re-record many times, is therefore the first ever recorded solo piano version of the composition. The cassette book's success led to an LP release a few months later under a new title, Coda, and with a different artwork by Japanese designer Tsuguya Inoue. The original orchestrated theme "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" was dropped, replaced by two new tracks, "Japan" and "Coda," recorded a couple of years earlier in 1981 and featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto's blend of ethereal ambient soundscapes and modern electronics. Coda is quintessential Ryuichi Sakamoto and an essential album in the Japanese composer's discography.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 017LP

FILE UNDER: ELECTRONIC

2024 repress; LP version. Includes download card and original four-page insert with lyrics and line-up. Wewantsounds continues their Akiko Yano reissue program with the release of Japanese Girl, her landmark debut album from 1976. Backed by Little Feat with Lowell George and by top Japanese musicians (including Haruomi Hosono), Japanese Girl is one of the most important Japanese albums of the '70s, mixing pop, rock, and Japanese folk together with Little Feat's superb classic sound. After a marriage with musician/producer Makoto Yano and the birth of her son (Fuuta), Yano and her team resumed the recording of the album and decided to pitch Little Feat for a collaboration as she loved the group. Against all odds they said yes and Yano left Tokyo for Los Angeles in March 1976 to record a full side with them. The legend has it they found it so difficult to keep up with Yano's compositions they returned some of their fee. The session was nevertheless stunning and Lowell George even compared Yano to Stevie Wonder. The Little Feat blend of New Orleans groove matched Yano's melodies perfectly, as witnessed on "Funamachi-Uta Part ". Originally a traditional song from The Nebuta Festival in her hometown of Aomori, the Little Feat version is a formidable slow-funk workout not dissimilar to their classic, "Spanish Moon", serving Yano's beautiful vocals and sense of groove to perfection. The whole side is a match made in heaven, showcasing the classic Little Feat line up at their funkiest with Yano's unique Japanese twist. The Japanese side on the album gives a great snapshot of the Tokyo music scene of the '70s with many musicians gravitating around Haruomi Hosono and also several musicians from Japanese band, The Moonriders. Recorded at the legendary Onkyo Haus studio in Tokyo, the sessions mix singer-songwriter sensitivity and pop with traditional Japanese sounds and instruments like the shinobue transverse flute, the koto string instrument, or the Tsuzumi hand drum as played on "Hekoriputaa" by the legendary percussionist Kisaku Katada who was appointed Living National Treasure by the Japanese state in 1999; together they create a beautiful east-meets-west mix masterfully driven by Yano's creativity and unique talent. First international release. Remastered sound.

 

PRICE: $27.50

CAT #: WWSLP 027LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

2024 restock. Following the success of the special Record Store Day Abu Ali edition (WWSLP 021LP), Wewantsounds are reissuing a standard version of Ziad Rahbani's mythical disco 12" which was originally issued in Lebanon in 1978. This reissue on black vinyl features the original artwork, with remastered audio. Wewantsounds is to announce the first-ever official vinyl reissue of Ziad Rahbani's mythical Lebanese Disco 12" Abu Ali, originally issued in Lebanon in 1978 on his label Zida Records. A highly collectible album, it will get reissued by Wewantsounds with its original artwork, remastered by Colorsound Studio in Paris. Ziad Rahbani is a cultural icon in Lebanon. The musician, pianist, and producer is also a renowned playwright and a political activist, one of the most important exponent of the Lebanese left-wing counterculture to emerge from the '70s. Coming out of an illustrious artistic dynasty (his father is the famous composer and musician Assi Rahbani, member of group The Rahbani Brothers and his mother is the legendary Middle East Diva, Fairuz), Ziad Rahbani started his music career during his late teens, composing music for his mother. Rahbani quickly spread his wings further. He started producing his own music co-founding the label Zida in 1978 at age 22 in the process and started releasing records under his own name. Among these was Abu Ali recorded in Greece at the EMI Studios in Athens with a full orchestra -- there he also recorded his mother's 1979 album Wahdon (WWSLP 022LP) -- and released it as a limited run EP for the Lebanese market. Legend has it that the album was only pressed at 500 unit hence its rarity. The result is a fabulous New York-meets-Beirut disco ecstasy, developing over two 13-minute tracks and one of the most collectible albums on the international dance and disco scene.

 

PRICE: $31.00

CAT #: WWSLP 029LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

2024 repress. LP version. Wewantsounds present a reissue of Donna McGhee's Make It Last Forever, originally released in 1978. Donna McGhee has been one of the key female singers of the New York disco scene, gracing several cult albums with her superb singing. The Brooklyn native began her career singing gospel in her grandmother's choir from an early age. Her first break in the industry came when she was spotted by bass player Johnny Flippin, who invited her to join his band. The group was none other than The Fatback Band led by drummer Bill Curtis. This was 1975 and the album was Raising Hell. McGhee's vocals can be heard throughout the album, including the dancefloor classic "(Are You Ready) Do The Bus Stop". She stayed with the group for another few years recording Night Fever in 1976 and touring across country. Following an encounter with producer Greg Carmichael, Donna McGhee jumped ship and started working with the prolific producer and his partner Patrick Adams. A string of collaborations followed with singles and albums: Donna can indeed be heard singing with Bumblebee Unlimited, Universal Robot Band, and on Phreek's classic self-titled album from 1978, singing on the track "May My Love Be With You". In 1978, After Greg Carmichael set up his own label, Red Greg Records, he and Adams decided to get McGhee in the recording studio and produce her first solo album. With the pair playing most of the instruments, they got five tracks out of the session. The result, Make It Last Forever is an all-time Adams/Carmichael classic: funky disco arrangements with a touch of synths over a pulsating groove magnified by McGhee's superb sexy singing. All five tracks have become classics in their own right. "I'm A Love Bug" was a remake of Bumblebee Unlimited's cult favourite from 1976, "Love Bug" (also released on Carmichael's Red Greg label) while "Make It Last Forever" was later re-recorded by Inner Life (featuring Jocelyn Brown). "Do As I Do" and "Mr. Blindman" keep the groove going and finally, we have "It Ain't No Big Thing". The remake of a 1976 single by Personal Touch, produced by Adams for his PAP label and arranged by Leroy Burgess, it is one of the highlights of the album and is a superb catchy composition which has now become a true underground disco standard. An essential disco album. Newly remastered audio.

 

PRICE: $31.50

CAT #: WWSLP 092LP

FILE UNDER: WORLD

LP version. Wewantsounds presents Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP Coda, issued in Japan in 1983 as a solo piano version of the Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence soundtrack. The album, which has never been released outside of Japan until now, sees Sakamoto on acoustic piano reinterpreting fascinating versions of his famous soundtrack including the classic theme and "Germination," which was later used in the Call Me By Your Name soundtrack. This reissue has been remastered by Seigen Ono's Saidera Mastering studio in Tokyo and boasts the original artwork plus a four-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta. When the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence hit the cinema in Summer 1983, it was a worldwide instant success, due in no small parts to its renowned director, Nagisa Oshima, and to its superb cast including David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The latter, fresh from his success with Yellow Magic Orchestra and a thriving nascent solo career, was also enrolled to compose the score of the film. The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film in summer 1983. It became equally successful and made the Japanese composer a global icon as the instrumental theme became an instant classic all around the world and also Sakamoto's signature track from then on. That same year, his Japanese label decided to release an exclusive cassette book as the format was getting popular in Japan. The project, called Avec Piano, featured an audio cassette together with a beautiful 80-page book including illustrations and texts by various designers and writers. As for the music, Sakamoto re-recorded the Merry Christmas soundtrack on solo piano at the Onkyo Haus studio in Tokyo. This version of the theme which Sakamoto would re-record many times, is therefore the first ever recorded solo piano version of the composition. The cassette book's success led to an LP release a few months later under a new title, Coda, and with a different artwork by Japanese designer Tsuguya Inoue. The original orchestrated theme "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" was dropped, replaced by two new tracks, "Japan" and "Coda," recorded a couple of years earlier in 1981 and featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto's blend of ethereal ambient soundscapes and modern electronics. Coda is quintessential Ryuichi Sakamoto and an essential album in the Japanese composer's discography.

 

PRICE: $28.00

CAT #: WISE 006LP

FILE UNDER: ROCK

Formed in early 1970 by Deep Purple bassist Nick Simper, Warhorse began as a backing band for singer Marsha Hunt. The group initially also featured Rick Wakeman, but he departed the band in April 1970 to join Strawbs. The band's self-titled debut album was released on Vertigo in November 1970 and is a fine example of progressive hard rock of the era. With a heavy Hammond organ touch the group was in fact leading a new way of thinking, fusing neoclassical elements with heavy blues. Compared to label mates Black Sabbath, Warhorse were in the end much closer to Atomic Rooster and Quatermass. A truly welcomed re-issue in gatefold vinyl.