Piccadilly Records - Latest Arrivals

Muslim Gauze / Suns Of Arqa - The Suns Of Arqa Mixes / Arka

Sat, 25 May 2013 13:48:13 GMT

"I met Bryn (Muslim Gauze) Jones long time ago, when I was living in Ashton-under-Lyne. He came around to my house with a guy from Tokyo called Noddy, who was releasing his music in Japan and suggested we do an album together. They went away that day with copies of recordings I had been working on. These are the mixes he did, I never saw him again." - Wadada. Brutal and noisy dub plus more electronic and avant stuff on offer here alongside the usual blend of Arqa spirituality. Falling somewhere between Adrian Sherwood, and Gonjasufi, the first two tracks ("Horntid House", "Further Beyond") use heavy distortion and rough sampling techniques to create a collage of Indian drones, ethnic vocals and a heavy breakbeats that DJ Shadow would be proud of. Strange electronic textures are explored on "Echoes Of Melchizedek" while some of the tracks proceeding it are straight up electronica blueprints (I'd even hint at some proto-dubstep vibes, but isn't hindsight a wonderful thing). Tracks like "Acid Bends" do exactly what they say on the tin (!) while the more familiar ethnic dub flavours that are the Arqa trademark, rear their head on tracks like "Shamash" and "Bha Ravi" (still with some crazy experiments in the mixdown however). It’s basically the sound of Arqa with a million volts of uncontrollable electricity charged through its veins. Great stuff!

Horntid House

Acid Bends

Bha Ravi

Suns Of Arqa - Jaggernaut Whirling Dub / Arka

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:43:35 GMT

The second Arqa re-ish this week has another all-star cast of muscians from the globe; and like "Cosmic Jugalbandi" is a free-flowing, trancendental journey rather than a collection of tracks arranged as an traditional album. More dubby than "Cosmic Jug..", we're thrown straight away from the offset into a hazey, tape delayed world of cascading flutes, rising strings and, after a suitably tense build up, stomping bass-heavy dub. We're kept locked into the bass through much of the duration, but there's also a heavy emphasis on pipes - adding an ethereal, otherworldly vibe to proceedings. Production wise the CD sounds amazing, spatious, organic and with a definite live presence. More essential stuff from the Arqa catalogue!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Suns Of Arqa - Cosmic Jugalbandi / Arka

Sat, 25 May 2013 12:03:51 GMT

More psychedelic world dub from the masters. Cosmic Jugalbandi is based on five ragas featuring Raghunath Seth on bansuri, Johar Ali Khan on violin, Shahbaz Hussain on table and drums, Cod and Youth - keys, Angel Eye on tampura and the man himself, Wadada on bass. I felt it neccessary to include all instrumentalists to give you idea on the depth of the tracks (or rather the free-flowing melee that is the "Cosmic Jugalbandi"!) here. Meditative, healing; beautfiful, trancendental music to take the mind into far away places. Expanding on the droning ragas are excellent ethnic percussion, winding basslines and plenty of dub-wise production. Tying in well with the forthcoming Iasos anthology on Numero too! This is the perfect companion. Amazing stuff.

Matt says: My favourite from the first crop of Arqa CDs (we've got more on the way!). Definately for the Iasos / trancendental crew. Stick this on your 'phones and I guarantee you'll be in another world.

(Based On) Raga Bhupali

(Based On) Raga Khammaj

(Based On) Assane Folk Tune

Omar S - Thankyou For Letting Me Be Myself / FXHE

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:43:56 GMT

Excellent new Omar S album. All killer no filler.

I'll Bring U Ah Lil Sumpin Back

The Shit Baby

Thank U 4 Letting Me Be Myself

Ready My Black Asz

Paul McCartney And Wings - Wings Over America / HM UMC

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:31:35 GMT

‘Wings over America’ is a historic live album, which documented the band’s triumphant 1976 tour across North America.

In March of 1976 McCartney released 'Wings At The Speed Of Sound' and launched a tour of America, following which he released 'Wings Over America', a triple-album set that re-created an entire concert from various venues. It was a massive set list, running over two hours and featuring 30 songs. The album offers bracing renditions of "Maybe I'm Amazed" - arguably the best of McCartney's post-Beatles songs and possibly his single greatest composition - and "Band on the Run," as well as nicely distilling the harder side of his repertory, with a few breaks for softer songs such as "My Love" and "Silly Love Songs".

Andy says: The King Of Melody rocks away on this mega snapshot of a halcyon era. Absolutely double thumbs aloft!

Plaza - Fliphone / Midnite Ocean Rendezvous / Campari

Fri, 24 May 2013 18:20:27 GMT

This 45 features electro, Italo, boogie goodness from half of Tres Lingerie and all around super nice guy Johan Churchill. This dance-able mood music will grow on you, hypnotize you and leave you wanting more. It's a new style of jam coined by Johan himself as 'electro-lounge'. It's BOTH. And, the production is crackin'.. it's LOUD and crisp.

Fliphone

Midnite Ocean Rendezvous

Various Artists - The Blue Beat Explosion! The Birth Of Ska / Sunrise

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:49:18 GMT

Classic collection of early Prince Buster related material - a 23 track CD and 16 track LP compilation of early Blue Beat tracks featuring Prince Buster, Buster's Group, or other Prince Buster groups, The Blue Beats, The All Stars, The Torchlighters and Voice Of The People amongst others.

Buster's Group - Buster's Shack

Jackie Estick With Buster's Group - Boss Girl

Various Artists - Balance 023 - Radio Slave / Balance

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:27:03 GMT

Matt ‘Radio Slave’ concoction for Balance comes in two distinct parts, its 33 tracks marking a stark contrast to the stripped-back simplicity of his Fabric 48 mix. He cites Future Sound Of London’s Kiss FM sessions and DJ Harvey’s Sarcastic as inspirational DJ mixes, both visionaries in their own way.

Disc 1 - sub-titled ‘White Skies’ - begins with a dash of found sound, taken from Edwards’ daily routine, segueing into the emotive strains of DJ Bone’s Change acapella. Stephan G & The Persuader’s 1997 roller Kaos begins the groove, with dainty melody shimmering subtly atop a throbbing, deep bassline. We soon find ourselves in familiar Radio Slave territory - deep, swirling techno and off-kilter chugging tech house. Dystopian grooves characterise Disc 1’s first half, fragments of otherworldliness permeating his rolling, hypnotic grooves. It’s in the backwards pianos of his remix of Ian Pooley & Spencer Parker’s ‘Lurchen und Eulen’ and the warped, distorted and dubby stabs of Svek’s ‘Brommage Dub’ (another 97 gem). Timeline’s ‘Ghosts Of Greystone’ jets into space from a Detroit launchpad, joining the dots between techno and jazz, and we’re gradually drawn into more organic sounds via the hazy keys of Fred P’s remix of Nina Kraviz’s ‘Voices’ and to long-forgotten late-80s afro-house from No Smoke.

Disc 2 travels through the deeper recesses of his record collection, soaking up ambient, down-tempo and experimental flavours that are bound by a sense of majesty, melody and atmosphere. If ‘White Skies’ is Edwards as Radio Slave in Panoramabar mode, ‘Maestros & Memories’ is him entertaining the eventual crack-on, more akin to his Quiet Village / The Machine expeditions. Beatless soundscapes eschew in the mix’s beginnings before we emerge at the hazy, treacly beats of Theo Parrish remixing Skooby Laposky’s ‘Lighthouse’ and the abrupt piano twinkles and stomping beats of the aforementioned Slum Village track. Low-slung funk carries us through the next phase, into the illustrious Balearic disco glamour of Linda Law’s ‘All The Night’ from 1978 and the sumptuous strings of his Quiet Village beauty ‘Can’t Be Beat’. It’s into bleeps and bass next with a vintage F-Communications workout from DS, then sombre contemporary jazz from Portico Quartet’s ‘Laker Boo’ before Edwards cleverly segueways into Herbie Hancock’s seminal, minimalist 1974 workout ‘NoBu’ - one of the earlier meetings of synths and jazz. The classic, ethereal twinkling of Software’s lush ‘Present Voice’ rounds off this engrossing collection, with a final snippet of a week in the life of Radio Slave serving as an audial bookend to the proceedings.

Pooley & Parker - Lurchen Und Eulen (Radio Slave Mix)

Nina Kraviz - Choices (Fred P Reshape)

Quiet Village - Can't Be Beat

Various Artists - The Muggsy Story - The Real House Sound Of The New York Underground / BBE

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:19:09 GMT

The record label Muggsy is not related to Muggsy Spanier, the legendary jazz cornettist. Nor is it connected to the tiny terror of the NBA, Muggsy Bogues. Neither, for that matter, is it linked to Cypress Hill DJ and producer DJ Muggs. Nope. It is, however, entirely related to the Brooklyn house firmament, Henry Street. The man behind Henry Street is Johnny De Mairo, known among New York industry heads simply as Johnny D; ergo he is also the chap responsible for Muggsy, which is why we are here.

Born and bred in Brooklyn (and proud of that fact), Johnny D has been a DJ, record and autograph collector from the moment he had some spare cash. He got his first break in the music industry working for Vince Pellegrino’s SIN, before moving on to work for Atlantic Records, with whom he was associated for many years. He first launched Henry Street in 1993, followed a few years later by Muggsy.Henry Street became known for a sound deeply rooted in the disco that Johnny De Mairo loves and collects while still taking care of dancefloor business.

With a collection of like-minds gathered around the De Mairo table recording for the label, some of them New York cohorts (Kenny Dope, Brutal Bill), with Chicago’s Ralphi Rosario, Robbie Rivera from Puerto Rico and Miami’s Mike ‘Da Mooch’ Mucci, Muggsy released a string of tracks that ploughed a differentfurrow to big daddy Henry Street. But the Muggsy groove still retained the sample-based ethos (and disco roots) of its proprietor Johnny D.

'The Muggsy Story' is a document of a special time in New York history, before the gentrification of New York made party-throwing a guerilla activity, rather than the core of its musical soul. Muggsy, we salute you.

Brutal Bill Presents Soul Function - Do You Know About Love (Club Mix)

Kenny 'Dope' Presents DBX - And There Ain't (Troopa’s Deep Mix)

Ralphi Rosario - You Used To Hold Me (Salsa Mix)

People's Potential Unlimited - Beer Bottle Cooler - Black /

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:32:46 GMT

PPU branded beer bottle cooler for your boogie days at the beach.

PPU say: 'Just went back south for a few days off, and they only allow drinks on the beach if well concealed??? As soon as we got back had these beer bottle coolers made (with zipper back)'

Mark Ernestus Presents Jeri-Jeri With Baaba Maal - Gawlo / Ndagga

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:01:41 GMT

'Gawlo' is a rolling, resplendent tribute to griot life - 'gawlo' is Fula for 'griot' - spear-headed by none other than Baaba Maal. Superbly expressive interjections by a trio of talking drums are especially lucid on the instrumental Version. On the flip, 'Lignou Mome' is an exhilarating straight-no-chaser of galloping drums, bad-minded bass and layered guitar; before Ndeye Gueye wraps up proceedings with a third instrumental, propelled by terse, hypnotic figures on guitar and marimba synth. With the drum-kit unattended, octogenarian legend Doudou Ndiaye Rose features on lead sabar.

Gawlo (With Baaba Maal)

Lignou Mome

Ndeye Gueye (with Doudou Ndaye Rose)

Battista - Records Hold Memories / Uaudio

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:10:18 GMT

Battista comes through with his debut solo release on Uaudio - uncompromising hardware action from the young Berliner, and a seriously strong second release for the label. After a successful first shot under the Decas moniker together with another affiliate for Uaudio 001, Battista has found his own sound - hard-hitting house-techno hybrids, gritty and straight to the point. Rising talent John Swing makes his first appearance outside his own Relative / Livejam / Appointment nexus. Every new track he lays his hands on is more quintessential than the last - funky, driving, jazzed-out, dubwise, unhinged house music with a dark, brooding techno sensibility.

The EP sets off with 'From The Otherground', a track of pure malice, bringing out the big drums for a total analogue frenzy. You can hear the improvisational takes in there, the slight irregularities spicing up the mix. The driving, pulsating beatdown style is pretty heavy on the senses, with metallic synth stabs amidst subtle swarms of acid permeating from the depths of the mix and a looming vocal sample that pushes the beat further and further out into the ether. An impressive opener, bloodily reconciling house and techno.

'From The Otherground (John Swing Remix)'. JS shreds the original to pieces and works from the ground up to re-interpret the track according to his own rules. Chugging, bold, with a hefty collection of drum breaks, it sounds like a mid-90s UK breakbeat track, slowed down, re-pitched and re-wired for contemporary damage. The low, grungy, looming bassline which swamps the bottom-end is easily recognisable as his own... but it all comes back to his drums - they're just so grinding and effective for any DJ set. Whilst so many 'floor' tracks pack a punch, JS is also tremendously pleasurable just to listen to: his samples and percussion are all programmed to perfection, with a raw and improvisational glide. Bumpin'...

Craziest one of the lot is 'Natural Instinct'. They're all pretty harsh and furious but when Battista unleashes the drums on this one, it's total war. Bare hi-hats and other percussion in the break-downs give the track a warm, real-life feel missing from much house and techno. After the breakdown, the arrangement goes completely nuts (and so will the dancefloor). Lastly 'Flowing Through Time' is the dubbiest of the four, with sweltering, detuned, delayed synth shots getting into a complete twist. Another great example of Battista's percussion-heavy, minimalistic take on house music; another Uaudio installment of terse, raw, dance-crashing monsters.

Patrick says: 'Ard as nails house and techno business from Berlin that's as brutalist as the Schöneberg architecture.

From The Otherground

From The Otherground (John Swing Remix)

Natural Instinct

Itinerant Dubs - Itinerant Magic / Itinerant Dubs

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:10:03 GMT

A new project by two undercover house/techno affiliates - one a Berliner and the other a Londoner - pretty much given away by their all-analogue production approach and rigorously live mixdown approach. No mercy on those low-ends... The undertaking centres around the more sparse, broken and heavyweight spectrums of the dance field, merging their various palates of sound to produce a dub-heavy approach to the two-step genre. Early UK grime and dubstep days - artists like Horsepower Productions and his LP 'In Fine Style' come to mind immediately. The mixes feel raw, rugged, rough and made from the heart.

Title track 'Itinerant Magic' wouldn't sound out of place in an Actress set, thanks to those tweeting sequences of melodies flying in and out that grainy percussion rustling back and forth. It develops with pure fury, contorting those drum machine shots to their very limit and morphing the percussion segments to produce a sludgy, raucous cluster of sound and finally unleashing an all-out cacophony of snares, hi-hats and sci-fi cinematic drama.

Flip it for 'Jack The Dub': this is the ONE... For both sheer production-quality and dancefloor sensibility. Apart from the convoluted mass of percussion which grinds its way to the break, the track is actually incredibly minimal in its elements and it uses a stop-start motion arrangement to get its point across. This will likely be played and appreciated by many of the Bristol crew - Pev, Kowton etc - and its liable to tear any floor to pieces. Lastly 'Monkey' is the 'dubbiest' and most daring of the three. The arrangement is utterly chaotic and sparse but it somehow manages to form into a distinct shape. Mounds of delayed snares, hi-hats and chords wail their way sporadically amidst small bundles of burly kicks and rolling, distorted, dub-filtered effects.

Itinerant Magic

Jack The Dub

Monkey

Finis Africae - A Last Discovery - The Essential Recordings 1984-2001 / EM

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:21:28 GMT

"Finis Africæ (or Finis Africae)". Words redolent of mystery and myth, of Europe looking out to new lands, new worlds, new times. And so it is with "A Last Discovery", the work of Spaniard Juan Alberto Arteche Guel and his musical co-adventurers, recorded between 1984 and 2001. After 15 years of musical success in Spain with his band Nuestro Pequeño Mundo, Arteche was ready to experiment with new ideas, and with the purchase of a four-track reel-to-reel recorder he did so, exploring imaginary global music-worlds with a core of like-minded explorers. The group, dubbed "Finis Africæ" by JAA after reading Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose", where the term refers to forbidden books and hidden knowledge, released seven recordings over an eighteen-year period, the best of which are compiled here.

Finis Afriae was part of the "new wave" of Spanish music which gradually emerged after the end of the Francoist regime. Using modern electric instruments and traditional acoustic instruments from many cultures blended together via studio alchemy, a magic which grew even stronger with the acquisition of a sixteen-track recorder after their second release, Finis Africæ created an outward-looking musical multiverse, an unclassifiable amalgam encompassing elements of folk traditions from all over the world, skillfully and lovingly shaped into an inclusive pan-global whole. Deeply influenced by African music, the group's reverberant, organic minimal funk will appeal to DJs as well as all who yearn for the loving warmth that comes with the embrace of global possibilities.

With liner notes in Spanish, English and Japanese by JAA, "A Last Discovery" is available on CD and double vinyl (with two bonus tracks). This is the first release by Finis Africae outside of their native Spain. Come take a retrospective journey of discovery. New worlds await.

Text by: EM Records (Japan)

Radio Tarifa

Zoo Zulu (Zulu Zoo)

Pirulo, Cambia Cromos (Pirulo Exchange Trading Cards)

El Abrazo De La Selva

Rodion GA - The Lost Tapes / Strut

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Strut, in conjunction with Ambassadors Reception and Future Nuggets, presents the first ever retrospective of fabled band Rodion GA, one of Romania's best kept musical secrets of the last 30 years.

As a band, Rodion GA were a unique phenomenon in their homeland at the time, operating in their own universe during a prolific period of recording from 1978 to 1984 at a time of significant political repression under the Ceausescu regime. Bandleader, Rodion Ladislau Rosca, was an enigma. As half-Hungarian, half-Romanian, he lived near the border in Cluj, a city with a healthy music culture which had spawned important prog rock bands incuding Cromatic, Experimental Quintet and Semnal M. Despite the political conditions, a music scene existed in Romania, mainly within a network of festivals around the country and in seaside towns at restaurants and clubs.

From the start, Rodion was concerned with his own style of composition and set himself apart from the predominant rock sounds that dominated Romanian music during the late 60s. Technically and in his compositions, he was obsessed with every detail. His first sessions were recorded during 1969-1972 - simple, sparse and haunting pieces using reel to reel recorders, based around vocals, guitars and improvised drums. In 1975-6, Rosca formed Rodion GA, the GA comprising band members Gicu Frca. and Adrian Cpraru. Rosca had amassed equipment and became a DIY tech wizard, improvising his own techniques of composing using reel to reels. Surrounded by three or four Tesla tape machines, he would record beats and guitar on one channel of the tape, then stop and add other instruments on the other a raw means of multi-tracking. He would use the other machines to add effects and delays on both instruments and vocals. Other tools in his armoury included an East German Vermona drum machine, a toy Casio VL Tone and a small Russian organ to which he added phaser, flanger and delay pedals. From the start, the band’s sound was incomparable to other contemporaries - dense electronic sounds, raw programmed rhythms, intricate arrangements, prog and classical touches.

The band’s recorded output in Romania at the time was sparse. There was only one label operating, the State-owned Electrecord, and they recorded two tracks by Rodion GA for a compilation, ‘Romanian Rock Vol. 6.’ In 1981, the tracks were picked up by radio and Rodion even hit the top of the Romanian charts for several weeks. Beyond this, no other releases surfaced and yet the band recorded prolifically during the early 80s. Other records nearly materialised the band scored the soundtrack to an animated movie, Delta Space Mission in the mid-80s but the tracks were refused by the film company who then employed prolific Romanian electronic / pop producer Adrian Enescu for the job. The band’s only other documented performance during their career was a show on Romanian television celebrating New Years Eve in 1980. Rodion GA eventually split in 1987 following a gig at Mangalia Festival and Rodion then walked away from music following the death of his mother.

Fast forward to 2012 when the myth of Rodion GA came to the attention of excellent Romanian production and DJ crew, Future Nuggets, a collective as dedicated to unearthing Romania's musical past as they are forging new sounds steeped in the country's traditions. As well as this album, a partnership with Steve Kotey of Ambassadors Reception has led to a compilation of their own studio work including their acclaimed psych-jazz album as Steua da Mare.

Sara says: Strut unearth lost vintage electronic music from Eastern Europe - for fans of Umberto or anyone with an interest in the exotic and bizarre... Incredible!

Alpha Centauri

Cantec Fulger

Disco Mania

Citadela

Genesis - Selling England By The Pound - 180gram Heavyweight Vinyl / Virgin

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

The legendary band's early era goes back to its vinyl origins in style. Presented on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl.

Five landmark albums from the group's seminal Peter Gabriel-fronted era: Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound and the double concept LP The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.

The classic cover art is faithfully reproduced from its original source.

The set contains some of the bands most adventurous albums and chronicles Gabriel's groundbreaking tenure as frontman for Genesis.

Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen / Bella Union

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

The title track and 3rd single from Veronica Falls 2nd album ‘Waiting For Something To Happen’ now gets a 7" vinyl release.

Ryan says: A great new single from Veronica Falls fitting nicely into their jangly, c-86 catalogue. You need this one...

Waiting For Something To Happen

Perpetual Motion

Charlie Boyer And The Voyeurs - Clarietta / Heavenly

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Charlie Boyer sits in an East End café as a Friday morning rush subsides talking about his band’s work ethic. It’s an approach that he and the Voyeurs have adhered to ruthlessly for the last twelve months; a process that has rapidly thrown Boyer from a tentative first gigs to a much-anticipated debut album, Clarietta.

“We write a song a week, minimum. I like that way. I want to keep that kind of work rate, it helps to make the writing process very intense. I like the idea of having quite strict writing schedules. Every Sunday I start a demo on the 4 track then send it to the band who work out their parts before we learn it the following Wednesday. We then demo it the Sunday after before starting the process again. Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday, Wednesday. It works really well for us. I don’t understand why all bands aren’t working that way.”

Charlie Boyer and the Voyeurs look, act and sound like a band that’s joined at the hip. While a statement made in a recent NME interview (Charlie said that they set out to make “primitive, sexy, glamorous rock’n’roll”) may have been intended as throwaway at the time, it neatly surmised the band’s ethos. Physically, they look like the louche-est gang in town. Musically they conjure a mesmerizing garage racket — a sound as heavy as it is direct, primitive in the best possible way. Although there are time-honoured musical elements (there are nods to – amongst others — the Velvets, Spacemen 3 and T-Rex), in the hands of the Voyeurs it’s all warped into a feral monolithic trance; simple and viciously effective.

“Making music isn’t rocket science is it? The simpler the better. Often we simplify our songs, invariably it improves everything. You know when a song is working, it’s usually when it’s at its most basic. Really, I’d like the band to get more primitive.”

Inception point for The Voyeurs was the start of 2012, although it was initially a vehicle for Charlie to strike it alone after years playing in other bands. Having recorded a 7” for Blank Editions — the double A side ‘Ducks’/’You Haven’t Got A Chance’ — he booked two gigs promote it (one at Dalston’s vinyl only Kristina Records, the other supporting Boyer’s friends Toy at an insanely over-subscribed show at the nearby Shacklewell Arms) and hastily assembled a scratch band to flesh out a handful of as-yet-unperformed songs.

Even in those nascent stages, the Voyeurs sound and Charlie’s vision was present. While so many other bands playing support slots in pub backrooms were in thrall to the sounds of the previous decade, the Voyeurs played things entirely differently. A singer who looked and sounded like a young Tom Verlaine fronting a band that seemed to owe as much to the Blank Generation as it did to the a long line of truly hypnotic guitar music stretching from Syd Barrett to the Mondays.

“Even at those first two gigs, I knew exactly how I wanted the music to sound. I’m actually surprised at how close we’ve got to the sound I heard in my head. The benchmark, the blueprint is the album version of Sister Ray. That’s the feeling I want from every song we do; that ecstatic, relentless sound. I didn’t purposely set out to try to make the music sound different to everyone else around, I was just following my instincts.”

Boyer’s instincts were clearly sharply tuned. Within a week of the Shacklewell Arms gig, Heavenly — Toy’s record label – had asked Charlie to make a record. The result was a visceral sucker punch of a single called I Watch You, a song that would be described by the Guardian as “one of those crudely simple two-chord affairs (with a third for the chorus) that reduces rock’n’roll to its basics but does so with intelligence, not dumbness. It’s boogie with brains, basically”. I Watch You was recorded by legendary artist and producer Edwyn Collins (the Cribs) at his studio, West Heath Yard.

“I was a huge fan of Postcard Records. As soon as Jeff suggested Edwyn as a producer, I jumped on it. The sound I hear in my head is maybe more chaotic but I really liked the idea of working with Edwyn because I knew he’d make it poppier, lighter. He gave it a real shimmering elegance. There’s this box in his studio that he calls the Scintillator; it’s just a couple of switches — it doesn’t actually do anything other than encourage greatness.”

With a record deal in place, the Voyeurs settled on a final five-piece line up (Charlie Boyer, Sam Davies, Danny Stead, Samir Eskandar, Ross Kristian) and set about realising Charlie’s vision in a rehearsal space near Docklands.

“We practise in Cable Street Studios down in Limehouse. There’s a great drag club opposite the studio called Stunners; we have cigarette breaks with these really brilliant trannies. There’s a crazy looking S&M club down there too. I think it’s about as close to early ’70s New York City as you’re going to get in London in 2013. I love it there.”

One listen to the band’s debut album – again recorded with Edywn Collins – it’s clear that it’s influenced as much by the capital’s seedy underbelly as it is by the Scintillator. With keyboards that flow like an eddy current against the measured rhythmic attack of vocals, guitar, bass and drums, the eleven tracks on the Voyeurs debut are primitive, sexy, glamorous rock’n’roll at its very finest.

From the pummelling, out of control ram raid of I’ve Got a River’s to the Syd-meets-Sonic Boom stomp of Clarinet via the album’s second single, the gonzo-riff heavy The Things We Be, Clarietta is insistent, addictive and just a little degenerate, it’s the best British garage record of the 21st century. In fact, it’s good enough to make you ponder Charlie’s question – why aren’t all bands doing this?

Andy says: Energy, abandon, style and passion: another top, garagey guitar group on Heavenly Records and produced by Edwyn Collins.

Things We Be

I've Got A River

Clarietta

Go Blow A Gale

Coco Rosie - Tales Of A Grass Widow / City Slang

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Produced in association with Valgeir Sigurðsson , ʻTales of a GrassWidowʼ features eleven songs and, in keeping with prior compositions, synthesizes electronic and organic music conveying a compelling futuristic, return-to-nature sound. Amongst the 11 tracks that weave together to create ʻTales of a GrassWidowʼ is ʼGravediggressʼ, whose recent release to the web saw CocoRosie enthusiastically welcomed back by fans and critics alike. Itʼs a foreboding track, representative of the albumʼs overarching theme, the tale of an imagined conversation between an abandoned child and an outcast old woman. Their voices blend and overlap, suggesting the woman and child are the same person.

Simple piano chords accompany their vocals, with chimes and a marching drum rhythm composed of beat box from CocoRosieʼs longtime collaborator, Tez. Friend and sometime collaborator Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons), evoking the voice of Mother Nature, sings on the recordʼs second track, ʼTears for Animalsʼ and the album closer, ‚Poison.ʼ ʼChild Brideʼ awakens the image of grass blowing outside the window soothinga five-year-old girl given away by her family;In ʼAfter the Afterlifeʼ the narrator recalls details from the physical world now out of reach; wet snails, moth wings and ashes froma day lit fire.

ʻRoots Of My Hairʼ describes a solitary child happy with the company of a sparrow. Now in their 10th year, the sisterʼs continue to find expression in progressively ambitious projects, which expand beyond writing, recording and touring their own music. In 2012, they choreographed ʼNightshift,ʼ a dance production and ʼSoul Lifeʼ, an opera both staged at the Donau Festival in Krems. Bianca held a solo exhibition of her artwork in NYC and the sisters performed at Londonʼs Meltdown Festival curated by their friend and sometime collaborator Antony Hegarty. This spring, along with theatre director Robert Wilson the duo unveil their work on a production of ʼPeter Panʼ by the Berliner Ensemble and performed in Paris under the curation of Laurie Anderson.

The groupʼs platform is to ʼfree society and protect the planet from the corrosive effects of patriarchal belief systemsʼ.

Andy says: Their elfin voices will continue to divide opinion but with songs as sincere and heartfelt as these, how could you doubt them? Heavy lyrics, superb arrangements, this band create their own world: a strangely enticing place.

Tears For Animals

After The Afterlife

Child Bride

Broken Chariot

Sparrow And The Workshop - Murderopolis / Song By Toad

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Three-piece Sparrow And The Workshop are Belfast-born, Chicago-raised Jill O'Sullivan (vocals, acoustic guitar), Welshman Nick Packer (guitar, bass, basstard) and Scotsman Gregor Donaldson (drums, vocals). Formed in 2008, Glasgow, Scotland, known for their use of harmonies, bastardized instruments and FX pedals, and have been compared to bands as varied as The Breeders, Jefferson Airplane and The White Stripes.

Their early demos were played by Vic Galloway on BBC Introducing Scotland and caught the attention of Distiller Records, who offered to put out a single and EP for them in 2009. The band's debut album 'Crystals Fall', was released by Distiller Records in 2010 to critical acclaim, in late April 2011 the band released their 2nd album 'Spitting Daggers', produced by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker). The album was again well received with Drowned In Sound and the BBC giving the album 8/10 and 7.5 respectively.

The band have moved on from their early, folkier roots and have now embraced a sort of scuzzy snarl, punctuated by Jill's crystal clear voice. 'Murderopolis' was recorded at Chem19 in Glasgow, Scotland, by the hugely respected Paul Savage (Franz Ferdinand, Mogwai, Teenage Fanclub).

Its bite more closely captures their ferocious live performances than anything they've released before.

Valley Of Death

Darkness

Odessa

Shock Shock

Mike Patton / Various Artists - The Place Beyond The Pines - Original Soundtrack / Milan

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

The Place Beyond The Pines is Derek Cianfrance’s upcoming crime dram film. The film reunites Cianfrance and Ryan Gosling after 2010’s ‘Blue Valentine’. It also stars Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne and Ray Liotta.

Mike Patton, American singer / songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best-known as the lead singer of Faith No More delivers a sweeping and brooding score. Like a red thread, his music guides the audience through this multi-generational story often linking characters and locations.

In addition to Mike’s score, the album features an eclectic selection of music by the likes of Vladimir Ivanoff (Miserere Me), Arvo Part (Frotres), Bon Iver (The Wolves), Ennio Morricone (Ninna Nanna Per Adulteri), and The Cryin’ Shames (Please Stay). With more than 100 minutes of music throughout the film, the music is an essential aspect of storytelling.

Schenectady

Family Trees

Bromance

Forest Of Conscience

Hawkwind - Warrior On The Edge Of Time - Deluxe Edition / Atomhenge

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

• THE LONG AWAITED OFFICIAL EXPANDED 3 DISC DELUXE REMASTERED EDITION OF HAWKWIND’S CLASSIC 1975 ALBUM
• FEATURING THE FIRST EVER REMASTERED VERSION MADE FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOGUE MASTER TAPES ON CD ONE PLUS 8 BONUS TRACKS, FIVE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
• CD TWO FEATURES A NEW STEREO MIX BY STEVEN WILSON MADE FROM THE MULTI-TRACK MASTER TAPES PLUS 5 BONUS TRACKS, TWO PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
• DISC THREE – NTSC REGION FREE DVD FEATURING NEW 5.1 SURROUND & STEREO MIXES OF “WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME” BY STEVEN WILSON & A 96 kHz 24-BIT FLAT TRANSFER OF THE ORIGINAL 1975 STEREO MASTER TAPES
• ALSO FEATURES BOOKLET WITH PHOTOS, MEMORABILIA & ESSAY

Atomhenge, the home of HAWKWIND’s catalogue from 1975 – 1997, are pleased to announce the long awaited release of a definitive edition of the classic 1975 album “WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME”.

This Atomhenge edition marks the first time that the original analogue stereo master tapes have been used for a remastered edition. This set also features the single B-side “Motorhead” as a bonus track.

Gabriel Bruce - Love In Arms / Luv Luv Luv

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

To whom it may concern,

The recording sessions for 'Love In Arms' started at the end of October 2011. I worked for a few weeks with Craig Silvey in The Garden studio on Holywell Lane, we took a break for Christmas and returned to finish and mix in January 2012.

These are love songs that were played out many years ago here in Britain amongst knotted roots of the woodland floor and under the shelter of the Westway. I wrote them after my old band had broken up and whilst I was learning to play the organ. Since I recorded these songs I've put together a new band to play them live. I'm still learning how to play the organ.

Thanks,

Gabriel Bruce

April 2013

Dark Lights Shine Loud

Honey Honey Honey

Sleep Paralysis

Greedy Little Heart

Mount Kimbie - Cold Spring Fault Less Youth / Warp

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

The incredible second album from pioneering electronic duo Mount Kimbie, and their first for Warp. Follows 2010's 'Crooks and Lovers' with a broader, deeper sonic palette and a more live sound.

The South London duo, comprised of Dom Maker and Kai Campos, have created a deeper and more complex album than their 2010 debut ‘Crooks And Lovers’, featuring vocals from both the band themselves and guest vocals from King Krule, alongside crisp beats and production, brooding melodies and electronic soundscapes. 'Cold Spring' places live instrumentation alongside the electronics, with organ and drums enriching the sonic mulch. What's more, there are vocals, too, enabling a step into a newly emotional approach.

For fans of Burial, Gold Panda, SBTRKT, Thom Yorke, Bonobo, James Blake, Caribou, The xx, Kindness etc.

Home Recording

Break Well

So Many Times, So Many Ways

Slow

Hawkwind - Warrior On The Edge Of Time - Definitive Edition / Atomhenge

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

2CD / 1DVD / 180g LP - BOXSET

180g VINYL LP FACSIMILE EDITION WITH “SHIELD” GATEFOLD SLEEVE & INNER BAG (cut from the original analogue cutting master tapes)

§ DELUXE 48 PAGE BOOK WITH PHOTOS, MEMORABILIA & ESSAY
§ A REPRODUCTION OF THE AMERICAN IN-STORE PROMOTIONAL POSTER
§ A REPLICA CONCERT TICKET FROM DETROIT IN 1975
§ THREE PROMOTIONAL POSTCARDS

Atomhenge, the home of HAWKWIND’s catalogue from 1975 – 1997, are pleased to announce the long awaited release of a definitive edition of the classic 1975 album “WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME”. Recorded in 1975, the album is a ground-breaking classic of Hawkwind’s career. Featuring a line-up of DAVE BROCK, NIK TURNER, LEMMY, SIMON HOUSE, SIMON KING & ALAN POWELL, the album is arguably one of the finest rock albums of the mid-1970s.

This Atomhenge edition marks the first time that the original analogue stereo master tapes have been used for a remastered edition. This set also features a wonderful 5.1 Surround Sound remix from the original 16-track master tapes by Steven Wilson, who has also undertaken a splendid new stereo remix. The set also features a total of thirteen bonus tracks drawn from out-takes of the recording sessions and the 1975 Watchfield Festival, seven of which are previously unreleased.

Hawkwind - Warrior On The Edge Of Time / Atomhenge

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

• THE LONG AWAITED OFFICIAL REMASTERED EDITION OF HAWKWIND’S CLASSIC 1975 ALBUM
• FEATURING THE FIRST EVER REMASTERED VERSION MADE FROM THE ORIGINAL ANALOGUE MASTER TAPES
• PLUS ONE BONUS TRACK
• FEATURES BOOKLET WITH PHOTOS, MEMORABILIA & ESSAY

ATOMHENGE, the home of HAWKWIND’s catalogue from 1975 – 1997, are pleased to announce the long awaited release of a definitive edition of the classic 1975 album “WARRIOR ON THE EDGE OF TIME”.

Recorded in 1975, the album is a ground-breaking classic of Hawkwind’s career. Featuring a line-up of DAVE BROCK, NIK TURNER, LEMMY, SIMON HOUSE, SIMON KING & ALAN POWELL, the album is arguably one of the finest rock albums of the mid-1970s.

Assault And Battery / The Golden Void

The Wizard Blew His Horn

Opa-Loka

The Demented Man

We Are Loud Whispers - Suchness / Hardly Art

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

We Are Loud Whispers is a dreamy duo featuring Sonya Westcott (Arthur & Yu) and Ayumu Haitani (4 Bonjour's Parties).

‘Suchness’, their debut album, displays intricate electronic orchestration, loops, and effects, while relaying an organic ease.

Assembled over emails sent between Seattle and Japan, ‘Suchness’ transcended geographical and language barriers - and traditional ideas of what a ‘band’ is - in its making.

Orange Blossom

This Time

You Surround

Western Town

Hookworms - Radio Tokyo / Too Pure Singles Club

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Too Pure are extremely proud to announce that hot on the heels of their phenomenal debut album "Pearl Mystic" our 5th single of the year will be two exclusive tracks by the incredible HOOKWORMS..

For a while the band have been terrorising headline bands across Northern england and beyond with their sheer velocity and emotional intent and will be supporting Pissed Jeans their first Uk dates for five years at Leeds Brudenell July 4th. and London's Dingwalls July 5th. Gaining an incredibly impressive live reputation with intense sets at festivals such as Beacons and Liverpool's Psychfest (where they played with fellow Too Pure release Dead Skeletons).

The band continue to go from strength to strength live and on record, "Pearl Mystic" is already tipped as one of the albums of the year. Radio Tokyo will be released on the Too Pure Singles Club on May 27th.

Radio Tokyo

On Returning

Sean Nicholas Savage - Other Life / Arbutus Records

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

*Sean Nicholas Savage is a gifted narrator, driven by his own melodic and emotional odysseys. A fixture of the Montreal music scene, Savage expresses both the strength and fragility of the human experience. In his writing, Sean has the keen ability to articulate the intricate emotions of everyday life and romance with a measure of specificity and maturity uncommon to most singer-songwriters.

A prolific and dynamic artist, Savage has released several albums since 2009, ranging from the classic confessional folk of Movin’ Up In Society (2010) to the trippy AM romance of Trippple Midnight Karma (2011) to the caribbean future punk of Won Ton Jaz (2011). This rapid rate of output mirrors that of the great songsmiths (Lee Hazlewood, Joni Mitchell, Scott Walker, David Bowie) that he follows in the footprints of. Savage chiefly works in service of what each song requires, never constrained by the barriers of a specific genre.

This is a collection of deep and personal songs, which showcases a focused, darker side not seen on his previous titles. Welcome to Savage's Other Life.

"Montreal's best kept secret (...) sparkles like Elliot Smith hopped on Arthur Russell's happy pills." -NME

"From his unforgettable chip-toothed smile to his serious eyes, Sean gives off an other-worldly vibe at every turn. But, it is also these things that make his quiet invasion of your heart inevitable." -PORTALS

"It simply is truest, passionate pop music, a graceful tribute to the Sexual Healing-era Marvin Gaye, drenched in lush melodies." -No Fear Of Pop

She Looks Like You

Other Life

Lonely Woman

More Than I Love Myself

Various Artists - Grime 2.0 - Vinyl Edition / Big Dada

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

‘Grime 2.0’ is a new 35 track compilation of tracks from across the world compiled by journalist Joe Muggs in collaboration with Big Dada Records, aiming to offer an overview of grime production as it enters its second decade and becomes an international phenomenon. A comprehensive survey of grime production and the first of its kind available on vinyl (limited to 500 copies).

Featuring tracks from the originators - the godfather Wiley, Manchester’s dubstep / grime originator MRK1, and the elusive Youngstar (whose ‘Pulse X’ was the first ever grime record to be released), new stars Royal T, Preditah, Faze Miyake, and the up-and-comers snapping at their heels - Midlanders Swifta Beater and TC4, Brighton’s Moony, and Southeast Londoner Mr. Mitch. Plus tracks from Japan (Prettybwoy), Australia (Juzlo), the Netherlands (Gumnaam), Ireland (Major Grave), the US (Starkey and Matt Shadetek) and Canada (Tre Mission).

Where other sounds died or dissolved, this grassroots electronic music movement has grown organically for over ten years now. Grime has resisted all appropriation, retaining the qualities that made it exciting, fresh and subversive in the first place. It wasn’t easy by any means, and it has survived a lot in that time. It has seen its own MCs become superstars, frequently eclipsing the genre that raised them, then watched as its suburban first cousin dubstep snuck out from the shadows to world domination. It’s been through beefs, bans and brawls, and been held back by internal and external politics, struggling for recognition while flimsier, flightier sounds have been hyped to oblivion.

Footsie - Oh My Gosh

Tre Mission - Dollar Bill

Teeza - Rum And Coke

Christophe Feat. Danielle Moore - Comeback EP - Inc. Casino Times Remix / Future Boogie

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Futureboogie brother Christophe and the eternally cool Danielle Moore get into the soul kitchen and cook up a surefit summer hit. "Comeback" has anthem written all over it sunshine boogie disco bounce and deep melodic keys alongside Danielle’s sultry voice it’s a closing track for friends and lovers. It brings to mind "Hangin' On A String" by Loose Ends with its combination of a round and raucous bottom end with a gentle and melancholic vocal of yearning.

On the remix front, hot London talent Casino Times strip back the vocal and stretches the track into a deep dancefloor builder with a techy breakdown in the second half. Meanwhile on the flip Christophe and his old mucker Lukas stir it up on their mastermix with a Inner City inspired reinterpretation of the track for peak time use.

Comeback

Comeback (Casino Times Remix)

Comeback (Christophe & Luke Mastermix)

Tim Burgess - Oh No I Love You More / O Genesis

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Tim Burgess's album Oh No I Love You was released in October 2012 on his own, OGenesis label. It was co-written with Lambchop's Kurt Wagner with contributions from members of Clem Snide, Factory Floor and My Morning Jacket as well as lo fi legend R. Stevie Moore. Although a solo album it was a collaborative effort and soon enough there was a companion album, Oh No I Love You More. Remixes by friends who'd taken a shine to the original songs that had been recorded in Nashville.

Oh No I Love You was met with critical acclaim, Paul Weller called it "Tim's magnum opus". The Times concluded that Tim was "running Damon Albarn close for the title of busiest Britpop alumnus" and The Guardian claimed it was "Burgess at his best".

The singles White and The Doors of Then were A listed on 6 Music and played everywhere from Radio 2 to XFM to Bali FM.

Tim played sold out shows at The Union Chapel in London, Manchester Cathedral, The Oran Mor and The Royal Northern College of Music. The songs took on their own lease of life and before long enough remixes and alternative versions of the songs were gathered in from Tim's friends - enough for a whole album. This is it. Oh No I Love You More.

Kurt Wagner lends a world weary timbre to his spoken word version of A Case For Vinyl // Tim duets on Ours with Italian actress/ director Asia Argento // Anton Newcombe, The Brian Jonestown Massacre head honcho transforms The Doors of Then into a chant friendly psyche stomp // R. Stevie Moore's covers The Economy while Django Django, Perc, Factory Floor, The Horrors and The Seahawks take the album from it's Nashville home to every style from woozecore to even a hint of dubstep.

Brazos - Saltwater / Dead Oceans

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Following on from his respected-but-under-theradar self-released debut, Brazos puts out his first album for Dead Oceans and it’s sure to put him on the map.

Already receiving a glowing 8/10 from Uncut (with coverage on the covermount) plus very strong 6Music support, this is a record that teases the listener with ideas and melodies, asking for patience and then rewarding the loyal with one of the most beguiling and beautiful listens of 2013 so far.

Always On

Charm

How The Ranks Was Won

One Note Pillow

Damien Jurado - Where Shall You Take Me? / Secretly Canadian

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Damien Jurado is the sort of songwriter who straddles rock’s past and future, and with each record contributes a new chapter to an everfruitful body of work. Before moving onto the next chapter, let’s look back at his first album for Secretly Canadian. An instant classic when released in 2003, ‘Where Shall You Take Me?’ was his fifth full-length, and is a beautiful collection of ten Raymond Carver-esque vignettes of terror and bliss in Middle America.

Mostly acoustic with very sparse band arrangements - with the notable exception being the old live favourite ‘Texas To Ohio’, Jurado displays the songwriting talent that turns back the hands of time to a place in which his tunes sound like they’ve been floating around, passed down from generation to generation.

Dead Oceans are celebrating the 10th anniversary of this fine release with a deluxe 2LP vinyl reissue, incorporating unreleased basement reel demos and the ‘Just In Time For Something’ EP, never before released on vinyl.

Field Report - Field Report / Partisan

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

When cult-like Wisconsin band DeYarmond Edison announced their split in September 2006, its founder member Justin Vernon changed tact and formed Bon Iver. Three other members formed the psychedelic folk band Megafaun, and its remaining member, Chris Porterfield, disappeared without trace from the close-knit circle of musical friends.

Five years later, Porterfield resurfaces under the moniker of Field Report. Recorded at Vernon’s home studio in Fall Creek, Wisconsin, the selftitled debut is a gorgeously crafted folk record that recalls the work of Porterfield’s heroes Paul Simon and Bruce Springsteen, as well as Wilco and Bill Callahan.

CD album is packaged in a digipack with lyrics booklet.

Fergus Falls

The Year Of The Get You Alone

I Am Not Waiting Anymore

Taking Alcatraz

Hooded Fang - Gravez / Full Time Hobby

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Seamlessly following on from their debut album ‘Tosta Mista’, Hooded Fang’s new record ‘Gravez’ is a continuation of the spontaneous, lively, heavily splintered guitar sound that has secured Hooded Fang as high flyers on The Hype Machine and nominees for Canadian Mercury equivalent, the Polaris Prize.

For fans of The Strange Boys, Tame Impala, Iggy Pop, Black Lips.

Andy says: Johnny Marr-approved. Nuff said!

Graves

Ode To Subterrania

Bye Bye Land

Wasteland

Majical Cloudz - Impersonator / Matador

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Majical Cloudz is the voice of Montreal songwriter Devon Welsh, exploring the negative space within electronic music, using his powerful vocals to say “no” to the infinite possibilities digital instruments provide and instead choosing to focus his attention inwardly.

Joined by Matthew Otto to collaboratively produce and perform his songs, the 2012 debut album ‘II’ and the ‘Turns Turns Turns’ EP released on Arbutus / Merok in December gained praise for their simplicity and honestly. Now, ‘Impersonator’ brings Welsh’s songs into even sharper focus as the expressive power and swagger belie the extremely minimal music. These are intensely lyrical songs about death, patience, family, friendship and desire, with Welsh’s rich vocals atop quiet looped waves of white noise, filtered synths and sparse thuds.

Welsh expounds on how he came to his personal, minimal brand of electronic music: “In the last few years there’s been a massive explosion of amazing music made with electronic equipment. I love that kind of music but it also started to overwhelm me, I wasn’t cut out for the maximalist expressions of that style. So I took a break from music, and when I started again it was to make music that barely existed and felt like stillness more than movement. Where the songs could be more about humanness. The easiest way for me to do that is try to make something without obvious movement; where the music isn’t overstuffed sonically or referentially, it’s emptied out as much as possible. So the vision for ‘Impersonator’ was to communicate a lot with as little as possible. It’s not meant to energize and turn you out to the world, it’s meant to do the opposite; it’s more like a cocoon.”

Most of ‘Impersonator’ was written at Welsh’s father’s house in rural Ontario, in the basement after he went to sleep. He says, “One day I realized I had fifteen to twenty songs, and they made me feel like I had overcome the dead end I thought I was in. I started realizing that I could say anything I want in a song.”

Welsh cites Elliott Smith and Arthur Russell as the two biggest influences on his song writing. While ‘Impersonator’ sounds like neither, Smith’s lyricism is evident, as is Russell’s ability to distil a number of seemingly contradictory stylistic ideas into a single focussed statement. Other records Welsh listened to while writing the album point to the diversity embedded in ‘Impersonator’s deceptively simple approach: Drake’s ‘Take Care’, Oneohtrix Point Never’s ‘Replica’, Kurt Vile’s ‘Smoke Ring For My Halo’, Grouper’s ‘AIA’, Kraftwerk’s ‘Trans-Europe Express’, Paul Simon’s ‘Paul Simon’, John Lennon’s ‘Plastic Ono Band’.

While Welsh and Otto work collaboratively in the studio, live Welsh is front and centre on the mic, as Otto creates the musical atmosphere. “I put forward songs and big ideas, and he pushes me to look at the little details,” says Welsh. “Live it’s a similar dynamic, he gives me the platform to stand on musically.” The songs are made with relatively low-tech means, allowing for spontaneity and experimentation, both live and in-studio. For Welsh, the track ‘This Is Magic’ works as a metaphor for the album as a whole: “That song functions with very minimal arrangements, very straightforward lyrics, it operates on a loop, and the message is that there is strength, rather than weakness, in being vulnerable.”

Though they stand stylistically apart from other artists in their Montreal scene - which includes Grimes, Doldrums, Blue Hawaii, Mac DeMarco, and others - Majical Cloudz are proud beneficiaries of its camaraderie. “The waves that are being made internationally by Montreal musicians really started in the fall of 2009, so the fact that it is finally happening is unbelievable and I’m euphoric about it,” says Welsh. “I don’t think I could find an art / music scene as rewarding to me anywhere else, because it takes a while to get comfortable being vulnerable in front of a whole community.”

Impersonator

This Is Magic

Childhood’s End

The Pastels - Slow Summits - Bonus Disc Edition / Domino

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Includes a limited edition bonus disc; ‘Insane Energy Drop' - A Pastels mix, compiled from some of the music they were listening to during the making of Slow Summits.

The Pastels return after 16 years, their first album proper since 1997s ‘Illuminations’; their collaborative works, ‘The Last Great Wilderness’ soundtrack / theatre commissions and the ‘Two Sunsets’ album with Tenniscoats keeping the band busy since then. ‘Slow Summits’ gathers on all these works but moves off in newer and older ways too, with its flowing montage of autumn instrumentals, pop songs, slowmotion build ups and suddenly optimistic melody lines.

Recorded in Glasgow by John McEntire and Bal Cooke, ‘Slow Summits’ features the core Pastels line-up of Stephen McRobbie, Katrina Mitchell, Tom Crossley, Gerard Love, Alison Mitchell and John Hogarty.

Guests include original member Annabel Wright (Aggi) and Norman Blake, two-thirds of To Rococo Rot (Stefan Schneider and Ronald Lippok), and Tenniscoats. ‘Kicking Leaves’ also features a memorable string arrangement from Glasgow-based composer Craig Armstrong.

Andy says: Thought they'd gone all JAZZ or something?!? Fear not: this is a glorious return from Stephen and co: gentle, considered, warm and melodic. Really lovely stuff.

Secret Music

Night Time Made Us

Check My Heart

Summer Rain

Various Artists - Arts & Crafts: X / Arts & Crafts

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

2013 marks Arts & Crafts’ 10 year anniversary. In the spirit of the label’s flagship collective Broken Social Scene, Arts & Crafts has curated an entirely original collection of collaborative recordings by artist pairings from the label roster, including new compositions and fresh, unexpected interpretations.

In the 10 years since the release of Broken Social Scene’s ‘You Forgot It In People’, Arts & Crafts has emerged as one of the most influential and progressive voices in independent music, working with internationally acclaimed artists such as Feist, Stars, Dan Mangan, Timber Timbre, Gonzales and many more.

Features new unique collaborations from Feist, Timber Timbre, Broken Social Scene, Stars, Chilly Gonzales and more.

Broken Social Scene X Year - Day Of The Kid

Apostle Of Hustle X Zeus - Bizarre Love Triangle

Feist X Timber Timbre - Homage

Still Life Still X Zulu Winter - Era

The Woodentops - Before During After: Remasters, Remixes & Rarities 1982-1992 / One Little Indian

Fri, 24 May 2013 12:08:49 GMT

Split across 3 CDs, ‘Before During After’ marks the definitive Woodentops retrospective, comprising remastered versions of their two albums, ‘Giant’ and ‘Wooden Foot Cops On The Highway’. Both were remastered from the original tapes, which themselves had first to be lovingly restored by an oven baking process overseen by lead singer Rolo McGinty.

CDs 1 and 2 also include rare unreleased material from the period of the first two albums respectively, with CD3 collecting together all manner of live, alternate and remixed versions, some aired here for the first time.

The Woodentops’ influence is still remembered by a generation of musicians and DJs - not least mega fans David Bowie (who invited them to support him) and Noel Gallagher - the latter electing to include ‘Why Why Why’ on the Mojo magazine September 2011 covermount CD he curated.

Get It On

Good Thing

Give It Time

Love Train