H exhales tension and relaxation. That's the magic of H. You might only find this mixture on some great records from the Kraut-era, Harmonia and Cluster records, and H could be wonderful next to a record like e.g. Rastakraut Pasta by Moebius & Plank, but also the LeRoy albums Sklash and Bambadea (both on Schamoni Musik), This Is The Place by Das Hobos (another highly acclaimed alias of the duo Hopfinger and Simonetti) and the one or other Echokammer production, like Entrance To The Exit by Blacken The Black.
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BACK CATALOGUE - H
Following the 2017 album I Romanticize and 2015's In The Pink of Condition, the album was produced and features musical contributions from long-time collaborator and celebrated solo artist Cate Le Bon. Artwork is designed by H.Hawkline.
Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, the album features a host of musical collaborators – Davey Newington [Boy Azooga] on drums, Paul Jones [Group Listening] on piano, Tim Presley [White Fence, DRINKS, The Fall] on guitar, Stephen Black [Sweet Baboo] and Euan Hinshelwood [Younghusband, Cate Le Bon] on sax, Harry Bohay [Aldous Harding] on pedal steel and John Parish [PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding] on infrequent bongo. The record was then engineered by Joe Jones [Aldous Harding, Parquet Courts] and mixed, after an unlikely and fortuitous crossing of paths, by the Grammy-nominated Patrik Berger [Charli XCX, Robyn, Lana Del Rey], and mastered by Heba Kadry [Deerhunter, Cass McCombs, Cate Le Bon].
Milk for Flowers is at once visceral and enlightened, its soundscapes verdant yet delicately rendered, and with this latest, most intimate work, H. Hawkline beautifully bares his blood, bones and soul. And quietly, along with the entrails and rubble held in Milk For Flowers’ reliquary, there hides a small, green kernel of life; hope, perhaps, that today’s decay might nourish tomorrow’s blooms.
Recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, the album features a host of musical collaborators – Davey Newington [Boy Azooga] on drums, Paul Jones [Group Listening] on piano, Tim Presley [White Fence, DRINKS, The Fall] on guitar, Stephen Black [Sweet Baboo] and Euan Hinshelwood [Younghusband, Cate Le Bon] on sax, Harry Bohay [Aldous Harding] on pedal steel and John Parish [PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding] on infrequent bongo. The record was then engineered by Joe Jones [Aldous Harding, Parquet Courts] and mixed, after an unlikely and fortuitous crossing of paths, by the Grammy-nominated Patrik Berger [Charli XCX, Robyn, Lana Del Rey], and mastered by Heba Kadry [Deerhunter, Cass McCombs, Cate Le Bon].
Milk for Flowers is at once visceral and enlightened, its soundscapes verdant yet delicately rendered, and with this latest, most intimate work, H. Hawkline beautifully bares his blood, bones and soul. And quietly, along with the entrails and rubble held in Milk For Flowers’ reliquary, there hides a small, green kernel of life; hope, perhaps, that today’s decay might nourish tomorrow’s blooms.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: I lived in Cardiff for some time, and there's something intangible there that makes people *really* good at writing this sort of 60's psych influenced athletic indie-pop, and Huw really makes some of the best out there. It shines with influence from classic rock to lounge and garage and psychedelia influences oozing out of every pore. Loads of melody and groove, but with an indescribable wooze and syncopation to the songwriting, without ever feeling strained. A triumph once again from H. Hawkline.TRACK LISTING
Milk For Flowers
Plastic Man
Suppression Street
I Need Him
Denver
Athens At Night
Like You Do
It's A Living
Mostly
Empty Room
Mixing lonesome four-part harmonies and high energy rock, Ha Ha Tonka carves out a sound that conveys a sharp sense of place. Ha Ha Tonka's lyrics replicate the paradox that exists in the Midwestern Bible Belt that they know so well, where the realities of meth use, strip clubs, socio-economic hardship, and backwoods prejudices meet the literal interpretations of biblical story-tellers. This Ozark milieu creates some contradictory notions, but also some of the most poignant folk and gospel musical traditions in the nation's history.
HAAi's debut full-length album is her most collaborative, energetic and vibrant collection to date. Baby, We're Ascending, a 13-track sonic adventure that takes you along for the ride – from hardcore, echoey beats to sweeping, colourful synth lines and bright, warped vocal samples. The voices on the album are vast and eclectic – from Jon Hopkins and Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor to singer Obi Franky and spoken word poet and activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal.
The album follows the release of ‘Lights Out’, her collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Fred Again.. and Romy of The xx, and is supported by a series of worldwide shows.
The album follows the release of ‘Lights Out’, her collaboration with Grammy-nominated producer Fred Again.. and Romy of The xx, and is supported by a series of worldwide shows.
TRACK LISTING
1 Channels
2 Pigeon Barron
3 Bodies Of Water
4 Human Sound Feat. Kai-Isaiah Jamal And Obi Franky
5 Louder Always Better
6 Biggest Mood Ever Feat. Alexis Taylor
7 AM
8 FM
9 I’ve Been Thinking A Lot Lately
10 Purple Jelly Disc Feat. Obi Franky
11 Baby, We’re Ascending
12 Orca
13 Tardigrade
HAAi returns with her bold and brilliant second album, 'HUMANiSE', exploring the sweet spot between machine-led dystopia and emotion-filled utopia.
In all of her work, Teneil has always sought to conquer new frontiers in electronic music, and on the new album, she’s drilling deeper into the grid. 'HUMANiSE' reckons with what it is to be human in an increasingly digital world, as AI threatens to eclipse everything and our screens separate us from each other. The result is an ambitious and thrilling epic: embodying a sonic step up, and a distinct evolution from her 2022 debut, 'Baby, We’re Ascending'.
Voices – both real and digitised – play a huge part on 'HUMANiSE', alongside ideas of community and a sense of belonging. She has returned to work with friends including Jon Hopkins, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, singer Obi Franky, rapper KAM-BU, artist Kaiden Ford, and poet James Massiah, as well as two choirs: Trans Voices with choir leader ILĀ and a gospel choir led by Wendi Rose. Having spent years behind the decks, HAAi also brings her own voice to the forefront in a powerful shift toward vulnerability and self-expression. Her vocals, stunningly delicate, give a newfound dimension to her kinetic productions.
The album’s concept became clear while HAAi was in the studio with Hopkins. The pair were playing with a vocal harmonizer plug-in with a function called ‘Humanize’. For HAAi, a light went off: “The idea of something completely synthetic trying to make an actual person sound more human is crazy,” she says. HAAi blurs these extremes throughout the album: digitising voices, layering them to hazy effect, and even using an AI text-to-speech to generate her voice. But, ultimately, she concludes that experience and memory – what makes us truly human – cannot be replaced.
From the euphoric opener ‘Satellite’, to BBC Radio 6 Music A-listed track ‘Can’t Stand To Lose’, and genre-smashing cuts like ‘Shapeshift’, the album is filled with exhilarating sonic twists and deeply personal lyrics. 'HUMANiSE' is a powerful, emotionally charged leap forward: a celebration of community, self-expression and humanity.
In all of her work, Teneil has always sought to conquer new frontiers in electronic music, and on the new album, she’s drilling deeper into the grid. 'HUMANiSE' reckons with what it is to be human in an increasingly digital world, as AI threatens to eclipse everything and our screens separate us from each other. The result is an ambitious and thrilling epic: embodying a sonic step up, and a distinct evolution from her 2022 debut, 'Baby, We’re Ascending'.
Voices – both real and digitised – play a huge part on 'HUMANiSE', alongside ideas of community and a sense of belonging. She has returned to work with friends including Jon Hopkins, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, singer Obi Franky, rapper KAM-BU, artist Kaiden Ford, and poet James Massiah, as well as two choirs: Trans Voices with choir leader ILĀ and a gospel choir led by Wendi Rose. Having spent years behind the decks, HAAi also brings her own voice to the forefront in a powerful shift toward vulnerability and self-expression. Her vocals, stunningly delicate, give a newfound dimension to her kinetic productions.
The album’s concept became clear while HAAi was in the studio with Hopkins. The pair were playing with a vocal harmonizer plug-in with a function called ‘Humanize’. For HAAi, a light went off: “The idea of something completely synthetic trying to make an actual person sound more human is crazy,” she says. HAAi blurs these extremes throughout the album: digitising voices, layering them to hazy effect, and even using an AI text-to-speech to generate her voice. But, ultimately, she concludes that experience and memory – what makes us truly human – cannot be replaced.
From the euphoric opener ‘Satellite’, to BBC Radio 6 Music A-listed track ‘Can’t Stand To Lose’, and genre-smashing cuts like ‘Shapeshift’, the album is filled with exhilarating sonic twists and deeply personal lyrics. 'HUMANiSE' is a powerful, emotionally charged leap forward: a celebration of community, self-expression and humanity.
TRACK LISTING
1. Satellite (feat. Jon Hopkins, Obi Franky, ILĀ And Trans Voices)
2. All That Falls Apart / Comes Together (feat. James Massiah)
3. Stitches
4. Can't Stand To Lose
5. Shapeshift (feat. KAM-BU)
6. Voices
7. Go (feat. Kaiden Ford)
8. HUMANiSE
9. Hey!
10. Rushing (feat. ILĀ And Trans Voices)
11. New Euphoria (feat. Alexis Taylor, ILĀ And Trans Voices)
12. HQ (feat. Kaiden Ford)
‘Put Your Head Above The Parakeets’ is a brand new EP from HAAi, her second for Mute. The EP features four brand new tracks including the pseudo title track ‘Head Above The Parakeets’, which exudes a woozy summery heat while ‘Rotating in Unison’ embraces positivity, written in response to this year’s enforced slowdown. The final two tracks take us back to the club, where HAAi is known for spinning genre-bending and spellbinding DJ sets.
STAFF COMMENTS
Matt says: Twisting breakbeat, braindance, brutalist techno and IDM into an utterly postmodern sonic collage, HAAi brings the past into the future wonderfully on this fierce four tracker for Mute.TRACK LISTING
1. Head Above The Parakeets
2. Rotating In Unison
3. Bon Viveur
4. Bass Is The Place
"Meet Norway's new pastoral folk voice - guitar lines ripple like Nick Drake strumming for Karen Dalton - think Sibylle Baier or Julie Byrne" Uncut.
Crackled radio-like transmissions from Norway's rural hinterland. Juni Habel's fragile finger-picked lullabies warm themselves by the open fire with her rich intimate voice atop twinkling arrangements and strange percussive instrumentation. Like glowing embers in the dark, these songs are odes to life and death, the beauty of belonging and human kinship with nature.
Push open the door of the old school house in the remote flatlands of Southern Norway that Juni Habel shares with her close-knit family and climb the stairs; you’ll find yourself in a former classroom – the home of her new album Carvings. A songbook of life’s lessons offering an expansive perspective as it navigates personal shadows between darkness and light.
“I knew I wanted to write from a larger perspective. I wanted to write about the course of nature, and the people in it - life and death, beauty and tragedy.” Juni says, “loss - the search for the dead - grasping to find the words, and liberation of giving that up. I also wanted to explore my own kinship with nature - a sense of belonging, and notice what is around with gratitude and zest for life.”
This unyielding spirit of family and nature is etched into Carvings’ unschooled approach. With beauty in mock-simplicity and radiating humanity like the music of Tia Blake, Julie Byrne or Myriam Gendron, Juni’s songwriting unfolds on her own terms, and is the sound of facing whatever mother nature decides will find its way to the top of the list.
Recorded between the classroom (‘big hall’), the hallway on the 2nd floor, and her bedroom with simple gear and vocals laid down in a single take. Co-producer, musician and singer Stian Skaaden, became her melodic confidant and experimental co-conspirator halving the burden by building the album’s layers through blowing a pipe, playing bow on the banjo, bottles or glockenspiel. “With this album I wanted to lean deeper into the process. The title Carvings illustrates thoroughness. It was a vulnerable project, to strive for creating something truly beautiful, to pour my soul into it,” she says.
Uninhibited by the possibility of ‘mistakes’ and jamming until she struck gold, Juni confidently discovered the truest expression of herself. “It takes courage to do things ‘wrong’ with uncertainty, record lyrics which are strange but feel right, on crappy mics, it can be good to fumble a bit,” Juni says before tellingly, “the joy of playing is quite fragile. I have to protect it. You can't use your head, you have to be inside the song.”
Crackled radio-like transmissions from Norway's rural hinterland. Juni Habel's fragile finger-picked lullabies warm themselves by the open fire with her rich intimate voice atop twinkling arrangements and strange percussive instrumentation. Like glowing embers in the dark, these songs are odes to life and death, the beauty of belonging and human kinship with nature.
Push open the door of the old school house in the remote flatlands of Southern Norway that Juni Habel shares with her close-knit family and climb the stairs; you’ll find yourself in a former classroom – the home of her new album Carvings. A songbook of life’s lessons offering an expansive perspective as it navigates personal shadows between darkness and light.
“I knew I wanted to write from a larger perspective. I wanted to write about the course of nature, and the people in it - life and death, beauty and tragedy.” Juni says, “loss - the search for the dead - grasping to find the words, and liberation of giving that up. I also wanted to explore my own kinship with nature - a sense of belonging, and notice what is around with gratitude and zest for life.”
This unyielding spirit of family and nature is etched into Carvings’ unschooled approach. With beauty in mock-simplicity and radiating humanity like the music of Tia Blake, Julie Byrne or Myriam Gendron, Juni’s songwriting unfolds on her own terms, and is the sound of facing whatever mother nature decides will find its way to the top of the list.
Recorded between the classroom (‘big hall’), the hallway on the 2nd floor, and her bedroom with simple gear and vocals laid down in a single take. Co-producer, musician and singer Stian Skaaden, became her melodic confidant and experimental co-conspirator halving the burden by building the album’s layers through blowing a pipe, playing bow on the banjo, bottles or glockenspiel. “With this album I wanted to lean deeper into the process. The title Carvings illustrates thoroughness. It was a vulnerable project, to strive for creating something truly beautiful, to pour my soul into it,” she says.
Uninhibited by the possibility of ‘mistakes’ and jamming until she struck gold, Juni confidently discovered the truest expression of herself. “It takes courage to do things ‘wrong’ with uncertainty, record lyrics which are strange but feel right, on crappy mics, it can be good to fumble a bit,” Juni says before tellingly, “the joy of playing is quite fragile. I have to protect it. You can't use your head, you have to be inside the song.”
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Yet another killer release from Basin Rock, with Juni Habel's 'Carvings' providing the perfect fireside listening. Brittle folk guitars crescendo with Habel's echoing vocals hovering over the top. Organically growing melodies come out of the smallest seed and bloom into heady orchestrated bliss.TRACK LISTING
Side A
1. Rhythm Of The Tides
2. I Went Out And Sought For Your Name
3. Little Twirl
4. Valiant
Side B
5. When We Awake
6. Chicory
7. Drifting Pounds Of The Train
8. I Carry You, My Love
Stunning and more confident follow up to 2023’s breakthrough album ‘Carvings’. Released on Basin Rock who released breakthrough albums for Julie Byrne, Jim Ghedi, Nadia Reid, Andrew Tuttle, Aoife Nessa Frances.
‘Sharing the same dusky light as Jessica Pratt’s records, the Norwegian singer traces the gap between reality and memory in swaddled vocal harmonies, to a reassuring acoustic guitar motif’
Evergreen In Your Mind, the new and third album from Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel, exists in two worlds at the same time. Songs were recorded in quiet corners of her home, on the piano in the school where she works, and it uses the physical world around her to provide percussion. It also takes place, as she herself attests, within a dream; an imagined place in which her desire for oneness with each other and the world around us is finally realised.
Evergreen In Your Mind was recorded with co-producer Stian Skaaden, it’s Habel’s first album in three-years, following the breakthrough success of 2023’s Carvings LP. Formed of eleven new recordings, the songs here remain delicate, Habel’s voice playing an elegant lead role – but there are fluctuations too.
These small shifts in Habel’s sound result in a notable stride forward. More focus went into the groove of these songs. Playfulness was embraced and, perhaps most importantly, patience played a fundamental role in shaping the album with time and care given to every element of these songs. “We always aim to capture effortlessness - but the way of getting there is anything but effortless,” Habel reveals.
This extra time that was given to the project gave Juni the space to nurture her creativity. She would read and listen to music, hike into the hills, place herself within nature and seek out stillness. Not as a deviation from her work but as a fundamental part of the process. It’s a search for connection, and it’s a recurring theme across Evergreen In Your Mind; the polarity between stillness and passion, also our resistance to these desires, and the things we want to live and experience.
The album’s title-track and fist single feels indicative of this narrative. A gorgeous, delicate folk song, it finds Habel out in the woods, hiding from real life, caught in the space between the natural world and the pull of modernity. “It’s nostalgic. It’s about looking back and realizing things will be different,” Habel says. “Its about visualizing something beautiful in your head that you keep clinging onto.”
The album cover for Evergreen In Your Mind also adds shimmer. A striking photograph of Juni among the mountains, it was taken on a day trip to Rondane, a five-hour drive each way from her home. Habel explains. “It was awe-inspiring to drive all the way up into the high mountains, with its wide plains and intense colours. For an album with music that at times likes to hide itself, I think it fitted nicely with such an epic, grand, and powerful landscape.”
‘Sharing the same dusky light as Jessica Pratt’s records, the Norwegian singer traces the gap between reality and memory in swaddled vocal harmonies, to a reassuring acoustic guitar motif’
Evergreen In Your Mind, the new and third album from Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel, exists in two worlds at the same time. Songs were recorded in quiet corners of her home, on the piano in the school where she works, and it uses the physical world around her to provide percussion. It also takes place, as she herself attests, within a dream; an imagined place in which her desire for oneness with each other and the world around us is finally realised.
Evergreen In Your Mind was recorded with co-producer Stian Skaaden, it’s Habel’s first album in three-years, following the breakthrough success of 2023’s Carvings LP. Formed of eleven new recordings, the songs here remain delicate, Habel’s voice playing an elegant lead role – but there are fluctuations too.
These small shifts in Habel’s sound result in a notable stride forward. More focus went into the groove of these songs. Playfulness was embraced and, perhaps most importantly, patience played a fundamental role in shaping the album with time and care given to every element of these songs. “We always aim to capture effortlessness - but the way of getting there is anything but effortless,” Habel reveals.
This extra time that was given to the project gave Juni the space to nurture her creativity. She would read and listen to music, hike into the hills, place herself within nature and seek out stillness. Not as a deviation from her work but as a fundamental part of the process. It’s a search for connection, and it’s a recurring theme across Evergreen In Your Mind; the polarity between stillness and passion, also our resistance to these desires, and the things we want to live and experience.
The album’s title-track and fist single feels indicative of this narrative. A gorgeous, delicate folk song, it finds Habel out in the woods, hiding from real life, caught in the space between the natural world and the pull of modernity. “It’s nostalgic. It’s about looking back and realizing things will be different,” Habel says. “Its about visualizing something beautiful in your head that you keep clinging onto.”
The album cover for Evergreen In Your Mind also adds shimmer. A striking photograph of Juni among the mountains, it was taken on a day trip to Rondane, a five-hour drive each way from her home. Habel explains. “It was awe-inspiring to drive all the way up into the high mountains, with its wide plains and intense colours. For an album with music that at times likes to hide itself, I think it fitted nicely with such an epic, grand, and powerful landscape.”
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: I'm becoming more and more of a Basin Rock fan with every release. Since Andre Tuttle's brilliant Fleeting Adventure back in 2022, they've been the bastion of off-piste folk and ambient country. Juni Habel's 'Evergreen...' fits right into this niche with aplomb, gorgeously drifting guitars and warmly saturated tape hiss beneath Habel's evocative vocal. Stunning.TRACK LISTING
A1 Another High
2 I’d Like To See It
3 Pearl Cloud Song
4 Tessa
5 I Lay My Trust
B1 Evergreen In Your Mind
2 Stand So Still
3 Gitarhum
4 Sage
5 Colours Close To Me
6 Statues
“When a close friend took an in-advance listen to Hachiku’s debut album, I’ll Probably Be Asleep, she had one question for bandleader Anika Ostendorf: “’why are you so angry?’”
It’s not the first reaction that most people would have to the Melbourne-based outfit, whose dream-pop jams all dewy guitars, rickety drum-machines, and layered ambience, topped off with Ostendorf’s oft-breathy voice would seem to contain no sharp edges. But, following Hachiku’s self-titled 2017 debut EP, Ostendorf found herself dealing with darker themes; which reflected the 25-year-old growing up, changing, and feeling mounting frustrations.”
It’s not the first reaction that most people would have to the Melbourne-based outfit, whose dream-pop jams all dewy guitars, rickety drum-machines, and layered ambience, topped off with Ostendorf’s oft-breathy voice would seem to contain no sharp edges. But, following Hachiku’s self-titled 2017 debut EP, Ostendorf found herself dealing with darker themes; which reflected the 25-year-old growing up, changing, and feeling mounting frustrations.”
TRACK LISTING
I’ll Probably Be Asleep
Busy Being Boring
You’ll Probably Think This Song Is About You
Bridging Visa B
Dreams Of Galapagos
A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Woman
Shark Attack
Murray’s Lullaby
One Little Independent are proud to release the high-concept debut album from the brand-new collaboration between three of UK folk’s most unique and prestigious voices; Marry Waterson, Lisa Knapp and Nathaniel Mann.
‘Blackletter Garland’, by Hack-Poets Guild, boasts twelve fascinating interpretations and original compositions that tell intricate tales of birth, love, conflict and death, with all the imagination of the folklore from which they’re based.
Inspired by historic broadside ballads, the trio rejuvenate and reinvent these stories, bringing them vividly to life for a new generation. Following an invite to the Bodleian Library by Sound UK Arts, the disposable song sheets (that would’ve once sold for pence, and were the forerunners of modern news media) gave a rare insight into the past whilst striking a chord with themes still relevant today. Celebrated film composer and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver helped in their exploration as a producer, and in adding fresh ideas to these past texts.
Across the album, anecdotal, descriptive yarns are spun to a backdrop of atmospheric strings, rustic instrumentation and elegant vocal harmonies, used precisely to communicate the victims as easily as they do the villains. The result is a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable balance between the traditional and contemporary.
‘Blackletter Garland’, by Hack-Poets Guild, boasts twelve fascinating interpretations and original compositions that tell intricate tales of birth, love, conflict and death, with all the imagination of the folklore from which they’re based.
Inspired by historic broadside ballads, the trio rejuvenate and reinvent these stories, bringing them vividly to life for a new generation. Following an invite to the Bodleian Library by Sound UK Arts, the disposable song sheets (that would’ve once sold for pence, and were the forerunners of modern news media) gave a rare insight into the past whilst striking a chord with themes still relevant today. Celebrated film composer and multi-instrumentalist Gerry Diver helped in their exploration as a producer, and in adding fresh ideas to these past texts.
Across the album, anecdotal, descriptive yarns are spun to a backdrop of atmospheric strings, rustic instrumentation and elegant vocal harmonies, used precisely to communicate the victims as easily as they do the villains. The result is a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable balance between the traditional and contemporary.
TRACK LISTING
Ten Tongues
Daring Highwayman
The Devil’s Cruelty
Laying The Ghost
Birds Of Harmony
Hemp & Flax
Something To Love Me
Meat For Worms
The Troubles Of This
World
Rare Receipts
Be Kind To Each Other
Cruel Mother
hackedepicciotto return with 'LICHTUNG', an electronically rich and structurally adventurous record that honours the German language.
This is Alexander Hacke’s first album since leaving Einstürzende Neubauten. It takes its title – and draws its inspiration – from the home he and Danielle de Picciotto recently established on the outskirts of Berlin, marking a milestone after 14 years of nomadic living. Named after the German word for ‘clearing’, 'LICHTUNG' has become their personal haven and a place for reflection amid a period of global upheaval.
On the album, the pair step beyond the familiar pull of repetitive drones, exploring more complex sound structures and uncharted electronic terrains. Recorded in their new home, the process was as demanding as it was creatively rewarding. They embraced experimentation with new textures, while Danielle returned to the piano, an instrument she had long missed, finding new ways to express herself.
Mindfully written in German as a nod to the language of their surroundings, the lyrics are a loving gesture that firmly anchors this Berlin-born record.
This is Alexander Hacke’s first album since leaving Einstürzende Neubauten. It takes its title – and draws its inspiration – from the home he and Danielle de Picciotto recently established on the outskirts of Berlin, marking a milestone after 14 years of nomadic living. Named after the German word for ‘clearing’, 'LICHTUNG' has become their personal haven and a place for reflection amid a period of global upheaval.
On the album, the pair step beyond the familiar pull of repetitive drones, exploring more complex sound structures and uncharted electronic terrains. Recorded in their new home, the process was as demanding as it was creatively rewarding. They embraced experimentation with new textures, while Danielle returned to the piano, an instrument she had long missed, finding new ways to express herself.
Mindfully written in German as a nod to the language of their surroundings, the lyrics are a loving gesture that firmly anchors this Berlin-born record.
TRACK LISTING
1. Lichtung
2. Vogelfrei
3. Wiederbelebung
4. Erntedank
5. Zeitenwende
6. Draussen
7. Einig
8. Der Marschal
Berlin-based avant-garde duo hackedepicciotto have returned with Keepsakes, their fifth full length studio album.
Keepsakes is the duo’s second album released on Mute, and was recorded at one of Europe’s oldest recording spaces, the Neapolitan studio Auditorium Novecento. Inspired by the space, which was home to Caruso and Morricone, the new compositions feature tubular bells and a grand piano within their signature sound of symphonic drone. Where past albums speak of universal themes, this mesmerising new creation has a very personal touch, the duo calls it “an ode to friendship, presenting songs of gratitude”.
hackedepicciotto are Alexander Hacke and Danielle de Picciotto. Both legends of their own making: Danielle the lead singer of the band Space Cowboys and the co-initiator of the Love Parade, and Alexander a founding member of the seminal German group Einstürzende Neubauten, known for working with the likes of Crime & the City Solution (1987 – 1991) and Phew.
Keepsakes is the duo’s second album released on Mute, and was recorded at one of Europe’s oldest recording spaces, the Neapolitan studio Auditorium Novecento. Inspired by the space, which was home to Caruso and Morricone, the new compositions feature tubular bells and a grand piano within their signature sound of symphonic drone. Where past albums speak of universal themes, this mesmerising new creation has a very personal touch, the duo calls it “an ode to friendship, presenting songs of gratitude”.
hackedepicciotto are Alexander Hacke and Danielle de Picciotto. Both legends of their own making: Danielle the lead singer of the band Space Cowboys and the co-initiator of the Love Parade, and Alexander a founding member of the seminal German group Einstürzende Neubauten, known for working with the likes of Crime & the City Solution (1987 – 1991) and Phew.
TRACK LISTING
1 Troubadour
2 Aichach
3 Anthem
4 La Femme Sauvage
5 Mastodon
6 Schwarze Milch
7 Lovestuff
8 Song Of Gratitude
9 The Blackest Crow
The Berlin-based duo hackedepicciotto have returned with The Silver Threshold, their fourth full length album. This cinematic and hypnotic release combines swirling electronics, shimmering autoharp and the beautiful vocal harmonies of Danielle de Picciotto (co-founder of Berlin’s legendary 'Love Parade', prolific solo artist and illustrator) and Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten), blended with a plethora of instruments from around the world. Danielle and Alex have contributed to a vast and varied legacy of electronic music, although The Silver Threshold is their the first album in partnership with Mute, they are not new to the label, with both Danielle and Alex members of the last incarnation of Crime and the City Solution and Alex a member of Einstürzende Neubauten whilst also contributing to releases by Phew and Miranda Sex Garden.
TRACK LISTING
1 Ouvertuere
2 The Silver Threshold
3 Meteor’s Reign
4 Evermore
5 Babel
6 Trebbus
7 Journey East
8 Meeres Stille
9 Kirchhain
10 The Watered Garden
If you love quality rock music, then you will certainly have heard Steve Hackett’s work on some of the greatest songs of the past four decades. Whether with Genesis, GTR or on his solo output, the man has been a giant of the prog genre.
The success he enjoyed with Genesis on six acclaimed studio albums allowed Hackett to subsequently become a consummate and powerful artist in his own right. All you have to do is check out the breadth and depth of the music on his solo records to appreciate that the man has grasped the opportunity to be in control of his own destiny. To create impassioned music that has never become rooted in clichés or stuck in a rut.
This 1996 release was Steve's album of newly interpreted Genesis songs along with the help of some friends.
The success he enjoyed with Genesis on six acclaimed studio albums allowed Hackett to subsequently become a consummate and powerful artist in his own right. All you have to do is check out the breadth and depth of the music on his solo records to appreciate that the man has grasped the opportunity to be in control of his own destiny. To create impassioned music that has never become rooted in clichés or stuck in a rut.
This 1996 release was Steve's album of newly interpreted Genesis songs along with the help of some friends.
TRACK LISTING
1. Watcher Of The Skies
2. Dance On A Volcano
3. Valley Of The Kings
4. Déjà Vu
5. Firth Of Fifth
6. For Absent Friends
7. Your Own Special Way
8. Fountain Of Salmacis
9. Waiting Room Only
10. I Know What I Like
11. Los Endos
Rock provocateur Marika Hackman will release her highly anticipated new album ‘Any Human Friend’ via AMF Records and on Sub Pop in North and South America'.
Any Human Friend’ has been co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Marika herself, and shows off a sharper and more liberated sound than ever before.
Marika is a ‘Rid of Me’-era PJ Harvey for the inclusive generation: unbounded by musical genre, a preternatural lyricist and tunesmith who isn’t afraid to go there.
Any Human Friend’ has been co-produced by David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The xx, Let’s Eat Grandma) and Marika herself, and shows off a sharper and more liberated sound than ever before.
Marika is a ‘Rid of Me’-era PJ Harvey for the inclusive generation: unbounded by musical genre, a preternatural lyricist and tunesmith who isn’t afraid to go there.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: A brilliant outing here from Marika Hackman, beautifully marrying the synths and rhythmic drive of 80's pop music with her notoriously superb songwriting prowess, immediately rewarding but develops with every listen. A wonderful change of pace.
Big Sigh brings together the best of Marika’s previous works as an indie musician and adds a new layer of epic sounds and full-bodied production.
Big Sigh is the “hardest record” Marika has ever made. As the title suggest, it is a relief of sorts – of sadness, of stress and lust, but mostly relief.
Co-produced with Sam Petts Davies (Frank Ocean, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers) & Charlie Andrew (Alt J, Wolf Alice, London Grammar). Lyrically there’s always romance alongside grief, with elements of vulnerability and feeling trapped.
“This album took a long time to make. It was not easy, and by the time I got to the end of it I was quiet. I wanted to be away from it and let it sit in its own space. Now the dust has settled and I’ve got re-enter the world of Big Sigh, and I’m excited. Stepping into a new world, moving forward, chipping away. Breathe in, breathe out. Big sigh.”
Big Sigh is the “hardest record” Marika has ever made. As the title suggest, it is a relief of sorts – of sadness, of stress and lust, but mostly relief.
Co-produced with Sam Petts Davies (Frank Ocean, Radiohead, Red Hot Chilli Peppers) & Charlie Andrew (Alt J, Wolf Alice, London Grammar). Lyrically there’s always romance alongside grief, with elements of vulnerability and feeling trapped.
“This album took a long time to make. It was not easy, and by the time I got to the end of it I was quiet. I wanted to be away from it and let it sit in its own space. Now the dust has settled and I’ve got re-enter the world of Big Sigh, and I’m excited. Stepping into a new world, moving forward, chipping away. Breathe in, breathe out. Big sigh.”
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: 'Big Sigh' is the perfect illustration of Hackman's inimitable style developing over time, taking her already considerable storytelling skills to the next level while retaining all of the grace and charm that the more stripped-back pieces are swimming in. A bracing, beautiful adventure from start to finish.TRACK LISTING
1. The Ground
2. No Caffeine
3. Big Sigh
4. Blood
5. Hanging
6. The Lonely House
7. Vitamins
8. Slime
9. Please Don’t Be So Kind
10. The Yellow Mile
Marika Hackman returns with ‘Covers’, a darkly beautiful, self-produced new album which showcases a more vulnerable side. During the extended lockdown period of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of the blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between home and her parents’ house, then got David Wrench to mix it.
TRACK LISTING
You Never Wash Up After Yourself
Phantom Limb
Playground Love
Realiti
Jupiter 4
Pink Light
Between The Bars
Temporary Loan
In Undertow
All Night
An Unexpected Giant Leap, the debut instrumental album from guitarist Christopher Haddow, is a contemplative journey evoking the hazy moments of early parenthood. Recorded over three intense days at the Green Door in Glasgow, it weaves together lap steel, double bass, open-tuned acoustic guitar, and piano through the hum of whirring tape machines.
Influenced as much by Brian Eno as by John Fahey, Link Wray and Marisa Anderson, Haddow set out to create a musical landscape, rich with imagery and emotional depth. Accompanied by Josh Longton and Jamie Bolland, the process involved a blend of spontaneous improvisation and deliberate soundscaping, with each track primarily recorded on the first take, capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of their collaboration.
The album is bookended by an ultrasound of Haddow's son Louie, encapsulating the deeply personal and emotional nature of this work. With undertones of deconstructed ambient country, this album serves as both a time capsule and a tool for soothing his son to sleep, echoing the continuous loops of pushing a buggy in circles around the park.
An Unexpected Giant Leap is an intimate portrait of Haddow’s experiences as a new parent, a musical photograph rendered in sound, and a heartfelt tribute to his family.
Influenced as much by Brian Eno as by John Fahey, Link Wray and Marisa Anderson, Haddow set out to create a musical landscape, rich with imagery and emotional depth. Accompanied by Josh Longton and Jamie Bolland, the process involved a blend of spontaneous improvisation and deliberate soundscaping, with each track primarily recorded on the first take, capturing the raw, unfiltered essence of their collaboration.
The album is bookended by an ultrasound of Haddow's son Louie, encapsulating the deeply personal and emotional nature of this work. With undertones of deconstructed ambient country, this album serves as both a time capsule and a tool for soothing his son to sleep, echoing the continuous loops of pushing a buggy in circles around the park.
An Unexpected Giant Leap is an intimate portrait of Haddow’s experiences as a new parent, a musical photograph rendered in sound, and a heartfelt tribute to his family.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: A beautiful mix of whispering strings and shimmering piano, tender glimmers of light and hypnotic droning delays. There are moments of divine stillness that are just as exciting as the tense instrumental interplay and chaotic reverberating glitch. A really gorgeous mix of organic instrumentation and wooze with decayed echoes and shadowy reverbs.TRACK LISTING
1. Yellow Night Light Colour
2. Everything That Rises... 05:12
3. Nightshift Lull
4. Look Homeward
5. ...Must Converge
6. An Unexpected Giant Leap
7. Talla Reservoir 03:13
8. Rosy Pinks & Golden Nudes
9. Painting A Garden Chair 02:20
Having captured the hearts of countless music fans with their 2018 debut Eyes Closed, HAEVN are back with their latest release, Wide Awake.
Renowned for their distinctive sound, seamlessly blending indie-pop and cinematic elements with ethereal vocals, HAEVN promises an unforgettable experience filled with captivating arrangements, touching moments and instances of true musical vulnerability.
Renowned for their distinctive sound, seamlessly blending indie-pop and cinematic elements with ethereal vocals, HAEVN promises an unforgettable experience filled with captivating arrangements, touching moments and instances of true musical vulnerability.
"An Utterance Of The Supreme Ventriloquist" was originally issued by Soleilmoon in 1996 in a hand-numbered edition of 451 clear vinyl LPs. Now, nine years later, it's being released for the first time on compact disc. "Utterance" consists of two 21-minute pieces, "Placing The Seed" and "Seeding the Place". It's a psychedelic head-trip that reaches a similar plane of consciousness occupied by Nurse With Wound. The material has been completely remastered for maximum digital appreciation, and is presented in a deluxe embossed folder with lavishly printed inserts, all wrapped in semi-transparent paper.
Fifteen years after 'Personal Jesus', Nina Hagen returns to her great passion for gospel music with 'HiGHWAY TO HEAVEN'. Together with producer Warner Poland, her band, and friends such as Nana Mouskouri and Gitte Hænning, she reinterprets classics—from Mahalia Jackson to Sister Rosetta Tharpe to Kitty Wells.
The album combines Southern gospel, Americana, reggae, and punk: from the powerful reworking of 'Somebody Prayed for Me' to the Americana version of 'Never Grow Old' and a German version of 'Everybody Wanna Go to Heaven'. 'HiGHWAY TO HEAVEN' is a lively, genre-defying gospel-rock-pop album, full of joy, spirituality, and Nina Hagen's unmistakable personality.
The album combines Southern gospel, Americana, reggae, and punk: from the powerful reworking of 'Somebody Prayed for Me' to the Americana version of 'Never Grow Old' and a German version of 'Everybody Wanna Go to Heaven'. 'HiGHWAY TO HEAVEN' is a lively, genre-defying gospel-rock-pop album, full of joy, spirituality, and Nina Hagen's unmistakable personality.
TRACK LISTING
1. Everybody`s Gonna Have A Wonderful Time Up There
2. Never Grow Old Ft Nana Mouskouri
3. Walk With Me Jesus
4. Trouble Of The World
5. Somebody Prayed For Me
6. Needed Time
7. Hand It Over Ft Daniel Welbat
8. Let’s Be Happy
9. There´s A Highway To Heaven Ft Gitte Hænning
10. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
11. Dust On The Bible
12. Dry Bones
13. Alle Wollen In Den Himmel
14. Gospel Ship
When Nina Hagen does something, she does it with full conviction. And when she released 'Personal Jesus' in 2010, she surprised us with an album that dives uncompromisingly into the world of gospel. Since her return to the Christian faith, she has expressed her religious devotion in 'Personal Jesus' by combining gospel with a mixture of blues, rock, soul and funk - powerful, passionate and without irony.
Her version of 'Personal Jesus' (originally by Depeche Mode) in particular attracted attention: where the original remains cool and minimalist, Hagen turned it into a moving gospel anthem full of spiritual ecstasy.
Now, 15 years later, 'Personal Jesus' is being released on vinyl for the first time - as an anniversary edition on colored vinyl. As a special highlight, this edition contains the previously unreleased bonus track 'I Was Born to Preach the Gospel', which is the first track on the b side of the vinyl and fits seamlessly into the album as if it had always been part of it.
Her version of 'Personal Jesus' (originally by Depeche Mode) in particular attracted attention: where the original remains cool and minimalist, Hagen turned it into a moving gospel anthem full of spiritual ecstasy.
Now, 15 years later, 'Personal Jesus' is being released on vinyl for the first time - as an anniversary edition on colored vinyl. As a special highlight, this edition contains the previously unreleased bonus track 'I Was Born to Preach the Gospel', which is the first track on the b side of the vinyl and fits seamlessly into the album as if it had always been part of it.
TRACK LISTING
1. God´s Radar
2. I´ll Live Again
3. Personal Jesus
4. Nobody´s Fault But Mine
5. Down At The Cross
6. Just A Little Talk With Jesus
7. I Am Born To Preach The Gospel
8. Mean Old World
9. Help Me
10. Take Jesus With You
11. On The Battlefield
12. Run On
13. Sometimes I Ring Up Heaven
This book celebrates Madvillainy as a representation of two genius musical minds melding to form one revered supervillain. A product of circumstance, the album came together soon after MF DOOM's resurgence and Madlib's reluctant return from avant-garde jazz to hip-hop. Written from the alternating perspectives of three fake music journalist superheroes—featuring interviews with Wildchild, M.E.D., Walasia, Daedelus, Stones Throw execs, and many other real individuals involved with the album's creation—this book blends fiction and non-fiction to celebrate Madvillainy not just as an album, but as a folkloric artifact.
It is one specific retelling of a story which, like Madvillain's music, continues to spawn infinite legends.
It is one specific retelling of a story which, like Madvillain's music, continues to spawn infinite legends.
Les Disques du Crepuscule presents The Wood, a brand new studio album by Scottish singer and songwriter Paul Haig, previously frontman with cult Postcard post punk legends Josef K.
Paul’s fourth solo album for Crepuscule since 1983 was written and recorded over a three year period between 2015 and 2018, and explores glitchy, twisty sonic territories in the vein of Four Tet, Floating Points and Love Over Entropy.
‘We can think of the wood or forest as a metaphor for the mystery of the human psyche,’ says Paul. ‘Like the human soul, it can be a place of hidden meanings and unrevealed secrets. I wanted to try and evoke this through the music and worked hard on finding the right balance of electronic and organic sound samples across a broad range of musical genres.’
Paul’s fourth solo album for Crepuscule since 1983 was written and recorded over a three year period between 2015 and 2018, and explores glitchy, twisty sonic territories in the vein of Four Tet, Floating Points and Love Over Entropy.
‘We can think of the wood or forest as a metaphor for the mystery of the human psyche,’ says Paul. ‘Like the human soul, it can be a place of hidden meanings and unrevealed secrets. I wanted to try and evoke this through the music and worked hard on finding the right balance of electronic and organic sound samples across a broad range of musical genres.’
TRACK LISTING
1. Chasing The Tail
2. I Heard Music
3. Sun Flicker
4. Lights
5. Acoustic Mangles
6. The Walk
7. The Wood
8. Floaty Appy
Deluxe reissue treatment of HAIM’s chart-topping debut album, in celebration of the 10th anniversary. Featuring the six singles, ‘Forever’, ‘Don’t Save Me’, ‘Falling’, ‘The Wire’, ‘If I Could Change Your Mind’ & ‘My Song 5’, the record hasn’t been reissued since its release in 2013. Housed in an entirely new package, the album features a track list compiled by the band of their favourite demos and remixes.
TRACK LISTING
2LP Coloured:
LP1 - SIDE A
Falling
Forever
The Wire
If I Could Change Your Mind
Honey & I
LP1 - SIDE B
Don't Save Me
Days Are Gone
My Song 5
Go Slow
Let Me Go
Running If You Call My Name
LP2 - SIDE C
Better Off
Send Me Down
Edge
Go Slow (Demo)
LP2 - SIDE D
Falling (Duke Dumont Remix)
Don't Save Me (Cyril Hahm Remix)
Forever (Giorgio Moroder Remix)
If I Could Change Your Mind (Cerrone Funk Remix)
2CD
CD1
Falling
Forever
The Wire
If I Could Change Your Mind
Honey & I
Don't Save Me
Days Are Gone
My Song 5
Go Slow
Let Me Go
Running If You Call My Name
CD2
Better Off
Send Me Down
Edge
Go Slow (Demo)
Falling (Duke Dumont Remix)
Don't Save Me (Cyril Hahn Remix)
Forever (Giorgio Moroder Remix)
If I Could Change Your Mind (Cerrone Funk Remix)
Rock trio HAIM have announced a June 20 official release date for ‘I quit’, their highly anticipated fourth studio album on Polydor Records. The 15-track album was produced by Rostam Batamanglij and Danielle Haim. The album radiates the raw energy of seasoned performers whose deep reverence for classic rock shapes songs that are built for live performances.
I quit is the first new album since the band’s 2020 album Women In Music, Pt. III, which earned them a Brit Award for International Group. The album received two GRAMMY Award nominations, including the prestigious “Album of the Year” recognition. With this nomination, HAIM became the first all-female rock group to be included in the GRAMMY’s top category.
I quit is the first new album since the band’s 2020 album Women In Music, Pt. III, which earned them a Brit Award for International Group. The album received two GRAMMY Award nominations, including the prestigious “Album of the Year” recognition. With this nomination, HAIM became the first all-female rock group to be included in the GRAMMY’s top category.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Haim return for their latest LP, rich in their classic rock roots, but setting itself apart with hints of more electronic leanings (including ripped-up samples on a couple tracks) or more slow, loungy numbers. Brilliantly textured, and comfortably familiar while still pushing boundaries.TRACK LISTING
1. Gone Lyrics
2. All Over Me
3. Relationships
4. Down To Be Wrong
5. Take Me Back
6. Love You Right
7. The Farm
8. Lucky Stars
9. Million Years
10. Everybody's Trying To Figure Me Out
11. Try To Feel My Pain
12. Spinning
13. Cry
14. Blood On The Street
15. Now It's Time
Haim return with their third album Women In Music Pt. III. The album was produced by the trio’s frequent collaborators Rostam Batmanglij and Ariel Rechtshaid. Standout tracks include The Steps which pushes guitar to the forefront in a way the band has not done before. Clean, chorused electric guitar, overdriven lead lines, and strummed acoustic 12-Strings lock in together to generate what feels like an endless chug. The result is one of Haim’s fastest and heaviest songs to date. The breezy and beautiful Summer Girl, poignant reflective ballad Hallelujah and emotionally charged Now I'm In It are all gems.
• The third in the 'psychiatric trilogy' of albums by Luke Haines (The Auteurs, The Servants, Black Box Recorder) and Peter Buck (R.E.M).
• Recorded in Portland Oregon, USA foot-down-to-thefloor- throttle-out style.
Expect to sail through churning psychedelic excursions that ask for clarity on questions like... Have you ever been cold called by someone claiming to represent the Pink Floyd research group? Have you been stranded on the moon with Papa John Philips? (and then realised you were out of drugs). Can you count your nervous breakdowns on the paws of more than two dozen cats? Does it feel like all you ever do is answer questions? Yes? No? Then take a trip down to the river...to blow your mind.
• Recorded in Portland Oregon, USA foot-down-to-thefloor- throttle-out style.
Expect to sail through churning psychedelic excursions that ask for clarity on questions like... Have you ever been cold called by someone claiming to represent the Pink Floyd research group? Have you been stranded on the moon with Papa John Philips? (and then realised you were out of drugs). Can you count your nervous breakdowns on the paws of more than two dozen cats? Does it feel like all you ever do is answer questions? Yes? No? Then take a trip down to the river...to blow your mind.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Buck and Haines return for another round of deeply psychedelic excursions that are absolutely full of humour, and so packed with stunning musicianship that they really can't put a foot wrong. Ace.TRACK LISTING
SIDE A
1 The Pink Floyd Research Group
2 Going Down To The River To Blow My Mind
3 Hot Artists
4 56 Nervous Breakdowns
5 Sufi Devotional
6 Children Of The Air
SIDE B
1 Nuclear War
2 Me And The Octopus
3 In Rock
4 Judy Chicago
5 Papa John
6 Radical Bookshop
7 Special Guest Appearance
Luke Haines
Freaks Out! : Weirdos, Misfits And Deviants - The Rise And Fall Of Righteous Rock 'n' Roll
Nine Eight Books
The followers - this book is not for you. The salt of the earth - this book is not for you. The worthy - this book is not for you.
The ideologists - this book is not for you. Hedonists and bohemians - this book is not for you. The middlebrow - this book is not for you.
The highbrow - this book is not for you. Dilettantes - this book is not for you. 1970s middle school RE teachers - this book is not for you.
The England football team (women's and men's) - this book is not for you. The litanists - this book is not for you. Gatekeepers - this book is not for you.
Gamekeepers - this book is not for you. (Not even for the poachers...)The curators - this book is not for you. The left, the right - this book is not for you.
The list-makers - lists are for shoppers not rockers, and this book is not for you. This is not a list - this is a manifesto, and this book is for ... the Freaks.
Musician and author Luke Haines embarks on an odyssey through the ages, exploring how the 'freaks' infiltrated modern culture - and almost won the rock 'n' roll wars - only to lose to the rise of Cool Britannia and TV 'talent' shows that turned the strange and the outsiders into fodder for laughter. In this ultimate celebration of freakdom, Haines tells the story of pivotal freaks - including Johnnie Ray, Gene Vincent, Hank Marvin, Syd Barrett, the Incredible String Band and Big Youth - through the prism of rock 'n' roll and explains how freaks infiltrated wider culture through history in the form of the Cathars, the Ranters, Hells Angels and the Yippies. Part memoir, part manifesto, Freaks Out! is a righteous alternate history of rock 'n' roll.
The ideologists - this book is not for you. Hedonists and bohemians - this book is not for you. The middlebrow - this book is not for you.
The highbrow - this book is not for you. Dilettantes - this book is not for you. 1970s middle school RE teachers - this book is not for you.
The England football team (women's and men's) - this book is not for you. The litanists - this book is not for you. Gatekeepers - this book is not for you.
Gamekeepers - this book is not for you. (Not even for the poachers...)The curators - this book is not for you. The left, the right - this book is not for you.
The list-makers - lists are for shoppers not rockers, and this book is not for you. This is not a list - this is a manifesto, and this book is for ... the Freaks.
Musician and author Luke Haines embarks on an odyssey through the ages, exploring how the 'freaks' infiltrated modern culture - and almost won the rock 'n' roll wars - only to lose to the rise of Cool Britannia and TV 'talent' shows that turned the strange and the outsiders into fodder for laughter. In this ultimate celebration of freakdom, Haines tells the story of pivotal freaks - including Johnnie Ray, Gene Vincent, Hank Marvin, Syd Barrett, the Incredible String Band and Big Youth - through the prism of rock 'n' roll and explains how freaks infiltrated wider culture through history in the form of the Cathars, the Ranters, Hells Angels and the Yippies. Part memoir, part manifesto, Freaks Out! is a righteous alternate history of rock 'n' roll.
Luke Haines
Is Alive And Well And Living In Buenos Aires: Heavy Frenz The Solo Anthology 2001-2017
Cherry Red
Having played with The Servants in the late 1980s, Luke Haines carved a unique niche for himself in the 1990s with witty lyrics, wry humour and some stellar tunes with The Auteurs and other acts (Black Box Recorder, Baader Meinhof).
By 1999, feeling aghast at the state of the Brit Rock scene in the UK, Luke decided to “start a righteous solo trip”, having been commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film Christie Malry's Own Double Entry (2001). Sticking with Virgin Records, Luke then unveiled his first solo album proper, The Oliver Twist Manifesto, before fronting a new-look Auteurs for Das Capital.
In due course, Luke switched labels to indie Fantastic Plastic for Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop (2006), followed in 2009 by 21st Century Man. Since then, he’s curated a string of imaginative, amusing and always worthwhile albums for Cherry Red Records.
Alive And Well… is the first-ever anthology of Luke’s solo work, cherry-picking musical highlights from each of his long players as well as a smattering of B-sides, radio sessions, rarities and – on Disc 4 – a raft of previously unissued material.
With sleeve-notes by Luke himself, Alive And Well… is a very personal statement spanning the last two decades of the musical life of Luke Haines.
By 1999, feeling aghast at the state of the Brit Rock scene in the UK, Luke decided to “start a righteous solo trip”, having been commissioned to write the soundtrack for the film Christie Malry's Own Double Entry (2001). Sticking with Virgin Records, Luke then unveiled his first solo album proper, The Oliver Twist Manifesto, before fronting a new-look Auteurs for Das Capital.
In due course, Luke switched labels to indie Fantastic Plastic for Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop (2006), followed in 2009 by 21st Century Man. Since then, he’s curated a string of imaginative, amusing and always worthwhile albums for Cherry Red Records.
Alive And Well… is the first-ever anthology of Luke’s solo work, cherry-picking musical highlights from each of his long players as well as a smattering of B-sides, radio sessions, rarities and – on Disc 4 – a raft of previously unissued material.
With sleeve-notes by Luke himself, Alive And Well… is a very personal statement spanning the last two decades of the musical life of Luke Haines.
• The new solo album by Luke Haines (The Auteurs, Black Box Recorder, Baader Meinhof).
• Focusing on the magic and magicians of British children's TV of the 1960s and 70s.
• Featuring 14 songs that conjure up everyone from Mama Cass to Tommy Cooper, and Graham Bond to Mick Robertson via Magic Shops and The Omen 2.
It all started with Sooty and the dreaded words 'Izzy Wizzy Let's Get Bizzy'. A wave of Sooty's magic wand, cast a few spells and baby there ya go. Generations of children were introduced to magic, and as we all know, magic always leads to MAGICK...
By the 1960s and 70s magick was all over children's television in the UK.
Turn over to ITV - if you are allowed - Izzy Wizzy Shall Be The Whole Of The Law
• Focusing on the magic and magicians of British children's TV of the 1960s and 70s.
• Featuring 14 songs that conjure up everyone from Mama Cass to Tommy Cooper, and Graham Bond to Mick Robertson via Magic Shops and The Omen 2.
It all started with Sooty and the dreaded words 'Izzy Wizzy Let's Get Bizzy'. A wave of Sooty's magic wand, cast a few spells and baby there ya go. Generations of children were introduced to magic, and as we all know, magic always leads to MAGICK...
By the 1960s and 70s magick was all over children's television in the UK.
Turn over to ITV - if you are allowed - Izzy Wizzy Shall Be The Whole Of The Law
TRACK LISTING
1. Izzy Wizzy Let's Get Bizzy
2. Mama Cass
3. Death Card For The Kids
4. Tommy Cooper - Chaos Magician
5. Headchanger
6. Mum
7. TV's On All The Time
8. The Omen 2
9. The Standing Stones Of ITV
10. Mick Robertson Says
11. Spiritualist Church at 7.30pm Every Other Wednesday
12. Graham Bond Turns On His Mellotron
13. Magic Shop
14. Izzy Wizzy (reprise)
York band The Hair play infectious rhythms splattered with electronics, vibrant indie-guitar stabs and disco drenched bass lines. The songs are brought together by a powerful Cure-esque vocal telling tales of frustrated relationships, weekend apathy and the oft-misunderstood desires of today's youth. Beneath the dancefloor shaking grooves and taut guitars lay smart intelligent pop songs, while live they regularly stun audiences with their percussion-heavy breakdowns.
Bursting forth in a riot of colour, Hairband are a new five piece group from Glasgow who, on their debut recordings, have distilled the joy and bittersweet trials of youth into 5 songs that bend to no rules but the ones they make up as they go along. Deeply immersed in their local DIY scene and featuring members of groups Spinning Coin, Breakfast Muff, Lush Purr and Kaputt, Hairband’s take on pop music is their own, so natural yet odd-shaped, carefree but meticulously constructed that it feels like no one has quite made music quite like this before, celebratory and joyful. Recorded in Glasgow’s famed Green Door Studios, and played in the moment, Hairband are life-giving.
Hairband formed in 2016, by Glasgow DIY standards that makes them veterans. Their instinctively intricate triple-guitar lines deftly weave counterpoint and melodies which interact with Sephi Lock and Emma Smith’s elastic, breathing rhythm section. The music here presents as streamlined pop but bubbling beneath the hooks is audacious instrumental work. Indeed, the tension at the heart of Hairband’s music is a group who can play without it sounding like a big deal. Is this a Glasgow thing, because Orange Juice were a bit like that, Sacred Paws too. Hairband even try on a little Marquee Moon-era Television on Sassy Moon and make it fit like the best charity shop find ever. They’re a band with five songwriters, each distinct with a uniqueness barely containable except within Hairband. The synergy of the group often means that individual personalities are immersed in the whole, so when Rachel Taylor’s voice is isolated at the end of Flying – a sweet but sure ode to gravity, about trying to stay grounded when the world is spinning - it’s all the more affecting. The play of light and shade throughout the record is deftly handled: opener Bee has an intricate rhythmic accompaniment, sounding a little like Life Without Buildings’ jittery polyrhythms married to a sweet ensemble vocal performance topped off with melodically nourishing guitar licks. It’s a formula repeated on Bubble Sword, with guitarists Rowan Wright and Simone Wilson’s twin chords criss crossing across the stereo-field before a straight down the line, loaded rock riff skewers the prettiness.
On the flip side, Hairband’s true instrumental prowess is on 10. Sassy Moon rolls out with the confidence of a band completely in tune with each other, Wilson’s vocal dancing across the treetops, Morricone-esque guitar slashes providing vivid colour. With Lock and Smith’s tight-but-loose rhythm loping purposefully and the group backing vocals washing over, suddenly the line “How do you feel? How do you feel… about the moon?” feels like the most important question you’ll ever be asked. White Teeth sums up every high on this epic self-titled debut. A stomping rhythm shrouded in soft melancholy emboldened by the band’s glorious sense of harmony. It could be a critique of beauty norms, a ghostly memory of an ideal unattainable but ultimately when the band are locked in like this it’s a source of pure joy, it goes beyond subject matter into wordless communication. Hairband is an ode to doing things differently, true, to standing together with your friends, to having respect for what’s gone before but also to carving your own niche. It’s simple, it’s not so simple, as Chic say, “celebrate good times”, Hairband seem to say, celebrate the times.
Hairband formed in 2016, by Glasgow DIY standards that makes them veterans. Their instinctively intricate triple-guitar lines deftly weave counterpoint and melodies which interact with Sephi Lock and Emma Smith’s elastic, breathing rhythm section. The music here presents as streamlined pop but bubbling beneath the hooks is audacious instrumental work. Indeed, the tension at the heart of Hairband’s music is a group who can play without it sounding like a big deal. Is this a Glasgow thing, because Orange Juice were a bit like that, Sacred Paws too. Hairband even try on a little Marquee Moon-era Television on Sassy Moon and make it fit like the best charity shop find ever. They’re a band with five songwriters, each distinct with a uniqueness barely containable except within Hairband. The synergy of the group often means that individual personalities are immersed in the whole, so when Rachel Taylor’s voice is isolated at the end of Flying – a sweet but sure ode to gravity, about trying to stay grounded when the world is spinning - it’s all the more affecting. The play of light and shade throughout the record is deftly handled: opener Bee has an intricate rhythmic accompaniment, sounding a little like Life Without Buildings’ jittery polyrhythms married to a sweet ensemble vocal performance topped off with melodically nourishing guitar licks. It’s a formula repeated on Bubble Sword, with guitarists Rowan Wright and Simone Wilson’s twin chords criss crossing across the stereo-field before a straight down the line, loaded rock riff skewers the prettiness.
On the flip side, Hairband’s true instrumental prowess is on 10. Sassy Moon rolls out with the confidence of a band completely in tune with each other, Wilson’s vocal dancing across the treetops, Morricone-esque guitar slashes providing vivid colour. With Lock and Smith’s tight-but-loose rhythm loping purposefully and the group backing vocals washing over, suddenly the line “How do you feel? How do you feel… about the moon?” feels like the most important question you’ll ever be asked. White Teeth sums up every high on this epic self-titled debut. A stomping rhythm shrouded in soft melancholy emboldened by the band’s glorious sense of harmony. It could be a critique of beauty norms, a ghostly memory of an ideal unattainable but ultimately when the band are locked in like this it’s a source of pure joy, it goes beyond subject matter into wordless communication. Hairband is an ode to doing things differently, true, to standing together with your friends, to having respect for what’s gone before but also to carving your own niche. It’s simple, it’s not so simple, as Chic say, “celebrate good times”, Hairband seem to say, celebrate the times.
TRACK LISTING
Bee
Bubble Sword
Flying
Sassy Moon
White Teeth
They achieved the kind of success that they could have only dreamed of: four UK Top 10 hits, all of which were definitive '80s classics - 'Love Plus One', 'Fantastic Day', 'Favourite Shirts (Boys Meets Girl)' and 'Nobody's Fool' - followed by a debut album, 'Pelican West', which peaked at #2 during an eleven week run in the Top 10, in the process reaching Platinum status.
That was 42 years ago. But now after a lengthy absence, Haircut One Hundred are back: fuelled by the power of friendship, a love of adventure, and the simple joy of seeing wherever their unexpected next chapter will take them. Their return now gathers pace after releasing their first new music in 40 years with the new single 'The Unloving Plum'. Ahead of more new music and an album in 2025.
'The Unloving Plum' sparkles with the exuberant joy of a band loving what they do. The joyous, brass-assisted, instantly unforgettable pop that they're best known for is still their most compelling trait, but it's a natural evolution that takes in touches of jangly, Beatles-esque pop and an anthemic Britpop-flavoured power. While vocalist/guitarist Nick Heyward explains what it means to him, it also speaks to the universal experience of something great in life emerging from what you initially thought was the worst possible outcome.
That was 42 years ago. But now after a lengthy absence, Haircut One Hundred are back: fuelled by the power of friendship, a love of adventure, and the simple joy of seeing wherever their unexpected next chapter will take them. Their return now gathers pace after releasing their first new music in 40 years with the new single 'The Unloving Plum'. Ahead of more new music and an album in 2025.
'The Unloving Plum' sparkles with the exuberant joy of a band loving what they do. The joyous, brass-assisted, instantly unforgettable pop that they're best known for is still their most compelling trait, but it's a natural evolution that takes in touches of jangly, Beatles-esque pop and an anthemic Britpop-flavoured power. While vocalist/guitarist Nick Heyward explains what it means to him, it also speaks to the universal experience of something great in life emerging from what you initially thought was the worst possible outcome.
TRACK LISTING
Vanishing Point
The Unloving Plum
That's A Start
Dynamite
Come Back To Me
Someone
A Wonderful Life
Soul Bird
Raincloud
Sunshine
Hairy Hands is a DIY beats/vocals project from singer/songwriter Mr James Bright. His cut-and-paste productions are playful and naive, drawing from influences such as Madlib, Arthur Russell and Benny Sings.
Sometimes, a musician has to suppress some of his or her particular tastes for the benefit of a project. In developing the sound of Mr James Bright, production is often taken care of by James' close friends at studios all across the globe. Over the years, however, James' urge to unleash his own monster sound had grown, and after a year in the making, his own sound is ready to be let out of the cage.
This is HAIRY HANDS. Fluid rhythms and lavish keys are strewn together to create a blend of beats and wonky folk that is particularly difficult to label. Tracks bounce between chorus and verse, dropping and twisting every few bars; this music is undeniably vibrant. A childlike approach to production, with everything and anything sprinkled from start to finish, causes the finished product to sound beautifully naive. There are no limits here, each track will get you in a headlock and re-arrange your perception of groove. Goodbye Mr.Music Snob, Hairy Hands has just turned your world upside down…
Sometimes, a musician has to suppress some of his or her particular tastes for the benefit of a project. In developing the sound of Mr James Bright, production is often taken care of by James' close friends at studios all across the globe. Over the years, however, James' urge to unleash his own monster sound had grown, and after a year in the making, his own sound is ready to be let out of the cage.
This is HAIRY HANDS. Fluid rhythms and lavish keys are strewn together to create a blend of beats and wonky folk that is particularly difficult to label. Tracks bounce between chorus and verse, dropping and twisting every few bars; this music is undeniably vibrant. A childlike approach to production, with everything and anything sprinkled from start to finish, causes the finished product to sound beautifully naive. There are no limits here, each track will get you in a headlock and re-arrange your perception of groove. Goodbye Mr.Music Snob, Hairy Hands has just turned your world upside down…
TRACK LISTING
1. Ass
2. People Chat Alot
3. Try Too
4. I Know That You Want Me
5. Clap
6. And
7. Lights Go Down Down Down
8. A Song For Karen
9. Arthur Said To Do It
10. Boom (Room) 924
11. Faster/Quicker
12. It Was Kerrys Idea
13. Leaves Keep Falling
14. Lemme See
15. BumFunk
While Nick Hakim’s sophomore album, "Will This Make Me Good", was the release of a blockage that came out at the height of the pandemic as everyone was struggling to stay grounded, his forthcoming album "Cometa" sees the artist on the other side of that emotional roller coaster as he transcends to the next realm of his musical universe. Instead of tuning the world out and turning inward, Hakim invites the listener to embrace a newfound sense of clarity that he’s found. Since he was transitioning into the life of a nomad throughout 2021, the album was recorded between recording studios and domestic spaces throughout Texas, North Carolina, California, and New York. To build the foundation of this intricate soundscape, Hakim teamed up with his longtime collaborator, producer/mixing engineer Andrew Sarlo.
"Cometa" is truly a collaborative effort and the highlight for Hakim is having so many special guests from his community that play supportive roles–this talented roster of peers includes Alex G, Isaiah Barr, and DJ Dahi. Hakim refers to the bassist Kyle Myles as the glue that has held his musical life together for the past decade along with the pianist Jake Sherman, drummer Vishal Nayak, and guitarists Joe Harrison and Dylan Day. “Happen” includes Abe Rounds on drums and Alex G on piano, and “Slid Under” features Helado Negro on synths. Hakim’s younger brother, Danny Hakim, wrote the chords for “Perfume,” a sweet song about falling in love with someone’s scent, which he also plays acoustic guitar on.
"Cometa" is truly a collaborative effort and the highlight for Hakim is having so many special guests from his community that play supportive roles–this talented roster of peers includes Alex G, Isaiah Barr, and DJ Dahi. Hakim refers to the bassist Kyle Myles as the glue that has held his musical life together for the past decade along with the pianist Jake Sherman, drummer Vishal Nayak, and guitarists Joe Harrison and Dylan Day. “Happen” includes Abe Rounds on drums and Alex G on piano, and “Slid Under” features Helado Negro on synths. Hakim’s younger brother, Danny Hakim, wrote the chords for “Perfume,” a sweet song about falling in love with someone’s scent, which he also plays acoustic guitar on.
TRACK LISTING
1 Ani
2 Happen
3 Vertigo
4 Feeling Myself
5 M1
6 Only One
7 Perfume
8 Something
9 Slid Under
10 Market
In 2017, Hakim’s debut album, the critically acclaimed ‘Green Twins’, announced the singersongwriter as an idiosyncratic talent, making music that resists genre classification.
You could work a song of his into an HBO original series, as ‘Insecure’ did; you could smoke to it and wonder about your ego; you could slow dance with the person you love—it’s not versatility, so much as a lack of boundaries and a strong sense of intuition. In between albums, musical ideas still came and he worked with his peers, some including Onyx Collective, Anderson .Paak, Jesse and Forever, Lianne La Havas, and Slingbaum, but there came a time for Nick to dive into his own songwriting again, and ‘Will This Make Me Good’ is the result of this.
You could work a song of his into an HBO original series, as ‘Insecure’ did; you could smoke to it and wonder about your ego; you could slow dance with the person you love—it’s not versatility, so much as a lack of boundaries and a strong sense of intuition. In between albums, musical ideas still came and he worked with his peers, some including Onyx Collective, Anderson .Paak, Jesse and Forever, Lianne La Havas, and Slingbaum, but there came a time for Nick to dive into his own songwriting again, and ‘Will This Make Me Good’ is the result of this.
TRACK LISTING
All These Changes
Wtmmg
Bouncing
Let It Out
Qadir
All These Instruments
Drum Thing
Vincent Tyler
Crumpy
Lacjkl;ajclaj
Gods Dirty Work
Seeing Double
Whoo
Ltd Edition 10"
Budapest based concept label Blue Sun welcomes formerly independent local afrobeat-jazz ensemble to its catalogue with a nuanced 4 tracker EP. The release not only marks the beginning of the collaboration, but a definite new musical direction in the band’s life.
Written in a one week jam session retreat in the Hungarian countryside, and recorded at one of the highest peaks of Hungary after a year of global touring, The Garden becomes an amalgamation of the band's personal and artistic experiences. The material conveys a more jazzier approach, with complex harmonies, and an almost cinematic, dreamlike atmosphere, somewhat distancing from (but not completely forgetting) the previously emphasized, dance-oriented Afro- and Latino roots. Song for Ramon serves as the EP’s emotional climax inspired by the passing of a close friend and local underground chef pioneer.
Formed in 2019 in Budapest, Hakumba is a staple of the Hungarian festival circuit, with a growing international presence (SXSW London, SHIP, PIN Music Showcase). They’ve recently finished a tour in Australia this January.
The groove-driven ensemble blends afrobeat, jazz, and various strands of world music into a sound that is both rhythmically powerful and harmonically adventurous. With an eleven-piece lineup featuring an expansive horn section, multiple vocalists, percussion, and keys, the band moves effortlessly between dancefloor energy and more intricate, jazz-influenced musical ideas.
Like the band’s previous album, the EP was again recorded, mixed, and mastered by András Weil, the producer behind The Qualitons, the only hungarian band ever performed Live at KEXP. This continuity preserves Hakumba’s recognizable sonic identity while giving space for new colors and more complex musical ideas to emerge.
Written & performed by:
Soma Számel – drums
Endre Szép – bass
Imre Hegedűs – guitar
Zalán Bendegúz Huff – guitar, vocals
Csongor Mari – keys
Noel Nagy – percussion, vocals
Dorka Foster – flute, vocals
Kristóf Szabó – alto sax
Alpár Sikó – tenor sax
Gáspár Simon – trumpet
András Téglásy – baritone sax
Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Andras Weil
Artwork by Eszter Lukács
Graphic design by Péter Tóth
Manufactured by AD Records
Distributed by Rush Hour
Recorded at Galyatető, Hungary
Released under the Blue Sun
Budapest based concept label Blue Sun welcomes formerly independent local afrobeat-jazz ensemble to its catalogue with a nuanced 4 tracker EP. The release not only marks the beginning of the collaboration, but a definite new musical direction in the band’s life.
Written in a one week jam session retreat in the Hungarian countryside, and recorded at one of the highest peaks of Hungary after a year of global touring, The Garden becomes an amalgamation of the band's personal and artistic experiences. The material conveys a more jazzier approach, with complex harmonies, and an almost cinematic, dreamlike atmosphere, somewhat distancing from (but not completely forgetting) the previously emphasized, dance-oriented Afro- and Latino roots. Song for Ramon serves as the EP’s emotional climax inspired by the passing of a close friend and local underground chef pioneer.
Formed in 2019 in Budapest, Hakumba is a staple of the Hungarian festival circuit, with a growing international presence (SXSW London, SHIP, PIN Music Showcase). They’ve recently finished a tour in Australia this January.
The groove-driven ensemble blends afrobeat, jazz, and various strands of world music into a sound that is both rhythmically powerful and harmonically adventurous. With an eleven-piece lineup featuring an expansive horn section, multiple vocalists, percussion, and keys, the band moves effortlessly between dancefloor energy and more intricate, jazz-influenced musical ideas.
Like the band’s previous album, the EP was again recorded, mixed, and mastered by András Weil, the producer behind The Qualitons, the only hungarian band ever performed Live at KEXP. This continuity preserves Hakumba’s recognizable sonic identity while giving space for new colors and more complex musical ideas to emerge.
Written & performed by:
Soma Számel – drums
Endre Szép – bass
Imre Hegedűs – guitar
Zalán Bendegúz Huff – guitar, vocals
Csongor Mari – keys
Noel Nagy – percussion, vocals
Dorka Foster – flute, vocals
Kristóf Szabó – alto sax
Alpár Sikó – tenor sax
Gáspár Simon – trumpet
András Téglásy – baritone sax
Produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Andras Weil
Artwork by Eszter Lukács
Graphic design by Péter Tóth
Manufactured by AD Records
Distributed by Rush Hour
Recorded at Galyatető, Hungary
Released under the Blue Sun
STAFF COMMENTS
Matt says: The Budapest jazz scene continues to enjoy its moment in the global spotlight with another act from city delivering blustering horns, moody keys and kicking drums. The musicianship and confidence on show is staggering and the recording really takes you into the heart of the band - it's like you're stood right there watching them! Amazing.TRACK LISTING
Do I Get A Say In?
Song For Ramon
Walk In The Garden
Hippophae
When the U.S. State Department announced in the mid-1970s that they were sponsoring a South African tour for the Oklahoma-born, Paris-based saxophonist Hal Singer, producer Rashid Vally took note. Even though his nascent record label As-Shams/The Sun (established in 1974) was making waves on the local scene, the idea of commissioning a recording from an international artist was a ballsy idea. With a discography that stretched back to the 1950s, Hal Singer was already somewhat of a legacy artist by 1976. Vally was well-versed on Singer’s accomplishments and specifically enamoured by his composition “Blue Stompin’”, which appeared on a Prestige album from 1959 that had struck a chord in South Africa.
With his irresistible charm, Vally managed to coax Singer into a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, to record a new version of "Blue Stompin'" with South African sax star Kippie Moeketsi, which became the title track of a 1977 album by Moeketsi. The recording session also yielded an album’s worth of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet that took its name from a track inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa entitled “Soweto to Harlem”. Released in 1976 and only available in South Africa, "Soweto to Harlem" captures a laid-back, cheeky and nostalgic rhythm and blues set from the Hal Singer Quartet that is unlikely to have emerged for a different target market.
Afrodelic’s 2024 edition of this rare album is sourced from the original tape masters and presented on vinyl internationally for the very first time.
Hal Singer - Tenor Sax
Alain Jean-Marie - Piano
August “Gus” Nemeth - Bass
Oliver Johnson - Drums
With his irresistible charm, Vally managed to coax Singer into a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa, to record a new version of "Blue Stompin'" with South African sax star Kippie Moeketsi, which became the title track of a 1977 album by Moeketsi. The recording session also yielded an album’s worth of new material by Hal Singer and his quartet that took its name from a track inspired by Singer’s trip to South Africa entitled “Soweto to Harlem”. Released in 1976 and only available in South Africa, "Soweto to Harlem" captures a laid-back, cheeky and nostalgic rhythm and blues set from the Hal Singer Quartet that is unlikely to have emerged for a different target market.
Afrodelic’s 2024 edition of this rare album is sourced from the original tape masters and presented on vinyl internationally for the very first time.
Hal Singer - Tenor Sax
Alain Jean-Marie - Piano
August “Gus” Nemeth - Bass
Oliver Johnson - Drums
TRACK LISTING
A1. Soweto To Harlem
A2. Blues After Six
B1. The Gospel
B2. Always Blues
B3. Deacon Johnson
Pleasureland is the newest work from Canadian-born artist Haley McCallum, known professionally as Haley Bonar for the past 15 years. In 2017, she changed her surname to reflect her maternal family name, now performing under thename HALEY.Stark, minimalist, and melodically entrancing, Pleasureland stands in a class entirely of its own, forging new but not unfamiliar ground for the Minnesota-based artist HALEY.
Harkening back to her 2011 release Golder, which featured two instrumental tracks, McCallum has taken the instrumental concept a few steps further in a bold musical statement which features no vocals. This time, McCallum’s musicianship and artistry take the lead. Transitioning from the erratic, synth-driven intro of "Credit Forever Part 1" into the deeply enchanting "Give Yourself Away", which blends piano melodies in the style of French Romanticism with the production stylings of Brian Eno to build a sonic landscape which is as lovely as it is uneasy.
In the stoner-metal burner "Syrup", McCallum’s lead guitar swaggers lazily over a fuzzed out, intense layer of distortion, featuring long-time collaborator and guitar wunderkind Jeremy Ylvisaker and Low's Steve Garrington on bass. The intimate and devastating "Pig Latin" showcases McCallum’s extraordinary gift for melody, carried by world class saxophonist Mike Lewis (Happy Apple, Bon Iver), tracked live in Haley's bedroom.
Mixed by Shuta Shinoda (Anna Meredith, Ghostpoet), McCallum’s production shines through in a new light. Sparsely interlacing the organic and digital, Pleasureland moves through the gamut of grief, perception, and empowerment, eliciting both the uneasiness of a world shifting unexpectedly as well as the innate capacity for goodness and beauty. Here, McCallum displays her long time mastery of simple and haunting melodies that remain with the listener long after, replacing explanation through words with a pallet of sonic exploration wrapped up into just twenty-seven minutes.
Harkening back to her 2011 release Golder, which featured two instrumental tracks, McCallum has taken the instrumental concept a few steps further in a bold musical statement which features no vocals. This time, McCallum’s musicianship and artistry take the lead. Transitioning from the erratic, synth-driven intro of "Credit Forever Part 1" into the deeply enchanting "Give Yourself Away", which blends piano melodies in the style of French Romanticism with the production stylings of Brian Eno to build a sonic landscape which is as lovely as it is uneasy.
In the stoner-metal burner "Syrup", McCallum’s lead guitar swaggers lazily over a fuzzed out, intense layer of distortion, featuring long-time collaborator and guitar wunderkind Jeremy Ylvisaker and Low's Steve Garrington on bass. The intimate and devastating "Pig Latin" showcases McCallum’s extraordinary gift for melody, carried by world class saxophonist Mike Lewis (Happy Apple, Bon Iver), tracked live in Haley's bedroom.
Mixed by Shuta Shinoda (Anna Meredith, Ghostpoet), McCallum’s production shines through in a new light. Sparsely interlacing the organic and digital, Pleasureland moves through the gamut of grief, perception, and empowerment, eliciting both the uneasiness of a world shifting unexpectedly as well as the innate capacity for goodness and beauty. Here, McCallum displays her long time mastery of simple and haunting melodies that remain with the listener long after, replacing explanation through words with a pallet of sonic exploration wrapped up into just twenty-seven minutes.
TRACK LISTING
1. Credit Forever Part 1
2. Give Yourself Away
3. Future Maps
4. Syrup
5. Credit Forever Part 2
6. Pig Latin
7. Double Dutchess
8. Next Time (For C)
9. Infinite Pleasure Part 1
10. Infinite Pleasure Part 2
11. Lonely As A Mother
12. Snake Moon
Not frightened to use six minute songs to get their ides across, with their third record, Half Foot Outside are no longer a "new band" and the maturity of ideas is apparant throughout. Their gigs with such bands as Fugazi has given them an edge and the culmination of all this work is "New Ad Ideas", a wonderful record in all senses: a great sound plus a beautiful design with some talented artwork by singer Carlos Leoz.
Half Japanese return with another thrilling ride into unknown charters encountering beasts, celebrities, and menaces.
Purveyors of noise and indie rock for over four decades, Half Japanese have inspired generations of fans from musicians and critics alike.
Now set to release their 19th studio album ‘Crazy Hearts’ continues with their detuned, outsider pop capturing you in the way that only Jad Fair ever can.
A philosophical psych-tinged journey, these whip-smart observations are uplifting with life-affirming sentiments (‘Wondrous Wonder’) that we are familiar with. They meld melodic classic rock riffs with heavier bass lines and darker, more twisted tones on ‘My Celebrity’ and ‘A Phantom Menace’.
Their last excursion saw Uncut praising them for their “unchanged, more ecstatic musings on love and science fiction” that continues to resonate here.
Half Japanese deliver another well-wrought album with their usual DIY ethos and art punk spirit at its core (‘Undisputed Champions’), all whilst wearing Jad’s heart firmly on its sleeve (‘Crazy Hearts’).
Recorded across various studios in Spain, France and the US, Jad Fair is accompanied by his longstanding band members John Sluggett, Giles Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett. Mastered by Brian Pyle and mixed by Jason Willett of the band. Album includes artwork from American illustrator and cartoonist, Gary Panter and David Fair.
Purveyors of noise and indie rock for over four decades, Half Japanese have inspired generations of fans from musicians and critics alike.
Now set to release their 19th studio album ‘Crazy Hearts’ continues with their detuned, outsider pop capturing you in the way that only Jad Fair ever can.
A philosophical psych-tinged journey, these whip-smart observations are uplifting with life-affirming sentiments (‘Wondrous Wonder’) that we are familiar with. They meld melodic classic rock riffs with heavier bass lines and darker, more twisted tones on ‘My Celebrity’ and ‘A Phantom Menace’.
Their last excursion saw Uncut praising them for their “unchanged, more ecstatic musings on love and science fiction” that continues to resonate here.
Half Japanese deliver another well-wrought album with their usual DIY ethos and art punk spirit at its core (‘Undisputed Champions’), all whilst wearing Jad’s heart firmly on its sleeve (‘Crazy Hearts’).
Recorded across various studios in Spain, France and the US, Jad Fair is accompanied by his longstanding band members John Sluggett, Giles Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett. Mastered by Brian Pyle and mixed by Jason Willett of the band. Album includes artwork from American illustrator and cartoonist, Gary Panter and David Fair.
TRACK LISTING
1. The Beast Master
2. Wondrous Wonder
3. Dark World
4. And It Is
5. My Celebrity
6. Late At Night
7. Undisputed Champions
8. Crazy Hearts
9. As Best You Can
10. A Phantom Menace
11. A Job Well Done
12. Let It Show
“Still creating some of the most engaging recordings of their lives, and that's truly something to believe in.” AllMusic… New studio album from Michigan’s greatest outsider combo. An inspiration to Kurt Cobain, post grunge deep thinkers and veterans of the “Can’t Play/Will play” fraternity. Pop music for those outside of pop music. Songs for those still bedevilled by one liners and abrasive melodies. Thematically succinct tales of puppet people, vampires and the walking dead juxtaposed with discerning love songs and eternal affection.
“Half-Japanese are a respected institution. They've been making noise since the late '70s.” Pop Matters “Innocent abandon is still at the heart of the band” Pitchfork. An off-kilter classic that shouldn’t sound right but ultimately does, in the best tradition of The Residents, Richman, Johnston, Brain Wilson at his most bamboozled and any number of out there talents. Uncategorizable, joyous, detuned, quizzical, alluring, childlike, charming, innocent, questioning – invincible. New album from Half Japanese, an inspiration on Kurt Cobain. Jad Fair of Half Japanese has previously collaborated with Teenage Fanclub, Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground) and Daniel Johnston.
“Half-Japanese are a respected institution. They've been making noise since the late '70s.” Pop Matters “Innocent abandon is still at the heart of the band” Pitchfork. An off-kilter classic that shouldn’t sound right but ultimately does, in the best tradition of The Residents, Richman, Johnston, Brain Wilson at his most bamboozled and any number of out there talents. Uncategorizable, joyous, detuned, quizzical, alluring, childlike, charming, innocent, questioning – invincible. New album from Half Japanese, an inspiration on Kurt Cobain. Jad Fair of Half Japanese has previously collaborated with Teenage Fanclub, Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground) and Daniel Johnston.
TRACK LISTING
1 Swept Away
2 Love Explosion
3 The Puppet People
4 Return Of The Vampire
5 Or Ever Will
6 No More
7 All At Once
8 The Walking Dead
9 Forever In My Heart
10 What Are You Gonna Do?
11 It's Here
12 Invincible
13 No Wonder
14 It Has Me
15 Indestructible
THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.
1000 copies pressed on red vinyl. Back on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years. Capturing their blisteringly raw lo-fi charm, Half Japanese’s 1993 LP was arguably the record that elevated the group from underground luminaries to alt rock icons. Featuring guest appearances from Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground), Don Fleming and more. This edition comes with revised artwork and is pressed on red vinyl. “Consistently solid and often spectacular” NPR.
1000 copies pressed on red vinyl. Back on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years. Capturing their blisteringly raw lo-fi charm, Half Japanese’s 1993 LP was arguably the record that elevated the group from underground luminaries to alt rock icons. Featuring guest appearances from Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground), Don Fleming and more. This edition comes with revised artwork and is pressed on red vinyl. “Consistently solid and often spectacular” NPR.
Legendary indie travellers Half Japanese return with their new album 'Adventure'. The prolific outsider combo, helmed by the ever-optimistic Jad Fair, delivers a heartwarming set of upbeat sonnets celebrating the power of love, affection, and maturity.
More than 50 years since Jad and his brother David emerged from their lo-fi bedroom in Uniontown, Maryland, USA, Adventure takes the latest incarnation of the band down new and more refined avenues. Recorded in London at Vacant TV and produced by Jason Willett and Jad, Adventure presents a more pristine and polished canvas for Jad to expand upon. The addition of Euan Hinshelwood to the sonic palette, with saxophone, harmonica, and piano, creates a smoother backdrop for the band’s less lubricated sound.
'Lemonade Sunset' is an ode to the world of wonder, a spacious overture built with melancholy in mind but relishing the positivity of life. By contrast, 'Step On Up' revolves around a glorious rising piano motif that hints at Steely Dan if they were high on energy drinks and spinach rather than their usual tipple. It’s a light-hearted evocation of the good times.
'Magnificent' is a homage to living in the present tense, powered by the bittersweet saxophone, with a glorious piano-led sub-melody offsetting Jad’s positivity: “magnificently magnificent,” no less. Elsewhere, ringing percussion and sharp arrangements provide Jad with a sturdy and far reaching soundtrack to lament over. 'Adventure' sees Half Japanese covering new ground, with Jad’s considered soliloquies set in a sumptuous setting.
The lineup for Half Japanese on Adventure includes Jason Willett (bass, keyboards), Gilles-Vincent Rieder (drums, percussion), John Sluggett (guitar, piano, bass), Mick Hobbs (guitar), Euan Hinshelwood (guitar, saxophone, piano, harmonica), and Jad Fair (vocals, percussion). Sadly, longstanding member Mick Hobbs passed away last year.
More than 50 years since Jad and his brother David emerged from their lo-fi bedroom in Uniontown, Maryland, USA, Adventure takes the latest incarnation of the band down new and more refined avenues. Recorded in London at Vacant TV and produced by Jason Willett and Jad, Adventure presents a more pristine and polished canvas for Jad to expand upon. The addition of Euan Hinshelwood to the sonic palette, with saxophone, harmonica, and piano, creates a smoother backdrop for the band’s less lubricated sound.
'Lemonade Sunset' is an ode to the world of wonder, a spacious overture built with melancholy in mind but relishing the positivity of life. By contrast, 'Step On Up' revolves around a glorious rising piano motif that hints at Steely Dan if they were high on energy drinks and spinach rather than their usual tipple. It’s a light-hearted evocation of the good times.
'Magnificent' is a homage to living in the present tense, powered by the bittersweet saxophone, with a glorious piano-led sub-melody offsetting Jad’s positivity: “magnificently magnificent,” no less. Elsewhere, ringing percussion and sharp arrangements provide Jad with a sturdy and far reaching soundtrack to lament over. 'Adventure' sees Half Japanese covering new ground, with Jad’s considered soliloquies set in a sumptuous setting.
The lineup for Half Japanese on Adventure includes Jason Willett (bass, keyboards), Gilles-Vincent Rieder (drums, percussion), John Sluggett (guitar, piano, bass), Mick Hobbs (guitar), Euan Hinshelwood (guitar, saxophone, piano, harmonica), and Jad Fair (vocals, percussion). Sadly, longstanding member Mick Hobbs passed away last year.
TRACK LISTING
1. Beyond Compare
2. Step On Up
3. Meant To Be
4. Possibilities
5. Things
6. That's Fate
7. Adventure
8. The Summer Of Love
9. Stars Don't Lie
10. Lemonade Sunset
11. Magnificent
12. Blame It On Your Smile
‘Jump Into Love’ is the new album from Half Japanese, true DIY noise-rock royalty, led by the ever-effervescent Jad Fair. It’s a meeting of minds, a coming together from the world’s favourite indie-alt-rock outsiders. Atypically out there and off-kilter, the album wears its heart on its sleeve through a cascade of new, dark and brooding songs from the band who would be king. Loved by Kurt Cobain, Daniel Johnston, Penn Jillette and outsiders everywhere, Half Japanese continue their quest for answers; creating a soundscape for a post-zombie land where bells chime and it’s OK to say “Yes”.
It’s another adventure; series 20 from an introspective parallel world where the super prolific Jad Fair cogitates on life, love, giants, the possessed and even bigger issues that simply swell the brain. Musing on the writing process, Jad explains “I feel a need to do music and do song writing. It's something I really miss when I'm not doing it. There's a certain amount of tranquillity that's obtained from the fact that you can be working on songs each day. I think you use that certain portion of your brain that is otherwise not used.
I kind of kind of prefer using it than not using it.” Half Japanese currently includes Jad with John Sluggett, Gilles-Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett, a veritable who’s who of DIY indie culture. ‘Jump Into Love’ was recorded at Tempo House, Baltimore, Russian Recording, Bloomington Indiana, Studio de la Trappe, Donneville France and la Casamurada, Tarragona Spain. The album was mixed by long time Half Japanese sparring partner Jason Willett at his home in Baltimore, Maryland.
It’s another adventure; series 20 from an introspective parallel world where the super prolific Jad Fair cogitates on life, love, giants, the possessed and even bigger issues that simply swell the brain. Musing on the writing process, Jad explains “I feel a need to do music and do song writing. It's something I really miss when I'm not doing it. There's a certain amount of tranquillity that's obtained from the fact that you can be working on songs each day. I think you use that certain portion of your brain that is otherwise not used.
I kind of kind of prefer using it than not using it.” Half Japanese currently includes Jad with John Sluggett, Gilles-Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett, a veritable who’s who of DIY indie culture. ‘Jump Into Love’ was recorded at Tempo House, Baltimore, Russian Recording, Bloomington Indiana, Studio de la Trappe, Donneville France and la Casamurada, Tarragona Spain. The album was mixed by long time Half Japanese sparring partner Jason Willett at his home in Baltimore, Maryland.
TRACK LISTING
A1 It's OK
A2 We Are Giants
A3 True Love Will Save The Day
A4 Listen To The Bells Chime
A5 Jump Into Love
A6 The Answer Is Yes
B1 Shining Sun
B2 This Isn't Funny
B3 Step Inside
B4 Here She Comes
B5 Shining Stars
B6 Zombie World
Announcing "Overjoyed", the first album in 13 years from legendary punk band Half Japanese. One of the most influential bands of all time, Jad Fair and Half Japanese spearheaded the DIY and Lo-Fi movements, influencing countless bands such as Sonic Youth, Neutral Milk Hotel, Daniel Johnston, and perhaps most notably, Kurt Cobain (who ranked Half Japanese amongst his top 50 favorites, had them open the "In Utero" tour, and was wearing their t-shirt when he died). Without exaggeration, Half Japanese is one of the most important bands in the history of music. "Overjoyed" was recorded and produced by John Dieterich of Deerhoof, and ranks amongst the best albums of the band's catalogue.
STAFF COMMENTS
Darryl says: After 13 years away, Half Japanese return to the scene with 'Overjoyed'. And they prove themselves to be as vital as ever, melodic indie-punk that keeps them ahead of the pack.TRACK LISTING
1. In Its Pull
2. Meant To Be That Way
3. Brave Enough
4. Do It Nation
5. The Time Is Now
6. Our Love
7. Shining Star
8. Each Other's Arms
9. Overjoyed And Thankful
10. We Are Sure
11. As Good Can Be
12. Tiger Eyes
Half Japanese have returned to peel further layers from their onion. They have a new album that's a square further on in their unpredictable musical snakes and ladders board. ‘Why Not?’ is a magical thing – it’s Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’ recorded in a cupboard, it’s an ode to love, it’s a Wire song with two duelling guitarists being Zappa on helium, it’s Parquet Courts in a tantrum, it’s The Crickets contorted into? and The Mysterians, it’s everywhere and nowhere, baby, it’s where it’s at. On ‘Why Not?’ nuances are mused, situations explained, questions asked.
Outside, zombies and demons roam and everyday aliens emerge from spaceships: it’s a technicolor film transcribed by Jad Fair and friends John Sluggett, Gilles-Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett, their faces at the cracked window of their subterranean habitat looking out at the real world. They’re on a high from their last release: “After all these years, his wiry voice still hits every song with a shock that’s equal parts joy buzzer and defibrillator, each barely in-key bleat alternating between laughable and life-affirming,” said Pitchfork of their last opus ‘Hear The Lion Roar’.
To which All Music added that “after nearly 40 years of music-making, they're still creating some of the most engaging recordings of their lives, and that's truly something to believe in.” ‘Why Not?’ goes further. It’s an even more intense concoction, it’s further out there. It contains pieces of fluffy thought-provoking music, a bag of sentiments delivered with a real sense of wonderment at how the normal world revolves; all powered with heart and soul, some crunchy guitars, a cello and reverb set-to-kill infiltrating their storytelling. ‘Why’d They Do It?’ quizzes track 11. Because they can.
Outside, zombies and demons roam and everyday aliens emerge from spaceships: it’s a technicolor film transcribed by Jad Fair and friends John Sluggett, Gilles-Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett, their faces at the cracked window of their subterranean habitat looking out at the real world. They’re on a high from their last release: “After all these years, his wiry voice still hits every song with a shock that’s equal parts joy buzzer and defibrillator, each barely in-key bleat alternating between laughable and life-affirming,” said Pitchfork of their last opus ‘Hear The Lion Roar’.
To which All Music added that “after nearly 40 years of music-making, they're still creating some of the most engaging recordings of their lives, and that's truly something to believe in.” ‘Why Not?’ goes further. It’s an even more intense concoction, it’s further out there. It contains pieces of fluffy thought-provoking music, a bag of sentiments delivered with a real sense of wonderment at how the normal world revolves; all powered with heart and soul, some crunchy guitars, a cello and reverb set-to-kill infiltrating their storytelling. ‘Why’d They Do It?’ quizzes track 11. Because they can.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Why not indeed?TRACK LISTING
1. The Future Is Ours
2. The Face
3. Why Not?
4. Amazing
5. Demons Of Doom
6. A Word To The Wise
7. Bring On The Night
8. Zombie Island Massacre
9. Better Days
10. Spaceship To Mars
11. Why'd They Do It?
12. Magic
13. Falling
'And Some Fell On Stony Ground' is a compilation of Half Man Half Biscuit tracks previously only available on singles and E.P's plus 'David Wainwright's Feet' from the 'Colours are Brighter' charity CD.
Includes all tracks from the now deleted Editor's Recommendation and Saucy Haulage Ballads.
The idea for this came after some bloke from Crickhowell suggested it whilst engaging the band in pleasant chit chat during a fire drill at Norton Canes Service Station.
Includes all tracks from the now deleted Editor's Recommendation and Saucy Haulage Ballads.
The idea for this came after some bloke from Crickhowell suggested it whilst engaging the band in pleasant chit chat during a fire drill at Norton Canes Service Station.
TRACK LISTING
Jarg Armani
Tending The Wrong Grave For 23 Years
It Makes The Room Look Bigger
On Finding The Studio Banjo
Blood On The Quad
I Went To A Wedding
Ecclesiastical Perks
Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes
Eno Collaboration
Get Kramer
Hair Like Brian May Blues
Ordinary To Enschede
David Wainwright's Feet
Bob Wilson - Anchorman
Worried Man Blues
On Passing Lilac Urine
New York Skiffle
Lark Descending
Vatican Broadside
Brand new album from indie satirists Half Man Half Biscuit 'All Asimov And No Fresh Air'. Expect plenty of wit, absurd tales and some of the best track titles you'll see all year (Horror Clowns Are Dickheads is a highlight), HMHB never miss and there's nobody quite like them!
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Classic jangling chords and upbeat missives from Half Man Half Biscuit here, humorously lamenting society and presenting it all in their well-honed garage rock style.TRACK LISTING
1. Horror Clowns Are Dickheads
2. Goodbye Sam, Hello Samaritans
3. Rawlplugs Of Yesteryear (Breaking The States)
4. The Bliss Of The Hereafter
5. McCalliog And His Hens
6. Record Store Day
7. I'm Going Out Of My Mind Trying To Get Into Yours
8. No-One Likes A Polymath
9. Don't Get Me Wrong Yvonne
10. Birmos In The Cowshed
11. Falmouth Electrics
12. Jack's Been To The National
13. Possible Side Effects
Brand new studio album from the Merseyside legends Half Man Half Biscuit.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: One of our favourite Wirral exports (apart from McQueen, obvs) return for their FIFTEENTH full-length LP. Still having all the superb humour of their early years, bolstered by over 30 years of gigging and songwriting. A fine example of a band enduring AND thriving. A rare combo.TRACK LISTING
1. I'm Getting Buried In The Morning
2. Rogation Sunday's Here Again!
3. Awkward Sean
4. Tess Of The Dormobiles
5. Grafting Haddock In The George
6. Big Man Up Front
7. When I Look At My Baby
8. Beneath This Broken Headstone
9. In A Suffolk Ditch
10. Persian Rug Sale At The URC
11. Midnight Mass Murder
12. Token Covid Song
13. Slipping The Escort
14. Oblong Of Dreams
Building on the dusty country and garage inflected indie-rock of their past releases, Half Stack’s “Sitting Pretty” thrums with an expansive energy, adding optimistic songwriting and power-pop melodies to the mix. The band tracked the album with Mac Demarco collaborator Joe Santarpia, pairing locomotive rhythms and jauntily affable lyrics with their trademark whiskey-soaked spin on DIY rock, recalling artists like Tiger Trap, The Silver Jews, and “American Beauty” era Grateful Dead. Whereas singer/guitarist Peter Kegler took the lead as songwriter on previous Half Stack records, this time around he passed the mic to singer/guitarist Marley Lix-Jones for a number of tracks; The impact of her songwriting shines through across the varied tracklist, and is especially gripping on the swaggering “New Light” and psychedelic rocker “TOTM3”. Meanwhile, album opener “I Might Try” starts off strong with its vocal harmonies and soaring lead guitar; “Burnt” pairs honky-tonk rhythms with power-pop melodies; and “Diamond Dancer'' riffs on psych-rock with duelling harmonized guitars. The scope and variety of sound represented on “Sitting Pretty” cements its place as Half Stack’s most wonderfully unpredictable and ambitious outing to date. Highly anticipated new album from Half Stack.
TRACK LISTING
1. I Might Try
2. Burnt
3. Cruisin USA
4. (I Swear) I’ll Get It Right
5. New Light
6. Diamond Dancer
7. Flat Out
8. No Reason
9. TOTM3
10. Strangin
11. Listen To Your Dog
12. Lil Mixer
See You At The Maypole, the sixth full-length album in Half Waif's prolific catalog, is a recognition of personal sadness, and a call to ecstatic togetherness.
It's gathering the colors of our spirit, in all its shades, and making something intricate and remarkable. The ceremonial folk dance performed around a maypole is filled with fauna and flora, with ribbons woven into complex braids incapable of unraveling; these dances are survivals of ancient ritual, honoring the living trees, and the return of Spring and fertility. These patterns -- this dance -- cannot be completed alone, and so, Half Waif welcomes others to join her, a collective of bleeding color. "We are so much stronger for the colorful experiences we go through," she says. "That's where we find our humanity and find each other."
While the seclusion of grief feels infinite, Rose brought the songs to her trusted friend and longtime collaborator of the past decade, Zubin Hensler. The pair worked away from others for Mythopoetics, carefully crafting each note and flourish themselves but something else was needed for See You At The Maypole. To that end, Hensler and Rose welcomed a wealth of players and friends into the world of the record: Jason Burger and Zack Levine on drums and percussion; Josh Marre (Blue Ranger) on guitar; Hannah Epperson and Elena Moon Park on violin; Kristina Teuschler on clarinet; Willem de Koch on trombone; Rebecca El- Saleh on harp; and Spencer Zahn on upright bass. Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) lent his deft mixing skills to many of the tracks, including lead single 'Figurine.'
"This wasn't just my story, I wanted to say. It was every story of loss--the loss of a life, the loss of a dream, the loss of trust and hope and faith. A story of finding a way back again," Rose explains. "My own avenue back to the land of the living was through my relationships with people and with the natural world. It only seemed right that these songs would invite those people in to build the very heart of the sound."
It's gathering the colors of our spirit, in all its shades, and making something intricate and remarkable. The ceremonial folk dance performed around a maypole is filled with fauna and flora, with ribbons woven into complex braids incapable of unraveling; these dances are survivals of ancient ritual, honoring the living trees, and the return of Spring and fertility. These patterns -- this dance -- cannot be completed alone, and so, Half Waif welcomes others to join her, a collective of bleeding color. "We are so much stronger for the colorful experiences we go through," she says. "That's where we find our humanity and find each other."
While the seclusion of grief feels infinite, Rose brought the songs to her trusted friend and longtime collaborator of the past decade, Zubin Hensler. The pair worked away from others for Mythopoetics, carefully crafting each note and flourish themselves but something else was needed for See You At The Maypole. To that end, Hensler and Rose welcomed a wealth of players and friends into the world of the record: Jason Burger and Zack Levine on drums and percussion; Josh Marre (Blue Ranger) on guitar; Hannah Epperson and Elena Moon Park on violin; Kristina Teuschler on clarinet; Willem de Koch on trombone; Rebecca El- Saleh on harp; and Spencer Zahn on upright bass. Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) lent his deft mixing skills to many of the tracks, including lead single 'Figurine.'
"This wasn't just my story, I wanted to say. It was every story of loss--the loss of a life, the loss of a dream, the loss of trust and hope and faith. A story of finding a way back again," Rose explains. "My own avenue back to the land of the living was through my relationships with people and with the natural world. It only seemed right that these songs would invite those people in to build the very heart of the sound."
TRACK LISTING
Fog Winter Balsam Jade
Collect Color
I-90
Figurine
Heartwood
Big Dipper
Shirtsleeves
Sunset Hunting
Dust
Slow Music
Ephemeral Being
Violetlight
Velvet Coil
The Museum
King Of Tides
Mother Tongue
March Grass
The (seventh) new Half-handed Cloud album, ‘Flutterama’, is a record of 18 jubilant indie-pop songs by John Ringhofer that investigate spiritual incompetence with lively arrangements and radiant melodies that skilfully dissolve into deterioration using herky-jerky tape manipulation, analogue wow-and-flutter, and an animated orchestra of homerecorded sound effects.
Ringhofer’s work on ‘Flutterama’ was inspired by Frances Mary Hunter Gordon’s adolescent liturgies (recorded at Abbey Road during The Beatles era), turbid sights and sounds in Guy Maddin films, audaciously bold forms in Sister Corita Kent’s devotional printmaking, the exquisite brittleness of Elizabeth Cotten’s voice, Alberto Burri’s stitched wound burlap assemblages, Alvar Aalto church design, Andrea Büttner’s poverty-informed artwork, Lou Barlow/Dinosaur Jr’s lo-fi ‘Poledo’ sound collage (which namechecks Jesus), Julie Canlis book ‘A Theology of the Ordinary’, Wallace Berman’s visual collage, and The Raincoats’ magnificently shaky DIY aesthetic.
The album’s tape-fiddled tunes - recorded on the very same 16-track recorder last serviced by a sound technician who also worked with The Beach Boys in their home studio - employ surprisingly little synthesizer (“it felt like cheating,” says Ringhofer) - he preferred to craft most of the album’s effects the long way, frequently going behind the back of rock instrumentation by hand-feeding ½” magnetic reel recordings of chord organs, deflating balloons, some guitars, piano (occasionally tracked with a baby on his lap), brass, tablecloth swipes, and a quickly-cranked half-speed music box. He was assisted by long-time Half-handed Cloud contributor Brandon Buckner on drums, and single song backing vocals from Anacortes, WA songsmith John Van Deusen.
Ringhofer’s work on ‘Flutterama’ was inspired by Frances Mary Hunter Gordon’s adolescent liturgies (recorded at Abbey Road during The Beatles era), turbid sights and sounds in Guy Maddin films, audaciously bold forms in Sister Corita Kent’s devotional printmaking, the exquisite brittleness of Elizabeth Cotten’s voice, Alberto Burri’s stitched wound burlap assemblages, Alvar Aalto church design, Andrea Büttner’s poverty-informed artwork, Lou Barlow/Dinosaur Jr’s lo-fi ‘Poledo’ sound collage (which namechecks Jesus), Julie Canlis book ‘A Theology of the Ordinary’, Wallace Berman’s visual collage, and The Raincoats’ magnificently shaky DIY aesthetic.
The album’s tape-fiddled tunes - recorded on the very same 16-track recorder last serviced by a sound technician who also worked with The Beach Boys in their home studio - employ surprisingly little synthesizer (“it felt like cheating,” says Ringhofer) - he preferred to craft most of the album’s effects the long way, frequently going behind the back of rock instrumentation by hand-feeding ½” magnetic reel recordings of chord organs, deflating balloons, some guitars, piano (occasionally tracked with a baby on his lap), brass, tablecloth swipes, and a quickly-cranked half-speed music box. He was assisted by long-time Half-handed Cloud contributor Brandon Buckner on drums, and single song backing vocals from Anacortes, WA songsmith John Van Deusen.
TRACK LISTING
Bustin' Stronghodes
Trickmonks
Swallowing The Water You Walk On
Can Shadows Praise You?
The Netherworld Squints At The Sight Of
You
Trick Leash
Anamnesis
Asking For Fish
I'm The Weakest Link
Under Your Breath
Handles 01:52
What's Illumined Becomes Visible
Someone You Can Use
About Face
Periodically Yours
We Won't Survive This
Project Yourself Alive Onto My Corpse
We Belong To You, But How Now Is Soon?
John Ringhofer, the man behind Half-Handed Cloud, is as joyful and frugal as his music. An economical thinker, Ringhofer prefers the subway over a taxicab, is a recycler of plastic, a compulsive note-taker, and a habitual optimist. Half-handed Cloud started as a home-recording project in Chattanooga, TN in 1999. Ringhofer was later based in the California Bay area for over a decade (where he worked as a part-time custodian) before moving with his young family to Helsinki, Finland in 2015 for his wife's linguistics research. Half-handed Cloud is able to ensconce complicated theological concepts into catchy and sublime playground songs that refuse to condescend to its subject or its listener.
TRACK LISTING
1. Wake Up, It's True!
2. Galloping The Mandibular Concourse
3. Still Food in Your Bowl
4. The Solemn Rite Of Wiping
5. What? Where You Going?
6. Trying To Leave With The Chatterbox
7. Floor To Ceiling
8. What Is A Living For?
9. Little Baby Bee-Bah
10. Lady & Her Baby
11. Little Bubbles
12. Grandpop Bob Ping Pong Ball
13. Nonna Birthday Song
14. Sweetie Song
15. Aunt's Birthday
16. Four Kid Song
17. Rian's Birthdee Song
18. Little Baby Boom
19. Baby's So Nice
20. Magic Markers
21. Sometimes (Not Your Favorite)
22. Baby In Your House
23. Working Together
24. Baby Houdini
25. I Like My Baby
26. Turn The Light Off
27. I Don't Have A Bib
28. Ringhofers Abroad
29. Diaper Cover Diaper
30. The Beatles
31. Runeberg Day
32. Kinda Walking Around
33. Yogurt Song
34. Tapes
35. Hands In The Santa Gloves
36. Who Needs A Bath?
37. Going To The Playgroud
38. What Do I Do? Everything!
39. Blanket Fort Song
40. Popcorn Song
41. We Have A Little Baby
42. Just A LIttle Bit Of Pizza
43. I Don't Have A Bib (Mouse Version)
44. Doctor Rainbow
45. Welcome Baby Ringhofer
46. Hoarding Starts At Birth
47. This Must Be So
48. Pick-up Song
49. Getting Ready To Go
50. Going Pee Pee Is So Fun
51. Wash Your Hands & Your Fingers
52. Brush Your Teeth Teeth Teeth
53. Lullaby
Sahra Halgan, Somaliland's iconic singer, freedom fighter, and cultural activist, returns with third album Hiddo Dhawr, a culmination of enduring friendship and global exploration
Seamlessly blending age-old Somali traditions with abrasive guitar riffs, sun-drenched percussion, and vintage keys, the album offers a fresh take on the music of Somaliland, the independent but not internationally recognizedd state in the Horn of Africa
Inside a large, tent-like structure in downtown Hargeisa, Somaliland's tranquil capital city, the atmHiddo Dhawr, Somaliland's first music venue. Halganoured head scarfs, revealing elaborate hairdos and impeccable eyebrows, as they rise to their feet and start to dance. On the stage at the far end of the room a drummer and oud player up the tempo, while the singers pass the microphone to one another. The atmosphere is electric, and as the evening progresses, the joy in the room is palpable.
This is Hiddo Dhawr, Somaliland's first music venue. "I started it because I wanted to bring back our culture, so that people can be proud of it," says Sahra Halgan, cultural activist, musician, and founder of this lively Hargeisa cultural hub, which opened in 2013.
Hiddo Dhawr, which translates to "promote culture", is also the name of Halgan's new album, an electrifying blend of Somali melodies, distorted guitar riffs, thumping West African percussion, and Halgan's unique, warbling vocals. Halgan chose this name for the album to honour the women of Somaliland.
Seamlessly blending age-old Somali traditions with abrasive guitar riffs, sun-drenched percussion, and vintage keys, the album offers a fresh take on the music of Somaliland, the independent but not internationally recognizedd state in the Horn of Africa
Inside a large, tent-like structure in downtown Hargeisa, Somaliland's tranquil capital city, the atmHiddo Dhawr, Somaliland's first music venue. Halganoured head scarfs, revealing elaborate hairdos and impeccable eyebrows, as they rise to their feet and start to dance. On the stage at the far end of the room a drummer and oud player up the tempo, while the singers pass the microphone to one another. The atmosphere is electric, and as the evening progresses, the joy in the room is palpable.
This is Hiddo Dhawr, Somaliland's first music venue. "I started it because I wanted to bring back our culture, so that people can be proud of it," says Sahra Halgan, cultural activist, musician, and founder of this lively Hargeisa cultural hub, which opened in 2013.
Hiddo Dhawr, which translates to "promote culture", is also the name of Halgan's new album, an electrifying blend of Somali melodies, distorted guitar riffs, thumping West African percussion, and Halgan's unique, warbling vocals. Halgan chose this name for the album to honour the women of Somaliland.
TRACK LISTING
1. SHARAF
2. LAGA
3. SOM HANYARI
4. SOMALILAND ANI ADI
5. HIDDO DHAWR
6. LIILALAW
7. DIIYOOHIDII
8. QARAM QALAFE
9. MAGOOL
10. LAMAHURAN
11. HOOYALAY
12. DAREEN
Solo debut from guitarist/vocalist from Neurot Recordings' North Carolinian pastoral psych specialists U.S. Christmas.
A Great River has that Southern melancholy feel in common with Hall‘s band, and joins the ranks of highlight Neurot solo outings from Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till (both Neurosis) in its appreciation of classic folk, from Bob Dylan, whose influence shows up prevalently throughout, to a more stripped-down look at the brilliance of arrangement that has found a home in Wovenhand‘s David Eugene Edwards.
Foremost, the album is honest. Recorded in a single night last March, its “first album” feel is undercut by psychedelic flourish and the emotional depths Hall brings to the surface, and while there are still avenues of progression to be explored, a song like the Townes Van Zandt cover “Kathleen” remains the beautiful and lush work of a singer-songwriter beginning what will hopefully be a long journey.
It is a reflection of a lifetime spent with the echoes of Dylan, Young, Petty, Springsteen, and Van Zandt.
It draws from the rich musical history of America, the melancholy of Appalachia, and harnesses the "electric vacuum roar" of guitar slingers past and present.
A Great River has that Southern melancholy feel in common with Hall‘s band, and joins the ranks of highlight Neurot solo outings from Scott Kelly and Steve Von Till (both Neurosis) in its appreciation of classic folk, from Bob Dylan, whose influence shows up prevalently throughout, to a more stripped-down look at the brilliance of arrangement that has found a home in Wovenhand‘s David Eugene Edwards.
Foremost, the album is honest. Recorded in a single night last March, its “first album” feel is undercut by psychedelic flourish and the emotional depths Hall brings to the surface, and while there are still avenues of progression to be explored, a song like the Townes Van Zandt cover “Kathleen” remains the beautiful and lush work of a singer-songwriter beginning what will hopefully be a long journey.
It is a reflection of a lifetime spent with the echoes of Dylan, Young, Petty, Springsteen, and Van Zandt.
It draws from the rich musical history of America, the melancholy of Appalachia, and harnesses the "electric vacuum roar" of guitar slingers past and present.
In the fall of 2021, Simeon ten Holt's "Canto Ostinato" was reborn in a 'solo version for seven keyboards'. During the weeks leading up to the birth of his son Lark, Erik Hall moved methodically among the instruments in his recording studio, conducting a multi-track conversation with himself and the piece's score. Ten Holt composed "Canto Ostinato" between 1976 and 1979. The rhythmic motif (ostinato) repeated over its entire length has a limited number of printed notes. It is up to the performers how to play them, for how long, where to place accents, etc. In the score, the composer calls on musicians to interact and evaluate, to fuse sounds and colors into one cohesive musical universe. Then a cosmos is created. You can get lost in that. You want to get lost in that, like in the original live recording with four pianos. "That performance is deeply compelling, almost otherworldly," says Hall. He has always been drawn to music that is based on repetition, harmonically rich, and tonal. He previously added a groundbreaking dimension to Steve Reich's 1976 minimal masterpiece "Music for 18 Musicians", and– as again now with 'Canto'– his motivation is the love of the music itself. "When I first heard the piece, I was captivated." Then the plan emerged to undergo the same focused practice as before. He stacked seven total layers of his 1962 Hammond M-101 organ, a 1910 Steinway grand piano, and a 1978 Rhodes electric piano, each performance informed by those that preceded it. Erik Hall's "Canto Ostinato" lasts for one hour, and from the sheer joy of playing this wondrous composition emerges an elegantly meandering journey. In it, music rises above itself, higher and higher, like a lark jubilating freedom in the sky.
TRACK LISTING
01 Sections 1-16
02 Sections 17-30
03 Sections 31-40
04 Sections 41-55
05 Sections 56-73
06 Sections 74-87
07 Sections 88-90
08 Sections 91-94
09 Sections 95-106
There is a certain solace to be found in minimal music—a contemplative joy that emerges through sustained repetition and subtle variation. 'Solo Three', the slyly absorbing new album from Michigan-based composer and multi-instrumentalist Erik Hall, embodies that hypnotic charge while boldly reimagining a distinct selection of contemporary classical works.
Hall’s affinity for minimalism began decades ago, when as a jazz-studies drummer at the University of Michigan he first encountered Steve Reich’s 'Music for 18 Musicians'. The piece altered his trajectory completely. Years later, amid a creative lull, he revisited that formative work by attempting a solo reconstruction. Working alone in his home studio, Hall painstakingly recreated Reich’s intricate, interlocking architecture—supplanting the piece’s orchestral palette with instruments he had on hand—and performing every part himself without loops, programming, or sequencers.
That recording, released on Western Vinyl in 2020, arrived during the fraught early months of lockdown and resonated deeply with listeners. Pitchfork praised it for making “a minimalist standard freshly thrilling to revisit,” and it won the 2021 Libera Award for Best Classical Record. Even Reich himself wrote to congratulate Hall, saying he had “reinvented the piece.” With 'Solo Three', Hall brings this trilogy to a sweeping close. Instead of focusing on a single composition, he weaves together multiple works by several visionary composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and a return to Steve Reich.
The result is a rich, varied homage to American minimalism—at once reverent and exploratory. Branca’s 'The Temple of Venus Pt. 1' unfolds in oscillating organ and prepared piano; Palestine’s 'Strumming Music' becomes a meditative blur of felted piano and guitar; Spiegel’s 'A Folk Study' is recast with acoustic warmth in lieu of electronics; and Reich’s 'Music for a Large Ensemble' closes the album with a 16-minute, kaleidoscopic rush of overlapping melodies and jubilant rhythmic patterns. True to his method, Hall performs and records every part himself, layering instruments one by one like sonic bricks. The approach is deeply human and quietly defiant in an age of faceless automation. “It’s just so much more compelling to actually play every note,” Hall says. “Those micro-differences between takes create a sort of living, breathing magic.” That living, breathing magic fills every corner of Solo Three. It’s both a reverent ode to the composers who shaped Hall’s musical identity and a vivid reminder that minimalism’s hypnotic beauty—its patience, precision, and quiet emotional power—still speaks urgently to the present moment.
Hall’s affinity for minimalism began decades ago, when as a jazz-studies drummer at the University of Michigan he first encountered Steve Reich’s 'Music for 18 Musicians'. The piece altered his trajectory completely. Years later, amid a creative lull, he revisited that formative work by attempting a solo reconstruction. Working alone in his home studio, Hall painstakingly recreated Reich’s intricate, interlocking architecture—supplanting the piece’s orchestral palette with instruments he had on hand—and performing every part himself without loops, programming, or sequencers.
That recording, released on Western Vinyl in 2020, arrived during the fraught early months of lockdown and resonated deeply with listeners. Pitchfork praised it for making “a minimalist standard freshly thrilling to revisit,” and it won the 2021 Libera Award for Best Classical Record. Even Reich himself wrote to congratulate Hall, saying he had “reinvented the piece.” With 'Solo Three', Hall brings this trilogy to a sweeping close. Instead of focusing on a single composition, he weaves together multiple works by several visionary composers: Glenn Branca, Charlemagne Palestine, Laurie Spiegel, and a return to Steve Reich.
The result is a rich, varied homage to American minimalism—at once reverent and exploratory. Branca’s 'The Temple of Venus Pt. 1' unfolds in oscillating organ and prepared piano; Palestine’s 'Strumming Music' becomes a meditative blur of felted piano and guitar; Spiegel’s 'A Folk Study' is recast with acoustic warmth in lieu of electronics; and Reich’s 'Music for a Large Ensemble' closes the album with a 16-minute, kaleidoscopic rush of overlapping melodies and jubilant rhythmic patterns. True to his method, Hall performs and records every part himself, layering instruments one by one like sonic bricks. The approach is deeply human and quietly defiant in an age of faceless automation. “It’s just so much more compelling to actually play every note,” Hall says. “Those micro-differences between takes create a sort of living, breathing magic.” That living, breathing magic fills every corner of Solo Three. It’s both a reverent ode to the composers who shaped Hall’s musical identity and a vivid reminder that minimalism’s hypnotic beauty—its patience, precision, and quiet emotional power—still speaks urgently to the present moment.
TRACK LISTING
1. The Temple Of Venus Pt. 1 (Glenn Branca)
2. Strumming Music (Charlemagne Palestine)
3. A Folk Study (Laurie Spiegel)
4. Music For A Large Ensemble (Steve Reich)
In a world where vulnerability is often hidden behind noise, Sheffield singer songwriter Mathew J Hall dials back the static with 'Full Weight', a driving, emotionally charged EP that burns with urgency
Mathew takes inspiration from the weirdness of Aldous Harding and Amen Dunes while embracing the songcraft of greats like Neil Young and Jeff Buckley. Released via Tip Top Recordings (Mandrake Handshake, Japanese Television, Pearl & The Oysters), EP 'Full Weight' is a six track offering of emotionally driven, lyrically agile, eccentrically produced indie-rock
Mathew's journey began with a childhood guitar and quietly grew into a private archive of hundreds of songs, never meant for anyone but himself. After stints with local outfits The Velotones and Violet May, he broke away to carve out his own space, one where every note and word belonged to him. Stepping into the studio with friends and trusted collaborators, he found the freedom and confidence to let the world in. The result is 'Full Weight', a bold new chapter in Mathew's musical story.
'5:32' is the natural way to introduce Mathew's gloriously unique voice and
songwriting, evoking Sheffield's musical royalty such as Richard Hawley. As the single artwork depicts, '5:32' was conceived by Mathew "in bed, during COVID, eating cereal and taking my meds. As Thom Yorke once said, 'no one is really a solo artist'". The surging, cathartic anthem 'Weight Of Love' is about a simple case of unrequited love. Mathew says, "In my case, it's a story of my dad leaving. The cover artwork is of me and my brother around the age he left" . Further tracks like 'Lady Luck' lean into a slowburning groove of shimmer and snarl, while the fully exposed 'Creature Of Comfort' is built on skeletal instrumentation.
'Full Weight' captures the duality of refusing to choose between fragility and force. It's music that aches, bleeds, and ultimately triumphs: a testament to the strength in showing your cracks.
Mathew takes inspiration from the weirdness of Aldous Harding and Amen Dunes while embracing the songcraft of greats like Neil Young and Jeff Buckley. Released via Tip Top Recordings (Mandrake Handshake, Japanese Television, Pearl & The Oysters), EP 'Full Weight' is a six track offering of emotionally driven, lyrically agile, eccentrically produced indie-rock
Mathew's journey began with a childhood guitar and quietly grew into a private archive of hundreds of songs, never meant for anyone but himself. After stints with local outfits The Velotones and Violet May, he broke away to carve out his own space, one where every note and word belonged to him. Stepping into the studio with friends and trusted collaborators, he found the freedom and confidence to let the world in. The result is 'Full Weight', a bold new chapter in Mathew's musical story.
'5:32' is the natural way to introduce Mathew's gloriously unique voice and
songwriting, evoking Sheffield's musical royalty such as Richard Hawley. As the single artwork depicts, '5:32' was conceived by Mathew "in bed, during COVID, eating cereal and taking my meds. As Thom Yorke once said, 'no one is really a solo artist'". The surging, cathartic anthem 'Weight Of Love' is about a simple case of unrequited love. Mathew says, "In my case, it's a story of my dad leaving. The cover artwork is of me and my brother around the age he left" . Further tracks like 'Lady Luck' lean into a slowburning groove of shimmer and snarl, while the fully exposed 'Creature Of Comfort' is built on skeletal instrumentation.
'Full Weight' captures the duality of refusing to choose between fragility and force. It's music that aches, bleeds, and ultimately triumphs: a testament to the strength in showing your cracks.
TRACK LISTING
1. Headspace (Sunrise)
2. 5:32
3. Weight Of Love
4. Four Letter Words
5. Lady Luck
6. Creature Of Comfort
Originally released in 1997 on the Southsea Bubble Company label, Terry Hall's ‘Laugh’, followed his acclaimed debut with a blend of wit, melancholy, and melody that marked him as one of Britain’s most distinctive voices.
Much of ‘Laugh’ was co-written with former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon, with further collaborations from a stellar cast including Stephen Duffy, Sean O'Hagan (The High Llamas), and Damon Albarn of Blur—who had previously worked with Hall on his 1995 ‘Rainbows EP’. The album was produced by Hall himself, alongside Gannon and Cenzo Townshend, and has since gained cult status for its sharp songwriting and intimate, understated arrangements.
Much of ‘Laugh’ was co-written with former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon, with further collaborations from a stellar cast including Stephen Duffy, Sean O'Hagan (The High Llamas), and Damon Albarn of Blur—who had previously worked with Hall on his 1995 ‘Rainbows EP’. The album was produced by Hall himself, alongside Gannon and Cenzo Townshend, and has since gained cult status for its sharp songwriting and intimate, understated arrangements.
TRACK LISTING
Side A
Love To See You
Sonny And His Sister
Ballad Of A Landlord
Take It Forever
Misty Water
Side B
A Room Full Of Nothing
Happy Go Lucky
For The Girl
Summer Follows Spring
I Saw The Light
Deluxe 2LP Edition of Terry Hall’s second solo album pressed on Red Vinyl exclusively for Dinked. Includes the singles ‘Ballad of a Landlord’ and ’I Saw the Light’.
Features an alternate sleeve and includes new liner notes by journalist Pete Paphides, including reflections from Damon Albarn, Ian Broudie and Stephen Duffy.
Originally released in 1997 on the Southsea Bubble Company label, Terry Hall's Laugh, followed his acclaimed debut with a blend of wit, melancholy, and melody that marked him as one of Britain’s most distinctive voices.
Much of Laugh was co-written with former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon, with further collaborations from a stellar cast including Stephen Duffy, Sean O'Hagan (The High Llamas), and Damon Albarn of Blur—who had previously worked with Hall on his 1995 Rainbows EP. The album was produced by Hall himself, alongside Gannon and Cenzo Townshend, and has since gained cult status for its sharp songwriting and intimate, understated arrangements.
This special edition expands Laugh across two discs:
Disc One: The original studio album, newly mastered by Phil Kinrade at AIR Studios.
Disc Two: B-sides, live recordings, and acoustic versions—all appearing on vinyl for the first time.
Features an alternate sleeve and includes new liner notes by journalist Pete Paphides, including reflections from Damon Albarn, Ian Broudie and Stephen Duffy.
Originally released in 1997 on the Southsea Bubble Company label, Terry Hall's Laugh, followed his acclaimed debut with a blend of wit, melancholy, and melody that marked him as one of Britain’s most distinctive voices.
Much of Laugh was co-written with former Smiths guitarist Craig Gannon, with further collaborations from a stellar cast including Stephen Duffy, Sean O'Hagan (The High Llamas), and Damon Albarn of Blur—who had previously worked with Hall on his 1995 Rainbows EP. The album was produced by Hall himself, alongside Gannon and Cenzo Townshend, and has since gained cult status for its sharp songwriting and intimate, understated arrangements.
This special edition expands Laugh across two discs:
Disc One: The original studio album, newly mastered by Phil Kinrade at AIR Studios.
Disc Two: B-sides, live recordings, and acoustic versions—all appearing on vinyl for the first time.
STAFF COMMENTS
Laura says: This second solo LP from Terry Hall is an absolute gem. As with his debut, Home, it's a collection of witty, melancholic pop songs, delivered in his own inimitable style. It also includes a cover of Ted Rundgren's "I Saw The Light" (IMO better than the original!) And being a Dinked Edition it's beautifully packaged with a bonus disc of added extras too.TRACK LISTING
Side A
Love To See You
Sonny And His Sister
Ballad Of A Landlord
Take It Forever
Misty Water
Side B
A Room Full Of Nothing
Happy Go Lucky
For The Girl
Summer Follows Spring
I Saw The Light
Side C
Ballad Of A Landlord (Acoustic Version)
Working Class Hero (Live)
Close To You
Music To Watch Girls By
Side D
Bang Went Forever
Love To See You (Acoustic Version)
Misty Water (Acoustic Version)
Hallelujah The Hills is one of the most admirably devoted, unconventional bands to have come out of Boston in recent years. Boston has likewise been waiting for them as demonstrated by packed shows and regular accolades from the Boston Phoenix (where they are now up for an award for Best New Band) and the Boston Weekly Dig. The band's line-up of bass, drums, cello, Moog, trumpet, melodica, sampler and plenty of guitars grants them the space to expand and contract as their melodies and arrangements see fit. Think of them as the sonic equivalent to Willy Wonka's ferry ride, seemingly random yet utterly precise, first drifting along a chocolate river with a gentle lulling sound then hurtling you into the unknown with a thundering danger until you arrive somewhere entirely new, a fantastic destination full of wonder. Unlike some of their anthemic peers, Hallelujah The Hills find solace in the space between their crashing crescendos and choral peaks and that's a subtle strength of the band. It grants the songs a great diversity, from amped-up campfire sing-alongs to sombre ballads.
Halsall who has been hailed as one of the leading figures of the UK jazz renaissance has never seen himself as part of any one sound or scene: he builds his own sonic universe instead. An Ever Changing View finds him at his most experimental yet, once again expanding his sound and production techniques to create his unique brand of deeply meditative music.
During the album's creation, he was staying in both a beautiful architect’s house with breath-taking sea views and a striking modernist house, where he composed what he saw “like a landscape painting”. In these new environments, Halsall wanted to capture “the feeling of openness and escapism” and to approach making music again from scratch. “I hit the reset button and wanted to have complete musical freedom,” he says. “It was a real exploration of sound.”
It was hearing jazz on the dancefloor as a teenager that first opened up new possibilities in Halsall’s mind and his music has long drawn on his love for the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders and contemporary electronica from the likes of Warp Records and Ninja Tune. An Ever Changing View melds those forms in a way that feels heady and, at times, even otherworldly. One of the album’s starting points was Halsall’s ever-expanding box of percussion, from congas and kalimba to various clusters of seeds, bells and chimes, which he sampled and looped to use as a foundation for the songs – a first for him and his band. Elevating, charming, totally modern jazz tracks jostle with deft warm magic realism; and laid back grooves with hand percussion, deep bass and the gorgeous glisten of the Fender Rhodes meet hip-hop beats. Halsall himself sparkles, illuminating his beautiful tapestries of sound with lithe, glistening elegiac trumpet.
An Ever Changing View comes in a package as striking as the music, with handmade fonts designed by Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic and the specially commissioned tapestry by artist Sara Kelly is a stunning and harmonious complement to the record's sound.
During the album's creation, he was staying in both a beautiful architect’s house with breath-taking sea views and a striking modernist house, where he composed what he saw “like a landscape painting”. In these new environments, Halsall wanted to capture “the feeling of openness and escapism” and to approach making music again from scratch. “I hit the reset button and wanted to have complete musical freedom,” he says. “It was a real exploration of sound.”
It was hearing jazz on the dancefloor as a teenager that first opened up new possibilities in Halsall’s mind and his music has long drawn on his love for the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders and contemporary electronica from the likes of Warp Records and Ninja Tune. An Ever Changing View melds those forms in a way that feels heady and, at times, even otherworldly. One of the album’s starting points was Halsall’s ever-expanding box of percussion, from congas and kalimba to various clusters of seeds, bells and chimes, which he sampled and looped to use as a foundation for the songs – a first for him and his band. Elevating, charming, totally modern jazz tracks jostle with deft warm magic realism; and laid back grooves with hand percussion, deep bass and the gorgeous glisten of the Fender Rhodes meet hip-hop beats. Halsall himself sparkles, illuminating his beautiful tapestries of sound with lithe, glistening elegiac trumpet.
An Ever Changing View comes in a package as striking as the music, with handmade fonts designed by Ian Anderson of The Designers Republic and the specially commissioned tapestry by artist Sara Kelly is a stunning and harmonious complement to the record's sound.
TRACK LISTING
1. Tracing Nature
2. Water Street
3. An Ever Changing View
4. Calder Shapes
5. Mountains, Trees And Seas
6. Field Of Vision
7. Jewels
8. Sunlight Reflection
9. Natural Movement
10. Triangles In The Sky
Abdel Hadi Halo & The El Gusto Orchestra Of Algiers
Abdel Hadi Halo & The El Gusto Orchestra Of Algiers
Honest Jon's
Chaabi has its roots in the Andalusian music of Moorish Spain, spreading to North Africa with exiled Jewish and Moorish communities; but it really took off in the music schools, parties and bars of occupied, post-WWII Algiers, where its Andalusian, Middle Eastern and North African lineage infused with the Mediterranean soundtrack of that era — chanson, jazz, snatches of tango and a little boogie-woogie. "Abdel Hadi Halo And The El Gusto Orchestra Of Algiers" was recorded on the tilting fifth floor of the Conservatoire d'Algiers, in a room overlooking the sea on one side, and the Casbah on the other: the orchestra was recorded 'live' in full flight — all together, in continuous takes. For our recording, the Orchestra included four singers — joined in chorus by the voices of the entire orchestra — and five-man banjo, percussion and violin sections. The scale and organization are thrilling; the music is swirling and improvisatory, surging from the haunted to the bluesy, the devotional to the knees-up.
Reduced 
Andy Votel says: "Working with Halo Maud's song came extremely naturally to me, and I thank Jeff [Barrett, of Heavenly] for recognising this connection. The contrast of her strong melodic songwriting combined with the fragility of her vocals is a real secret weapon and much more than just a breathy pastiche. I think Maud effortlessly captures many unique subtleties in French language music which so many contemporary bands seem to forget, and it's ingredients like these which gave me the confidence to take a more minimal route with this mix, which I appreciate.
"In the past I could only dream of finding a singer that comes close to Léonie Lousseau or Ann Sorel so working with Maud's vocals was an enjoyable experience and I already regard this short track as one of my personal favourite production achievements.... which I can't wait to play on the radio... off 7" vinyl naturally."
Maud says of the track, "I wrote the basis of the song in a few minutes, the day before a show. It was just the guitar and the voice, very simple. The rest of the track is a mix between a band jam, improvisations, ambient sounds, happy studio accidents, and all this material has been re-cut and tinkered with, until I felt it made sense. "It’s an amazing feeling to discover another vision of your own song, and Andy Votel’s version really overwhelmed me, in a good way. This is another song, but it’s still me. Thank you for this huge present.”
The original song features on Halo Maud's debut album, Je Suis Une île (which translates as "I Am An Island"), released on Heavenly Recordings last May.
"In the past I could only dream of finding a singer that comes close to Léonie Lousseau or Ann Sorel so working with Maud's vocals was an enjoyable experience and I already regard this short track as one of my personal favourite production achievements.... which I can't wait to play on the radio... off 7" vinyl naturally."
Maud says of the track, "I wrote the basis of the song in a few minutes, the day before a show. It was just the guitar and the voice, very simple. The rest of the track is a mix between a band jam, improvisations, ambient sounds, happy studio accidents, and all this material has been re-cut and tinkered with, until I felt it made sense. "It’s an amazing feeling to discover another vision of your own song, and Andy Votel’s version really overwhelmed me, in a good way. This is another song, but it’s still me. Thank you for this huge present.”
The original song features on Halo Maud's debut album, Je Suis Une île (which translates as "I Am An Island"), released on Heavenly Recordings last May.
For multi-instrumentalist, singer and producer Halo Maud (previously known as Maud Nadal), the title of both song and album reflect from her natural reactions to the creation of the music itself.
"For me, music contains what words cannot. It is its power to shape these things, and it’s what I hope to find while taking random bits, here and there, from the pitch of each note, their texture, their timbres, massaging and mixing them together until the sound resembles what is inside me. When everything fits together well the words settle in with the music to spread their clues. That’s when the song is ready. I called the album ‘Celebrate' because I danced a lot while creating it. I now feel that I can release it into the air. I hope that it will alight in your hands and ears, keep you company and resonate within you through multiple waves.”
Those multiple waves are Celebrate’s twelve tracks. Collectively, they offer a seamless mix of French and English; analogue electronics, scratchy guitars and tumbling drums; dream pop, woozy Yé-Yé and 1960s and 2020s psychedelia.
"For me, music contains what words cannot. It is its power to shape these things, and it’s what I hope to find while taking random bits, here and there, from the pitch of each note, their texture, their timbres, massaging and mixing them together until the sound resembles what is inside me. When everything fits together well the words settle in with the music to spread their clues. That’s when the song is ready. I called the album ‘Celebrate' because I danced a lot while creating it. I now feel that I can release it into the air. I hope that it will alight in your hands and ears, keep you company and resonate within you through multiple waves.”
Those multiple waves are Celebrate’s twelve tracks. Collectively, they offer a seamless mix of French and English; analogue electronics, scratchy guitars and tumbling drums; dream pop, woozy Yé-Yé and 1960s and 2020s psychedelia.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: I was a big fan of Halo Maud's brilliant Je Suis Une île all the way back in 2018, so it was with some joy that I saw her on the new release schedule, and Celebrate has all of the wispy pop charm of that brilliant outing but with more of a focus on grand, orchestral jubilance and airy major-key crescendos. It's a lovely experience, and further cements my love of Maud's work.TRACK LISTING
1. Celebrate
2. Terres Infinies
3. My Desire Is Pure
4. Last Day Song
5. Slowly Surely
6. Catch The Wave
7. Le Ciel Est Grand
8. You Float
9. À Te Voir
10. Iceberg
11. Pesnopoïka
12. Entends-Tu Ma Voix
Halo Maud’s first release on Heavenly is a recap of the story so far ahead of an album release later this year – three tracks of this EP originally came out on a Canadian label last year, with the difference that ‘Du Pouvoir’ now features some English lyrics, and ‘À La Fin’ and ‘Dans La Nuit’ cropped up on a La Souterraine compilations in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Maud Nadal has been a member of both Moodoïd and Melody’s Echo Chamber’s live bands, and of course at times there are comparisons to be drawn with MEC, with both teetering on a crystalline peak where extreme joy and despair meet. But if anything Nadal’s own melodies are even more indelible, and her voice turns them into vapour trails.
Maud Nadal has been a member of both Moodoïd and Melody’s Echo Chamber’s live bands, and of course at times there are comparisons to be drawn with MEC, with both teetering on a crystalline peak where extreme joy and despair meet. But if anything Nadal’s own melodies are even more indelible, and her voice turns them into vapour trails.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Hazy harmonies, rolling grooves and insistent percussive workouts form the backbone to Nadal's often haunting vocal flourishes, sometimes falling behind to give the vocals their own space. Perfectly measured and beautifully written immersive indie anthems.TRACK LISTING
1. Wherever
2. Du Pouvoir/Power
3. Chanceuse
4. Surprise
5. Tu Sais Comme Je Suis
6. De Retour
7. Baptism
8. Fred
9. Je Suis Une Île
10. Proche Proche Proche
11. Dans La Nuit
12. Des Bras
Currently based in Los Angeles, Laurel Halo has spent over a decade stepping into different towns and cities for a moment or more, to the point where everywhere almost became nowhere. Atlas, the debut release on her new imprint Awe, is an attempt to put that feeling to music. Using both electronic and acoustic instrumentation, Halo has created a potent set of sensual ambient jazz collages, comprised of orchestral clouds, shades of modal harmony, hidden sonic details, and detuned, hallucinatory textures. The music functions as a series of maps, for places real and imaginary, and for expressing the unsaid.
The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-CRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny.
In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe. Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos, human error, hallucinations.
The process of writing Atlas began back in 2020 when she reacquainted herself with the piano. She relished the piano's physical feedback, as well as its capacity to express emotion and lightness. And when the legendary Ina-CRM Studios in Paris invited her to take up a residency the following year in 2021, she spared no time to dub, stretch and manipulate some of the simple piano sketches she'd recorded over the prior months; these subtle piano recordings and electronic manipulations would go on to become the heart of Atlas. In the remainder of 2021 and 2022, with time spent between Berlin and London, Halo recorded additional guitar, violin and vibraphone, as well as acoustic instrumentation from friends and collaborators including saxophonist Bendik Giske, violinist James Underwood, cellist Lucy Railton and vocalist Coby Sey. All of these sounds were shaped, melted, and re-composed into the arrangements, their acoustic origins rendered uncanny.
In short, Atlas is road trip music for the subconscious. With repeated listens, it is a record that can leave a deep sensorial impression on the listener, akin to walking at dusk in a dark forest. Its humor and sharp focus would dispel any notions of sentimentality. Completely distinct from the rest of Halo's catalog, Atlas is an album that thrives in the quietest places, rejecting bombast and embracing awe. Fitting that it's the debut release on her new recording label, whose slogan parallels the mood and atmosphere of the album: Awe is something you feel when confronted with forces beyond your control: nature, the cosmos, chaos, human error, hallucinations.
TRACK LISTING
A1 Abandon
A2 Naked To The Light
A3 Late Night Drive
A4 Sick Eros
A5 Belleville
B1 Sweat, Tears Or The Sea
B2 Atlas
B3 Reading The Air
B4 You Burn Me
B5 Earthbound
Laurel Halo returns with an album of original soundtrack music, composed for the film Midnight Zone by visual artist Julian Charrière. Following the path of a drifting Fresnel lighthouse lens as it descends through the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone — a remote abyssal plain in the Pacific Ocean, rich in rare metals and increasingly targeted for deep-sea mining — the film traces a descent into one of Earth’s last untouched ecosystems.
Charrière’s film reveals the deep not as void, but as a luminous biome teeming with fragile life: bioluminescent creatures, swirling schools of fish, and elusive predators. The suspended lens becomes an abyssal campfire, attracting species caught in the tides of uncertainty, their futures hanging in the balance.
Echoing this tension, Halo’s compositions evoke a sensory freefall, where gravity falters and light and sound flicker in uncertain rhythms. Midnight Zone is a sonic drift through the space between what we seek to extract, fail to understand, and must protect.
Halo’s score evokes the life that exists beyond our physical airbound capacity. The material features long, subtle passages of electro-acoustic ambient, drone and sound design, slowly flowing and unfolding with rich detail. The music, composed largely on a Montage 8 synthesizer and Yamaha TransAcoustic piano at the Yamaha studios in New York City, possesses an uncanny quality: that of synthetic waveforms being amplified and sung through the stringboard of the physical body of the TransAcoustic piano. Combined with stacks of violin and viol da gamba, the music on Midnight Zone possesses trace elements of a human hand in an otherwise sunken landscape. Patient, submerged, and alive. The album will be the third on Halo’s imprint, Awe.
The film is central to Charrière’s current solo exhibition Midnight Zone. The exhibition engages with underwater ecologies, exploring the complexity of water as an elemental medium affected by anthropogenic degradation. Reflecting upon its flow and materiality, profundity and politics, its mundane and sacral dimensions, the solo show acts as a kaleidoscope, inviting us to dive deep.
Charrière’s film reveals the deep not as void, but as a luminous biome teeming with fragile life: bioluminescent creatures, swirling schools of fish, and elusive predators. The suspended lens becomes an abyssal campfire, attracting species caught in the tides of uncertainty, their futures hanging in the balance.
Echoing this tension, Halo’s compositions evoke a sensory freefall, where gravity falters and light and sound flicker in uncertain rhythms. Midnight Zone is a sonic drift through the space between what we seek to extract, fail to understand, and must protect.
Halo’s score evokes the life that exists beyond our physical airbound capacity. The material features long, subtle passages of electro-acoustic ambient, drone and sound design, slowly flowing and unfolding with rich detail. The music, composed largely on a Montage 8 synthesizer and Yamaha TransAcoustic piano at the Yamaha studios in New York City, possesses an uncanny quality: that of synthetic waveforms being amplified and sung through the stringboard of the physical body of the TransAcoustic piano. Combined with stacks of violin and viol da gamba, the music on Midnight Zone possesses trace elements of a human hand in an otherwise sunken landscape. Patient, submerged, and alive. The album will be the third on Halo’s imprint, Awe.
The film is central to Charrière’s current solo exhibition Midnight Zone. The exhibition engages with underwater ecologies, exploring the complexity of water as an elemental medium affected by anthropogenic degradation. Reflecting upon its flow and materiality, profundity and politics, its mundane and sacral dimensions, the solo show acts as a kaleidoscope, inviting us to dive deep.
TRACK LISTING
Side A
1. Sunlight Zone
2. Clarion-Clipperton Zone
3. Oreison
Side B
4. Twilight Zone
5. Fracture
6. Abyss
7. Polymetallic Nodule
8. Hadal
9. Sunlight Zone (Strings Version) - CD ONLY
Generally regarded as the first true 'new age' record, Steve Halpern's 1975 private press LP has long been in demand by collectors. In particular, the very first pressing of the album included an extraordinary long-form jazz funk track called 'Something for Every Body Suite' that was removed from subsequent versions. Eating Standing is proud to reissue Halpern's classic long-lost original version of the album, officially licensed from Halpern himself that includes this heavy groove-laden masterpiece. This is the very first ever full reissue of the first press album with full reproduction of the artwork. Original copies cost over $700 (assuming you can even find one) but now this incredible landmark album is available once more to enjoy. "Reissued for the very first time since 1975 in its original format and track listing, a legendary album that is considered a game-changer in music. Steve Halpern's landmark album 'Christening For Listening (A Soundtrack For Every Body)' is considered by many to be a crucial and defining album that pointed the way ahead. Predating the ambient/experimental work of Brian Eno, Steve Hillage and even Mort Garson's 'Plantasia', Steve Halpern's 'Christening For Listening' was the first album to explore what became known as 'new age' or ambient music, exploring the effect of tones and rhythms on the human body and mind as well as plants and other organisms. Originally issued as a private pressing in 1975, the very first issue of this album had an extraordinary extended jazz funk track on the B side, a DJ/Samplers delight – DJ Gaslamp Killer is a huge fan. This track, 'Something For Every Body Suite', was never included on any of the subsequent represses making the very first pressing incredibly rare and almost impossible to find. It's reissued here for the very first time, with full repro of the original artwork plus a Q&A by Tony Higgins with Steven Halpern himself.
TRACK LISTING
1. Keynote C: Red
2. Keynote D: Orange
3. Keynote E: Yellow
4. Keynote F: Green
5. Keynote G: Blue
6. Keynote A: Indigo
7. Keynote B: Violet
8. Be-Muse-Ment
9. Trans-Pan Dance
10. Something For Every Body Suite
Over the course of four albums, Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall has carved out a niche for himself on the UK music scene as one of its brightest talents. His languid, soulful music has won friends from Jamie Cullum and Gilles Peterson to Jazz FM and Mojo as well as an ever-growing international following. His label Gondwana Records is home to GoGo Penguin and his own albums have found Halsall exploring the modal jazz of John and Alice Coltrane, paying tribute to the hard bop of the late '50s and early '60s or most recently on 'Fletcher Moss Park' drawing on Eastern influences in his most personal statement yet. His latest album 'When The World Was One' is something of a companion piece to 'Fletcher Moss Park' (much of the music was written at the same time) but draws more explicitly on Halsall's love of spiritual jazz and Eastern music as well as his own studies in meditation and travels in Japan. Beautifully recorded at Hasall's favourite studio, 80 Hertz in Manchester, and engineered by Brendan Williams and George Atkins it features the recording debut of Halsall's large ensemble, The Gondwana Orchestra, which utilises the exotic flavours of harp, koto and bansuri flute and Eastern scales to create a global palate for Halsall's life-affirming sounds.
The Gondwana Orchestra features long time collaborators Nat Birchall, saxophone, Gavin Barras, bass and Rachael Gladwin, harp as well as Taz Modi on piano. Modi who also plays with Halsall in their more electronic trio shares his passion for spiritual jazz and plays the music with real feeling while the role of the harp here is to bring a touch of 'magical reality' a floating dreaminess that is a vital part of Halsall's elegiac and beautiful music. The drummer Luke Flowers is perhaps best known as part of Cinematic Orchestra, and Halsall describes him as 'one of the best drummers in the world' and hails him for 'playing the music exactly as I heard it in my head', Keiko Kitamura is a Japanese Koto player who is becoming an increasingly important part of the Gondwana Orchestra, her role is similar to Gladwin's in that the koto helps free up the music while also bringing a real sound of the East. Finally, flautist Lisa Mallett brings a love of Indian music to the orchestra, much travelled on the continent she brings all of her knowledge and experience to play offering a unique texture to Halsall's dreamy melodies.
The Gondwana Orchestra features long time collaborators Nat Birchall, saxophone, Gavin Barras, bass and Rachael Gladwin, harp as well as Taz Modi on piano. Modi who also plays with Halsall in their more electronic trio shares his passion for spiritual jazz and plays the music with real feeling while the role of the harp here is to bring a touch of 'magical reality' a floating dreaminess that is a vital part of Halsall's elegiac and beautiful music. The drummer Luke Flowers is perhaps best known as part of Cinematic Orchestra, and Halsall describes him as 'one of the best drummers in the world' and hails him for 'playing the music exactly as I heard it in my head', Keiko Kitamura is a Japanese Koto player who is becoming an increasingly important part of the Gondwana Orchestra, her role is similar to Gladwin's in that the koto helps free up the music while also bringing a real sound of the East. Finally, flautist Lisa Mallett brings a love of Indian music to the orchestra, much travelled on the continent she brings all of her knowledge and experience to play offering a unique texture to Halsall's dreamy melodies.
TRACK LISTING
1. When The World Was One
2. A Far Away Place
3. Falling Water
4. Patterns
5. Kiyomizu-Dera
6. Sagano Bamboo Forest
7. Tribute To Alice Coltrane
Over the course of five albums, Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall has carved out a niche for himself on the UK music scene as one of it's brightest talents. His languid, soulful music has won friends from Jamie Cullum and Gilles Peterson to Jazz FM and Mojo as well as an ever-growing international following. His new album 'Into Forever', puts the spotlight on Halsall the composer, arranger and producer. Halsall draws on a diverse range of influences from Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, Phil Cohran and Leon Thomas to the more contemporary sounds of The Cinematic Orchestra, Max Richter and Nils Frahm to deliver his most complete recording to date. 'Into Forever' features renowned Manchester based soul poet Josephine Oniyama and rising star vocalist Bryony Jarman-Pinto (Werkha) as well as regular collaborators, flautist Lisa Mallett, harpist Rachael Gladwin, koto player Keiko Kitamura, pianist Taz Modi, bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Luke Flowers (The Cinematic Orchestra) and two percussionists Sam Bell and Chris Cruiks. The result is arguably Halsall's finest record, asublime melding of stripped back soulful funk and deep, minimalist, spiritual jazz, that will take you on a journey deep into forever!
Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall is one of the rising stars of the UK jazz scene. His unique sound was brilliantly described as "Rain-streaked spiritual jazz from Manchester" by the Independent On Sunday and previous albums have found Halsall exploring the modal jazz of John and Alice Coltrane or paying heartfelt tribute to the hard bop of the late 50s and early 60s, but on 'Fletcher Moss Park' he offers his most personal statement yet.
Written and recorded over the last couple of years, 'Fletcher Moss Park' is inspired by one of Manchester's most beautiful places. A rambling, multi-tiered park of walkways and dreamy gardens that offers the contemplative Halsall a place of peace and respite from the city, a meditative space to think and write in. The stillness and beauty of the surroundings have steeped into his beautiful compositions for this album. Elegant and sincere, Halsall's compositions draw on his love of spiritual jazz, modern dance music and even his work with the award-winning Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band earlier this year. Halsall who has recently been exploring his music in a stripped-back, electronica influenced, trio (featuring Taz Modi and Luke Flowers who also appear here) as well as the 12 piece Gondwana Orchestra has always favoured an earthy honestly and direct communication over tricksy arrangements and it is this deceptively simple openness that gives his music such a unique flavour as the young composer and producer seeks to express his feelings and thoughts with his music.
'Fletcher Moss Park' opens with three tracks featuring saxophonist Nat Birchall, harpist Rachael Gladwin and pianist Adam Fairhall alongside bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Gaz Hughes all long running members of Halsall's sextet. The beautiful 'Cherry Blossom' opens with a nod to Alice Coltrane before exploring it's own contemplative trajectory, the title track features a gorgeous opening from harpist Gladwin and one of Halsall's trademark slow but foot tappingly catchy grooves, Mary Emma Louise is an elegant tribute to someone special and features some beautifully wistful playing from the composer. 'Sailing Out To Sea' and 'Wee Lan' offer a change in mood, two short interludes for violin (Holly Simpson and Davinder Singh), cello (Adrianne Wininsky) and double bass (Barras), Halsall chose not to play here feeling that the brief musical sketches caught his intentions perfectly. Finally the album closes with the two most recent compositions, the reposeful 'Sun In September' which features fine work from flautist Lisa Mallett, alongside pianist Taz Modi and drummer Luke Flowers and the uplifting 'Finding My Way', which with its compelling groove and fine drumming from Flowers (best known for his work with Cinematic Orchestra) offers a nod towards Halsall's love of contemporary electronic music as well as a hint of future projects. But as with the writing here you can be sure that wherever Halsall's muse takes him his music will remain heartfelt and life affirming in its elegant directness as he explores his own unique musical terrain that stretches from the bucolic stillness of 'Fletcher Moss Park' to a world far beyond!
Written and recorded over the last couple of years, 'Fletcher Moss Park' is inspired by one of Manchester's most beautiful places. A rambling, multi-tiered park of walkways and dreamy gardens that offers the contemplative Halsall a place of peace and respite from the city, a meditative space to think and write in. The stillness and beauty of the surroundings have steeped into his beautiful compositions for this album. Elegant and sincere, Halsall's compositions draw on his love of spiritual jazz, modern dance music and even his work with the award-winning Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band earlier this year. Halsall who has recently been exploring his music in a stripped-back, electronica influenced, trio (featuring Taz Modi and Luke Flowers who also appear here) as well as the 12 piece Gondwana Orchestra has always favoured an earthy honestly and direct communication over tricksy arrangements and it is this deceptively simple openness that gives his music such a unique flavour as the young composer and producer seeks to express his feelings and thoughts with his music.
'Fletcher Moss Park' opens with three tracks featuring saxophonist Nat Birchall, harpist Rachael Gladwin and pianist Adam Fairhall alongside bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Gaz Hughes all long running members of Halsall's sextet. The beautiful 'Cherry Blossom' opens with a nod to Alice Coltrane before exploring it's own contemplative trajectory, the title track features a gorgeous opening from harpist Gladwin and one of Halsall's trademark slow but foot tappingly catchy grooves, Mary Emma Louise is an elegant tribute to someone special and features some beautifully wistful playing from the composer. 'Sailing Out To Sea' and 'Wee Lan' offer a change in mood, two short interludes for violin (Holly Simpson and Davinder Singh), cello (Adrianne Wininsky) and double bass (Barras), Halsall chose not to play here feeling that the brief musical sketches caught his intentions perfectly. Finally the album closes with the two most recent compositions, the reposeful 'Sun In September' which features fine work from flautist Lisa Mallett, alongside pianist Taz Modi and drummer Luke Flowers and the uplifting 'Finding My Way', which with its compelling groove and fine drumming from Flowers (best known for his work with Cinematic Orchestra) offers a nod towards Halsall's love of contemporary electronic music as well as a hint of future projects. But as with the writing here you can be sure that wherever Halsall's muse takes him his music will remain heartfelt and life affirming in its elegant directness as he explores his own unique musical terrain that stretches from the bucolic stillness of 'Fletcher Moss Park' to a world far beyond!
TRACK LISTING
1. Cherry Blossom
2. Fletcher Moss Park
3. Mary Emma Louise
4. Sailing Out To Sea
5. Wee Lan (Little Orchid)
6. The Sun In September
7. Finding My Way
Composer, trumpeter, producer, DJ and founder of Gondwana Records, Matthew Halsall has always worn many hats. But at the heart of everything that he does Halsall is first and foremost an artist and a musician. A trumpeter whose unflashy, soulful playing radiates a thoughtful beauty and a composer and band-leader who has created his own rich sound world. A sound that draws on the heritage of British jazz, the spiritual jazz of Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, as well as world music and electronica influences, and even modern art and architecture, to create something uniquely his own. A music that is rooted in Northern England but draws on global inspirations.
Salute to the Sun is his first album as a leader since Into Forever (2015) and marks the debut of his new band. A hand-picked ensemble featuring some of Manchester’s finest young musicians: Matt Cliffe flute & saxophone, Maddie Herbert harp, Liviu Gheorghe piano, Alan Taylor drums and Jack McCarthy percussion as well as long-time Halsall collaborator, bassist, Gavin Barras who has been at the heart of Halsall’s bands for over a decade. For Matthew it was important to have a band based locally and able, pre-Covid, to meet and play each week, and who also performed a sold-out monthly basement session at Yes in Manchester. The album draws energy from these sessions and inspiration from themes and ideas that have inspired Halsall through the years (on albums such as Oneness, Fletcher Moss Park and When the World Was One) ideas of ecology, the environment and harmony with nature.
“I feel Salute to the Sun is a positive earthy album. I wanted to create something playful but also quite primitive, earthy and organic that connected to the sounds in nature. I was listening to lush ambient field recordings of tropical environments such as jungles and rainforests and found myself drawn to percussive atmospheric sounds which replicated what I was hearing (bells / shakers / chimes / rain sticks) and I started to experiment with more wooden percussive instruments such as kalimba and marimba”.
Salute to the Sun is his first album as a leader since Into Forever (2015) and marks the debut of his new band. A hand-picked ensemble featuring some of Manchester’s finest young musicians: Matt Cliffe flute & saxophone, Maddie Herbert harp, Liviu Gheorghe piano, Alan Taylor drums and Jack McCarthy percussion as well as long-time Halsall collaborator, bassist, Gavin Barras who has been at the heart of Halsall’s bands for over a decade. For Matthew it was important to have a band based locally and able, pre-Covid, to meet and play each week, and who also performed a sold-out monthly basement session at Yes in Manchester. The album draws energy from these sessions and inspiration from themes and ideas that have inspired Halsall through the years (on albums such as Oneness, Fletcher Moss Park and When the World Was One) ideas of ecology, the environment and harmony with nature.
“I feel Salute to the Sun is a positive earthy album. I wanted to create something playful but also quite primitive, earthy and organic that connected to the sounds in nature. I was listening to lush ambient field recordings of tropical environments such as jungles and rainforests and found myself drawn to percussive atmospheric sounds which replicated what I was hearing (bells / shakers / chimes / rain sticks) and I started to experiment with more wooden percussive instruments such as kalimba and marimba”.
TRACK LISTING
Harmony With Nature
Joyful Spirits Of The Universe
Canopy & Stars
Mindfulness Meditations
Tropical Landscapes
Salute To The Sun
The Energy Of Life
Between poignant introspection and bold sonic exploration, Yasmine Hamdan returns with ‘I remember I forget بنسى وبتذكر ’, a free-spirited and vibrant new album where memory, identity and personal commitment intertwine with grace.
A trailblazer of Arabic indie electronic pop and a key figure in the underground music scene, Hamdan blurs the lines between traditional sounds, electronic textures and hypnotic melodies.
‘I remember I forget بنسى وبتذكر ’ delves into the turmoil of her native Lebanon through poetic, universal writing, enriched by prestigious collaborations and a constant dialogue between past and present.
Co-produced with Marc Collin (Nouvelle Vague), the album captures the very essence of Yasmine Hamdan: a singular voice at the crossroads of cultures, capable of making the personal and the political dance in the same breath.
From her early days with the duo Soapkills to her solo releases on Crammed Discs, and collaborations with the likes of Mirwais and Jim Jarmusch, Yasmine Hamdan has forged a unique path, acclaimed worldwide. With ‘I remember I forget بنسى وبتذكر ’, she delivers a powerful, timely work, crafted to stir both hearts and minds.
A trailblazer of Arabic indie electronic pop and a key figure in the underground music scene, Hamdan blurs the lines between traditional sounds, electronic textures and hypnotic melodies.
‘I remember I forget بنسى وبتذكر ’ delves into the turmoil of her native Lebanon through poetic, universal writing, enriched by prestigious collaborations and a constant dialogue between past and present.
Co-produced with Marc Collin (Nouvelle Vague), the album captures the very essence of Yasmine Hamdan: a singular voice at the crossroads of cultures, capable of making the personal and the political dance in the same breath.
From her early days with the duo Soapkills to her solo releases on Crammed Discs, and collaborations with the likes of Mirwais and Jim Jarmusch, Yasmine Hamdan has forged a unique path, acclaimed worldwide. With ‘I remember I forget بنسى وبتذكر ’, she delivers a powerful, timely work, crafted to stir both hearts and minds.
TRACK LISTING
Hon هون
Shmaali شمالي
Shadia شادية
The Beautiful Losers الحلوين
الخسرانين
I Remember I Forget بنسى
وبتذكر
Vows سبع صنايع
Abyss حويك وزويك
Mor مر التجني
DAYA ضياع 3
Reminiscence غروب
Caught between the Canyon and the Caribbean, Cathy Hamer’s pair of extremely private LP’s got lost in the Me Decade’s hippy hangover. Tracked in ‘79 and ‘80 at Roanoke, Virginia’s custom bluegrass powerhouse Threshold Recordings, these 11 originals breeze through all colors— folk, country, yacht, etc—of the cosmic American rainbow. Remastered LP comes housed in a tip-on jacket with accompanying booklet of notes and the precious few photos that survived from Hamer’s brief time as a lady of the canyon, full of dreams and nowhere to go.
TRACK LISTING
1. Lady Full Of Dreams
2. The Hurt Is Still There
3. I’m Missing You
4. .Confusion Blues
5. December Dreaming
6. When I Fall In Love
7. Hypnotise
8. Promises
9. Untalkable Thoughts
10. Loving At The Feeling
11. Jackson Browne
"The Girl I Love" is undoubtedly pop, but with an added layer of substance beneath the appealing and fashionable exterior. A sure fire winner with a hook you could hang you coat on. What materializes is a blistering chorus that is completely owned by the playful vocals and gaudy brass. Hamfatter are a clear pop talent. Crispy clean music, soft vocal and sugary lyrics that address sugar-free subjects.
Peter Hammill first came to prominence as the founder member and voice of the legendary progressive rock group Van der Graaf Generator. Alongside his work with Van der Graaf Generator, Peter Hammill has enjoyed a long career as an innovative and ground-breaking solo artist. Beginning with his first solo album 'Fool’s Mate' in 1971, Peter recorded a series of acclaimed albums for both Charisma Records and Virgin Records covering a wide range of moods, but all undeniably and uniquely original and ground-breaking.
Peter Hammill’s work has been hailed by musicians such as John Lydon and David Bowie who expressed their admiration for his albums and his song writing.
This super deluxe box set comprises all 13 albums released by Charisma and Virgin, all newly remastered from the original master tapes, along with new 5.1 and stereo mixes of 'The Future Now' and 'pH7' by Stephen W Tayler, rare BBC sessions and live recordings and a Blu-ray video disc of rare previously unreleased European television performances.
Peter Hammill’s work has been hailed by musicians such as John Lydon and David Bowie who expressed their admiration for his albums and his song writing.
This super deluxe box set comprises all 13 albums released by Charisma and Virgin, all newly remastered from the original master tapes, along with new 5.1 and stereo mixes of 'The Future Now' and 'pH7' by Stephen W Tayler, rare BBC sessions and live recordings and a Blu-ray video disc of rare previously unreleased European television performances.
TRACK LISTING
CD1 - Fool’s Mate:
1. Imperial Zeppelin
2. Candle
3. Happy
4. Solitude
5. Vision
6. Re-Awakening
7. Sunshine
8. Child
9. Summer Song In The Autumn
10. Viking
11. The Birds
12. I Once Wrote Some Poems
13. Re-Awakening (demo)
14. Summer Song In The Autumn (demo)
15. The Birds (demo)
16. Sunshine (demo)
17. Happy (demo)
CD2 - Chameleon In The Shadow Of The Night:
1. German Overalls
2. Slender Threads
3. Rock And Role
4. In The End
5. What It’s Worth
6. Easy To Slip Away
7. Dropping The Torch
8. (In The) Black Room / The Tower
9. Rain 3am
10. Time For A Change
11. German Overalls
12. Easy To Slip Away
13. In The End
CD3 - The Silent Corner And The Empty Stage:
1. Modern
2. Wilhemina
3. The Lie (Bernini’s Saint Theresa)
4. Forsaken Gardens
5. Red Shift
6. Rubicon
7. A Louse Is Not A Home
CD4 - Live Recordings 1974:
1. Rubicon
2. Red Shift
3. Solitude
4. Time For A Change
5. The Birds
6. Out Of My Book
7. Slender Threads
8. German Overalls
CD5 - In Camera:
1. Ferret And Featherbird
2. (No More) The Sub Mariner
3. Tapeworm
4. Again
5. Faint Heart And The Sermon
6. The Comet, The Course, The Tail
7. Gog
8. Magog (In Bromine Chambers)
9. The Emperor In His War Room
10. Faint Heart And The Sermon
11. (No More) The Sub Mariner
CD6 - Nadir’s Big Chance:
1. Nadir’s Big Chance
2. The Institute Of Mental Health, Burning
3. Open Your Eyes
4. Nobody’s Business
5. Been Alone So Long
6. Pompeii
7. Shingle Song
8. Airport
9. People You Were Going To
10. Birthday Special
11. Two Or Three Spectres
CD7 - Over:
1. Crying Wolf
2. Autumn
3. Time Heals
4. Alice (Letting Go)
5. This Side Of The Looking Glass
6. Betrayed
7. (On Tuesday’s She Used To Do) Yoga
8. Lost And Found
9. Afterwards
10. Autumn
11. Betrayed
CD8 - The Future Now:
1. Pushing Thirty
2. The Second Hand
3. Trappings
4. The Mousetrap
5. Energy Vampires
6. If I Could
7. The Future Now
8. Still In The Dark
9. Mediaeval
10. A Motor-Bike In Africa
11. The Cut
12. Palinurus (Castaway)
CD9 - The All Souls Unitarian Church, Kansas City, USA 16th February 1978:
1. House With No Door
2. Time Heals
3. This Side Of The Looking Glass
4. My Room (Waiting For Wonderland)
5. Easy To Slip Away
6. Still Life
7. Lizard Play
8. Time For A Change
9. Been Alone So Long
10. Modern
11. If I Could
12. Last Frame
CD10 - The All Souls Unitarian Church, Kansas City, USA 16th February 1978:
1. The Comet, The Course, The Tail
2. The Lie (Bernini’s Saint Theresa)
3. The Mousetrap (Caught In)
4. In The End
5. Medley: A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers / The Sleepwalkers
6. Man-Erg
CD11 - pH7:
1. My Favourite
2. Careering
3. Porton Down
4. Mirror Images
5. Handicap And Equality
6. Not For Keith
7. The Old School Tie
8. Time For A Change
9. Imperial Walls
10. Mr X (Gets Tense)
11. Faculty X
12. Mediaeval / Time For A Change
13. Mr X (Gets Tense)
14. Faculty X
15. The Polaroid
CD12 - A Black Box:
1. Golden Promises
2. Losing Faith In Words
3. Jargon King
4. Fogwalking
5. The Spirit
6. In Slow Time
7. The Wipe
8. Flight
9. Flying Bird
10. The White Cave Fandango
11. Control
12. Cockpit
13. Silk Worm Wings
14. Nothing Is Nothing
15. A Black Box
CD13 - Sitting Targets:
1. Breakthrough
2. My Experience
3. Ophelia
4. Empress’s Clothes
5. Glue
6. Hesitation
7. Sitting Targets
8. Stranger Still
9. Sign
10. What I Did
11. Central Hotel
CD14 - The Love Songs:
1. Just Good Friends
2. My Favourite
3. Been Alone So Long
4. Ophelia
5. Again
6. If I Could
7. Vision
8. Don’t Tell Me
9. The Birds
10. (This Side Of) The Looking Glass
11. Just Good Friends (instrumental)
CD15 - Skin:
1. Skin
2. After The Show
3. Painting By Numbers
4. Shell
5. All Said And Done
6. A Perfect Date
7. Four Pails
8. Now Lover
9. You Hit Me Where I Live
CD16 - And Close As This:
1. Too Many Of My Yesterdays
2. Faith
3. Empire Of Delight
4. Silver
5. Beside The One You Love
6. Other Old Cliches
7. Confidence
8. Sleep Now
CD17 - The Future Now (Stephen W Tayler Stereo Remix:
1. Pushing Thirty
2. The Second Hand
3. Trappings
4. The Mousetrap (Caught In)
5. Energy Vampires
6. If I Could
7. The Future Now
8. Still In The Dark
9. Mediaeval
10. A Motor-Bike In Africa
11. The Cut
12. Palinurus (Castaway)
CD18 - PH7 (Stephen W Tayler Stereo Remix):
1. My Favourite
2. Careering
3. Porton Down
4. Mirror Images
5. Handicap And Equality
6. Not For Keith
7. The Old School Tie
8. Time For A Change
9. Imperial Walls
10. Mr X (Gets Tense)
11. Faculty X
Blu-ray - The Future Now (Stephen W Tayler High Resolution 5.1 Surround Sound Mix / New Stereo Remix) / pH7 (Stephen W Tayler High Resolution 5.1 Surround Sound Mix / New Stereo Remix)
Blu-ray - The Video Vaults
Numero’s Hottest Sounds Around trio gathers castaway late ’70s grooves from across the Greater Antilles. Stan Chaman’s Trinidadian Semp concern delivered Wilfred Luckie’s wobbly 'My Thing' and the Hamilton Brothers’ calypso-disco smash 'Music Makes The World Go 'Round' in 1978. Across the sea, Frank Penn’s G.B.I studio tracked Stephen Colebrook’s Doobies-inspired 'Stay Away From Music' for the cruise ship curious. All three are housed in a custom Numero sleeve inspired by Edward Seaga’s Caribbean music manufacturing and distribution powerhouse WIRL (West Indies Records Ltd.)
TRACK LISTING
1. Music Makes The World Go 'Round
2. Music Makes The World Go 'Round (Instrumental)
Roy Hamilton, Cosmo Bowen and Dennis Palmer go back a long way to the early 80's when they were members of a 9 piece funk outfit called Breeze - playing regularly Upstairs at Ronnie Scott's along with bands like Hi Tension and Gonzalez. In 1984 they linked up for this one and only 12" on their own HBS imprint - a laid-back stomper that has become in-demand on the UK soul/funk collectors scene - now given a fresh new cut & press thanks to Freestyle Records' 12" reissue initiative!
TRACK LISTING
1. Turn Up The Music
2. Turn Up The Music (Instrumental)
Ingo Hammer lands again on Industrial Lies with ‘Hammer to Fall’, the ultimate record for tough times.
As the apocalypse approaches, the mysterious European producer drops the hypnotic techno of ‘Lucky’ and the pulsating, bass heavy ‘Tenth Gen’.
Shifting focus, he delivers dubbed out sleazy disco on ‘Dirty Glow’ and explores gnarly, sewer electro with ‘Mind Control’
The world is burning and ‘Hammer to Fall’ is the soundtrack to the party at the end of the universe.
Limited edition of 100 vinyl copies.
Mastering by Tom Haunstein (Rand Muzik)
Artwork by Jonny Costello (Adult Art Club)
As the apocalypse approaches, the mysterious European producer drops the hypnotic techno of ‘Lucky’ and the pulsating, bass heavy ‘Tenth Gen’.
Shifting focus, he delivers dubbed out sleazy disco on ‘Dirty Glow’ and explores gnarly, sewer electro with ‘Mind Control’
The world is burning and ‘Hammer to Fall’ is the soundtrack to the party at the end of the universe.
Limited edition of 100 vinyl copies.
Mastering by Tom Haunstein (Rand Muzik)
Artwork by Jonny Costello (Adult Art Club)
STAFF COMMENTS
Matt says: High voltage body music from this relatively new shadow lurker. Worth the entrance fee for that "Dirty Glow" track alone. TIP!TRACK LISTING
A1. Lucky
A2. Dirty Glow
B1. Tenth Gen
B2. Mind Control
Following his incendiary debut, Ingo Hammer delivers four devilishly great burners on Industrial Lies. This time, his satanic majesty drops the sleazy, pulsating ‘Kneejerk’ and ‘Insane’, rewires body music with the robotic ‘Chinois’ before riding the D train to hell and back on the breakin’ ‘New York’.
Each one is a guaranteed dancefloor HAMMER (gerrit?!).
DJ support for ‘Hammer Time’ comes from I-f; Intergalactic Gary, Legowelt, Marcel Dettmann and Sunil Sharpe.
Limited edition of 100 vinyl copies.
Written & Produced by Ingo Hammer
Mastering by Tom Haunstein (Rand Muzik)
Artwork by Jonny Costello (Adult Art Club)
Industrial Lies is the offshoot label of Dublin house and techno imprint in First Cut. Established in 2023, the label is named after the B-side of Cybotron’s electro classic ‘Clear’. Industrial Lies shines a light on left-of-centre music from the past and present, including proto-Chicago house, ebm/industrial, electro and adjacent sounds.
Each one is a guaranteed dancefloor HAMMER (gerrit?!).
DJ support for ‘Hammer Time’ comes from I-f; Intergalactic Gary, Legowelt, Marcel Dettmann and Sunil Sharpe.
Limited edition of 100 vinyl copies.
Written & Produced by Ingo Hammer
Mastering by Tom Haunstein (Rand Muzik)
Artwork by Jonny Costello (Adult Art Club)
Industrial Lies is the offshoot label of Dublin house and techno imprint in First Cut. Established in 2023, the label is named after the B-side of Cybotron’s electro classic ‘Clear’. Industrial Lies shines a light on left-of-centre music from the past and present, including proto-Chicago house, ebm/industrial, electro and adjacent sounds.
STAFF COMMENTS
Matt says: Four shuddering and juddering EBM jaw shakers from this naughty little LIES offshoot. Sounds like a load of gremlins chunnering away on the circuit boards.TRACK LISTING
A1. Kneejerk
A2. Insane
B1. Chinois
B2. New York
Danish Artist Troels Hammer has released 5 albums to date, with his sixth House of Memories due out later this year. As yet there has only been a sampler 12” on vinyl. Therefore ‘An introduction’ LP is a compilation of tracks exclusive to Vinyl for fans and new listeners to enjoy.
Troels was discovered by the Danish producer Kenneth Bager in 2012 and has already gained great recognition for his music on both the Danish and the international scene
The style is instrumental and moving in the area between nu-classical, lounge, dance, ambience and electronica. When Troels Hammer sits down at the piano, the music flows through him and brings the audience in a mood that is both relaxed and intense. He himself says that he creates music you can go in and out of –and get carried away by.
Intermediation has been the centre of Troels Hammer’s entire professional life and also musically he is driven to set the tone for stories and touch elements recognizable to the audience. He can be experienced on stage alone, plays brilliantly with others and shares gladly stories about the music as a part of his performance.
Troels was discovered by the Danish producer Kenneth Bager in 2012 and has already gained great recognition for his music on both the Danish and the international scene
The style is instrumental and moving in the area between nu-classical, lounge, dance, ambience and electronica. When Troels Hammer sits down at the piano, the music flows through him and brings the audience in a mood that is both relaxed and intense. He himself says that he creates music you can go in and out of –and get carried away by.
Intermediation has been the centre of Troels Hammer’s entire professional life and also musically he is driven to set the tone for stories and touch elements recognizable to the audience. He can be experienced on stage alone, plays brilliantly with others and shares gladly stories about the music as a part of his performance.
TRACK LISTING
A1 Diário De Silêncio
A2 Cold Hawaii
A3 Fly Salmon Fly
A4 Bogotá
A5 Infinita Feat. Clara Valente
A6 View Of Wisdom
B1 Azur
B2 Unika 4 Feat. Rodrigo Sha
B3 Theme Frm Ngong Hills
B4 Run King - Piano Forte
B5 Father Sky
B6 Letters From Uhuru
For the first time ever, Peter has recorded a collection of cover versions. The songs come from a variety of musical worlds: Classical, American Songbook, Italian Pop and Tango. In all but three cases Peter has also translated the songs, from Italian, French and German. As strange a project as this might seem, there’s an overall sense of cohesiveness to it and it’s absolutely of this time. Two songs have lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein; the music for one is by Jerome Kern, the other by Richard Rodgers. Leiber and Stoller provided lyrics for “I who have nothing’, originally an Italian tune.
Three Italian songs are at the core of the album, written (and originally performed) by Fabrizio de Andre, Luigi Tenco and Piero Ciampi. The two tango pieces were composed by Astor Piazzolla. Finally, there are two classical songs, respectively by Faure and Mahler. In Peter’s own words…. “This collection seems to fit together as a group, not least because most of these songs are to do with measures of dislocation, of loss, of some kind of imagined or anticipated future which didn’t arrive. I was unfamiliar with several of these songs before I began this project. One discovery led on to another in some kind of paper trail. The back stories to the songs are interesting and some of the writers and singers had a spectacularly dramatic time of things. I doff my hat to these sometimes complicated lives. My approach has always been to make cultural rather than strictly linguistic translations, so that the spirit of the song rather than its precise narrative is rendered. I hope I’ve addressed the material, the writers, the original performers, with due and proper respect. Inevitably though there’s spin here: mine all mine.” “Finally, these recordings were made, of course, in the time of Covid and lockdown. But also in the knowledge that Brexit – in all its horror – was fast approaching. So these performances of, for the most part, European songs were my last as a European singer, with all the rights and privileges that has brought me for so many years.”
Three Italian songs are at the core of the album, written (and originally performed) by Fabrizio de Andre, Luigi Tenco and Piero Ciampi. The two tango pieces were composed by Astor Piazzolla. Finally, there are two classical songs, respectively by Faure and Mahler. In Peter’s own words…. “This collection seems to fit together as a group, not least because most of these songs are to do with measures of dislocation, of loss, of some kind of imagined or anticipated future which didn’t arrive. I was unfamiliar with several of these songs before I began this project. One discovery led on to another in some kind of paper trail. The back stories to the songs are interesting and some of the writers and singers had a spectacularly dramatic time of things. I doff my hat to these sometimes complicated lives. My approach has always been to make cultural rather than strictly linguistic translations, so that the spirit of the song rather than its precise narrative is rendered. I hope I’ve addressed the material, the writers, the original performers, with due and proper respect. Inevitably though there’s spin here: mine all mine.” “Finally, these recordings were made, of course, in the time of Covid and lockdown. But also in the knowledge that Brexit – in all its horror – was fast approaching. So these performances of, for the most part, European songs were my last as a European singer, with all the rights and privileges that has brought me for so many years.”
TRACK LISTING
1 The Folks Who Live On The Hill
2 Hotel Supramonte
3 Oblivion
4 Ciao Amore
5 This Nearly Was Mine
6 After A Dream
7 Ballad For My Death
8 I Who Have Nothing
9 Il Vino
10 Lost To The World
Hammok were far from home and yet had finally found where they belonged. Somewhere in the middle of Europe, vocalist/guitarist Tobias Osland began writing a new song, reflecting on the international hardcore communities that had embraced the band with open arms. He and his bandmates — drummer Ferdinand Aasheim and bassist Ole Benjamin Thomassen — were overwhelmed, stepping out from Oslo’s small, tight-knit alternative circles and meeting fans across the continent. Osland carried this new song with him on the road, titling it “The Scene” as he sang: “When does a space become a scene, when does this place become our scene.” He immediately knew it would become the title of Hammok’s new album. When Does This Place Become Our Scene, the trio’s sophomore outing and first release for Sargent House, captures three musicians who once felt outside looking in — now stepping fully into their own.
Osland and Aasheim first cut their teeth together as pre-teens playing pop-punk and hanging out at a skatepark in their hometown an hour outside Oslo. They were in and out of other projects, eventually meeting Thomassen in a band that collapsed around the pandemic. Just before lockdown, and now in their 20s, the three moved in together, and spent their time in isolation launching Hammok as we now know it. While live shows are usually paramount for bands in heavy music, Hammok didn’t have the option to perform in public. They learned how to be a band together by writing and recording, yielding a new sense of adventurousness in their music. “You begin to think sonically, in layers and production, instead of in breakdowns that will make people mosh and go crazy,” Osland explains. On When Does This Place Become Our Scene, their idiosyncratic blend of pop production, the vivacious energy of hardcore, and experimental textures fully blossoms, placing them on the vanguard of forward-thinking punk.
Most of the songs arrived fast in an inspired burst, but the recording was laborious, with Osland calling the production efforts “the hardest thing I’ve done in my life.” Armed with a set of impressive demos and tasked with refining and expanding their sound, Hammok tweaked and explored until they arrived at something that held all their impulses at once — volatile, hook-driven, and dense with detail. They pushed their noise-rock, hardcore and metal foundations into broader, more dynamic territory weaving industrial abrasion, hip-hop pulse, synth textures, and progressive turns into classic punk urgency. Lyrically, When Does This Place Become Our Scene grapples with existing in hardcore’s lineage and social politics, but also broader paradigms, like coming of age in an era shaped by hyperconnection and digital life. In balancing the polarities of underground intensity and pop sensibility, they arrived at an album equal parts scream-along cathartic and nod-along infectious.
To Hammok, the twists and turns cohere into a journey, a process of reaching out further for connection. “A central idea was: What does it mean to be alone?” Osland says. “Is it a strength? Do you feel a part of something? A community?” When Does This Place Become Our Scene is an invitation — the sound of a band pouring all of themselves into this new music, promising an audience that this communication, this back and forth, is a worthwhile exchange.
Osland and Aasheim first cut their teeth together as pre-teens playing pop-punk and hanging out at a skatepark in their hometown an hour outside Oslo. They were in and out of other projects, eventually meeting Thomassen in a band that collapsed around the pandemic. Just before lockdown, and now in their 20s, the three moved in together, and spent their time in isolation launching Hammok as we now know it. While live shows are usually paramount for bands in heavy music, Hammok didn’t have the option to perform in public. They learned how to be a band together by writing and recording, yielding a new sense of adventurousness in their music. “You begin to think sonically, in layers and production, instead of in breakdowns that will make people mosh and go crazy,” Osland explains. On When Does This Place Become Our Scene, their idiosyncratic blend of pop production, the vivacious energy of hardcore, and experimental textures fully blossoms, placing them on the vanguard of forward-thinking punk.
Most of the songs arrived fast in an inspired burst, but the recording was laborious, with Osland calling the production efforts “the hardest thing I’ve done in my life.” Armed with a set of impressive demos and tasked with refining and expanding their sound, Hammok tweaked and explored until they arrived at something that held all their impulses at once — volatile, hook-driven, and dense with detail. They pushed their noise-rock, hardcore and metal foundations into broader, more dynamic territory weaving industrial abrasion, hip-hop pulse, synth textures, and progressive turns into classic punk urgency. Lyrically, When Does This Place Become Our Scene grapples with existing in hardcore’s lineage and social politics, but also broader paradigms, like coming of age in an era shaped by hyperconnection and digital life. In balancing the polarities of underground intensity and pop sensibility, they arrived at an album equal parts scream-along cathartic and nod-along infectious.
To Hammok, the twists and turns cohere into a journey, a process of reaching out further for connection. “A central idea was: What does it mean to be alone?” Osland says. “Is it a strength? Do you feel a part of something? A community?” When Does This Place Become Our Scene is an invitation — the sound of a band pouring all of themselves into this new music, promising an audience that this communication, this back and forth, is a worthwhile exchange.
TRACK LISTING
1. The Scene
2. Semi-Automatic Machines
3. Gooning for Free
4. Blast Off (Blast Off) Blast Off
5. BANG
6. Groundbreaker
7. Tap Water
8. CND
9. Thirst
10. When the Kids Are Too Old to Cause a Scene
11. Confidence of a Beaten Horse
12. For My Friends
Albert Hammond Jr’s fourth solo album Francis Trouble explores a deeply personal topic – the stillborn death of his twin brother, Francis, and the lingering effects that event has had in his life and music.
In November of 1979, Hammond Jr’s mother, Claudia, miscarried. Although they rushed to the hospital, Claudia and Albert Hammond Sr. were told that the baby was far too premature to live. Albert continued to grow inside of his mother undetected until she was nearly six months pregnant. Although he had always known of the existence of Francis, it was not until he was 36 years old that he learned from an aunt that part of Francis had remained behind in the womb and was born along side him – a fingernail. With his music moving in a different path than before, Hammond Jr wondered if this new direction came from another avenue of himself, perhaps emanating from whatever he and the departed Francis had shared for the few short months they had together.
Taking a page from Bowie, Hammond Jr says: “What the music says may be serious, but as a medium it should not be questioned, analyzed or taken too seriously. I think it should be tarted up, made into a character, a parody of itself. The music is the mask the message wears and I, the performer, am the message.” Working within this mentality, Hammond Jr created Francis Trouble, an homage to both the death of his twin and his own birth, as well as the complexities of identity that arise because of their intermingling.
The number 36 became especially relevant, as he had learned more of Francis’s story at that age, and because he was born on the 9th day of the 4th month of the year. Significantly, the album is exactly 36 minutes long.
In November of 1979, Hammond Jr’s mother, Claudia, miscarried. Although they rushed to the hospital, Claudia and Albert Hammond Sr. were told that the baby was far too premature to live. Albert continued to grow inside of his mother undetected until she was nearly six months pregnant. Although he had always known of the existence of Francis, it was not until he was 36 years old that he learned from an aunt that part of Francis had remained behind in the womb and was born along side him – a fingernail. With his music moving in a different path than before, Hammond Jr wondered if this new direction came from another avenue of himself, perhaps emanating from whatever he and the departed Francis had shared for the few short months they had together.
Taking a page from Bowie, Hammond Jr says: “What the music says may be serious, but as a medium it should not be questioned, analyzed or taken too seriously. I think it should be tarted up, made into a character, a parody of itself. The music is the mask the message wears and I, the performer, am the message.” Working within this mentality, Hammond Jr created Francis Trouble, an homage to both the death of his twin and his own birth, as well as the complexities of identity that arise because of their intermingling.
The number 36 became especially relevant, as he had learned more of Francis’s story at that age, and because he was born on the 9th day of the 4th month of the year. Significantly, the album is exactly 36 minutes long.
TRACK LISTING
1. DVSL
2. Far Away Truths
3. Muted Beatings
4. Set To Attack
5. Tea For Two
6. Stop And Go
7. Screamer
8. Rocky’s Late Night
9. Strangers
10. Harder, Harder, Harder
Pop/rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. is the lead & rhythm guitarist and songwriting member of the GRAMMY® and BRIT Awards-winning band The Strokes. He has released 4 solo albums to date, most recently the acclaimed “Francis Trouble” in 2018 which spawned the radio single “Far Away Truths”. In the 4 years, since then, The Strokes released their US Top 10 charting GRAMMY® nominated rock record “The New Abnormal” and toured the world extensively. Albert also began the songwriting process for his 5th solo album “Melodies on Hiatus”, a 19-track album, crafted in a most experimental style. Albert teamed up with his writing partner, Canadian songwriter, and poet Simon Wilcox (whom he never met during the process) and had lengthy conversations via the telephone; Simon would jot down notes from Albert’s stream of consciousness, and draft the lyrics on her typewriter, and drop them into his letterbox! Albert then added the lyrics to the melodies he had already crafted. The songwriting process became a long distant “anonymous love affair of ideas & lyrics.” The album covers themes of childhood, surviving adolescence, adulthood, vulnerability, fame, relationship with self and others, and is Albert’s “deconstructed broken down ego reaction” to “Francis Trouble.” The album also features songs with GoldLink, Matt Helders (of the Arctic Monkeys), Steve Stevens and Rainsford, and was mixed by Tony Hoffer (known for his work with Beck, Air, M83, The Kooks, Fitz and the Tantrums, Metric, Chromeo, etc.) and mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters (Paramore, Spoon, Tame Impala, Jimmy Eat World, Peanut Butter Wolfe).
TRACK LISTING
Disc: 1
1. Libertude
2. 100-99 (ft. Goldlink)
3. Memo Of Hate
4. Downtown Fred
5. Old Man
6. Home Again
7. I Got You
8. Darlin'
9. 5. Thoughtful Distress (ft. Matt Helders & Steve Stevens)
Disc: 2
1. Fast Kitten
2. Caught By Night
3. I'd Never Leave
4. Dead Air
5. One Chance
6. Never Stop
7. False Alarm
8. 13. Remember (ft. Rainsford)
9. 818
10. 19. Alright Tomorrow (ft. Rainsford)
The Guy Hamper Trio Feat. James Taylor
Taulkinham, Tennessee / 'A Surprise To You, No Surprise To Me
Spinout Nuggets
The Guy Hamper Trio was formed by Billy Childish, after a chat with his friend James Taylor. Billy and James had played respectively in The Milkshakes and The Prisoners, often sharing the same bill in the early 80's, leading to Billy's blues ensemble The Natural Born Lovers being the support act for the early shows of The James Taylor Quartet.
The Guy Hamper Trio is: Billy Childish (a.k.a. Guy Hamper) on guitar, his wife Julie on bass and Wolf on drums - who as it happens was the drummer in the original incarnation of JTQ - and of course features James Taylor on Hammond organ. The Guy Hamper Trio provide a bottom end, Blues-influenced instrumental mayhem for those unafraid of dirt, germs and true grime. With no particular wish other than to be recognised as the best at playing badly, they refuse to obey the usual rules of combat and music.
On this very record we have 'Taulkinham, Tennessee' on Face A, with 'A Surprise To You, No Surprise To Me' on Face B. Once again, after consultation with experts in the field, it was decreed that for the enjoyment of Mods, jive experts, lost revellers, and those prone to frequent discotheques, these tracks needed to be on a 7" single and made available throughout England, the UK, Europe, the USA, Timbuktu and indeed Penzance.
The Guy Hamper Trio is: Billy Childish (a.k.a. Guy Hamper) on guitar, his wife Julie on bass and Wolf on drums - who as it happens was the drummer in the original incarnation of JTQ - and of course features James Taylor on Hammond organ. The Guy Hamper Trio provide a bottom end, Blues-influenced instrumental mayhem for those unafraid of dirt, germs and true grime. With no particular wish other than to be recognised as the best at playing badly, they refuse to obey the usual rules of combat and music.
On this very record we have 'Taulkinham, Tennessee' on Face A, with 'A Surprise To You, No Surprise To Me' on Face B. Once again, after consultation with experts in the field, it was decreed that for the enjoyment of Mods, jive experts, lost revellers, and those prone to frequent discotheques, these tracks needed to be on a 7" single and made available throughout England, the UK, Europe, the USA, Timbuktu and indeed Penzance.
TRACK LISTING
1. Taulkinham, Tennessee
2. A Surprise To You, No Surprise To Me
The Guy Hamper Trio is: Billy Childish (a.k.a. Guy Hamper) on guitar, his wife Julie on bass and Wolf on drums - who as it happens was the drummer in the original incarnation of JTQ - and of course features James Taylor on Hammond organ. Here we have twelve fine songs of bottom end, blues-influenced instrumental mayhem, with something bold, something new, something borrowed, something blues!
'Language Of The Birds' LP was recorded solo shortly after completing 'Galaxies Like Grains Of Sand' and 'The Honey Bear' with jazz pianist Greg Foat. 'Language Of The Birds' is noticeably influenced by Warrens love of walking the countryside and woodlands on the Isle of Wight. It's also influenced by his interest in Catastrophism/ Extinction events and the use of Symbolism employed in the Art, Architecture and Writings used to communicate knowledge of such events to subsequent civilizations.
Warrens personal folk musings hint at 60s Psychedelic Folk but with a deeper connection to nature and the part we all play within it, it's impossible not to be drawn into his music and artwork which provokes memories of old children's books, Fairy tales, and the transportive paintings associated with them.
Warrens personal folk musings hint at 60s Psychedelic Folk but with a deeper connection to nature and the part we all play within it, it's impossible not to be drawn into his music and artwork which provokes memories of old children's books, Fairy tales, and the transportive paintings associated with them.
TRACK LISTING
1. Eve Of The Deluge
2. The Falling Rain
3. Zep Tepi
4. Then It Was Gone
5. From Lonely Hours
6. I Just Didn't Think You'd Care
7. Autumn's Draw
8. They Glide The Hills
9. Only A Moment
10. Wu Wei
Existing in a liminal space between genres, 'INTERLUDE', the second album from composer, pianist and now singer HANAKIV is as mysterious as it’s seductively unconventional, with piano, often prepared, only one of its elements, both analogue and electronic. First inspired by “those crystallised moments where time almost stands still, pain hasn’t yet fully set in, and happiness is still just a glimpse,” it provides, all the same, “a sense of hope that standing still is part of living.” In its making, HANAKIV has created a space that allows her to address feelings long buried, whether the grief behind the lead single ‘Sunbeams’, where staccato rhythms punctuate murmured vocals; the eerie apparitions obscuring the innocence of ‘Lastele’, originally intended as a lullaby for her nephews; or the poignant torpor behind ‘May Song’s brittle blur of harmony and percussive pizzicatos.
'INTERLUDE’s range is further intimated by its contributors, including Portico Quartet’s Milo Fitzpatrick, who, as well as playing double bass throughout, co-wrote the refreshed long-term live favourite, ‘Intro’, and the eloquent closer, Stillness’. Also present are saxophonist Pille-Rite Rei, cellist Joanna Gutowska, violinist Gabriel Green, and PIKE on drums, helping capture the instances HANAKIV calls “in- betweens”. Among these are two sunny mornings, years apart, during which the strangely forlorn yet haunting ‘Hommikud’ coalesced.
Another significant turning point came with the writing of ‘Numb’. “Before then,” she confesses, “I was under the impression I was making music about stillness. This made me realise it was about numbness instead, and how easy it is to mix them up.” Listening to it, one gets a sense of what she means: though built around cascading piano lines, its tranquillity is undercut by unsettling swathes of cello strings, leaving the listener dazed. “I’d thought I was fine and functional,” she elaborates, “but I realised I wasn’t feeling. I wasn’t really living my life.”
Back then, having completed a master’s degree in Electroacoustic Composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, she’d left behind her familiar instrument for internships in Malmö and Reykyavik.
After a while, albeit only appreciated in hindsight, it was as though a part of her had perished.
Finally able to play whenever she liked again, reignited her imagination, working on her own terms, all of it at home. “I could literally record at midnight,” she laughs. “There's a lot of felt on the piano due to neighbours and housemates, but I worked constantly, changing what I wanted. It was amazing, if I'm honest!”
This shift in emphasis empowered by the one instrument on which she could rely, lies at 'INTERLUDE’s heart. Nowhere is this illustrated more elegantly than in its final two pieces, which bring resolution and redemption in the insistent unfurling of ‘January Song’ and a crowning closure with ‘Stillness’.
Yet ultimately that’s exactly what HANAKIV does here, and in a world unlike any other. Unpredictable, unfathomable, candid and carefree, 'INTERLUDE' embodies flaws embraced as well as senses regained. After all, pianos come with a key. “That’s why,” she concludes, “'INTERLUDE' has so much life. It's not only about numbness. It’s about what’s on the other side.
'INTERLUDE’s range is further intimated by its contributors, including Portico Quartet’s Milo Fitzpatrick, who, as well as playing double bass throughout, co-wrote the refreshed long-term live favourite, ‘Intro’, and the eloquent closer, Stillness’. Also present are saxophonist Pille-Rite Rei, cellist Joanna Gutowska, violinist Gabriel Green, and PIKE on drums, helping capture the instances HANAKIV calls “in- betweens”. Among these are two sunny mornings, years apart, during which the strangely forlorn yet haunting ‘Hommikud’ coalesced.
Another significant turning point came with the writing of ‘Numb’. “Before then,” she confesses, “I was under the impression I was making music about stillness. This made me realise it was about numbness instead, and how easy it is to mix them up.” Listening to it, one gets a sense of what she means: though built around cascading piano lines, its tranquillity is undercut by unsettling swathes of cello strings, leaving the listener dazed. “I’d thought I was fine and functional,” she elaborates, “but I realised I wasn’t feeling. I wasn’t really living my life.”
Back then, having completed a master’s degree in Electroacoustic Composition at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, she’d left behind her familiar instrument for internships in Malmö and Reykyavik.
After a while, albeit only appreciated in hindsight, it was as though a part of her had perished.
Finally able to play whenever she liked again, reignited her imagination, working on her own terms, all of it at home. “I could literally record at midnight,” she laughs. “There's a lot of felt on the piano due to neighbours and housemates, but I worked constantly, changing what I wanted. It was amazing, if I'm honest!”
This shift in emphasis empowered by the one instrument on which she could rely, lies at 'INTERLUDE’s heart. Nowhere is this illustrated more elegantly than in its final two pieces, which bring resolution and redemption in the insistent unfurling of ‘January Song’ and a crowning closure with ‘Stillness’.
Yet ultimately that’s exactly what HANAKIV does here, and in a world unlike any other. Unpredictable, unfathomable, candid and carefree, 'INTERLUDE' embodies flaws embraced as well as senses regained. After all, pianos come with a key. “That’s why,” she concludes, “'INTERLUDE' has so much life. It's not only about numbness. It’s about what’s on the other side.
TRACK LISTING
1. Intro
2. Sunbeams
3. Numb
4. Hommikud
5. Liikumatult
6. Ma Langen
7. May Song
8. Lõpulau
9. Lastele
10. January Song
11. Stillness
Revisiting some classic jazz compositions, Coltrane's "Naima" and "Transition" as well as Hancock's own "The Sorcerer" amongst them, Brecker, Hargrove and Hancock turn in a evocation of the spirit of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, recorded live in concert at Toronto's Massey Hall. Supported by a rhythm section of Brian Blade and John Patitucci, they have produced a remarkable homage to the 'new direction' in jazz led by Coltrane and Davis in the 50s and 60s.
Takin' Off was pianist Herbie Hancock's debut album as leader and one that produced his biggest hit 'Watermelon Man', which made it to the Top 100 on the pop charts. The tune would later become a jazz standard after being covered by Mongo Santamaria and many other notable musicians. Featuring a programme of all original compositions by Herbie Hancock , he's backed by an all- star ensemble featuring Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins.
Includes the bonus tracks 'You're My Everything' and 'Prophet Jennings'.
Includes the bonus tracks 'You're My Everything' and 'Prophet Jennings'.
TRACK LISTING
1. Watermelon Man
2. Three Bags Full
3. Empty Pockets
4. The Maze
5. Driftin'
6. Alone and I
7. Watermelon Man (Alternate Take)
8. Three Bags Full (Alternate Take)
9. Empty Pockets (Alternate Take)
10. Like Someone in Love
Meg Duffy of Hand Habits wrote new album Blue Reminder as a reaction to what one does when happiness actually comes knocking. After years of collaborating and touring with musicians like Kevin Morby and Perfume Genius, Duffy still draws on the solace of that community, but takes center stage, with their most assured, classic songwriting yet against a backstop of nuanced instrumentation and moving testimony. The record is a celebration of commitment: to being a more honest version of yourself, driven by a romantic love that recognizes the beauty of imperfection. Lead single “Wheel of Change” is perhaps the most joyous and anthemic song Duffy has ever made, with a chorus that remains stuck in your head, but the record as a whole traverses a myriad of emotions where the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been.
TRACK LISTING
1. More Today
2. Wheel Of Change
3. Nubble
4. Dead Rat
5. Jasmine Blossoms
6. Way It Goes
7. (Forgiveness)
8. Beauty 62
9. Bluebird Of Happiness
10. Blue Reminder
11. Quiet Summer
12. Living Proof
Hand Habits, the project of Los Angeles-based musician Meg Duffy (they/them),presents a new collection of songs titled Sugar The Bruise.
Inspired by month-long songwriting class Duffy taught in the summer of 2021, they re-discovered, with newfound clarity, the generative capacity of embracing the unknown, and how essential collaboration and improvisation are for accessing the indescribable.
Working with Luke Temple (Here We Go Magic, Art Feynman) and Philip Weinrobe (Adrienne Lenker, Cass McCombs), Duffy surrendered to the present moment, trusting that whatever sounds and words emerged were meant to emerge. With additional production, engineering and arranging from Jeremy Harris, Duffy created something which, in their words, “turned out nothing like I’d imagined it would.”
Inspired by month-long songwriting class Duffy taught in the summer of 2021, they re-discovered, with newfound clarity, the generative capacity of embracing the unknown, and how essential collaboration and improvisation are for accessing the indescribable.
Working with Luke Temple (Here We Go Magic, Art Feynman) and Philip Weinrobe (Adrienne Lenker, Cass McCombs), Duffy surrendered to the present moment, trusting that whatever sounds and words emerged were meant to emerge. With additional production, engineering and arranging from Jeremy Harris, Duffy created something which, in their words, “turned out nothing like I’d imagined it would.”
TRACK LISTING
1. Something Wrong
2. The Gift Of The Human Curse
3. Andy In Stereo
4. Private Life
5. The Book On How To Change Part 3
6. The Bust Of Nefertiti
Originally released in 2003, Singing Bones is the sixth album from Brett Sparks and Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family, marking their first recordings after relocating from Chicago to Albuquerque—a move that infused their sound with desert heat, noir atmosphere, and a distinctly “Western Gothic” edge. The album gained global recognition when “Far From Any Road” became the theme to True Detective, reaching millions of listeners worldwide, and now returns newly remastered and, for the first time in Europe, on vinyl.
TRACK LISTING
Disc: 1
1. The Forgotten Lake
2. Gail With The Golden Hair
3. 24-Hour Store
4. The Bottomless Hole
5. Far From Any Road
6. If The World Should End In Fire
7. A Shadow Underneath
8. Dry Bones
9. Fallen Peaches
10. Whitehaven
11. Sleepy
12. The Song Of A Hundred Toads
13. If The World Should End In Ice
Disc: 2 (Bonus CD available with both formats)
1. The Forgotten Lake - demo
2. Gail With The Golden Hair - demo
3. 24-Hour Store - demo
4. The Bottomless Hole - demo
5. Whitehaven - demo
6. 24-Hour Store - live
7. Dry Bones - live
8. Far From Any Road - live
9. The Forgotten Lake - live
10. The Bottomless Hole - live
11. Song of A Hundred Toads - live
12. Far From Any Road - live
On their new roots rock album, 'Barnburners!', Handsome Jack keep their sound raw and rugged, delivering a seamless yet unpolished blend of classic rock, swamp rock, and blues that feels instantly familiar while remaining personal and authentic. Fronted by the soulful vocals and remarkable guitar skills of Jamison Passuite, with Joey Verdonselli and Bennie Hayes anchoring a killer rhythm section and handling backing vocals, the Lockport, NY trio taps into the DNA of that old-time rock n’ roll and gets the party started. Roots rock hasn’t sounded this good in a long time!
TRACK LISTING
1. Barnburner
2. Tonight We Ride
3. It’s Only Business
4. Polk Salad Annie
5. Blue Falls Motel
6. Do It! To It!
7. I’m Hooked
8. Poly Molly
9. Let’s Go Downtown
10. Ghost Woman
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