THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

I Am... The Autobiography, the long sought-after bootleg released commercially for the first time.Features2 unreleased tracks, as well as many other rarities that have been on limited vinyl and 12"previously, as well as deluxe packaging. A must-have for any Nas and die-hard Hip Hop head!

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Fetus
2. Small World
3. Money Is My Bitch

Side B
1. Project Windows
2. Poppa Was A Playa
3. Dr. Knockboots(Doe’s And Don’t)

Side C
1. Day Dreamin’Stay Schemin’****
2. Sometimes I Wonder (feat. Nature)
3. Hardest Thing To Do Is Stay Alive****
4. Drunk By Myself

Side D
1. I Wanna Play***
2. Blaze A 50
3. We Will Survive

Love Record Stores Edition available instore from 10am on Saturday September 4th, any remaining copies will be available on online from 9pm on the same day.
Limited to one per person.

Nanocluster Vol 1. is an album with some serious pedigree. It sees Immersion (aka Malka Spigel and Colin Newman of influential groups Minimal Compact and Wire respectively) collaborating with some of the finest left field artists of our era: Tarwater, Laetitia Sadier, Ulrich Schnauss and Scanner. The project was born out of a Brighton based club night, also called Nanocluster, run by Spigel and Newman alongside writer, broadcaster and DJ Graham Duff, and promoter Andy Rossiter. The club features a range of influential and cutting edge music acts. But the unique aspect of the evenings is that each show climaxes with a one off collaboration between Immersion and the headliners. The songs having been written and recorded in the studio in just three days prior to the performance - or one day in the case of Schnauss. “It could have just been a series of performances.” Says Newman.
 “But the fact that we had built the tracks in the studio for the performances means we had these recordings.” Says Spigel. The recordings have since been developed with Immersion heading up pro- duction duties. The result is a beautiful and unique album.
 “I think the really interesting thing is how different everybody is,” says Spigel. “Both as people and creatively.”
Immersion and Tarwater
The German duo of Ronald Lippok and Bernd Jestram have created an impressive body of work. Yet their involvement with Immersion has opened out their sound, creating a more panoramic soundscape. The opening instrumental ‘Ripples’ is a gentle breathe of optimism, all purring tones and sun dazzled synths. Meanwhile, ‘Mrs. Wood’ is a dubby psychedelic shuffle, Lippok’s vocal cool and assured over a fat bass line and skybound eastern melodics. It feels like a more spacious take on the Tarwater of albums such as ‘Suns, Animals and Atoms‘. The four musicians’ 3rd collaboration is Nanocluster’s most pop moment: with a heartfelt yet unsentimental lyric unfurling over feline rhythms, ‘All You Cat Lovers’ is a feel-good anthem for cat lovers everywhere.
Immersion and Laetitia Sadier
An original and distinctive presence in contemporary music, Sadier made her name with the inimitable Stereolab, but she’s also created several impressive solo works. The instrumental ‘Unclustered’ sees Sadier’s spidery guitar weaving through Immersion’s lush web of synths drones. The following ‘Uncensored’ has a subtle melodic tug with a classic Spigel guitar line underpinning Sadier’s sweet yet worldly wise vocal. ‘Riding the Wave’ is another feel good song, swapping between Newman’s plaintive vocal, and Spigel’s vocal and Sadier’s backing vocals. With its uplifting chorus: ‘Things have a way of working out’ ‘Riding The Wave’ feels like it might be the sound of the summer we’ve all been waiting for.
Immersion & Ulrich Schnauss
A highly respected solo artist, as well as being a member of Tangerine Dream, Schnauss’ skill with electronics is legendary.
The opening ‘Remember Those Days On The Road’ skips along on a rimshot rhythm with Spigel’s honeyed vocal telling a tale of life on tour. Yet it is far removed from such usual fare. This feels vulnerable and flecked with melancholy. ’Skylarks’ opens with a lattice of arpeggios before a gently nag- ging guitar enters and everything takes a turn for the sublime. ‘So Much Green’ is everything you’d hope a collaboration between Newman, Spigel and Schnauss could be. A constantly spiralling urban-kosmisch, with Spigel’s plangent bass anchoring the celestial sounds. The addition of her wordless backing vocals and recordings of real birdsong only serve to elevate the mood further.
Immersion & Scanner
Scanner - aka Robin Rimbaud - is one of the most prolific and diverse artists currently working in contemporary music. Spigel and Newman have of course collaborated extensively with Rimbaud before: alongside Max Franken in the art-pop group Githead. But this is something very different. Their opening piece together: ‘Cataliz’ is the album’s moodiest moment. With its serpentine synth drones it sounds like the soundtrack to a mysterious thriller. The rich pulsing ‘Metrosphere’ recalls Immersion’s early work whilst adding another layer of grainy uncertainty. The closing ‘The Mundane and the Profound’ opens with a “Rimbaud scanned” recording of an irritated flight attendant but this is eventually subsumed by a simple yet emotive piano figure: a gentle and touching end to a unique collection of songs.
Nanocluster Vol.1 is a testament to a remarkable synergy between a diverse assembly of strongly individual talents. The fact that it not only succeeds, but excels should be cause for celebration. 

TRACK LISTING

Immersion, Tarwater. 1. Ripples // 2. Mrs. Wood // 3. All You Cat Lovers
Immersion, Laetitia Sadier. 4. Unclustered // 5. Uncencored // 6. Riding The Wave
Immersion, Ulrich Schnauss. 7. Remember Those Days On The Road // 8. Skylarks // 9. So Much Green
Immersion, Scanner. 10. Cataliz // 11. Metrosphere // 12. The Mundane And The Profound

Continuing their rich vein of form, Mannequin Records present a LP compilation of Michael Antener (Swamp Terrorist) early 80's minimal synth/industrial projects Nacht'raum (with Michael Stämpfli) and, as solo, Bande Berne Crematoire.
Heavily influenced by the works of SPK and Nocturnal Emissions, Michael Antener made his first recordings in the basement of his parents house in a small village nearby Bern, Utzensdorf. He started BBC in 1980, a hybrid of Neue Deutsch Welle and noise/experimental, making a household name in the international home recording scene of the time and participating to many tape compilations.
Teaming up with Michael Stämpfli as Nacht’raum, he self-released the untitled mini-lp in 1983. Coming out from the same town of Grauzone, the duo moved into the darkest minimal electronic sounds, choosing German as main language for the lyrics and a Roland Tr-808 as main drum machine, bringing the sound to a proto-electro dimension. Nacth’raum will be historically a real gem in the 80's Swiss underground electronic music, together with Mittageisen, Grauzone, Liliput, The Vyllies.
Michael, by the way, later teamed up with Ane Hebeisen and they went by the name of Swamp Terrorists, releasing seven albums and touring throughout the world until the end of the nineties. At the end of the nineties he sold all his instruments and became independent as a graphic artist. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Viva Espana
2. Tiere Schreit
3. Kranzo Roses
4. Rosa Bernet
5. Sahel Passe
6. Ich Muss
7. Maria Tanz - Maria Flieg
8. Consume
9. Menschwirtschaft
10. Ende
11. Plastiktraume
12. Nachstes Jahr 

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2020 RELEASE AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY AS PART OF THE AUGUST 29TH DROP DAY AT 6PM.
LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

Red colour vinyl.Limited to 500 copies.A seminal work now available for the first time on vinyl! MOJO "Chamber pop pastoralists make great leap forward...Who knew that what the music of Steve Reich has been crying out for all these years is a Krautrock makeover?" North Sea Radio Orchestra; born in the alleys and lanes of the City of London, then spreading out across the metropolis, performing shows in churches, concert halls, galleries and festivals, two album releases with glowing reviews and several BBC6 sessions.This is their third album; 'I a moon'. Written throughout the Autumn and Winter of 2010/2011 by band leader and guitarist Craig Fortnam with a pencil and paper, guitar and piano and recorded 'at various locations in southern England on his laptop', 'I a moon' retains the unique NSRO line-up of strings, woodwind, percussion, guitars, keyboards and voices but with a darker, less pastoral sound, with synth and percussion taking a more prominent role than on their previous two albums.Another departure is a move away from using poetry to the more personal use of self-penned lyrics : 'I a moon, orbiting myself.Sometime gravity pulls me closeÖ.'. On this release, the influences apparent on the first two albums (Britten, Vaughan Williams, Reich, ISB, 70's prog) have been augmented by a distinct whiff of Krautrock (on the instrumental 'Berliner Luft') while the angular guitars of 'Ring Moonlets' show a debt to the dual guitar textures of Deerhoof.NSRO continue to blend their influences in a highly imaginative and unusual way, while all the time having an ear for the beautiful, be it in melody, texture or chord.North Sea Radio Orchestra - 'I a moon'; beautiful, redolent, ancient and modern, English and world, unique.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM ON MONDAY APRIL 22ND.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 12TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM ON MONDAY APRIL 14th.

The limited edition super-deluxe vinyl format is pressed onto 100% virgin vinyl in a custom Yellow-White-Clear March-Up color mix. The records is packaged in a full-color gatefold jacket, and includes a full-sized 28-page full-color diary, and an original hand-numbered animation print cell from the We The Animals film production. The soundtrack to the massively acclaimed, aware-winning motion picture, We The Animals. We The Animals has received near-unanimous acclaim (91% on Rotten Tomatoes), and the soundrack has been praised as an integral part of the film’s profound resonance. We The Animals is the award-winning new film from Jeremiah Zagar (In A Dream). Based on the best-selling novel by Justin Torres, We The Animals is Zagar’s first narrative feature.

It reunites Zagar with Nick Zammuto, the renowned composer and co-founder of beloved collage-pop pioneers, the Books. Inspired by the film’s setting in rural upstate New York – and influenced by the early ambient electronic music that galvanized the Books two decades ago – Zammuto pairs that earthen, wooded isolation with dynamic pulses of customized electronics and sparse, crystalline layers of melodic soft synths. The juxtaposition is arresting, and gives the soundtrack a unique heft befitting of its subject matter – and betraying of its minimal instrumentation. Beautifully edited and sequenced to act as both a companion to the film and a standalone album, We The Animals: An Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is as subtle as it is startling, and succeeds in making even the heaviest emotions feel momentarily weightless

TRACK LISTING

1. I’ll Fly Away (1:04)
2. We Wanted More (00:49)
3. We Wanted Less (01:11)
4. Just This (00:52)
5. Look At Me (01:17)
6. You Went So Far (00:26)
7. Under The Bed (01:48)
8. Paps Leaves (01:09)
9. The Kitchen (02:20)
10. Like A Bomb (00:31)
11. Stealing (02:01)
12. Dream Of Paps (01:44)
13. Haircut (02:04)
14. Tonight We’ll Go For A Ride (02:14)
15. You Were Supposed To Find Us (00:22)
16. Bad Bad Bad (00:56)
17. Wet Dream (00:45)
18. No More Crying (02:20)
19. Paps Dig A Grave (00:15)
20. It Was My Grave (03:36)
21. Bad Nightmare (00:48)
22. Winter (01:52)
23. Can I Come? (01:00)
24. Fly Away (05:29)
25. I’m Nobody’s Baby (01:15)
26. We The Animals (02:21)

Nicholas Allbrook is a Western Australian native and a highly-accomplished Australian songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Since the beginning of his artistic career in 2005, Allbrook has brought community and collaboration to the forefront of his artistic method.

Whether it was in the poignant lyricism of his solo musical endeavors (Ganough, Wallis and Fatuna/Wabi - Sabi) or in the production style of his band POND’s latest album ‘9’, Allbrook shows a deep understanding of the human experience and the importance of art in modern society. He has collaborated with Australian and international musicians alike, from King Krule to Cat Le Bon, Holy Fuck and Cuco.

Emotional, geological, psycho-geographical: this is the terrain of Manganese, Allbrook’s fourth album away from Pond life. A psyche-pop wonderland, Allbrook’s new solo album is the sound of a musician with a symphony in his back pocket, the Eighties history of Oz-rock in his rearview mirror and modern Australia in his sights.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A:
1. Commodore
2. Babbel
3. Manganese
4. Jackie.
SIDE B:
1. The Endless Jetty
2. Vale The Chord
3. Mazda
4. Round Round The Moon And All
5.The Night Before You Flew

Double Knot finds Naomi continuing to hone the winning combination of guitar and banjo she established on 2021’s Concession Stand Girl EP. For Double Knot though, Naomi wanted a fuller, more dynamic sound: more instruments, more harmonies, more layering, more, more, more. Inspired by the impressionistic melodies of Animal Collective and MGMT, Naomi peppers in computer-generated synths throughout the album, most notably on the song “Burn Out.” These electronic flourishes augment the more grounding string instruments, arriving somewhere more ethereal than Naomi’s earlier work while still maintaining her warm songwriting.

Naomi Alligator is fed up. She’s sick of trying to make relationships work that have already run their course, and tired of sitting in a wintry apartment waiting for her life to kick into gear. On her forthcoming album Double Knot via Carpark Records, the modern folk singer/songwriter from Virginia attempts to unwind her life from all that is holding her back. In a way, it’s a coming-of-age record about shedding what no longer serves you and, ultimately, finding something like deliverance.

On the opening track, “Seasick,” Naomi Alligator is already in the midst of a sort of awakening. Right off the bat, she sings, “I don’t know what’s happened to me / It’s like I turned 16 / It’s like I grew to be 6-feet tall.” This is the announcement of a wide-eyed artist coming out of hibernation and into their own. Still, Naomi’s vocals ache with guilt and longing, belying the track’s playful catchiness. Longing for what? Maybe attention from a crush, but mostly a sunnier place to call home.

Naomi Alligator began writing Double Knot while living in Philadelphia during the height of the pandemic and the deterioration of a longterm romance. “I scream: How’d the hell I end up here?
/ I’m 1-inch tall, it’s crystal clear,” she chants on “Neighborhood Freak,” returning to height and size as an emotional barometer. When asked though, Naomi rejects the notion that Double Knot is a breakup album, or autobiographical at all. Moreso, she says, it’s a personal reckoning in which, “the minute before you make a big decision, you tally up the reasons why you don’t want to do what you’re doing anymore.”

That desire to turn the page expands to the production of the album as well. Naomi Alligator generally houses her narratives in beds of minimal, home-tracked instrumentation—influenced by the stripped-down poeticism of Joan Baez and Liz Phair’s Girly-Sound tapes. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Seasick
2. Don't Get It
3. Amelia
4. Blue For You
5. Burnout
6. California Girl
7. Make Me Sick
8. Neighborhood Freak
9. Over
10. Golden Boy
11. What I Meant
12. My French Summer

Naïm Amor and Kid Congo Powers met shortly before the pandemic in Tucson, Arizona. When the complete lockdowns hit everybody, Amor, like lots of other musicians, reclused himself in his studio and started experimenting with longtime ideas that were on the shelf. The initial idea was to combine rockabilly/garage-electric guitars with electronic drum machines and bass synthesizers, a vague intuition inspired by Link Wray’s guitar tones on one hand and the electronic rawness of the band Suicide on the other. After recording a couple tracks, Amor got the idea of inviting Kid Congo to collaborate in the making of some electric guitar “dialogs”. The tracks of Tucson Safari display the two different personalities and approaches of Amor and Kid Congo, both passionate electric guitar players, in the form of an exploration through composition and tone. The interwoven layers of guitars reveal the particular harmonic and melodic sense of Amor's sound “dancing” with the unmistakable slide and fuzzy tones of Kid Congo Powers.

TRACK LISTING

1. Kid's Stroll
2. Murder We Wrote
3. Stoned By The Mile
4. Ouch
5. Showdown
6. Surf Sirens
7. Remembering The Witches Valley
8. Ping Guitar Pong
9. Hypnotized
10. Tucson Safari

Natacha Atlas is an internationally-acclaimed artist with one of the world’s most distinctive voices. The Anglo-Egyptian singer has spent more than two decades fusing electronic beats with North African and Arabic music, finding links between seemingly disparate musical genres, exploring new and different sonic settings and working with a wealth of like-minded collaborators from across the world along the way. The resulting body of work is both a triumph of true multiculturalism and a testament to the richness and accessibility of Arabic culture. It is, indeed, an oeuvre unlike any other. Presiding over it all, of course, is Atlas’s extraordinary voice. Meltingly sensuous and gloriously passionate, delicate with melisma and microtones, it bridges Middle Eastern and Western styles with instinctive ease.

'The Best Of Natacha Atlas' was originally released in May 2005, and we are excited to present a remastered version, available on vinyl for the first time. When this best-of was originally released, Natacha didn’t want to just put out a collection of only album tracks. Several tracks were new mixes and re-workings that Natacha chose to do, and at the time, she said “I decided to re-record a few tracks that I felt needed an overhaul or bringing up to date”. Her stunning versions of the Françoise Hardy classic 'Mon Amie La Rose', the James Bond theme 'You Only Live Twice', 'I Put A Spell On You' as made famous by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and James Brown’s '(It’s a Man’s Man’s) Man’s World' are also included.

Natacha Atlas was born in Belgium, of Middle Eastern descent, with ancestral and family links to Egypt, Palestine and Morocco. Having moved around the world for most of her life, living in Brussels, Egypt, Greece and England, her experience of different cultures has most certainly influenced her music. Over the years, Natacha’s exceptional talent has been repeatedly recognized by her peers and fans alike in the form of a host of music awards (incl. a French ‘Victoire’) along with numerous invitations to be the star vocalist at major events (such as the Millennium concert at the pyramids in Egypt in 2000 with Jean-Michel Jarre) and to appear on the scores and soundtracks of numerous Hollywood blockbusters, incl. Sex & the City 2, The Hulk, Kingdom of Heaven, Brick Lane and Sahara.

TRACK LISTING

1. Leysh Nat’Arak – New Version
2. Mon Amie La Rose
3. Eye Of The Duck
4. Ezzay
5. Fakrenha
6. Mistaneek – 2005 Edit
7. Leysh Nat’Arak – TJ Rehmi Remix
8. You Only Live Twice
9. Yalla Chant – 2005 Edit
10. Fun Does Not Exist – New Mix
11. I Put A Spell On You
12. (It’s A Man’s Man’s) Man’s World
13. Amulet – 2005 Edit
14. Kidda
15. Leysh Nat’Arak. 2005 Dub Mix
16. Le Printemps (For Mona)
17. Moustahil - Live

This is an in-depth study of the visceral slacker classic from 1987, an album that influenced enormously the nascent alternative scene. Dinosaur Jr, the stereotypical slackers. Mascis, Barlow, Murph (just Murph): three early-twenty somethings still overburdened by a torpid adolescence and a disastrous dress sense.

With battered guitar, bass, and kit, they carry around a catalogue of songs that betrays identities half-formed at best, schizoid at worst. But listen. "1987", a new album, a snapshot of a moment when a furious musical intensity swung upwards and pushed their lyrics and Mascis' vocal whine far into the margins.

Searing riffs, mountainous solos, and the tightest of fills - underpinned by stream-of-consciousness structures and a palette of crazed effects - steal the show. These three build a one-off sound that stirred up the hardening alternative mainstream and drove it to distraction. "You're Living All Over Me": supposedly Mascis' indictment of what it was like to tour in a van with these other two misfits, but also testimony to the obsession - an itch, a disease - that the band's disengagement from their world had produced.

This record cares so little it cares a lot.

Dirty Blends continue presenting the music from new signing: Nico Babylon, alongside label stalwart The Jak.

Two contrasting tracks of Muzic Box flavoured mayhem. "An Announcement..." utilizes a riotous gospel sermon in that typically Chicagoan style but adds a spitting and gurgling backdrop of acid synthesis and stripped back beats.

"Roman Romance 4 The Drum Kidz" is a homage to Fred Brown from Rocking House Records (Chicago). Dark, but with some melodious undertones, it's heavy on the hand claps and other digital, primitive percussion taken from Roland's famous drum machines.

sTriCtLy 4 tHa fReAkz...! 

TRACK LISTING

The Jak Meets Niko Babylon - An Announcement Of A Miracle
The Jak Vs Niko Babylon - Roman Romance 4 The Drum Kidz

It's the return of the nations favourite Muzic Box-inspired label - Dirty Blends, who come correct with not one but three slices of primordial jak beat and sherm-sticked warehouse trax this week.

"Drum Major" is a conceptual production from new klan member Nico Babylon who creates a hypnotic electronic blueprint focused on vintage synths and syncopated movement of rhythmic dimensions and craftsmanship. Plainly said - this is the next level of jakbeat moving forward!

On "This Nasty Possession" The Jak collaborates with Nico on this uber old school formula from the days of Chicago underground in the mid 80s along the timeline of Gherkin / Gene Hunt era. Everything you hear on this tune was created by hand, no samples were taken!

For those who like it much darker and feral. 

TRACK LISTING

Nico Babylon - Drum Major
The Jak & Nico Babylon - This Nasty Possession

So It Started There chronicles the life and career of drummer Nick Banks, and how he came to be in one of the UK's most iconic and beloved bands: Pulp. Beginning with his childhood in Rotherham, Nick recounts his personal and musical journey through the genres, first as a punk, then as a goth; how it all started when he was first inspired to pick up the sticks by Sex Pistols drummer, Paul Cook.

Flash forward to the eighties, Nick has been playing in a handful of Sheffield groups and spies an ad from his favourite band, Pulp, in a local club. He pays Jarvis and the gang a visit and the rest is history. From there, Nick describes his growth as a professional drummer and musician, the trials and tribulations of chasing success in the music industry, touring triumphs and horrors, the band's journey from relative obscurity to becoming a global sensation, and the process of writing and recording their most famous albums.

‘It is tempting to think of Barrett’s sounds as living organisms, darting around in your peripheral vision.’ - The Sound Projector ‘Natasha Barrett is now one of the leading composers in the emerging field of 3D audio: using high-density loudspeaker arrays and cutting-edge recording and mixing procedures to create works full of ingenuity and drama.’ - The New York Times Persistence of Sound presents a new solo LP from one of the world’s leading voices in electroacoustic music.

Natasha Barrett is known internationally for her intense explorations of the movement of sounds through space. Whilst studying with Jonty Harrison at the University of Birmingham, Barrett worked with BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre), which led to a doctoral composition degree supervised by composer Denis Smalley. Barrett has since established an international reputation as a composer of 3D audio and ambisonics.

She treats spatialisation as a musical parameter, and told the New York Times, “I’m really concerned with the idea of tangibility. Sound is invisible, but we can do things that make you want to reach out and touch it.” Barrett describes her inspiration as coming from the immediate sounding matter of the world around us, as well as the way it behaves. Barrett's works are performed and commissioned throughout the world, and have received a long list of prizes, including the Giga-Hertz Award and the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Awards. Persistence of Sound was founded by composer Iain Chambers, of the musique concrète ensemble Langham Research Centre. Its releases span electroacoustic music, field recordings, and the unclassifiable music between these genres.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Growth [5:59]
A2. Speaking Spaces No. 1: Heterotopia - Part 1 [13:32]
B1. Speaking Spaces No. 1: Heterotopia - Part 2 [10:12]
B2. Urban Melt In Park Palais Meran [9:40]

A collector and DJ from Dallas, Texas, Chad "High-C" Burnett of Rehash Media, first exposed Bartell's "Top Going Down, Bottom Going Up" in the "Excavations" section of the Rehash web site in December of 2001. For all intents and purposes, the 45 had been unknown to collectors but caused a quite a stir while everyone who heard it searched for more copies. The 45 remained out of reach until February of 2004 when noted British collector/DJ Ian Wright turned up a copy and began to play the 45, giving it further exposure by way of a radio show featured on the deepfunk.org web site.

Hailing from the small farming town of Ashburn, GA (population roughly 4400) noted as the "Peanut Capital of the World", young Nathan Bartell had grown up around music, playing trumpet in the school band and jazz band. After graduating from high school in 1962, Bartell moved to Atlanta where he found and enjoyed a thriving music and night club scene, catching then local acts such as Gladys Knight, The Tams, as well as the many touring acts that came through town and played clubs like The Palladium, The Pink Pussycat, The Casino and The Royal Peacock

The point at which the story truly begins to take shape was a fateful night in the summer of 1967 at a nightclub on Bankhead Highway near Northside Drive. The house band was doing its thing, but the crowd was thinking about Wilson Pickett's current hit "Funky Broadway" as they kept shouting for the band to perform the song. After some discussion amongst the band, a few of the musicians decided they knew the song well enough to give the people what they wanted, provided somebody knew the lyrics, as their singer did not. Bartell took the stage, and must have done the job right, as he continued performing with bands in clubs all over Atlanta such as The Oasis, and the most important of Atlanta nightclubs, The Royal Peacock.

By April of 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, Bartell was married to a woman who also came from Ashburn. She didn't care much for Atlanta, so the couple moved back home to Ashburn. Music was still boiling in Bartell's blood, however, and it wasn't long before he began singing with a group called Eddie and the Cascades from just up the road in the (even smaller) town of Cordele. Eddie and the Cascades performed in clubs around South Georgia until the band broke up in 1972. Despite the length of the band's existence, sadly, the opportunity to record never presented itself.

Toward the end of Bartell's time with Eddie & the Cascades, he met Jesse Boone, whose musical legacy was already well underway. Boone brought Bartell into his studio with members of his own band, The Astros, to record his first Soul-Po-Tion single "Ooh Baby, I Love You", which was backed with "If I Could Win Your Love". According to Bartell, the single sold quite well regionally, and Hi Records approached Jesse Boone about releasing the single nationally. Boone declined the offer, hoping to draw more attention to his label and boost the momentum of his Soul-Po-Tion label. While sales were apparently good enough to attract a nationally distributed label, this one is quite possibly his most obscure 45.

Capitalizing on the regional success of "Ooh Baby I Love You", Bartell toured around the southeast, often with Jesse Boone & the Astros, playing dates in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Carolinas. Touring, as it can certainly do with young musicians, began to take a toll on Bartell's marriage, which was splitting up by the time he was ready to record his second single. Soul-Po-Tion label mate Freddie Wilson, following his own debut single "What Would It Be Like", had written a new song, which Jesse Boone listened to with Bartell in mind. "Top Going Up, Bottom Going Down" was a song that fit very well with what Bartell was feeling at the time, so Boone put him in the studio with Soul-Po-Tion's house band to record Wilson's composition. Where Freddie Wilson's style was very much from the mould of James Brown, Bartell gave it a more personal touch. That said, Bartell admits that the single's flip side "Johnny and John" was basically a blatant attempt to cash in on the success and sound of Johnnie Taylor, particularly through the use of reverb and echo effects.

Playing on the "Top Going Down…" session were O.C. Glaydens (a.k.a. A.C. Raven, a.k.a. O.C. the Wildman) on guitar, Johnny Badden on bass, Bruce Jones on saxophone, and a fella with the last name of Caldwell on drums. Nathan doesn't remember Mr. Caldwell's first name, but if he was Boone's first call drummer for Soul-Po-Tion recording sessions, then this is a man who clearly needs more attention. Even some of the less significant Soul-Po-Tion singles some top shelf drumming.

As Bartell remembers, the Freddie Wilson song was written specifically for Bartell to record. This indeed may be the case, but it is also possible that Freddie Wilson presented the demo to Boone for himself. What exactly happened next is something of a mystery. Either Boone specifically wanted the song to be recorded by Bartell, or Bartell's 45 came out before Wilson tried to do a polished version beyond his original rough demo recording. No matter how exactly the series of events transpired, Boone clearly did not want the two versions competing for sales against each other, much less on his own record label. Either theory is plausible. Regardless, Nathan Bartell's classic 45 emerged from the small label in Albany showing exponentially more style and musicianship than his debut.

Back to 1975 now…. While Bartell continued the southeastern club circuit, Jesse Boone was setting up a new record label, Albradella. The label kicked off with a couple of singles from Florida artist Chuck Roberson, but Bartell came back in 1976 with his new band, The Shandells, to record the "Moving On" single, with the b-side, "Sitting Alone". "Moving On" is a driving up-tempo funky soul dancer, with a deep ballad on the flip featuring Melvin Roberts on lead vocals. One more single was released on the Albradella label in 1979, "That's My Girl" parts 1 and 2 and "Someone Like You" b/w "Running Through the Night".

For a good part of the early 1980s, The Shandells worked both on their own, and backing other musicians on tour, such as Z.Z. Hill while he toured for his 1982 album "Down Home". The work with Z.Z. Hill put Bartell in touch with Tommy Cough of Malaco, who Bartell cites as an important mentor and influence in aspects of his career ever since. This influence has had no greater impact than in helping Bartell start up his own label, Eureka Records, an endeavor which he undertook in 1985 and continues to operate today.

Eureka was started when Bartell had approached Jesse Boone with the idea of recording in a new studio rather than Boone's own studio. Boone was not not keen on releasing recordings on his labels which were not produced in house, which is understandable when you own the studio and the label. So, Bartell and his band went to Sunbelt Sound Studios and began to record songs for an album which was to be titled "Let Me Love You". It seems that nine songs were cut in 1987 for this project. Unable to take them back to Albradella, Bartell started his own Eureka Records and published his songs under his own Co-Rey Music. Of the nine songs recorded, only four would actually see their eventual release on vinyl, as two 7" singles. But even with the Eureka label off the ground, Bartell did not sever his friendship or business ties with Jesse Boone.

By 1987, the Soul-Po-Tion and Albradella labels were both out of business, for the most part. Boone set up a new but short-lived venture called Vanity Records, which seems to have been for the express purpose of putting together one last project with Nathan Bartell. This is how Bartell's only R&B album was released. There was, however, one slight problem. Bartell's name is nowhere on it. Instead, Boone named the artist Timothy Gaye. The exact reason for this is still unknown though Bartell casually dismissed this decision as "one of Jesse's marketing ploys". The album is comprised of songs written by Boone, Roshell Anderson, Homer Chambers, a version of Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood" and a track written by Bartell's brother Keith, who also handles lead vocals on the song "Million Dollar Baby". The Jesse Boone-penned "If I Ever Fall In Love Again" b/w "Knock On Wood" was released as the only single from the album, which is slightly ironic since "Giving Good Loving" is easily the strongest track on the album.. One last single on the Vanity label followed the album, with Bartell (under his own name again) providing the song "Someone Like You" but sharing space with Chuck Roberson's "I Feel It Coming" on the flip side.

Bartell continued performing in night clubs, but not traveling as much, when a fateful turn ended his secular music career. Bartell went through a series of seemingly random religious encounters, the death of his 19 year old son who was coming home from his first year of college, and a collapsed lung. In 1991 Bartell was hospitalized with a recurrence of his lung ailment. While in the hospital, Bartell became born again and cites his acceptance of Jesus as what finally healed him for good. During this time, he also endured the death of his youngest son, who died at the age of 17. Bartell prayed to God that if he could make it through all of these events, he would never sing R&B music again. Music was still what Bartell wanted to do with his life, however, and formed a Gospel group called Nathan Bartell & Reality. Crossing the bridge between the traditional Gospel quartet style and a more contemporary sound, Reality has recorded three albums since 1995, and all on his own Eureka label and is still performing at Gospel events in Southern Georgia today.

TRACK LISTING

1. Top Going Down
2. I Feel It Coming
3. Sitting Alone
4. Jody & John
5. Someone Like You
6. Moving On
7. I Want Your Love
8. Mystery Lady
9. See Me Cry
10. Ooh Baby, I Love You
11. If I Could Win Your Love
12. If I Ever Fall In Love Again

DFA hit us up with  "Echo", the first album for the label from acclaimed Norwegian avant garde pop vocalist Nils Bech. A busy stage actor and singer already well known in his native Norway for three albums released on Oslo’s Fysisk Format, "Echo" marks a pivotal turning point for Bech and something of a radical sonic departure too. The keys to this change lie with Bech’s new collaborator, the young underground DJ, producer and beat maker Drippin’, known for his work with American rap artists such as LE1F and Cakes Da Killa. As a result, where his previous work was strange, ethereal and otherworldly - completely and utterly unique - ‘Echo’ throbs with a renewed sense of vigour and urgency, without losing any of the idiosyncratic beauty which marked Bech’s work before. 

TRACK LISTING

Waiting
Too Little Too Late
Glimpse Of Hope
Please Stay
Drip, Drip
Let Go
Echo
Jealousy
A Sudden Sickness

We don't know much - or anything really - about the secretive Nico Bellari, so all we can go off is the music. This is his own new label, and it kicks off with a delightful pair of edits of some good old disco delights, and both come with their own carefully stripped-back and flesh dubs, all mixed and edited from original multi-tracks. 'Dance, Dance, Dance' is a nice and funky disc stepper with a silky and seductive lead vocal that swells the heart. 'Straight Ahead' is more weighty for the pet time with some fat-ass bass and lovely improvised synth playfulness, all under a vocal you will know and probably already love.

TRACK LISTING

Dance, Dance, Dance (NB Edit)
Dance, Dance, Dance (dub De Jure)
Straight Ahead (NB Edit)
Straight Ahead (dub De Jure)

The much-anticipated follow-up to LA-based singer-songwriter Natalie Bergman’s critically acclaimed 2021 solo debut album ‘Mercy’. Since then, Bergman (previously of successful brother-sister duo Wild Belle) has released the high-streaming EP ‘Keep Those Teardrops From Falling’, along with a collaboration with Beck. Her new album 'My Home Is Not In This World' channels psychedelic soul and alt-'60s pop, and is brimming with unforgettable melodies that only an artist as uniquely talented as Bergman could conjure.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Natalie Bergman returns for Third Man Records, bringing a host of bouncy melodies and flickering folky balladry, majestic 60's psychedelia and soaring gospel choruses. A beautifully evocative, warming treat.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lonely Road
2. Gunslinger
3. Dance
4. Stop, Please Don't Go
5. You Can Have Me
6. My Home Is Not In This World
7. Looking For You
8. Didn't Get To Say Goodbye
9. Changes
10. I'll Be Your Number One
11. Song For Arthur
12. California

A new vinyl album from Nat Birchall, this is the Dub version of his Dimension of the Drums LP, a roots reggae instrumental set that was very enthusiastically received last year, ending up on many best Of The Year lists.

For this album Nat has remixed the tracks in classic early to mid - 1970s style. Inspired by the classic Dub LPs like Keith Hudson’s ‘Pick A Dub’ and Winston Edwards’ ‘King Tubby Meets The Upsetter at the Grass Roots of Dub’ the tracks have been reimagined in Roots Dub fashion, some with new horn lines and all with hand drums, giving the album a very authentic Rootsy sound. Additionally there are two different mixes of a new rhythm track that wasn’t on the previous album.

Once again Nat plays all the instruments and did all the recording, mixing and mastering.

Drums in Dub features eight tracks of instrumental Dub delight, specially designed for the 1970s Dub connoisseur. 

TRACK LISTING

1 Jungle Trek
2 Further Shores
3 Bongo Man Dub
4 Solomon Dub
5 Eastern Dub
6 Sahara Dub
7 Granby Street Rock
8 Sheba Dub

The music on this album was inspired by the original ska recordings coming out of Jamaica in the early to mid 1960s. In particular the fiery horns instrumentals played by musicians like Don Drummond, Tommy McCook, Roland Alphonso, Lester Sterling, Baba Brooks, Dizzy Moore, Lloyd Brevett, Ernest Ranglin, Jackie Mittoo, Lloyd Knibb, Drumbago to name just a few.

Many of them were originally jazz musicians and they played in groups like Prince Buster’s All Stars, the Skatalites, Baba Brooks’ band, King Edwards’ group and many more. This is my humble paean to their great works in this now largely neglected era of music. I hope you enjoy it.

Peace, Nat Birchall

TRACK LISTING

Menelik
Deeper Meditation
Humble Lion
Press Along
Liberated Sounds
Ska Wa-Wa
Passing Through
Onibara

Most of the writing of Naima Bock’s second album, Below A Massive Dark Land, was a solitary affair. It may not sound like it – it’s made up of strong, purposeful arrangements with a huge host of musicians, filled with cradling space and warm light. This will also come as a surprise to anyone who has seen Naima perform in the time since the release of her 2022 debut Giant Palm, which was undoubtedly a communal experience. But there’s power in the solitary, too. Giant Palm was arranged with collaborator Joel Burton, but going this one alone in search of something that was truly hers, Naima found she was capable of more. “After me and Joel stopped working together”, she remembers, “it was an impossibility to even fathom doing arrangements myself but then I started learning violin and it was possible”. Finding that she could go it alone was incredibly powerful for Naima: “I think I needed it, to be able to feel proud of something”. Beyond the writing process, however, the record is not a stark, stripped back affair. Below… still has the majesty that made Giant Palm so remarkable. Having tugged the first record down from the skies and spreading it across the earth, Naima finds a newfound vocal power and confidence born from hundreds of hours on stage, and the music sounds fuller, more tangible, and no less enveloping.This can be heard on the album’s lead singles: “Kaley” feels fresh and surprising in its rug-pull choppiness but is distinctly Naima in its swinging, jubilant choruses. The accompanying “Further Away” takes a different tack, drawing you in with its simplicity. Finally, the hazy, luxurious beauty of “Feed My Release” draws on the sepia-toned traditions of The Roches, John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III and imbues them with the kind of stark confessional songwriting of Mount Eerie. These are ambitious, rich arrangements that reach deeper and darker lyrically than Giant Palm.

Below a Massive Dark Land was predominantly produced by Jack Osborne (Bingo Fury) and Joe Jones, and recorded at The Crypt in north London, with additional production and arrangement by Oliver Hamilton (caroline, Shovel Dance Collective) and Naima herself. Six of the tracks on Below… were mixed by Jason Agel, with the remainder done by Osborne and Jones. The album was mastered by Kevin Tuffy.

TRACK LISTING

Gentle
Kaley
Feed My Release
My Sweet Body
Lines
Further Away
Takes One
Age
Moving
Star

The roots of Naima Bock’s music are far reaching. Born in Glastonbury to a Brazilian father and a Greek mother, Naima spent her early childhood in Brazil before eventually returning to England and various homes in South-East London. This heritage combines with more recent pursuits in Naima’s music. From the Brazilian standards that the family listened to while driving to the beach, to the European folk traditions she tapped into on her own, and the pursuits that interest her today – studies in archaeology, work as a gardener, and walking the world’s great trails – Naima’s music draws from family, the earth and music handed down through generations.

Naima’s debut album Giant Palm is undoubtedly infused with the Brazilian music of her youth and regular family visits. She found inspiration in “the percussion, the melodies, chords - and particularly the poetic juxtaposition of tragedy and beauty held within the lyrics.” By the age of 15 Naima was embedded in the music scene of South-East London, eventually forming Goat Girl with school friends and touring the world. After six years playing bass in Goat Girl, Naima left the band to try something new. She set up a gardening company and started a degree at University College London in archeology because, as she jokes, “I liked being near the ground.” During this time she wrote music, played guitar, learned violin, worked with ever-shifting South-London collective Broadside Hacks, and met producer and arranger Joel Burton through Memorials of Distinction label head Josh Cohen. Joel’s burgeoning interest in Western classical music, global folk music, experience in large scale arrangement and orchestration informed the collaborative process that eventually culminated in Giant Palm.

Recorded with the help of over 30 musicians (including Josh Cohen on synth/electronics) by Dan Carey of Speedy Wunderground at his studio space in Streatham, South-East London, and engineered by Syd Kemp, the songs on Giant Palm represent a snapshot of a specific feeling, of brief moments in Naima’s life that make up a larger whole. The expansive yet delicate arrangements highlight Naima’s love for the collectivist values of traditional folk music, in which songs belong to everyone, and singing can take on countless forms without the need to exactly replicate something. “All the other representations that I’d had of singing felt so unattainable” she recalls. Giant Palm finds Naima bucking these expectations to let her unique voice and sense of communal creativity flourish. 

TRACK LISTING

Giant Palm
Toll
Every Morning
Dim Dum
Working
Natural
Campervan
Enter The House
Instrumental 
O Morro

Nicolas Bougaïeff presents his brand new album, ‘Begin Within’, released on Mute.

This is the first vocal-lead record from Nicolas and is inspired by self-transformation. It’s about honesty, instinct and lessons hard learned through intimate Berlin stories. Nicolas addresses these themes in form and content, explored with the use of his voice.

Much like his debut album, ‘The Upward Spiral’, ‘Begin Within’ continues to illustrate Bougaïeff’s approach to electronic music from a compositional lens, pushing boundaries of rhythm and genre.

TRACK LISTING

Every Day
Naked Eye
Outside In
Pain Goes Away
Begin Within
Designer Love
Inside Out
We Rejoice
Inner Pattern
Designer Love

The Upward Spiral is Nicolas Bougaïeff’s debut fulllength album release on Mute, following the release of three EPs on the seminal electronic label’s techno offshoot, NovaMute.

The new album explores elements of acid, techno and tempo modulation through a compositional lens, drawing on the Canadian-born, Berlin-based artist’s love for avant-garde forms and longstanding relationship with the electronic music community.

Bougaïeff hails from diverse musical background, having studied in a conservatoire setting whilst foraying into anti-authoritarian rave culture. He is also a respected lecturer, regularly teaching masterclasses in composition and speaking at global events such as Mutek and Ableton Loop.
Following the completion of his PhD on minimal techno at the University of Huddersfield, Bougaïeff designed the controllers for Richie Hawtin’s Plastikman Live tour, and co-founded Liine, the company behind the landmark music app Lemur used by astronaut Alexander Gerst on the International Space Station in a live jam with Kraftwerk.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Embrace Hope All Ye Who Enter Here
A2 Thalassaophobia
B1 The Upward Spiral
B2 Inexadorable
C1 Nexus
C2 Flying High
D1 Positive Altitude
D2 Inward Megalith
D3 Listen Carefully To The Heart Beat

The Nathan Bowles Trio’s ‘Are Possible’ is a spark-throwing, undulating fusion of styles played (mainly) on banjo, upright bass and drums. The individual perspectives of Nathan, double bassist Casey Toll (Jake Xerxes Fussell, Mt. Moriah) and drummer Rex McMurry (CAVE) work together in an easy-rolling manner, but one that contains an expansive, ass-shaking confabulation of ideas.

Nathan’s solo music-making explorations with the banjo are evidence of the range of possible places to go in the world while still in contact with one’s roots: clawhammer boogie, strummed, bowed and percussive techniques, original compositions and traditional tunes, all cutting a path between old-time Appalachian music and its long-lost cousin, ecstatic minimal drone. In conversation with Rex and Casey’s own conceptions, with guitar, bass, mellowtone, keyboards, drums and percussion aboard, he continues to ride toward new vistas.

It’s been a long six years since these three players first appeared on Nathan’s 2018 album, ‘Plainly Mistaken’, a stretch made weird by the period of time in which social music couldn’t be played socially. But again, nothing ever really dies: the time since, experienced as individuals and as a band, informs everything about ‘Are Possible’’s multitudinous group sound. The details along the road that the band travelled to get here, where one riff blossomed into ten, then melted back down, and parts were added and subtracted and became each other in moments of new collective understanding.

Rex brought a rhythm to the table after drumming on buckets at work, Casey provided a bassline that redirected a previous jam, Nathan brought in a song he’d been messing with forever and they figured it out together. Their diversity of sources moves easily within the arrangements, rendering a far-ranging set of feels, from transcendental to new country funk to good ol’ jazz and the folk-rock - all of it drawn out exquisitely when they mixed at Electrical Audio in Chicago with the delicate hands of Cooper Crain upon the faders.

The Nathan Bowles Trio have done their due diligence, passing their music through time and space on their way to now; now, the real trip begins, as ‘Are Possible’ travels on, through you.

TRACK LISTING

Dappled
The Ternions
Our Air
Top Button
Gimme My Shit
Aims

Now available on picture disc vinyl, music from season one of Disney+ original series Andor. Music by Nicholas Britell.

In early nineties Manchester, Pete and Jim are high on music, sarcasm and dreams of success. With Devon and Steve they form a band, play four gigs, then suddenly implode.

Thirty years later, Jim is a warehouse worker with a wife, two kids and back trouble. Threats of medical retirement loom over his future.

Cult singer Pete is gone, leaving behind five albums, a history of belligerence and a daughter, Lauren, who wonders why the last 45 spinning on her father’s turntable is a record by a group she’s never heard of and no one wishes to speak about.

At Moran’s funeral, Lauren reunites his old bandmates, leading them on a booze-fuelled odyssey through Manchester in search of a secret they would rather remained buried…

A tale of working class dreams realised and unfulfilled, and the easy hit nostalgia can provide but also what it can bury, the scars that don’t show and conversations never had.

Through rare access to the Violent Femmes and their archives, this book investigates the creation of such iconic songs as "Blister in the Sun", "Kiss Off", "Add it Up" and "Prove My Love", as well as the album's recording process. The self-titled debut from Milwaukee post-punk acoustic trio the Violent Femmes is one of those rare albums that seems to have altered the course of popular music and influenced just about everyone who heard it while also managing to operate almost entirely outside of the mainstream. Released in 1983 to little sales or attention, the band was so iconoclastic that it couldn’t even engender support from Milwaukee’s anti-establishment punk scene.

Over the ensuing years, though, Violent Femmes managed to exert itself as an unstoppable cultural force, ascending the college radio charts and spreading through word-of-mouth. Violent Femmes didn’t sound like anything else when it was made, and it still doesn’t sound like anything else. The album somehow exists both outside of time and as one of the most evocative and enduring artifacts of the alternative ‘80’s.

Niamh Bury is at the very forefront of Irish folk music’s revival. Bury deftly pairs her luminescent, instantly recognizable voice with a nuanced signwriting sensibility that draws inspiration from folk, indie, and jazz and draws upon inspirations from artists such as Anna Mieke, Billie Marten and Big Thief. Signing with illustrious Irish folk label Claddagh Records in the early part of 2023, Bury spent much of the year establishing herself as one of the nation’s most exciting emerging artists. With the release of Yellow Roses on Friday, 29th March, fans can expect to hear 10 considered and lovingly-crafted songs that conjure maps of conversations with oneself, loved ones, imaginary characters and those who have passed on to other worlds. Each is an attempt to arrive at some kind of empathy, understanding and acceptance. The music is both lush and spacious, giving the listener room to swim, dip or fly between verses.

Of her impending debut album release, Niamh Bury says: “I’m so excited to be releasing this collection of songs I’ve had with me for some time. I’m very proud of it and the wonderful people who worked on it with me. I learned so much making it, and feel very lucky to be letting it out into the world.

TRACK LISTING

Discovery
Beehive
Who Am I To Tell Him
Bite The Bridle
Pianos In The Snow
Simmering Pots
Ballad Of Margaret Road
Yellow Roses
Lovely Adam
Budapest

As if cosmically enacted, Neko Case breaks to the surface once again with
the new album 'Neon Grey Midnight Green' and reminds listeners that she is one of our greatest living songwriters - perpetually becoming more fearless and adventurous.

Her first new music this decade, 'Neon Grey Midnight Green' follows 2018's 'Hell-On', an eclectic piece that The Guardian called "a pitch-perfect roar of female defance." Her latest is no less urgent but carries a deep blue streak of sentimentality in its incandescent blaze. The album pays tribute to the musicians, producers and activists who have passed away in recent years, all artists Neko was lucky enough to call not just infuences but close friends. She rises on the shoulders of her musical heroes, using the tools they lent her to create her most inspired work.

TRACK LISTING

1. Destination
2. Tomboy Gold
3. Wreck
4. Winchester Mansion Of Sound
5. An Ice Age
6. Neon Grey Midnight Green
7. Oh Neglect...
8. Louise
9. Rusty Mountain
10. Little Gears
11. Baby, I'm Not (A Werewolf)
12. Match-Lit

An unforgettable portrait of an extraordinary life-one forged through a poverty-stricken childhood in 'slummy, one-horse towns'; obsessive desire; bursts of comedy; and indispensable friendships, reflecting on the way art, music, and a deep connection to nature helped her on a singular journey to become a beloved, Grammy-nominated artist. Neko Case has long been revered as one of music's most influential artists, whose authenticity, lyrical storytelling, and sly wit have endeared her to a legion of critics, musicians, and lifelong fans. In The Harder I Fight The More I Love You, Case brings her trademark candour and precision to a memoir that traces her evolution from an invisible girl 'raised by two dogs and a space heater' in rural Washington state to her improbable emergence as an internationally-acclaimed talent.

In luminous, sharp-edged prose, Case shows readers what it's like to be left alone for hours and hours as a child, to take refuge in the woods around her home, and to channel the monotony and loneliness and joy that comes from music, camaraderie, and shared experience into art. The Harder I Fight The More I Love You is a rebellious meditation on identity and corruption, and a manifesto on how to make space for ourselves in this world, despite the obstacles we face.

West Coast psychedelic folkie Nick Castro is currently making some of most dynamic and truly original sounds to emerge from the much-ballyhooed new folk movement. As 'freak-folk' and assorted hairy-fairy type labels grab the headlines in the underground, Castro strives for a solemn, serene sort of beauty, summoning utterly melodic incantations in song and sound. Gracefully immersing 60s / 70s British Isles acid balladry with Middle-Eastern traditional music and heady, pan-cultural communal jams, Castro succeeds in reaching otherworldly vistas and ocean-spanning folk transcendence. Following up 2005's lauded "Further From Grace", Castro unfurls his sprawling third album "Come Into Our House", easily his most far-reaching and deeply molecular outing yet. Previously backed by The Poison Tree, which included Josephine Foster and members of Espers, Nick Castro has assembled a new band of players under the moniker The Young Elders - a truly stellar cast of musicians whose combined resumes include folk and avant rock ensembles Current 93, In Gowan Ring, Damo Suzuki's Network and Cul de Sac. Effortlessly mating Bert Jansch-style folk song ("Winding Tree"), psychedelic folk rock ("One I Love"), Middle Eastern traditional music ("Attar") and Bay Area acid-raga ("Lay Down Your Arms") to a kind of organic studio Musique Concrete that Can forged on albums like "Tago Mago". The results are astonishing, challenging and utterly psychedelic. By reaching for the sky Castro achieves the heavens, and "Come Into Our House" is the evidence. A modern acid-folk masterwork.

Released in 1990, ‘The Good Son’ is the sixth album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

‘The Weeping Song’ and ‘The Ship Song’ have now become firm fan favourites. ‘Foi Na Cruz’ is based partly upon the traditional Brazilian Protestant hymn of the same title. The title translates roughly as ‘It Happened On The Cross’.

Cave later said, “I guess ‘The Good Son’ is some kind of reflection of the way I felt early on in Brazil. I was quite happy there. I was in love and the first year or two was good. The problem I found was... in order to survive you have to adopt their attitudes towards everything, which are kind of blinkered.”

TRACK LISTING

CD/LP
Foi Na Cruz
The Good Son
Sorrow’s Child
The Weeping Song
The Ship Song
The Hammer Song
Lament
The Witness Song
Lucy

DVD (With CD/DVD Version Only)
The Good Son (Dolby Digital Surround Sound / DTS Surround Sound / Stereo)
Additional Tracks (Dolby Digital Surround Sound / DTS Surround Sound / Stereo)
The Train Song
Cocks ‘N’ Asses
Helpless
Video:
Do You Love Me Like I Love
You (Part 6: The Good Son)
The Weeping Song
The Ship Song

‘Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!’ is Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ fourteenth studio album, and was recorded in June and July 2007 at The State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, Surrey, and mixed by Nick Launay at British Grove recording studios, in Chiswick, west London, and was released on March 3rd 2008.

It would also be the last album to feature founding member Mick Harvey, who left the Bad Seeds in 2009.

In several interviews Cave has stated that this album would "sound like Grinderman", his side project, who had released their debut album a year earlier. In line with this rough-and-ready approach, the album was recorded in about five days, an uncommonly short period for a full-length album.

Cave wrote on his inspiration for the album: "Ever since I can remember hearing the Lazarus story, when I was a kid, you know, back in church, I was disturbed and worried by it. Traumatised, actually. We are all, of course, in awe of the greatest of Christ's miracles—raising a man from the dead—but I couldn't help but wonder how Lazarus felt about it. As a child it gave me the creeps, to be honest. I've taken Lazarus and stuck him in New York City, in order to give the song, a hip, contemporary feel. I was also thinking about Harry Houdini who spent a lot of his life trying to debunk the spiritualists who were cashing in on the bereaved. He believed there was nothing going on beyond the grave. He was the second greatest escapologist, Harry was, Lazarus, of course, being the greatest. I wanted to create a kind of vehicle, a medium, for Houdini to speak to us if he so desires, you know, from beyond the grave."

Critical response to the album was overwhelmingly positive, with reviewers citing this as both a return to greatness and a new side of the band. A review from NME described the record as a "gothic psycho-sexual apocalypse" and gave it 8/10, whilst Mojo magazine proclaimed it their album of 2008.

TRACK LISTING

Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
Today’s Lesson
Moonland
Night Of The Lotus Eaters
Albert Goes West
We Call Upon The Author
Hold On To Yourself
Lies Down Here (& Be My Girl)
Jesus Of The Moon
Midnight Man
More News From Nowhere

‘Let Love In’, the eighth studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, was originally released in 1994.

Their first full-length studio album in over two years, ‘Let Love In’ preserves the same line-up (Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Blixa Bargeld, Conway Savage, Martyn Casey and Thomas Wydler) as established on its two immediate predecessors: ‘Henry’s Dream’ (1992), the band’s troubled collaboration with producer David Briggs and ‘Live Seeds’ (1993), an interim concert compilation.

The novelty of recording in America with a ‘name’ producer now long behind them, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds returned to familiar turf, choosing to conduct both demo and album sessions in their accustomed habitats of the UK and Australia. In September 1993, recording proper for ‘Let Love In’ commenced at London’s Townhouse III Studios (formerly The Who’s Ramport studio, purpose-built for ‘Quadrophenia’) and the album was completed and mixed at Metropolis in Melbourne by the end of that same year.

‘No More Shall We Part’ was released in April 2001 and was the eleventh studio record by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

The album came after a 4-year gap from recording, following the much acclaimed ‘The Boatman’s Call’ album and was met with mostly positive reviews.

The album showcases the virtuoso talents of The Bad Seeds, with elaborate instrumental sections on nearly every track. Also, Cave’s lyrics are less obscure than usual and he sings in a wider vocal range than he had previously. Features backing vocals from Kate and Anna McGarrigle.

TRACK LISTING

As I Sat Sadly By Her Side
And No More Shall We Part
Hallelujah
Love Letter
Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow
God Is In The House
Oh My Lord
Sweetheart Come
The Sorrowful Wife
We Came Along This Road
Gates To The Garden
Darker With The Day

‘Nocturama’ is the twelfth studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released in 2003.

To date, it is the last Bad Seeds album to feature founding member Blixa Bargeld.

This album reunited Nick Cave with Nick Launay, who had produced The Birthday Party’s groundbreaking ‘Junkyard’ 21 years earlier.

Featuring the singles ‘Bring It On’, ‘He Wants You’ and ‘Rock Of Gibraltar’, this album finds Cave moving away from ‘Murder Ballads’ and the gory fire and brimstone of yore, and exploring more personal themes.

More than twenty years into his career at this point, Nick Cave proved himself worthy of the comparisons made in the press on his behalf: now he could stand alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Tom Waits, as a storyteller who could be unflinchingly honest in his work, whilst continuing to grow his fan base.

TRACK LISTING

Wonderful Life
He Wants You
Right Out Of Your Hand
Bring It On
Dead Man In My Bed
Still In Love
There Is A Town
Rock Of Gibraltar
She Passed By My Window
Babe, I’m On Fire

‘Tender Prey’ is the fifth studio album from Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and was released on 19th September 1988. The album was produced by Flood and recorded during several sessions over the course of four months in West Berlin - where the band were based at the time - and London.

The album opens with ‘The Mercy Seat’, which has been subsequently played at almost all of the band’s live performances since 1988 and was later covered by one of Cave’s biggest influences, Johnny Cash. ‘The Mercy Seat’ was released as a single in May 1988 as a precursor to the album and ‘Deanna’ was released shortly after the album hit the streets.

Cave later admitted that the album “was made at a difficult time in my life when things were spiralling out of control in a lot of areas.”

TRACK LISTING

The Mercy Seat
Up Jumped The Devil
Deanna
Watching Alice
Mercy
City Of Refuge
Slowly Goes The Night
Sunday’s Slave
Sugar Sugar Sugar
New Morning

‘The Firstborn Is Dead’, co-produced by Nick Cave, the Bad Seeds and Flood, is the second studio album released by Cave & The Bad Seeds, and was originally released on June 3rd 1985.

Cave explores his fascination with the American South, with references ranging from Elvis Presley to ‘Blind’ Lemon Jefferson.

Recorded in Berlin, Cave later said of this album, "Berlin gave us the freedom and encouragement to do whatever we wanted. We'd lived in London for three years and it seemed that if you stuck your head out of the box, people were pretty quick to knock it back in, particularly if you were Australian. When we came to Berlin it was the opposite. People saw us as some kind of force rather than a kind of wacky novelty act”.

The album's title is a reference to Jesse Garon Presley, the stillborn identical twin of Elvis Presley, and ‘Wanted Man’ was Cave’s own take on a song Bob Dylan wrote for Johnny Cash. Dylan gave his permission for the lyrics to be changed, with Cave’s interpretation referencing his friends.

TRACK LISTING

Tupelo
Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree
Train Long Suffering
Black Crow King
Knockin’ On Joe
Wanted Man
Blind Lemon Jefferson

With ‘Your Funeral… My Trial’ The Bad Seeds expanded their personnel by adding Thomas Wydler on drums, enabling Mick Harvey to display his considerable multi-instrumental talents.

This was the band’s fourth studio album and was released on November 3rd 1986, and was originally released as a double EP, with production duties handled by Flood and Tony Cohen.

Cave later remarked "That particular record, which is my favourite of the records we've done, is very special to me and a lot of amazing things happened, musically, in the studio”.

“There are some songs on that record that as far as I'm concerned are just about perfect as we can get really- songs like ‘The Carny’, ‘Your Funeral, My Trial’, and ‘Stranger Than Kindness’, I think are really quite brilliant“.

TRACK LISTING

Sad Waters
The Carny
Your Funeral My Trial
Stranger Than Kindness
Jacks Shadow
Hard On For Love
She Fell Away
Long Time Man

B-Side & Rarities Part I contains material from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 30-plus year career. This collection features 56 tracks including rarities, out-takes, covers & B-sides from 1988-2005 across 3 volumes, compiled by Mick Harvey.

TRACK LISTING

PART I CD1

1. Deanna (Acoustic Version)
2. The Mercy Seat (Acoustic Version)
3. City Of Refuge (Acoustic Version)
4. The Moon Is In The Gutter
5. The Six Strings That Drew Blood
6. Rye Whiskey
7. Running Scared
8. Black Betty
9. Scum
10. The Girl At The Bottom Of My Glass
11. The Train Song
12. Cocks 'n' Asses
13. Blue Bird
14. Helpless
15. God's Hotel
16. (I'll Love You) Till The End Of The World
17. Cassiel's Song
18. Tower Of Song
19. What Can I Give You?

PART I CD2

1. What A Wonderful World
2. Rainy Night In Soho
3. Lucy (Version #2)
4. Jack The Ripper (Acoustic Version)
5. Sail Away
6. There's No Night Out In The Jail
7. That's What Jazz Is To Me
8. The Willow Garden
9. The Ballad Of Robert Moore And Betty Coltrane
10. King Kong Kitchee Kitchee Ki-Mi-O
11. Knoxville Girl
12. Where The Wild Roses Grow (Original Guide Vocal Version)
13. O'Malley's Bar Pt. 1
14. O'Malley's Bar Pt. 2
15. O'Malley's Bar Pt. 3
16. Time Jesum Transeuntum Et Non Riverentum
17. O'Malley's Bar Reprise
18. Red Right Hand (Scream 3 Version)


PART I CD3

1. Little Empty Boat
2. Right Now I'm A-Roaming
3. Come Into My Sleep
4. Black Hair Band Version
5. Babe, I Got You Bad
6. Sheep May Safely Graze
7. Opium Tea
8. Grief Came Riding
9. Bless His Ever Loving Heart
10. Good Good Day
11. Little Janey's Gone
12. I Feel So Good
13. Shoot Me Down
14. Swing Low
15. Little Ghost Song
16. Everything Must Converge
17. Nocturama
18. She's Leaving You
19. Under This Moon

B-Side And Rarities Part II was compiled by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis and features 27 tracks from “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!” in 2006 to 2019s “Ghosteen”. Also features 19 rare and unreleased tracks including first recordings of ‘Skeleton Tree’, ‘Girl in Amber’, ‘Bright Horses’ and ‘Waiting for You’.

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Cave and Ellis, what a winning combo! Nick Cave remains one of the greatest talents working in music today, and this offers a fascinating insight into the killer tunes they decided not to release along with some fantastic tracks that were only deemed worthy of B-Side status.

TRACK LISTING

PART II LP1 & CD1

1. A1. Hey Little Firing Squad
2. A2. Fleeting Love
3. A3. Accidents Will Happen
4. A4. Free To Walk (With Debbie Harry)
5. A5. Avalanche*
6. A6. Vortex *

7. B1. Needle Boy
8. B2. Lightning Bolts
9. B3. Animal X
10. B4. Give Us A Kiss
11. B5. Push The Sky Away
(Live With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra)*

PART II LP2 & CD2

1. A1. First Skeleton Tree*
2. A2. King Sized Nick Cave Blues*
3. A3. Opium Eyes*
4. A4. Big Dream (With Sky)*
5. A5. Instrumental #33*
6. A6. Hell Villanelle*
7. A7. Euthanasia*
8. A8. Life Per Se*

9. B1. Steve McQueen*
10. B2. First Bright Horses*
11. B3. First Girl In Amber*
12. B4. Glacier*
13. B5. Heart That Kills You*
14. B6. First Waiting For You*
15. B7. Sudden Song*
16. B8. Earthlings*

*previously Unreleased

‘Henry’s Dream’, the seventh album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, was released in April 1992. It remains a big favourite amongst Bad Seeds fans and is notable for Neil Young producer David Briggs’ ‘live-in-the-studio’ method. Cave and Mick Harvey re-mixed the album and it has a vague concept, with song narratives overlapping and / or sharing characters.

‘When I First Came To Town’ is based partly on Karen Dalton’s recording of the traditional song ‘Katy Cruel’.

Cave later claimed the songs were heavily influenced by street beggars he saw in Brazil. “They’d get their acoustic guitars with one or two strings and bang away and make a racket that had no sense whatsoever. It was very violent and seemed to come straight out of the heart. Very unmusical.”

TRACK LISTING

Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
I Had A Dream, Joe
Straight To You
Brother, My Cup Is Empty
Christina The Astonishing
When I First Came To Town
John Finn’s Wife
Loom Of The Land
Jack The Ripper

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds announce their new live album Live God, the stunning testament to The Wild God Tour, which wowed audiences across the UK, Europe and North America in 2024 and ‘25. Across 15 live tracks, the album captures the wildly transcendent nature of those unforgettable shows, which were, in Nick Cave’s own words, “an antidote to despair.”

The tracklist includes performances of songs from the acclaimed 2024 studio album Wild God, as well as mind-blowing versions of catalogue favourites, such as ‘From Her To Eternity’, ‘Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry’ and ‘Into My Arms’.

TRACK LISTING

1. Frogs
2. Wild God
3. O Children
4. From Her To Eternity
5. Long Dark Night
6. Cinnamon Horses
7. Tupelo
8. Conversion
9. Bright Horses
10. Joy
11. I Need You
12. Carnage
13. Red Right Hand
14. White Elephant
15. O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)
16. Papa Won’t Leave You Henry
17. Into My Arms
18. As The Waters Cover The Sea

• Lovely Creatures is the most comprehensive overview of the recorded work of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds to date. Spanning thirty years of music from their debut album From Her To Eternity through to Push The Sky Away their 15th studio album, the collection navigates one of the most exhilarating, idiosyncratic and inventive bodies of work created in contemporary music.

• Included are long-standing live favourites “Stagger Lee” and “The Mercy Seat”, their hit single from 1995 “Where The Wild Roses Grow” through to recent fan favourites “Jubilee Street” and “We No Who U R”. There are songs that newcomers may only know from their appearance on film and television soundtracks, notably “O Children” (Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. I) and the ubiquitous “Red Right Hand”, most recently familiar to fans of the series Peaky Blinders.

• The album was compiled by Nick Cave and founding member Mick Harvey, with help from the current Bad Seeds. 

Lovely Creatures is available in four formats, all featuring personal and rare photographs of the band: Standard CD, Triple LP, Deluxe 3CD with DVD and the Super Deluxe Limited Edition package. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Nick Cave has been one of the most influential and distinctive songwriter / performers of the last 30 odd years. With such a brilliant and varied catalogue spanning 15 LPs, I'd find it virtually impossible to select a mere 21 'best of' tracks, but Nick and ex Bad Seed Mick Harvey have managed it, and that's what you get here on the vinyl and standard CD editions of this release. The deluxe expands futher and is spread across 3CDs and a live/interview DVD.

TRACK LISTING

2CD Tracklist:
CD1
1. Loverman
2. Tupelo
3. Deanna
4. From Her To Eternity
5. The Weeping Song
6. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
7. People Ain't No Good
8. Higgs Boson Blues
9. Straight To You
10. Where The Wild Roses Grow

CD2
1. Into My Arms
2. Love Letter
3. Red Right Hand
4. The Mercy Seat
5. O Children
6. The Ship Song
7. Stranger Than Kindness
8. Jubilee Street
9. Nature Boy
10. We No Who U R
11. Stagger Lee

Vinyl Tracklist:
Side A
1. Loverman
2. Tupelo
3. Deanna
4. From Her To Eternity

Side B
1. The Weeping Song
2. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
3. People Ain't No Good

Side C
1. Higgs Boson Blues
2. Straight To You
3. Where The Wild Rose Grow

Side D
1. Into My Arms
2. Love Letter
3. Red Right Hand
4. The Mercy Seat

Side E
1. O Children
2. The Ship Song
3. Stranger Than Kindness

Side F
1. Jubilee Street
2. Nature Boy
3. We No Who U R
4. Stagger Lee

Deluxe 3CD + DVD Tracklist:
CD1: 1984 -1993
1. From Her To Eternity
2. In The Ghetto
3. Tupelo
4. I'm Gonna Kill That Woman
5. The Carny
6. Sad Waters
7. Stranger Than Kindness
8. Scum
9. The Mercy Seat
10. Deanna
11. Up Jumped The Devil
12. The Weeping Song
13. The Ship Song
14. Papa Won’t Leave You, Henry
15. Straight To You

CD2: 1994 – 2003
1. Do You Love Me?
2. Nobody's Baby Now
3. Loverman
4. Red Right Hand
5. Stagger Lee
6. Where The Wild Roses Grow
7. Into My Arms
8. People Ain't No Good
9. Brompton Oratory
10. (Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?
11. Come Into My Sleep
12. Love Letter
13. God Is In The House
14. He Wants You
15. Shoot Me Down

CD3: 2004 – 2013
1. Hiding All Away
2. There She Goes, My Beautiful World
3. Nature Boy
4. Breathless
5. Babe, You Turn Me On
6. O Children
7. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
8. Night Of The Lotus Eaters
9. We Call Upon The Author
10. Jesus Of The Moon
11. More News From Nowhere
12. We No Who U R
13. Jubilee Street
14. Higgs Boson Blues
15. Push The Sky Away

DVD
1. Interview, ‘Kippevel’, Netherlands, 1988
2. Night Of The Lotus Eaters, Docks De Suds, Marseilles, France 2008
3. Red Right Hand, Glastonbury Festival, UK, 1988
4. The Weeping Song, ‘Boxed Set’, Glasgow STV Studios, UK, 2001
5. Interview, New York, USA, 2013
6. Higgs Boson Blues, La Fabrique Studios, France 2012
7. Interview, ‘Stranger In A Strange Land’ Documentary, Berlin, Germany, 1987
8. From Her To Eternity, Perkins Palace, Pasadena, USA, 1984
9. Love Letter, ABC Studios, Australia, 2001
10. Interview, ‘Bish’s Biz’, Australia, 2013
11. Do You Love Me? ‘Boxed Set’, Glasgow STV Studios, UK, 2001
12. Interview, ‘Boxed Set’, Glasgow STV Studios, UK, 2001
13. Into My Arms, INmusic Festival, Zagreb, Croatia, 2008
14. We Call Upon The Author, B1 Maximum Club, Moscow, Russia, 2009
15. Interview, Ein Abend In Wien, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1991
16. The Mercy Seat, Bizarre Festival, Germany, 1996
17. Interview, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 1984
18. God Is In The House, ‘Later With Jools Holland’, London, 2001
19. Interview, ’Bish’s Biz’, Australia, 2013
20. Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, Globe Annexet, Stockholm, Sweden, 2008
21. Brompton Oratory, ‘MTV Live N Loud’, 1997
22. I’m Gonna Kill That Woman, Posthof, Linz, Austria, 1986
23. Jubilee Street, The Fonda Theatre, LA, USA, 2013
24. The Ship Song, Live At Paradiso DVD, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1992
25. Interview, Lollapalooza, USA, 1994
26. Loverman, Bizarre Festival, Germany, 1996
27. Interview, Australia, 1988
28. In The Ghetto, Exit, Chicago, USA, 1984
29. Hiding All Away, ‘The Abattoir Blues Tour DVD’, Brixton Academy, London, UK, 2004
30. Interview, Australia, 1992
31. Where The Wild Roses Grow, ‘MTV Most Wanted’, London, UK, 1995
32. Deanna, St Luke’s, London, UK, 2008
33. O Children, Le Trianon, Paris, France, 2013
34. Interview, Festival Crazy Rock, Chile, 1996
35. Stagger Lee, The White Room, London, UK, 1996
36. Interview, Austin City Limits, Austin, Texas, USA, 2014
37. Interview, Australia, 1995
38. Push The Sky Away, The Fonda Theatre, LA, USA, 2013
39. There She Goes, My Beautiful World, ‘The Abattoir Blues Tour DVD’, Brixton Academy,
London, UK, 2004

Approx. Running Time 2hrs 5mins

‘Murder Ballads’ is the ninth studio album by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, released in 1996. As the title suggests, the album consists of new and traditional murder ballads, a genre of songs that relays the details of crimes of passion.

‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’ was a hit single and received two ARIA Awards and guest musicians on the album include Kylie Minogue, PJ Harvey and Shane MacGowan.

It was the band’s biggest commercial success to date, most likely helped by the unexpected repeated airplay of the ‘Where The Wild Roses Grow’ video on MTV, who even nominated Cave for their Best Male Artist award of that year, though this nomination was later withdrawn at Cave’s request.

‘Murder Ballads’ received almost unanimous critical praise with Rolling Stone awarding it 4 Stars and Entertainment Weekly rating the album very highly as well. Q magazine had this to say: “...Musically, The Bad Seeds touch on tinkling cabaret jazz, country-paced morbidity and every morose station between” while it ranked Number 7 in the NME's 1996 Critics’ Poll.

TRACK LISTING

LP / CD
Song Of Joy
Stagger Lee
Henry Lee
Lovely Creature
Where The Wild Roses Grow
The Curse Of Millhaven
The Kindness Of Strangers
Crow Jane
O’Malley’s Bar
Death Is Not The End

DVD (with CD/DVD Version Only)
Audio
Murder Ballads (5.1 & Stereo)
The Ballad Of Robert Moore
And Betty Coltrane
The Willow Garden
King Kong Kitchee Kitchee
Ki-Mi-O
Knoxville Girl
Video
Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 9: Murder Ballads)
Stagger Lee
Where The Wild Roses Grow
Henry Lee

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds return with new album, ‘Wild God’.

“I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me,” Cave says. “It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious. There is never a masterplan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.”

Across ten tracks, the band dance between convention and experimentation, taking left-turns and detours that heighten the rich imagery and emotion in Cave’s soul-stirring narratives. It is the sound of a group emboldened by reconnection and taking flight. There are moments that touch fondly upon the Bad Seeds’ past but they are fleeting, and serve only to imbue the relentless and restless forward motion of the band.

Produced by Cave and Warren Ellis, and mixed by David Fridmann, Cave began writing the album on New Year’s Day 2023. With sessions at Miraval in Provence and Soundtree in London, the Bad Seeds added their unique alchemy, with additional performances from Colin Greenwood (bass) and Luis Almau (nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar).

“Wild God…there’s no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it.” Nick Cave

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Wild God heralds a new phase in the constantly evolving story of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. It combines the meandering, fluid structures employed since 2013’s Push The Sky Away, with the more muscular, dynamic sound of earlier output. Of course it wouldn’t be a Bad Seeds album without a heavy dose of pain, sadness and death, but unlike the unending bleakness of recent releases, there’s a definite shift both lyrically and musically: glimmers of optimism cutting through the dark skies. With huge string swells and almost gospel-like multi vocal crescendos there’s a power to the songs that perhaps reflects the strength of human spirit: a feeling that despite all the darkness in the world, love & hope will always endure.

TRACK LISTING

1. Song Of The Lake
2. Wild God
3. Frogs
4. Joy
5. Final Rescue Attempt
6. Conversion
7. Cinnamon Horses
8. Long Dark Night
9. O Wow O Wow (How Wonderful She Is)
10. As The Waters Cover The Sea

In 2022, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis returned to their native Australia for 16 shows, taking their acclaimed 2021 album ‘Carnage’ on the road, along with songs from the Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds catalogue. Three performances at the Sydney Opera House on December 16th, 17th and 18th were the climactic shows of an emotional trip, captured for a luminous new live album, ‘Australian Carnage - Live At The Sydney Opera House’.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Performers don't come much more experienced or capable than the songwriting powerhouse of Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, and 'live At The Sydney Opera House' perfectly captures a striking string of live performances of their most seminal works, new and old. It's a must-have.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Bright Horses (Live At The Sydney Opera House)
2. Carnage (Live At The Sydney Opera House)
3. White Elephant (Live At The Sydney Opera House)
4. Leviathan (Live At The Sydney Opera House)

SIDE B
1. Ghosteen (Live At The Sydney Opera House)
2. Waiting For You (Live At The Sydney Opera House)
3. Breathless (Live At The Sydney Opera House)
4. Balcony Man (Live At The Sydney Opera House)

Carnage is a new album by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis, recorded over a period of weeks during lockdown.

Although the pair have composed & recorded many soundtracks together, and Ellis is a long-term member of The Bad Seeds, this is the first time they have released an entire album of songs as a duo.

Cave describes the album as "a brutal but very beautiful record nested in a communal catastrophe."

"Making Carnage was an accelerated process of intense creativity," says Ellis, "the eight songs were there in one form or another within the first two and a half days."

Cave & Ellis' sonic and lyrical adventurism continues apace on Carnage, an album that emerged almost by accident out of the downtime created by the long, anxious, global emergency.

Carnage is a record for these uncertain times - one shot through with moments of distilled beauty and that resonates with an almost defiant sense of hope.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Ellis and Cave go together like chips and gravy, there's no doubting that, but until now, they've not done a full album together that isn't a soundtrack. Now here we get the unmatched songwriting capability of both parties fully focused on an album in which they're allowed free reign and it's BEAUTIFUL. Cinematic in parts, but imbued with the melodic sensibilities that are generally missing from soundtrack work. A brilliant document of two of the greatest musicians in the business, and together, a force that simply can't be bettered.

TRACK LISTING

Hand Of God
Old Time
Carnage
White Elephant
Albuquerque
Lavender Fields
Shattered Ground
Balcony Man

Originally available as a digital-only release, Invada Records and Lakeshore Records present the original score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis to the film La Panthère Des Neiges (AKA The Velvet Queen).

The soundtrack is one of Ellis and Cave’s most heartfelt and haunting film projects. 

High up on the Tibetan plateau. Amongst unexplored and inaccessible valleys lies one of the last sanctuaries of the wild world, where rare and undiscovered fauna lives. Vincent Munier, one of the world’s most renowned wildlife photographers takes the adventurer and novelist Sylvain Tesson (In the Forest of Siberia) with him on his latest mission. For several weeks, they’ll explore these valleys searching for unique animals and try to spot the snow leopard, one of the rarest and most difficult big cats to approach.

Ellis explains how Cave and himself came to be involved : “There is something about the heart of this film that draws you in. I realised after a day, that I wanted to do whatever it took to compose an entire original score. The film deserved to have its own musical voice. I booked five days and asked Nick if he could come in for a day to write a theme song and play some piano. He saw the film and stayed for four days. In the end we made what I think is one of the most beautiful films we have ever worked on. One of my favourite experiences ever working on a project. The stars are the animals in all their wild glory, as we have never seen them before, and man in reverence and wonder.”

TRACK LISTING

L'attaque Des Loups
Les Cerfs
Antilope
La Bête
Les Yaks
Des Affûts Elliptiques
Les Nomades
La Grotte
Les Princes
La Neige Tombe
Les Ours
Un Être Vous Obsède
L’apparition/We Are Not Alone

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis present a suitably epic, wondrous soundtrack suite for Mars, the National Geographic Channel's 6-part series. The fictional TV series tells the story of the first astronaut crew on a mission to Mars in 2033. Directed by Everardo Gout and produced by Ron Howard & Brian Grazer, the series aired in November 2016.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Mars Theme
2. Mars
3. Daedalus
4. Earth
5. Science
6. Space X
7. Space Station

SIDE B
1. Symphony Of The Dead
2. Planetarium
3. Towards Daedalus
4. Life On Mars

‘War Machine’ is a new Netflix film, directed by David Michôd and starring Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton among many others.

Military snares set a sharp cadence beneath the score’s eerie synths and strings, instantly reminiscent of ‘Skeleton Tree’ by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and the beautiful ‘Hell Or High Water’ score.

“Together we made a score that was both light and dark, propulsive and meditative at the same time. We developed a kind of ‘spiritual electronics’ that captured both the melancholy and the terrible absurdity of the Afghan war,” Cave and Ellis said in a press release. “It was a great pleasure to work with David Michôd, who is not only an extraordinary filmmaker but a musician too. Our favorite score!”

TRACK LISTING

Ah America
Humble Man
The Bubble
The Civilian Executive
In Liebe Dein (Roedelius)
Badi Basim
Kamee (Roedelius)
The Moon Landing
Our Noise
Fabelwein (Roedelius)
Jeanie
NY Snow Globe (Rachel’s)
Thousands Of Parades, All Over America
Marjah
Staunen Im Fjord (Roedelius)
The Hand Of Helping
Be Lovely
A Page In The History Books
War Machine

Digisleeve repress of the classic 2003 album, featuring singles ‘Bring It On’ and ‘He Wants You.’

TRACK LISTING

1. Wonderful Life
2. He Wants You
3. Right Out Of Your Hand
4. Bring It On
5. Dead Man In My Bed
6. Still In Love
7. There Is A Town
8. Rock Of Gibraltar
9. She Passed By My Window
10. Babe, I’m On Fire

Digisleeve repress of the 2010 remaster of the classic fifth studio album, originally released in 1988.

‘Tender Prey’ is the fifth studio album from Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds and was released on 19th September 1988. The album was produced by Flood and recorded during several sessions over the course of four months in West Berlin - where the band were based at the time - and London.

The album opens with ‘The Mercy Seat’, which has been subsequently played at almost all of the band’s live performances since 1988 and was later covered by one of Cave’s biggest influences, Johnny Cash. ‘The Mercy Seat’ was released as a single in May 1988 as a precursor to the album and ‘Deanna’ was released shortly after the album hit the streets.

Cave later admitted that the album “was made at a difficult time in my life when things were spiralling out of control in a lot of areas.”

TRACK LISTING

1. The Mercy Seat 
2. Up Jumped The Devil 
3. Deanna
4. Watching Alice 
5. Mercy 
6. City Of Refuge 
7. Slowly Goes The Night 
8. Sunday’s Slave
9. Sugar Sugar Sugar 
10. New Morning 

Digisleeve repress of the acclaimed 2nd studio album, originally released in 1985.

‘The Firstborn Is Dead’, co-produced by Nick Cave, the Bad Seeds and Flood, is the second studio album released by Cave & The Bad Seeds, and was originally released on June 3rd 1985.

Cave explores his fascination with the American South, with references ranging from Elvis Presley to ‘Blind’ Lemon Jefferson.

Recorded in Berlin, Cave later said of this album, "Berlin gave us the freedom and encouragement to do whatever we wanted. We'd lived in London for three years and it seemed that if you stuck your head out of the box, people were pretty quick to knock it back in, particularly if you were Australian. When we came to Berlin it was the opposite. People saw us as some kind of force rather than a kind of wacky novelty act”.

The album's title is a reference to Jesse Garon Presley, the stillborn identical twin of Elvis Presley, and ‘Wanted Man’ was Cave’s own take on a song Bob Dylan wrote for Johnny Cash. Dylan gave his permission for the lyrics to be changed, with Cave’s interpretation referencing his friends.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tupelo
2. Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree
3. Train Long Suffering
4. Black Crow King
5. Knockin’ On Joe
6. Wanted Man
7. Blind Lemon Jefferson

Digisleeve repress of the acclaimed 6th studio album released in 1990. Includes the singles ‘The Ship Song’ and ‘The Weeping Song.’

Released in 1990, ‘The Good Son’ is the sixth album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.

‘The Weeping Song’ and ‘The Ship Song’ have now become firm fan favourites. ‘Foi Na Cruz’ is based partly upon the traditional Brazilian Protestant hymn of the same title. The title translates roughly as ‘It Happened On The Cross’.

Cave later said, “I guess ‘The Good Son’ is some kind of reflection of the way I felt early on in Brazil. I was quite happy there. I was in love and the first year or two was good. The problem I found was... in order to survive you have to adopt their attitudes towards everything, which are kind of blinkered.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Foi Na Cruz
2. The Good Son
3. Sorrow’s Child
4. The Weeping Song
5. The Ship Song
6. The Hammer Song
7. Lament
8. The Witness Song
9. Lucy

Ghosteen is the seventeenth studio album from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, following 2016’s Skeleton Tree, and will be released via Ghosteen Ltd. The album was recorded in 2018 and early 2019 at Woodshed in Malibu, Nightbird in Los Angeles, Retreat in Brighton and Candybomber in Berlin. It was mixed by Nick Cave, Warren Ellis, Lance Powell and Andrew Dominik at Conway in Los Angeles.

"The songs on the first album are the children. The songs on the second album are their parents. Ghosteen is migrating spirit." - Nick Cave.

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Spread across two albums, "The songs on the first album are the children. The songs on the second album are their parents. Ghosteen is migrating spirit." Nick Cave, ‘Ghosteen is a deeply introspective and at times an emotionally devastating listen exploring his personal grief following the death of his son. A melancholic yet beautiful masterpiece.

TRACK LISTING

Disc 1:
1. The Spinning Song
2. Bright Horses
3. Waiting For You
4. Night Raid
5. Sun Forest
6. Galleon Ship
7. Ghosteen Speaks
8. Leviathan

Disc 2:
1. Ghosteen
2. Fireflies
3. Hollywood

Nick Cave and Warren Ellis crafted the evocative soundtrack for the biopic Back to Black, which chronicles the rise and impact of Amy Winehouse. Their composition is a haunting yet soulful homage, blending melancholic strings and ambient soundscapes to mirror Winehouse’s turbulent journey and profound artistry. The duo’s music underscores the film’s emotional depth, capturing both the rawness of Winehouse’s struggles and the brilliance of her musical legacy

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Opening
2. At The Taxi
3. Park Bench
4. Tattoo Parlour
5. Dublin Castle
6. Snooker Hall
7. Sort Yourselves Out

SIDE B
1. Soho To Glastonbury
2. Holloway Prison
3. The End
4. Song For Amy
5. Song For Amy (Reprise)

Following the break up of Nick Cave’s former group The Birthday Party, Cave and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey put together a new band featuring Einsturzende Neubauten guitarist Blixa Bargeld, additional guitarist Hugo Race, and ex-Magazine bass player Barry Adamson.

The band entered the studio on September 20th 1983, and after some sessions, emerged as Nick Cave & The Cavemen, playing their first gig in Melbourne on New Year’s Eve 1983.

The name was short-lived, and was soon amended to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, in reference to the final Birthday Party release, ‘The Bad Seed’ EP.

Most of ‘From Her To Eternity’ was recorded in London, with sessions split between The Garden studio in Shoreditch, and Trident, in Soho.

Cave later said, "Well, I guess we weren't kicking people in the teeth anymore. I mean, it just became different. I wanted it to be more lyrically orientated and getting Blixa Bargeld in the group made an incredible difference. He's a completely kind of atmospheric guitarist and incredibly economical and it gave me room to breathe”.

The album, produced by Mick Harvey and Flood, was released on 18th June 1984 on Mute Records, Cave’s label for more than the next 25 years. It received great reviews upon its release and is recognised as one of the most timeless albums of the ‘80s.

TRACK LISTING

Avalanche
Cabin Fever!
Well Of Misery
From Her To Eternity
Saint Huck
Wings Off Flies
A Box For Black Paul

‘Live from KCRW' is a live radio session recorded in Los Angeles in April 2013 & is the fourth official live album in the band's history.

It features a stripped-down line-up performing classic Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds material alongside four songs from their recent global hit album ‘Push the Sky Away’.

‘Live from KCRW’ album line-up:
Nick Cave: Piano, vocals
Warren Ellis: Tenor guitar, violin, piano, loops, backing vocals
Martyn Casey: Bass
Jim Sclavunos: Percussion, drums, backing vocals
Barry Adamson: Organ, backing vocals

TRACK LISTING

Higgs Boson Blues
Far From Me
Stranger Than Kindness
The Mercy Seat
And No More Shall We Part
Wide Lovely Eyes
Mermaids
People Ain't No Good
Push The Sky Away
Jack The Ripper

Vinyl Bonus Tracks:
Into My Arms
God Is In The House

At the heart of 'Push the Sky Away' is a naturalism and warmth that makes it the most subtly beautiful of all the Bad Seeds albums. The contemporary settings of myths, and the cultural references that have time-stamped Nick's songs of the twenty-first century mist lightly through details drawn from the life he observed around his seaside home, through the tall windows on the album's mysterious and ambiguous cover. The songs on this album took form in a modest notebook with shellac covers over the course of almost a year. The notebook is a treasured analogue artefact but the internet is equally important to Nick: Googling curiosities, being entranced by exotic Wikipedia entries "whether they're true or not". These songs convey how on the internet profoundly significant events, momentary fads and mystically-tinged absurdities sit side-by-side and question how we might recognise and assign weight to what's genuinely important.

The album has a clarity and sweet strangeness that's built upon the refusal to accept limitations, whether they be the traditional uses and sounds of musical instruments, lyric styles, or diminished spiritual horizons. It's not always apparent what instruments the band is playing: they may be traditional musical instruments but other sounds are clearly generated by objects unrelated to musical instruments. What's being created is a collective musical language that's rich and complex.

"Well, if I were to use that threadbare metaphor of albums being like children, then Push The Sky Away is the ghost-baby in the incubator and Warren's loops are its tiny, trembling heart-beat." Nick Cave

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Mellow, introspective and moody, 'Push The Sky Away' sees Nick Cave hit top form. Ably backed by the subtly brilliant Bad Seeds, this will go down as one of the standouts in the burgeoning cannon of classic Cave albums.

TRACK LISTING

1. We No Who U R
2. Wide Lovely Eyes
3. Water's Edge
4. Jubilee Street
5. Mermaids
6. We Real Cool
7. Finishing Jubilee Street
8. Higgs Boson Blues
9. Push The Sky Away

Skeleton Tree began its journey in late 2014 at Retreat Studios, Brighton, with further sessions at La Frette Studios, France in autumn 2015. The album was mixed at AIR Studios, London in early 2016.

The songs from the album are featured in the film One More Time With Feeling, directed by Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly). The film was comissioned by Nick Cave and is to be the only public statement to accompany the albums’ release.

Given event's in his personal life prior to the release of the album, it's understandable that this album is sombre affair. Although accompanied by a film, it is an album in its own right, rather than a soundtrack. Having said that, the orchestration which forms the backdrop to Nick's rich, half spoken - half sung narratives, has a similar cinematic feel to the haunting, atmospheric film scores that Nick and Bad Seed Warren Ellis excel at.

It’s probably not going to be your choice of listening prior to a night out on the town, but if it’s darkness you’re after, no one does that better than Nick.

A beautiful, moving album.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Given events in his personal life prior its release, it's understandable that this album is a sombre affair. Although accompanied by a film, it is an album in its own right, rather than a soundtrack. Having said that, the orchestration which forms the backdrop to Nick's rich, half spoken - half sung narratives, has a similar cinematic feel to the haunting, atmospheric film scores that Nick and Bad Seed Warren Ellis excel at. No one does darkness better than Mr Cave.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jesus Alone
2. Rings Of Saturn
3. Girl In Amber
4. Magneto
5. Anthrocene
6. I Need You
7. Distant Sky
8. Skeleton Tree

‘The Boatman’s Call’ is the tenth studio album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, originally released in 1997.

The album is entirely piano-based and remains one of the most critically acclaimed releases of Nick Cave’s career.

Musically, the album’s tone is considered sombre and minimalist and marks a major departure. Moving away from full band arrangements and character-based narratives, the album’s music and lyrics move towards the more intimate sound of Cave’s solo voice accompanied by piano or a few other instruments.

TRACK LISTING

LP / CD
Into My Arms
Lime Tree Arbour
People Ain’t No Good
There Is A Kingdom
(Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?
Where Do We Go Now But Nowhere?
West Country Girl
Black Hair
Idiot Prayer
Far From Me
Green Eyes

DVD (With CD/DVD Version Only)
Audio
The Boatman’s Call (5.1 & Stereo)
Little Empty Boat
Right Now I’m A-Roaming
Black Hair (Band Version)
Come Into My Sleep
Babe, I Got You Bad
Videos
Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Part 10: The Boatman’s Call)
Into My Arms
(Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?

In June 2020, mid lockdown, Nick Cave performed a live set in the vast grandeur of in the West Hall of London's Alexandra Palace. The performance, featuring just Nick at the piano, was filmed and streamed in July and was a beautifully sombre affair that sat perfectly with the mood and uncertainty of the time. 

In recent years Nick has performed several solo shows with just a piano, covering material spanning his entire career, but whether it is the shadow cast by the global pandemic or the majestic splendour of the location, this songs here seem somehow more poignant than ever. Although recorded in such a vast space it is the intimacy of the performance that makes it such a compelling listen. Wonderful.

The Telegraph ****
"Cave's solo live stream could be the most the beautiful and sombre performance he's ever given"

The Guardian ****
"Cave’s performance in an empty hall, with just piano and voice, seems to try and ward off the terrifying silence of the Covid-19 age”

Evening Standard ****
"Gravitas echoes beautifully in the void of an empty Alexandra Palace"

The Independent ****
"‘Idiot Prayer’ performance is stately and beautiful”

The Arts Desk ****
"The dramatic minimalism of this setting is perfect for an expressive face, and such powerfully emotional songs”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There is absolutely no stopping Nick Cave. Even a global pandemic can't halt his transformative live show, and the bleak solemnity of one man and a piano only serves to exacerbate the intoxicating experience.

TRACK LISTING

Spinning Song
Jubilee Street
Far From Me
Idiot Prayer
Sad Waters
He Wants You
Brompton Oratory
Higgs Boson Blues
Palaces Of Montezuma
Stranger Than Kindness
Into My Arms
Girl In Amber
The Ship Song
Man In The Moon
Nobody's Baby Now
Papa Won't Leave You, Henry
Black Hair
(Are You) The One That I’ve Been Waiting For?
Galleon Ship
Waiting For You
The Mercy Street
Euthanasia

‘While in lockdown I wrote a number of psalms, or small, sacred songs—one a day for a week.

The seven psalms are presented as one long meditation—on faith, rage, love, grief, mercy, sex and praise. A veiled, contemplative offering borne of an uncertain time. I hope you like it.’

Nick Cave.

The complete lyrics from cultural icon and bestselling author Nick Cave, spanning his entire career to date, with a new foreword by Andrew O'HaganFrom Nick Cave's writing for The Birthday Party, through highly acclaimed albums like Murder Ballads, Henry's Dream, DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! and Ghosteen, this is a must-have book for all fans of the dark, the beautiful and the defiant - for all fans of the songs of Nick Cave. 'The greatest living songwriter' NME'A glowing wire, a mainline to meaning ad feeling and art' New Yorker'Nick Cave is a true lyrical master. He can conjure empathy and hope out of thin air, light out of darkness' Cillian Murphy'His lyrics - so rich in the toils of love, so committed to memory and everlasting presence - are the best-made of his generation' Andrew O'Hagan'A poetic craftsman' Will Self'Alternative rock legend' Billboard'Cave's genius rings loud and clear' Evening StandardCover art by Aleksandra Waliszewska

The Sick Bag Song chronicles Cave's 22-city journey around North America in 2014. Racked by romantic longing and exhaustion, Cave teases out the significant moments - the people, the books and the music - that have influenced and inspired him, and drops them into his sick bag. The book began its life scribbled onto airline sick bags and later evolves into a restless contemporary epic, exploring love, loss, inspiration and memory.

Recorded at various concerts throughout Europe and Australia in 1992 and 1993. All of the classics are featured here, "Deanna", "The Ship Song", "Papa Won't Leave You Henry", "Tupelo", "Jack The Ripper", "From Her To Eternity" and many more. But none of those tracks eclipse the live energy of the utterly superb "The Mercy Seat". 13 tracks that showcase the genius and power of Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds in the live setting.

A retrospective, rather than a single compilation, this spans 13 years and 10 albums from the debut "From Her To Eternity" to "The Boatman's Call". 16 tracks in total featuring the duets with Kylie and PJ Harvey, "Where The Wild Roses Grow" and "Henry Lee", the album favourites "The Carney" and "From Her To Eternity" and classic singles such as "The Mercy Seat", "(Are You) The One That I've Been Waiting For?" and "Straight To You".

A deeply personal and powerful memoir from beloved music icon Neneh Cherry. *A GUARDIAN MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024**A BBC CULTURE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2024*Top of the Pops, December 1988. The world sat up as a young woman made her debut: gold bra, gold bomber jacket, and proudly, gloriously, seven months pregnant.

This was no ordinary artist. This was Neneh Cherry. But navigating fame and family wasn't always simple.

In this beautiful and deeply personal memoir, Cherry remembers the collaborations, the highs and lows, the friendships and loves, and the addictions and traumas that have shaped her as a woman and an artist. At the heart of it, always, is family: the extraordinary three generations of artists and musicians that are her inheritance and her legacy. Musician.

Neneh’s new record pointedly asks the question; how do we conduct ourselves in extraordinary times? In an era where the signal-to-noise ratio is more uneven than ever, what are the measures we must take to retain and remember our own personhood? It searches for answers, patiently and with great care, and with a fearlessness to acknowledge that sometimes the answers don't even exist. It’s a record that’s equal parts angry, thoughtful, melancholy, and emboldening, as Cherry and her collaborators continue to expand her ever-widening sonic palette to craft truly singular and potent music.

Work on Broken Politics began as touring wound down behind Cherry's previous full-length, 2014's Blank Project, and she felt a drive to continue creating after collaborating on that record with Kieran Hebden (Four Tet). "That last album was much angrier and forceful, whereas this one is quieter and more reflective," she states. "I haven't always been so good at getting things out so quickly, and it still took a while—but that's okay."

Cherry, writing partner Cameron McVey, and Hebden decamped to Woodstock, New York for a week-long recording session at the Creative Music Studio, a recording space founded by jazz pianist Karl Berger—who, in a stroke of providence, was a band member of Neneh's stepfather and Don Cherry as well as being friends with her mother Moki. "Being in a studio with them was like being in a familiar space. It was easy to reach into myself for the feelings I needed to be in tune with a song—and at night, Cameron and I would have dinner with Ingrid and Karl and they'd tell stories about my father. There were deep threads."

"It was one of the best writing periods I've had in a really long time," Cherry continues while discussing the creative process behind Broken Politics. "I got out of the waiting room and into the inner sanctum.”

"I'm very shy about taking on big themes with the airs that I've got a solution—who has the fucking solutions?" Cherry admits while talking about the album's title. "I like writing from a personal perspective, and the time we live in is so much about finding your own voice. People have been left feeling misheard, misunderstood, and disillusioned. What the fuck can I do? Maybe politics starts in your bedroom, or your house—a form of activism, and a responsibility. The album is about all of those things: feeling broken, disappointed, and sad, but having perseverance. It's a fight against the extinction of free thought and spirit."

"I have a name. You have a name. We're not just these faceless mounds you can put in the ground," Cherry proclaims when talking about her worldly vision that seeped into Broken Politics. "We're human beings with lives and stories." Art can often remind us of how it feels to live in the moment, and it can also be instructive in helping understand how to preserve that moment. Broken Politics finds Cherry at her most generous and benevolent towards a world that is often anything but. She puts it best in the chorus of LP track "Fallen Leaves," in her own defiant way: "Just because I'm down/ Don't step all over me.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Neneh Cherry's unmistakable vocal style and soulful leanings are harnessed here by the dreamy, otherworldly percussion and electronic momentum of Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) on production duties. His impeccable ear for sonic space only accentuates her flawless songwriting skills, making for a brilliantly listenable and absorbing outing.

TRACK LISTING

Fallen Leaves
Kong
Poem Daddy
Synchronised Devotion
Deep Vein Thrombosis
Faster Than The Truth
Natural Skin Deep
Shot Gun Shack
Black Monday
Cheap Breakfast Special
Slow Release
Soldier

Departing from rap and dance, Cherry’s third album ‘Man’, released in 1996, instead can be described as a collection of alternative rock anthems. The Swedish singer released the duet ‘7 Seconds’ with Youssou N’Dour, which topped the charts internationally. This release comes as a limited edition 140-gram Yellow vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Woman
Feel It
Hornbeam
Trouble Man
Golden Ring
Side B
7 Seconds
Kootchi
Beastiality
Carry Me
Together Now
Everything

Neneh Cherry announces a new project titled The Versions, a collaboration album of covers from her expansive catalogue by an all female lineup of some of the most exciting and revered artists of our time. 

The Versions is a 10-track album featuring Neneh Cherry reworks from artists that have a personal connection to the artist and her music. Sia expresses her love for Neneh and her family saying, “Neneh was my favorite artist when she hit the scene. I saved my pocket money for red filas and dreamt one day we would meet. When I was struggling with my mental health in my early twenties, I somehow ended up in their house being taken care of as if I was one of their own children. I called her husband during a suicide attempt, who had been mentoring me as an incredible music producer, and they gave me all the love I could have dreamt of. I owe them a huge thanks and would sing ‘a-b-c’ for them if they asked.
Neneh, my very first queen, Cameron my bonus dad, I love you forever amen!

Other artists involved include long-time friend, one of pop's treasured musical geniuses and woman behind some of the most memorable songs of recent decade, Robyn who teamed up with Mapei to re-imagine the seminal track “Buffalo Stance” into a slinky, scandipop song with the help of Dev Hynes on production. Pop provocateur, ANOHNI lends her haunting vocals to “Woman”, delivering an arresting remake of the empowering track and south London nomad Greentea Peng transforms “Buddy X” into a garage infused number. Singer-songwriter and poet Jamila Woods adds her soulful touch on “Kootchi” with artist and violinist Sudan Archives completely reconstructing “Heart” into a sparse and delicate offering. Seinabo Sey adds Scandinavian soul to “Kisses On The Wind”, Kelsey Lu’s ethereal vocals on her version of “Manchild” transports the track into unworldly heights with Neneh’s daughter TYSON bringing her own sensual attitude to “Sassy” before Honey Dijon wraps things up and taking things to the dancefloor with her house remix of “Buddy X”.

Neneh Cherry has continued to define and redefine culture, style and music, releasing five studio albums, including 2018’s Broken Politics, produced by Four Tet, which was met with critical acclaim by the likes of The Guardian, Rolling Stone, The Times, Q and Pitchfork. 2020 saw her reissue her radically influential debut album Raw Like Sushi to celebrate its 30th anniversary and recently received the honorary Icon Award at the NME Awards 2022. 

TRACK LISTING

01_Robyn Feat Mapei - Buffalo Stance
02_Sia - Manchild
03_Anohni - Woman
04_Greentea Peng - Buddy X
05_Jamilia Woods - Kootchi
06_TYSON - Sassy
07_Sudan Archives - Hearts
08_Seinabo Sey - Kisses On The Wind
09_Kelsey Lu – Manchild
10_Honey Dijon – Buddy X Rework 

Another insane and fuzzy Italian Library killer from 1971 - Nello Ciangherotti aka Nenty & Silvano Chimenti "SONORITA' NEL LAVORO", originally out of the vaults of Globe Records. A top-notch set of sleazy Psych, dope Progressive riffs and Experimental Rock themed music produced to score some obscure documentaries about world of work.

Mad section of evil Psychedelic guitars and fuzzy Wah Wah by the great guitarist Silvano Chimenti (the man behind 'Droga' and further Library grails) and studio arrangements by maestro and orchestra director Nello Ciangherotti. Stunning edgy vibes with loads of hand-made sonorities that recall sounds of industry, mechanical instruments and smoking chimneys for a dope Psychedelic winner. Limited to 300 copies only!

Guitarist, sonic explorer & Wilco bandmember Nels Cline presents 'Consentrik Quartet', the eponymous debut recording by his newest band which features Ingrid Laubrock on saxophones, Chris Lightcap on bass & Tom Rainey on drums. By turns swinging, grooving, bracing, mesmeric & quietly stunning, Cline’s 4th Blue Note album spotlights the ensemble’s profound chemistry as well as Cline’s versatility as both a player & a writer with 12 evocative soundscapes.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Returning Angel
2. The 23
3. Surplus
4. Slipping Into Something
5. Allende
6. House Of Steam
7. Inner Wall
8. Satomi
9. The Bag
10. Down Close
11. Question Marks (The Spot)
12. Time Of No Sirens

"Devil's Music" and more! EM Records presents the re-release of Nicolas Collins' live radio sampling masterpiece, originally released on vinyl in 1986, served up in all its stuttering glory, a time capsule of the mid-80s New York City airwaves. Acclaimed by Philip Sherburne as 'an early template for techno', the album has a feel somewhat akin to scratching turntablist madness, a block-rocking party put through a blender and reassembled by body-popping demons. Nicolas Collins is a hugely influential in contemporary electronic music, having performed world wide for many years, collaborating with Christian Marclay, Elliot Sharp, David Shea, David Tudor and John Zorn, composing, recording, modifying circuits and inventing instruments,and spreading the good word through his writing and teaching. The pieces released here are only part of his ongoing, multifaceted and truly experimental activities.

Norman Connors' Mr. C is a masterclass in sophisticated modern funk and boogie-infused soul that was way ahead of its time. Originally released in 1981, the album finds the renowned jazz drummer/producer at a creative crossroads, boldly diving deep into street-level boogie-funk without losing his soulful, jazzy touch. What once might have puzzled jazz purists now delights soul/funk aficionados; it has quietly become a cult favourite and now, nearly 45 years later, Mr. C sounds fresher than ever. Brimming with infectious heavy funk, lush arrangements and soul-stirring performances, it's an album that flirts with perfection, ensuring its enduring significance in the boogie/jazz-funk-soul canon.

From its opening moments, Mr. C makes one thing clear: this is Norman Connors at his funkiest. The majority of the album is a straight-up party: think dancefloor-ready beats complemented by punchy horn riffs and slick early-80s boogie vibes. There’s heavy use of synths and drum-machines, demonstrating Connors' gleeful embrace of contemporary funk trends. Each track shines in uniquely thrilling fashion, showcasing Connors’ versatility and happy knack for blending genres whilst crafting unforgettable melodies.

Irresistible thumper “She’s Gone” opens the album with a dyno-Rhodes electric piano groove and a seriously thick boogie-funk rhythm. Lush string accents and horn stabs weave through the funky bassline, while the vocals (handled by a young Beau Williams) soar with gospel-tinged emotion. Over four decades later, it endures as a masterpiece. Living up to its name, the shimmering “Party Town” brings deep Electro-Funk Energy by layering bubbling synth bass and shiny lead synth lines. The groove is downright addictive, a brisk, brass-kissed jam that implores you to move. Up next, the sophisticated funk of “Keep Doin’ It” is a low-slung post-disco glider, propelled by a sleek vibe, leaning into the late-night boogie sound. Funky guitar, tight drumming (with Connors’ jazz-honed chops in the pocket) and smooth vocals urge you to “keep doin'” whatever it is that's working. “Stay with Me” works a bit of island flavour into the mix, riding a thick Caribbean groove complete with tropical percussion and an upbeat tempo that could almost be calypsoul. The fusion of Caribbean rhythm elements into an R&B context demonstrates Connors’ willingness to experiment with global sounds while keeping things soulful and danceable.

Side B opens with the sassy funk-deluxe workout, "Anyway You Want" dripping with that soulful strut. Bringing a real quiet storm swagger, “Sing a Love Song” slows the tempo ever so slightly into a sexy, swaying jazz-funk gem, featuring a young Glenn Jones on lead vocals. The arrangement is elegant, built on warm keys and an undeniable groove. The celestial “Love’s In Your Corner” is all about soulful uplift. Featuring the legendary Jean Carn's powerhouse vocals soaring over a brass-kissed driving funk, it's an R&B burner. The refined, jazzy instrumental “Mr. C” is a slinky, smooth, funk-filled mid-tempo groove, with sax and warm keys gliding effortlessly. Connors combines jazzy arrangements into the post-disco/boogie framework one last time, and the result is sublime. It’s sophisticated and cool and, as a finale, “Mr. C” wraps up the album in classy style.

On release, Mr. C flew under the radar but time has been exceptionally kind to this record. DJs, collectors and soul connoisseurs alike have since rediscovered its magic. As ever, this crucial reissue has been lovingly remastered by Simon Francis, cut by engineer of the year Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios and pressed to perfection by Record Industry in Holland. Norman Connors was something truly extra. He was a visionary. And Mr. C is proof.

TRACK LISTING

A1 She's Gone 4:54
A2 Party Town 5:00
A3 Keep Doin' It 5:22
A4 Stay With Me 3:20
B1 Anyway You Want 3:25
B2 Sing A Love Song 3:16
B3 Love's In Your Corner 4:34
B4 Mr. C 4:23

This is the second 12" EP featuring reinterpretations of tracks taken from the brilliant Nicola Conte & Gianluca Petrella's jazz dance album "People Need People" released in 2021. The song "Inner Light" gets here a further interpretation by the great Anthony Nicholson, one of the most respected producers and key characters in the tribal / afrocentric house scene, while DJ Spinna has put his artistry on "New World Shuffle" for an uplifting result: Bridgette Amofah's original vocals shine over a sunny house groove full of keys and moog lushy layers, in a distinctive 'Spinna feel'. Coming next: new versions of "People Need People" songs made by Tall Black Guy, Andrés and Fred P.! Stay tuned!!!

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: The second instalment of remixes from People Need People and this doesn't disappoint, high energy electronica nu-jazz with a housey vibe. Very very into this.

TRACK LISTING

1. New World Shuffle (DJ Spinna Galactic Soul Remix) [feat. Bridgette Amofah]
2. Inner Light (Anthony Nicholson Miquifaye Remix) [feat. Raashan Ahmad]

Caught somewhere between the rain-drenched streets of Manchester and the sun-beaten deserts of America lies Nev Cottee’s third album Broken Flowers. A deeply cinematic, string-soaked album rich in atmosphere and brooding ambience. Its origins however, began in India, with Cottee trying to leave rainy-city heartbreak behind.

“I hate the English winter. Really can't stand the grey days. So I shipped out to India in January 2016. I found a place and set up a simple studio to demo out there”. Rising at dawn each day the ideas began to flow and quickly enough 20 new songs began to take shape, “Maybe the new surroundings helped - getting out of my comfort zone, getting away from all the shit one accumulates at home".

The songs, even in sparse demo form, captured the plaintive tone of Cottee’s vocals slowly unfurling in emotional waves - the gentleness reminiscent of Spiritualized’s Jason Pierce but with the rich warm resonance of Lee Hazelwood. Cottee then took the songs to Wales to work with previous collaborator and producer Mason Neely (Lambchop/Edwyn Collins). Neely brought in some classical musicians, “cut away the flab” and pushed the songs to their extremes - the producer's intuitions and abilities clearly trusted by Cottee, “On the album notes it says 'Mason: Sounds' and that's him in a nutshell. He brings so much to the table and gives the album it's sonic identity - I can't give him a bigger compliment than that.”

Whilst the finished album hums with quiet beauty - dense swirls of ambience hanging in the air as elevating strings cascade through - there’s also a darkness, “Although I recorded during the day this is a night time record. It’s dark and introspective. I find that juxtaposition hugely creative. The night in India can be quite a foreboding place. Me and a mate would make late night excursions inland - into the heart of darkness. Not quite Apocalypse Now but enough to take you out of any semblance of comfort. We saw some strange things, weird village ceremonies, people biting snakes' heads off... the songs represent a physical and mental journey.” 

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Mojo have likened Nev to a bedroom Ry Cooder, and you can see what they mean on this album. The songs have a sparse, atmospheric, desert soundtrack feel, albeit drenched in rainy city melancholy. Lovely stuff.

TRACK LISTING

1. Asunder
2. Open Eyes
3. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
4. Be On Your Way
5. Nobody's Fool
6. Tired Of Love
7. When The Night Comes
8. The House Where I Live
9. City Lights 

Noah Creshevsky is a Julliard-educated composer who was also director of the Center for Computer Music. "The Tape Music Of Noah Creshevsky" is a collection of eight pieces recorded between 1971 to 1992, taken from several different albums he recorded and released in this period. The tracks were mainly made using tape collage, featuring a combination of instrumental (with occasional disco or rock moments), vocal, and concrete sounds. There's even a track ("In Other Words") that mixes a low electronic drone with the voice of John Cage.

The esteemed Nick Jonah Davis, back with his 2nd album proper on the wonderful Thread Recordings (the people who brought you DBH's amazing "Mood" LP from last year and also the C Joynes / Davis split from earlier this year). Title track, "House Of Dragons" gets us underway with a purposeful five-fingered battle cry, Davis wielding his medieval sounding axe in rich open-tuning as an intriguing and highly expressive opening track rings from the gallows. Running effortlessly into the frenetic finger picked passages of "Pili Pala', you'd be forgiven to thinking you'd run into some Caravaggio scene, surrounded by chiming lutes and ancient princesses as the theme continues into "Howie Heads For The Hills". "Double Peace" stops us dead in our tracks with cerebral tickling harmonics and deep undertones, it's languid, patient and deliberate notes ringing on as if they'd existed since the dawn of time itself. The wonderfully named "Zanzibar Chai" takes the album into the eastern scales smoothly and still keeping cohesive to the full picture. "The Stansville Strut" sees Davis visit some buck stomping blues, albeit peppered with his own idiosyncratic licks and picks while "Farewell Sad Flower" begins to bring the album to a logical conclusion with its serene and melancholic sequences closing off this emotionally dramatic and stimulating story. Finally, "The Illumination Of Nelson Fortune" trails out in a blaze of glory; deep mystical didgeridoo accompanying desert fried slide guitar and an attack of choppy acoustic goodness. Sealing off a damn near perfect long player for anyone with a penchant for the acoustic guitar. If you like DBH, John Fahey, Bert Jansch or Scott Walker then this album is for you! Highly recommended.

TRACK LISTING

House Of Dragons
Pila Pala
Howie Heads For The Hills
Double Peace
Zanzibar Chai
The Peace Of Running Water
The Stansville Strut
When THe Fhish Fly And The Seas Run Dry
Farewell Sad Flower
The Illumination Of Nelson Fortune

After a longtime interest in the beguiling music of Nathan Dawidowicz, Hell Yeah now hooks up with the leftfield downtempo producer for their second full-length album, FLUFF. The immersive record features three long, winding and mystical soundscapes that blend trance and experimental into spiritual and ritualistic escapes.

Dawidowicz was born in Milan to a Polish-Lithuanian mother and a Cameroonian father, but grew up in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Jerusalem. Because of that, their sound is deeply rooted in childhood experiences playing the piano at religious ceremonies, as well as taking inspiration from their father’s DJing throughout the '80s and '90s. Now based in Berlin, Dawidowicz has explored expression through music on labels like Luspoderosa, where they released their debut solo album, Sanctuary of Ideas.

It was when Calm and David Holmes started playing the epic, 23-minute 'Capricorn Rising Over Jerusalemite Temple' from that album that Hell Yeah founder Marco was encouraged to get in touch with Dawidowicz. A few months later, talk turned to releasing this new album, which comes with artwork by Spain's Alicia Carrera.

'Skeptic Afro Jr.' kicks off and soon sinks you into slinky, ever-evolving rhythms. It's a slowly evolving work of sound where the focus shifts from snaking basslines to lumpy drums, cosmic leads to life-affirming chords. 'Scintilla (Feat. Hannah Schraven)' is a deep and downtempo trip into dub and techno, with undulating drums and exotic melodies that escort you into otherworldly realms of spiritualism. Last of all are 'Deep Fluff' and a hidden track (Feat. Leo Börger), two cinematic explorations of deep space where acoustic frequencies and molten synths rewire your brain and connect you to a higher power.

FLUFF is another deeply personal and inward journey packed with transcendental experiences.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Skeptic Afro Jr.
A2. Scintilla (Feat. Hannah Schraven)
B1. Deep Fluff (Feat. Leo Börger)

Collaborating once again with legendary producer Rick Rubin (Johnny Cash, Tom Petty), "Home Before Dark" is a vivid 12 track masterclass in compelling songwriting and the follow up to 2005's highly acclaimed "12 Songs". "Home Before Dark" features twelve original songs written by Neil Diamond and was recorded in Los Angeles with guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench (from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), along with bassist/acoustic guitarist Smokey Hormel and guitarist Matt Sweeney. Highlights on the album are many, including the stunning lead single "Pretty Amazing Grace" and a striking duet with the Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines on "Another Day (That Time Forgot)".

A single vinyl, 12-track edition of the great Neil Diamond's ‘All-Time Greatest Hits,’ featuring “I Am…I Said,” “Play Me,” “Crackin’ Rosie” and, of course, “Sweet Caroline,” inspired by songs highlighted in the feature film 'Song Song Blue.'

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. I Am… I Said
2. Sweet Caroline
3. Cracklin' Rosie
4. Forever In Blue Jeans
5. Song Sung Blue
6. Holly Holy

Side B
1. America
2. Play Me
3. Solitary Man
4. Cherry, Cherry
5. September Morn
6. Soolaimon 

Nahawa Doumbia is one of Mali's defining vocalists of the last four decades. Her work journeys through progressive stages of musical evolution and sonic vogues, making it hard to summarize or even comprehend. She's played a part in popular music since the late '70s, as her version of Wassoulou music developed from vocals-and-guitar duo into full-scale touring bands packing a bombastic, electrified punch. As Doumbia puts it, "My music has changed multiple times to this day. The more I progressed in my musical career, the more instruments I have had accompany my songs." Awesome Tapes From Africa now releases Doumbia's debut recording “La Grande Cantatrice Malienne Vol 1”, building on the success of the label's first-ever reissue back in 2011, Doumbia's “La Grande Cantatrice Malienne Vol 3”.
This seminal classic, which is still sought-after in Mali today, is finally be available for the first time internationally with remastered audio on LP, CD, Tape and Digital formats. The recording looks back to the beginning of Doumbia's long career, when she was performing in a simple voice and acoustic guitar format. This was before she added bass and drums, and finally the electric guitar and synths for which she became known more recently. Released in 1981 by the excellent Cote d'Ivoire-based AS Records, the singer was barely 20 years old when it was recorded. She was accompanied by her future husband N'Gou Bagayoko on acoustic guitar, whose style echoes the nimble runs of traditional kamele n'goni players. The stark simplicity of this highly intimate recording-the audible room acoustics, the occasionally in-the-red vocals-do not obscure the mature strength of her voice.
On “Vol 1” Doumbia performs her songs with the tenacity and hunger of a young artist on the cusp. "When I think about it, first, I am reminded of how long ago it was. It's one of the albums that I love most because it reminds me of my youth. I was so young and my voice was light and joyful. I still listen to some of those songs today. I am really proud of that first album because that's where it all began. It shows me how far I've come in my personal and artistic life; it gives me the courage I need to keep going forward, and makes me appreciate all the years of dedication and hard work I put into my musical career." These early songs are rhythmically built around Bagayoko's sensitive guitar, as his fingers brush the fretboard and gently outline the melodies. Although this record predates the singer's use of percussion, the driving skeletal didadi rhythm is apparent in the songs. Later albums like Vol 3 further prioritize her hometown didadi beat and the result made her famous.

TRACK LISTING

01. Kourouni 07:34
02. Tou Dibile 02:32
03. Tjefouroule 04:46
04. Djankonia 08:09
05. Nianimanjougou 04:49
06. Sokono Woulouni 04:52

Nahawa Doumbia’s new album Kanawa concisely captures this current moment in Malian history. The singer, whose storied career spans more than four decades, reflects on the immigration crisis from the Malian perspective in the title of her new album Kanawa. Across eight songs recorded in Bamako with a band including traditional and modern instruments, Doumbia merges her early work that relied on a spare expression of her trademark didadi rhythm with the bombastic range of contemporary Malian pop. The beautifully complex musical accompaniment that results is courtesy of the large ensemble she pulled together with producer and arranger (and day one collaborator) N’gou Bagayoko.

The band features two highly expressive Malian string instruments, the ngoni and the slightly smaller kamalé ngoni, as well as a variety of percussion, drum programming, karignan (a metal scraper) and acoustic and electric guitars. Doumbia’s daughter, a celebrated singer with her own group and busy concert schedule, Doussou Bagayoko sings on “Adjorobena,” a song about patience, tolerance and living in peace. Doumbia weaves together a roadmap of her psyche when it comes to the good and bad life has to offer. She talks about marriage and women leaving home to join another through the metaphor of a tree in the garden; she includes gunshot samples in the song “Foliwilen” to honor the bravery of hunters, soldiers and other courageous people; she uses a bird in “Djougoh” to talk about lazy people; and, in “Ndiagneko” she advises people to ignore critics, just do you. Mali has gone through an intense period of regional strife and terrorist incidents over the last ten years and Doumbia roots the album in tragic local concerns with deep global implications. “The meaning of Kanawa is so simple. We see our children trying to cross the ocean all the time. I said that many of our children die in the ocean and some of them die while crossing the Sahara.

But I ask them why do they leave their country? They said that they leave because of the family situation or problems like poverty and unemployment. I ask them to stay and work in their country. I call on the UN and African leaders so that we can coordinate our efforts to find a solution, to create jobs for them so that young people stop leaving. That’s why I chose it as the title of my album so that everybody can learn from it and also so that there is a reduction in the number of people emigrating. So that some will hear the message and stay home and grow the land. Leaving is not the only solution. My message is to help the youth find jobs.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: The ever-reliable and constantly working Awesome Tapes From Africa defy cross-national travel restrictions and beam to our willing ears the warm and invigorating sounds of Mali.

TRACK LISTING

Blonda Yirini
Didadi
Ndiagneko
Djougoh
Hine 
Kanawa
Adjorobena 
Foliwilen

Awesome Tapes From Africa the label began over 10 years ago with the reissue of Nahawa Doumbia’s Vol. 3.

The recording kicked off a successful run of classic and new recordings from artists across Africa, being made available for the first time in the international marketplace. ATFA makes it possible for artists to expand their fanbases and revenues streams with legally licensed recordings and a 50/50 profit split. For its 50th release, ATFA presents iconic Malian singer Nahawa Doumbia’s beloved Vol. 2.

Released on LP in 1982 and Unavailable outside Mali until now, Vol. 2 is an intimate yet powerful document of the early efforts of one of Mali’s most enduring voices. Four decades of worldwide acclaim later, Doumbia is still touring the world blowing minds with her achingly emphatic singing backed by her partner guitarist N’gou Bagayoko. Vol. 2 is stark in its instrumentation - simply featuring voice and acoustic guitar but massive in its sonic impact.

Painstakingly extracted and remastered from LP by longtime ATFA audio engineer collaborator Jessica Thompson, this is the first time this recording has been cleaned-up for wider release. The master recording no longer exists and the original was pressed at relatively inferior quality, heightening the difficulty of presenting Vol. 2 with clarified audio. The historic recording was worth the effort.

Doumbia’s voice soars above Bagayoko’s guitar as she lays out her plaintive approach to expressing relevant topics of the day. The room sound could be considered the third instrument as its shape and sonic affect is vibrantly apparent throughout. And the simplicity of this recording only enhances the immediacy of these four songs. As a bookend to both Doumbia’s long career and ATFA’s growing catalogue, Vol. 2 is a grand yet unpretentious encapsulation of the energy behind this decade-long collaboration between artist and label.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sakoro Mery (11:29)
2. Demisen Kulu (7:20)
3. Ma I Ni Wula(8:57)
4. Jigi Yiri (8:13)

The follow up to "Five Leaves Left" saw a departure from that albums' pastoralism to a more urban milieu, albeit a idealised romantic one depicted in "At The Chime Of A City Clock". Accordingly the music has a slightly more urgent feel with a greater use of drums and electric guitar. One thing it does share with its' predecessor is a stunning collection of songs, written, played and sung to perfection. A classic of its', or any other, genre.

TRACK LISTING

Introduction 1:33
Hazey Jane II 3:41
At The Chime Of A City Clock 4:42
One Of These Things First 4:46
Hazey Jane I 4:24
Bryter Layter 3:16
Fly 2:56
Poor Boy 6:30
Northern Sky 3:42
Sunday 3:39

This 1970 debut is surely one of the most accomplished in pop history, marking the young singer songwriter out as more than another folkie. Jazzy instrumentation and sweeping string arrangements give the record a sumptuous feel that is undermined by the brooding melancholy of "Fruit Tree", "Way To Blue" and the haunting, magisterial "River Man". A classic that has reached such disparate souls as Elliott Smith, Paul Weller, Terry Callier and Gilles Peterson.

TRACK LISTING

Time Has Told Me 3:56
River Man 4:28
Three Hours 6:01
Day Is Done 2:22
Way To Blue 3:05
'Cello Song 3:58
The Thoughts Of Mary Jane 3:12
Man In A Shed 3:49
Fruit Tree 4:42
Saturday Sun 4:00

USM and Island Records now complete the Back To Black Nick Drake vinyl reissues set with this lovingly represented new press of his debut album.

Originally released in 1969 'Five Leaves Left' was largely overlooked by critics and music fans at the time - a fate that was to befall his subsequent two studio albums. Unfortunately, Nick Drake didn't live to see his reputation as one of the finest singersongwriters Britain has ever produced develop. Nevertheless, 'Five Leaves Left' is now widely regarded as one of the most significant debut albums of all time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Time Has Told Me
2. River Man
3. Three Hours
4. Way To Blue
5. Day Is Done
6.  ' Cello Song
7. Thoughts Of Mary Jane
8. Man In A Shed
9. Fruit Tree
10. Saturday Sun

This album is a new, updated version of the 'extras' CD which was previously available only as part of the "Fruit Tree" box-set. Long since deleted, a new generation of fans can finally get their hands on these different versions and out-takes from his three proper LPs, and more importantly: the last four songs Nick cut before he died. Except, hooray, they've discovered one brand new song! "Tow the Line" isn't up there with his best, but it does provide some much needed yin to "Black Dog"'s yang. It suggests Nick wasn't going to succumb to depression, as the desperate "Black Dog" would have you believe; he was going to play the game...get on with things. In short: not top himself! There's a bit of a Beatles' Anthology going on with two other tracks, as Nick's college buddy and original arranger - Robert Kirby - scores new strings for old songs. Both "Magic" and "Time of No Reply" now sound as intended. They're beautiful. And Kirby weighs in again, with two previously unreleased recordings of "River Man" and "Mayfair", from his room at Cambridge and before Nick even had a record deal. There's also a new, longer version of "Three Hours" that's not been out before. This release is evocatively packaged and a must for completists. For all music lovers, infact.

His third and final studio album is a fittingly stark and sombre collection of songs, featuring just guitar and voice (bar a piano on one track). Shorn of the usual lavish arrangements, the songs lose none of their lustre, instead the songs themselves are pushed to the fore. A magnificent swansong.

TRACK LISTING

Pink Moon
Place To Be
Road
Which Will
Horn
Things Behind The Sun
Know
Parasite
Free Ride
Harvest Breed
From The Morning

'The Making Of Five Leaves Left' includes unaccompanied demos, studio outtakes and previously unheard songs that tell the story of how Nick Drake’s debut album ‘Five Leaves Left’ came to be released on Island Records in 1969.

This Nick Drake Estate authorised edition comprises over 30 previously unheard outtakes from the sessions, compiled across three discs. The final disc to complete the package is the original Joe Boyd produced album. The whole set has been mastered by John Wood.

Accompanied by a 60 page book printed on special textured paper stock, written by Neil Storey in collaboration with Richard Morton-Jack, complete with full track recording details, charts and recording history.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There are few artists more revered than Nick Drake, and his brilliant 1969 opus gets a fully-approved, extensive 'making-of' edition including outtakes from various sessions, unheard early versions and indeed, the full finished product. An essential document.

TRACK LISTING

LP/CD1 - 1st Sound Techniques Session Aka The Beverley Martyn Demo & Alt Takes From February 1968 To April 1969:
1. Mayfair - 1st Sound Techniques Session – March 1968
2. Time Has Told Me - 1st Sound Techniques Session – March 1968
3. Man In A Shed- 1st Sound Techniques Session – March 1968
4. Fruit Tree - 1st Sound Techniques Session – March 1968
5. Saturday Sun - 1st Sound Techniques Session – March 1968
6. Strange Face - 1st Sound Techniques Session – March 1968
7. Strange Face – Rough Mix With Guide Vocal – September 1968
8. Day Is Done – Take 5 – April 1968
9. Day Is Done – Take 2 – November 1968
10. Day Is Done – Take 7 – April 1969
11. Man In A Shed – Take 1 – May 1968
12. My Love Left With The Rain – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968

LP/CD2 - Paul De Rivas Reel – October 1968 / Out-Takes November 1968:
1. Blossom – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
2. Instrumental – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
3. Made To Love Magic – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
4. Mickey’s Tune – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
5. The Thoughts Of Mary Jane – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
6. Day Is Done – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
7. Time Has Told Me – Cambridge, Lent Term 1968
8. Three Hours – Take 2 – November 1968
9. Time Has Told Me – Take 4 – November 1968
10. Strange Face – Take 1 – November 1968
11. Saturday Sun – Take 1 – November 1968
12. Fruit Tree – Take 4 – November 1968

LP/CD3 - Out-Takes From December 1968 To April 1969:
1. Time Of No Reply – Take 3 Into Take 4 – December 1968
2. ‘Cello Song – Take 4 – January 1969
3. Mayfair – Take 5 – January 1969
4. River Man – Take 1 – January 1969
5. Way To Blue – Cambridge – Winter 1968
6. The Thoughts Of Mary Jane – Take 2 – April 1969
7. Saturday Sun – Take 1 Into Take 2 – April 1969
8. River Man – Take 2 – April 1969

LP/CD4 - The Original Album – Released 3rd July 1969:
1. Time Has Told Me
2. River Man
3. Three Hours
4. Way To Blue
5. Day Is Done
6. ‘Cello Song
7. The Thoughts Of Mary Jane
8. Man In A Shed
9. Fruit Tree
10. Saturday Sun

Nathalie Duchene & Radio Slave team up for summer anthem ‘We Are Youth’. CASSIMM remixes the track.

The Belgium-born, Paris-based Nathalie Duchene joins Radio Slave’s Rekids via a collaboration with the label boss himself. Embodying the spirit of summer with glistening piano keys, vibrant strings, and a snazzy bassline, Nathalie Duchene & Radio Slave's ‘We Are Youth’ brims with feeling. The vocal, sung by Radio Slave’s daughter, adds a layer of innocent nostalgia that clings to joyful memories. Rekids regular CASSIMM steps in for a remix, upping the tempo and flipping the track into a disco infused house cut.

Founded in 2006, Radio Slave’s Rekids has since launched the Techno-focused Rekids Special Projects in 2017 and its latest sublabel, REK’D, in 2024. With Matt Edwards as the sole A&R, Rekids has been instrumental in developing emerging artists and remains a trusted home for house and adjacent sounds, recently featuring names such as Tiger Stripes, Tal Fussman, Oliver Dollar, The Hacker, and more.

TRACK LISTING

A1. We Are Youth
A2. We Are Youth (Instrumental)
B1. We Are Youth (CASSIMM Remix)
B2. We Are Youth (CASSIMM Remix Dub) 

About time Ebbot and I have finally been able to make an album that is largely an extension of all the time we have spent together and all the concerts we have done. You could say it's a kind of fusion of the two of us in music form. A key ingredient was that Reine Fiske (Dungen) wanted to be part of this musical adventure and record with us. His tone and spontaneous playing were absolutely crucial in making this album. Also at the heart of this album, and which made our recording sessions so edgy and good, were the beautiful poppy bass playing by Marcus Holmberg (Komeda), the dynamic and responsive drumming by Nicklas Korsell and the funky piano playing by Daniel Kurba. And finally, working as both a musician and sound engineer, Ponus Torstensson, aka Tentakel, played a vital role in creating the psychedelic sound on the album.

TRACK LISTING

Line 1
Me And My Mojo
Travel In Time
Line 2
New Orleans (Taking Back)
Straight For Fun
Family
Line 3
Brave New World
Line 4
Under The Moon

‘Laini Tani’ conveys a heady, exhilarating rush of excess, evoking a sultry haze of balmy nights that stretch effortlessly into dawn while clubs continue unphased. Each track serves as a vignette, capturing fleeting yet vivid moments of introspection, defiance, or unrestrained euphoria. Through intricate wordplay, layered metaphors, and personal symbols, El Shazly crafts an aural and lyrical tapestry vibrant with meaning, where every note and phrase hints at a more intimate narrative. The album is one of contrasts - between indulgence and contemplation, spontaneity and observation - inviting the listener to lose themselves in its enchanting rhythms while deciphering the deeper truths woven into its fabric.

The soundscape of the album is a rich balance that forges a dynamic interplay between classical Egyptian improvisation, voice manipulation and electronic beats. Nadah teams up with 3Phaz as co-producer, and her long-term collaborator, Sarah Pagé on harp and electronics. It captures not only the chaos and beauty of urban life but also the private battles and triumphs within it that define the human experience. Together, the tracks create a compelling portrait of an artist unafraid to embrace vulnerability and honour the power of music as a salve for the soul, as well as one immersed in a creative community that encourages this.

TRACK LISTING

1. Elnadaha
2. Kaabi Aali
3. Banit
4. Eid
5. Enti Fi Neama
6. Dafaa Robaai
7. Labkha
8. Laini Tani
9. Ghorzetein

A step back from her usual angry noisecore outings for a more sedate LP - maybe she has got a boyfriend...

Nonna Fab's Movement and Soul Records delivers the second release on the newly formed imprint, and Fab's first ever album, 'Deeper Dance Archives'. Six tracks that bring influences from deep soulful house, broken beat, jazz and ambient soundscapes.

The album is an exploration into deeper sounds and rhythms, incorporating some music from the live tour as well as some fresh music suitable for dance floors and deeper listening sessions.

The opener 'Solstice City Dance' is an extended deep house track with driven 80's synthesisers, a lot of tape saturation, percussive drum rhythms and glimmering synth solos. 'Mizu No Kokoro' is a nod to Fab's love for jazz-dance. 'When The Light Gets In' is a peak-time, soulful house track with a huge driven organ solo that sits alongside the whole track.

The B side gets deeper with 'Point Of Inflection', a bouncy, warm percussive house track with a deep dubbed out guitar solo. 'Ebb & Flow' features vocalist / spoken word artist, Veronica Melkonian for the exclusive feature on the album, broken beat / nu-jazz paired with deep subs, balafon and piano. The album finishes off with 'Chasing Fog', an ambient excursion into depths of soundscapes; a walk in the rain.

Miche "A fearless fusion of electronic experimentation and jazz feeling...Nonna Fab delivers something deep, cinematic and full of soul - future-minded dance floor music with a feeling that moves between ambient warmth and club energy, a real journey that wouldn't feel out of place in New York or London"

Jeremy Underground "Really nice music and very well produced"

Volcov "Excellent project all the way through"

Moe El-Amin "Obsessed with this record - Groove driven deep house, tailor made for dancers"

TRACK LISTING

A1. Solstice City Dance
A2. Mizu No Kokoro
A3. When The Light Gets In
B1. Points Of Inflection
B2. Ebb & Flow
B3. Chasing Fog