Campus Christy is a collaboration between Stones Throw Records’ founder Chris Manak aka Peanut Butter Wolf (vocals) and Brian Ellis (instruments).

Nearly 25 years after his 1999 release of My Vinyl Weighs a Ton, Manak has formed a brand new musical project, reinterpreting lesser-known tracks from the late ‘60s to early ‘80s.

Campus Christy revives Manak’s high school garage band moniker, a niche ode to the past.

TRACK LISTING

1. Just A Dream
2. Horizon
3. Very Complex Ft. Piya Malik
4. Candles Ft. Say She She
5. Family Affair
6. Generator
7. Video Games
8. Don’t You Know
9. Fly
10. The Visit
11. Little Wing

A bold reimagining of Scottish folk in a hypermodern soundworld, In a River Shadow blends prehistoric instruments, abstract electronics, and environmental recordings into a unique sonic landscape. The result is a futuristic, technoid sound that feels both organic and otherworldly, like a biomechanical artefact unearthed from a distant future.

In a constellation of influences including Yoshio Ojima, sunytty, and the hyperrealist work of Noah Creshevsky, "Birdhouse" is a dream of voices—human, non-human, and AI-generated—unfolding tranquility into hallucinatory spectres. On "Star of the Sea," Poole confronts a complicated relationship with prayer by reworking the Catholic hymn "Hail Queen of Heaven, the Ocean Star," reformulating the prayer and stretching vocals to their limits, transforming the piece into a drum-driven, visceral interpretation.

Across this five-track EP, Poole combines personal exploration with collaborative influences, including a partnership with Considerate Digital, and collaborations with vocalist Celine Brooks and artist Gabo.

Music : Poole, additional vocals by Celine Brooks on Weila Waila, and Gabo on Selkie of Sule Skerry.

Lyrics : Poole with Considerate Digital

Mastering : Conor Dalton

Artwork : Surgeons & Poole

TRACK LISTING

A1. Selkie Of Sule Skerry
A2. Birdhouse
B1. Weila Waila
B2. Star Of The Sea
B3. DEER01

On "Forgiveness", SLIM0 sets the scene with a scream tearing apart the silence. “Stars! I’m Coming!” introduces the Danish/Montegrinian/Iranian trio's debut album in mere 1:11 mins; it’s disruptive, energetic, almost scornful. The stage is filled with a multitude of characters at high pace, but are we witnessing a comedy or a tragedy? The opening soon gives way to a much gloomier mood throughout, revealing a full body of work conveyed through personal takes on classic rock tropes with SLIM0 as the omniscient narrator.

"Forgiveness" came to life through long live session jams and recordings melted into their rawest essence by the enigmatic artist and producer Aase Nielsen, who has closely collaborated with the group in forming their first full length release. Urgency, noise and desire characterise the musical and artistic expression on the record, where hardcore rock lives side by side with pop cultural references. On previous releases, SLIM0 have drawn upon choir, alternative indie, prog rock and grunge (EPs ‘Sol i øjet’ and ‘Lifespan’ as well as multiple singles). "Forgiveness" sees them cultivating all of these elements while stepping into an even meaner space, and which better place to go to for this than the world of punk, rock, doom.

TRACK LISTING

Stars I M Coming
Fear The World Alone
Trenches
Father
Di0r
Makaroni
Wind Of Lies
Lights On New Sun
Same Scene
I Have But One Heart
11 Gate 0
Cheap Ballerinas Little Black Dress
Lady In White Enter Spotlight
Feel The World Alone
I M Not In Love I M Alive
Strong Characters
Twenty Twenty Three Forgiveness

2024 Rewind: the Year in Underground Music

Releases of the Year: We asked our contributors to vote for their top ten records, CDs, streams and more, then added up the votes

Critics’ Reflections: our writers discuss their memorable cultural experiences of the year

Columnists’ Charts: our specialist critics delve deep into their musical niches from noise to modern composition

Archive Releases of the Year: we asked our contributors to vote for their top ten archive records, CDs, streams and more, then added up the votes

Let The Rhythm Hit Em: dream attack. By Drew Daniel

Coming Around Again: feedback with a vengeance. By Daryl Worthington

All Ears: taken aurally. By Louise Gray

Soldering On: analogue logic. By Deborah Nash

Perfect Sound Forever: compact discussions. By John Brien

YATTA: the New York based artist fuses noise, pop and improv with a spiritual sensibility. By Stephanie Phillips

Music Ex Machina: the epic history of algorithmic music is surveyed at a new exhibition in Lausanne. By Robert Barry

Bridget Hayden: the Vibracathedral Orchestra member swaps free rock for folk on a stark new album. By Lucy Thraves

Invisible Jukebox: Pat Thomas: will the pianist and improvisor have a grand time with The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Seymour Wright

Global Ear: Zurich: The peripatetic noise scene resists gentrification in Switzerland’s biggest city. By Elia Brülhart

Unlimited Editions: Tape label Strategic Tape Reserve prepares to fail. By Antonio Poscic

The Inner Sleeve: Pamela Z on Robert Rauschenberg’s Talking Heads cover

Sakina Abdou: Ground and improvisation. By Stewart Smith

Oranssi Pazuzu: Mutant metal. By Derek Walmsley

Black Rain: Neo-Neuromancer. By Phil Freeman

Michael J Schumacher: Living space sounds. By Kurt Gottschalk

Epiphanies: Rafael Toral learns that music is the boss

In the review sections:

Soundcheck: Michaela Antalová, Adrian Myhr, Arashi & Takeo Moriyama, Tyler Bates, BEAM SPLITTER + Phil Minton, Conal Blake/Regan Bowering/Li Song, Nicolás Carcavilla, Alvin Curran, Greg Davis, Degradation x Iceman Junglist Kru, Diemajin, Beatrice Dillon, Tashi Dorji, eat-girls, Fievel Is Glauque, Niklas Fite & Günter Christmann, Full Of Hell & Andrew Nolan, Pascal Gaigne, Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Gebru/Maya Dunietz, Fuubutsushi, The Haunting, Daniela Huerta, Hungry Ghosts, Jana Irmert, Kyosaku, Kendrick Lamar, Matilde Meireles, Abdullah Miniawy, Iker Munduate, NET GALA, Other Light Ensemble, Perila, Bogdan Raczynski, Raffertie, George Rayner-Law, Stonecirclesampler, The Residents, Mariam Rezaei, Crystabel Efemena Riley, Colin Self, Rojin Sharafi, Patrick Shiroishi, Patrick Shiroishi/Àlex Reviriego/Vasco Trilla, Sulla Lingua, Titi & Ale Hop, TRAINING + Ruth Goller, Toshiya Tsunoda & Taku Unami, Tungu, Usage/Efficiency/Variance/Platform/Domain, Various Tempat Angker: Horror Movie OSTs & Sound FX From Indonesia (1971–2015)

The Columns: Avant Rock by Tony Rettman; Dub & Reggae by Steve Barker; Electronics by Spenser Tomson; Hiphop & R&B by Richard Stacey; Jazz & Improv by Daniel Spicer; Modern Composition by Julian Cowley; Noise, Industrial & Beyond by Raymond Cummings; Size Matters by Byron Coley

The Boomerang: The Apostles; Don Cherry & Okay Temiz; Clannad; Patrick Cowley; Miles Davis; Bryan Ferry; Jimi Hendrix; Catherine Christer Hennix; The High Llamas; Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10; Hypnosonics; The Jazzmen; Phil Manzanera; The Orb; Primitive Art Group; Rudimentary Peni; Throbbing Gristle; McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson; Various Electro Throwdown: Sci-Fi Inter-Planetary Electro Attack On Planet Earth 1982–89

Print Run: Solid Foundation: An Oral History Of Reggae by David Katz; Ultra-red: A Journal Of Militant Sound Inquiry, Vol 1 edited by Dont Rhine, David Albright & Christina Sanchez Juarez; Ghost Of An Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror And The Spectre Of Nostalgia by Williams Burns; Cardiacs: A Big Book And A Band And The Whole World Window by Aaron Tanner; Bodies Of Sound: Becoming A Feminist Ear edited by Irene Revell & Sarah Shin; Sideways Through Time: An Oral History Of Hawkwind In The 1970s: Revised & Expanded by Joe Banks; Straight Up, Without Wings, The Musical Flight Of Joe McPhee by Joe McPhee

On Location: Meredith Monk, New York, US; Mary Lattimore + Walt McClements, London, UK; Sonica 2024, Glasgow, UK; Donaueschinger Musiktage, Donaueschingen, Germany; Wooley/Vandermark/Lytton, London, UK; Out.Fest, Barreiro, Portugal; Skaņu Mežs, Riga, Latvia; Artifacts Trio, London, UK; Semibreve, Braga, Portugal; The Lappetites + Ipek Odabaşi & Ignaz Schick, Berlin, Germany; Wadada Leo Smith/Raven Chacon, New York, US; Beatrice Dillon, London, UK; Ghosted, London, UK.

On Site: Terry Adkins, Disclosure, London, UK; Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea; Scott Myles, Head In A Bell, Glasgow, UK.

On Screen: Jeremy Marre Konkombe – The Nigerian Pop Music Scene.