John Coltrane’s landmark Atlantic album in glorious mono.

Saying farewell to bebop, "Giant Steps" was Coltrane's second album to be recorded for the Atlantic label, and marked the first time that all of the pieces on a recording had been composed by him. The recording exemplifies Coltrane's melodic phrasing that came to be known as 'sheets of sound', and features the use of a new harmonic concept later to be known as 'Coltrane changes'. The set features early versionss of "Naima", "Cousin Mary", "Mr PC", "Spiral", and "Syeeda's Song Flute".

The seminal recordings that make up Lush Life were taped during a transitional period in John Coltrane's musical career. He had first joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955 and would form his own celebrated quartet with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Elvin Jones in 1960. In the intervening years, he overcame his narcotics addiction and began to expand on his own musical ideas while experimenting with both the Thelonious Monk Quartet and the Miles Davis Sextet (featuring Bill Evans and Cannonball Adderley). Lush Life was constructed with material from three different sessions, all of which produced additional material issued in other albums. While Side A is in trio format with no piano, Side B features a quintet showcasing Donald Byrd and Red Garland.

Contains new specially prepared liner notes by Penguin Guide to Jazz's writer Brian Morton and by Paris' prestigious Jazz Magazine.

"All aspects of Coltrane's conception during this period are well-illustrated on the album: the classic simplicity and haunting loveliness of the Coltrane ballad technique is here. For sheer beauty of approach and execution, his work has rarely been equalled." - ***** Franz Kofsky, DownBeat

TRACK LISTING

1. Like Someone In Love
2. I Love You
3. Trane's Slow Blues
4. Slowtrane
5. Lush Life
6. I Hear A Rhapsody
7. While My Lady Sleeps

"Lush Life" (1958) is among John Coltrane’s best endeavours on the Prestige (and Music) label. One reason can easily be attributed to the interesting personnel and the subsequent lack of a keyboard player for the August 16, 1957 session that yielded the majority of the material. Coltrane (tenor sax) had to essentially lead the compact trio of himself, Earl May (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). The intimate setting is perfect for ballads such as the opener "Like Someone in Love". John Coltrane doesn’t have to supplement the frequent redundancy inherent in pianists, so he has plenty of room to express himself through simple and ornate passages. May provides a platform for Coltrane’s even keeled runs before the tenor drops out, allowing both Earl May and then Art Taylor a chance to shine. The fun cat-and-mouse-like antics continue as Taylor can be heard encouraging the tenor player to raise the stakes and the tempo – which he does to great effect.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1.Like Someone In Love
2.I Love You
3.Trane’s Slow Blues

Side B
1.Lush Life
2.I Hear A Rhapsody

Released in early 1961, Lush Life was assembled from previous unissued tracks from three recording sessions at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 and 1958.

John Coltrane’s Prestige years began when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1955. During the next few years, when he was either with Davis or the Thelonious Monk Quartet, he functioned as both leader and sideman for this label. These recordings document the first part of his relatively short but highly influential time in the spotlight. Lush Life, a combination of standards and a blues, treated in the unique Coltrane manner - sound wedded to material in a completely personal way - contains three tracks without a piano. This is the first time he recorded in this manner, other than when Monk was 'strolling,' and it offers another aspect from, and of, Trane. 

Released in 1961, My Favorite Things made John Coltrane a star with box-office pulling power previously preserved for the likes of Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, the MJQ, and Miles Davis. The dazzling quartet treatment of the Richard Rodgers hit song, features Coltrane on soprano saxophone for the first time on record, exercised a hypnotic effect on all sorts of music lovers and trend-spotters. The title track was a hit single, and the album became a major commercial success. In 1998, the album received the Grammy Hall of Fame award. It attained gold record status in 2018, having sold 500,000 copies. The mono version of this album, believed lost, was recently found, and is included in this deluxe package, as well as the stereo version, both mastered from the original tapes.

The packaging includes liner notes by award-winning writer Ben Ratliff, as well as photos and Atlantic Records ephemera.

TRACK LISTING

Disc 1 (Mono)
Side 1:
1. My Favorite Things (13:41)
2. Everytime We Say Goodbye (5:39)
Side 2:
1. Summertime (11:31)
2. But Not For Me (9:34)

Disc 2 (Stereo)
Side 1:
3. My Favorite Things (13:41)
4. Everytime We Say Goodbye (5:39)
Side 2:
3. Summertime (11:31)
4. But Not For Me (9:34)

My Favorite Things was the first album in which John Coltrane played soprano saxophone in addition to his usual tenor. His soprano sax dominates two of the album's four tracks, including his unforgettable cover of the title track written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the musical The Sound of Music. Released in March 1961 the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, certified gold in 2018 and it's considered a masterpiece would inspire several generations of fans.

This release is part of the New Ermitage collection available from January 2024: 18 jazz and soul titles reissued on yellow vinyl with new codes and renewed graphics.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Favorite Things
2. Everytime We Say Goodbye
3. Summertime
4. But Not For Me

Introducing John Coltrane 'Now Playing' on Translucent Blue Vinyl - Uncover the brilliance of jazz legend John Coltrane through a tracklist uncovering rich gems, such as the iconic "Giant Steps", the soulful "Naima," demonstrating Coltrane's virtuosity and innovation, the enchanting melodies of "My Favorite Things, Pt. 1" and the tender ballad "I'll Wait and Pray" as the perfect start or continuation of your musical journey.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. GIANT STEPS [4:48]
2. COUSIN MARY [5:50]
3. NAIMA [4:25]
4. VILLAGE BLUES [5:23]

Side B
1. I’LL WAIT AND PRAY [3:35]
2. MY FAVORITE THINGS, PT. 1 (Single Version) [2:47]
3. EVERYTIME WE SAY GOODBYE [5:45]
4. CENTRAL PARK WEST [4:15]
5. BODY AND SOUL [5:41]

Coltrane's sessions for Atlantic in late October 1960 were prolific, yielding the material for 'My Favorite Things', 'Coltrane Plays the Blues', and 'Coltrane's Sound'. 'My Favorite Things' was destined to be the most remembered and influential of these, and while Coltrane Plays the Blues is not as renowned or daring in material, it is still a powerful session.

As for the phrase "plays the blues" in the title, it's not so much an indicator that the tunes are conventional blues, but more indicative of a bluesy sensibility.

TRACK LISTING

1. Blues To Elvin
2. Blues To Bechet
3. Blues To You
4. Blues To Elvin [Alternative Take]
5. Mr. Day
6. Mr. Syms
7. Mr. Knight
8. Blues To You [Alternative Take]

To coincide with the release of the John Coltrane documentary Chasing Trane, this 1 LP & 1 CD compilation with unique artwork, remastered for the release, is designed as an introduction to John Coltrane’s revered Atlantic recordings. Trane: The Atlantic Collection includes the hit single ‘My Favorite Things,’ the iconic ‘Giant Steps, ‘Naima’ and more, from one of the legends of the jazz world. The album features a new liner notes essay by Ben Ratliff, former NY Times jazz critic, & author of the 2007 biography ‘Coltrane: The Story of a Sound.’

Quite simply "A Love Supreme" is an essential jazz classic. Not only Coltrane's best-known work, but one he regarded as his gift to God. It's undeniably one of the most important and influential jazz records ever made. This newly remastered deluxe two CD set is breathtaking in its scope. The first disc consists of the 1965 version but the second disc has the Coltrane Quartet's only live performance of the suite, recorded at the Antibes jazz festival that summer and receiving its first authorized release. Most notably, it also includes the long-rumoured sextet version of the opening movement, receiving its first release of any kind. Mastered by the original recording engineer, Rudy Van Gelder, and containing extensive annotation and many photographs, this is the definitive edition of an indisputable masterpiece.

Coltrane's classic "Ballads" album now issued in a deluxe edition with a second CD of extra tracks. These late 1961 sessions are amongst his most beautiful and tender recordings and features the quartet that came to be regarded as the definitive Coltrane group, McCoy Tyner on piano, Elvin Jones on drums and Jimmy Garrison on bass. This is Coltrane on majestic, yet restrained form. There's an melodic ease and lyrical approach to these tracks which make it an all time favourite for late night / early morning sessions and the spakling remastered sound simply adds towards making this an essential jazz purchase.

Saying farewell to bebop, "Giant Steps" was Coltrane's second album to be recorded for the Atlantic label, and marked the first time that all of the pieces on a recording had been composed by him. The recording exemplifies Coltrane's melodic phrasing that came to be known as 'sheets of sound', and features the use of a new harmonic concept later to be known as 'Coltrane changes'. The set features early versionss of "Naima", "Cousin Mary", "Mr PC", "Spiral", and "Syeeda's Song Flute".

It's an often overlooked fact that apart from being one of the greatest innovators in jazz and an intense live improviser, John Coltrane could also demonstrate a mellow, melodic side with equal aplomb. This compilation of ten tracks shows the more restrained 'ballad' style of the jazz legend.

Already suffering from the liver cancer that would end his life three months later "The Olatunji Concert" was the last live recording to be made by the legendary saxophonist John Coltrane. On it, his power remains undiminished and the intensity of the performance is both noble and intimidating with drummer Rashid Ali in a brutal mood whilst Alice Coltrane's piano and Pharoah Sanders' tenor sax add a tenderness and edge respectively to a concert of challenging proportions and undeniable historical significance.

ULTRA LIMITED SIGNED COPIES.

Born in Bristol, Jamie N Commons moved to Chicago with his family when he was six and it was there that he developed a deep love for American music. The first gig his father took him to was the Allman Brothers: "I have strong memories of strange-smelling smoke and the guy next to us howling like a wolf," recalls Jamie.

Working at Westlake Studios, where Michael Jackson recorded Thriller, inspired a new sonic approach, combining gritty beats, arresting vocals and rousing melodies which, together with experimental arrangements, make these 4 songs unique and inspiring. Alex Da Kid, Eg White (Adele, Florence and the Machine) and Ed Harcourt are on production duties, giving a taste of things to come.

This is a memoir as wry, funny, moving and vivid as its inimitable subject himself. This book will be a joy for both lifelong fans and for a whole new generation. John Cooper Clarke is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of Punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator.

At 5 feet 11 inches (32in chest, 27in waist), in trademark dark suit, dark glasses, with dark messed-up hair and a mouth full of gold teeth, he is instantly recognizable. As a writer his voice is equally unmistakable and his own brand of slightly sick humour is never far from the surface. I Wanna Be Yours covers an extraordinary life, filled with remarkable personalities: from Nico to Chuck Berry, from Bernard Manning to Linton Kwesi Johnson, Elvis Costello to Gregory Corso, Gil Scott Heron, Mark E. Smith and Joe Strummer, and on to more recent fans and collaborators Alex Turner, Plan B and Guy Garvey.

Interspersed with stories of his rock and roll and performing career, John also reveals his boggling encyclopaedic take on popular culture over the centuries: from Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe to Pop Art, pop music, the movies, fashion, football and showbusiness - and much, much more, plus a few laughs along the way.

STAFF COMMENTS

Javi says: Yes! THE poet of punk finally gives us a peek into his brilliant and back-combed head - and it's every bit as entertaining as you'd expect

Julian Cope's second album of 1984 - Never re-pressed in its original format, this re-issue faithfully replicates the original Mercury Records UK release with poster, and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

'Fried' is one of Julian Cope's boldest. It made many think that after a while teetering on the edge, Julian Cope had finally tipped over into an artistic madness, amplified by his wearing a turtle shell and staring at a toy van on a landscaped spoil tip in Warwickshire on the album's sleeve. Opening track 'Reynard The Fox' added to it all, a six-minute psychedelic garage rock tour-de-force, breaking down to a Cope monologue where he gravely intones English folk tales from his vantage point, referring also to an onstage stomach-slashing incident from 1983. 'Sunspots', the sole single taken from the album, is one of his greatest recordings in a career that spans over 40 years.

'Fried' is up there with some of the very best works of the singular British eccentric.

TRACK LISTING

1. Reynard The Fox
2. Bill Drummond Said
3. Laughing Boy
4. Me Singing
5. Sunspots
6. The Bloody Assizes
7. Search Party
8. O King Of Chaos
9. Holy Love
10. Torpedo

Julian Cope's highly acclaimed autobiography and its long-awaited sequel in one extraordinary volume. Julian Cope shot to fame with eighties band ‘Teardrop Explodes' during the Punk era. Hailed as a visionary by those people who recognise his genius and a madman by those who find him perplexing, he has become a cult figure in the music world.

Head-On/Repossessed is written in Cope's own inimitable style and follows his journey through a time of incredible change within the music industry. Head-on is the highly acclaimed autobiography that The Observer viewed as “book of the year” when it was first released. Repossesed picks up in 1983 where Head On ends and continues up until 1989.

Julian Cope, eccentric and visionary rock musician, follows the runaway underground success of his book "Krautrocksampler" with "Japrocksampler", a cult deconstruction of Japanese rock music, and reveals what really happened when East met West after World War Two. It explores the clash between traditional, conservative Japanese values and the wild rock 'n' roll renegades of the 1960s and 70s, and tells of the seminal artists in Japanese post-war culture, from itinerant art-house poets to violent refusenik rock groups with a penchant for plane hijacking.

Originally issued in 1984, 'World Shut Your Mouth' saw the mercurial leader of The Teardrop Explodes establish himself as a fully-fledged solo artist - Never re-pressed in its original format, this re-issue faithfully replicates the original 1984 Mercury Records UK release and is pressed onto high quality 180g vinyl.

When The Teardrop Explodes finally ground to a halt in late 1982, all eyes were on what leader Julian Cope would do next. After retreating to the village of Drayton Bassett in Staffordshire for an extended period, Cope began writing 'World Shut Your Mouth', his first solo album.

Released in March 1984, it is the closest to his old band of all his solo work ('Metranil Vavin' and 'Pussyface' were both originally intended for the Teardrops), 'World Shut Your Mouth' featured Gary Dwyer on drums, and giving the album its most distinctive sound, Kate St. John on oboe. Beautifully pastoral, it is full of highlights such as 'Strasbourg', 'Kolly Kibber's Birthday' and the wistful, reflective 'Head Hang Low'. The strange, string-led, schizophrenic, 'Sunshine Playroom' was the album's first single, followed up by 'radio hit' 'Greatness And Perfection'.

'World Shut Your Mouth' is a deeply satisfying album, worthy of reappraisal.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bandy's First Jump
2. Metranil Vavin
3. Strasbourg
4. Elegant Chaos
5. Quizmaster
6. Kolly Kibber's Birthday
7. Sunshine Playroom
8. Head Hang Low
9. Pussyface
10. Greatness And Perfection
11. Lunatic And Fire-Pistol

As the title suggests, this is a compilation of some of the finer moments of his solo career so far.

Released on Head Heritage's brand new Lord Yatesbury record label, Trip Advizer collects together sixteen songs from the last decade-and-a-half of the Archdrude's musical career. The songs have mainly been culled from Cope’s past seven albums – Rome Wasn’t Burned In A Day, Citizen Cain’d, Dark Orgasm, You Gotta Problem With Me, Black Sheep, Psychedelic Revolution and Revolutionary Suicide.

The anthology also includes a couple of concert favourites – ‘Conspiracist Blues’ and ‘Julian In The Underworld’ – and features a special re-recording of the Psychedelic Revolution title track. The Archdrude might well be up for the odd interview or three, but admits that this will be entirely dependent on the grandness of each individual journalist’s cultural status. His TV blackout remains in place, but he can be seen in the flesh (by UK residents only) touring this baby throughout the dark winter days of early 2015.

TRACK LISTING

These Things I Know
Hell Is Wicked
Psychedelic Odin
Raving On The Moor
I'm Living In The Room They Found Saddam In
They Were On Hard Drugs
A Child Is Born In Cerrig-y-Drudion
Cromwell In Ireland
Woden
Zoroaster
Julian In The Underworld
Revolutionary Suicide
All The Blowing-Themselves-Up Motherfuckers
Conspiracist Blues
Psychedelic Revolution
Shrine Of The Black Youth

John Cowan was in the legendary group New Grass Revival, joining in 1974. Along with Sam Bush, Pat Flynn and Bela Fleck, New Grass Revival took the acoustic music world by storm over the next few years. Now as a solo artist he's still producing top quality rock roots for the Sugar Hill label and this is his brand new album.

Joseph Coward is set to release his eagerly awaited debut album this autumn.

‘The World Famous Joseph Coward’, self produced in London with Phillip Brillo, features ten tracks, including a Clash Magazine Track Of The Day - ‘Sarah, Plain & Tall’ - and the singles ‘Idle Boy’, ‘Thin’ and ‘Lucky To Have Me’.

An artist with the wistful-narcotised style and pugnacious confessional delivery of an earlier generation of British romantics, the unschooled, unbridled, uncompromising lyricism of Ian McCulloch, Morrissey and Billy Bragg courses through Joseph Coward’s songs.

After leaving his Brentwood, Essex school at sixteen, Coward left home and scraped together an existence in London, where he published a fanzine and made himself a fixture in the music scene.

“Atmospheric and melodic post-punk... sweeping melodrama... sweetly intimate... Serious in intent and sharp in execution” - Q

“Startling honesty” - Wonderland Magazine

“His take on atmospheric post punk casts chiming shadows through an Echo & The Bunnymen shaped prism of multilayered guitars and low-fi loops to impressive effect.” - Clashmusic.com

“Romantic and timeless... compelling and brilliant” - Huh. Magazine

‘Skin’ is the debut album and hugely personal body of work from one of the UK’s boldest and brightest young talents, Joy Crookes. A collection of songs built and honed throughout her adolescence and into her early twenties, it weaves through topics such as mental health, relationships, and politics all with grace and sensitivity. Recorded between Abbey Road & Konk & produced by Blue May (Kano, Blood Orange), the end product is a debut record that is both perfectly of the moment, and entirely timeless.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Joy Crookes' 'Skin' is a wonderfully heartfelt, beautifully written mix of soul and R&B, rich in melody and swimming with Crookes' stunning vocals. It's a wonderfully impressive debut, soaring and confessional in equal measure, and a great sign of what's to come..

JD Crowe And The New South's latest album is from one of the most influential and pioneering bands in the history of bluegrass. This is a vibrant and eclectic selection of songs, with the band's trailblazing style well in evidence.

Three Demos is a very unique release, featuring the very first demo recordings for songs from Julee Cruise’s initial lp with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, Floating Into the Night.

In 1985, Lynch’s obsession with This Mortal Coil’s “Song to the Siren” was at a fever pitch. Wanting to feature the song in Blue Velvet, the rights to the Tim Buckley cover proved problematic and prohibitively expensive. Lynch had famously just began working with Angelo Badalamenti, who had been suggested by producer Fred Caruso to coach Isabella Rossellini with singing “Blue Velvet” for the film. Faced with the “Song to the Siren” dilemma, Caruso again suggested his friend Badalamenti as a possible solution, encouraging Lynch himself to pen lyrics in order to come up with an original alternative for the film. “David reluctantly agreed to write a lyric, but he thought writing a new song was absolutely preposterous because ‘Song to the Siren’ was his favorite song of all time,” Badalamenti says. The result – “Mysteries of Love,” sung by Cruise – ended up forging a rich blueprint for not just one song, but two full-length albums.

Two years after Blue Velvet was released, the notion of a full album of material took shape and three crucial demos were recorded to gain the confidence and financial support of a label. Early versions of “Floating,” “Falling,” and “The World Spins” were all roughed out in economic elegance, rendering distinctive snapshots of what could be if the formula of “Mysteries of Love” was spun into a larger body of work. They’re fascinating glimpses into the genesis of what became Floating Into the Night and the minimal key ingredients that made the material alchemize. An early version of the album opener “Floating” originally began with a stunning spoken-word intro later dropped entirely from the album version. A revelation in its overarching simplicity, the three-song collection is devoid of the lp’s additional arrangement flourishes, and yet still manages to present the same emotional depth charge with only voice, synthesizer, and lyric.

TRACK LISTING

1. Floating (Demo) (6:12)
2. Falling (Demo) (6:01)
3. The World Spins (Demo) (7:43)

Hailing from south-east London, Joel Culpepper is an artist who’s been on Mr Bongo's radar for some time now. With a unique soulful voice and explosive showmanship, Joel’s star is rising. His sonic palette blends an array of genres and influences, that looks back to the greats whilst simultaneously absorbing London’s contemporary musical landscape.

Joel's debut album, 'Sgt Culpepper’, is an incredible modern soul album and the product of a two-year undertaking which saw him attract an array of respected producers and musicians from the UK and beyond, a testament to the reputation he had already built as a dynamic songwriter and performer among his contemporaries. With executive production from Swindle (Ezra Collective, Mahalia), mastering from Joker (Stormzy, Kojey Radical) and with co-productions that include the likes of legendary pop producer Guy Chambers, Raf Rundell (The 2 Bears), Shawn Lee (Saint Etienne, Kelis), and Tom Misch, Sgt Culpepper is a demonstration of the power of community, mingling self-reflection with wider social commentary. The record is split into four chapters: The Battle, which includes previous singles ‘W.A.R’ and ‘Return’, The Surrender, embodied by recent single ‘Poetic Justice’; The Love and The Lesson.

Joel’s desire to forge a sense of collectivism was the lifeblood for 'Sgt Culpepper', resulting in the diverse roster of talent attached to the project. As well as the aforementioned names, the record includes production from the likes of British multi-instrumentalist Redinho, South London rapper and Roc Nation signee Kay Young, Linden Jay (Poppy Ajudha, Rejjie Snow), and Grammy-award winning songwriter Jimmy Hogarth. "I've been inspired by how the UK jazz and grime scene supports each other, it’s similar to what happens in the states. Collectives like Odd Future, Aftermath and the earliest being Motown. It’s soul’s turn to band together here, likeminded independent musicians working to support the scene and each other as a whole.”

Through charismatic storytelling, personal epiphanies, and the formation of a new creative collective that underpins his craft, 'Sgt Culpepper' ushers in a new era for Joel as an artist.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Though it's clear where Culpepper's myriad influences lie (the athletic vocals could be favourably compared to Prince pretty easily for example), 'Sgt Culpper' never comes across as anything but a brilliantly unique and wonderfully written whole. From psychedelic funk, hip-hop and the groove of the burgeoning UK jazz scene, this has it all, and brought together with style.

TRACK LISTING

1. Tears Of A Crown
2. Return
3. W.A.R
4. Bodies
5. Poetic Justice
6. Thought About U
7. Kisses
8. In Your Sex
9. Remember
10. Break
11. Black Boy

James Curd joins forces with vocalist Jonasclean on his latest PRONTO instalment, once again inviting a sublime remix cast to offer interpretations of the EP's title track, ‘Mullen It Over’.

‘Mullen It Over’ features sensual synth motifs entwined over thumping house rhythms, the evocative melodies gorgeously complimenting Jonasclean’s searing vocal as throbbing bass adds boundless weight to the groove. The arrangement brims with nocturnal charge, effortlessly ebbing and flowing to maintain dancefloor magnetism.

NYC resident and master of the deep Fred P rides in with a typically affecting take. Regenerating the signature bass line amidst soul-soothing pads and mystical overdubs, he reframes the music as a spiritually-charged meditation. Hypnotic percussion undulates over heartfelt chords as the distant vocal adds texture as off-world melodies elevate the emotion.

Next, Lumberjacks In Hell frontman Marcel Vogel steps in with a kaleidoscopic rework, emphasising the harmonics and adding abundant soul to the mix as agile motifs glide though summery chords, the distinctive vocal piercing through the mood-lifting mist before full-bodied synth lines envelop the rhythm.

The loose-limbed ‘Original Sketch Version’ offers a floor-focused instrumental take, with propulsive chords standing in for the vocal lead as the spaced-out orchestration meanders over crunching drums and rich synth bass, before house legend Robert Owens rides in to add a trademark vocal to the ‘Original Sketch Version’ on the newly named ‘Tried For Love’. Here, Owens’ soul-drenched vocal provides an irresistible alternative to the dubbed-out instrumental, lending itself brilliantly to the Chi-town bump of the composition.

TRACK LISTING

A1 James Curd & Jonasclean - Mullen It Over
A2 James Curd & Jonasclean - Mullen It Over (Fred P Reinterpretation)
B1 James Curd & Jonasclean - Mullen It Over (Marcel Vogal Remix)
B2 James Curd - Mullen It Over (Original)
B3 James Curd Feat. Robert Owens - Tried For Love

Jack Cutter is a songwriter and guitarist based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. He started with a $5 banjo just after finishing high school. In University, during the late 60’s, he performed with bar bands in Buffalo, New York. After completing University and a year as an Aerospace Engineer, he decided that attack helicopters were not really what the world needed and so he headed off to California in pursuit of music and mystic times.

Fast forward to Fall 2014: Jack is playing his quintessential tune, ‘Gift of Our Fathers’ in the SF BART subway to an onslaught of morning commuters when he was spotted by 40 Thieves. Eureka! Love at first sight and in the next few months, two of Jack’s original acoustic pieces were given the 40 Thieves treatment.

Enter David Sanderson aka David Harks, a singer, songwriter, producer and label curator from East Sussex. “Having fallen in love with the cosmic boogie (of 40 Thieves classic ‘Backward Love’) I really felt I would love nothing more than to write a tune with them. Layne got back in touch with a track he was working on entitled Serpent Strut with Jack Cutter and we worked via email over a few months to brew up that misty soul.”

Deep, stony, psychedelic, drawing from the well of Hawkwind, Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Baffo Banfi and Tolkien-tinged acoustic Led Zep, the proof of concept is now complete and in the capable and loving hands of Claremont 56.

There's always a place for strong songs, well sung and played and Julian Dawson's "Hillbilly Zen", his fifteenth and latest album is one of these. It's different from anything he's done before here you'll find bluegrass, country music, soul ballads, blues and even rockabilly - all self-penned too. Who better to help him do it right than ex-Byrd Gene Parsons, one of Dawson's 'musical heroes', Parsons plays acoustic and electric Stringbender guitars, banjo, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, drums and percussion, spoons, bass, harmonica, hi-strung guitar and harmony vocals. The result is an excellent 'americana' album from Londoner Dawson.

20-year-old jazz prodigy Jamael Dean’s debut is the latest edition on Stones Throw Records. ‘Black Space Tapes’ is co-produced, compiled and sequenced by Carlos Niño, internationally celebrated producer, composer, arranger and DJ. At age 15, Jamael played with Kamasi Washington on his 2018 album ‘Heaven And Earth’ and toured as part of Thundercat’s trio. Jamael’s music reflects the dual influence of his contemporaries in the Los Angeles scene and that of jazz ancestors including Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Herbie Hancock and soul jazz drummer Donald Dean - who is also his grandfather.

TRACK LISTING

Akamara
Adawa
Kronos
Akamara (Remix)
Olokun
Emi

Number 4 on 7's Clash takes us into folk-rock territory with this tidy chop-up of a 1970 cut with extra drums and fx taking it into solid 21st century dancefloor territory, on the flip we have label co-owner Pete Herbert do his thing with a more atmospheric dub on a trippy Adriatic / Balinese sunrise / sunset tip, perfect 'look out to sea and space out’ vibes.

TRACK LISTING

A1. I Feel Edit
B1. I Feel Edit - Pete Herbert Dub

Long overdue 'best of' from one of reggae's most distinctive voices. Features 70s roots tracks produced by Lee Perry, Dennis Brown, Sly & Robbie, Augustus Pablo, Prince Jammy, Niney The Observer etc. This is Sound Boy's debut LP release.

Before there was (Taylor’s Version), there was (John’s Version).

“The Last Recordings,” the last known studio recordings from John Denver, recorded in Nashville in 1997 shortly before the singer’s untimely death, is a collection of Denver’s greatest hits reimagined as the singer wished to present them and intended by Denver to take the place of masters recorded under his decades-long run with a major label.

Previously released only in a limited CD pressing in Europe, Denver’s Estate and Windstar Records are excited to present “The Last Recordings” for the first time worldwide, at digital retailers everywhere, and available on CD and blue seafoam wave vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
Whispering Jesse
Dreamland Express
Rocky Mountain High
Take Me Home, Country Roads
Christmas For Cowboys
Love Again
SIDE B
Sunshine On My Shoulders
Perhaps Love
Leaving On A Jet Plane
Windsong
I’m Sorry
Back Home Again

Full length double LP from contemporary Irish guitarist Jonny Dillon. Beautifully recorded blues / folk guitar pieces. Essential for fans of John Fahey. TIP!

Jonny Dillon’s debut acoustic LP ‘Songs For A One-String Guitar’ took the listening public by surprise and the critics by storm when it dropped out of the blue on All-City in 2019. It represented a departure for an artist who was renowned for having the Midas touch when it came to coaxing dance floor fire from all manner of hardware. But fortune favours the brave and temporarily setting the machinery aside and following an acoustic path to the waterfall has already reaped rich rewards for Jonny Dillon. He’ll never say it in so many words but here’s a man on a mission: “Fail as I may, I have to go back and try again every time, to wait in hope for a glimpse of the spirit that hovers over the face of the deep, and to keep watch for the Light that shines in the darkness.”

The generosity of spirit which is the linchpin of all great music is something that can neither be cheaply conjured nor ever easily faked, god forbid. It’s the elusive emotional conductor in the spinal cord of sound - a foundational component of that mysterious feeling of connection we as listeners are seeking every time we put the needle on the record or press play on a song. The very essence of the thing we seek, in short. The holy grail. When sweet music hits, it’s the spirit that moves us and it’s both the source of the power within it as well as ultimately the place where it resides inside of us too, once heard. This is how music works. Journeying. Spirit to spirit. From the makers and dreamers of the dream to dreamers in general. The indomitable spirit inherent in the instrumental guitar compositions and distinctive finger picking style of Jonny Dillon is a case in point. This is spiritful music of a rarer kind made by an artist as inherently attuned to the troubling times we are living through as he is to the value of carving out new paths to the waterfall through the medium of sound on our behalf. Boom and there it is. Much needed guidance. A priceless new navigational tool of the imagination to help us all through the maze.

Just like the debut offering, this a path inherently worth following too, every step of the way. This time Jonny’s singular playing style finds true expression in a sound world expertly shaped by a master of the production craft, John ’Spud’ Murphy in Hellfire Studio. Masters at work, times two. Like all dream productions, it quickly assumes three dimensional proportions and becomes a place to go in and of itself, worth returning and retreating to, time
and again. On A New Directive From The Bureau of Compulsory Entertaintment, his mode of expression is as clear and impactful as the immediate impression the sound makes on us. His is a strong game. He rises to the occasion and fulfils a great need on our part in so doing. We have to give thanks where it’s due. Balms for the soul are hardly two-a-penny in these challenging times but this is a timely one and of a lasting kind too. In stripping everything back and breaking his sound down into the bare component parts of reverberating steel strings on resonant wood, he has tapped into a kind of universal music of the spheres. It’s in tune with the times and more. Big picture sound with heart and soul to match. The iridescent sound he conjures from that same deep is a joyous thing to behold imbued as it is with a kind of light that never goes out. A dozen jewels adorn this timeless creation, each one a glimpse of eternity. They will shimmer forever. Man gets tired. Spirit don’t.

Dónal Dineen, January 2023.

TRACK LISTING

Numinous Hedgerows Look See
Hey Who Put These Sunsets Here
Rose Gardens Requiems
Lifes Railway To Heaven
Heaven Knows
After Vastopol
The Corridor Of The Heart
I Used To Just Drink Linden Village But Now I Live There
Day Is Breaking In My Soul Blues
In Christ There Is No East Or West
The Great Big Ship That Came And Floated Everybody Away
Here Comes The Ladder Of Divine Ascent

Jimmy Dludlu has made a sophisticated smooth jazz guitar album and mixed it to the rhythms of his native South Africa, added a pinch of latin samba style and another smattering of gospel and the result is "Afrocentric". Jazz with a township tinge.

Available for the first time on vinyl, ‘Julie Doiron And The Wooden Stars’ is Doiron’s most critically acclaimed album, going so far as to win the 2000 Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent to the Grammy) for Best Independently Released Album Of The Year.

Recorded and released in 1999 by Tree Records and Sappy Records (reissued by Jagjaguwar in 2002), the album finds Ottawa-based quartet The Wooden Stars playing Doiron’s back-up band, helping her step out of the solitary, introspective robe she’d been wearing and venture into a more urgent and upbeat - albeit still fundamentally Spartan - direction.

Combining elements of rock and jazz a la Joni Mitchell’s early 70s work, Julie And The Wooden Stars somehow translated the coldness of the Canadian winter into one of the warmest and most tender records to be produced in the Eastern province in years.

On Julie Doiron's first album of new material in over two years, she addresses in her signature intimate songwriting style both the heights and the fallout in a way that forces the listener to re-examine their own loves. Also important to the recording of this album was a reunion of sorts with her musical past. Founding Eric's Trip bandmate Rick White produced and played on the entire album, and a handful of the songs contain the entire original Eric's Trip band nucleus that took the Canadian indie underground by storm 15 years ago. Working with an old friend and collaborator like White was key to this album's intensely vulnerable and emotionally raw tone. What's captured is timeless and universal, in the same way as Cat Power's "Moon Pix", Leonard Cohen's "Songs Of Love And Hate", and Joni Mitchell's "Blue".

An iconic figure of the Bossa Nova, Brazilian pianist, composer, and arranger Joao Donato (1934-2023) created and introduced a new rhythm pattern to the genre. He was profoundly influential, having inspired generations of musicians in Brazil and beyond; guitarist Joao Gilberto, for instance, confessed to having taken the new rhythm pattern from Donato's piano playing.

Presented here in its entirety is Donato's album Muito a Vontade, recorded in a quartet format in 1962 and featuring the great Milton Banana on drums, best known for his playing with Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz.

TRACK LISTING

1. Muito A Vontade
2. Tim Dom Dom
3. Pra Que Chorar
4. Sambou... Sambou
5. Jodel
6. Vamos Nessa
7. Rio
8. Noa... Noa...
9. Minha Saudade
10. Naquele Base
11. Olhou Pra Mim
12. Tema Teimoso
13. So Se For Agora
14. Caminho De Casa
15. So Danco Samba
16. Manha De Carnaval

Joey Dosik didn’t set out to make a conceptual mini album about basketball. It was his first love before music and some of his earliest memories are of attending Lakers games but he’d never thought to look to the sport for inspiration. However, when Joey blew out his knee during his regular pick-up game and had to undergo reconstructive ACL surgery, he found himself confined to the couch, watching a lot of television and waiting to resume his normal life. He gravitated toward basketball and when he started recording again he found it seeping into his writing. The result is ‘Game Winner’, a brisk, emotive collection of songs loosely inspired by the language and lore of the game.

Joey is an inveterate collaborator who has worked extensively with the likes of Vulfpeck, Nikka Costa and Miguel Atwood Ferguson and who is a vital part of an LA scene that updates vintage sounds into a more contemporary context. ‘Game Winner’ was a different project with a different process; the lion’s share of the release was recorded solo in Joey’s home studio.

The common thread in the six songs - as well as the four bonus tracks - is musicality and song craft: the two pillars of Joey’s sound. “The most important thing is the song,” explains Joey. “Songwriting won’t go out of style.” It’s that approach, one that thinks beyond style, that gives the title track its magic. Minimal and almost languid, ‘Game Winner’ has a confidence that’s hard to place in time, an ease that meets a buzzer-beater just as well as it meets a Sunday morning. Basketball may have been Joey’s first love but the sport is also the perfect metaphor for where he’s ended up musically, always striving to stay timely and timeless, to bring deep, foundational elements in sync with innovation and imagination.

‘Game Winner’ was originally released in 2016; this re-release features bonus tracks.

TRACK LISTING

The Night Before…
Game Winner
Running Away
…The Big Game
Competitive Streak
Game Winner Remix
Northridge Park (Bonus Track)
Game Winner By The JD’s (Bonus Track)
Running Away (Stripped Mix) (Bonus Track)
Gentle Giant (Bonus Track)

4 years in the making, this surprise collaboration between Drop and Ashong fuses soul and psychedelia with downtempo beats.

Ashong’s continuing mission to subvert expectations manifests greatly here, but the album is full of melodic hooks, layered to infinity alongside his acoustic guitar. Meanwhile Jonny Drop quietly flips samples unrecognisable from his extensive vinyl collections and once again makes a leap forward in his production identity.

Stand out single Puzzle Dust is a perfect slice of UK soul and jazz that sets everyone up for a unique sonic experience.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A beautifully laid-back fusion of mid-tempo Baleraric percussion and rich hazy reverbs. Dreamy, scattered soulful vocal snippets and swooming, opening pads. A perfectly paced, summery party piece.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Lightgeist
A2. Ephemera
A3. One To Free
A4. Blood
B1. We Are Here
B2. Puzzle Dust
B3. Sun Sailing
B4. Outsighed

If ever a phonographic accomplishment could encapsulate the precise modus operandi of the Cacophonic label, then the ‘Expériences Musicales’ sessions made by French born painter, sculptor, music maker, wine merchant and founder of the Art Brut movement Jean Dubuffet would be a prime candidate. Originally released as an impossibly rare six record box set containing Dubuffet’s first long anticipated forays into sound sculpture and spontaneous artistic noise, these intimate early 1960’s recordings show a lesserknown side of this important artist’s personality.
From an original gallery promoted artefact (which can now command fees of up to 5000 Euros complete with its original art-prints intact) this highlighted version of ‘Expériences Musicales’ is now available again on authentic vinyl to the wider public.
Finally released to a wider audience and presented complete with Dubuffet’s signature style artwork, this abridged vinyl edition includes specific selections curated by the artist himself, in conjunction with experimental music pioneer Ilhan Mimaroglu.

This is the definitive history of Sarah Records; the Bristol-based label that signed the acts no major label would touch but who you wanted to hear.

Sarah put out a board game, produced cut 'n' paste fanzines and stuck two fingers up to the mainstream music industry. Sarah was your secret world and it was located in the heart of Bristol. Sarah Records lasted for seven years, nine months and 11 days.

In These Things Happen, those who were there at the beating heart of the indie-pop world reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of what really went into making Sarah’s pop masterpieces. Featuring almost 130 interviews, including at least one member of every single band (as well as the world exclusive first interview with Christine of Christine’s Cat fame), this book is an oral history of a defining moment in pop history.

Who stripped naked on stage to another band’s drum solo? Why did Julian Knowles sleep with his boots on his stomach in Hull? Whatever happened to Mr James C Urchin? All of these burning questions and more will be answered in this book. With no tatty old gig flyer left unturned in the pursuit of exposing the true political pop pandemonium that went on in the wonderful world of Sarah Records.

Five years after winning the Polaris Music Prize with his ground-breaking debut, Jeremy Dutcher has returned with a radiant exploration of contemporary Indigeneity and his place within it. With songs performed in his people’s Wolasotqey language but also, for the first time, in English, Motewolonuwok extends beyond anything the musician has made before, encompassing traditional song, starlit ballads and staggering orchestrations. “With my first record, the concept was so clear, so complete,” Dutcher says. This time, “I wanted [to make an LP] that wasn’t always so sure of itself.”

Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, released in 2018, vaulted Dutcher into the upper echelons of Canadian performance, from the Polaris and Juno Award stages to the judges’ panel on Canada’s Drag Race. The follow-up is more intimate, more personal, inspired by his growing understanding of the “middle space” of being Two Spirit—Indigenous and queer. In the Wolasotqey language, Two Spirit people are called “motewolonuwok”—“the people of great spiritual power”—an identity filled with strength and knowledge, which is not dogged by shame. 

Dutcher came out as gay when he was 12—but even that idea, of “coming out,” was imposed upon him by a colonialist framework. Motewolonuwok is a stepping-through and singing-into his full identity. On “’tahcuwi Anelsultipon,” Dutcher stands almost alone on a stage, singing about devotion. “The Land That Held Them,” his tribute to “the ones taken too soon,” shudders with a force that recalls Nina Simone and Anohni. Elsewhere, Dutcher reached for the largest possible frame: a full orchestra, with arrangements by Owen Pallett, and, on tracks like “Sakom,” a 12-voice choir made up of Dutcher’s queer and allied kin, including friends from music school and members of the Queer Songbook Orchestra. 

Making music is like learning a language, Dutcher says. It’s “an unfurling”—a constant exploration of what you want to say and how you can express it. Motewolonuwok features Wolastoqey traditionals, poetry from by the Cherokee poet Qwo-li Driskill, but also Dutcher’s first songs written in English. This is an acknowledgment of his father’s tongue, and also a way of singing “directly to the newcomer [settler],” in their own language, to tell his community’s stories of grief, resilience and emergence. “I needed to contextualize my own story,” he explains, and Motewolonuwok moves like a collective wish and a corrective medicine.  

TRACK LISTING

1. Skicinuwihkuk
2. Pomawsuwinuwok Wonakiyawolotuwok
3. Take My Hand
4. Wolasweltomultine
5. Tahcuwi Anelsultipon
6. Sakom
7. Ancestors Too Young
8. The Land That Held Them
9. There I Wander
10. Together We Emerge
11. Rise In Beauty

Transmission incoming…

Alien sound waves have been bouncing off the side of our ship.

We’ve managed to capture some of them on plastic.

They seem to appear suddenly out of the vacuum.

Projected by planets

Beamed through stars

Reflected off debris

Hanging in space like dust motes


Witch egg is a improvised set of songs by John Dwyer, Nick Murray, Brad Caulkins, Greg Coates & Tom Dolas.

Another fired expedition out in the wilds.

Recorded and mixed at Stu-Stu-Studio by John Dwyer

This one is a burner designed optimally for your eco-pod sound system.

When you’ve left the world behind, you will need a soundtrack while you lay in dream stasis

This is it

JPD

Posh Swat, an all percussion improvisation album with John Dwyer, Ryan Sawyer & Andres Renteria. Trap kit, Hand percussion, homemade percussion instruments and electronic percussion over flow here with extra weirdness. Sick pop rhythms grinding thru the wasteland. Sand in your hair and bugs in your teeth. Hand on your knife, knife in your sheath. Grimy bass burps thru a fried stack. And the crack of the snare is a mighty pink smack. Bells, whistles conga and vibes. This is a drug record. One thousand times.

For fans of Niagra, Black Pus, Container, Bruce Ditmas and all things beat driven and drum craven. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: You never expect John Dwyer to stay still for too long, but I really didn't expect his foray with Ryan Sawyer & Andres Renteria to be quite this *drummy*. It's a beautifully expressive and brilliantly organic sounding suite of rhythms punctuated with incidental synth stabs and jagged groove. Unsurprisingly inventive and unique.

TRACK LISTING

Intro
The Spent Sadist
Chit Chat
Scavenger
Red Clay Wall
Dungeon Crawler
Bug City
The Sythe Is Remorseless
Bricked Rune
Scatter
The Hostile Womb
More Will Be Revealed

“Walk the dog. Exercise. Make art.’The mind is happy when the body is.’ Things I can potentially fill my days with if I am stuck at home for months on end…Then, one day, I hear a frenetic, free drummer playing in his garage a few blocks from me. And I think ‘interesting’. I stand outside his garage staring at the wall, like a fool, for a minute, then decide to leave a note on the car parked there. This is how I ended up meeting and working with Ted Byrnes. He wasn’t creeped out, and he ended up sending me a pile of truly spontaneous drums recordings from the carport to work with. I decided to have every musician come in one at at time and just take a wild pass at their track over the drums. None of these people had ever met or played together. I was the connecting thread. I scratched the surface initially with electric bass, saxophone, guitars, cuica, synthesizers, flute and effects, but soon realized I would need heavy hitters to make this place habitable. “Greg Coates, upright bass expressionist extraordinaire, hacked through the dense weeds, vines and frayed cabling. He lays the map out and makes breathing room. Space to swing a cat. Tom Dolas (keys), my often foil, came in and began tip-toeing through the rubble and refuse. Dotting the layout with flecks of light, flights of fancy and potential tangential trajectories. Then the finisher, Brad Caulkins on horns. As always, Brad came in like grace itself, scanned the floor for food, and huffed and puffed and blew the house down. He takes a bruiser situation and lends it some warmth and hospitality, old school. “After I spent a bit of time mixing and editing this down to a palatable offering I couldn’t help but think about human consumption. ...Endless Garbage seemed a fitting title. A cacophonous and glorious sketch of ourselves. For fans of Albert Ayler, ECM records, Gong, improvisation, sustainability and consumption” - John Dwyer.

TRACK LISTING

1. Vertical Infinity
2. No Flutter
3. Goose
4. Four
5. Lucky You
6. Pro-Death
7. A Grotesque Display
8. No Goodbyes

The band is John Dwyer (synths, vocals), Heather Lockie (viola), Thomas Dolas (synths), Andres Renteria (hand percussion), Brad Caulkins (tenor saxophone), Kyp Malone (synths) and Archie Carey (bassoon). The singers are YoshimiO (Boredoms, OOIOO), Albert Wolski (EXEK), Gracie Jackson (GracieHorse), Ciriza (Artist Extraordinaire), Kyp Malone (Bent Arcana, TV On The Radio, Rain Machine etc.), Brigid Dawson (Thee Oh Sees, The Mothers Network), AZITA (Scissor Girls, Bride of NONO, AZITA).

For fans of Steve Roach, Eno, Syrinx, Howard Shore, Current 93, Terry Riley, Tangerine Dream and a proper sage scrub.

“An experiment in symphonic improvisation paired with synthesizerscapes. Strings, reeds, synths and hand percussion all blend sweetly into an odd landscape indeed. The final touch was to bring aboard some singers I have loved over the years. I’m so pleased they were all willing to participate and I’m very tickled by the plane we navigate. Once YoshimiO agreed to be on board I knew we were going to be OK. Recorded and mixed at my home studio (Stu-Stu-Studio in Los Angeles) and remotely, this one was a slow burn to see the light of day. And here it is in its final crystal form. Celebrating the spaces between ritual, habit and ceremony. And all the parallels between. The line is blurred. This is occult adjacent strain of sound. At home in daily ritual, contemplation and meditation.” - John Dwyer.

TRACK LISTING

1. What Do (YoshimiO)
2. Ruths Mouth (Albert Wolski)
3. For Those Who Don’t Get Anything (Gracie Jackson)
4. Memory Mirror Floweth Over (Ciriza)
5. Sound The Unknown (Kyp Malone)
6. Azazel (Brigid Dawson)
7. Debris In The Sky (Azita)

• Latest in quickly selling-out series of John Dwyer (OSEES frontman) with friends lock down experimentations and improvisations.

• Featuring fantastic collage art by Dan Lean.

• Recorded at Stu-Stu-Studio by John Dwyer in the peak of dope smoke lock down.

What’s this? Today’s holiday gift? One final transmission from the core of the planet! Cresting slabs of concrete and powdered bone, rich soil—improvisation freak flag flitters atop a gutted highrise: Gong Splat. Featuring Ryan Sawyer on drums, Greg Coates on upright bass, Wilder Zoby on synth and mellotron, Andres Renteria on conga, bongos and hand percussion, and John Dwyer on guitar, synths, pan flute, cuíca, hand percussion, space drum and effects.

This one is spitting fat and neon night-light city drives, white in the corner of the pilot’s mouth. Furry, fuzzy and frenetic, motorik and full of blood-rich ticks…maggots unite! There’s a show tonight! Welcome back humans.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: You always know you're in safe hands with Dwyer & co, and this one is a brilliantly heavy swerve into eastern-influenced psychedelia via garage percussion and brain-melting avant-synth swells. Elsewhere loungy keys meet jazzy tentative drum fills. Predictably brilliant, entirely mad.

TRACK LISTING

1. Gong Splat
2. Cultivated Graves
3. Toagut
4. Anther Dust
5. Yuggoth Travel Agency
6. Hypogeum
7. Oneironaut
8. Minor Protocides
9. Giedi Prime

Acid Jazz present Judy Dyble and Andy Lewis’s psychedelic folk collaboration ‘Summer Dancing’.

Dyble was the original vocalist in Fairport Convention, appearing on their self-titled debut, before joining Giles, Giles and Fripp and then recording the awesome UK psych masterpiece ‘Morning Way’ under the name Trader Horne with her then boyfriend Ian McDonald.

Andy Lewis was the original DJ at legendary Brit-pop club Blow Up, before recording his own albums for Acid Jazz and scoring a Top Forty hit with his collaboration with Paul Weller, ‘Are You Trying To Be Lonely?’ in 2007. After that he joined Weller’s band of which he was a member until the end of last year.

The album is made of the very stuff of British psychedelia, an obsession with childhood, the country and the city. It emerges from a place somewhere between Broadcast, the soundtrack to ‘The Wickerman’ and Stereolab.

The album is released at the time when Judy is very much involved in the celebrations for Fairport's 50th Anniversary and she will be appearing at their annual Cropredy Festival as both a solo artist and as part of Fairport Convention.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Folk me, this is nice. Airy hippie vibes, hazy barbecues in the park, village fetes, bees all over the place. Not malicious ones, just normal nice bees. Warm pastoral acoustic guitars and swooning vox. Lovely.

TRACK LISTING

Intro
He Said She Said
Up The Hill
Summer Dancing
These Words
A Message
Night Of 1000 Hours
London
My Electric Chauffeur
Treasure
The Day They Took The Music Away
Such Fragile Things
Summers Of Love
Tired Bones
The Weathermonger

The follow up to the staggeringly good Harlem River Blues. JTE's new album was recorded completely live at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, NC with many of the same players involved as on Harlem River Blues. Amanda Shires joins on fiddle this time though. Skylar Wilson co-produced w/JTE. It is a decidedly soulful affair, the fingerprints of Memphis all over it.

This is Earle’s fourth release and follows his critically acclaimed 2010 album, Harlem River Blues, which debuted #47 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and led to a “Song of the Year” award at the 2011 Americana Music Awards.

Featured on Rolling Stone's 15 Albums to Look Forward to in Early 2012 "The son of Steve Earle and namesake of Townes Van Zandt has done his country music forefathers proud with his previous efforts, including 2010's stand-out Harlem River Blues. His fourth studio album leans away from traditional country and more toward Memphis soul, with a little folk and Americana thrown in for good measure. If every celebrity's offspring were this talented, we'd have no problem with nepotism."

Vocalists don't come more legendary than Jackie Edwards, and the smooth operator has lent his sweet tones to hundreds of ska, R&B, soul and rocksteady records. He was there at the birth of Island Records and his distinctive soulful voice has rightly given him the moniker of the Original Cool Ruler. A renowned singer from the earliest days of Jamaican recording Jackie Edwards presented future Island Records owner Chris Blackwell with two outstanding tunes in 1959. The first a sentimental ballad “Your eyes are Dreaming” and a Latin beat tune “Tell me Darling”.  His song writing skills were much in so demand and his popularity of such importance that when Chris Blackwell went to London in1962 to set up his record company he took his top Balladeer Jackie with him. This would pay dividends when a UK group Blackwell had signed called The Spencer Davis Group went on to release two of Jackie’s compositions “Keep on Running” and “Somebody Help Me”, which topped the British charts in 1966. Here Kingston Sounds have compiled some of Jackie Edwards finest songs, each covering a different reggae style but all sung to perfection.. Hope you enjoy the set....

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Killer collection of tunes from the 'original cool ruler' here! Plucked from throughout Jackie's long career the set covers R&B, rocksteady, soul and ska, but it's the righteous roots grooves of "Wad-Ada" and "So Jah Say" that are turning me out!

”The Choko King” is Jono´s third album since 2009, but the recordings are from the period between 1995 and 2008, some of which predates his first album by four years. ”The Choko King” offers an open door into Jono´s surrealistic musical universe and is a rare gift to his increasing number of fans and anyone interested in the workings of a truly eccentric and artistic mind. The album has been meticulously assembled from home recordings, demos, rehearsal tapes, live and studio recordings and made into a completely new work by Jono himself.

Jono El Grande is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margin of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He released his debut mini album ”Utopian Dances” in 1999, a collection of absurdist instrumentals recorded at home using not much more than a workstation synth. 2003 saw the release of ”Fevergreens”, an album that drew upon classic progressive rock, film music, easy listening and a variety of pop idioms and featured a nine piece orchestra. The Wire noted that ”the vitality of his writing keeps just the right uplifting balance between sweetness and acidity” and called it ”a pleasant surprise”. Next up was ”Neo Dada” (2009), an album brimming with musical adventure, odd turns, weird combinations of sounds and instruments, complex signatures and a good portion of pure joy, all mysteriously sugared with infectious melodic hooks. ”Neo Dada” represented something of an artistic breakthrough and received great reviews everywhere. This was followed by ”Phantom Stimulance” in late 2010. The sleeve paintings are by acknowledged Norwegian artist Christer Karlstad and shows the Choko King, intentionally misspelt to point to the megalomaniac´s hybris: to choke on what you desire the most.

”The Choko King” also comes as a limited, numbered vinyl edition of only 300 copies with ”insanely nerdy details” on each track by Jono himself.
The CD edition has a 14 minute bonus track.

Jono El Grande is a self-taught composer, musician, conductor and prankster and remains an outsider on the far margins of the Norwegian experimental music scene. He released his debut mini album ”Utopian Dances” in 1999, a collection of absurdist instrumentals recorded at home using not much more than a workstation synth. 2003 saw the release of ”Fevergreens” (RCD2031), an album that drew upon classic progressive rock, film music, easy listening and a variety of pop idioms and featured a 9 piece orchestra. The Wire noted that ”the vitality of his writing keeps just the right uplifting balance between sweetness and acidity” and called it ”a pleasant surprise”.His previous album ”Neo Dada” (2009) was a masterstroke; brimming with creative ideas, odd turns, weird combinations of sounds and instruments, complex time signatures and a healthy dose of pure musical joy, all mysteriously sugared with melodic hooks that would stick to your brain like any annoying pop tune. As far as musical form and content goes, this can be said to continue with ”Phantom Stimulance”, his fourth album. It´s put together to celebrate Jono´s 15 years as a composer and performer and 10 years as a band leader, but it´s not a mere compilation. Recorded in Athletic Studio, home to great analogue recordings by Supersilent, Motorpsycho, Scorch Trio and countless others, it´s a collection of new versions of stage favourites and previously unreleased songs as well as a brand new song.Jono lists movements like Rock in Opposition and the Canterbury Scene and artists and composers like Frank Zappa, Stravinsky, Magma, Henry Cow and Gentle Giant as inspirational sources but has established his own signature with his latest releases and stage shows. Instrumentations and arrangements have become more adventurous, he has picked up the electric guitar again and successfully added a rougher edge to the ensemble sound.

TRACK LISTING

Borrelia Boogie
Utopian Semi-Waltz
La Dolce Vidda
Phantom Stimulance
Rise Of The Baseless Press-bay Toy
Pongery In Evention
Beggar To Beggar
Moon-stricktly In Love With A Figment Foetus
Negation / Penetration
Double-edged Triplets
The Goat

Coral Cross - 001 is the first release of a new metal project helmed by Jorge Elbrecht (Lansing-Dreiden, Haunted Graffiti, Violens). Described by Elbrecht as "choral thrash," the music is simultaneously blurry and fast paced, blistering single-note guitar lines layered over with barely-audible cathedral harmonies. It's another turn stylistically, following both his collaborations with Ariel Pink ("Hang On to Life" and "Called to Ring") and the electronic A/B-side with Chairlift's Caroline Polachek. The first track "The Coldest Steel Across Your Face Slides" rips forward with a meat-slicing, bay area thrash-style intro riff, recalling bands like Exodus or Testament, but with much less attention to production detail.

Instead, some passages on Coral Cross - 001 sound like they may have been recorded on a portable cassette recorder. B-side "With a Lancet" follows more of a pop song format, with a chorus that dives into depths of depressive tremolo-picking guitars and drums that strobe and flicker like a decapitated airplane propeller post-crash.

Jorge Elbrecht joins the O Genesis roster for a special edition release of Presentable Corpse 002. Although Jorge Elbrecht may be a new name to UK music fans, he already has an illustrious and varied body of work to his name, thanks to his prolific output as a solo recording artist, producer, mixer, and visual artist. Born in Costa Rica and raised in the U.S., Elbrecht’s production and collaboration credits with the likes of Sky Ferreira, Japanese Breakfast, Gang Gang Dance, No Joy, Geneva Jacuzzi, and countless others have given him a well-deserved reputation as one of the most in-demand and respected names in independent music today.

Presentable Corpse 002 is the inaugural full-length collection of his ongoing Presentable Corpse recordings. Elbrecht himself describes Presentable Corpse as “sunshine pop” that contains lyrics written from the perspective of a fictional Vietnam-era soldier at war, conveying a story of regret, homesickness, combat fatigue, and political anger.

Information about Elbrecht largely comes from The Executor(s) of the Estate of Jorge Elbrecht, who claims full control over the artist’s creative output, both past and present. According to the estate, Elbrecht’s “disaffection with the milieu of the day developed into a pathology by his late twenties, resulting in dangerously high levels of stress and anxiety as the thematic content of his work grew darker.”

Presentable Corpse 002 is sure to not only delight Jorge Elbrecht’s already sizeable fan-base with its disarmingly inviting psychedelic sunshine pop, but also gain a considerable and well-deserved new following in the UK and Europe. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Blocking Out The Horror
2. This Time Or Never
3. Tuesday Morning
4. Ancient Grief
5. The Clouds Are Gone
6. Brittle Vines Break
7. Fading Memory
8. Run & Hide
9. The Springtime Brigade
10. Dawn Is Creeping
11. Leaf Cycle
12. Piereced By The Ice 

The duo's third album of instrumental guitar recordings pushes their sinuous compositions into labyrinthine new shapes, interlocking and interlocutory, supported by a cast of stellar collaborators. Interwoven among the dazzling original pieces is a fascinating array of covers, ranging from traditional Breton dance tunes to a deconstruction of Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance." How it was made - in two segments of three days, one in early Winter, one in late Winter, in Chicago—is a testament to James and Nathan’s enthusiasm for the project. As they’d done on their previous two duo records, each brought fragments of varying lengths to the table (literally James and his family’s kitchen table) and, in varying degrees of frenzy, built songs out of them. Some, like “Numb Limbs,” took several intense hours of tinkering, mostly for Nathan to carve sympathetic designs around the knotty edifice James had constructed—thus its title. Others, like “Death Wishes to Kill” (a phrase lifted from a T.F. Powys novel the two had each recently read and loved) took its feverish shape in forty minutes full of shrieks and groans and hysterical laughs hard-stopped by James rushing out, late, to get his son from school. The acceptable window for coffee consumption was pushed to its reasonable limits, and then beyond them, slamming up against a reasonable hour to start drinking beer. As with Ambsace, the covers on All Gist outline a Venn diagram of Elkington and Salsburg’s abiding interests. On one end is a faithful arrangement of English composer Howard Skempton’s resplendent “Well, Well, Cornelius” (1999); on the other is a composite of two traditional Breton dance tunes (pieced together from Canadian, Irish, and Breton sources); and in the middle where else is a transmutation of Neneh Cherry’s monumental “Buffalo Stance” (1988), a song that no one aside from James and Nathan would ever have thought for a moment could or should be made into fodder for two acoustic guitars. But it was, and with delicacy and joy and sincere reverence for the original, which they painstakingly deconstructed. All Gist perhaps demonstrates more than anything the precarious balance struck between what the Elkington-Salsburg duo is exemplified by cramming to compose or remember guitar parts in James’s kitchen and what the duo could be if it was the engine of a small orchestra in a government-funded arts enclave in some Central European country … where they’d be contractually obliged to perform in matching well-tailored suits.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Death Wishes To Kill
A2. Long In The Tooth Again
A3. Numb Limbs
A4. Nicest Distinction
A5. Well, Well, Cornelius
B1. Explanation Point
B2. Fears Of This Nature
B3. Rule Bretagne
B4. All Gist Could Be Yours
B5. Buffalo Stance

Chicago songwriter and guitarist James Elkington who has collaborated with everyone from Richard Thompson to Jeff Tweedy to Tortoise recorded his sophomore album at Wilco’s Loft, expanding upon his celebrated 2017 debut Wintres Woma (PoB-034) as well as his recent production and arrangement work for the likes of Steve Gunn, Nap Eyes, and Joan Shelley. Casting glances back to British folk traditions as well as toward avant-garde horizons, these brilliant new songs, as accessible as they are arcane, buttress Elkington’s brisk guitar figures and baritone poesy with strings, woodwinds, and backing vocals by Tamara Lindeman of the Weather Station.

“An epiphany… a cryptic storyteller and dazzling acoustic guitarist.” Rolling Stone

“Elkington stands apart among the wave of 21st century guitar soloists. Beautiful, complex, and assured.” Pitchfork

“A convincing, warmly whirling weather system of his own.” The Guardian

“James Elkington is a friend of mine, and I have long enjoyed and indeed found satisfaction from witnessing the juicy fruits of his successful labors. Though it sounds like a line culled from a murderous Child ballad, “Ever-Roving Eye” has everything to do instead with the slipperiness of satisfaction, and the equal parts virtue and vice that is being your own mule and driver. Meticulously planned and quickly tracked (the Elkingtonian way), it includes Wintres Woma alumni Nick Macri (James’ longtime bass colleague) and Macie Stewart (violin), plus new recruits Lia Kohl (cello), Spencer Tweedy (drums), The Weather Station’s Tamara Lindeman (vocals), and the prolific Paul Von Mertens (Brian Wilson) on woodwinds. Where the first record was more firmly situated in the sonic tradition of England’s more interesting 1970s folk revivalists, Eye engages in a broader wrassle, roping in echoes of British library musics, horror-film soundtracks, demure psychedelia, and more rocking elements of folk-rock. The result is a record even more elaborate, shrewd, thoughtful and confessional than its predecessor. Ever-Roving Eye is instead a sublime distillation of the humane wisdom of a dude who’ll never be; the dude who sings on the single, “Nowhere Time”: “There’s a master plan somebody understands / And I wish that one was me.” It might well cast a pox on the concept of satisfaction altogether. Though it still satisfies the hell out of me”. Nathan Salsburg, December 2019

TRACK LISTING

A1. Nowhere Time 4:25
A2. Sleeping Me Awake 3:02
A3. Leopards Lay Down 3:47
A4. Moon Tempering 3:13
A5. Rendlesham Way 4:14
B1. Late Jim's Lament 2:54
B2. Carousel 2:50
B3. Go Easy On October 3:02
B4. Ever-Roving Eye 4:41
B5. Much Master 4:24

Me Neither is a 29 track double album of instrumental guitar music. While juggling a number of other projects James Elkington began writing "music for which there was no purpose." It became a new way of working for him - waking up each morning and improvising and recording the first thing that came into his head. "The only rules I gave myself were that I should make most of the sounds with a guitar, changing the speed or processing the recordings afterwards to get the effect I was looking for." Before long he had an albums worth of material. About mid-way through the second album Elkington had a liberating thought: he was making his own version of library music "if you’re writing library music, you don’t have to know what it’s for - that can be someone else’s job.

TRACK LISTING

1. No-Shows
2. Burial At See
3. A Message For The Janesville King
4. A Round, A Bout
5. Look Spectral!
6. The 100-Faced Magma
7. A Breathable Liquid
8. The Permeable Realm
9. Section 2
10. Double Orchid
11. Part The Thin Painter From His Work
12. Every Second Morning
13. Section 3
14. Me Neither
15. Contact Twig Entanglement
16. New Red Masterpiece
17. Cup Cape
18. The Bird Renamed
19. Psycasts In Love
20. Where For Do I Run
21. The Home Counties
22. Today’s Dictation
23. Untidled
24. Sleep Baguettes Sleep
25. Infintu B
26. Tree Breather
27. The Incredible Waist Of Time
28. Nor Yet Door But The One
29. The Winner Takes It All

Wintres Woma-- Old English for "the sound of winter"-- is James Elkington's debut solo record, but you've likely heard his masterful guitar playing and arranging, even if you didn't realize it. Elkington (an Englishman living in Chicago) is an inveterate collaborator who brings his lyrical compositional and improvisational sensibilities to any group. He has toured, recorded, and/or collaborated with Jeff Tweedy, Richard Thompson, Steve Gunn, Michael Chapman, Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg and Brokeback, to name just a few of his many enthusiastic admirers.

His assured album, recorded at Wilco's Loft, is baroquely detailed and beautifully constructed, featuring both his baritone vocals and some of Chicago's finest, including Tomeka Reid. Elkington was brought up in England during the ’70s and ’80s—a time when traditional and acoustic music was largely shunned in favor of the new wave (to which his largely-destroyed copy of The Fall’s Perverted By Language will attest)—but found after his first forays into songwriting that some semblance of the folk music vernacular had crept in and wouldn’t leave.

Elkington’s music, however, is anything if retroactive, and anything if folk music: “It’s not folk music,” he asserts. “I may use the mechanics of folk music to put across my own ideas at times, but it really doesn’t fall into any specific community or songwriterly tradition. The album’s lyrics do seem to have a preoccupation with unseen powers at work and other dimensions, both of which seem to show up in traditional English music, but it’s based on my own experience and understanding, not anyone else’s.” Wintres Woma was recorded at Wilco’s studio, The Loft, in a five-day sprawl with engineer Mark Greenberg. 

TRACK LISTING

1 Make It Up
2 Hollow In Your House
3 Wading The Vapors
4 Grief Is Not Coming
5 When I Am Slow
6 The Parting Glass
7 The Hermit Census
8 Greatness Yet To Come
9 Sister Of Mine
10 My Trade In Sun Tears
11 Any Afternoon

Jack’s back! Jack Ellister returns to Fruits de Mer armed with three new tracks recorded exclusively for this 7” single.

He brings his own idiosyncratic, modern take on psychedelia to songs recorded by the greats (The Beatles), the legendary (Syd Barrett) and the cult hero (Mark Fry, who coincidentally recorded himself for Fruits de Mer back in 2008)....

...and don’t miss seeing Jack playing live at the Summer Fruits de Mer All-Dayer, at London’s Borderline on August 10th (The Pretty Things are headlining – be there!).

TRACK LISTING

Within You, Without You (The Beatles) 3:24
2. Within You, Without You - Reprise (The Beatles) 0:39
3. Song For Wilde (Mark Fry) 2:30
4. Flaming (Syd Barrett) 2:26

Jacken Elswyth is a London-based folk musician, banjo player, and instrument builder. At Fargrounds is her third solo album, her first for the Wrong Speed label and the latest in a rich catalogue that repositions the spectral, vulnerable sound of the banjo away from its familiar role as signifier of the past and onto lands brave, new and unexplored. The living wood is imbued with qualities that require engagement and understanding. Working with cherry, oak or walnut involves naming it an equal partner. The parallel, synchronous transformations of wood into instrument, of growing tree into resonating sound, musical tradition into musical flourishing, lie at the heart of Jacken Elswyth’s practices both as an instrument builder and as a creative musician.

One might consider her primarily as a worker in wood, but whose craft and fields of expression are absorbed by those transitional and interim processes that manifest change. The traditional tunes included here have been cultivated and maintained by generations of players and collectors, pruned, grafted, and shaped over time. However, in this setting, their long-established forms seem to morph and shift. They audibly accrue unique qualities, blossoming and swelling into new modes of being, bright-stepping arrangements unfolding with a liveliness hinting at practices of ritual and community. Meanwhile, other pieces, creative cornerstones of this collection, appear fluid, partially formed. They suggest not the cultivation of new growth from established stock, but instead the actions of something on the verge of taking form. Working with raw elements of melodic and tonal abstraction, they illuminate the process of emergence and evolution.

In this context, the title At Fargrounds is telling. It suggests a point set at some distance from any centre of human concerns, a liminal space in which the cultivated world encounters the world of other living things in their living state. Here, the innate strangeness of the maintained environment–vast lawns, sculpted hedges, vacant playing fields–encounters sprawling vistas of driftwood, dense thickets of brambles, stony hillsides. Across a full century-and-a-quarter, long-standing rural and pastoral musical traditions, at some distance from their origins, have been preserved, nurtured and re-shaped under the folk revival. Placed here, these artefacts now sit in alignment with unvarnished documents featuring the raw elements of sound-making. Their working-together is achieved through a universally-applied interest in musical growth and development.

The juxtaposition and combination of these elements gives evidence of new, emerging approaches to community and social music: familiar, known, yet charged with an alien vitality.

TRACK LISTING

1. Singing Birds/Jack Lattin
2. Warm Machinery
3. Private
4. Lost Gander
5. Waken Workshops
6. White Cockade/BigSciota
7. Sussex Waltz
8. Princess Royal
9. Who Remembers
10. A Fisherman's Song For Attracting Seals/Full RiggedShip
11. Falls Of Richmond/Squirrel Hunters
12. Coffin Maker

Jeremy Enigk performed with legendary indie rock band Sunny Day Real Estate from 1993 to 2000. He was their singer, songwriter, and one of their guitarists. In 1996, following Sunny Day Real Estate’s first breakup (which lasted from 1995 to 1997), Enigk released his first solo album, Return of the Frog Queen.

Return of the Frog Queen represents a major shift from the sound of Sunny Day Real Estate. The album features a 21-piece orchestra backing Enigk as he performs striking, dramatic, chamber-pop compositions that demonstrate the full breadth of Enigk’s talents as a singer, musician, and songwriter. The album was produced by Greg Williamson, who also produced Sunny Day Real Estate’s 1998 comeback album, How it Feels to Be Something On.

Return of the Frog Queen has been out of print since its original 1996 pressing. This reissue includes the original album, remastered in 2018, plus digital bonus tracks from Enigk’s 1996 live session on Seattle radio station The End.

TRACK LISTING

Abegail Anne
Return Of The Frog Queen
Lewis Hollow
Lizard
Carnival
Call Me Steam
Explain
Shade And The Black Hat
Fallen Heart
Abegal Anne (The End Sessions) *digital-only Bonus Track
Return Of The Frog Queen (The End Sessions) *digital-only Bonus Track
Lizard (The End Sessions) *digital-only Bonus Track
Carnival (The End Sessions) *digital-only Bonus Track
Explain (The End Sessions) *digital-only Bonus Track

Triangulating a slinky signal to a square mile off the Swan River, Glowing Pin bring us ‘Pentagon Palette’, a master blast of frequency adjusted house, swamp stomp and chakra charmers from Australian newcomer Jonus Eric.

Though opening brace ‘The Cult’ and ‘Collect’ made first contact back in 2014, a loose connection between Perth and Hamburg hindered progress before ‘Mirrors’, ‘Emulator’ and ‘Waterfall’ walked across the web in 2019 to round out a dope debut release from this house auteur. Specialising in mind altering sound design and melodic flair, Jonus generates a neon swamp on ‘The Cult’, serving up a psychoactive roller caked in radioactive fuzz and insectile fizz. Thick bass swells and circular marimba make for a hypnotic rhythm, while a shapeshifting vocal and moody keyboard riff drag us back towards terra firma. The paradisiac refrain of ‘Collect’ soon sounds out through the jungle with a euphoric haze,

its sub-tickling bass and acid gurgle riding hyperactive drum programming as the track warps in the humidity. Soaked in serotonin and brisk at 137 BPM, ‘Mirrors’ burns off the mist to offer an airy update on the French Touch template. Though frazzled circuitry and dislocated vox serve this one with a twist, the chiming pianos and bouncy beat are still best enjoyed in a Golf GTI in the summertime. Jonus reaches for the lasers via the restless rhythm and rave sirens of ‘Emulator’, a fresh take on the funky house of the late nineties updated with unexpected breaks, squealing feedback and treated vocals usually found on a Four Set banger.

Finally, it’s off to the chillout room for ‘Waterfalls’, a fourth-world tone poem describing crystal caves, undiscovered wildlife and a holographic waterfall. Ditching the doof, and letting those colours tesselate, Jonus offers a +2 bump to your mana, closing the set out in style.

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Cult
A2. Collect 
A3. Mirrors
B1. Emulator
B2. Waterfalls

Recorded in 1995 and 1996, mostly in John Fahey’s room at a Salem, Oregon boarding house, the performances on ‘Proofs & Refutations’ prefigure the ornery turn of the page that marked Fahey’s final years, drawing another enigmatic rabbit from his seemingly bottomless musical hat.

Cloaked in the language of dogma - what is he proving? refuting? - this is Fahey dancing a jig in the Duchampian gap, jester cap bells a-jingling. True believers? He’s got something for you: an uncompromising vision that you can sneer at (“guy can’t play anymore and refuses to concede!”) or embrace as evidence of his genius (“the reinventor does it again!”). Skeptics? He’s there with you, too: sending up the fallacy of certitudes altogether. Institutions, systems, accepted wisdoms. Heroes. Alternative facts, indeed.

Right out the gate, Fahey re-materializes before us, somewhere between Oracle of Delphi and Clown Prince at Olympus. Mounting a thundering dialectic from on high, ‘All the Rains’ resembles nothing else in his extensive discography - betraying roots in everything from Dada to Episcopal liturgical chant - and contains nary a plucked guitar note. You can’t fool him! When the lap steel of yore appears on ‘F for Fake’, it serves more as soundbed for an extended sequence of vocal improvisations, running the gamut from wordless Bashoian caterwauling to free-form (but decidedly fake) Tuvan, even revealing a burnished falsetto in the process.

Fahey takes on a different kind of provocation in the two acoustic guitarbased tracks closing Side 1 - ‘Morning’ parts 1 and 2 - the first of four recordings in this session that have him wrestling with the ghost of Skip James, perhaps Fahey’s effort to wrench the “bitter, hateful old creep” (his words) back into the grave.

Anchoring Side 2 is the two-part ‘Evening, Not Night’, the second half of his extended cathexis on James (and the latter’s avowed castration complex - another story for another day, perhaps). Bit of a chill in the air – where’s the impish Fahey from earlier? Unmistakably working through some psychic wounds here, we might think: the unheimlich rendered in glistening viscera. Or is he playing with our notions of authenticity, of his reputation as troubadour of raw emotional states, a pilgrim of the ominous, the simmering unconscious? These cards are kept decidedly close to the vest. The opening and closing pieces again feature Fahey’s guitar as drone soundbed - employing distortion, oscillation, and an altogether absurd quotient of reverb to create texture and harmonics that are - if we want to go there - not dissimilar to the sustained tonic clusters of Tibetan singing bowls, the hurdy gurdy, Hindustani classical music, or La Monte freaking Young.

Portions of this material appeared on obscure late 1990s vinyl in the 7” or double-78 rpm format, but as a ‘session’ it has lain dormant more than a quarter century now. Taken together, we can now see these tracks as secret blueprints to latter-day Fahey provocations, several years prior to records like 1997’s ‘City of Refuge’ and ‘Womblife’.

TRACK LISTING

All The Rains
F For Fake
Morning, Pt 1
Morning, Pt 2
For LMC2
Evening, Not Night, Pt 1
Evening, Not Night, Pt 2
Untitled (w/o Rain)

There are plenty of performers who rock critics describe by using the label "primitive," but few if any can hold a candle to the greatest American rock primitive Jad Fair - With his wildly influential band Half Japanese or as a solo performer, Fair has constructed a prolific and extremely interesting career.

He writes and records songs that display an uncomplicated emotional directness, unselfconscious charm and warmth, and a genial simplicity that is beyond words. From Jad: "I set a goal for myself to release 100 albums in a year's time. I was able to pass that mark. I released over 150 albums. This album is a "best of" compilation of the songs recorded that year. It's 100 songs chosen from 160 albums."

TRACK LISTING

Disc 1
Side 1
1. Worm Boy
2. Star
3. We Have To
4. Our Now Is Forever
5. We Made Ourselves A Promise
6. Not The Same No More
7. The Love Club
8. Rising Star
9. Garbage Man
10. Zombies Walk The Earth
11. Too Late
12. Together We Will
13. Witch
14. It Is Them
15. Choose Your Own Future
16. Embrace Love
17. June Or July
18. All Around Us
19. Sunshine Happiness
20. No Secret
21. Day In The Sun
22. Whenever
23. Ghost Of Frankenstein
24. Apple, Pear And Peach
25. Curses

Side 2
1. Love Love
2. So Far So Good
3. The House
4. Wonderful
5. Son Of A Gun
6. Stupid Kicks
7. Perfectly Dreadful
8. Them
9. Coffee
10. Run Away Home
11. Even Smaller
12. You And Me
13. Vicious Circle
14. Hear The Call
15. Our Eyes
16. Time For Love
17. The Laughing Monster
18. Invigorate Your Life
19. Got It Made
20. Stayed At Home
21. The Invasion
22. Honey Bear
23. Open The Door
24. On My Palm
25. Not Too Late

Disc 2
Side 1
1. Night Of The Devil Bat
2. Slime
3. Safety Net
4. Chase Away
5. Only One
6. Afraid Of Nothing
7. Life In The Suburbs
8. It's Wonderful
9. Mission Accomplished
10. True Love Is Here
11. Spinning Around
12. Your Wish
13. The Moth Man
14. Make The Pieces Fit
15. What Else Is New?
16. It's Alive
17. One Thing Only
18. The Welcome Mat
19. Sunshine
20. Out There
21. No One Knows For Sure
22. Our Way
23. Listen To The Birds
24. What Can We Do?
25. Viva Love

Side 2
1. Alright
2. Two Of A Kind
3. Pale Green Pants
4. The Word Yes
5. The Vampires Are Back
6. The Biggest Big
7. In Its Net
8. Over Our Heads
9. Without A Clue
10. Haunted Home
11. He Has His Nerve
12. The Knack
13. The Junk Pile
14. Probably Alright
15. Shrunken Head
16. Haunted Hill
17. How It's Done
18. In The Eyes
19. Invading Our Planet
20. Why?
21. Better Good Times
22. Right From The Start
23. Flashing Lights
24. Magic
25. It's Alright

In 1974 Jad and David Fair teamed up to form a band called Half Japanese. The route was simple, at first. If one pounded on drums the other could squeeze sounds from an electric guitar. There were no other band members to stay in tune with, so there was no particular reason for them to worry about tuning the guitar in a traditional manner or learning traditional chords. They were free from the start to express their music in their own way. They traded off the guitar and drumming rolls. Whichever one sang the words also played the guitar and the other one drummed. For a couple of years they wrote, recorded and performed this way, without the convention of more members. When they did decide to expand they went big. They first thought of recruiting an outside drummer, so that both could play guitars at the same time.

In 2014 Jad and David stripped things back to the roots. They went back to recording as a duo. One sang and played guitar, the other one drummed. 40 years had passed, but they slipped right back into the original roles and churned out a number of breath-stealing songs. 40 years later; 40 years better. One pick, two sticks and heart-warming vocals...... That's all they needed; two brothers, still rockin' the same damn deal! 

The words and primary voice are those of Jad Fair, that enduringly idiosyncratic artist revered in discerning pockets of the global indie rock underground for decades. Danielson’s Daniel Smith has long admired Fair, drawing inspiration from Half Japanese (the band Fair formed with his brother in the ‘70s) on through to his prolific career today. Their discussions of collaborating finally came to fruition when Joyful Noise Recordings designated Fair its “Artist In Residence” for 2014 and Danielson was tapped as one of 4 artists (including R. Stevie Moore; Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake; and Strobe Talbot) to record separate respective albums with him for a boxed-set limited release.

“Flattered and honored” is how Smith sums up his feelings about the project -- and grateful to get a game-plan for what always seemed a complementary pairing. Sounds Familyre will be doing their own non-limited release of Solid Gold Heart in June, on CD, digital and gold vinyl. The 11 tracks of sweet collaboration collected under said title sound like what you might expect, given the respective artists: gleaming tunes of sincere sing-speak, resplendent with sparkling back-up vocals and warmly melodic, inventive instrumentation; a sunshine-bright outlook of positive encouragement to keep “rockin’ on the side of gooood” -- because, after all, “We deserve chocolate cake/ We deserve apple pie/ Enjoy your life ...”

The collaborative process commenced with Fair sending Smith his unique vocal demos of recited lyrics with articulated mouthsound musical qualities (some bits remain in the final mixes). Smith then wrote music for each chosen track, eventually getting Fair and drummer Gilles Rieder into his Clarksboro, NJ studio to record their parts during a few hours break from touring. Aside from Smith’s own guitar-playing and singing throughout the album, there were contributions made by his brothers David and Andrew on percussion, and sisters Rachel and Megan along with wife Elin on vocals. Spicing things up at Fair’s behest were members of Texas art-polka band Brave Combo: Carl Finch on accordion and keys; Jeffrey Barnes on sax and woodwinds; and Danny O’Brien on trumpet. Bringing things full-circle was Kramer (Shockabilly, Bongwater, B.A.L.L. et al.) on bass, who also co-mixed and mastered the album.

The result is a beguiling blend that builds off each participant’s strengths, truly a fresh sum that is greater than its parts. “The goal was to make 3-minute pop songs, as accessible and fun and immediate as possible,” notes Smith. And that’s what you’ll hear, each track an uplifting, mutually enhanced concoction. Anyone who ever had a Solid Gold Heart -- wouldn’t they want to turn around and share it? Of course they would. Jad Fair and Danielson are happy to offer up theirs.

TRACK LISTING

1. Go Ahead
2. Rockin On The Good Side
3. Ready Steady
4. Here We Stand
5. Solid Gold Heart
6. With The Knowledge 
7. Apple Apple
8. Not No
9. On And On
10. You Got Me In A Spin
11. Here’s Our Time

Obscure 1965-1968 recordings, most of them previously unreleased, by The Individuals, The Tokays and Euphorian Railway, bands which featured Andy Cahan aka Johnny Farfisa as main songwriter and organ player.

Over those three years, Cahan and his teenage bandmates produced a remarkable set of R&B/garage/blue-eyed soul tracks of outstanding quality, collected here for the first time.

Growing up in the town of New Rochelle, New York, young Andy Cahan got his kicks making horror films using an 8mm movie camera and a Wollensak tape recorder. But Cahan was also a gifted piano player with a good musical ear. Like thousands of American kids, his life changed forever on February 9, 1964 - the day The Beatles debuted on the Ed Sullivan Show. "I was totally amazed at these four guys who could sing and play perfectly and had awesome haircuts, matching suits and very cool boots," he says.

His first surf band The Jaguars became The Tokays, named after a brand of sweet white Hungarian wine. The group started to play some of Andy's original material, inspired by The Beatles and other British invaders like The Zombies and The Dave Clark Five. One of those tracks, the plaintive minor-key ballad 'Where Young Lovers Go', is included here, a remarkably mature effort for a bunch of 17-year-old kids. "Reno Franze and Richie Struts were the lead singers, Sandy Reiner was on drums, Larry Kramer on guitar, and I played the grand piano and organ. There was no bass."

Soon after, Andy made an important change. "The Beatles all played guitars, so I had to either learn guitar or, since I already was a piano/organ player, emulate Mike Smith of The Dave Clark Five with his red Vox organ. That's when I traded my old Thomas organ for the new Farfisa Combo Compact red organ. After opening the factory package on the living room floor and setting it up, I immediately assumed the stance that Mike Smith had. I purchased Beatle boots, as did my band buddies, and we changed the name to The Individuals."

By this time Richie Struts had left the group. The Individuals worked hard and soon began making a name for themselves. "We rehearsed every day until we were so good that we won three separate Battle of the Bands contests in New Rochelle and other cities in Westchester County, New York." The group also found time to go into the studio in 1965 and 1966 to record demos - most of which can be heard on this album. The tough Farfisa-led garage rocker 'She's Gone Away' is one of the highlights. With its memorable guitar and organ hook and haunting vocal melody, 'I Don't Play' is one of the band's strongest compositions from this period. In the studio they tried several different approaches, one with an overdubbed 12-string guitar, and another - designated the 'soul version' - with Reno doing a moody spoken vocal. Another standout is the hard-driving 'The Sky Is Falling'.

The Individuals broke up around 1967 when Larry Kramer elected to go to college rather than pursue music full-time. Andy, Sandy and Reno reconfigured as The Boys in Dutch, adding Jerry Delesio on guitar, and gigged across the New York area throughout 1967. After that band ran its course, Andy decided to start a new project, Euphorian Railway, with Reno on lead vocals, Vinny Derminity on guitar and vocals, Ken Lennington on bass and vocals, and Frank McConville on drums.

Euphorian Railway went into the studio in March 1968 and in one five-hour session cut an album's worth of original material. Five tracks are featured here, including a powerful remake of 'The Sky Is Falling', along with dynamic new material like 'She Showed Me'. The influence of The Rascals is strong, especially in Reno's impassioned Eddie Brigati like vocals, but Cahan's electric harpsichord provides some distinctive touches, especially on the psychedelically-inclined 'On My Way To The Sun'.

The band was short-lived. In the summer of 1968 Cahan relocated to Los Angeles, where he quickly made a name for himself as a keyboard player and arranger, working with such people as Graham Bond, Dr John, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Harry Nilsson and Flo & Eddie of The Turtles. He was also a founding member of Geronimo Black, along with ex-Mothers Jimmy Carl Black, Denny Walley and Bunk and Buzz Gardner, and one-time Love member Tjay Contrelli.

As for his Johnny Farfisa alias, that originated with David Gibson of Moxie Records, who in 1980 released a seven-inch EP of The Individuals' mid-60s recordings titled "Johnny Farfisa's Greatest Hits": "He was the one who gave me the name Johnny Farfisa from the idea of combining Johnny Rotten and my Farfisa organ!".

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
THE INDIVIDUALS
1. SHE'S GONE AWAY (Vocal)
2. I DON'T PLAY (Version 1)
3. IT MAY BE
4. THE SKY IS FALLING
5. I DON'T PLAY (Soul Version)
6. MONKEY ON MY BACK
7. MY BABY'S BAD
THE TOKAYS
8. WHERE YOUNG LOVERS GO

Side 2
THE INDIVIDUALS
1. I DON'T PLAY (12-string Version)
EUPHORIAN RAILWAY
2. THE SKY IS FALLING
3. SHE SHOWED ME
4. ON MY WAY TO THE SUN
5. I THOUGHT I KNEW YOU
6. NOTHING AND NO ONE
THE INDIVIDUALS
7. SHE'S GONE AWAY (Instrumental)

Jordan Fields ropes in some help from his close-knit Chicagoan community for a thoroughly delightful excursion into pure house music for the lastest release on long standing imprint, Yore.

SIX tracks (count 'em!) meaning there's plenty wriggle for your wonga on this 12"! All of it leaning on the deep, tribal and slightly jazzy - it's wraught with the spirit of house music through and through with dreamy organ licks, frenetic percussion, warm bass and insurmountable energy.

Pressed nice and crisp and loud as per the Yore standard, six fresh joints to rock out in the club or the house party. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Inflation busting value from JF and friends with a LONG playing house EP that offers pure wriggle for your wonga! Five tracks - over half an hour run time - that's half a headline set at THP covered in one record!

TRACK LISTING

A1. DUBrazil – Untitled 1 07:10
A2. DUBrazil – Untitled 2 07:34

B1. Jordan Fields – Wanna Feel The Music (Piano Mix) 05:39
B2. Tracky Disco – Keep It Going 05:15
B3. Afrolectro – Needs Love 06:20

João Pais Filipe delivers three acoustic solo percussion works for Ondes HXCX. The tracks were originally recorded for an exhibition called "Membrana" which took place in a church in Northern Portugal, using only drums. Different odd time signatures were extensively explored on each of the tracks. 18/16, 19/16, 23/16 and for the first time, a technique called "omission" was also introduced. It consists of omitting notes of the Rhythm without changing it, creating a sense of illusion and changing the perspective of the Rhythm. Burnt Friedman, an accomplice of João's studies on odd rhythms focused on blending counter-rhythmic electronic elements into the 23/16 track.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Membrana 23/16
A2. Membrana 19/16
B1. Membrana 18/16
B2. Burnt Friedman Remix

Möbius is an aerial ballet created by Cie XY in collaboration with the choreographer Rachid Ouramdane, and composers Jonathan Fitoussi & Clemens Hourrière.

One of the most sensitive sets of ears in Paris, GRM affiliate Jonathan Fitoussi meets Clemens Hourrière for a beautiful 3rd album called "Möbius". After their acclaimed "Five Steps" [2015] & "Espace Timbrés" [2018] on Versatile records, Fitoussi & Hourrière tethered again to the classic Buchla modular synthesiser, but this time composed the soundtrack of an amazing aerial ballet in collaboration with Cie XY and famous choregrapher Rachid Ouramdane.

‘For Möbius we have teamed up with two composers, Jonathan Fitoussi and Clemens Hourrière; for several years now they have shared a common passion for electronic instruments with their unique incredible sound. We soon found there was a lot of common ground between our own acrobatic research and the way they create music : their sounds meeting, colliding or clustering together in a slow and finely nuanced progression, requiring the same continuous adjustment as our own process. This constantly evolving music with its expansive percussion will leave the door wide open to flights of the imagination, transporting us to strange atmospheres, at times disturbing, at others invigorating...’ Cie XY

TRACK LISTING

Pendulum
Lune D'Afrique
Valse
Syncussion
Aqueduc
Poissons Volants
Vague
Magma
Murmuration

The debut album from Jack Flanagan, currently best known for his work as a member of the Mystery Jets. ‘Jack Rides The Sky’ is a magical coming of age record that comprises of 12 tracks written over the last decade, some finished and some left as initial sketches of ideas. As brutally honest as it is escapist and romantic, ‘Jack Rides The Sky’ is a body of work that signals the arrival of a unique, poetic talent finally stepping out on his own and releasing the extraordinary songs that have been parked on his laptop for the last 10 years.

Born in Basingstoke outside London in the early 90s, Jack grew up obsessing over John Lennon, Evan Dando, and The La’s. Like any none too sensible kid with great hair, an Irish surname and a romantic view of the heroic nature of rock'n'roll, he drifted to the capital city. At 19 he was making his own music and learning song craft. Through the early Noughties he played bass in scene bands, and the glow of imminent stardom surrounded him.

The scene loved Jack and Jack loved the scene. The career planning did not, however, go as intended. Jack's early musical alliance with Rob Skipper from The Holloways ended in tragedy when the singer died of a heroin overdose. For the next ten years Jack's progress was hampered by fate's interventions and his own insecurities. Exciting projects were stop started and brilliant songs were left ignored, until now.

TRACK LISTING

1. Curses
2. Skyhorse X Skyhorse
3. Gravy Train
4. Unbelievable
5. Don’t Ask Me Why
6. Something Has Changed
7. Misty
8. Lately
9. Blue Canoe
10. Girls And Boys
11. Try
12. Why Am I Only Here 

On his new album, Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, John Francis Flynn delicately unpicks traditional songs and rearranges them with an emotional force that sometimes leaves them unanchored, foating in a surreal space between the past and the present, the analogue and the digital, between love and tragedy.

In his frst single, Mole In The Ground, a cover of an American anti-establishment folk song recorded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, John allows the surrealism of the song to take centre stage, opting to speak rather than sing the words. His voice, too, lives beneath the ground of the melody, burrowing its way beneath hypnotic drums, dancing guitars, and sliding violins. By taking away the nursery rhyme-like melody of the song, we focus on our narrators' fantasies and desires, but also on "the weirdness of the song, and its aggressiveness. The last line is: I don't like the railroad man/ the railroad man will kill you when he can/ and he'll drink up your blood like red wine, and I wanted to get to grips with that emotion."

TRACK LISTING

1. The Zoological Gardens
2. Mole In The Ground
3. Willie Crotty
4. Kitty
5. The Seasons
6. Within A Mile Of Dublin
7. The Lag Song
8. Dirty Old Town

Johnny Flynn’s sixth album, and the second co-written with his friend Robert Macfarlane gathers songs that Johnny and Robert have written together since finishing their first joint album, Lost In The Cedar Wood (2021). At its heart are the oldest themes of all: death and renewal, darkness and light. The first five tracks are songs of burial, shadows and memory, while the final four are songs of awakening, light and love. The album turns around a central song, ‘The Sun Also Rises’, which stands with a foot in both dark and light.

Fuses poetry, story, landscape, history, nature and myth into a series of rich, strange songlines that criss-cross time and place, joining winter to spring, ancient to present and birth to death. As the Sun sets, so the Moon rises as its echo; as one light dies, another, altogether different light is born.

Partly recorded in an old Methodist chapel –now the home of Johnny and Rob’s friends, Cosmo and Flora Sheldrake.

Produced by Charlie Andrew (Alt-J, Marika Hackman).

BIOG
Johnny Flynn is a singer, composer, musician and actor. His musical releases to date include the studio albums A Larum (2008), Been Listening (2010), Country Mile (2013), Sillion (2017) and Lost In The Cedar Wood (2021). He has released two full live albums, Live in Washington DC (2014) and Live at the Roundhouse (2018) and various EPs and soundtracks. As well as touring the world with his band, Johnny regularly composes music for film, TV and theatre –– including work for period instruments at the Globe Theatre. Johnny’s recent acting projects include Hangmen and True West (for which he also composed the music) on stage and Emma, Beast and The Dig on film. He is currently appearing as Richard Burton in Jack Thorne’s sell-out play The Motive and the Cue, directed by Sam Mendes.

Robert Macfarlane is a writer of books about nature, people, place and landscape including Underland (2019), Landmarks (2015), The Old Ways (2012) and, with Jackie Morris, The Lost Words (2017) and The Lost Spells (2020). He also writes films (inc. Mountain and River, both starring Willem Dafoe), operas, plays and screenplays, and collaborates widely, including with artist Stanley Donwood, and musicians Cosmo Sheldrake, Jocelyn Pook and Karine Polwart. His work has been widely adapted for film, stage, television, radio, dance, music and performance, and his books have been published in more than thirty languages. In 2023 he was awarded the inaugural Weston International Award for Non-Fiction.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A rousing collection of songs from the neo-folk troubador Johnny Flynn (whose Detectorists theme is forever etched in my brain) and frequent collaboration partner Robert Macfarlane. It's a warming, bucolic selection that's every bit as beautiful as 2021's stunning 'Lost In The Cedar Wood'.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Uncanny Valley
2. Song With No Name
3. Burial Blessing
4. No Matter The Weight
5. Coins For The Eyes
Side B
6. The Sun Also Rises
7. The Wild Hunt
8. Through The Misty With You
9. Year-Long Winter
10. River, Mountain And Love

‘Lost In The Cedar Wood’, Johnny Flynn’s much-anticipated fifth album, is co-written with his friend Robert Macfarlane.

Johnny and Robert began work on the album in the first weeks of the pandemic, wanting to make music that sang of those dangerous, disorienting spring days; when birdsong was brighter –– and the sense of bewilderment more powerful –– than any of us had known before.

They drew inspiration in part from The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest surviving work of world literature; an epic poem from Ancient Mesopotamia that contains the earliest version of the Flood Myth. To Johnny and Robert, Gilgamesh resonated eerily with the present moment –– and it catalysed their song-writing.

For Gilgamesh is a story of friendship, love, loss, grief, bad governance and good dreaming; of natural disaster and environmental crisis. It also contains the first recorded act of human destruction of the natural world: when Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to the Sacred Cedar Wood, slay the guardian spirit of the forest, and cut down the trees with their axes, thereby bringing catastrophe upon themselves.

Johnny and Robert wrote the album between March 2020 and February 2021, during a year in which we all wandered unsure of our path, lost in the cedar wood. The songs were composed in large part as a correspondence, through a back-and-forth of notebook pages, voice-recordings and WhatsApp-messages, at a time when lockdowns made meeting in person impossible. The first eight songs were recorded in an off-grid cottage deep in a Hampshire forest, with the sounds of chainsaws felling trees drifting in through the windows along with the birdsong.

The result is an album at once urgent and ancient, which fuses poetry, landscape, myth and music into something unique. These are songs that ring with hope, love and sadness –– and one need not know anything about The Epic of Gilgamesh to be touched by them.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A beautifully evocative and wonderfully weighted collaboration between two of the most talented voices in folk music today. Both Flynn and Macfarlane are right at home here, crafting warm melodies and richly woven harmonies around a solid instrumental core.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Ten Degrees Of Strange - Johnny Flynn
2. The World To Come - Johnny Flynn
3. Gods And Monsters - Robert Macfarlane
4. Bonedigger - Robert Macfarlane
5. I Can’t Swim There - Robert Macfarlane

Side B
6. Nether - Robert Macfarlane
7. Flood In The Desert - Johnny Flynn
8. Tree Rings - Johnny Flynn
9. Enkidu Walked - Robert Macfarlane
10. Home And Dry - Robert Macfarlane
11. Ferryman - Robert Macfarlane

‘Live At The Roundhouse’ is an electric performance of ten years’ worth of songs; recorded without overdubs, it pays homage to the past whilst pointing propitiously to the group’s future. The album also features a bonus studio cut; the much requested and never released 3-verse rendition of Johnny’s ‘Detectorists’ theme.

Live At The Roundhouse’ is 24 tracks long and pulled from a decade’s worth of music. Fans will hear renditions of songs from Johnny’s “Masterclass” (4/5 The Independent) debut album ‘A Larum’, sophomore ‘Been Listening’, an album “radical in its honesty” (8/10 Drowned in Sound), ‘Country Mile’, “an extremely clever and nuanced record” (Mojo) and his most recent effort, ‘Sillion’, which explored the idea of man’s endeavour to connect with the earth while separated from it; “Another exploratory and remarkably high-caliber LP” (AllMusic 4.5/5). The album also features a bonus studio cut; the much requested and never released 3-verse rendition of Johnny’s ‘Detectorists’ theme. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit are without a doubt one of the most consistently exhilarating live bands around, inspiring an undying devotion among fans and peers who will cherish ‘Live At The Roundhouse’ for its gritty and impassioned renditions of now-classic songs. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: One of the most entrancing talents around, Johnny Flynn mixes brimming psychedelic grooves with shimmering folky acousticry, running through grooves into a cascade of rhythm, and their live show is a perfect encapsulation of this stunning musicianship and unmistakable energy.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Raising The Dead
2. Lost And Found
3. In The Deepest
4. The Night My Piano Upped And Died
5. Barleycorn
6. Howl
7. Murmuration
8. Brown Trout Blues
9. Country Mile
10. Hard Road
11. Wandering Aengus
12. Jefferson's Torch
13. The Landlord
14. Cold Bread

Disc: 2
1. The Wrote And The Writ
2. The Water
3. Tickle Me Pink
4. Introducing The Band
5. The Box
6. Heart Sunk Hank
7. Detectorists
8. Fol-De-Rol
9. Eyeless In Holloway
10. Detectorists (Full Studio Version)

James Ellis Ford has been hidden in plain sight for his entire two-decade-long career. The composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter has worked with some of the biggest names in music, from Arctic Monkeys to Depeche Mode via Foals, Gorillaz and Kylie Minogue and as part of Simian Mobile Disco and The Last Shadow Puppets’ touring band. 

This year he takes centre stage with a bewitching debut solo album, ‘The Hum’. It is as much a homage to the tender and eccentric English pop music of Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt as it is love letter to his wife and son’s Palestinian roots; as much exploration of the pastoral verve of Canterbury prog as it is informed by the dynamics of modern hip-hop production; as much a madcap Radiophonic voyage into the cosmic unknown peppered with Can-like grooves. With ‘The Hum’, James Ellis Ford has finally come out of hiding.

TRACK LISTING

01. Tape Loop #7
02. Pillow Village
03. I Never Wanted Anything
04. Squeaky Wheel
05. The Yips
06. Golden Hour
07. The Hum
08. Caterpillar
09. Emptiness
10. Closing Time

Could it be that the world is finally ready for the tempestuous folk-rock opera that is "All the Leaves are Gone?" In 2004, only the truly informed and forward-thinking heads "got" this mini masterpiece. Critics scratched their heads and usually resorted to comparisons of past artists, like ol Grace Slick and her Great Jefferson Society, Fairport Convention (but which era? SURELY Judy Dyble's early reign?), and at best, Shirley Collins. A few fans attempted to connect the record to even more obscure "freak folk/rock" like Mellow Candle, Fear Itself, or Trees. "All the Leaves are Gone" was made by unique personalities not concerned with influences or copying any bygone era. Surely, some things are in our DNA or even early childhood, as Josephine Foster's roots in opera manifest themselves as much as any other influence in this organic song cycle. Sure, guitarist Brian Goodman may have heard Richard Thompson before, but his alchemical and molten guitar spray is purely his own, in tunings and intervals still not meant for normal humans to understand, mostly because his 2004 guts were poured into every sublime note (I think even Brian himself never even understood how good he was). That fiery emotion is also in every nuance of Foster's songs--like life, there's disquieting, jagged moments of unease, and there's calm both before and after the storm. There are moments of utter gentleness along the journey---because yes, every concept album should be a voyage, and this is one everyone should take. - Steve Krakow

TRACK LISTING

Well-Heeled Men
The Most Loved One
All The Leaves Are Gone
Nana, Deathknell
Silly Song
Jailbird (Hero Of The Sorrow)
Worried And Sorry
Who Will Feel Bitter At The Days End?
John Ave
Seen From The Gray Train
Don't Wait Mary Jane
(You Are Worth) A Million Dollars

A beautifully observed baroque masterpiece, part dream pop, part futuristic psych-folk with ambient synths and Josephine Foster’s plaintive guitar. Godmother is a slowly unfolding song cycle that marries a myriad of previous musical escapades with electronic experiments.

Exploring new horizons on this record, it sees Foster at her most expressive and hypnotic. Now back home in the mountains of Colorado, Josephine’s 20-year journey to this new nirvana becomes enthralled further with a symphony of synths that sound like they are played in some neighbouring netherworld, through cotton gauze. It’s music that’s devotional, spiritual, a fitting soundtrack for any journey within or without, a means to experience places and vibrations beyond the boundary of time and space.

Discussing the record, Josephine explains “You may notice me travelling a bit further sonically from our precious earth, aspiring to rise into broader astral perspective, to contemplate the light and origins of it all, as I do believe there is a grand source that is the sum of it all, us all. Performing all the parts on this recording, you may sense me focussing gestures of my singing into the instrumentation, which is a very great relief indeed, as the voice has such grand dreams to be set free.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Hum Menina
2. Sparks Fly
3. Guardian Angel
4. Old Teardrop
5. Flask Of Wine
6. Gold Entwine
7. Dali Rama
8. Nun Of The Above
9. The Sum Of Us All

Tenth anniversary reissue of Josephine Foster’s lauded ninth album ‘Blood Rushing’. The North American Colorado based singer-songwriter has lent her warbling mezzo-soprano and interpretive wit to nearly two decades of self-produced recordings. Foster’s songs are rooted in early American folk-blues as well as classical art song and Tin Pan Alley. A rock-ballet chanté, the music is set to a Pueblo drum's metapulsing Pan-American heartbeat. Recorded in Colorado by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes) with the collaboration of her partner Spanish guitarist Victor Herrero, and musicians Paz Lenchantin (The Entrance Band), Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw) and Ben Trimble (Fly Golden Eagle). A story within a story, ‘Blood Rushing’ is a glimpse into the world of Blushing, a heteronym of the artist Josephine Foster. “North American folk linage from Jean Ritchie and Hedy West through to the present, via the chugging, churning electronic (folk) rock of The Velvet Underground, all the time infused with a joyous communal warmth.”

TRACK LISTING

A1 Waterfall
A2 Panorama Wide
A3 Sacred Is The Star
A4 Child Of God

B1 Blood Rushing
B2 The Wave Of Love
B3 O Stars
B4 Geyser
B5 Underwater Daughter
B6 Words Come Loose

Brand new album from Colorado’s freewheelin’ melodist Josephine Foster.

Revolving between her adopted Spain and her native American West, Josephine was stationed this spring in Nashville with maverick guitarist and comrade-in-arms Matthew Schneider. The result: ‘No Harm Done’, a spacious and enveloping love letter of an album.

Eight new slow-burning songs branch forth from idiosyncratic country folk blues, sung with sibylline wit and a hint of the absurd, awash in sensually anachronic lyricism.

“The Wheel of Fortune”, nearly a title track by virtue of its refrain: 'No harm will come/if there's no harm done', are words of a homebound wanderer finding refuge in healing stillness with her beloved, having 'time to kill' in the midst of 'hard times to feel at home'. All delivered with calm sagacity upon the pedestal of Mr. Schneider's pedal steel and underscored by a knowing trebled chorus in Foster's lower register. Going nowhere never felt like so righteous of a destination before.

Devotion in all its permutations, spiritual to carnal, are seamlessly explored.

In 'Conjugal Bliss', overtones of the 12-string and autoharp gently interplay, sounding like some unearthed Carter family wedding hymn (it bears the subversive subtitle '69' ) while 'How come, Honeycomb?' bounces low in the hips like a sultry old music hall number à la Harry Nilsson. The obliquely sapphic 'Leonine', it's unquiet harp scaling right out of ancient Lesbos, dreams of a kingless land; in 'Sure Am Devilish', a stargazer humbly confesses to a lowercase lord. 'Old Saw', the mesmeric album closer, is a medium's petition to cross the threshold and merge with the holy spirit.

Josephine's enigmatic voice captured once more by frequent co-producer Andrija Tokic in his analog Bomb Shelter studio, where layers of her guitar, piano, organ entwine with Schneider's 12-string, pedal steel and electric bass to rouse a spectral yet full blooded band. The ensuing cycle of songs pulse and glow within the ruins and deep fundamental roots of American song.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1 Freemason Drag
2 The Wheel Of Fortune
3 Conjugal Bliss
4 Love Letter

Side B
5 Sure Am Devilish
6 Leonine
7 How Come, Honeycomb?
8 Old Saw

‘A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’ (2006) is an unusual album, first because it does things with classical music that aren’t usually done. The songs Josephine Foster sings here are classical pieces, written (the texts are German poems) by some of the greatest German composers of the 19th century, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Hugo Wolf. “Foster has found perhaps the most appropriate vehicle yet for her singular and affecting talents – 19th century German art-songs, wholly reconstructed here via Foster’s skeletal arrangements of voice and guitar” Pitchfork. Remastered and repackaged with new artwork

TRACK LISTING

1. An Die Musik
2. Der König In Thule
3. Verschwiehene Liebe
4. Die Schwestern
5. Wehmut
6. Auf Einer Burg
7. Nähe Des Geliebten

For her austere new solo album, Domestic Sphere, Josephine Foster performs solely with her electric guitar and then subverts the usual range of her voice to embody other frequencies and sounds beyond the surface layer of the songs. She communes so completely with every sound on the record, with the past and the future, animals and insects and birds, those so tenderly dead, and those of us who are alive. Listening to the record is a transcendent experience. It's an exorcism, one that exorcises you.

Domestic Sphere, produced by Foster and collaborator Daniel Blumberg, is an altar cloth of songs stitched together as liturgical music for a restless homestead, whose values insist simply that everything is music and that our daily life is a sacred, innately creative practice. In such a world creaking door reveal natural orchestras with wailing cats in service of melodic collaborations with Tennessee songbirds, Foster's world is an extra-sensory radio play in two acts, where songs overlay structures like creeping vines.

A seance by song, Josephine channels sounds from her interior and exterior landscapes, whether integrating field recordings reflecting daily life in a Spanish village and other moments in her life as a nomadic musician, or, as in one tender cameo, the voice of her great-grandmother comes from the other side. These songs are vigils, melodies sung intently, to be set aflame and sung off with the wind.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Entrance
A2 Pendulum
A3 Dawn Of Time
A4 Burnt Offering
A5 Entr'acte
B1 Gentlemen & Ladies
B2 Shrine Excerpt
B3 Birthday Song For The Dead
B4 Reminiscence
B5 Haunted House
B6 Sanctuary

Popping up unassumingly in the second season of the popular series ‘End Of The F**cking World’ on Netflix and Amazon. This new release is sided with exclusive B-side ‘All Glow Now’. Taken from her 2013 album of the same name, ‘I’m A Dreamer’ beckons with a gentle hand, each note clear and crisp. ”Another stellar effort” (NME) the album “collects together a set of early country-esque songs” (The Quietus) and is produced by Andrija Tokic. The song sits comfortably at home in salon or saloon with its delicately arranged piano, woozy harmonica and soul-searching lyrics. “A masterclass in songwriting that perfectly invokes old Americana” Time Out // The North American Colorado based singersongwriter breathes new life into archaic forms, embodying the cultural archelogy of Harry Smith’s old weird America. She has lent her warbling mezzo-soprano and interpretive wit to nearly two decades of self-produced recordings. Her songs are rooted in American folkblues as well as classical art song and Tin Pan Alley. (E. Gades)

Josephine Foster's peculiar 2000 home recorded debut There Are Eyes Above is an essential introduction to her music that’s unfolded now for over two decades. Released for the first time on vinyl, this limited edition 10-inch pressing comes packaged with brand new artwork and is adorned by one of Josephine’s illustrations.

Lo-fi and unaffected by tradition or commercialism these initial recordings are sepia-tinted, folk-art music with powered by uke minimalism; it’s outsider music that still doesn't fit in.

Just 30-minutes caught in time before her 2001 follow up Little Life - this humble first incarnation includes here for posterity super personal lullabies and a glimpse into her songwriting evolution. It’s music from an era that only exists in your mind, with a bow to Tin Pan Alley for good measure.

This super rare collection, originally only released on CDR and sold at shows, remains an essential part of the curious oeuvre of this unique songwriter and singer.

“A dissonant soprano and lyrics about benevolence and old-time faith, Foster expertly weaves ancient and modern” The Guardian.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
One Hundred Songs I Sing
Emily Told Me
Teeter Totter
Little Life
I Am A Guest In Here
Side B
Robber Song
Hey Matthew
There Are Eyes Above
Godcake
Yippee I'm Leaving
Two Not One

Bringing together both of Josephine Foster and the Victor Herrero Band’s Spanish albums in one place, with a previously unreleased track. Anda Jaleo was originally released in 2010. Federico Garcia Lorca's popular folk song collection "Las Canciones Populares Espanolas" was banned under Franco's dictatorship and today the music survives but marginally within the Spanish sub-conscious.

Taking their cue from Lorca and La Argentinita's infectious 1931 recording of the songs, Josephine Foster and her partner Spanish musician Victor Herrero arranged the poetically rich collection for their acoustic band, formed while living in the Grenadine Sierra. Anda Jaleo is the band's live recording of "Las Canciones"; a visceral celebration of the persistence of popular anonymous song.

This new edition includes an additional track not featured on the original release, an interpretation of ‘Sones de Asturias’. La colección de "Canciones Populares Españolas" recopiladas y armonizadas por Federico García Lorca fue censurada en tiempos de Franco, y hoy en día la música sobrevive aunque de una manera vaga en el subconsciente del pueblo español. Inspirados por la contagiosa grabación de las canciones de Lorca y La Argentinita de 1931, Josephine Foster y su compañero el músico español Víctor Herrero han arreglado esta poética y rica colección para su banda acústica , formada mientras vivían en la sierra de Granada. Anda Jaleo es la grabación en directo de su versión de "Las Canciones"; una celebración visceral de la canción popular anónima y su persistencia. Following from Anda Jaleo, Josephine Foster and the Victor Herrero Band created a superb follow-up entitled Perlas (Pearls). It is a jewel of a collection, with songs and poems selected by Josephine herself, gathered from dusty old scores and brought vividly to the present with warm performances full of flesh-and-blood emotion. Made with a variety of stringed instruments and simple percussion, the songs were recorded live in the studio on to analogue tape by Paco Loco in Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain. Foster breathes new life into timeless traditional melodies, drawing from the Spanish-folk traditions of Castile, the Basque, Santander and the Costa Brava.

TRACK LISTING

Anda Jaleo:
1. Los Cuatro Muleros
2. Los Pelegrinitos
3. Las Morillas De Jaen
4. Anda Jaleo
5. Las Tres Hojas
6. Los Mozos De Monleón
7. Sevillanas Del Siglo XVIII
8. Los Reyes De La Baraja
9. El Cafe De Chinitas
10. Zorongo
11. Nana De Sevilla
12. Sones De Asturia……

Perlas :
1. Puerto De Santa Maria
2. Sangre Colorada
3. Cuando Vienes Del Monto
4. Cuatro Pinos
5. Peregrino
6. Dame Esa Flor
7. En Esta Larga Ausencia
8. Abenámar
9. Perlas
10. Brillante Estrella

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

In celebration of the forthcoming film and soundtrack album, for the first time ever - 2 of the most iconic Northern Soul tracks ever recorded on one disc!

TRACK LISTING

James Fountain - Seven Day Lover
The Montclairs - Hung Up On Your Love

Jethro Fox is a Biblically named singer from a family of Atheists, and his celestial music is set to light up 2012. Brought up in Colchester, Essex and sharing a proud 6th Form College music teacher with Damon Albarn, Jethro moved to Liverpool to study and has since become a central character in a once again thriving music community. A multi-instrumentalist, he has played in most of the new bands in the area’s resurgent scene, which is centered on the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.

Now playing under his own name, Jethro’s own music is urgent and life affirming in a manner that belies the rainy gray of Liverpool. Characterized by his already-distinctive golden harmonies, and the echo of school halls and cavernous churches, his music suggests a deep affinity with the classic symphonic pop of The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison and Grizzly Bear.

A few months ago, Jethro posted his first track online, ‘Before’. Received to great acclaim (“One of the most exciting musicians on the planet”, John Kennedy, XFM”), Jethro was subsequently invited to record a Steve Lamacq Maida Vale Session for 6 Music: an almost unprecedented opportunity for an artist yet to release a record.

That’s all set to change with the release of his debut single, ‘Blinding Light’, through Tough Love Records (Weird Dreams, Girls Names). Backed by ‘Lonely Sound’, it’s the perfect introduction into Jethro’s immaculately conceived world. "A staggering set of vocal chords...there’s not a great deal of ground that it fails to cover." This is Fake DIY. “Hotter than the surface of the sun…One of the most exciting musicians on the planet.” John Kennedy, XFM.

John Foxx And The Maths return with a new line-up on their 5th studio album, Howl. Former Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon joins Foxx, Benge (Ben Edwards) and Hannah Peel after previously guesting with The Maths at their debut Roundhouse show in 2010. ‘For years, I'd wanted to work with Robin Simon again,’ says Foxx. ‘There’s something central about what he does - and I always miss it, no matter who I work with. It’s what Rob can do with a song, and with the sheer power of sound.’

Work on the album began back in April 2019 at Benge’s Memetune studios in Cornwall with Rob Simon involved right from the start, his contributions instantly mutating the original ideas into something new. ‘Give him a song and he’ll give you three takes - all utterly different incarnations,’ enthuses Foxx who first worked with Simon on Ultravox’s Systems Of Romance album in 1978. ‘And it will all be much better. Demolition intercision is what he does and when you get used to the violence he can wreak, it’s a true delight.’

Foxx and Benge originally got together back in 2010, playing a headline show at the Roundhouse in London as the first ever John Foxx And The Maths show before they’d even finished their debut album, Interplay, which came out a few months later in 2011. Forward-looking, intuitive and risk taking from the start (Critic Mark Fisher summed them up as ‘a glimpse into another world in which rock ’n’ roll was invented on Moogs’) their passion for the strange sounds and atmospheres they seduce and rip from the machines in Benge’s studio has inspired a series of fiercely personal electronic records - the Shape Of Things (2012), Evidence (2013) and The Machine (2017), an eerie instrumental score for the theatre production of E.M. Forster’s The Machine Stops. Along the way they’ve collaborated with The Soft Moon, Gazelle Twin, ADULT., Xeno & Oaklander, Gary Numan, Matthew Dear and many more, but at the core of everything is Foxx and the Cornish-based artist/producer. ‘Benge is this generation’s Conny Plank’, grins Foxx. ‘Original thinker, open mind, eager conspirator in insanity and the desire to push everything beyond its limits and record it all perfectly - but holding no daft prejudices. In other words, the kind of captain you always want at the helm of the Enterprise.’

Hannah Peel joined the line-up on the Interplay tour in 2011 and has played every show since, while also adding violin to Evidence and of course, Howl. ‘Hannah did a few star turns on the album,’ says Foxx, referring to the vicious noises that she conjured up as textures on a few songs. However on the electro-psychedelic ‘Everything Is Happening At The Same Time’, the complex interplay of the ‘The Dance’ and the romantic longing of ‘Strange Beauty’, Foxx describes her string-led contributions as ‘luscious, expansive and eloquent.’

The Maths have created an album of dark, writhing glamour. Opener ‘My Ghost’ sounds like haunted static in a cold wind, the title track is a twisted glam-punk celebration of ‘the outsider’ who leaves the fringes to make himself visible, while Foxx switches to a sinister Ferry-esque croon on ‘Tarzan And Jane Regained’.‘New York Times’ is a report back from the city of the 1970s, with Foxx’s vocals gently coaxing out the vulnerability of its street characters and Factory stars, while ‘Last Time I Saw You’ revels in an ice-cool narrative illuminated by neon-lit transformations and flickering revelations - this song is built for streets and strobes. The album ends with ‘Strange Beauty’, where Foxx sounds like an echo from the 1950s - a voice that is still searching across all these years for something just out of reach.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There's a whole world of influence here being semlessly integrated into one cohesive whole. Elements of post-punk and synthpop mix with the headier aspects of industrial (distorted basses, jagged melodies a-la NIN), and more percussive, beat-led DFA style rhythms. A collection that is, amazingly, more than the sum of its parts.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Ghost
2. Howl
3. Everything Is Happening At The Same Time
4. Tarzan And Jane Regained
5. The Dance
6. New York Times
7. Last Time I Saw You
8. Strange Beauty

Spoken word album. Features John Foxx reading from his book, The Quiet Man, which was originally published in 2020. The stunning artwork by Barnbrook, includes a vinyl insert with images by Foxx. 

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl
1. The Marvellous Notebook
2. Remember
3. The Quiet Man
*bonus Track On Download Coupon, Under London

CD
1. The Marvellous Notebook
2. Remember
3. Under London
4. The Quiet Man 

Metamatic Records’ first major compilation of John Foxx material is the first part of a double release spanning 35 years as a solo artist. John Foxx – 20th Century: The Noise covers the years from his debut single ‘Underpass’ in January 1980 to the rest of the last century, up to his ‘comeback’ albums with Louis Gordon, Shifting City and The Omnedelic Exotour in 1997 and 1998.

There’s also a precious Cathedral Oceans gem, ‘Splendour’ which has only ever been available on a rare album by various artists entitled Orphée and 20th Century also includes an unreleased instrumental track from the vaults, ‘Musique Electron’ – a melodic idea Foxx has had ‘for decades’. The Metamatic material is taken from the new 2014 master which is based on a set of 1979 analogue tapes recently discovered in John’s archive.

20th Century also includes a Foxx/Gordon version of ‘Hiroshima Mon Amour’, a track that featured on Ultravox’s second album, Ha! Ha! Ha! A follow-up album, 21st Century: A Man, A Woman And A City is scheduled for early 2016.

TRACK LISTING

1. 20th Century (B-side To Burning Car)
2. Underpass (Taken From Metamatic)
3. No-One Driving (Single Version)
4. Burning Car (Single)
5. He's A Liquid (Alternative Version)
6. A Long Time (B-side To Miles Away)
7. Miles Away (Single)
8. Europe After The Rain (Taken From The Garden)
9. This Jungle (B-side To Europe After The Rain)
10. Dancing Like A Gun (Taken From The Garden)
11. Endlessly (Single Version)
12. The Hidden Man (Taken From The Golden Section)
13. The Noise - Foxx/Gordon (Taken From Shifting City)
14. Through My Sleeping - Foxx/Gordon (Taken From Shifting City)
15. Hiroshima Mon Amour – Foxx/Gordon (Taken From Omnidelic Exotour)
16. Musique Electron (previously Unreleased)
17. Splendour (previously Only Available On A Compilation, Orphée)

Jack Francis’s second studio album, ‘Early Retirement’, navigates modern society and fallen dreams. Jack is an old soul in a new world. He seamlessly blurs the lines between folk, soul, rock and country, and is set apart by his distinctive vocal and memorable melodies.

Fans of Flyte, Nathaniel Rateliff and Courtney Marie Andrews will fall in love with him.

“A mix of raw soul, honest country heart and undeniable British resolve” - Holler Country

“This whole album should be declared an area of outstanding natural beauty” - Louder Than War

TRACK LISTING

Promised Land
Tired Of Trying
Mercy
A Bit Of Your Time
Lifeline
21st Century Man
Failure
Forever Alone
Under The Bright Lights
Merry-Go-Round
Curtain Call

JW Francis burst onto the scene with his critically acclaimed debut ‘We Share a Similar Joy’, with features from DIY and Line of Best Fit to being named Album of The Day on BBC 6 Music. His warm, affable melodies and comforting lyrics earned him fans on both sides of the Atlantic, and now he returns with his sophomore album Wanderkid, a concept album about a wandering anti-hero.

Wanderkid hones in on JW’s dreamy soundscapes and explores themes of escapism, whilst still maintaining that sense of comfort and intimacy so beautifully demonstrated in his debut. To celebrate the release, JW is going on a 2,000 mile walking journey across the Eastern United States along the Appalachian Trail.

With Wanderkid, JW Francis is further cementing his place as a future stalwart in the alternative New York scene.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. John, Take Me With You
2. I Love You
3. Maybe
4. Make Another Record
5. Only With You
6. Holy Mountain

SIDE B
1. WANDERKID
2. Don't Fall Apart
3. Fake It Till You Make It
4. I'm Probably A Ghost
5. Cars

New York’s very own JW Francis announces his brand new album ‘Dream House’ – his third with London based label Sunday Best Recordings. Coinciding with the announcement is the gloriously up-beat new single ‘Casino,’ which offers a glimpse into what to expect on his forthcoming feel-good LP. When JW isn’t writing songs about his own life or surreal imagery, he writes about other people – most notably around the month of February when he writes valentines songs on his fans’ behalf. ‘Dream House’ encapsulates all of this and forms a collection of glorious tracks written for other people: “Every year, about 6 weeks before Valentine’s Day, I make the following post on social media: “If you send me the name of your Valentine, and the reason you love them, I’ll write a song for them on your behalf.” That is how Dream House was born, 3 years ago. Over the past three years, I have received over 300 requests from fans to write songs for their loved ones. All of the songs on Dream House come from this project, some of them have been reworked to speak more to the artist’s life, others have remained exactly as they were first written.

Ultimately, this is an album about caring for others, and the way we express it.” Written and recorded at the start of 2021 in NYC, ‘Dream House’ is slightly reminiscent of The Strokes and even has hints of Lou Reed, however the project is still quintessential JW Francis with its blissful melodies and dreamy instrumentation; perfectly fitting given the album’s title.

TRACK LISTING

1. Going Home To A Party
2. Casino
3. Dream House
4. Our Story
5. Swooning
6. Keep It Cool, Steve
7. All Night Long
8. Dream Big
9. I Wanna Be Your Basketball
10. Take Me Away
11. You're Changing
12. Sweet As A Rose

Includes the single "Blues Run the Game" plus B side and the sessions "My Kind Of Folk" Nov 13, 1968, "The Shotwell Sessions," recorded June 5, 1972, at Shotwell Music Recording, Woodstock, NY. "The Rude Sessions," recorded May 9, 1974, at Rude Sound Studios, Woodstock, NY.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Blues Run The Game
2. Can't Get Away From My Love
3. Juliette
4. China Blue
5. Madonna Of Swans
6. Box Canyon
7. Cover Me With Roses

Side 2
1. Spanish Moss
2. Stitch In Time
3. Blues Run The Game
4. Dialogue (I Want To Be Alone)
5. Golden Mirror
6. Just Like Anything
7. My Name Is Carnival

Following the success of their first single ‘Helen Is A Reptile’, three-piece power trio Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something release their debut album ‘ Oh Really, What’s That Then? As debut album titles go, Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something ’s ‘Oh Really, What’s That Then?’ invites you to ask just that question. An introspective journey through psychedelic glam-rock nightmares, woozy flows of self-discovery and beguiling lyrics delivered with subtlety and intensity. Jemma is your guide in this strange country, illuminating a path for you. In reality, they’re as lost as the listener. In this hinterland, thoughts tumble on top of each other and the shadows cast by their images overwhelm. Hear a track in isolation and you might expose roots of its origins - from the exuberant T. Rex -Esque strings of ‘Black Rain’, to the snarling Hole like guitars of ‘Tasteless’ - but the archaeology of their sound is not so easily uncovered.

‘Oh Really, What’s That Then?’ paints a turbulent history and a doomed future. When an album opens with a distant primal scream, you know it's not going to be an easy ride. As the album’s last-gasp, ‘Tasteless’, slowly dissipates from cacophony to complete stillness - like the universe ending, all energy exhausted - you’ll feel the same. The journey is intense. Not that it’s all a trudging grind, there are moments of pure exhilarating pop joy along the way. Songs like ‘Keytar (I Was Busy)’ hiding the darkest lyrical themes in the brightest of melodies (just like all the best pop music does). Jemma says of the record: “I was trying to photograph the space between emotions and actions, feeling like an outsider, some of the songs are indirectly meant to demonstrate solidarity with others that identify with that.”

Recorded over a year at South London’s Marketstall Recording studio (owned and run by band bass player Mark Estall), the album is the sound of a band growing out of one person’s imagination into something more. Initially, every part was written and performed by Jemma, but over time the sessions became collaborative. Hamilton Lee was brought in to play the drums and having worked together in several other bands with Jemma, they had pre-existing musical telepathy. Jemma and Mark became finely attuned to each others’ production ideas and the relationship between the three became symbiotic, intrinsic to the sound of the record. The Cosmic Something as a band was born in these early studio sessions, and their debut album “Oh Really, What’s That Then?” is this sonic psychedelic baby’s first steps.

TRACK LISTING

1. Helen Is A Reptile
2. Keytar (I Was Busy)
3. Hard Times
4. Black Rain
5. What’s On Your Mind?
6. Vines
7. Kopenhagen
8. Heaven On A Plate
9. Count To Ten
10. Distant Places
11. Tasteless

Outsider, alt, psych, power trio Jemma Freeman and The Cosmic Something are the aural equivalent of a distorted photograph capturing the hinterland found between emotions and actions. Emerging like joyous sci-fi warriors, the songs either overtly or indirectly demonstrate solidarity with anyone that’s ever identified feeling off kilter with the rest of the universe and needed an equally wonky soundtrack to back it. An introspective journey through psychedelic glam-rock nightmares, woozy flows of self discovery and beguiling lyrics delivered with subtlety and intensity. Jem, Samuel Nicholson (bass) and Jason Ribeiro (drums) are your astral guides in this strange country, illuminating a path, in reality they’re as lost as the listener. In this limbo, thoughts tumble on top of each other through twisted rhythmic guitar, bass and drum lines that interchange and play with each other in a frenzied cosmic dance.

TRACK LISTING

Big Bread
Easy Peeler
Nobody Ever
Huge
Lump
Maersky
Bugles
I Thought Too Much
Sicilian Mousse
Take Me