Memories of Earth is D Rothon’s second LP for Clay Pipe Music. In the years since 2018’s critically acclaimed Nightscapes, aside from working on this follow-up, he has played pedal steel on albums by Lost Horizons (on the John Grant-fronted track Cordelia), Liela Moss and Johanna Warren. He has also contributed to two recent compilations by the Second Language label – a kindred spirit to Clay Pipe.

The catalyst for Memories of Earth was the 2019 Moving to Mars exhibition at London’s Design Museum - which created a simulation of a future Martian settlement. For Rothon this triggered recollections of a childhood fascination with space – fuelled by the moon landings, visits to the London Planetarium and being taken aged six to see Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. “I recall it as a time when a science fiction-style future seemed just around the corner,” he says. He cites as another influential experience the landmark Cybernetics Serendipity show at the ICA, which featured collaborations between artists and scientists: machines were shown alongside artwork in a spirit of postwar optimism for the positive power of new technologies. “I actually remember very little about it other than it was very noisy and somewhat scary!”

Memories of Earth reflects a spectrum of emotional responses to the idea of space travel – from the optimism and wonder of those childhood dreams to the sense of disconnection, isolation and loss we might feel on a one-way trip to Mars... or beyond. The final, bittersweet track brings us back down to earth with a sense that perhaps it’s caring for our own planet that should be our priority.
Musically Memories of Earth draws on a varied palette of influences including early prog, electronica and European film soundtracks. This diversity of styles flows together to form an album that’s coherent but full of surprises. It also benefits from vocal contributions by acclaimed US musician Johanna Warren and actress/chanteuse Claudia Barton, who wrote and performs the words for the title track – a paean to Earth’s “soft, green bacterial surface”; its “deep, wet, blue mysteries”...

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I bloody love Clay Pipe, and this new D Rothon release is a prime example of why. Brimming with the sort of soft focus haze I love in my instrumental music, 'Memories Of Earth' is a beautifully rich journey, part jazz part ambient and entirely brilliant. As ever, it's a buy-on-sight from me.

TRACK LISTING

1. Apeman, Spaceman
2.Cybernetics Serendipity
3. Eight Million Miles High
4. Aquarius Rising
5. West Of The Moon
6.The Stars Below Us.
7. The Ghosts We Bring
8.The Spaces Between
9. Further From Home
10. Memories Of Earth

The third release in Fu Manchu’s 30th Anniversary vinyl reissue series, Return To Earth 91-93 Deluxe Edition, is the first ever update to this legendary compilation of the band’s earliest singles. These songs are the only ones recorded with the band’s original lead guitarist, Scott Votaw, as well as the only ones recorded as a three piece of the original core line-up of Scott Hill (vocals/guitar), Mark Abshire (bass) and Ruben Romano (drums). Return To Earth 91-93 Deluxe Edition features the 9 songs from the original release including the first version of fan favorite, “Ojo Rojo,” plus 2 newly discovered tracks that have never been heard before: “Ford-Natic” and an early version of “Shine It On,” which was later re-recorded for their debut album. All songs were remixed by Scott Hill along with the band’s current producing partner, Jim Monroe (Adolescents, Channel 3, Ignite) and remastered by Carl Saff for optimum fidelity. This limited edition 2,000 unit LP run is pressed on neon purple vinyl and the newly designed gatefold package includes never before seen photos of the band and flyers from their early shows. The limited edition 1,000 unit CD run also features the updated art and a digital specific remaster

TRACK LISTING

1.“Don’t Bother Knockin’ (If This Van’s Rockin’)”
2.“Ford-Natic”
3.“El Don”
4.“Pick-Up Summer”
5.“Ojo Rojo”
6.“Pinbuster”
7.“Senioritis”
8.“Shine It On”
9.“Simco”
10.“Space Sucker”
11.“Vankhana (Rollin’ Rooms)”

Recorded at the EELS’ Los Feliz, California studio, ‘Earth to Dora’ was produced by band leader Mark Oliver Everett a.k.a. E, and performed by E, Koool G Murder, The Chet and P-Boo.

Speaking about the new record, E says: “These songs came about just before the pandemic hit and changed everything. I’m hoping they can be, maybe kind of soothing or something. To hear songs dealing with things we are dreaming about getting back to. Or maybe people are dealing with some of the topics right now as well. Just one song was done in the thick of the early pandemic days, ‘Are We Alright Again’, which is kind of a quarantine daydream I desperately needed to have.”

‘Earth to Dora’ marks the 13th full length EELS album, and first since 2018’s ‘The Deconstruction’, their first in four years, the album was released to widespread acclaim and described as “another EELS album to treasure” by MOJO, “overwhelming” by Uncut, and “a career-straddling greatest hits collection, in which all the ‘hits’ are brand new,” by CLASH.

EELS have had one of the most consistently acclaimed careers in music. The ever-changing project of principal singer/songwriter E (Mark Oliver Everett), EELS have released 12 studio albums since their 1996 debut, Beautiful Freak. In 2008, E published his highly-acclaimed book Things the Grandchildren Should Know and starred in the award-winning Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives documentary about the search to understand his quantum physicist father, Hugh Everett III.

2015 saw the release of the band’s extraordinary Royal Albert Hall live album and concert film. In the same year, the band’s “Fresh Blood” served as the theme song to HBO’s “The Jinx” and from 2016 to 2018 E appeared in Judd Apatow’s Netflix original series “Love.” EELS released their 12th studio album, and first in four years, ‘The Deconstruction’ in April 2018 and toured America and Europe in 2018 and 2019. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: 13 ALBUMS!! There's something to be said for a band that manage to keep bringing the goods year after year, and Eels are one of the best examples. 'Earth To Dora' has all of the melodicism and hidden melancholy that we expect from the LA stalwarts.

TRACK LISTING

1. Anything For Boo
2. Are We Alright Again
3. Who You Say You Are
4. Earth To Dora
5. Dark And Dramatic
6. Are You Fucking Your Ex
7. The Gentle Souls
8. Of Unsent Letters
9. I Got Hurt
10. OK
11. Baby Let's Make It Real
12. Waking Up

One of Bert Jansch’s later recordings, ‘Crimson Moon’ is some of his finest work and sees the musician at the top of his game, with appearances from Johnny Marr, Bernard Butler and many more. Earth Recordings revisits the album on its 20th Anniversary with its first standalone cut to vinyl. Originally released in 2000, there is a brooding resonance in ‘Crimson Moon’ centred around his accomplished guitar style that brings his contemplative songwriting to the fore. Traditional ballads have touches of jazz and blues adorned by contributions from guitarists Johnny Marr, Bernard Butler and Johnny “Guitar” Hodge along with guest vocals from Bert’s wife Loren Auerbach (‘My Donald’).

The addition of electric guitar subtly compliments Bert’s percussive fingerpicking bringing new depth to his compositions. Title track ‘Crimson Moon’ is a take on traditional song ‘Omie Wise’ and was written about his wife Loren, ‘Caledonia’ conjures pastoral images of Scotland alongside covers of The Incredible String Band’s ‘October Song’, Guy Mitchell’s ‘Singing The Blues’ and Owen Hand’s ‘My Donald’. Otherworldly tale ‘Neptune’s Daughter’ sees a mermaid-like creature recount the death of her relatives from a poison in the sea. Passionate about nature, the song carries an underlying ecological message. Released in his 60s, ‘Crimson Moon’ proves Bert Jansch to still be an innovator and a unique talent

TRACK LISTING

A1 Caledonia
A2 Going Home
A3 Crimson Moon
A4 Downunder
A5 October Song
A6 Looking For Love

B1 Fool's Mate
B2 The River Bank
B3 Omie Wise
B4 My Donald
B5 Neptune's Daughter
B6 Singing The Blues

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

Yellow Vinyl.After the incredible success of the film Easy Rider, Dennis Hopper was given complete freedom to direct and star in the bizarre, surrealist The Last Movie ñ released in 1971.Filmed in a drug fuelled haze in Peru with Hopper, Peter Fonda, Kris Kristofferson, Dean Stockwell, Michelle Phillips, Russ Tamblyn, and Samuel Fuller ñ there has never been a soundtrack to this film until now! Featuring the first ever performances of Kristofferson's legendary "Me and Bobby McGee" plus sublime country-folk songs from John Buck Wilkin, Peruvian folk & dance music ñ all recorded live on set in Peru ñ nothing was overdubbed! Plus, provocative movie dialogue from Dennis Hopper, Sam Fuller and others ñ coupled with the ambient sounds of the mountains and villages of South America ñ reissue producer Pat Thomas and Hopper Estate archivist Jessica Hundley have assembled a groovy listening experience that will melt minds.Packaging includes rare vintage photos, detailed liner notes, et al.The Last Movie recordings are being released for the first time ever in any audio format ñ taken from the original movie reels!

Philadelphia based noise punks, Empath, featuring members of Perfect Pussy and Waxahatchee, write songs like communing with nature, bringing all their fuzzed and tripped out idiosyncrasies into harmony.

Empath began in 2016 when Garrett Koloski, Emily "Jem" Shanahan, and Catherine Elicson moved into a house in West Philadelphia together, with Randall Coon joining shortly after. Even with the simple vision to shred, there’s a natural sensitivity in the way Empath communicates. Between the contrast of Elicson’s lush, almost delicate vocals, Koloski’s boisterous drumming, and the half-harmonious wash of guitar and Shanahan and Coon’s synths, Empath equips us with a healthy dose of emotional repose. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Mixing all the best bits of shimmering synth-pop, clashing garage rock and grooving riot grrrl drive, Empath effortlessly smash out a confident and accomplished debut, brilliantly accomplished but never too serious to smile.

TRACK LISTING

1. Soft Shape
2. Pure Intent
3. Hanging Out Of Cars
4. Roses That Cry
5. Rowing
6. Heaven
7. IV
8. Decor
9. Rodeo Fever

In the mid-1970s, a force of nature swept across the continental United States, cutting across all strata of race and class, rooting in our minds, our homes, our culture. It wasn’t The Exorcist, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, or even bell-bottoms, but instead a book called The Secret Life of Plants. The work of occultist/former OSS agent Peter Tompkins and former CIA agent/dowsing enthusiast Christopher Bird, the books shot up the bestseller charts and spread like kudzu across the landscape, becoming a phenomenon. Seemingly overnight, the indoor plant business was in full bloom and photosynthetic eukaryotes of every genus were hanging off walls, lording over bookshelves, and basking on sunny window ledges. The science behind Secret Life was specious: plants can hear our prayers, they’re lie detectors, they’re telepathic, able to predict natural disasters and receive signals from distant galaxies. But that didn’t stop millions from buying and nurturing their new plants.

Perhaps the craziest claim of the book was that plants also dug music. And whether you purchased a snake plant, asparagus fern, peace lily, or what have you from Mother Earth on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles (or bought a Simmons mattress from Sears), you also took home Plantasia, an album recorded especially for them. Subtitled “warm earth music for plants…and the people that love them,” it was full of bucolic, charming, stoner-friendly, decidedly unscientific tunes enacted on the new-fangled device called the Moog. Plants date back from the dawn of time, but apparently they loved the Moog, never mind that the synthesizer had been on the market for just a few years. Most of all, the plants loved the ditties made by composer Mort Garson.

Few characters in early electronic music can be both fearless pioneers and cheesy trend-chasers, but Garson embraced both extremes, and has been unheralded as a result. When one writer rhetorically asked: “How was Garson’s music so ubiquitous while the man remained so under the radar?” the answer was simple. Well before Brian Eno did it, Garson was making discreet music, both the man and his music as inconspicuous as a Chlorophytum comosum. Julliard-educated and active as a session player in the post-war era, Garson wrote lounge hits, scored plush arrangements for Doris Day, and garlanded weeping countrypolitan strings around Glen Campbell’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” He could render the Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel alike into easy listening and also dreamed up his own ditties. “An idear” as Garson himself would drawl it out. “I live with it, I walk it, I sing it.”

But as his daughter Day Darmet recalls: “When my dad found the synthesizer, he realized he didn’t want to do pop music anymore.” Garson encountered Robert Moog and his new device at the Audio Engineering Society’s West Coast convention in 1967 and immediately began tinkering with the device. With the Moog, those idears could be transformed. “He constantly had a song he was humming,” Darmet says. “At the table he was constantly tapping.” Which is to say that Mort pulled his melodies out of thin air, just like any household plant would.

The Plantae kingdom grew to its height by 1976, from DC Comics’ mossy superhero Swamp Thing to Stevie Wonder’s own herbal meditation, Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants. Nefarious manifestations of human-plant interaction also abounded, be it the grotesque pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers or the pothead paranoia of the US Government spraying Mexican marijuana fields with the herbicide paraquat (which led to the rise in homegrown pot by the 1980s). And then there’s the warm, leafy embrace of Plantasia itself.

“My mom had a lot of plants,” Darmet says. “She didn’t believe in organized religion, she believed the earth was the best thing in the whole world. Whatever created us was incredible.” And she also knew when her husband had a good song, shouting from another room when she heard him humming a good idear. Novel as it might seem, Plantasia is simply full of good tunes.

Garson may have given the album away to new plant and bed owners, but a decade later a new generation could hear his music in another surreptitious way. Millions of kids bought The Legend of Zelda for their Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1986 and one distinct 8-bit tune bears more than a passing resemblance to album highlight “Concerto for Philodendron and Pothos.” Garson was never properly credited for it, but he nevertheless subliminally slipped into a new generations’ head, helping kids and plants alike grow.

Hearing Plantasia in the 21st century, it seems less an ode to our photosynthesizing friends by Garson and more an homage to his wife, the one with the green thumb that made everything flower around him. “My dad would be totally pleased to know that people are really interested in this music that had no popularity at the time,” Darmet says of Plantasia’s new renaissance. “He would be fascinated by the fact that people are finally understanding and appreciating this part of his musical career that he got no admiration for back then.” Garson seems to be everywhere again, even if he’s not really noticed, just like a houseplant.

TRACK LISTING

(A)
1. Plantasia
2. Symphony For A Spider Plant
3. Baby’s Tears Blues
4. Ode To An African Violet
5. Concerto For Philodendron And Pothos

(B)
1. Rhapsody In Green
2. Swingin' Spathiphyllums
3. You Don't Have To Walk A Begonia
4. A Mellow Mood For Maidenhair 

"Earthly Delights" is a forgotten 1978 free-jazz masterpiece by bass player, composer and improviser David Wertman, alongside his Sun Ensemble. Born in 1952 and raised in Queens NY, Wertman’s distinctive upright playing style was entirely self-taught. He cut his teeth in the notorious New York Jazz lofts, jamming for hours and hours with the likes of Billy Bang, Arthur Blythe, Marion Brown, Steve Reid, Dave Pike, William Parker, Brandon Ross and Charles Tyler to name but a few.

"Earthly Delights" is the first recording by the Sun Ensemble band and features the original line-up of Greg Wall (Baritone Saxophone), Jay Conway (Drums), John Sprague Jr. (Flute and Percussion), David Swerdlove (Soprano/Alto Saxophone), and John Zieman (Synthesizer). John Sprague Jr. financed and produced the album, releasing it on his own label Sweet Earth Records, a short-lived but bountiful imprint, perhaps best known for issuing Sun Ra And His Arkestra’s 1979 album “The Other Side Of The Sun”. "Earthly Delights" is perhaps best described as loosely composed, or highly improvised, depending on where you stand on such subjective matters. Containing just 4 compositions, "Earthly Delights" explores man’s relationship with nature; at times subtle and delicate, at times wide and sweeping in its gestures. The record’s spiritual message is conveyed by heartfelt, virtuoso performances from all six players, drifting together seamlessly from one sonic wave to the next.

A highly sought-after spiritual jazz album from 1976. Passing away in 2013, David Wertman was a hugely respected upright bass player who worked closely with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Billy Bang & Arthur Blythe throughout his long career. Original artwork, plus brand new liner notes written by Will Sumsuch (5 Mag) with original photographs and poetry supplied by his widow Lynne Meryl.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Relations
2. Earthly Delights

Disc: 2
1. Oh John Love Trane
2. Clear Air Dancer

Commemorating thirty trips around the sun as one of metal’s most monolithic bands, Earth release their ninth studio album, Full Upon Her Burning Lips. A purge of the embellishment and panache from previous releases, Full Upon Her Burning Lips intimates Earth’s commitment to the minimalism of their primordial days.

Deconstructing the tried-and-true dynamic consisting of Dylan Carlson on guitar and bass and Adrienne Davies on drums and percussion, Full Upon Her Burning Lips taps into the Platonic ideal of Earth—an incarnation of the long running band bolstered by the authority of purpose, where every note and every strike on the drum kit carries the weight of the world. In addition to scaling back the flourishes of their hulking, drone-driven opuses, Full Upon Her Burning Lips was composed sans narrative, relying instead on their collective subconscious to hone in on the overarching muse as the songs developed.

The record was engineered, mixed, and mastered by long time associate Mell Dettmer at Studio Soli. Showcasing Carlson’s sepia-toned Bakersfield Sound guitars and Davies’ death knell drums, Full Upon Her Burning Lips mines for the expressive, nuanced, and tonally rich components of Earth’s arsenal of sound. And indeed, anyone that’s followed Earth on their journey will bask in the unadulterated hums, throbs, and reverberations conjured by Carlson and Davies.

“I feel like this is the fullest expression and purest distillation of what Earth does since I re-started the band,” Carlson says in reflection of Full Upon Her Burning Lips. And indeed, anyone that’s followed Earth on their journey will bask in the unadulterated hums, throbs, and reverberations conjured by Carlson and Davies.

TRACK LISTING

1. Datura's Crimson Veils
2. Exaltation Of Larks
3. Cats On The Briar
4. The Colour Of Poison
5. Descending Belladonna
6. She Rides An Air Of Malevolence
7. Maidens Catafalque
8. An Unnatural Carousel
9. The Mandrake's Hymn
10. A Wretched Country Of Dusk

The definitive Prince reissue series continues with a first time on vinyl for three of his essential noughties albums, "Musicology", "3121" and "Planet Earth".
On its original UK release, Prince's 2007 album "Planet Earth" was available as a free covermount CD with the Mail On Sunday, or as part of a ticket deal for his 21 night live run at London's O2 arena. While this might have caused chaos amongst record stores at the time, it did ensure that a great late Prince album was heard by the widest audience possible. Where previous albums "Musicology" and "3121" predominently dealt with funk and R&B, "Planet Earth" is more of a mixed bag, as evidenced by its three singles, "Guitar", "Somewhere Here On Earth" and "Chelsea Rodgers".

TRACK LISTING

A1. Planet Earth
A2. Guitar
A3. Somewhere Here On Earth
A4. The One U Wanna C
B1. Future Baby Momma
B2. Mr. Goodnight
B3. All The Midnights In The World
B4. Chelsea Rodgers
B5. Lion Of Judah
B6. Resolution

As part of the widely respected BBE J Jazz Masterclass Series, Koichi Matsukaze's incredibly rare and much sought-after album Earth Mother sees a deluxe repress on BBE Music.
Regarded as one of the most sought-after yet elusive albums from a pivotal era in Japanese jazz, “Earth Mother” was originally issued in 1978 on ALM, a private label home to some of the most innovative jazz, contemporary classical and free improvisational music released in Japan during the late 70s and early 80s. It was here that “Earth Mother” found a natural home among the experimental and transgressive, destined to remain in obscurity for decades until the album’s muscular, bass-driven title track was included as the opening cut on BBE’s acclaimed compilation “J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984”. It was a fitting way to start such a landmark collection and the track quickly became a favourite among DJs and jazz fans.
“Earth Mother” sees saxophonist Matsukaze team up once again with legendary drummer and band leader Furusawa Ryojiro; joined by Tamio Kawabata on bass to form the core trio which is augmented by Daitoku Toshiyuki on acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes.
This is a mythic album, seen and heard by very few; often among the top wants for even the most hardcore jazz collectors. The album ranges from heavyweight spiritual jazz and post-bop burners, to Dolphy-esque experimentation (“Don't Worry About Tenor Saxophone”) and a singular take on the classic, “Round Midnight”.
To optimise the sound of the music, “Earth Mother” is now issued as a 180g vinyl double album, with exact reproduction artwork, obi strip, insert and labels plus translated notes. It is also be available on CD and across digital formats.

TRACK LISTING

1. Images In Alone
2. Earth Mother
3. Zekatsuma Selbst
4. Round Midnight
5. Don't Worry About Tenor Saxophone

The long-awaited follow up to Washington’s debut "The Epic", "Heaven & Earth" is comprised of two halves, which find Washington confronting quotidian realities with cosmic themes. A further investigation of Washington’s world building ideas, the new album explores his reckoning with current global chaos and his vision for the future.

Washington convened his band, The Next Step, as well as members of the long running collective The West Coast Get Down at Henson Studios in Los Angeles to record the 16 tracks on Heaven & Earth. The music was composed, written and arranged by Washington, with new arrangements of jazz and bebop legend Freddie Hubbard’s “Hubtones” and iconic kung fu film theme “Fists of Fury,” as well as one song by bandmate Ryan Porter. Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Ronald Bruner, Jr., Cameron Graves, Brandon Coleman, Miles Mosley, Patrice Quinn, Tony Austin and many more contribute to the album.

Clocking in at two and a half colossal hours of music, "Heaven & Earth" is available on double deluxe CD and a four piece vinyl housed in bespoke double gatefold sleeve

“The world that my mind lives in, lives in my mind.” This idea inspired me to make this album Heaven & Earth. The reality we experience is a mere creation of our consciousness, but our consciousness creates this reality based on those very same experiences. We are simultaneously the creators of our personal universe and creations of our personal universe. The Earth side of this album represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that I am a part of. The Heaven side of this album represents the world as I see it inwardly, the world that is a part of me. Who I am and the choices I make lie somewhere in between.”
Kamasi Washington

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: The man responsible for turning a younger generation of music lovers onto the passion and power of jazz returns with the bombastic brilliance of his sophomore LP. Seriously spiritual and surprisingly groovy, "Heaven & Earth" incorporates Marvin-esque soul, Old Testament intensity and soaring, searing solos into a breathtaking vision of jazz's next incarnation.

TRACK LISTING

Earth
1. Fists Of Fury
2. Can You Hear Him
3. Hub -Tones
4. Connections
5. Tiffakonkae
6. The Invincible Youth
7. Testify
8. One Of One

Heaven
1. The Space Travelers Lullaby
2. Vi Lua Vi Sol
3. Street Fighter Mas
4. Song For The Fallen
5. Journey
6. The Psalmnist
7. Show Us The Way
8. Will You Sing

Having had a wealth of self-released outings under his own name, Luke Spillane has a new, four-track epic out called 'The Salt Of The Earth'. We kick things off with the instantly frenetic 'The One And The Only', with rapidly arpeggiated saw-waves and pulsing pads riding over the insistent drum machine kicks, before introducing echoed vocal swells, helping to anchor things before floating off into a cosmic scree. 'Crown Of Life' continues the same arepggiated loop before introducing a resonant notched filter sweep, harmonic and intentionally jarring at the same time. 

The closing duo of 'Vaster' and 'Under My Wing' keep the narrative thread running through them, giving a sense of continuity and anchoring the progressive experimentation around that tried and tested central pattern. 

TRACK LISTING

1. The One And The Only 10:22
2. Crown Of Life 07:44
3. Vaster 14:37
4. Under My Wing 13:26

New Zealand’s The Cavemen are back, ready to drink, fight, fxck and play some goddamn rock and roll! “Nuke Earth” is their 3rd footlong rekkid and it’s pure, primitive motherfuckin’ GARAGE PUNK like you lust after every night when you’re licking your sexiest leather record jackets, or ‘77 punk steeped in a moldy stack of bootleg Motörhead outtake LPs. The ‘Men have gone batshit crazy, and they’re in full-on attack mode here with 13 tracks of panty dropping chaos guaranteed to land you in jail faster than you can crack one off in a grindhouse showing an “Ilsa” film. Rock’n’roll is here to stay, and it’ll always be for the crazy kids… like it or lump it! 

TRACK LISTING

1:Lust For Evil
2:Criminal Love
3:Janey
4:Batshit Crazy
5:Chernobyl Baby
6:7 Day Weekend
7:The Night Jimmy Savile Died
8:Concrete Town
9:Don’t Wanna Hang
10:Gimme Beer Or Gimme Death
11:Elvis Is Alive
12:Thug
13:Speaking In Tongues.

‘Earth Loop’, the debut album by BEAK> keyboardist William Young’s Moon Gangs project, is set for release via Village Green Recordings.

A classically-trained pianist, Young composed ‘Earth Loop’ “half and half in a classical sense,” some played live on keyboards, with ideas notated traditionally, the other half created using analogue sequencers with random voltage sources.

“Earth Loop mainly came out of jamming with synths. The mixer I use is an old Tascam 144 so if things are sounding good I just hit record and get it to tape. Everything started as big long rambles recorded live that are then trimmed down into something more concise. Inspiration-wise I’d been listening to more classical stuff, a lot of chamber music for strings, and I think that shows in the string section-y bits. Although they’re all synths, not actual strings. It was recorded all over the place over quite a long time which I guess is why there are a lot of different ‘moods’ on it, rather than it being a document of a specific period of time/place. I also started building a field recording library over the last couple of years so there’s quite a bit of that in there, but they’re generally processed and run through synths so they’re not too recognisable.” - William Young, Moon Gangs

Young’s introduction to synth music came from listening to film scores when he was a teenager, such as ‘Terminator’, ‘Videodrome’, ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters’ and ‘Phantasm’. Scores from kosmische pioneers Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh also played a large part in these formative musical years.

Not going out much as a child, Young spent a lot of time indoors playing video games. Instead of a SNES, his mum bought him a Commodore 64 as she thought the keyboard made it seem more educational. Certain games and their soundtracks also struck a chord, such as ‘The Last Ninja’, ‘Dante’s Inferno’, ‘Stormlord’ and ‘Castle Master’.

Moon Gangs officially began in 2011, with the release of ‘Sea/Sky’ on cassette tape via the incipient Where To Now label. Friends from his time spent in Brighton, it was both Young’s and the label’s first release and set the tone for his later output with ambient, analogue synth loops and foreboding, cinematic drones. Subsequent releases followed, such as 2014’s self-titled EP, mixed by Hookworms’ MJ, and an appearance on the Blanck Mass-curated film score ‘The Strange Colour Of Your Body's Tears’, released via Death Waltz.

From high in the Rocky Mountains, Last of the Easy riders descend with Unto the Earth, its new psych-infused country-rock long-player.

While the Easy Riders’ first outing exhibited the band’s kaleidoscope of trippy guitar sounds and production techniques, Unto the Earth unveils the band’s earnest songwriting chops and knack for genuine Bakersfield-Sound country. Though, the guys certainly didn’t abandon its lysergic-leanings, especially on the mind-warping title track – which also serves as the lead single.

With no shortage of jangly guitars, piano and pedal steel, the LP no doubt echoes Clarence White-era Byrds, but it doesn’t stray far from the band’s Southwestern-rock ‘n’ roll roots. The early-‘70s AM rock sounds of “Free Wheelin’,” the opening track, reverberates the band’s nomadic lyrical tendencies, while promptly setting up the sonic road trip Unto the Earth delivers. “Turn the Tide,” which closes Side A, melds brilliantly modest Tom Petty-esque guitar riffing with the Easy Riders’ signature vocal harmonies – which soar across both sides of the wax.

Being the first full-length for the band, the members – whom all share songwriting credits – were able to stretch out and laydown some lengthy and tastefully-stacked arrangements. From the fiery doors-esque jamming on “Woodland Echoes” to the ominous western guitar lines of “Shadow Cruiser,” numerous moods freely wander across the nine-song track list.

“Almost all the lyrics are intended to paint vivid picture, and give listeners a sense of place,” says the band’s co-founder Christopher Minarik (guitar/backing vocals). “Certain songs and lyrics really lay it on the line and say exactly how the songwriter felt, or what they were going through. It’s the most personal and honest songwriting I’ve ever done.”

Rounding out the lineup heard on the LP is bassist/vocalist Dan Duggan, guitarist Bradley Grear and drummer Mitch Mitchum. Unto the Earth was recorded in March 2017 in Lansing, Michigan by producer/songwriter George Szegedy – who also offered up his own song for the disc, the twangy-and-wistful “It Won't Be Long” After five months of mixing and fine-tuning, the Last of the Easy Riders were ready to deliver the record.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Sublime psych-tinged country rock from this Denver four piece. If Byrdsian guitar jangles, vocal harmonies and pedal-steel are your thing then this is definitely for you. Lovely stuff!

TRACK LISTING

A
1 Freewheelin'
2 It Won't Be Long
3 Easy Alameda
4. Unto The Earth
5. Turn The Tide

B
1 High And Lonesome
2 Shadow Cruiser
3 Silver Canyon
4 Woodland Echoes

Comprising Bert’s seminal 1960s output (alongside his only album as a duet with Pentangle bandmate John Renbourn) this four disc set covers an era that forged creative paths for everyone from Neil Young to Johnny Marr. New listening notes from Bill Leader, as well as unseen photographs from Brian Shuel complete this special collection. Where to start with a career as prolific as that of Bert Jansch? Why, the beginning of course. Bert’s first studio (though as Bill Leader rightly points out, that’s a bit of a stretch) albums capture a man whose star is truly on the rise. It also marks his most prolific period - these four LPs were written, recorded and issued in just two years; a testament to not only Bert’s abundant musicality but to a time for music that was changing - excitedly - from minute to minute.

From Bert’s masterclass in elegant, melodic, one-man-and-his-guitar fingerpicking on his self-titled LP, to the beginnings of something altogether more exotic on ‘Bert and John’, these records are nothing if not a remarkable insight into the changing face of folk music at the time. For those unfamiliar with Jansch’s oeuvre, this is a real treat; you won’t find a more comprehensively produced collection. ‘A Man I’d Rather Be’ includes all the original liner notes (from both Keith De Groot and Bert himself) as well as new ruminations from Bill Leader (who recorded much of Jansch’s nascent work) as well as never-before seen photographs by the illustrious Brian Shuel.

For those in the know, this is a chance to revisit these extraordinary albums, revel in new insights and add some - perhaps more listenable LPs - to sit alongside their love-worn originals. “The Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar” - Neil Young // "At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP, I couldn’t believe it. It was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing. No one in America could touch that.” - Jimmy Page // "I particularly like his second record. The album before it [1965's Bert Jansch] is more revered and held up by most journalists as being the seminal one, but I think the songs are better on It Don't Bother Me, particularly the title track. The fact that they were both recorded in a kitchen at his mate's house is another reason why it has never dated.” 

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE –

Bert Jansch:

1 Strolling Down The Highway
2 Smokey River
3 Oh How Your Love Is Strong
4 I Have No Time
5 Finches
6 Ramblings Going To Be The Death Of Me
7 Veronica
8 Needle Of Death
9 Do You Hear Me Now?
10 Alice's Wonderland
11 Running From Home
12 Courting Blues
13 Casbah
14 Dreams Of Love
15 Angie

DISC TWO – It Don’t Bother Me:

1 Oh My Babe
2 Ring-A-Ding Bird
3 Tinker's Blues
4 Anti Apartheid
5 The Wheel
6 A Man I'd Rather Be
7 My Lover
8 It Don't Bother Me
9 Harvest Your Thoughts Of Love
10 Lucky Thirteen
11 As The Day Grows Longer Now
12 So Long (Been On The Road So Long)
13 Want My Daddy Now
14 900 Miles.

DISC THREE – Jack Orion:

1 The Waggoner's Lad
2 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
3 Jack Orion
4 The Gardener
5 Nottamun Town
6 Henry Martin
7 Black Water Side
8 Pretty Polly.

DISC 4 – Bert And John:

1 East Wind
2 Piano Tune
3 Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
4 Soho
5 Tic-Tocative
6 Orlando
7 Red's Favorite
8 No Exit
9 Along The Way
10 The Time Has Come
11 Stepping Stones
12 After The Dance.

A landmark in cinematic wildlife fi lmmaking, Earth: One Amazing Day dramati cally brings to life the crucial role the sun plays in shaping the destinies of life-forms on the planet, including ourselves. It’s a spectacular vision of the rhythms of day and night and how a relati onship with the sun binds every species together.

The score is produced by Alex Heffes, one of fi lm world’s most exciting composers, with credits such as Touching The Void, The Last King Of Scotland and Queen Of Katwe.

This vinyl edition is packaged as a gatefold double LP on blue and green translucent heavyweight vinyl. The artwork contains numerous photos from the
film itself.

TRACK LISTING

LP 1:
Earth
Sunrise
Serval
Iguanas Vs. Snakes
Waltz Of The Flowers
Baby Panda
Cloud Building
Zebra River Crossing
Narwhales
Brown Bears
Sleepy Lions
Giraffe Battle
Sand Dunes
Sperm Whales

LP 2:
Sloth Story
Penguin Colony
Penguin Raiders Return
Penguins Reunited
Racket Tailed Hummingbird
Field Mouse
Mayflies
Zebra Survives Another Day
White Headed Langurs
Creatures Of The Night
Click Beetle
Bioluminescence
Night Sky
Fireflies
Another Ordinary Day
End Credits

“Lankum are the darlings of Dublin’s 300 year-old folk scene.” Colin Irwin – The Guardian

Lankum are one of the most talked about bands to come out of Ireland in decades. They are a Dublin four-piece who combine distinctive four-part vocal harmonies with arrangements of uilleann pipes, concertina, accordion, fiddle and guitar. Their repertoire spans humorous Dublin music-hall ditties and street-songs, classic ballads from the Traveller tradition, traditional Irish and American dance tunes, and their own original material. The band comprises of brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch along with Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat. When not on tour Ian lectures in Irish Folklore and musical traditions in University College Dublin, while Cormac and Radie grew up as champion traditional players, on the fiddle and concertina, respectively. Yet Lankum are not purely trad themselves, in the same way The Pogues were more urban music. Rough-hewn and raw, they’re the edgiest thing in Dublin right now.

Having spent the last number of years performing as ‘Lynched’ a play on Ian and Daragh’s family name Lynch, the band decided that they would no longer continue with the name due to the unavoidable implications that it has in regards to acts of racist violence. Their new name comes from the ballad ‘False Lankum’, as sung by the Irish Traveller John Reilly Jr.

The band was originally formed by brothers Ian and Daragh Lynch in the early 2000’s, and has since progressed through a number of incarnations, culminating in the four-piece group playing today. The release of their album 'Cold Old Fire' and a subsequent appearance on the BBC television programme, 'Later... with Jools Holland' cemented their reputation as a band that successfully crosses genres. Lankum are busy breathing new life into old music.

Although an acoustic group whose repertoire is fundamentally based on traditional song, influenced by legends such as Frank Harte, Planxty, The Dubliners and the Watersons, subtle traces of the group’s collective influences can be detected, ranging from American old-timey music to krautrock and drone.

Following on from Earth’s definitive collection of Jansch’s 1990s works ‘Living In The Shadows Part 2: On The Edge Of A Dream' picks up from where it left off, bringing together Bert Jansch’s final recordings, made between 2000 and 2006. This remarkable anthology documents some of Jansch’s finest work, and a man at the top of his game, some forty years(!) after his first release. From the brooding resonance of Crimson Moon (where Jansch is joined by Johnny Marr, Bernard Butler and Johnny “Guitar” Hodge, as well as son Adam Jansch and Bert’s wife Loren Jansch) to the intimacy of Edge Of A Dream (Bernard Butler, Hope Sandoval, Dave Swarbrick, Ralph McTell, Johnny “Guitar” Hodge, Paul Wassif, Adam Jansch and Loren Jansch) to the wondrous new folk / trad folk harmony of Black Swan (Beth Orton, Devendra Banhart, Kevin Barker, Helena Espvall, Paul Wassif), these seemingly very different albums all speak of one thing: Bert’s natural talent for turning out extraordinary music, regardless of genre. Disc four, The Setting Of The Sun, takes in more demos and unreleased material, with guest appearances from Gordon Giltrap and Johnny Marr adding additional delight for fans old and new. These peeks into Jansch’s recording process are nothing if not fascinating, with his home studio lending itself perfectly to any recording fancy he might arrive at. Like Part 1, this deluxe case-bound set exhibits the sublime attention to detail that has become Earth Recordings’ calling card. Liner notes come courtesy of colleague Bernard Butler and Bert’s son Adam, while a comprehensive listening guide (by esteemed journalist, Dave Henderson) is also included. 

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE – Crimson Moon

1 Caledonia
2 Going Home
3 Crimson Moon
4 Downunder
5 October Song
6 Looking For Love
7 Fool's Mate
8 The River Bank
9 Omie Wise
10 My Donald
11 Neptune's Daughter
12 Singing The Blues

DISC TWO – Edge Of A Dream

1 On The Edge Of A Dream
2 All This Remains
3 What Is On Your Mind
4 Sweet Death
5 I Cannot Keep From Crying
6 La Luna
7 Gypsy Dave
8 Walking This Road
9 The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood
10 Black Cat Blues
11 Bright Sunny Morning

DISC THREE – The Black Swan -

1 The Black Swan
2 High Days
3 When The Sun Comes Up
4 Katie Cruel
5 My Pocket's Empty
6 Watch The Stars
7 A Woman Like You
8 The Old Triangle
9 Bring Your Religion
10 Texas Cowboy Blues
11 Magdalina's Dance
12 Hey Pretty Girl..

DISC FOUR – The Setting Of The Sun (Bonus Disc)

1 Watch The Stars Demo, The Black Swan
2 It Don’t Bother Me Unreleased, With Johnny Marr
3 On The Edge Of A Dream Demo, Edge Of A Dream
4 Walking This Road Demo, Edge Of A Dream
5 My Pocket’s Empty Demo, The Black Swan
6 Cocaine Unreleased, With Johnny Marr
7 Untitled Unreleased
8 Chambertin Unreleased, With Gordon Giltrap
9 Katie Cruel Demo, The Black Swan
10 Fool’s Mate Demo, Crimson Moon
11 The Quiet Joys Of Brotherhood Demo, Edge Of A Dream

It's going on four years since a Slugabed album, but the man's been busy - running a label, working with others, and making a two scrapped LPs' worth of cuts similar in vibe to the hyper-pop of 2014's Coolest EP - happier, forest-y, more 'plinky-plonky.'

Which isn't to say "Inherit the Earth" is bereft of lyrics or even lighter moments. "Gold" plays like a trippy merger of Y2K pop and contemporary alt-R&B thanks, in part, to vocal and production contributions from Hairy Hands and Peter Lyons. Album ender "Earth Is Gone Sorry" is also less bleak than the name would suggest - Lum's soulful voice and the shimmering interstellar textures imply the universe may be better off without our planet making a mess of things. And for all of the slasher-flick effects of "Very Serious Puzzle" and speaker-blowing bass of "Infinite Wave," there is also the thick, glorious funk of "Time 2 Let It Go" and silly digitized brass of "Feeding Time."

TRACK LISTING

The Right Person To Talk To
Stupid Earth
Infinite Wave
Levitating Above My Own Useless Body
Gold (ft. Hairy Hands & Peter Lyons)
Very Serious Puzzle
Time 2 Let It Go
A Thousand Tiny Hands
Perfect Earth
Feeding Time
Virtuous Circle
Earth Is Gone Sorry (ft. Lum)

Jacob Long’s newest recordings under the Earthen Sea moniker deepen his compelling synthesis of shadowy rhythms and opaque atmospherics, drawing on the most potent qualities of melancholic ambient and dub techno.

“An Act Of Love” follows 2015’s “Ink,” released via Ital’s Lovers Rock imprint,
and was inspired by internal tribulations and the experience of exploring an empty nocturnal metropolis. Careful waves of tones drift and decay; beats materialize and pulse across twilit landscapes; a noir mood reigns.

Given Long’s background as bassist for revelatory tribal-punk trio Mi Ami, “An Act Of Love” showcases a musician in the midst of transcendent redefinition, crafting an immersive language of texture and motion.

From Jacob Long:
This record was made over the course of the most emotionally difficult and stressful year in my life thus far. As such, it is both a reflection of that experience and also something that gave me space to begin working through issues to see a way forward, to a better place both psychically and physically.
An idea that was also central to my thoughts while creating the album was the concept and reality of being out in the city at night, wandering around a large urban area after dark – the contrast of empty streets but with life still going on all around, and the openness and possibilities that can bring. This
music was an attempt to capture that feeling.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Present Mist
2. About That Time
3. Delicately In The Sunlight
4. Apparent Lushness
5. Exuberant Burning
6. Above The Clouds
7. The Flats, 1975
8. Also An Act Of Love

Hot Creations launch the new ‘Paradise on Earth’ DJ Mix series with the first installment coming as a Mexico special from Paradise residents and label regulars Nathan Barato and Patrick Topping. Each mix is expertly crafted, fusing musical influences with exclusive new material alongside current favourites, and old classics for your listening pleasure.

The first CD comes from Toronto-based DJ & producer Nathan Barato, an artist that has been on the rapid rise with releases on Cajual, MOOD, Relief, Saved, Circus Records, Defected and of course Hot Creations.

UK talent Patrick Topping has cemented his status as one of the most in demand names in dance music with 5 Beatport Tech-House number 1s, touring the world’s biggest festivals, from Creamfields in South America to Stereosonic in Australia, to the main stage at Movement in Detroit, whilst this year completing his third summer as resident at DC10 in Ibiza for Paradise.

Since label head and visionary Jamie Jones began his Paradise night at DC10 in Ibiza five years ago, the night has gone on to be by far one of the biggest on the island, inviting the biggest names in the business to come play alongside his solid crew of talented friends and residents. The launch of the new mix series is a natural progression for the brand as the Hot Creations and Paradise empire continues to grow only stronger.

TRACK LISTING

CD
Nathan Barato Mix
1 Derrick Carter - Where Ya At? (Mix Originale)
2 Precious - It's Gonna Be My Way (Spen & Karizma Deepah Dub)
3 Moritz Piske - Dirt Cabana
4 Gabry Fasano & Riccardo Ferri - Snare City
5 Carlo Lio & Nathan Barato - Feeding The Rhythm
6 Ian Pooley - Higgledy Piggledy
7 Makam - Loleatta
8 Brand New Heavies - Shelter (Dan's Groove Part 1)
9 Hardrive 2000 - Never Forget (When You Touch Me) (Bonus Beats)
10 Nathan Barato - A Little Love
11 Vibe Killers - Get Up!
12 Nathan Barato - Love Came Around
13 Green Velvet – UFO’s
14 ItaloJohnson – 08 A
15 Jovonn- Jump Off
16 Thomas Schumacher - Hush (Catz ‘n Dogz 2013 Remix)
17 Jared Wilson - Girl, I'm Waitin'
18 Robert Hood – Dancer

Patrick Topping Mix
1 Wendy Gondeln – Fracking-Eins (Magazine Remix)
2 Redshape – Dog Day
3 Tronco Trax - Walk 4 Me (Milk Bar Mix)
4 Sex Sells - Ain't No Wifey
5 Jack N Jerk - Acid Gaddafi*
6 Patrick Topping – Tease Magnet*
7 Elliot Adamson - Pleased To Meet You*
8 Metaboman – Next Please
9 The Boss - Congo (Ministry Anthem)
10 DJ Freddy Feat. La Chose – Emergency Delivery
11 Gene Hunt – Dr. Roland
12 Butch - Disco Shhh
13 Itchy + Scratchy Disco Girlfriend (Spot On Mix)
14 Sean Miller - Control Your Body*
15 Patrick Topping – Metro*
16 Oli Furness - Binary Code*
17 Jark Prongo - Movin' Thru Your System (Dave Clarke Remix)
18 Amentia – Serpent
19 Michael Mayer – Mental Caddy
20 Patrick Topping - Wouldn't Dare*
* Unreleased Exclusive

LP
A1 Ian Pooley - Higgledy Piggledy
A2 Precious - It's Gonna Be My Way (Spen & Karizma Deepah Dub)
B1 Green Velvet – UFO’s
B2 ItaloJohnson – 08 A
C1 Redshape – Dog Day
C2 DJ Freddy Feat. La Chose – Emergency Delivery
D1 Tronco Trax - Walk 4 Me (Milk Bar Mix)
D2 Itchy + Scratchy Disco Girlfriend (Spot On Mix)

“We never stop reading, although every book comes to an end, just as we never stop living, although death is certain” - Roberto Bolaño, Last Evenings On Earth

Question: it’s the end of the world, how are you going to spend it?

Last Evenings On Earth is the apocalyptic second album by Melt Yourself Down, evangelical hawkers of DNA-rearranging post-punk exotica. Snatch your passport and let this hydra-headed serpent take you for a dizzying, continent-hopping voyage around a globe spinning ever more rapidly off its axis.

If MYD’s self-titled debut was a series of feverish nocturnal visions beamed from a sub-Saharan desert, where voodoo spirits were raised from dusty catacombs, then this is an even headier trip. Here the rhythm has migrated to the city to merge with the pulses and dark currents that run through it.

Capturing the raw energy and wild-eyed intensity of the MYD live show, this is music that speaks in tongues. In both sound and aesthetic, Melt Yourself Down have celebrated migration since day one. Theirs is musical unity through movement and sound.

If this is the end of the world, the Last Evening On Earth... bring it.

Melt Yourself Down are Kushal Gaya (vocals), Ruth Goller (bass), Shabaka Hutchings (saxophone), Satin Singh (percussion), Tom Skinner (drums) and Pete Wareham (saxophone), with Leafcutter John (electronics/production).

Second album from London based experimental/instrumental rock trio. The group worked with Brian Eno & Karl Hyde (Underworld), using Brian's 'Oblique Strategies' during the writing stages of "Silent Earthling".

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The newest outing from London based trio Three Trapped Tigers is a snarling, twisting beast of an album. Equal parts 65DOS and Battles, electronic but riff-filled. Funky and triumphant, majestic and intimidating. Through the distorted riffs of 'Tekkers' to the almost Errors-like funk of 'Blimp', this is a varied and thoroughly enjoyable collection, a feast for the senses throughout.

TRACK LISTING

1 Silent Earthling
2 Strebek
3 Kraken
4 Blimp
5 Engrams
6 Tekkers
7 Hemisphere
8 Rainbow Road
9 Elsewhere

There’s something particularly pleasing about a privately pressed record. The artist or musicians involved have wanted these recordings to exist with such conviction that they’ve been willing to fund it themselves; the result is either a vanity project or something rather special. Steve Warner’s eponymous 1979 debit falls firmly into the latter. Funded by the combination of a bank loan and a council grant from his native Australia, Steve manage to record, produce, mix and manufacture what would be come to be his only recorded output (Steve went onto teach music afterwards - imagine being in that class!). Nick Armstrong at the legendary Spectangle Studios - also where Howard Eynon recorded ‘Jam’ - was there to assist and the album was eventually managed by Tasmanian label, Candle.

Running to 13 tracks, 11 of which original compositions, this album of delicate folk songs, madcap ditties and more psychedelic orchestrated pieces feels incredibly accomplished for what was basically a one man show. For fans of Dennis Wilson, Roedelius, The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and Elliott Smith (yes, as far reaching as that). "At the time I would have long dreams about music, but strangely never did I actually hear music in them. I would dream of music in a very abstract sense - it's tension and release, it's inner harmonies, often in a visual or graphic way like an architect might. Lines of stress and of release, tension and slackness, angles between elements, heavy and light, strength and fragility. I used to be fascinated by the grey zone between sleeping and waking, and of finding that place in music.” - Steve Warner, 2015

TRACK LISTING

01 Summer
02 Hey, Hosanna
03 Lightning Over The Meadow
04 A Boogie
05 Rainfall
06 Charlton
07 We’ll Go On
08 Poems In Your Eyes
09 Fireflies
10 Momento
11 Untitled
12 Crisp Morning
13 Cement River

With an output as far reaching as Bert Jansch’s, it’s small wonder that the occasional gem would be overlooked. ‘Moonshine’ - recorded in 1973 - is one such treasure. While the slightly more obvious (and indeed Pentangle-like) albums of 60s Bert are undisputedly wonderful, there is something about the gently brooding style of ‘Moonshine’ that really resonates. Joined by an all-star cast (Ralph McTell! Mary Hopkin! Tony Visconti!) Jansch’s eighth solo album is steeped in tradition, often giving way to a more baroque style of folk music.

TRACK LISTING

1.Yarrow
2.Brought With The Rain
3.The January Man
4.Night Time Blues
5.Moonshine
6.The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
7.Rambleaway
8.Twa Corbies
9.Oh My Father

Available on vinyl for the first time, included download code. Inspiring generations of musicians, Scottish guitarist and songwriter Bert Jansch will be forever known as a remarkable talent and a leading figure in the British folk revival. He came to prominence in the 1960s becoming widely known for his exemplary guitar technique and innovative blend of folk, blues and jazz. Later he became a founding member of folk super group Pentangle before returning to his solo career. Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Donovan and Johnny Marr have long been fans. Reaching people far and wide, Bert deservedly received many accolades for his contributions to music including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Radio 2 Folk Awards and a MOJO Merit Award.

‘Live at the 12 Bar’ was recorded in 1995 at the legendary London music venue and is a fitting tribute not only to Bert’s virtuosity but to this renowned hub for folk music and other genres. Bert’s meticulous performance brings together songs from ‘When The Circus Comes To Town’, released in the same year, along with the haunting reworking of ‘Blues Run The Game’ (written by Earth’s own Jackson C. Frank) and traditional folk songs ‘Curragh Of Kildare’ and ‘Lily Of The West’ which were staples in Jansch’s repertoire. ‘Live at the 12 Bar’ captures an intimate gig that’s richly brought to life by his spellbinding ability to hold a room. The warmth and reverent silence from fans reminds us of what it was like to attend his shows and the true legend that we have lost. Two decades after its first release, ‘Live At The 12 Bar’ is issued for the first time on vinyl. This exceptional record is the first release in Earth Recordings’ new extensive reissue series of Bert Jansch catalogue. 

“One of the most innovative instrumentalists of the twentieth century in the folk rock canon” The Quietus.

Peerless in his consistency of making astonishing records” All Music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Summer Heat
2. Curragh Of Kildare
3. Walk Quietly By
4. Come Back Baby
5. Blackwater Side
6. Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning
7. Morning Brings Peace Of Mind
8. The Lily Of The West
9. Kingfisher
10. Trouble In Mind
11. Just A Dream
12. Blues Runs The Game
13. Let Me Sing
14. Strolling Down The Highway
15. A Woman Like You

Dark Bird Is Home, the fourth album from The Tallest Man On Earth, doesn’t feel like it came from one time, one place, or one tape machine. The songs and sounds were captured in various countries, studios, and barns, and they carry a weather-worn quality, some dirt and some grit.

Early in Dark Bird, toward the end of the opening track, we hear other voices and sounds backing Kristian Matsson’s own. One of them, later credited in the liner notes with Angel Vocals, shows up several times throughout the record, adding new color to the familiar palette. And so the story grows and expands. That first song has horns and a piano, keyboards, synthesizers, and other modern noisemakers . . . and by track two you’ve got The Tallest Man on Earth as full-throttle rock and roll.

While Dark Bird is The Tallest Man at his most personal and direct, deeper and darker than ever at times, it’s also an album with strokes of whimsy and the scent of new beginnings — which feels fresh for The Tallest Man on Earth, and well timed. Reliably, the melodies and arrangements are sturdy and classic, like old cars and tightly wound clocks. The lyrics and their delivery are both comforting and alarming, like tall trees and wide hills.

The other musicians and layers on this recording put a wide lens on familiar themes. Fear and darkness, sleep or lack of it, dreams in the dark and in the light. Moving, leaving, going. Distance and short stops, long straight lines, temporal places. More hopefully, a grateful nod to a traveling partner, a healing mind. Maybe a little forgiveness needed. Definitely some things to forget.

TRACK LISTING

01. Fields Of Our Home
02. Darkness Of The Dream
03. Singers
04. Slow Dance
05. Little Nowhere Towns
06. Sagres
07. Timothy
08. Beginners
09. Seventeen
10. Dark Bird Is Home

Seattle duo Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White return as THEESatisfaction with ‘EarthEE’, the follow up to their acclaimed 2012 debut ‘awE naturalE’.

The album, led by highlights ‘Recognition’, ‘Nature’s Candy’ and the title track, was recorded in Seattle and Brooklyn and features guest appearances from Shabazz Palaces' Ishmael Butler, Meshell Ndegeocello, Porter Ray and Taylor Brown. The set features Stas and Cat rapping and singing over sublime soul-jazz, SA-RA style wonkiness and spacious psych-funk textures, creating a seductive album that draws you in.

‘EarthEE’ was produced by THEESatisfaction and Erik Blood, mixed by Blood at Protect And Exalt Studios: A Black Space and mastered by Adam Straney at BreakPoint Mastering in Seattle.

TRACK LISTING

Prophetic Perfection
No GMO
Planet For Sale
Blandland
Fetch / Catch
Nature’s Candy
EarthEE
Post Black Anyway
Universal Perspective
WerQ
Sir Come Navigate
Recognition
I Read You

“A solo record works best when you feel like you’re opening a window into somebody’s life, experiencing the things they’re going through or thinking about, places they’re seeing, through their eyes. At its best, you find a universality in it.” - Lee Ranaldo

Lee Ranaldo and his family were among the lucky Manhattanites left relatively unscathed by Hurrican Sandy in 2012, but for a week, they had no electricity, running water or heat. He did, however, have an acoustic guitar and, as has been the case of late, some new songs began spilling out of it, reflecting a prolific period imbued with eerie uncertainty. · Ranaldo had finished work on his last album, Between The Times And The Tides’, before Sonic Youth went on hiatus in the Autumn of 2011. The record followed an informal period of songwriting, borne of acoustic guitar fiddling and more direct lyrics from a poet known for emotive abstraction. His plans to record a low-key acoustic album soon evolved and many friends (Steve Shelley, Alan Licht, Nels Cline, Jim O’Rourke, Bob Bert, John Medeski, wife / artist Leah Singer) dropped by to conjure a vaguely psychedelic pop-rock sound that served Ranaldo and SY fans well.

A core unit came together, getting tighter after some roadwork, and soon Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Alan Licht, and bassist Tim Lüntzel became The Dust. The band dug in at Echo Canyon West through the winter, evolving a new set of songs with a decidedly more group dynamic. Yet even though he was tracking new songs with the band (plus the always-welcome Medeski), Ranaldo wanted to present songs that were even more personal and adaptable to various live contexts.

The songs on this album are darker, longer, and more intense than those of its predecessor, which was comparably upbeat. Despair and rage ripple through its atmosphere, but are held at bay, never quite able to touchdown. Ranaldo lives near Zucotti Park, which was HQ for NYC’s Occupy Wall Street movement. He has visited Occupy encampments in Toronto, São Paulo, and wherever else he can, often bringing his kids with him so they can witness left wing, non-violent democracy in action. Unlike his last record’s ‘Shouts’, there is no specific tribute to OWS, but there is a yearning for some real, societal shift. “Every time I wait for the revolution to come,” Ranaldo sings on ‘Home Chds.’ “Every night I think it?s here and then it?s gone.”

At the same time the songs on ‘Last Night On Earth’ reveal a guarded optimism. The term ‘hope’ has been politically co-opted and devalued but it’s a key element on ‘Last Night On Earth’. Ranaldo sings of land and water and love and certainty - external life forces that can turn on us at any second - from an exploratory, inviting place of coexistence.

Lee Ranaldo is a founding member of Sonic Youth, now in 32nd year. Although songwriting and performing with his band The Dust (Steve Shelley, Alan Licht, Tim Lüntzel) is his current focus, Lee also premiered a new work, ‘Hurricane Sandy Transcriptions’, for Berlin-based string ensemble Kaleidoskop (with Lee on guitar) at the Holland Festival in June 2013, with more performances to follow in spring 2014. Lee continues to perform experimental events with partner Leah Singer as well. Their recent live performances have been large scale, multi projection quadraphonic sound & cinema events, with Lee performing suspended electric guitar phenomena.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Lee Ranaldo surprised with the classicist nature of his debut album in 2012. Here he stretches out, getting darker and deeper, with some inspired guitar playing and moodier songs. It's excellent.

Kites of San Quentin deliver a mini album (plus DVD). Featuring atmospheric electronic cuts, this fusion of computer compositions and ethereal female vocals harks back to the early Bristol scene (and also early Moloko) but also moves things forward to post-dubstep atmospheric grooves and futuristic rhythms (juke etc). The fragile harmonies also hint at ghostly folk music that has somehow ended up in the future.

TRACK LISTING

1. Vimana
2. Fable Dark
3. III
4. The Witch House
5. V
6. Daimones

It’s impossible to discuss The Tallest Man On Earth’s music without acknowledging Bob Dylan. The seemingly effortlessness, the melodic sensibility and the deft lyricism all recall Dylan’s early years. But when you witness the Tallest Man on Earth perform live, you are watching a man possessed. The energy pours out with every word. Full of intensity and raw emotion, he paces the stage, bringing the audience into the palm of his hand, completely lost in his songs.

This is a reissue of his debut EP.

Hugely anticipated, The Tallest Man On Earth returns with ‘There’s No Leaving Now’.

The sense of urgency that fuelled his previous work remains, and the results are paralyzing – drums, piano, baritone guitar, woodwinds and pedal steel combine with songwriting so detailed and captivating.

Since his last album, ‘The Wild Hunt’, The Tallest Man On Earth has sold out Shepherds Bush Empire two months in advance of the show, performed on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ and now lands at the start of this campaign with a sold out London Hackney Empire show, with fans desperate to hear his new material.

A fascination with taxidermy, a love of Krautrock, and interests ranging from vintage synths to gothic Victoriana - Ghosting Season embody the eccentric and the ethereal. ‘The Very Last Of The Saints’ is the debut album from the Manchester-based duo, aka Gavin Miller and Thomas Ragsdale.

Stepping off the path laid by the great British leftfield tradition (Eno, Aphex, Seefeel, Global Communication, Burial, Lone et al), Ghosting Season fuse elements of ambient techno, musique concrete, IDM and post-rock into the kind of textured soundscapes that have won them much critical acclaim via a handful of releases, remixes (Radiohead, Cloud Control) and their formidable live show (Fields, SXSW and beyond).

Ghosting Season’s sound first emerged as tangents from Gavin and Tom’s previous band project, worriedaboutsatan. While the latter took its cues from the likes of Explosions In The Sky and Mogwai, the pair’s music began to head off into a different direction, one that was informed far more by electronic music, but still incorporated their love of guitars, vocals and found sounds. This new identity bore its first fruit with 2011’s ‘Far End Of The Graveyard EP’.

‘The Very Last Of The Saints’ is a breathtaking debut, moving from beautifully crafted cerebal electronica to tripped out house, glitchy drone collages and more strobe-friendly peaktime techno.

‘The Very Last Of The Saints’ is the first album release on Sasha’s Last Night On Earth label.

TRACK LISTING

CD 1
01. Ghost Drift
02. Far End Of The Graveyard
03. A Muffled Sound Of Voices Feat. Knox
04. Follow Your Eyes Feat. Gregory Hoepffner
05. Lie
06. Through Your Teeth
07. Lost At Sea
08. Time Without Question
09. Pio
10. 13 Feat. Birds Of Passage

CD 2
The Forgotten Saints Mix

De Stijl is proud to announce the release of EARTH, Black to Comm's music for the film of the same name. EARTH is a 2009 silent film by Ho Tzu Nyen, one of Singapore's foremost artists. The visually arresting film has been live-soundtracked by a number of artists (including Oren Ambarchi) in several locales, and after Black to Comm, a.k.a. Marc Richter's accompaniment at Berlin's Asian Film Festival and the Unsound Festival in Krakow (both in 2010), he decided to commit it to record.

In Marc's own words: "Most of the music was composed under the influence of heavy pain killers while recovering from a broken leg. The music (like the film) is about slowness and decay, states of unconsciousness, sleeping and waking up, dying and being reborn. The film basically is a post-apocalyptic collage based on paintings by classical European painters (Caravaggio, Delacroix, Rembrandt, Géricault) - the music tries to translate that concept employing similar collage-based sampling techniques using loops made from vintage vinyl and shellac records combined with acoustic and electronic instrumentation and voice."

Richter's already formidable expressive power stretches over all of EARTH. Reflecting the countless cyclical forces that make up, oh, more or less everything we know and are, the music on EARTH is bracing, lovely, bustling and still, and at times bittersweet, a commingling of sensations and emotions that can't be neatly separated from one another. (EARTH is complex, as you know.) Guests on EARTH include David Aird, a.k.a Vindicatrix (on the Mordant Music label), contributing startling vocal work; Renate Nikolaus on an array of instruments and noise devices; Rutger Zuydervelt (singing bowls); and Christopher Kline (singing saw). EARTH is Black to Comm's seventh album and his debut for De Stijl, following the acclaimed Alphabet 1968 (on Type) and last year's vinyl-only collaboration with Mike Kelley of Destroy All Monsters (on the En/Of label).

Four years ago Wymond Miles, guitar player and songwriter in San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys, began writing solo material thematically based on the concepts of eschatology, anthroposophy, and Gnostic and Hermetic symbolism. Drawing from a vast musical pool of inspiration, including Scott Walker, Robert Wyatt, Arvo Part, and Nikki Sudden amongst others, Earth Has Doors is Miles’ first solo release.

Since beginning Miles had basically shelved these songs to attend school, focus on fatherhood, and commit to the demanding schedule of the F&O’s. He earned a degree in humanities with an emphasis on the philosophical implications of the ecological/economic crisis of our times, and that subject matter can be traced throughout his first !". These songs concisely yet
esoterically document the existential crisis of our current epoch — moving from the nothingness of modern materialism, fragmented reductionist thought, and drug escapism to a world imbued with subjectivity and meaning through a new relationship with the Earth and cosmos as alive and full of inherent intelligence.

Wymond describes his early writing process: “For the first time I had a sense of place, and a reverence of humility for my surroundings. I was full of wonder, but I felt very small, and went inward to begin the work of writing.” He elaborates, “Sonically the mood had to reflect the somberness of moving between the existential chaos of my twenties into this new perspective of living … The mysterious hues of the soundscape reflect a sense of curiosity and possibility in the canyons of sound.” Working in his home studio and using 8 track tape (the infamous Tascam 388), Miles performs almost everything on this record — guitars, synths, bass, drums, manipulated tape delay, and vocals. A few friends played with him, guesting on drums (“Hidden Things” and “Earth Has Doors”) and viola (“As the Orchard”), while his wife Sarah sings some harmonies on side A.

After his ‘Destination There’ EP and digital-only album on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder, Ras G steps back to RAMP with his signature speaker popping, extra-solar instrumental hip hop with new album ‘Down 2 Earth’. Residing in the left coast, Ras is godfather to the post-Dilla instrumental hip hop movement, releasing various vinyl releases on his own Poobah label as far back at 2005, which were instrumental in the formation of the L.A. beats scene way before a Flying Lotus beat had a sniff of PVC. His dusty beats and booming bass humps are still standing tall in an often-stagnant field. ‘Down 2 Earth’ is his rawest most straight up hip hop release to date, sewing together dub soundsystem culture into a ‘Donuts’ style beattape format.

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklisting:
A1. D2E Intro
A2. Hey Baby!!!!
A3. Diiirrrtttty
A4. (((Shrooms)))
A5. I Love The 90s Hip Hop
A6. Crenshaw Bus
B7. One 4 DB - I SEE
B8. That's Fly
B9. Filth Factor 98
B10. Leave!!!!!!!
B 11. Bobby Speak
B12. Black Dusty Radio
C13. 40 Bus
C14. 303 Vs Tell-Lie-Vision
C15. Peace (Saalaam)
C16. Change
D17. Crush On A Earthling
D18. Interlude
D19. Fatcat
D20. Interlude
D21. Harlem Negus Wild

CD Tracklisting:
1. D2E Intro
2. Hey Baby!!!!
3. Diiirrrtttty
4. (((Shrooms)))
5. I Love The 90s Hip Hop
6. Crenshaw Bus
7. One 4 DB - I SEE
8. That`s Fly
9. Filth Factor ’98
10. Leave!!!!!!!
11. Bobby Speak
12. Black Dusty Radio
13. 40 Bus
14. 303 Vs Tell-Lie-Vision
15. Peace (Saalaam)
16. Change
17. Crush On A Earthling
18. Interlude
19. Fatcat
20. Interlude
21. Harlem Negus
Wild

With propulsive beats, delicate vocals and whispering melodies, "The Quiet Earth" is another melancholic slice of Trophy Wife’s “ambitionless office disco”. The band’s meticulous yet restrained production highlights the fragility of Jody Prewett’s vocals against Kit Monteith’s defiant drums and Ben Rimmer’s echoing keys.

Backed by the majestic "White Horses", where glimmering vocals offset the stunning violin and sparse rhythms before pulsating bass lines melt into the track, the song documents the misplaced sense of clarity you feel just before a comedown, the simultaneous feelings of invincibility and vulnerability. Trophy Wife’s new single delivers on the initial promise "Microlite" showed and hints at what the future holds for them.

The band’s sound and aesthetic is informed by influences as diverse as Studio, Polmo Polpo, The Notwist, Hank Marvin and Tortoise. These influences can not only be heard in the band’s music and production, but also echoed in their artwork, photography and videos – all facets of which the three band members contribute to equally.

TRACK LISTING

A: The Quiet Earth
AA: White Horses

Former bassist & vocalist with space-rockers Jessamine, Dawn returns with her second solo album. Where Smithson's first album was wounded and tentative in it's approach, "Earth Machine" is strong and sure of it's footing. Where there was deep melancholy with a glimmer of hope in the former, the latter reaches it's winding paths out to further hills and valleys, encompassing a wide range of emotion. Songs seem to tell one long story as they segue into one another. From the rounded nylon string guitar picking and gurgling synths to the pure feedback drones and sometimes Floydian electric guitar, "Earth Machine" has real continuity and a strong sense of being a true 'album'.

"Drop Down To Earth" is the new single by Manchester's most consistently acclaimed guitar band Puressence. It's an enormous pop song, with shades of New Order, and features the stunningly beautiful voice of James Madriczki. The song is taken from the band's exceptional forthcoming album "Don't Forget To Remember".

One of the most enigmatic, mysterious, and defiantly anti-commercial groups to emerge from the New York loft scene during the 90s, the No-Neck Blues Band formed in 1992 around a consistent core of multi-instrumentalists who have stubbornly and admirably insist on individual anonymity. Incorporating elements of folk, drone, psychedelia, free jazz, noise, and just about everything else, NNCK have nevertheless carved out a distinctive sound from complementary and disparate component elements. "Letters From The Earth" was NNCK's first digital output and is a document of their first ever outdoor Orthodox Easter concert in 1996. This double CD outputs 111 or so minutes worth of this group's dizzying array of sonic blattage, cable disruption, tribal tranceadelics and trip or drone aesthetic.

Tracey Browne created Earthscension Records at the age of 20, in order to produce and release her own music. Directly inspired by Ani Difranco, who did the same thing 15 years ago. Thirteen tracks of mellow, acoustic-guitar and piano based music, the lyrics are inspired by girls, life and imagination. When singing with rock band Minusoneraver, Tracey's vocals have been likened to All About Eve singer Julianne Regan, or Evanescence's Amy Lee; here, they are stripped bare and fluid, recorded to allow the natural sound of her voice to be heard. A truly independent release, this album was written, produced and performed by Tracey, and serves as a strong debut for a singer-songwriter who will continue to release music regardless of trends.

Following on from their limited edition 7" only release "In The Garden", and fresh from being one of the most talked about bands at this years SXSW festival, Nottingham's Earth The Californian Love Dream return with another short blast of riffy, rock'n'roll. There's a touch of Queens Of The Stoneage about it with it's heavy chugging guitar and drums, but with a more youthful, punchy arrogance, and weighing in at under 90 seconds, it leaves you wanting more....

New EP on Sweet Nothing from these crazed rockers.

And Lo! The mantle of the great god Hendrix descended onto the shoulders of the Nipponese son - Shigeru Narumo and a joyful sound was heard. Guitar, guitar, guitar.

If one artist has maintained a rich quality and autobiographical commitment in his songwriting throughout his career then it has to be Loudon Wainwright. As angst ridden and relevant as ever he sings of despair, loss and depression but with a wit and humanity that has never paled over the years. While some singer songwriters have lost their eloquence or ability to touch their listeners on a personal level, Loudon Wainwright merely adds more broken relationships, more personal losses (his Mum died recently which naturally sent him into a tailspin) into his lyrical brew. "Last Man On Earth" stands as one of the finest works from this brilliant songwriter.