The second album from Dublin’s For Those I Love, Carving the Stone is a stark and stirring portrait of modern Irish life. Expanding the intimate world of his acclaimed debut, David Balfe turns his lens outward - grappling with the pressures of working-class survival, the erosion of home, and the passage of time. Set to soaring instrumentals and raw spoken word, this is his most direct, urgent work to date: a deeply human collection of songs rooted in memory, resistance, and emotional honesty.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Deeply emotive found sound instrumentals, truncated snippets of speech and shimmering, crackling acoustic instruments all topped by David Balfe's rhythmic spoken word, reminiscent of the beat-backed drawl of Mike Skinner or Antony Szmierek's poetic real-life tales. A rousing, folk-influenced take on Balfe's life in Dublin, a gorgeous surprising triumph.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Carving The Stone
2. No Quiet
3. No Scheme
4. The Ox / The Afters
5. Civic

Side B
1. Mirror
2. This Is Not The Place I Belong
3. Of The Sorrows
4. I Came Back To See The Stone Had Moved

Florida-born multimedia artist Ethel Cain returns with her sophomore album 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You'. A prequel to the critically acclaimed 'Preacher's Daughter', the new album recounts the story of Ethel's first love, Willoughby Tucker, and their humid, laden romance. Hayden Anhedonia, the creative force behind the entire Ethel Cain project, has spent the past several years assembling the album in her home studios from Coraopolis, PA to Tallahassee, FL, all the while selling out tours and playing festivals worldwide, cementing herself as a singular artistic voice on the rise.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Brittle, ambient folk meets country-pop melodies and wispy guitars, gorgeous ambient washes and Anhedönia’s beautifully evocative layered vocals. It's a perfect follow-up to her understandably adored 2022 outing. Brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

Janie
Willoughby's Theme
Fuck Me Eyes
Nettles
Willoughby's Interlude
Dust Bowl
A Knock At The Door
Radio Towers
Tempest

First-ever vinyl pressing of Mac Miller’s fan-favorite 2011 mixtape I Love Life, Thank You, featuring the viral track "Love Lost," and appearances by Talib Kweli and Bun B. Originally released to celebrate Mac reaching one-million Twitter followers, the mixtape showcases his charismatic early sound and includes production from Clams Casino and 9th Wonder.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Love Life, Thank You
2. People Under The Stairs
3. Willie Dynamite
4. The Scoop On Heaven
5. Love Lost
6. Pranks 4 Players
7. Cold Feet
8. Family First
9. The Miller Family Reunion
10. Boom Bap Rap
11. Just A Kid
12. All That
13. All This

Anyone with a phantasy about the KLF needs to look no further! Huge reworking by a so far undisclosed entity!

Pre-orders ESSENTIAL! 

TRACK LISTING

A. What Time Is Love (Rework)

Electro tastemaker Adam Curtain shows his class again across three new cuts on this latest for Infiltrate while Enchanted Rhythm steps up for one collaboration. That track, 'RSKOUSS' is a body-popping mix of breaks and clattering percussive hits with spooky synths and plunging bass finishing it in style. With the solo cuts, Curtain first explores acid laced and bass-heavy broken beat on 'You Say You Love Me' then smoky futurism with 'Olive Man' and its moody low-end oscillations and bleeping synth tones. Another brilliantly snappy kick and clap combo brings the funk to 'Urchinitus' while distant pads nag like the memory of a lost love. These are storied beats for knowing 'floors.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: This one certainly piqued my beak!! Precision engineers club tools from Adam Curtain that straddle the bass - techno boundaries with a confident swagger. Plenty low end pressure and breakbeat science that'll make your physics teacher blush. Top stuff.

TRACK LISTING

You Say You Love Me
RSKOUSS (feat. Enchanted Rhythms)
Olive Man
Urchinitus

“Love On the Big Screen” and “Buddies On the Blackboard” were produced by Avey Tare and Adam McDaniel, engineered and mixed by McDaniel at his Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, and mastered by Dave Cooley.

TRACK LISTING

Love On The Big Screen
Buddies On The Blackboard

With a room fulla fine pickers and a set of Hollywood orchestral cues to kill for, Cory Hanson proclaims 'I Love People'! His 4th solo album drills down (baby) on a dryly parallax worldview, with songs about all those people he loves and all the crazy things they get up to. As ringmaster for a circus show of classic folk and rock tropes, Cory tugs at our heartstrings with expert misdirection, embracing tradition by throwing it out, into the wind.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bird On A Swing
2. Joker
3. I Love People
4. I Don’t Believe You
5. Santa Claus Is Coming Back To Town
6. Lou Reed
7. Final Frontier
8. Texas Weather
9. Bad Miracles
10. Old Policeman
11. On The Rocks

'Men in Love' is a collaborative concept album by Irvine Welsh and The Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra, exploring the complexities of love, relationships, and the human condition. The album blends classic Motown and disco influences with contemporary electronic dance production, creating a unique and powerful sound that is both nostalgic and fresh.

From soaring anthems to intimate ballads, 'Men in Love' takes the listener on a journey through the highs and lows of romance, celebrating the power of connection, vulnerability, and the enduring search for love in a chaotic world.

The album will be released concurrently with Welsh's new novel, also titled 'Men in Love'. The book is a sequel to Welsh's seminal work, Trainspotting, and continues the story of Renton, Sick Boy, Spud, Begbie, and other beloved characters. The album serves as a sonic companion to the novel, with its themes, lyrics, and musical atmosphere reflecting the experience and inner turmoil of its characters. The album also introduces The Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra, a unique musical entity with their own unique music releases in the pipeline”

BUT, WHY DISCO?

“In uncertain times, dominated by the ascendancy of soul dead oligarchs, their corrosive technology and looting economics, the great positive constant for humanity remains our infinite capacity for love.

Music is still the medium by which we bypass their reductive, low frequency world, and if we can sing and dance and express our collective love in joy and rapture, we render their pathetic schemes the irrelevant sideshows they deserve to be.

One of the greatest musical forms in delivering that ecstasy has been discotheque music. No matter how confused our men (and women) have been in the quest for love, as we are forced to earn a living to pay for our fun, our real predilections are to party like it’s 2099. So don’t diss the disco, let’s dance away the heartache or die trying, because nothing else makes any sense.”

Irvine Welsh

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Absolute sweat-dripping, glitteRball spinning, tight-trouser wearing, arm waving disco from... :checks notes: Irvine Welsh & The Sci-Fi Soul Orchestra. Why not eh? Brilliant it is too.

TRACK LISTING

1. A Man In Love With Love
2. You Gotta Be Strong
3. Damn Straight
4. Saviour
5. Love At Last
6. Supply Lines Of Love
7. A Whole New Side Of Me
8. Dreams
9. Men In Love

The new Lumberjacks 'Real Love' by Jerk Boy, Marcel Vogel & Million Miles is a truly intercontinental connection, started as a seed by Marcel Vogel in Amsterdam, transmitted across half the world to Sydney Australia to be refinded by Jerk Boy aka Adam Stivala and refined in Los Angeles by french singer Million Miles and eventually remixed in London by Oliver Night. While the original versions touch on classic Disco / Vocal House, Londoner Oliver Night takes his remixes into deeper territory and brukwise.

TRACK LISTING

1. REAL LOVE
2. REAL LOVE(JERK BOY RENDITION)
3. REAL LOVE(OLIVER NIGHT HOUSE REMIX)
4. REAL LOVE(OLIVER NIGHT BRUKWISE REMIX)

2023’s 'Dancing On The Edge' was quickly beloved by those who stumbled upon it, earning high praise from publications like Pitchfork & The Line Of Best Fit, who deemed it a “remarkable, endlessly rewarding debut.” His second album, 'New Threats From The Soul', reckons mightily with the perplexities of human efficacy and agency in an absurd and debased world. This probably sounds hopelessly plodding and severe. It is not—not remotely. It’s a shit-ton of fun. The songs are all earwigs; the arrangements genuinely thrilling, enlivening efforts by the crackerjacks that comprise the sprawling Roadhouse Band. Each trip through the record reveals more of the depth and breadth and tangle of its tapestry.

Across 'New Threats…', Ryan manages near-rhymes that a hundred years’ worth of monkeys labouring at Chat GPT-enabled typewriters couldn’t achieve: “bromeliad” and “necrophiliac”; “urinal” and “de Chirico.” Kinky Friedman lamented that people thought his funny songs were sad and his sad songs were funny, when they were both simultaneously. Like the Kinkster, Ryan can make you laugh through a lump in your throat. In his formidable crew of harmony singers there are four of the most gifted lyricists & vocalists to currently walk among us—Catherine Irwin, Will Oldham, Lou Turner, Myriam Gendron— which testifies to the profound heft of his writing (these folks don’t often sign up to sing pap).

'New Threats From The Soul' is a masterclass in reducing the sublime to the prosaic, immensity to infinitesimally, and vice versa (the trick can only work both ways). Everything in our universe is essentially flotsam or jetsam, rubbish heaps of fragments and shards. We, especially, are jerry-rigs of bubblegum and driftwood, inconsistencies and incoherencies, dead dreams and necrophagous hopes, “mismeasurements between the place where [we are] and the place where [we] could have been,” although somehow not—miracle of miracles—bereft of simple joys, as Davis sings on today’s single.

The record functions in parallel with Kafka’s winking dictum that there is an infinite amount of hope in the universe, just not for us. 'New Threats…' suggests that maybe, just maybe, something like redemption is possible, but only once we’re entirely emptied out and hawked in toto down at Walden Pawn.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Organic sounding flickers of acoustic guitar and snappy percussion underpin the beautifully harmonised vocals and swooning slide guitar. While there are moments of thoughtful minimalism, it merely offsets the jubilant melodic intensity of the rest of the LP. Beautifully uplifting and summery sounds throughout.

TRACK LISTING

1. New Threats From The Soul
2. Monte Carlo / No Limits
3. Mutilation Springs
4. Better If You Make Me
5. The Simple Joy
6. Mutilation Falls
7. Crass Shadows At Walden Pawn

It is the late 1980s, the closing years of Thatcher’s Britain.

For the Trainspotting crew, a new era is about to begin – a time for hope, for love, for raving. Leaving heroin behind and separated after a drug deal gone wrong, Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie each want to feel alive. They fill their days with sex and romance and trying to get ahead; they follow the call of the dance floor, with its promise of joy and redemption.

Sick Boy starts an intense relationship with Amanda, his ‘princess’ – rich, connected, everything that he is not. When the pair set a date for their wedding, Sick Boy sees a chance for his generation to take control at last. But as the 1990s dawn, will finding love be the answer to the group’s dreams or just another doomed quest? 

With two critically acclaimed compilations already under his belt, DJ/collector Miche returns to Mr Bongo with the third instalment of his 'With Love' series

Testament to his ever-expanding taste, Volume 3 isn't just a subs bench call-up from the past compilations, it's an evolution and progression casting the net deeper and wider than before.

Keeping true to the series, but with some fresh surprises along the way, this carefully curated compilation is a celebration of soulful, independently released music from across the globe, and the amazing (often unsung) musicians and vocalists that made these sublime records.

Across the third volume, Miche explores a jazzier side of his tastes . "The deeper I went, the more I found myself gravitating towards jazzier music - not leaving soul behind, but following that same feeling into new territory", he explains. Tracks like the gliding jazz funk found on Late Nite Music Band's 'Sundance', or the glorious jazz-soul number 'In Flight' by Spectrym are shining examples of this.

TRACK LISTING

1. John Simmons - Ain't Nothing Like The Love
2. Le Cop - Law, Order & Peace
3. The Medlows - Love (Part 1)
4. The Whale And Flea - Ridin' On
5. Liberation Of Man - Lovely Day
6. Thrills - Telephone
7. East Wind Band - Read The Fine Print
8. Late Nite Music Band - Sundance
9. Gulden Karabocek - Dokunma Keyfine Yalan Dunyanin
10. Nukhet Ruacan - Golge
11. Carlos Bivar - Amargo Amar
12. Art Carey & Magnum Force - Good-Bye My Love
13. New Way - Holding On
14. Flashback - Piece Of Mind
15. Spectrym - In Flight
16. John Academia - Open Our Eyes

When Marshall Chess decided to combine a rock group with some of the best voices he could get his hands on he invented a stream of psychedelic rock that was quite different from the one that emerged in Detroit with the help of George Clinton and Norman Whitfield.

Partly this was Marshall’s hippy sensibility, but it was one that fused perfectly with vocalist Minnie Riperton’s own word-view and the musical genius – “no other word for it”: Marshall Chess − of Charles Stepney.

Working across a cleverly arranged mix of originals and cover versions, the recordings featured some of the finest musicians that you could find in Chicago including drummer Morris Jennings, bass players Louis Satterfield and Phil Upchurch, and revolutionary guitarist Pete Cosey, who would later join Miles Davis’ group. Cosey’s guitar playing on their fourth album “Songs”, released in 1969, is incendiary and unparalleled. The vocals were arranged as a perfect choir with a series of leads most notably Minnie, Sidney Barnes and Mitch Aliota.

True success − rather than doing well enough − eluded them, with some bad decisions being made and bad luck also dogging them. When Chess left the company and Barnes the group it looked as if the writing was on the wall for Rotary Connection, but Charles Stepney wanted one more go. The New Rotary Connection came together with a refreshed vocal line up featuring Minnie, Kitty Haywood and Shirley Wahls and songs by Stepney, Minnie’s husband Richard Rudolph and Terry Callier.

“Hey Love” was the album that appeared and it is a gem, that features the astounding ‘I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun’ - later a UK hit in 1997 for Nuyorican Soul, ‘Love Has Fallen On Me’ - later recorded as a tribute to Stepney by Chaka Khan, the beautiful title track and Callier’s stunning ’Song For Everyman’. However the album failed to sell and there were no more records.

As time passed the late 60s and early 70s productions of Charles Stepney became some of the best loved and most influential of the era, influencing UK groups such as 4 Hero, Radiohead and more recently Jessie Ware, and “Hey, Love” has been considered one of the peaks of his work.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. IF I SING MY SONG
2. THE SEA & SHE
3. I AM THE BLACK GOLD OF THE SUN
4. HANGING ROUND THE BEE TREE
5. HEY, LOVE
Side 2
1. LOVE HAS FALLEN ON ME
2. SONG FOR EVERYMAN
3. LOVE IS
4. VINE OF HAPPINESS

'Love Comes Close' is the debut full-length from Cold Cave — a record born of late nights, second-hand synths, and the quiet urgency of DIY bedroom recordings. Written and recorded in Philadelphia between 2008 and 2009, it was first released on Heartworm Press and later reissued by Matador Records, just as the band began its slow rise into cult territory.

These are dark pop songs for the solitary and the searching — fragile, romantic, and glimmering with cold light. With nods to the early experiments of The Human League, Throbbing Gristle, and New Order, the album merges goth undercurrents with indie charm and loft-born synth-pop. Eisold’s vocals are at once distant and intimate — poetic, vulnerable, and cutting through the haze.

From the aching pulse of the title track to the enduring live staples 'Life Magazine', 'Heaven Was Full', and 'Youth and Lust', 'Love Comes Close' captures that rare moment when isolation gives way to connection, and simplicity meets emotional weight.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cebe And Me
2. Love Comes Close
3. Life Magazine
4. The Laurels Of Erotomania
5. Heaven Was Full
6. The Trees Grew Emotions And Died
7. Hello Rats
8. Youth And Lust
9. I.C.D.K.

Next up on Undercover Lovers we have a really fun and oddball French Zouk version of 'Another Day In Paradise' and a super funky, slow disco / street soul version of 'Do It Till You're Satisfied'

These Psychemagik tweaks have been causing nothing short of a riot every time they drop - don't dilly dally if you want in on the action! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Sixth instalment of the now buy-on-sight series of covers and special disco versions from the most illicit snipers in the west - Psychemagik! Lock up your vinyl, nothing is sacred!!

TRACK LISTING

A. Another Day In Paradise
B. Do It 'til You're Satisfied

A supremo Italo-boogie doubler banger from Giovanni Damico here on Star Creature. Two faves taken from the long out of print "Fall In Your Groove" album. A mid-tempo psychedelic boogie jam on the A-side with "Be Your Lover", and an Afro-Italo lip-smacker on the B-side, full of those classic drum boxes and massive Zanzibar energy. Comes in a replica 7" jacket.

TRACK LISTING

A. Fall In The Groove
B. Be Your Lover

Chicago's Peven Everett has long had a cult following for his own unique, live take on House music. The co-producer and vocalist of Gabriel, which was not only one of the most legendary soulful house tracks of the 90’s but also helped define the two step/garage sound. In 2002 he released 'I Can't Believe I Loved Her' on King Street Sounds offshoot label, Nite Grooves, a soulful piece lamenting a love that went wrong. The track was a worldwide hit and quickly earned itself classic status amongst DJ’s and dancers alike. Both the Original and Calypso Mix are featured on this special charity reissue with all proceeds from this release being donated to Peven’s GoFundMe to help with his lung cancer treatment. Essential!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Main Mix
B1. Calypso Mix

There’s a particular magic that happens when seasoned producers with global roots come together under a shared ethos - not for hype, but for connection. That’s precisely what MISINGO represents. A cross-continental studio experiment born out of Covid-era isolation, the group spans hemispheres and histories: Yorkshire's Doorly, L.A. legend Gary Richards (aka Destructo), and Australian duo Colour Castle. Their debut offering, Give You Love, lands via UK House Music institution Hard Times Records, and it’s as emotionally resonant as it is built for the floor.

Anchored by a slow-burning acid line and moody, immersive synthwork, 'Give You Love' carries the DNA of classic house without feeling like pastiche. DJ Rae’s smokey vocal, recorded in Doorly’s Ibiza studio, sets the tone - raw, intimate, immediate. Gene Farris enters with a gravelly, magnetic counterpoint, flipping the call-and-response into something spiritual. It’s a record that feels both new and deeply lived-in, a jam session from afar that somehow lands with unity and purpose.

For the remix suite, Hard Times dig into family ties and deliver a heavyweight lineup that spans generations of dance music lineage.

First up, DJ Pierre, the Phuture pioneer himself, brings a Wild Pitch revision that is pure summer sleaze and shimmer. Glistening keys, kinetic snares, and a syrup-thick bassline collide in a mix that’s tailor-made for golden-hour sets and open-air systems.

DJ Romain brings that New York swing. All velvet chords, stabbing pianos, and organ swells that spiral skyward. It’s gospel-house energy that doesn’t need to shout to be heard, a reminder that soul still moves the dancefloor.

Closing out the package is Charles Lavine of Soul Clap fame, whose Boston-bred funk sensibility steers things into new territory. He strips back the mix, lets Rae’s vocal ride the groove, and injects a subtle bounce that turns heads and hips in equal measure.

With 'Give You Love', MISINGO and Hard Times haven’t just released a single, they’ve bottled a moment: one born of distance, stitched together with soul, and destined for collective release on dancefloors worldwide.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Big room house heat from new Hard Times signings Misingo and DJ Rae.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Give You Love (12" Extended Mix)
A2. Give You Love (DJ Pierre Clubpitch Mix)
B1. Give You Love (DJ Romain Mix)
B2. Give You Love (Charles Levine Mix) 

This one was an unexpected treat - two of our favourite contemporary musicians, Finn Rees & SHOLTO coming together and collaborating on a double dose of celestial, cinematic alchemy

At Mr Bongo we are massive admirers of drummer, musician, and producer SHOLTO (Oscar Robertson). His two albums on Funk Night Records and DeepMatter Records, had both been highlights of their respective years.

We'd gotten to know Oscar and sent him a few records. Included in the package was Australian pianist- composer Finn Rees' debut album, Dawn Is A Melody, which was one of our favourite releases on Mr Bongo in 2024. In Oscar's words 'For me it was a standout modern jazz record - encapsulating a spiritual / hazy dreamy soundscape which hugely resonated with me. Glissando keys and harp with lush melodies, I was instantly intrigued." The pair started following each other online and as luck would have it, Finn was staying in London for the summer season, so they arranged to meet.

The pair instantly clicked and said it felt like they'd known each other for years. After 40 minutes of chatting, they started to jam. 'Love In Memory' and 'Bluebell' were recorded over two days - a track a day in Oscar's SFJ studios. Laid down on mostly analogue equipment, the pair utilised Wurlitzer's, mellotrons, and ribbon mics through Oscar's '70s Studer desk. Composed and crafted without any real intentions, other than a shared appreciation for the same style of music and approach, the tracks started to take shape. The results were as lush, nostalgic and textured as you'd expect from these two brilliant musicians, with a classical feel inspired by artists such as Piero Piccioni, Piero Umiliani, and Henry Mancini.

For the beautiful string arrangements, the pair recruited the talents of SHOLTO's longtime friend and collaborator Clementine Brown (Penguin Cafe Orchestra) and Matthew Hayes of 30/70, Allysha Joy, Xpress Point, Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange fame, was brought in to play bass on 'Bluebell'.

So here we have it, a chance collaborative project built on two musicians' mutual respect for each other's outputs. The result is truly breathtaking.

TRACK LISTING

Love In Memory
Bluebell

The Sound of Love International 007, curated by Moxie.

A love letter to the open-hearted spirit of the Adriatic coast and the sounds that have defined her career. Curated with the theme 'U Skladu' (Croatian for 'In Harmony') in mind, the 13-track collection embodies the soulful, euphoric energy of Love International.

TRACK LISTING

A1. East Coast Love Affair - Xylocopa Violate
A2. Helen Sharpe - Got 2 Have Your Love (Jazz Rave Mix)
A3. Len Lewis - Joy
B1. Percy X & Mark Broom - Lady Killer
B2. Sound Of The Suburbs - All You Need
B3. Amtraxx - Funky
C1. Eden Burns - Big Bark Manifesto
C2. Karizma - Kellah
C3. Ivan-I & Starchild - All Things Dub
C4. Lightning Head - Me & Me Princess (Version 2)
D1. Selective Perception - Dij-Ya-Do-One
D2. 82J6 - Exercise Life
D3. Quest - Smooth Skin

Daniel Johnston’s legacy is legendary. The quintessential DIY artist started his career in Austin, TX whilst hawking cassettes from his day job at McDonald’s. The rest, as they say, is history and fans of US alternative music from the 1980s onwards know about his work and the people he went on to inspire.

This is a project inspired by BBC Radio 6 Music’s Marc Riley and the tracks have been licensed from the BBC and approved by Daniel’s family, management and charity. The sessions were spread across an eight-year period with two sessions for Rob Da Bank and three with Marc Riley (both of whom are executive producers of this album).

A few bootleg recordings of these sessions have been available across the years but now they have been lovingly mastered and cut by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios in London. Daniel was a lifelong fan of The Beatles and the overwhelming consensus from those who knew him was that he would be so proud and excited to have his music mastered above the legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road. This project’s objective is to celebrate Daniel’s musical legacy, rather than explore further his well-documented mental health problems. However, profits from the album will go to Daniel’s Hi, How Are You Project based in Austin. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Mountain Top (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
2. Fish (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
3. Walking The Cow (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
4. Casper The Friendly Ghost (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
5. Go (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
6. Love Enchanted (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
7. Hey Joe (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
8. Rock ‘N’ Roll / EGA (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
9. Speeding Motorcycle (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
10. True Love Will Find You In The End (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
11. Devil Town (Rob Da Bank Session 2008)
12. True Love Will Find You In The End (Marc Riley Session 2008)
13. Go (Marc Riley Session 2008)
14. Life In Vain (Marc Riley Session 2009)
15. Living Life (Marc Riley Session 2009)
16. Speeding Motorcycle (Marc Riley Session 2011)
17. Rock This Town (Marc Riley Session 2011)
18. Love Enchanted (The Blue Room 2003)
19. Forever Your Love (The Blue Room 2003)
20. Mountain Top (The Blue Room 2003)
21. True Love Will Find You In The End (The Blue Room 2003)

This is the very first reissue on 7” single of these super rare and gorgeous early Reggae tracks by one of the most underrated voices of Jamaica. Both these tracks were produced by Dandy Livingstone and released in 1969 on the Downtown label, a Trojan sublabel, on two separate singles. This reissue brings these two rare gems together for the first time on one 7” single. The original pressings have become highly collectible, with copies fetching big sums in the collectors' market.

TRACK LISTING

You'll Lose A Good Thing
Love Me Tonight

Soul Sugar meets Dub Shepherds featuring Jolly Joseph “Give Me Your Love (Love Song)”

Curtis Mayfield is every soul music fan favorite, the beauty of his songs, his falsetto voice poetry and social engagement made him one of the most particular voices of the 70’s, it’s not surprising that many of his songs have been covered by the sweetest voices of Jamaica. It’s been told that his group The Impressions were a notable influence on Bob Marley and The Wailers, who modelled their singing/harmony style on them and in part borrowed their look …

Guillaume Metenier aka Soul Sugar loves doing reggae version of soul songs and has previously released quite a few gems in the genre featuring Jamaican rising star Leo Carmichael on vocals, with songs like Timmy Thomas “Why Can’t We Live Together”, Marvin Gaye “I Want You”, Luther Vandross classic “Never Too Much”, and already a magnificent cover of Curtis “The Makings Of You”…

Fast forward to 2024 this time around Guillaume and his vintage keyboards armoury teams up with the Dub Shepherds crew composed of singer and multi instrumentalist Jolly Joseph, Dr Charty on bass and Jahno on drums to deliver a full album of orignal songs and covers captured live in studio on analog gear. The reggae version of Curtis Mayfield classic “Give Me Your Love” is the first single from the forthcoming album “Soul Sugar meets Dub Shepherds - Blue House Rockin’ ” due for release in September. This 7" pressing, with a heavy dub mix on the B side, gives us a real flavour of the project. Lilting guitars, languid b-line, sunshine chords - a perfectly executed reggae cover version of one of the best soul tunes ever made. Simply unmissable! 

The recordings were mixed by the Dub Shepherds at Bat Records studio on 24 tracks analog tape machine.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Festival season means reggae-soul mash-ups a plenty. It's not just Taggy Matcher and Mato who are the dons at this business, here Soul Sugar meets Dub Shepherds for an exquisite take on the Curtis Mayfield classic.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Give Me Your Love (Love Song)
B1. Give Me Your Dub (Dub Mix)

Love is a first kiss, a late night call, an ache of longing that can break your heart or a long drive with the top down to anywhere but here. Love can equally be contained, repressed and longed for as much as it can save, nurture and embolden. Love is a measure of our humanity or how lost we have become.

In her new album, How Love Bends, Reb Fountain muses on the transformative power of love. Imprinted with our fear, desire, hurt and hope as much as it is an expression of our suffering and joy, love is an ever-evolving shapeshifter that lives in our marrow; magnetic and emergent it is loosed by its archer to ride on the wind.

Reb's medium is that of a surrealist, playing with the stories that we tell ourselves she harnesses the sage wisdom of the dream; we embark upon a limitless exploration of love, life and loss within a landscape entirely of Reb's making. Reb's love is the stuff of chaos and oceans, vulnerability and revolution; stirring up the depths of the human condition and dancing with the richness of who we really are. Unapologetic, vulnerable, heartbroken and commanding; this is How Love Bends.

How Love Bends is at once haunting and alluring, mystical and triumphant. Reb is a seeker, actively reaching for the expanse. A reverent explorer she traverses the turbulent and tidal with heartbreaking vulnerability and blazon courage. The result is an emergent odyssey; a dynamic dreamscape unfolding and revealing itself mid-evolution. Reb has explored new approaches to songwriting revealing nuanced layers with endless depths.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Come Down
2. How Love Bends
3. City
4. Ring Ring
5. Over Joy/ed
6. Nothing Like

SIDE B
7. He Commands You To Jump Into The Sea
8. Drake
9. Forever
10. Everyday Fitness
11. Memorial
(BONUS 7”)
How Bizarre
The Gambler

The lovely, longing ‘I Still Think About You’ was a regular highlight of the band’s earliest live sets and was one of the first songs they wrote together. “We wrote it three years ago, before we had released any music,” explains the band’s Ben Easton. “It had a certain youthful optimism that we loved, but after a few road tests we decided to shelve it. However, we knew that there was still something in it, so we brought it back earlier this year and we’re chuffed with the result.” “We wanted to capture the purity of wanting to see someone again, hoping they appear around the corner, or in your local park or pub, without any form of doubt that creeps into one’s mind as we grow older,” adds singer Dottie. “We enjoyed exploring and challenging ourselves to achieve a softer and uplifting narrative – it’s possibly the most joyful thing we’ve ever written.”

On the flip side, the ‘No Ordinary Love’ reframes the slick R&B of the original as a dark and delicious dreampop / trip-hop crossover. “The original was pretty much on repeat during our tour late last year and we thought it’d be an interesting thing to try,” explains the band’s Ben Easton of the decision to cover the song. “It’s a good representation of where we’re going, sonically, and it was also our first recording experience with Harry [Catchpole] on drums and so we particularly focused on what he brings to the table. We experimented with different snares, mics and other effects to create our own kind of drum sample which is something that feels important to the deary sound going forward.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A beautiful, hazy mix of glistening shoegaze and soaring pop, brought together and reworked into two versions that echo the naivety of their early iterations but with a deft touch earned through their recent explosion into mainstream consciousness. A brilliant, heartwarming pair of tracks.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Still Think About You
2. No Ordinary Love (Sade Cover)

Papa Records is excited to announce its latest release: two tracks featuring the Diplomats Of Soul, Incognito, and Vanessa Haynes.

"Sweet Power Your Embrace" and "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again (Like I Fell In Love With You)." On Side A, you'll find "Sweet Power Your Embrace," a remix of James Mason's iconic Jazz-Funk masterpiece by Terry Hunter & Emmaculate 7". Side B features a remix by Micky More.

TRACK LISTING

Sweet Power Your Embrace (Terry Hunter & Emmaculate 7" Mix)
Never Gonna Fall In Love Again (Like I Fell In Love With You) (Micky More & Andy Tee 7" Mix)

The collaboration between influential DJ/producer Eli Escobar and acclaimed vocalist/songwriter Nomi Ruiz has been a long time in the making. The two Puerto Rican New York native’s first collaboration, the electrifying track ‘Desire’ in 2011, set the stage for a series of projects, including their recent joint effort ‘Dance 4 Love ’99’. Now, they are set to release their debut LP, ‘Love Louder’.

‘Love Louder’ captures Eli and Nomi’s experiences of love and loss, reflecting their enduring connection to New York City and its vibrant, yet fading, nightlife culture. The album, while featuring dancefloor gems like ‘Heathens’ and ‘Full Fantasy’, takes an emotional turn, focusing on the themes of loss and presence in a rapidly changing world. The title track opens with lyrics invoking the late Donny Hathaway, reflecting a more profound introspection from the duo. They share their pain over loss, particularly the passing of mutual friend James Dewitt (DJ BluJemz), whose absence profoundly affected their creative process.

Escobar recently opened a club in Brooklyn named Gabriela, honoring a friend who passed away during the pandemic, emphasizing their commitment to preserving New York's cultural landscape. ‘Love Louder’ serves as a love letter to their hometown, intertwining celebration with mourning. In the poignant track ‘Go Be Gone’, Ruiz expresses the difficulty of embracing change and saying goodbye.

As they honor the past, they also aim for a brighter future through their music.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Love Louder
A2. Full Fantasy
A3. Go Be Gone
A4. Blindeside
B1. Heathens
B2. Juice
B3. The Spell
B4. Glitter And Gold

Having spent much of 2024 doing what they do best, touring across the UK/Europe, and playing a 44 date national Australian tour supporting Grinspoon, it’s bewildering that Press Club had time to put the finishing touches on their new album.

'To All The Ones That I Love' was recorded at the band’s own studio in Footscray with guitarist Greg Rietwyk on production and mixing, before the album was mastered by Kris Crummett (Closure in Moscow, Dune Rats, Currents). Encapsulating the maturity of the band, the album offers the listener a ride through various genres and traverses themes of introspection, growth, change and learning from past mistakes. Lead singer Natalie Foster reflects on the new single, "Tightrope is about hitting that point where you’re done trying to fix things, becoming frustrated and numb taking on everybody else's thoughts, worries and expectations. It’s that feeling of barely holding it together, like you’re walking a tightrope on the edge of a breakdown. Musically, it's a bit of an ode to The Hives, written after meeting them at Hurricane festival in Germany." Uncharacteristic of their usual songwriting practices, 'Tightrope' was built around the guitar riff in the verse. It had a particular punctuation that sort of informed what the overall feel of the chorus was going to. “It was one of those songs that came together pretty organically on its own, we didn't have to bang our heads against our instruments for a week or anything.” Adds the band’s bassist Iain MacRae. Meanwhile, ‘Vacate’ was written with the intention of a long repetitive form, one that builds on itself the entire time. Sonically inspired by the atmospheric guitar parts played by Robert Fripp on ‘Heroes' by David Bowie, and the staccato deep lead guitar lines that appear across the New Order and Joy Division catalogues.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Am Everything
2. Wilt
3. Champagne & Nikes
4. Wasted Days
5. No Pressure
6. Vacate
7. To All The Ones That I Love
8. Tightrope
9. Staring At The Ceiling
10. Desolation

In 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' (1976), Roy Ayers seamlessly blends genres, creating a timeless sound that continues to influence musicians and DJs around the world. He makes the vibraphone the central instrument, a jazz-funk approach hat defines his unique style.

Over time, the album has remained an essential reference in Roy Ayers' discography and in the history of 70s Black music.

Summertime soul classic!

TRACK LISTING

1. Hey, Uh-What You Say Come On
2. The Golden Rod
3. Keep On Walking
4. You And Me My Love
5. The Third Eye
6. It Ain't Your Sign (It's Your Mind)
7. People And The World
8. Everybody Loves The Sunshine
9. Tongue Power
10. Lonesome Cowboy

Adeen Records is back with its 'The Bird' series and this time Cad73 is the one at the buttons. First up he flips the age old classic 'Love and Happiness' into a smooth and seductive sound with lush chords and warming melodies. Flip it over and you will find a rework of 'How Can I Forget You' which becomes a Northern Soul great with big hooks and driving rhythms that will get big reactions in the club. Two different but equally effective and cultured cuts.

TRACK LISTING

Love & Happiness
How Can I Forget You

'Profound Non-Event', the debut album by Sydney-based three piece Daily Toll, comprises 11 songs traversing three years of forged friendships, collaborative experimentation and a shared love of growing through words and song.

Those attuned to the ever-vibrant Australian underground may already be well familiar with Daily Toll, their consistent live presence since their inception in 2021 embroidered by a handful of (mostly) home-recorded, (mostly) digital self-releases that have steadily accumulated an appreciative following. Initially the project of self taught musician, poet & artist Kata Szász-Komlós(they/them) and Jasper Craig-Adams(he/him), and expended to a three piece with the more recent addition of friend Tom Stephens(he/him), Daily Toll represents the union of three unique creative dispositions, of relationships blooming through the push and pull of creative practice. Mapping the band’s existence through their recorded output is to bear witness to the flux of three people learning to respond to one another and gently ossify into a collective vision that at once calls to mind folk song intimacy, post-punk dynamics and the artful poeticism of an adjacent Flying Nun legacy.

If those earlier recordings reflect a band imagining themselves into being in real time, 'A Profound Non-Event' observes a clear shift in both conviction and approach. Recorded in just three days with Alex Bennett at the purely analogue Sound Recordings studio in Castlemaine and holing up at night in the century old cottage situated beside the studio, sheltering from the late-June wind and rain within walls littered with instruments and microphones, lighting fires to stay warm. Kata describes the experience as defined by “candle light and creative camaraderie”, an idyllic account of a collection of songs that glide with an undeniably warm, easy charm, evidenced in particular in the record’s second half as the tone turns increasingly introspective, the very sound of a cold evening’s drift into night. When contrasted with the moody swirl and sing-song bounce of the opening trio of tracks, there’s clear evidence of a band not simply in the process of becoming, but committed to finding their truth in that process.

Still, if Daily Toll display a reluctance to be wholly defined, then album centerpiece ‘Killincs‘ (positioned in the middle for a reason) might just be their Rosetta Stone. A verbose rumination on unsettled feelings of isolation and longing, exploring the challenges in making peace with one's decisions amidst the uncertainty of an often harsh world and the realisation that some things remain best unresolved - “I have the keys still, but I’ve buried the path”.

TRACK LISTING

1. Another World
2. Fleeting
3. I’m Bored
4. Easy Man
5. Killincs
6. My Sister’s Loom
7. Mountain Song
8. Belljar Convenience
9. Fated To Pretend
10. Waiting Game
11. A Light

A stonkingly huge disco track, masterminded by that familiar duo of Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael, featuring the vocal talents of Pam Todd & Love Exchange. Originally released in 1977, would be a regular spin for one Ron Hardy at the Muzic Box nightclub, and again for Frankie Knuckles at The Warehouse.

The original version was criminally short, so Danny Krivit decided to grace it with one of his superior extensions, drawing it out into the lavish glitterball orgy that it was always bound for. A hugely indemand 12", now available once again for a limited time. Get those orders in quick! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: One of my favourite productions by the coolest duo in disco: Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael. If you loved those Bumblebee Unlimited and Cloud One styled grooves - this'uns for U!

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1.Let's Get Together (Mr K Edit)
2.Let's Get Together (Mr K Remix Edit)

Side 2
1.Let's Get Together (club Mix)

‘Spring Revisited’ is a collaboration between Ace Records and Acid Jazz, with a series of special vinyl releases throughout 2025. The series will feature 20 top mixers creating exclusive mixes from the storied New York label Spring, which made its name in the 1970s with hits from The Fatback Band, Millie Jackson and Joe Simon. For this, the second vinyl release in the series, Acid Jazz present another special 12” single, with Dave Lee’s inspired version of The Joneses’ ‘Love Contest’, where he brings a fresh, modern energy to this soulful gem while staying true to its timeless groove. On the other side, Coleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy delivers a new spin on Street People’s ‘I Wanna Get Over’. Her mix keeps the heartache of the original but lifts it sky-high with breezy percussion, silky synths, and a laid-back disco groove - perfect for the dancefloor.

TRACK LISTING

The Joneses - Love Contest (Dave Lee’s Extended Disco Mix)
Street People - I Wanna Get Over (Cosmodelica Mix)

Featuring: Coby Sey, Mica Levi and Mark Pell (Good Sad Happy Bad / Micachu & The Shapes)

‘Affectionately’ is the debut album by London based songwriter and musician Raisa K. With self produced instrumentals supporting Raisa’s signature vocal performance, the record delves into the intricate emotional cycles of relationships with heartfelt sincerity. Melodies appear simple and direct, while the themes explored present a great level of complexity. Whether about trust, kindness, doubt, frustration, annoyance, regret, honesty, insecurity, loneliness or friendship, each of the album’s twelve songs lie somewhere in between a diary and a letter.‘Affectionately’ is almost entirely produced on Raisa’s laptop and written in her home in London, as well as finding small pockets of time on trains and buses, during breaks at work, during the kids' nap-times, at the playground, in the park. The production's backbone is formed by a synthesiser sample, weaving together a range of recordings and sonic textures.

This creates a consistent expression where diverse electronic styles merge with Raisa's crisp, candid vocals in unique and personal songwriting. Some listeners might recognise Raisa’s voice and musical language from records by the band Good Sad Happy Bad, which she is a part of. While ‘Affectionately’ certainly moves in its own space, a kinship with fellow London artists is also present, as the record includes a feature with Coby Sey as well as instrumental contributions from long-time collaborators Marc Pell and Mica Levi.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Intriguing DIY / bedroom, experimental synth-pop curio which will appeal to regular visitors to the Dean Blunt sphere.

TRACK LISTING

Affectionately
How Did You Know
Feel It
Tall Enough
As It Seems
Both Still
Honest
Step
Dreaming
Stay Feat. Coby Sey
Come Down
Final Generations

"'LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY' is a concept album about an idea where we want to transport the listeners to a club, or collective, that's manifesting a better world through art. It's both a metaphor for the power of collective energy in dance music that can give life to the people, and literal in the sense that there's a collective behind the Close Counters album. A place where you learn, it's mysterious and intriguing. Never quite giving everything away. Each song is a confession of life and love's growths, 'FREEDOM WE'RE NEEDING', 'FEELING TAKES OVER ME', and 'ON THE MOVE' cover the longing for freedom through movement. 'WAITING ALL NIGHT' and 'CONSTANT LOVE' are more personal accounts of love's journey. 'I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU' is a collective message to lift those around you or someone in need."

Allan & Finn

TRACK LISTING

1. WATERFALL
2. CONSTANT LOVE Feat. Jace XL
3. ON THE MOVE Feat. Tiana Khasi
4. CLOSE TO ME
5. DUSK 
6. WAITING ALL NIGHT Feat. Allysha Joy 
7. FEELING TAKES OVER ME Feat. Lyric Jones 
8. FREEDOM WE'RE NEEDING Feat. Shiv 
9. I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU

Dez Dare launches into 2025 with his 5th album, ‘CHERYL! Your Love Shines Down Like A Supernova's Death'. Blending his unique mix of existential wordplay and experimental riffage to create an album that is at arms with itself while cohesive; cheeky and upbeat, simultaneously breaking our hearts. How often do we think about what we miss when we are distracted by shiny things? While fencing with social media, long winded stories, dreams of other lives, unnecessary toys, and irrelevant social experiments with happiness, we miss the things that make up our world. This album looks at those morsels of time and the bits that fill them, soaking existence… as well as manspreaders. Those people should be added to the 7th circle of hell… or suburbia. Either is probably a similar commute!

Dez Dare (AKA Darren Smallman of labels God Unknown, BATTLE WORLDWIDE, Low Transit Industries, and bands Thee Vinyl Creatures, The Sound Platform, Warped) grew up in Geelong, Australia, where he became involved in the local punk and rock scene in 1990. Sharing stages with the likes of 5678s, Cosmic Psychos, Fugazi, The Dirty Three and the Hard-ons, before shifting his focus to running record labels. In the 2020s we see Dez Dare take form in a spare room in Brighton, UK, where Dez starts building his own studio and producing music and videos that have been described as "sounds like MONSTER MAGNET and DEVO caught in a drug bust… highly unique and highly recommended" by MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL [Nick Odorizzi] to The Wire’s Edwin Pouncey "dynamically armed with a ten-pronged set of lyrical barbs and musical hooks that, once heard, sink deep and hold fast" to Crossfire Metal "minimalistic, electronic psychedelic hippie poop that is only bearable with a hell of a lot of acid, angel dust and LSD". On this album Dez was joined by Laura Loriga on backing vocals and Jonny Halifax on backing vocals and lap steel, expanding on the sound of previous records and adding a new dimension to his trademark weird-n-roll.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cheryl! [Loading...
2. Brutalised Robotics
3. Talk, Clown.
4. Notopia
5. Your Love Shines Down Like A Supernova’s Death
6. Rights Down 50
7. What Ya Gonna Do With Yr Days
8. Light Touch Of The Man Spreader
9. Golden Cerebellum
10 .I Only Cry From A Distance X Time = Frustration
11. Blistered Eyeballs

'What's Not To Love?' is an album of music from John C. Reilly's vaudeville-inspired show where he embodies a character called Mister Romantic. Mister Romantic marks the Academy®, GRAMMY®, and TONY® award nominee’s most personal project to date. The show, which was created to foster empathy and love for one another, has been described by Vanity Fair as “fiercely funny,” while Theaterly hailed it as one of the best performances of 2024 following a one-night show in New York City. John is backed by a band of multi-time GRAMMY®-winners performing songs from the Great American Songbook as his character sets out on a mission to get someone (anyone!) to fall in love with him.

TRACK LISTING

1. Just Another Sucker On The Vine
2. Dream
3.La Vie En Rose
4.Johnsburg, Illinois
5.You Don’t Know Me
6.Falling In Love Again
7.I Guess I’ll Get The Papers And Go Home
8.Picture In A Frame
9.The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)
10.What’ll I Do?
11.Moonlight Serenade
12.I’ll Be Seeing You
13.Ragtime

Following last year’s JUNO award winning album 'When We Were That What Wept From The Sea', 'The Love It Took To Leave You' features 11 new pieces of emotionally scorching music.

The album was recorded over a week in 2023 at The Darling Foundry, a 144-year-old former metalworks facility in Montreal with a voluminous main room that still maintains its raw architecture of brick, concrete and steel. From the album’s opening track Stetson charts a carefully sequenced ride, travelling through intense territories punctuated with tragic melodies that seek transcendence, epic and frenzied shredders, and many shades of scary beauty, betrayal, and redemption. This is the art of storytelling wrought instrumentally. 'The Love It Took To Leave You' is a perfect storm of technical, musical and compositional complexity and achievement. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It would be putting it mildly to say I don't completely understand what Stetson actually does to produce the sound he does, and this comes from someone who played saxophone for a few years. He's an unfathomable genius at his chosen instrument, obviously but there is always such a strong narrative thread and emotional intensity tied to Stetson's work, that it never seems like the instrumental athleticism is ever the core facet of his music. It's rich, emotional, hypnotic dynamic instrumental music that only Stetson could do.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Love It Took To Leave You
2. The Six
3. The Augur
4. Hollowing
5. To Think We Knew From Fear
6. Malediction
7. Green And Grey And Fading Light
8. Strike Your Forge And Grin
9. Ember
10. So Say The Soaring Bullbats
11. Bloodrest

Hot on the heels of their Razor N Tape release, Lovetempo drop this EP on New York’s Toucan Sounds. The ultra groovy title track wears its 90s NY house influence on its sleeve, complete with deeply addictive sax riffing and a catchy male vocal (that sounds a bit like Jay from Jamiriquai). Two other original silky disco grooves round out the A-side, with a pair of phenomenal remixes of the title track from the legendary Eric Kupper on the B. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Feel good disco and house with lashings of soul and buckets of joy. Perfect for those day time festival slots where the sun's up and spirits are high.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1.Live Or Die By Love
2.We Can Make It Happen
3.Part-Time Love Affair

Side 2
1.Live Or Die By Love (Eric Kupper Remix)
2.Live Or Die By Love (Eric Kupper Instrumental Remix)

10 song LP featuring mostly new & some vintage tracks. Comes pre-release style in Wackie's 12" company sleeve, w/ double sided insert.

Brand new album from long time mainstay of the Wackie's camp, Coozie Mellers. Great modern reggae album with a mix of rootsy and lovers vibes, including a couple more vintage digi style tracks, including the great "You Move" which was previously issued on 7" single.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: New material from this allusive Wackie's signing. Apart from two 7"s in the late 80s and a rare-ass dancehall cut, this is the only material from this charming vocalist. Uplifting and full of feeling, this is superb stuff for fans of lover's rock.

TRACK LISTING

A1. If It Ain't Love
A2. Get Easier
A3. You're The One
A4. Be With You Tonite
A5. Special Friend
B1. I'll Be There
B2. Live In Love
B3. Your Love Is Dangerous
B4. Cheating You Girl
B5. You Move

Detroit mainstay John Beltran is back to present Sol Set having already impressed with their Ola de Novo album. This summery and soul-drenched outing opens with the florid flutes and shimmering rhythms of 'Through Fire' before a wonderful cover of Sade's 'War of the Hearts' with Taylor Taylor on vocals brings tropical percussive delights. South African house vocalist Earl Green brings expressive soul style to the feel good 'Love Revolution' while closer 'Maragogi' taps into an authentic Brazilian sound with feather drums and subtle samba shuffle.

TRACK LISTING

Through Fire
War Of The Hearts
Love Revolution
Maragogi

When three of the most forward-thinking minds in electronic and alternative music collide, the result is bound to be expansive. Demise Of Love is the thrilling new project from Daniel Avery, James Greenwood's Ghost Culture, and Working Men’s Club—a studio collaboration forged from mutual admiration and an unrelenting drive to break new ground. Born from a shared desire to create something raw, boundary-pushing and deeply emotive, the trio entered the studio with no expectations, only a love for each other’s work and a fearless approach to sound. The result is a heady fusion of industrial dreamscapes, acid house intensity, and starkly beautiful melodies. Shaped by the combined creative forces of the trio’s masterful production and brooding presence, Demise Of Love carves out its own uncompromising space in electronic music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Strange Little Consequence
2. Carry The Blame
3. Be A Man
4. Like I Loved You

Porches' 2011 EP, 'Scrap and Love Songs Revisited', on vinyl for the first time ever - only available on Bandcamp until now.

TRACK LISTING

1. Branches
2. Sixteen
3. Good Book
4. Daddies
5. Kerosene Musk
6. Weed
7. Peach Pit
8. Tall Boys
9. Annah

You might have previously encountered her through 'Love is a Natural Magical Thing' or her 80s band Exposé.

An unreleased 1989 gem by Laurie Miller, the freestyle queen from Miami, now on a 7` with a Jackson Bailey aka Tapes version on the flip!

Restored from the original master tapes, licensed directly by the artist.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Blink-and-you'll miss it! A freestyle gem that'll capture your heart and energize your feet. Given extra legs through a highly kinetic dub refix by the legendary Tapes. One power-packing 7" for your all nite discotheque!

TRACK LISTING

True Love
True Love (Tapes Dub)

All You Need is Love is a ground-breaking oral history of the Beatles and how it all came to an end. Based on never-before-published or heard interviews with Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and their families, friends, and business associates, this is a landmark book, containing stunning new revelations, about the biggest band the world has ever seen. In 1980-1981 former COO of Apple Corp, Peter Brown and author Steven Gaines interviewed everyone in the Beatles' inner circle and included a small portion of the transcripts in their international bestselling book The Love You Make, which spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list.

But left in their archives was a treasure trove of unique and candid interviews that they chose not to publish, until now. A powerful work assembled through honest, intimate, sometimes contradictory and always fascinating testimony, All You Need is Love is a one-of-a-kind insight into the final days, weeks, months and years of the Beatles phenomenon.

The roots of salsa in Japan trace back to Latin music pioneers such as Tadaaki Misago’s Tokyo Cuban Boys, who played mambo and rumba post-World War II. However, salsa truly took hold in Japan in the 1970s, catalyzed by the Fania All-Stars’ 1977 tour. Among those captivated was percussionist Masahito “Pecker” Hashida. Known for his reggae contributions through albums like “Pecker Power” and “Rasta Instantané Avec L’Effroyable Pecker,” Pecker’s influence expanded after experiencing the vibrant salsa scene in New York City in 1977. Upon his return to Japan, he spearheaded the creation of Orquesta Del Sol, marking the inception of the salsa genre in Japan.

Orquesta Del Sol’s popularity soared with performances that encompassed both covers and original pieces. The group’s rise was buoyed by Japanese session drummer Shuichi “Ponta” Murakami, whose participation in 1980 elevated their profile and led to a contract with Discomate, an arm of TBS Group. This label also featured artists like Toshiko Akiyoshi and Junko Yagami.

The band’s debut album, “Rainbow Love,” was co-produced by Ponta and released in 1981. Apart from a cover of “Rumbambola” by Noro Morales, the album features original compositions performed in Japanese, Spanish, and English. The album cover, illustrated by renowned graphic artist and salsa enthusiast Yosuke Kawamura, mirrored the band’s pioneering spirit.

Masashi Takahashi, a noted Japanese Latin music specialist, observes in the newly commissioned liner notes that Orquesta Del Sol reflects shades of New Music, a genre linked to city pop. Takahashi notes that the musicians, deeply embedded in Tokyo’s vibrant studio scene, naturally gravitated towards creating a uniquely Japanese salsa sound. This sound, heavily inspired by Nuyorican salsa, has endured over the decades, warranting a worldwide reissue.

The reissue of “Rainbow Love” marks its first worldwide release on vinyl and digital formats, supplemented by seven bonus tracks previously only available on a CD reissue named “Legend Vol. 1” from the band’s label, Uno Music, in 2000.

The band recorded these tracks some time after the release of their second album, Harajuku Live in the early 80s when they were offered album deals from many record companies. Four of the tracks were covers of songs of some of the favorite salsa artists of the band members that they performed at the time when they first started.

Juan Pachanga is a cover of Fania All-Stars included in the album Rhythm Machine, Campanero is a cover of José Mangual Jr. included in the album Tribute To Chano Pozo, Yo Soy La Rumba is a cover of Machito & His Orchestra included in their album Yo Soy La Rumba! and Duerme is a cover of the band Libre included in the album Con Salsa..Con Ritmo Vol. 2- Tiene Calidad.

All tracks have been remastered, with the original Japanese liner notes now available in English and accompanied by Takahashi’s new insights.

The timing of this release dovetails with the growing global interest in historic Japanese music, spotlighting the origins of salsa in Japan. Orquesta Del Sol, whose former members later formed the Grammy-nominated group Orquesta De La Luz, have continued to influence the genre significantly. Their debut album remains a cornerstone, inviting new listeners to experience the innovative fusion of Latin sounds nurtured in Japan.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Rainbow Love
2. One More Kiss Again
3. Que Alegria
4. Mundo Cruel
5. Night Ripple
6. Get-A-Odyssey
7. Rumbabola
8. Dawn

Disc: 2
1. Luna De Miel
2. Campanero
3. Yo Soy La Rumba
4. Dame Un Beso
5. Duerma
6. Drizzling Rain
7. Juan Pachanga

Live at the Acropolis captures the band's unforgettable live performance at the historic Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an open-air amphitheater beneath the Acropolis in Athens

Recorded on the 10th of July, 2023, this album transports listeners to that magical night, where James along with along with a 22 piece orchestra conducted by Joe Duddell and an 8 piece choir, delivered a powerful set against the backdrop of ancient history.

TRACK LISTING

Magic Bus
We're Going To Miss You
The Shining
Dust Motes
The Lake
Beautiful Beaches
Say Something
Space
Ten Below
Moving On
Nothing but Love
Born Of Frustration
Sit Down
Love Make A Fool
Medieval
Someone's Got It In For Me
Alaskan Pipeline
She's A Star
Hello
Riders
Laid
All The Colours of You
Many Faces
Tomorrow
Sometimes
Top Of The World

Marina y su Melao is a band from Barcelona led by Puerto Rican Marina Molina. After a period of live activity, in 2025 they will release their debut album, "Rezo al agua", where Puerto Rico's bomba, an eminently rhythmic genre, expands to fuse with the colours and flavours of other Afro-Caribbean sounds. Tradition and folklore are embodied in a powerful and innovative conception.

In "Rezo al agua", Marina Molina expresses an attachment to the land, the landscape, the culture, the beliefs and the environment where she was born, Puerto Rico. She does this through bomba, one of the country's most identifying musical expressions. Bomba is as old as the slavery of those who gave birth to it in order to tell their tribulations and hopes, armed with the instrument they had at hand: the drums. It is a kind of meta-genre that includes a multitude of rhythmic varieties.

But Marina is something more than bomba, the legacy she received from her elders and which she does not wish to turn into a frozen object of veneration, an untouchable totem, mystical and ruled by norms bequeathed by the years. Marina, who has Colombian blood in her veins, is an artist of today, of a world in which cultures can mix, people migrate, influence each other, travel, exchange their cultural traces, can see online what happens at the other end of the world and thus open the window that facilitates the mixing of identities. These mixtures redraw borders and genres, allowing popular music to avoid its fossilization.

Marina grows in this fertile territory. She has a ductile and powerful voice, as clear as her strong, independent mindset. This is a remarkable element in the lyrics of the album, which despite being written from a current perspective, contain the sense that popular lyrics have always had: they explain life with the small letters of the everyday. And all this is presented in the bomba genre. Impure. There is an African guitar, a pedal steel guitar, a Wurlitzer, an accordion and everything that Marina and Miguelito Superstar, the album's producer, thought was necessary to accentuate the musicality of a full voice and drums that resonate raw with the vibration of tradition. A tradition now in the hands of a woman who aspires to her own space in life, to write her own chapter.

TRACK LISTING

1. Caribe Y Sabrosura
2. Bomba Para La Muchacha (feat Odette Telleria)
3. He Venido
4. Asi No Voy
5. Rezo Al Agua
6. Adelante, Caminante
7. Hablen, Habladores
8. No Puedo Respirar
9. Dolor De Cabeza
10. Aguita Eh
11. Y Van Y Vienen

DJ Merci collabs with Kickin’ Up Dust & shows his soulful side with a 4 song EP which includes the track ’’Let’s Love’’ with vocals by house music icon Robert Owens. Deep n soulful vibes throughout but with nuff bump to stop it drifting into the background of some wackass Hed Candi mixtape. TIP! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Super strong deep soulful house EP with Chicago royalty Robert Owens drafted in for extra credits. Hard to pick a favourite from the funky Galaxy2Galaxy inspired "Move Me" or the driving deepness of "Wistful Melody".

TRACK LISTING

1. Waves
2. Let's Love Ft. Robert Owens
3. Move Me
4. Wistful Melody
5. Dreams (Bonus Track) / Only With DL Code
6. Let's Love Ft. Robert Owens (Demo Version) / Only With DL Code

When a 23-year-old songwriter is heralded as a major new talent by an icon of British music, it’s time to take note. Noel Gallagher has not only championed the young Geordie, but he also produced and played guitar on his track ‘Where’s My Family Gone’. Cushin’s songs are full of astute observations and honest meditations about life’s day-to-day tribulations. But despite the weight of the subject matter, his music possesses a tangible sense of hope too. He’s the product of his upbringing in Newcastle, and fittingly the city is embracing him as one of their own.

TRACK LISTING

TRACKLIST TBA

Expanded to include all related single, EP and bonus tracks – plus a selection from The Loft's archive of live in-studio performances and previously unreleased alternate mixes and demos. Includes Wilco classics "Art of Almost", "Dawned on Me”, "Sunloathe” and many others. The triple Black LP Vinyl format was previously a RSD exclusive release and is very limited. 

Wilco’s legendary 2011 album now on 2CD. Expanded to include all related single, EP and bonus tracks – plus a selection from The Loft's archive of live in-studio performances and previously unreleased alternate mixes and demos. Includes Wilco classics 'Art of Almost', 'Dawned on Me', 'Sunloathe' and many others.

TRACK LISTING

1. Art Of Almost
2. I Might
3. Sunloathe
4. Dawned On Me
5. Black Moon
6. Born Alone
7. Open Mind
8. Capitol City
9. Standing O
10. Rising Red Lung
11. WholeLove
12. One Sunday Morning
13. I Love My Label
14. Speak Into The Rose
15. Message From Mid-Bar
16. Sometimes It Happens
17. Black Moon (iTunes Session)
18. Born Alone (SiriusXM Session)
19. Dawned On Me (SiriusXM Session)
20. I Might (SiriusXM Session
21. Cruel To Be Kind (feat. Nick Lowe)
22. Art Of Almost (Demo)
23. Rising Red Lung (early Rough)
24. Sunloathe (early Rough)
25. WholeLove (iTunes Session)

Two early 80s slices of disco funk, from the taleted James (Gem) Prewitt, "My Love Box" was recorded recorded in St Louis, Missouri in 1981 and "Juicy" 1983. James Prewitt, a 27-year-old attending Forrest Park Community College in St Louis, took a leap and established his own label called Keyes Production. He demonstrated his remarkable talent by writing, producing, and playing on all of his releases.

Having tasted local success with 'My Love Box", James decided to collaborate with Loretta Mathison, another talented individual from St. Louis. Their partnership led them to sign a two-year singing tour that took them to the Philippines and Germany. It was during their time overseas that the creative ideas for the captivating track "Musical Love" (coming soon) and ''Juicy" were born, infusing their experiences into the music and resulting in a truly captivating composition.

TRACK LISTING

1. My Love Box
2. Juicy

“Disguise In Love” released in 1978, is the debut album of British punk poet John Cooper Clarke. Renowned for his quick-witted delivery and sharp humor, Clarke fuses punk rock with spoken word, resulting in a one-of-a-kind sonic experience. The album includes tracks such as “I Don’t Want To Be Nice,” “Valley of the Lost Women,” and “(I Married a) Monster from Outer Space,” highlighting Clarke’s talent for social commentary and dark comedy. Produced by Martin Hannett, known as one of the creators of the ‘Manchester sound’, the album captures the unrefined energy of the late ‘70s punk scene. “Disguise In Love” stands out not only for its incisive, observational poetry but also for its stripped-down and edgy musical accompaniment, solidifying its status as a pivotal work in Clarke’s career and a significant contribution to the punk genre.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. I Don't Want To Be Nice
2. Psycle Sluts
3. (I've Got A Brand New) Tracksuit
4. Teenage Werewolf
5. Readers Wives
6. Post-War Glamour Girl

Side B
1. (I Married A) Monster From Outer Space
2. Salome Maloney
3. Health Fanatic
4. Strange Bedfellows
5. Valley Of The Lost Women

UV & Nenor link up once more and return to Fossils with three new edits that take the form of spaced-out deep cosmic chuggers. These are all classy tunes with an analogue edge, great deference to the classic synth sounds of days gone by but all with nice modern touches. 'Space Love' is a widescreen odyssey with sultry female vocals and a sweet theremin sound. On the flip, 'Shwag' has hazy pads and slowed down, rugged, sleazy drums and bass and then last of all comes 'GoGo Stomp' with another bubbly bottom end, squelchy bassline and weird but wonderful vocal sounds. A brilliantly high-grade addition to your record back.

STAFF COMMENTS

Mine says: Ohhhh yes. Cosmic and chuggy, but with vocals, catchy, but weird - this has all the right ingredients for me. Late night smoke machine tackle par excellence!

TRACK LISTING

Space Love
Shwag
GoGo Stomp

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

Demi Riquisimo brings together a motley crew of label favourites and newcomers alike on the ‘Love State’ V/A, the 22nd release on his Semi Delicious imprint.

The EP brings together the talents of Demi himself with Clint, Swoose, Lulah Francs, Dukwa, Anastasia Zem & Asa Tate across six discerning cuts exploring modern club music, rooted in the traditions of what came before.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Demi Riquisimo & Clint - Love State
A2. Swoose - Re/Vision
A3. Lulah Francs - I Do Declare
B1. Dukwa - Tangled
B2. Anastasia Zems - Eternal Beauty
B3. Asa Tate - Dog Years

Dekmantel UFO Series continues its resurgent form with a new album of bruising, industrial wave and techno from Broken English Club. UK techno mainstay Oliver Ho debuted his dark and brooding alias more than 10 years ago with a release on Jealous God under the guidance of the late, great Juan Mendez (Silent Servant) - 'Songs Of Love And Decay' is explicitly dedicated to Mendez, whose influence runs deep in this seductively sinister corner of underground, independent electronic music.

Within the overarching aesthetic of the Broken English Club sound, Ho finds the freedom to deliver a full spectrum album as diverse as it is consistent. You can sense the shadow of his roots in 90s tribal techno punching through on 'Crawling' and 'Death Cult', while 'England Heretic' leans on thick swathes of analogue synthesis indebted to Giallo soundtracks and the ever-compelling lure of 80s synthwave. In its grinding layers of distortion and dubbed out vocals 'Vessel Of Skin' speaks more to the post-punk influences which have set Broken English Club apart since the outset. This isn't a purely retro-fetishist expedition, though - 'Pacific Island Kill' and 'Lost Gods' exude stark modernism in their sharply-angled sequences and dramatic sound design, moving beyond the functional demands of 4/4 dance music to reach to more cinematic zones.

These are but some of the approaches Ho burrows into as he shapes out the depth and breadth of his muse on 'Songs Of Love And Decay'. It's marked by the undeniable impact of his production, perfected over a decades-deep career at the bleeding edge of machine music. At times the album celebrates the addictive thrust of the dancefloor, while elsewhere it relishes the tension of suspended animation. Throughout, the gritty veneer binds together this accomplished, uncompromising body of work as both a fierce artistic statement and a loving tribute to Mendez - an artist who equally embodied the darker side of the dance.

TRACK LISTING

A1.a Shallow Lake
A2.crawling
A3. England Heretic
B1. Death Cult
B2. Love And Decay
C1. Night Fall
C2. Vessel Of Skin
C3. Pacific Island Kill
D1. Prisoner
D2. Ghost
D3. The Occult Body

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

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

R&B duo THEY. — songwriter Drew Love and producer Dante Jones — have developed a smooth, future-facing sound for nearly a decade. In the early days, it was simple; two artists aligning on an appreciation for '90s R&B, new jack swing, and the height of soul-sampling hip-hop. Jones making beats and Love on the lines, a basic, balanced, and open-ended setup, free from major label expectations (which they'd feel on their 2017 breakout 'Nü Religion Hyena') and high-profile collaborations (explored on 2018's 'Fireside', 2020's 'The Amanda Tape', and 2023's 'Nü Moon'). They're proud of every stop along their story, while hindsight and a fresh perspective after signing to Secretly-affiliate label drink sum wtr have afforded them some distance to reflect on where THEY. goes next.

The answer is 'LOVE.JONES'. Here the duo exudes a whole new energy by reasserting their artistry in its most potent and pure form, just Love and Jones, making straight-fire, love-making music indebted to the golden neo-soul era that gave us the namesake 1997 film. “Forget the features, forget bringing in the big producers and writers. It's really just a return to our original dynamic," says Jones. Refined and reinvented, THEY. have arrived at their boldest work, a stacked, high-energy collection celebrating Black art, culture, and "the intense feelings of Black love."

TRACK LISTING

1. LOVE.JONES
2. Choosin'
3. Diamonds And Pearls
4. Rotation
5. *5 STAR*
6. Drive Thru
7. Never Change
8. Straight Up
9. Gemini
10. Can't Let Go

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

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

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

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

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

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

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

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

New York's incomparable edit king, and a hugely prolific one at that, Danny Krivit aka Mr K returns with some elongated reworks of a couple of Stevie Wonder's most timeless tunes. First up is his version of 'Master Blaster' which was originally the sound of Stevie paying tribute to Bob Marley. In his hands, it has a big intro and drums ready to rock. Flip it over and you will find 'I Was Made To Love Her' which has big r&b overtones and the sort of breakdowns that really build a vibe in the club. Adding in lashings of signature soul and you have two more steamy and effective tributes from the one and only Mr K.

STAFF COMMENTS

Paul says: Perfect for those moments when the crowd are like 'play summat we know!' - Danny Krivit twists these two Stevie staples in his time honoured style.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
Master Blaster

Side 2
I Was Made To Love Her

Debut EP from Sweden's most exciting new band, the Stockholm four-piece Clutter.

Following on from their critically acclaimed 'Jesus/Holy Brother' 7" released late 2024, the band returns with their much-anticipated debut EP 'Loves You'.

Six tracks that channel the spirit of grunge and post-hardcore through distorted guitars and fuzzy vocals, blending the tones of 90s rock into their post-modern indie core.

A band that comes close to chaos but just holds on, Clutter's electricity is built around their own crackling potential.

TRACK LISTING

1. Geeks
2. Pretty
3. Brideshead
4. Brainiac
5. Jesus
6. Kraut

International music maverick, nug-finder extraordinaire and sonic sorcerer Skyrager is back. With his latest must-grab 12" release, cheekily titled 'Love Is The Massage', the maestro drops another dose of sublime grooves via his private HITD imprint. As always, these tracks are dug up from the deepest crates, lovingly reworked, and steeped in Skyrager's signature secret sauce. Across three dazzling cuts, expect a kaleidoscopic journey of love-fuelled disco bliss and relentless dancefloor energy. A-Side: 'Love Affair' kicks things off in grand, extended style. Clocking in at just under 14 minutes, this poppy, Euro-funk-infused boogie bomb takes up the entire side. Stripped-back drums, dreamy keys, smooth synths, and yearning vocals blend effortlessly-imagine Orange Juice meeting Serge Ponsar for a secret jam session. Things heat up with 'Love Is Good', a sun-soaked Caribbean-inspired gem. This soulful soca banger boasts pitch-perfect guitar and synth hooks, topped with a wonderfully playful and up-close vocal performance that steals the show making the cut a dancefloor anthem in waiting. Finally, 'Love Is Bad' closes out the EP with pure euphoria. This private-press AOR style disco groover oozes funky, laid-back cool. Anchored by a slinky bassline and shimmering, multi-tracked vocals, it's the kind of track you can't believe you haven't heard before. Add a stunning, risque psychedelic sleeve designed by longtime collaborator Luke Insect and you have a visual as well as sonic treat.

STAFF COMMENTS

Mine says: Psychemagik's alter ego Skyrager compiles some of his smoothest edits onto a 12" you don't want to miss. Effortlessly cool.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
Love Affair

Side 2
Love Is Good
Love Is Bad

If you like your jazz mystical and spaced out then you're on the right page with this one. The Blackhole label returns with a sixth self-titled offering that is buy on sight. 'More Love Songs' has whimsical leads disappearing off into the cosmic ether over mic jazz-funk drums with some breezy vocals finishing it in style. 'Searching The Circle' then take off on another carefree and breezy groove with far-sighted melodies and gorgeous vocal harmonies that melt you to your core. Beautiful stuff.

TRACK LISTING

More Love Songs
Searching The Circle

The one and only Mr. K presents a two-sided treat here starting with Janice McClain's underrated 1983 disco track and featuring a smooth, laid-back groove that blends steppers vibes with mid-tempo Philly soul. Written by McClain's uncle Milt Tennant and Thom Page, it captures a classic sound that is further enhanced by McClain's heartfelt vocals. This edit trims the rare 12" version for a 7" debut with pristine sound and the B-side flips to a fresh take on 'Brazil', which was a 1975 hit by the Ritchie Family. Mr. K's edit extends the vamp section, offering a full, uninterrupted four minutes of irresistible disco joy.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Lord Krivit returns to his 7" series once again. With a smoochy soul number on side A and an extravagant example of pure disco POMP on side A, what's not to love?

TRACK LISTING

Giving My Love
Brazil

In this post Sounds world, the boundaries of Post Punk have not only broadened but splintered. And over the course of (now) four releases, Index For Working Musik have seen to using the sprawling boundaries to great effect, flexing a polyglot of styles to convey the language of the moment. On 'Which Direction Goes The Beam', the murky, distant ambience that was 2023's 'Indexé' has been fleshed out, incorporating everything from the Brian Aldiss laced, ground lightning shudder of Dome, to the chamber-like arrangements of This Kind Of Punishment. There's even a candle flickering in the window for Think Fellers Union Local 282 that warmed these ears. And if you’re a fan of the great Dutch band, Trespassers W (who isn't?), the collective consciousness IFWM enunciates on here is a similar testament of a band growing more sure footed in the pursuit of not only knowing all the ways in, but carving a few of their own on the way out. And it's discerning releases like 'Which Direction Goes The Beam' that keep us in the hunt. Long may they forge

TRACK LISTING

1. Thursday’s Bells
2. 2x1
3. Fog (You Just Don’t Know)
4. X Says
5. 1898
6. Sparrows Hill
7. Sister
8. Halb Leib I
9. Brain Pan Farmer
10. Purple Born
11. Atahualpa
12. Pugilist

A majestic biography of two young geniuses who merged their talents to create one of the greatest bodies of music in history. John & Paul begins in 1957, when two teenagers in suburban Liverpool meet and decide to play rock n'roll together.

It ends twenty-three years later, when one of them is murdered. In between, we see them become global stars, create countless indelible songs, and play a central role in shaping the modern world. Lennon and McCartney were more than friends, rivals or collaborators.

They were intimates who both had the fabric of their world ruptured at a young age, and who longed to make emotional connections; with each other, and with audiences. The pop song was a vessel into which they poured feelings of grief and euphoria and everything in between. When they couldn't speak what they felt, they sang it.

After the break-up of their group, they maintained a musical dialogue at a distance, in songs full of recrimination, regret, and affection. Ian Leslie traces the twists and turns of their relationship through the music it produced and offers rich insights into the nature of creativity, collaboration and human connection. Drawing on recently released footage and recordings, this is a startlingly fresh take on two of the greatest icons in music history.

Leslie's majestic and wildly enjoyable biography will make us see and hear Lennon and McCartney anew.

Joe Meek. Wayward genius; the British Phil Spector,the first producer to treat the recording studio as an instrument; head of oneof the earliest independent record labels; creator of some of the mostincredibly influential pop music ever, including ‘Telstar’, the first Americannumber one single by a British band; and a man tormented by mental healthissues and financial battles. He was all these and more, as author Darryl W. Bullockreveals through numerous original interviews with friends and colleagues in hiscompelling biography of the legendary producer.

Love and Fury takes readers on a guided tour ofMeek’s fabled Holloway Road studio, examines the recordings issued during hislifetime, looks at the wealth of unreleased material he left behind - thelegendary Tea Chest tapes, rumoured to include recordings by David Bowie, MarcBolan, Ray Davies of the Kinks and others – and examines that events whichultimately led to murder and suicide.

A reimagined version of Evelyn 'Champagne' King's timeless classic, 'Love Come Down'. This iconic R&B anthem has been revamped for 2025 with a fresh collaboration featuring Evelyn, Ezel, and DJ Spen. Music lovers worldwide will delight in this renewed rendition, blending her authentic, powerful vocals with a track that is second to none.Evelyn's newly delivered vocals shine with the same energy and emotion as her original 1982 performance, showcasing her enduring talent. This release holds a special place in our hearts, and we're honored to share it with the World.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Ezel & DJ Spen Reproduction
A2. Ezel & DJ Spen Instrumental Reproduction
B1. Ezel & DJ Spen R&B Reproduction
B2. Ezel & DJ Spen R&B Instrumental Reproduction

Deep vocal dub techno RIYL Rhythm & Sound, Paul St. Hilaire, Hiss Is Bliss etc. Fathoms deep and super sensual. Gives me the same tingles as when I heard "See Me Jah" for the first time. Massive. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Another Channel pay tribute to Basic Channel's iconic dubwise side project - Rhythm & Sound - and do it plenty of justice. This is sublime modern dub with a rootsical vocal and detailed instrumentation throughout; not to mention the beautifully deep bass.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Nameless Woman Feat. Prince Morella
B1. Find A Way Feat. Marina P
B2. Version Of Love

Klasse Wrecks kick off a new year with a new artist, Glasgow based DJ and producer Stevie Cox. Stevie's second release is one of deep cerebral breaks and evolving technicoloured techno. Four tracks that surprisingly weave an already defined and recognisable sound from the young artist. Dont expect over-thought and over-cooked musings though, Cox keeps it fresh, to the point and relevant with most tracks clocking in around 5 minutes. There is enough playfulness to keep the gurners smiling and enough well-thought out drumwork to keep the feet moving, this tight selection will most likely find its way into a variety of record bags during its lifespan.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Klasse Wrecks continue with the hedonism after slaying us with that DJ Absolutely Shit joint from a month back. Stevie Cox comes thru with vacuum sealed breaks, wubbing b-lines and lashings of acid to send us flying head first into dancefloor euphoria.

TRACK LISTING

A1 My Lover Cindy
A2 Noot Noot
B1 Contraction
B2 Squeeze

Shaka is a multi-talented DJ / Producer who produces music that crosses several sub-genres of House, and at the highest level of musicality and soul. While well-known in his home country of Switzerland through his 3 decades in the industry, he is now on the verge of gaining much more intensive and wide-spread acclaim with his debut 4 track EP on Nervous Records.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Nervous never really go away do they? I reckon at any one time across the globe at least one DJ is spinning a Nervous record to a bunch of ecstatic dancers. It just never fails. "Sing With Me" doing it for me on this one....

TRACK LISTING

A1. Sing With Me Ft. Eve
A2. Still Groovin'
B1. Hidden Lover
B2. Savannah Drive 

Since its inception in 2010, A Love from Outer Space (ALFOS) has been a steady presence in the underground music scene, fostering a close-knit community with its regular, transformative dancefloor experiences.

Founded by the late Andrew Weatherall and Sean Johnston, both highly regarded DJs and producers, ALFOS was born out of a shared love for slower-paced music and quickly became a lasting and adventurous clubbing experience. Initially conceived as a response to the fast-paced mainstream scene, ALFOS took a different approach, maintaining a tempo of no more than 122 bpm.

The club night started in the intimate surroundings of The Waiting Room in North London, where its distinctive musical ethos found an immediate following. Over time, it evolved into a British clubbing institution, expanding to larger venues and eventually reaching an international audience.

ALFOS became known for its eclectic and hypnotic sound, blending everything from kosmische and house to dub and post-punk. The night developed a loyal following, with residencies at London's Phonox and Glasgow's Berkeley Suite, and it has taken its sound to various settings, from the Croatian coastline to the Golden Lion Pub in Todmorden.

Following Andrew Weatherall's passing in 2020, Sean Johnston has carried on the ALFOS legacy. During the pandemic, he launched the A Love from Outer Space Emergency Broadcast System, a series of livestreamed DJ sets that kept the community connected during a challenging time. These broadcasts were crucial in maintaining the ALFOS spirit when live events were paused, attracting a global audience and reinforcing the collective bond of the community.

This compilation reflects the music that has shaped ALFOS over the past 15 years while also hinting at its future. Compiled and mixed by Johnston, the 19-track album pays tribute to the club night’s rich history and its commitment to pushing musical boundaries forward.

Johnston explains, "The thing about ALFOS is that while we've always had one eye on the past, much of the music we play is forward-looking. This compilation seeks to captures that balance."

The album features a variety of exclusive tracks, including the sought-after Neville Watson remix of The Blow Monkeys and Brioski's "Call 626," alongside a wide range of sounds that both honour the past and embrace the future.

As ALFOS prepares to celebrate its 15th anniversary, its influence remains strong, offering a space for music lovers to come together, slow down, and explore new sounds.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: One of the most legendary labels in the electronic music space, and a compilation that perfectly outlines their unique musical vision. Act quick on that Piccadilly exclusive version!

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl:
A1. Blow Monkeys - Save Me (Neville Watson's Dub)
A2. Cisco Cisco - If You Want Me (Jay Shepheard Remix)
A3. Bongo Entp. - Drømmen (SIRS Remix)
B1. Darlyn Vlys - Wuzu (Tyu Tribe Remix)
B2. Kimo - Whirl
B3. Discoscuro - Discoscuro
C1. Popular Tyre - Feel Like A Lazer Beam
C2. Class B Band - Repli-can (Edit)
C3. Bal5000 - Bleu Infini
D1. Phil Kieran - Find Love (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
D2. Das Komplex - 89
D3. Brioski - Calling 626 (Edit)

CD:
Disc 1 (Mixed)
1. The Blow Monkeys - Save Me (Neville Watson Remix)
2. Jonny Sender - Zhivago Zhivago
3. Cisco Cisco - If You Want Me (Jay Shepheard Remix)
4. Laars – None
5. Duncan Gray - Gone & Forgotten (feat Dominic Silvani)
6. Secret Circuit - JungleBones (Tiago Mix)
7. Bongo Entp. - Drømmen (SIRS Remix)
8. Feon - Round Earther
9. Darlyn Vlys - Wuzu (Tyu Tribe Remix)
10. Niv Ast - Jungle Marvin
11. Kimo – Whirl
12. Bal5000 - Bleu Infini
13. Discoscuro – Discoscuro
14. Popular Tyre - Feel Like A Lazer Beam
15. Class B Band - Repli-can
16. Phil Kieran - Find Love (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
17. Jazxing, Das Komplex - Neu Nostalgia (Das Komplex Remix)
18. Das Komplex – 89
19. Brioski - Calling 626

Disc 2 (Unmixed)
1. Blow Monkeys - Save Me (Neville Watson's Dub)
2. Cisco Cisco - If You Want Me (Jay Shepheard Remix)
3. Bongo Entp. - Drømmen (SIRS Remix)
4. Darlyn Vlys - Wuzu (Tyu Tribe Remix)
5. Kimo - Whirl
6. Discoscuro - Discoscuro
7. Popular Tyre - Feel Like A Lazer Beam
8. Class B Band - Repli-can (Edit)
9. Bal5000 - Bleu Infini
10. Phil Kieran - Find Love (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
11. Das Komplex - 89
12. Brioski - Calling 626 (Edit)

This is the eponymous debut studio album by the American band the Modern Lovers, originally released in 1976. Six tracks (“Roadrunner”, “Astral Plane”, “Old World”, “Pablo Picasso”, “She Cracked” and “Someone I Care About”) were produced by John Cale. The Modern Lovers were formed in 1970 by teenage singer, songwriter, guitarist Jonathan Richman, augmented with Jerry Harrison (keyboards) later of Talking Heads, Ernie Brooks (bass) and David Robinson (drums) later of The Cars, with Richman’s friend and original band member John Felice joining them occasionally. The Modern Lovers influenced numerous aspiring punk rock musicians on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Sex Pistols, whose early cover of “Roadrunner” was placed on The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle. In 2003, the album was listed on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Sounding like a chunkier Velvet Underground, blasted into the Seventies, this is crammed full of classic songs and incredible words. One of the best albums ever!

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Roadrunner
2. Astral Plane
3. Old World
4. Pablo Picasso

Side B
1. She Cracked
2. Hospital
3. Someone I Care About
4. Girl Friend
5. Modern World

Introducing the first single by modern soul ensemble, Leo Vidal & The Rayvelles with their answer to the west coast oldies sound, 'Haunted By Your Love'.

Leo Vidal, 70s soul singer hailing from rural Virginia debuts his flavour of east coast harmonies, crooning about lost love. The Rayvelles a.k.a. Fergal McBride & Tuck Nelson are the inspiration behind Echo Ray Studios, a London based recording studio channeling the soul of Motown to current day. Backing vocals by Los Angeles based singer Cassandra Dali & Londons own, Marietta Smith.

The B-Side features a remix by Call Sender, an international multi-instrumentalist duo who shone their distinct light onto this classic take, inviting another entrance to this haunting sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Haunted By Your Love
2. Haunted By Your Love (Call Sender Dub Version)

Brooklyn Highs Edits are back with another killer 7-inch release, featuring two exclusive versions from Ilija Rudman—reimagining the work of one the greatest Soul Men a.k.a Black Moses. Limited edition, Buy or Cry!

TRACK LISTING

A1. Ilija Rudman - Higher Ground Mix Part I
B1. Ilija Rudman - Higher Ground Mix Part II

Kyle Falconer has always been a songwriter who has been inspired by a female muse. From his chart-topping success with The View through to his acclaimed solo career, his storytelling songs have explored the good times of love and lust; the bad times of regret and heartache; and stories of some of the larger-than-life characters who have stepped into his life, alongside some playful fictional narratives.

Recently crowned with the King Tuts’ Songwriting Award at the Scottish Music Awards, Kyle brings the best of those songs together with ‘The One I Love the Most’. The album is a collection of songs from his vast back catalogue, all of which are named after women and have been newly reworked in acoustic form.

Named after a lyric taken from The View fan favourite ‘5 Rebeccas’, ‘The One I Love The Most’ features songs spanning almost two decades: from the unrequited love of ‘Claudia’ (from the band’s #1 debut album ‘Hats Off To The Buskers’) through to the lovelorn ‘Dixie’ (the original of which featured on last year’s Top 10 return ‘Exorcism of Youth’).

Along the way, the album also reinvents highlights from his two solo albums ‘No Thank You’ and ‘No Love Songs For Laura’, which often tackled more complicated themes: ‘Laura’ shares regrets for his past behaviour and the impact it had on his then-partner and now-wife Laura Wilde, to the issues of gender identity addressed in ‘Kelly’. A far lighter moment comes with ‘Madonna’, a playful, celeb-heavy imagining of what the ideal afterlife might be like, while Manchester rapper PROSE adds his razor-sharp rhymes to an otherwise stripped-back ‘Lucy’.

The album’s lead single and brand new track ‘Angelina’ is an instant highlight. Dramatic percussion and sweeping string arrangements creates an intense cinematic atmosphere to match a story of a relationship which has been ruined by conflicting perceptions on what the truth really is.

Kyle says, “‘The One I Love The Most’ came from an idea I had after getting my own studio in Spain. I thought about all the girls' names I had written about and thought it would be a great romantic idea to put them all in one place and release the record for Valentine’s Day. I wanted to show the songs as they were without all the production and we captured the first essence of them.

It’s great to see the different feelings along the album and my ups and downs, from the childlike writing of ‘Claudia’ to the more in depth idea of ‘Kelly’ as I have seen and heard more of the world.”

‘The One I Love the Most’ was recorded at Kyle’s La Sierra Casa retreat near Alicante in Spain, with Kyle producing the project himself and performing all vocals and instruments except for contributions from Drew Palmer and Neeve Zahra. A scenic, escapist and intimate hub for creativity, La Sierra Casa hosts regular songwriting camps led by Kyle as well as a recording studio designed to achieve peak sound quality, workflow and productivity.

TRACK LISTING

1. Angelina
2. Grace
3. Dixie
4. Rebecca
5. Gem
6. Blondie
7. Lilly Anne
8. Laura
9. Lucy Featuring PROSE
10. Claudia
11. Kelly
12. Madonna

Six years after their second album 'Kingdoms in Colour' made them one of the hottest names in electronic music, Hertfordshire duo Maribou State return with their third full length album. 'Hallucinating Love' is worth the wait: it’s ambitious, packed with sublime anthemia, and is injected with restless energy, soaring strings and stunning guest vocals from long-standing collaborator Holly Walker and new friends like MOBO-nominated artist Andreya Triana. It evidences Maribou State’s evolving balance of intimacy and intricacy, as well as their knack for making epic sundown music. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Anthemic, triumphant bursts of shimmering synth swells and crescentic vocals build atop crisp, sampled percussion and funky bass loops. A beautifully celebratory collection of pieces featuring a host of superb guest vocalists too, making a very welcome return for Maribou State.

TRACK LISTING

1. Blackoak
2. Otherside
3. II Remember
4. All I Need
5. Dance On The World
6. Bloom
7. Peace Talk
8. Passing Clouds
9. Eko’s
10. Rolling Stone 

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

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

Back in print for the first time in over 20 years, the compilation assembles more than two hours of hard to find and unreleased Yo La Tengo music from 1988 – 1995.

TRACK LISTING

1. Evanescent Psychic Pez Drop
2. Demons
3. Fog Over Frisco
4. Too Late
5. Hanky Panky Nohow
6. Something To Do
7. Ultra-Powerful Short Wave Radio Picks Up Music From Venus
8. Up To You
9. Somebody's Baby
10. Walking Away From You
11. Artificial Heart
12. Cast A Shadow
13. I'm Set Free
14. Barnaby, Hardly Working
15. Some Kinda Fatigue
16. Speeding Motorcycle
17. Nutricia
18. Her Grandmother's Gift
19. From A Motel 6 # 2
20. Gooseneck Problem
21. Surfin' With The Shah
22. Ecstasy Blues
23. Too Much, Part 1
24. Blitzkrieg Bop
25. One Self: Fish Girl
26. Enough
27. Drum Solo
28. From A Motel 6 # 1
29. Too Much, Part 2
30. Sunsquashed

Richard Barrett, the man like Parrot, fires up his Bitter End alias again for more soul-flecked, full fat house music. Always on point with his production, the track's are sonically plump and velumptuous, perfect for sound systems or a cruising around in a souped up Honda Civic. 

Following his work with Roisin Murphy we get another smattering of soulful house tracks (vocalist currently uncredited) that pump, sway and swing in all the right places. Recommended! 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Bitter End brilliance with fizzy textures, high def bass and rich production that pours of the wax like Manuka honey.

TRACK LISTING

A. Adjustment->love
A. Rivers
B. Maladjustment->love
B.something Going Nowhere

No one edits a classic like Mr. K, as he has proven time and time again. Now the legendary studio craftsman is back and revisiting Paradise Garage and some of the club's legendary sounds. First up is TW Funkmasters' 'Love Money,' which was conceived by UK radio reggae jock Tony Williams and fuses Dennis Brown's reggae hit 'Money In My Pocket' with early rap influences. The dub version was embraced by New York's dance scene and became iconic at the 'Garage, with many homages coming later such as Larry Levan's Man Friday remake, 'Love Honey, Love Heartache.' On the flip, Janice McClain's 1979 Philly disco classic 'Smack Dab In The Middle' shines as Larry Levan's mix is reworked by Mr. K who turns up the jazzy groove with fresh breaks.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A super funky twosome from one of the masters of the edit, Mr K. This time we get a housey NYC bumper in the Funkmaster's 'Love Money' and the sultry lounge swing of 'Smack Dab In The Middle'. Classic tunes, great edits.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. "Love Money" (Mr K Edit)

Side 2
1. "Smack Dab In The Middle" (Mr K Edit)

Star Creature alumni Saucy Lady does a spot of moonlighting on Dippin', delivering the forth LP from this Boston-based boogie bug. Featuring a few cool collabs and some creative cover versions; its boogie-centred dynamics veer casually at times into house and pop-territories with assured confidence and style.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A truly charismatic songstress and star operating within the new boogie and modern funk landscape. Much like Manchester's Sarah Bates or Glasgow's Hidden Groove / Tension, Saucy Lady runs the whole shebang herself - from vocals to drum hits to squelches and sirens. "Love Fest" is one of her strongest releases to date.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1.Falling In Love
2.What If? (feat Jay Mumford)
3.Break The Ice

Side 2
1.Silver Haze (feat Derrick McKenzie)
2.What You Won't Do For Love (feat Yam Who?)
3.Love Lock
4.Sao Paulo

While 'Love You All Over Again' represents a considered, if free-flowing return to Tunng’s stylistic and aesthetic rudiments, it is also a reflection of the magical cohesion the band have come to realise over time, particularly on stage. “There’s a bizarre chemistry between us”, affirms Becky Jacobs, “which is quite extraordinary given that we’re all very different – especially now that we’ve got kids and live in different parts of the world. And our tastes in music are quite diverse, even if there are things that overlap. Tunng has always been about Mike and Sam at the centre, but there’s something about the six of us – it just works.” Genders agrees. “Chemistry is not just about the individual abilities of the people involved; it’s about facilitating ideas. We always bounce off each other – there are some Herculean email chains... Tunng has always been eclectic; it’s Mike’s production that makes everything coherent.”

Whether it’s that ineffable esprit de corps, the meticulous studio craft or simply a turn of the karmic wheel, 'Love You All Over Again', with its folk-hymnal intimacy, its glimmering lights and long shadows, its unforced fusion of soul and machine, feels like a Tunng album for today – something of a familiar comfort in uncertain times and, equally, a record for the ages. While, as Genders contents, this is not a pop album per se, it is, nonetheless, as melodically generous and lyrically bewitching as it is eccentric and startling, and in its highly detailed, genre-melding production, and in the preternaturally timeless, reverb-less blend of Genders’ and Jacobs’ voices (sporadically joined by Lindsay and the rest of the ensemble’s distinctive shanty choir), as captivating as anything in the band’s considerable canon. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's another big one for me this week, with the new Tunng LP. Ever since I first heard 'Good Arrows', i've been enamoured with their deeply melodic, glitchy folk grooves. Though 'Don't Know Why' is a more immediately cheerful prospect than the darkly (and unfathomably brilliant) 'Dead Club', it's got a stream of tentative, mournful unease among the shimmering guitar and gorgeous melodies.

TRACK LISTING

1. Everything Else
2. Didn’t Know Why
3. Sixes
4. Snails
5. Laundry
6. Drifting Memory Station
7. Deep Underneath
8. Levitate A Little
9. Yeekeys
10. Coat Hangers

"I love the idea of something being so romantic that it almost hurts," says C (for Chris) Duncan of the music he adores.

Glasgow's classically trained multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter honours that idea with tremendous reserves of panache and feeling on his fifth album, It's Only a Love Song, released through Bella Union on 24th January 2025. Flushed with swooning strings, enraptured images, classicist melodies and dreamy harmonies, it's a record of orchestral pop romanticism at its most sublime: one from the heart, warmed by a deep ache of constant yearning.

An expansive beauty of an album, the record is made all the more extraordinary by its homegrown gestation. Duncan wrote and played most of it himself at his home studio (he also did the artwork) in Helensburgh, an experience suited to his sense of care and craft. "If you want to spend ages working on one tiny sound and then do a broad sweep of something else, it doesn't matter because the time is yours. I'm not paying for studios, which works for me because I go from having intense periods of working to spending ages making a snare drum sound a bit nicer. It'll take days to do, but it's good."

The result is Duncan's most lush release, and a fresh peak in a dazzling creative arc. Born in Glasgow, he played in school bands before studying music composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His haunting debut album, Architect (2015), banked a Mercury Music Prize nomination; its follow-up, the Twilight Zone-inspired The Midnight Sun (2016), reached the shortlist for the Scottish Album of the Year. A tour with Elbow then beckoned, after which Duncan recorded the richly melodic Health (2019) at Elbow's Salford studio with Craig Potter. Another entry on the shortlist for Scottish Album of the Year came accompanied by effusive reviews: throughout his career, Duncan has banked raves from The Guardian, NME, MOJO, Uncut and others, alongside much love from BBC Radio 6 Music.

Besides support slots with Belle & Sebastian and Elbow, Chris went on to fill sizable venues in his own name, including London's Union Chapel and Scala. Another career development beckoned in 2020 via a collaboration with Bella Union's Simon Raymonde for the Lost Horizons project on the song 'Circle', prefiguring the effortless-seeming breeziness of Alluvium. It's Only a Love Song is his next great leap forward, a heartfelt valentine to romance with its head in the heavens and its sweep in the cinema stalls. Alongside The Carpenters and Scott Walker, declared influences range from Michel Legrand to Bernstein's West Side Story and the films of Jacques Demy, whose The Umbrellas of Cherbourg boasts music to make hearts sing. "It's almost hyper-romantic, which I love," explains Chris: "That way in music where you get to a point where your heart can't actually take anymore." Radiant and rapturous, It's Only a Love Song takes you right there.

TRACK LISTING

It's Only A Love Song
Lucky Today
Triste Clair De Lune
Worry
The Space Between Us
Think About It
Delirium
Sadness
Surface Of A Fantasy
Reprise
Time And Again

Ex-Vöid - featuring Lan McArdle (Joanna Gruesome, Lanny) and Owen Williams (The Tubs) - return with their second LP: In Love Again. Joined by Laurie Foster (bass) and George Rothman (drums), the record sees the band flourish from a chaotic power punk group into a fully fledged pop behemoth. Taking in elements of shoegaze (Pinhead), country (Outline), 90s indie rock (In Love Again) and pretty much the entire history of guitar music, In Love Again reveals McArdle and Williams to be true students of perfect pop. The pair have been collaborating for a decade now, having played in Joanna Gruesome as teenagers, and In Love Again sees them both building on the sound they’ve honed together and embracing a new, unapologetic attitude towards songcraft. “We wanted to stop being cringed out by the idea of writing pop music. We’re a bit older now and not trying to remind everyone we come from hardcore/DIY scenes. It’s still there in our DNA but we wanted to see what might happen if we write the biggest bangers possible” says Williams. Backed by the tight-yet-raucous rhythm section of Foster and Rothman, In Love Again delivers as a huge pop album without sacrificing any of the hardcore propulsion that characterised the band’s first album. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the Ex-Vöid sound is the sublime blend of McArdle and Williams’ vocals: close, folk- indebted harmonies which guide the listener through an onslaught of hooks. And while this is utilised to full effect on In Love Again, the album also sees McArdle make full use of their vocal range. Tunes like July and Sara reveal a set of pipes and knack for chorus-writing rarely heard in today’s indie scene. In keeping with their new sound, McArdle and Williams have taken a more autobiographical, nuanced approach to lyric writing this time around, a move influenced by touring with Waxahatchee. (The band also cover Lonely Girls by Lucinda Williams - one of Katie Crutchfield’s heroes). The hints of folk and country embedded in the tunes also stretch to this new lyrical approach- storytelling and heartbreak abound. This was helped by the fact both members had recently experienced a breakup while writing the album. “Obviously a super catastrophic breakup is useful to have,” McArdle says, “It means I can still be selfdeprecating and not super sincere. But also be like: I’m in pain.” Williams agrees: “It makes you go mental and while this is a cliche – it's definitely good for the band. And it’s interesting to compare, say, my breakup song Down The Drain to Lan’s July, because it’s two quite different perspectives but we’re each there on each other’s songs, harmonising or ripping guitar solos.” The band’s first LP, Bigger Than Before, received positive coverage in Pitchfork, SPIN, Stereogum and others. It received airtime on BBC Radio 6, and saw the band support/tour with acts such as Waxahatchee, Speedy Ortiz and Alvvays. Williams also fronts The Tubs - whose 2023 debut saw them touring internationally and receiving plaudits from Pitchfork, The Guardian and Iggy Pop. 

TRACK LISTING

A1 Swansea
A2 In Love Again
A3 July
A4 Nightmare
A5 Pinhead
B1 Lonely Girls
B2 Sara
B3 Strange Insinuation
B4 Down The Drain
B5 Outline

Dennis Anthony Thomas, better known as King Kong, is a renowned Jamaican singer known for tracks such as "Trouble Again" and "Legal We Legal". "Song of Love" is an iconic obscure track from King Kong's discography, released under Pisces Productions. This track is one of the era's most cherished anti-apartheid anthems, embodying the spirit of resistance and solidarity.

The lyrics of "Song of Love" capture the urgency and emotional depth of the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. The song references then- President P.W. Botha, expressing a direct appeal for human rights and unity among South Africans. Through themes of harmony and love, King Kong emphasizes the resilience of people and the beauty of cultural solidarity.
In reggae's tradition of addressing political struggles, "Song of Love" resonates as an artistic and symbolic statement against apartheid.
The song captures the shared aspirations for peace and freedom, representing how the South African struggle echoed worldwide - including in Jamaica, where reggae artists like King Kong amplified these calls through music.

“Song of Love” is more than just a song; it’s a historical message and testament to reggae’s role in the global fight for human rights. King Kong’s “Song of Love” epitomizes a generation of reggae artists who leveraged music to advocate for justice, spreading messages of hope, resilience, and change that resonate to this day.

Originally released in 1989 Produced and Arranger by: R. (Briggs) Fergusen, S. Small, Y. (Polly) Linton Sleeve artwork by Parade Studio
Label artwork by Florian Weigel
Licensed courtesy of Dennis Anthony Thomas aka King Kong

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Mahoosive late 80s roots which resonates poignantly with our troubled present. The dub version is head shatteringly good too and, cut at 45rpm, will nice up the subwoofers.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Song Of Love
B1. Song Of Love (Version)

This gorgeous collection of never-before-seen artwork, behind-the-scenes photos, handwritten lyrics, exclusive commentary, and personal ephemera from Grammy Award-nominated artist Iron & Wine (aka Sam Beam) is a must-have collector’s item for every Iron & Wine fan. Accompanied by commentary from Sam himself, Love and Some Verses compiles the lyrics of more than 160 iconic Iron & Wine songs, capturing a distinctive musical legacy. Whether you're a devoted fan or a newcomer to the spellbinding world of Iron & Wine, within these pages you will form an intimate connection to the songs that have touched millions around the world.

American soulstress Phyllis Hyman gets two of her much loved anthems officially reissued.

'You Know How To Love Me' is a 7 and a half minute lesson in love. It's got that full bodied production of this golden era - layering strings seamlessly with a busty brass section and a flute line that even the most hardened can't help but smile at.

Couple this with Phyllis' sultry yet powerful vocals bolstered by a backing group containing, amongst others, the mighty Gwen Guthrie.

On the flip, 'Living Inside Your Love' hits you with a soul jam, heavy on the funk - complete with hands in the air chorus. Just as perfect to close out a set, as it is to warm up the floor.

Two essential tracks for any soul & disco aficionado!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: I've always loved "You Know How..."; even 'indie' Liam knows the words! An absolute classic. However, bucking the trend of disco B-sides usually being smoochy, (shite), slow burners, "Living Inside Your Love" is also completely essential. Making this entire record a joy for your record collection. Just gerrit!

TRACK LISTING

A1. You Know How To Love Me (Long Version)
B1. Living Inside Your Love

Dennis Bovell’s prolific and eclectic career encompasses a huge range of music: from dub poetry to lovers rock, to post-punk, to disco, to pop and beyond. His production work encompasses such diverse figures as The Slits, I Roy, Maximum Joy, Fela Kuti, The Pop Group, Janet Kay, Saada Bonaire, Orange Juice, Golden Teacher, Steel Pulse, and more.

This compilation focuses on the period during and immediately after Bovell’s involvement with the Jah Sufferer Sound System, digging deep to find deep cuts and lesser-known versions, mainly from 1976–1980, plus a killer and lesser-heard dub of the iconic 'Silly Games'. Painstakingly restored and remastered at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin, these decades-old tracks sound pristine and dynamic, sequenced to take the listener on a journey through Bovell’s production and arrangement genius.

The accompanying sleevenotes are a result of a long conversation with Dennis about this period of his life, with track-by-track recollections and fascinating biographical asides. The vinyl and CD versions feature variant artwork, each format utilising a unique photo by Syd Shelton.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Dub Band - Dub Land 
2. Dennis Matumbi - Blood Dem 
3. Dennis Bovell Dub Band - Suffrah Dub (Sufferer Sound Disco 45)
4. Pebbles - Positive Vibrations
5. Cosmic Idren - Compelled
6. Dennis Curtis - Come With Me 
7. Matumbi - Dub Planet
8. African Stone - Run Rasta Run
9. Matumbi - Fire Dub 05:39
10. Errol Campbell - Jah Man
11. Young Lions - Take Dub
12. Dennis Bovell & Janet Kay - Game Of Dubs
13. African Stone - Dub Choice
14. Angelique - Cry 
15. DB At The Controls - Crying

25 years on from the release of their debut LP A Nice Hot Bath With.., acclaimed English dance collective Crazy P returns with their ninth studio album, Any Signs of Love.

Written and recorded in 2023, before the untimely passing of beloved frontwoman Danielle Moore, Any Signs of Love, is Crazy P at their best, crystallising three decades of unforgettable live performances, solid friendship and above all, excellent tunes.

Masters at blending a range of classic references, from underground disco to Fleetwood Mac, and making it entirely their own, the band’s drive to continually evolve as songwriters, producers, and performers is witnessed across the album’s 10 glorious new tracks. Lead single ‘Human After All, is the perfect introduction - a feel-good, sultry groover, bedecked with italo-y arps, infectious piano hooks, and drenched in Balearic beats.

Their first album in five years, ‘Any Signs of Love,’ delivers everything fans expect from a band of their calibre—whose catalogue has built a loyal, multigenerational following and is equally at home soundtracking sweaty basement clubs, and outdoor raves, as it is on huge festival stages. From the anthemic ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Anything’, to the Italo-eque title track, and the psychedelic fruitiness of ‘Not Too Late’, Any Signs of Love contains all the core ingredients of the Crazy P magic: grooves galore, hooks, and the electrifying vocals of charismatic leader, Danielle Moore.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Thumping, Italo tinged bass throbs and snappy percussion loops, soaring synth sweeps and slowly blooming atmospheric tension, releasing in a cacophony of Danielle's beautifully rich, soaring vocal and flickering guitar stabs. Undeniably brilliant, and a true testament to the skill of the whole band. A beautiful end result, and a perfect legacy for Danielle to leave behind.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Any Signs Of Love
A2. Portals

B1. System Failure
B2. Not Too Late
B3. Love Is Power

C1. Mystify
C2. The Revolution Will Not Be Anything

D1. Human After All
D2. You Know How It Goes
D3. Strange Affair

“Music for Lovers” is the new solo outing of multi-instrumentalist Samuel Rohrer (playing a combination of percussion, modular synthesizer and keyboard-based instruments on this recording).

The album’s title, which has been used for other albums in unrelated musical genres, might be deceiving: those who expect overly sentimental, fluffy pieces full of levity from start to finish, or sarcastic and cynical attempts at rejecting such 'easy' listening, will be surprised by the emotional and tonal complexity on display here. In Rohrer’s own words, it is dedicated to 'those brave lovers, who are ready to not only find, but eventually become truth,' and as such is an exploration of an evolving process rather than an idealized state.

TRACK LISTING

A1 The Parish Bell 
A2 Labrynthia/Many Rivers
A3 Schizophonia 
B1 The Gift 
B2 Celestial Body 
B3 Love And Warfare 
B4 Where Things Grow 

Released in November 1986, a few months after its parent album, Brotherhood, this track went on to become one of New Order's most loved songs of their whole oeuvre. This 12 inch features a beefed up remix that's quite different from the album version and is presented in one of Peter Saville's most beautiful sleeves.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: A synth-pop classic and maybe New Order's greatest ever pop song.

TRACK LISTING

Bizarre Love Triangle
Bizarre Dub Triangle

On 22 November 2024, Kim Deal will release her new album, Nobody Loves You More. Featuring recent single ‘Coast’, the collection of 11 songs is the Dayton, Ohio resident’s first full-length album under her own name.

Nobody Loves You More is Kim Deal’s debut album although it’s not the first time she has gone solo – she self-released a five-part, ten-song seven-inch vinyl series in 2013. In keeping with Deal’s meticulous approach to her art, the album was refined over several years. Its oldest songs, ‘Are You Mine?’ and ‘Wish I Was’, were written and originally recorded in 2011 shortly after Deal came off the Pixies’ “Lost Cities Tour” and relocated to Los Angeles (early versions of those songs were included in said vinyl series); the last recording for Nobody Loves You More took place in November 2022 with legendary engineer and close friend Steve Albini, who helmed final track ‘A Good Time Pushed’ at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. Along the way she has brought in a variety of collaborators from Breeders past and present (Mando Lopez, twin sister Kelley Deal, Jim Macpherson, Britt Walford), to Raymond McGinley (Teenage Fanclub), Jack Lawrence (Raconteurs) and Savages’ Fay Milton and Ayse Hassan. Nobody Loves You More was mixed by Marta Salogni and mastered by Heba Kadry.

Every song has a story behind it, from the winter vacations with her parents in Florida Keys (‘Summerland’), wedding band covers of ‘Margaritaville’ (‘Coast’) to her mother’s dementia (‘Are You Mine?’). All in all, the record is a celebration of Deal’s unmatched artistry, nodding not only to her career highlights with celebrated bands across the alternative landscape (Pixies, The Amps, The Breeders), but also to her immovable cultural weight influencing musicians like Kurt Cobain and Olivia Rodrigo through the generations.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A long awaited, stylistically chameleonic debut album from former Pixie and Breeder, Kim Deal. There are wisps of Americana and loungey rock, chamber pop and modern classical flourishes. It's a glitzy statement in parts, and wonderfully stripped-back in others. A perfect cross-section of the human condition told by one of the greatest musicians of our time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nobody Loves You More
2. Coast
3. Crystal Breath
4. Are You Mine?
5. Disobedience
6. Wish I Was
7. Big Ben Beat
8. Bats In The Afternoon Sky
9. Summerland
10. Come Running
11. A Good Time Pushed

This is Northumberland songwriter, poet, raconteur and old friend of Piccadilly Records, Peter Alexander Jobson's debut solo album and it's an absolute treat.

Recorded at his home studio and produced by Ben Christophers, the album is an extraordinary collection that blends genres as diverse as country-flavoured psychedelia and cocktail jazz with the spirit of the Northern variety circuit. His vocals answer the question: what if Serge Gainsbourg had been born in the North East of England? Inspirations include Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Scott Walker, blues and country legends like Robert Johnson and Hank Williams, and Northern entertainers of days past like Les Dawson and the great Jake Thackray.

Jobson made his name as bass guitarist and keyboard player in I Am Kloot. After six albums and 16 successful years together the cult trio of Jobson, drummer Andy Hargreaves and singer/guitarist John Bramwell broke up after a final triumphant performance at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the 2016 Meltdown Festival on London's South Bank. I Am Kloot were noted for their distinctive sound, the jazzy swing of Jobson and built a fervent following both in the UK and across Europe, culminating in a Mercury Music Prize nomination for their lavish fifth album, 'Sky At Night' - produced by Elbow's Guy Garvey and Craig Potter in 2010.

Heavily autobiographical in inspiration, the songs on 'Burn The Ration Books Of Love' are deeply rooted in Jobson's lived experience, and in his geographical roots in Northumberland, with its wild, windswept coastline, rugged hills and moors, and extensive agricultural farmland where his family have worked the land for generations.

TRACK LISTING

Holiday (Live)
Mountain
The Night Of The Fire
Taxi Supplies
Go Go
Foolish Boy
Please Please Please
Home
Kesta
Just 'Cause I'm Dead
Burn The Ration Books Of Love