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ROUGH TRADE

Cover of Manhattan by Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts.

Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts

Manhattan

Rough Trade

    “The best lyricist working in the US today.” - Jarvis Cocker

    Manhattan is Jeffrey Lewis’s seventh studio album for Rough Trade and his first since 2011’s ‘A Turn In The Dream-Songs’. His band is called Los Bolts and includes his regular players Heather Wagner (drums) and bassist Caitlin Gray (Hooray For The Riff-Raff). The album’s artwork features Jeff’s illustrations throughout.

    ‘Manhattan’ was mixed by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Phosphorescent, War On Drugs) and recorded by Brian Speaker.

    The album is both named after and directly inspired by New York City but is no regionalised curio. It’s the very specificity of the details Lewis uses to depict his characters and situations that make his songs so evocative and so emotionally rich. Lewis is both a lifelong resident and a detached observer of his hometown but ultimately it’s a simple treatment of human moments by one of our sharpest songwriting talents.

    The track ‘Outta Town’ is a song that Jeff describes as “how empty life feels when you are in a relationship and that person's not there, because you don't remember how to have a relationship with yourself, you broke up with yourself when you started dating the other person. You have to learn how to start dating yourself all over again.”

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    Cover of Holding Hands With Jamie by Girl Band.

    Girl Band

    Holding Hands With Jamie

    Rough Trade

    If you’ve seen Girl Band live, you understand. If you’ve heard ‘The Early Years’ EP or one of their early, handmade releases - or perhaps if you’ve seen the not-for-the-squeamish video for their eight-minute cover of Blawan’s “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage,” you’ve got a sense.

    ‘Holding Hands with Jamie,’ Girl Band’s debut album, comes a few years into their tenure; a few years after their first tour; nine days crammed into a Fiat Panda; a few years of stamping 7” sleeves to sell at merch tables and mail-order; a few years of writing songs and touring and developing a live ferocity unmatched by nearly anyone. Recorded in April 2015, two days after returning home from their first-ever US tour, the nine tracks making up 'Holding Hands with Jamie’ capture, more than any previous recordings, the tension and abrasive energy of a Girl Band performance.

    Going into the studio (Bow Lane, Dublin) to record an album - rather than a track or two here and there - “required a different mindset,” guitarist Alan Duggan explained. "It was way more challenging to stay focused – tricky to find a balance between keeping a distance from the songs for perspective but also to fully concentrate on them.” While they had the luxury of studio time (“we spent three or four days just setting up drums, amps, and mics”), the band laid down seven of the tracks in less than two days, ensuring that the record pulses with vitality and forward momentum.

    Recalling any number of things but for only milliseconds at a time, Girl Band make a mockery of comparisons, because you can only get as far as “oh this bit sounds like—” before a guitar scuff-screams, the bass crunches like a car in a bailing press, or something else visceral and glorious comes from the speakers, and the thought’s erased. This young Dublin foursome are creating vital, propulsive, and almost terrifyingly energetic noise-rock that pulls as much influence from classic techno as from their more obvious post-punk, noise and industrial predecessors.

    TRACK LISTING

    1. Umbongo
    2. Pears For Lunch
    3. Baloo
    4. In Plastic
    5. Paul
    6. The Last Riddler
    7. Texting An Alien
    8. Fucking Butter
    9. The Witch Doctor

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    Cover of Good Sad Happy Bad by Micachu And The Shapes.

    Micachu And The Shapes

    Good Sad Happy Bad

    Rough Trade

      That Micachu & The Shapes’ return, three years after the release of their last record ‘Never’, is almost an accident: the trio of friends decided to rehearse in an East London studio, and found themselves immersed into an hours-long jam. Drummer Marc Pell had an Edirol field recorder in hand, and unbeknownst to his bandmates, recorded the whole session; Pell, Mica Levi, and Raisa Khan were so enamored of those off-the-cuff audio experiments that they became the underpinnings of a new record.

      "For me it's the most free we have been,” Levi explains. Rather than showing up to the studio with songs written out, the trio started with a collaborative improvisation, from which Levi chose sections to develop into songs, writing lyrics to the entire record “non-stop, in one avalanche."

      With one listen, it’s easy to hear why they loved the tracks. ‘Good Sad Happy Bad’ maintains the experimental-pop sensibility the band has brought to previous efforts, combining the lightness and bounce of their best singles with the sonic textures of field recordings, industrial effects alongside straightforward instrumentation. Levi’s affected vocals eschew easily readable emotional tone, instead relying on quixotic lyricism, repetition, and immersion into the song’s landscape, to evoke warmly - rather than show - the sentiments underpinning the songs.

      The record’s irrepressible energy, across both the upbeat and a handful of sadder songs, seems to be a direct result of the live recording process. “Jams are really quite a healthy release, it’s a way of getting stuff out without consciously thinking about it or making decisions,” says Khan.

      Conversely, because the band worked out the final mixes together over a number of months - rather than in a traditional, multi-track studio over a shorter period - Pell found a new degree of creativity. “I think the best drum part I have ever written is the stick-clicking at the beginning of ‘Peach’ - a moment, he explains, that he wouldn’t have been able to notice without the luxury of seeing the recorded tracks as more than simply songs, but as collections of sonic ideas.


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      Cover of Universal Themes by Sun Kil Moon.

      Sun Kil Moon

      Universal Themes

      Rough Trade

      “Different things are happening in my life now, so there is no doubt that it will be a very different album.” - Mark Kozelek

      ‘Universal Themes’ includes ‘The Possum’, a nineminute track featuring Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley about dead possums and hanging out with Godflesh.

      Guitars and vocals by Mark Kozelek. Percussion by Steve Shelley.

      Recorded in San Francisco, 2014 / 2015. Additional recording in Hoboken, 2015.

      TRACK LISTING

      The Possum
      Birds Of Flims
      With A Sort Of Grace I Walked To The Bathroom To Cry
      Garden Of Lavender
      Cry Me A River 
      Williamsburg Sleeve
      Tattoo Blues
      Ali/Spinks 2
      Little Rascals
      This Is My First Day And I’m Indian And I Work At A Gas Station

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      Cover of Before We Forgot How To Dream by Soak.

      Soak

      Before We Forgot How To Dream

      Rough Trade

        Before We Forgot How to Dream’ is a stunning snapshot of SOAK’s formative years growing up in Northern Ireland, touching variously on the themes of isolation, family and what to do with your future. Already compared with the likes of Laura Marling and Beach House, Bridie has been a rising star in her hometown of Derry since the age of 14, when a chance uploading of the ‘Sea Creatures’ demo to the BBC Introducing playlist saw A&R board the next flight over and park up outside the Monds-Watson’s household. Yet SOAK rushed into nothing, instead splitting her time between studies, the local skate-park and daunting early shows (such as opening Derry’s tenure as City of Culture hours before a GCSE exam). Things moved forward last year, when Bridie teamed up with CHVRCHES for their launch of a singles label, toured with George Ezra and Tegan & Sara, before signing a deal with Rough Trade the same summer most of her friends got their A-Level results. Produced alongside Tommy from Villagers, her debut album traces SOAK’s extraordinary journey to this point, and marks Bridie’s graduation from raw talent to a significant songwriter for the years ahead. It seems also to speak of those more universal joys and fears of adolescence, before we, too, forgot how to dream.

        TRACK LISTING

        My Brain
        B A NoBody
        Blud
        Wait
        Sea Creatures
        A Dream To Fly
        24 Windowed House
        Garden
        Shuvels
        Hailstones Don’t Hurt
        Reckless Behaviour
        If Everyone Is Someone - No One Is Everyone
        Oh Brother
        Blind

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        Cover of Danger In The Club - Deluxe CD Edition by Palma Violets.

        Palma Violets

        Danger In The Club - Deluxe CD Edition

        Rough Trade

          Two year’s on from the release of their debut, top 10 UK charting album ‘180’, which NME declared to be ‘the new soundtrack to your life,’ Q Magazine ‘one of the best debut albums of the decade’ and The Quietus ‘fucking brrrilliant,’ Palma Violets have announced the full details of their highly anticipated follow-up ‘Danger In The Club’. The album was produced by John Leckie (Stone Roses, Radiohead, The Fall), recorded at Rockfield Studio in Wales and is set for release on 4th May 2015 on Rough Trade Records. 

          Anyone lucky enough to catch Palma Violets road testing the new album at intimate UK venues recently (including Scunthorpe where the local rugby team had to be called in when the venue’s bouncers couldn’t handle the over-excited crowd) can testify that the new material is a giant step up from the band’s debut. ‘Girl, You Couldn’t Do Much Better On The Beach’ and ‘Hollywood (I Got It)’ build on ‘180’s exhilarating, primal rock and roll, whilst the hook-heavy choruses and imaginative lyrics of ‘English Tongue’ and ‘Coming Over To My Place’ demonstrate how much Palma Violets – still all in their early twenties – have developed into first class songwriters and honed their own unique sound.

          Speaking about the new album, bassist and singer Chilli Jesson explains: 
          “We wanted to make a young-sounding record. We listened to a lot of pre-punk while we were making the album. We like its rawness and simplicity. A lot of bands want to over-complicate their second album, we know that we didn’t.”

          TRACK LISTING

          1. Sweet Violets
          2. Hollywood (I Got It)
          3. Girl, You Couldn’t Do Much Better On The Beach
          4. Danger In The Club
          5. Coming Over To My Place
          6. Secrets Of America 
          7. The Jacket Song 
          8. Matador
          9. Gout! Gang! Go!
          10. Walking Home
          11. Peter And The Gun
          12. No Money Honey
          13. English Tongue

          Bonus Tracks:
          1. Five Gold Rings
          2. The Man Is Asleep
          3. In The Rain
          4. Scandal

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          Cover of Danger In The Club by Palma Violets.

          Palma Violets

          Danger In The Club

          Rough Trade

            Two year’s on from the release of their debut, top 10 UK charting album ‘180’, which NME declared to be ‘the new soundtrack to your life,’ Q Magazine ‘one of the best debut albums of the decade’ and The Quietus ‘fucking brrrilliant,’ Palma Violets have announced the full details of their highly anticipated follow-up ‘Danger In The Club’. The album was produced by John Leckie (Stone Roses, Radiohead, The Fall), recorded at Rockfield Studio in Wales and is released on Rough Trade Records.

            Anyone lucky enough to catch Palma Violets road testing the new album at intimate UK venues recently (including Scunthorpe where the local rugby team had to be called in when the venue’s bouncers couldn’t handle the over-excited crowd) can testify that the new material is a giant step up from the band’s debut. ‘Girl, You Couldn’t Do Much Better On The Beach’ and ‘Hollywood (I Got It)’ build on ‘180’s exhilarating, primal rock and roll, whilst the hook-heavy choruses and imaginative lyrics of ‘English Tongue’ and ‘Coming Over To My Place’ demonstrate how much Palma Violets - still all in their early twenties - have developed into first class songwriters and honed their own unique sound.

            Speaking about the new album, bassist and singer Chilli Jesson explains:
            “We wanted to make a young-sounding record. We listened to a lot of pre-punk while we were making the album. We like its rawness and simplicity. A lot of bands want to over-complicate their second album, we know that we didn’t.”



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            Cover of Little Neon Limelight by Houndmouth.

            Houndmouth

            Little Neon Limelight

            Rough Trade

              The 11 new, original songs on ‘Little Neon Limelight’ are the band’s best to date, blending their signature four-part harmonies with the gritty foot-stomping rock swagger of their live shows and a loose confidence in the studio. “I’ve grown up a lot since our first record,” reflects frontman Matt Myers (guitar / vocals), adding, “the inspiration falls close to the struggle of figuring out exactly what it means to be a man, let alone an artist.”

              Highlights of ‘Little Neon Limelight’ include the live fan favourites ‘By God’, ‘My Cousin Greg’ and ‘Say It’, plus the acoustic track ‘For No One’, which recently premiered on NPR Music and is unlike anything else Houndmouth have ever recorded. Ann Powers called ‘For No One’ an “epic ballad, stuffed full of vivid imagery.”

              On ‘Gasoline’, Katie Toupin (keyboard / vocals) barbs the confessions of a perennial party girl with the spectre of mortality (“Maybe I’ll meet my maker on a bedroom floor”).

              Shane Cody (drums / vocals) leads vocals on the album’s heartbreaker, ‘Honey Slider’ and the group embraces their garage-rock influences on the thrilling, needle-in-the-red cut ‘15 Years’, which finds Zak singing one of the album’s most infectious refrains (“15 years on the county line / Enough to make a man nearly lose his mind”).

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              Cover of What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World by The Decemberists.

              The Decemberists

              What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

              Rough Trade

                “In some ways, this album was four years in the making,” says Colin Meloy, frontman and primary songwriter of the Decemberists. “We were on hiatus, so we had all the time we could want, no schedule or tour, no expectations.”

                With the ability to work at their own pace, the resulting record, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, is the band’s most varied and dynamic work, both musically and emotionally. Since their earliest recordings more than a decade ago, the Decemberists have always been known for their sense of scope and daring—from “The Tain,” an eighteen-and-a-half minute 2004 single based on an Irish myth to their last two ambitious, thematic albums, The Hazards of Love and The King is Dead. This time, though, Meloy explains that they took a different approach: “Let’s make sure the songs are good, and eventually the record will present itself.”

                Without a deadline, the Decemberists were also able to explore every song to completion. “Usually you have to let some songs slide because of time constraints,” Meloy says, “but nothing was relegated to the b-side pile, everything was given a fair shake. Which is a blessing and a curse—we ended up with 18 songs, and each had champions and detractors. There were a multitude of albums you could potentially make—somber, over-the-top pop, folk—and I think every band member would have created a different record.”

                Ultimately, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World found its final form, a distillation of the best things about this remarkable band. A new way of working led to a renewed excitement about the next chapter for the Decemberists. “I’ve never lived with a record for so long,” says Colin Meloy, “documenting my shifts and changes as a songwriter, with a real sense of time passing. And there’s something very freeing about working on music with absolutely no agenda, and just letting the songs become themselves.”

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                Cover of 50 Cent / Trident by Dean Blunt.

                Dean Blunt

                50 Cent / Trident

                Rough Trade

                Hype Williams man Dean Blunt preceeds his soon-come 'Black Metal' LP with this super-limited 12". Showcasing more of Blunt's eclecticism, '50 Cent' combines spacious, shimmering, reverb-laden lo-fi shoegaze guitar work and simple kick-snare machine drumming used as a hip hop break. Over this Williams adds a melancholic rap, duetting with a choral female vocal in a call and response style. 'Trident' offers a more straight forward rap, but again over an inventive dark and grimey backing track. It's indie hip hop, but not as you know it.


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                Cover of Benjamin Booker by Benjamin Booker.

                Benjamin Booker

                Benjamin Booker

                Rough Trade

                  Benjamin Booker, Rough Trade Records’ exciting new signing, releases his debut, self-titled album.

                  The album is produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes, Hurray For The Riff Raff). Described as “a well-mixed musical cocktail of punk, folk, and New Orleans blues,” Benjamin Booker cites his influences as The Gun Club, Blind Willie Johnson and T. Rex.

                  The young singer-songwriter plays as a two-piece with drummer Max Norton, both of whom are based in New Orleans.

                  Having already gained fans including Tame Impala, toured with Hurray For The Riff Raff and played a string of sold out shows in London, Booker and his drummer Max Norton have been hand-picked to open for Jack White on his US July tour, which will be followed by a series of summer US dates with Courtney Barnett.

                  “Benjamin Booker blasted a raw brand of blues / boogie / soul,” observed the Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot in his SXSW wrap-up. “He likes to leave the rough edges intact, bringing to mind the houserockin’ records that Hound Dog Taylor once did for Alligator Records in the 70s.”

                  American Songwriter said “The 22-year-old New Orleans guitarist / songwriter - joined live by drummer / mandolin player Max Norton - took the stage as an unknown and… stepped off the stage a conqueror.”

                  “It might look like just two people onstage but Benjamin Booker’s voice surely counts as a band member in its own right. Soulful and sandpaper-rough…” noted The Guardian, while NME said “he takes the ripped, raw racket of The Dirtbombs and smothers it in fuzzy, inherently moody-sounding riffs that recall The Gun Club and T Rex in equal measure.”

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                  Cover of Sunbathing Animal by Parquet Courts.

                  Parquet Courts

                  Sunbathing Animal

                  Rough Trade

                  The year and change since the release of Parquet Courts monumental 'Light Up Gold' is reflected in ways expected and not with 'Sunbathing Animal', its sharper, harder follow up. Following their quietly released 2011 debut 'American Specialties', 'Light Up Gold' caught the ears of everyone paying even a little bit of attention, garnering glowing reviews across the board for its weird colors and raw energy, saturated punk songs that offered crystal clear lyrical snapshots of city life. It was immediately memorable, a vivid portrait of ragged days, listlessness, aimlessness and urgency, broadcast with the intimacy of hearing a stranger’s thoughts as you passed them on the street.

                  As it goes with these things, the band went on tour for a short eternity, spending most of 2013 on the road, their sound growing more direct in the process and their observations expanding beyond life at home. Constant touring was broken up by three recording sessions that would make up the new album, and the time spent in transit comes through in repeated lyrical themes of displacement, doubt and situational captivity. To be sure, Sunbathing Animal isn’t a record about hopelessness, as any sort of incarceration implies an understanding of freedom and peace of mind. Fleeting moments of bliss are also captured in its grooves, and extended at length as if to preserve them. Pointed articulations of these ideas are heard as schizoid blues rants, shrill guitar leads, purposefully lengthy repetition and controlled explosions, reaching their peak on the blistering title track. A propulsive projection of how people might play the blues 300 years from now, “Sunbathing Animal” is a roller coaster you can’t get off, moving far too fast and looping into eternity.

                  Much as Light Up Gold and the subsequent EP Tally All The Things That You Broke offered a uniquely tattered perspective on everyday city life, Sunbathing Animal applies the same layered thoughts and sprawling noise to more cerebral, inward-looking themes. While heightened in its heaviness and mania, the album also represents a huge leap forward in terms of songwriting and vision. Still rooted firmly in the unshackled exploration and bombastic playing of their earlier work, everything here is amplified in its lucidity and intent. The songs wander through threads of blurry brilliance, exhaustion and fury at the hilt of every note. Parquet Courts remain, Austin Brown, A. Savage, Sean Yeaton, and M. Savage.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  1. Bodies
                  2. Black And White
                  3. Dear Ramona
                  4. What Color Is Blood
                  5. Vienna II
                  6. Always Back In Town
                  7. She’s Rollin
                  8. Sunbathing Animal
                  9. Up All Night
                  10. Instant Disassembly
                  11. Duckin And Dodgin
                  12. Raw Milk
                  13. Into The Garden

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                  Cover of Warpaint by Warpaint.

                  Warpaint

                  Warpaint

                  Rough Trade

                  ‘Warpaint’ was co-produced by Warpaint and Flood (PJ Harvey, Sigur Ros, New Order, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Foals), and mixed by Flood and Nigel Godrich (Radiohead). The album was conceived after some writing and recording sessions that took place in The Joshua Tree late last year. Here the band was joined by visionary director Chris Cunningham who has partnered with them for many of the album visuals including the cover. He has spent the past two years filming and photographing the band as they made ‘Warpaint’.

                  STAFF COMMENTS

                  David says: The Californian sunshine bores the daylights out of Warpaint. Surf dudes to the left, Hollywood desperados to the right: their second album proper finds the band diving down deeper and darker than ever before in a valiant, but ultimately doomed attempt to escape LA's shiny, happy people. Hypnotic and bleakly claustrophobic; 'Warpaint' is an album that won't return your calls and will pretend it hasn't seen you on a night out but, like a doomed love affair, will keep you coming back for more, hoping for reciprocity, ignoring the truth, that this a record that will never love you back. Don't let that stop you falling in love though, having your heart broken is one of life's cruel constants. So, if it's inevitable, you could do worse than to have it broken by 'Warpaint'.

                  TRACK LISTING

                  1. Intro
                  2. Keep It Healthy
                  3. Love Is To Die
                  4. Hi
                  5. Biggy
                  6. Teese
                  7. Disco//Very
                  8. Go In
                  9. Feeling Alright
                  10. CC
                  11. Drive
                  12. Son

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                  Cover of Tookah by Emiliana Torrini.

                  Emiliana Torrini

                  Tookah

                  Rough Trade

                    ‘Tookah’ is Emiliana Torrini’s fourth album and follows 2008’s fantastically received ‘Me And Armini’.

                    The album sees Emiliana back in the studio with her longterm producer / collaborator Dan Carey. As well as Emiliana’s three previous albums the pair co-wrote and produced Kylie Minogue’s Grammy award-nominated track ‘Slow’ which went straight to Number 1 upon release. ‘Jungle Drum’ from Emiliana’s last album ‘Me And Armini’ also charted at number 1 in several countries including Germany where it stayed for 9 weeks.

                    Of the album Emiliana says: “For me the first album was learning to write songs, the second was working on my own melodies and lyrics and the last album ‘Me and Armini’ was about learning to let go. With this record, it’s much more about the exploration of sonics and visual landscaping in order to find my own sound. I am a craftswoman and for me this record has been about Dan (Carey) and I evolving and going on a sound journey.

                    “‘Tookah’ is a made up name or word, which I connected with in a very deep and blissful way. It is the core of you, the you when you were born before life decorated you like a Christmas tree with all your baggage. It is what connects us with everyone and everything. It is what the Sufis spin for. It is the sudden thankfulness you feel when doing nothing in particular, where everything is gently perfect for a moment. Some call it god. I call mine ‘Tookah’.”

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                    Cover of From The Hills Below The City by Houndmouth.

                    Houndmouth

                    From The Hills Below The City

                    Rough Trade

                      After a SXSW that resulted in national coverage on NBC Rock Center, Fuse News, and Rolling Stone, a US tour with Alabama Shakes, as well as three sold-out headline London shows earlier this year, Houndmouth have confirmed the release of their anticipated debut album, ‘From The Hills Below The City’ on Rough Trade.

                      Houndmouth are comprised of four musicians from New Albany, IN, across the river from Louisville (hence ‘From The Hills Below The City’) - Matt Myers (guitar / vocals), Katie Toupin (keyboard / vocals), Zak Appleby (bass / vocals) and Shane Cody (drums / vocals) spent the past year building a passionate following in their hometown and touring with Alabama Shakes, The Lumineers, Grace Potter, and Drive-By Truckers.

                      “Houndmouth is a great young band,” testifies Patterson Hood of the Truckers. “They ‘brought it’ each and every night. They were extremely popular with our fanbase and our band. I look forward to hearing what they do next.”

                      The 12 original songs on ‘From The Hills Below The City’ are packed with tales of down-on-their-luck drug runners, casinos, riverboats, recession-era scraping, and more.

                      All members of Houndmouth sing, “leading with individual character and harmonizing in saloon-choir empathy,” writes Rolling Stone’s David Fricke, and their songs have a looselimbed swing, anchored by a sturdy rhythm and a cagey melodic sensibility.

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                      Cover of Machineries Of Joy by British Sea Power.

                      British Sea Power

                      Machineries Of Joy

                      Rough Trade

                        British Sea Power’s new, fifth album ‘Machineries Of Joy’ will be released on Rough Trade Records. The album release will be accompanied by a full UK tour.

                        ‘Machineries Of Joy’ was written in the Berwyn mountains in north Wales and recorded in Brighton with Dan Smith and mixer Ken Thomas (David Bowie, Sigur Ros).

                        “We’d like to think the album is warm and restorative,” says singer Yan. “Various things are touched on in the words - Franciscan monks, ketamine, French female bodybuilders turned erotic movie stars. The world often seems a mad, hysterical place at the moment. You can’t really be oblivious to that, but we’d like the record to be an antidote - a nice game of cards in pleasant company.”

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                        Cover of 180 by Palma Violets.

                        Palma Violets

                        180

                        Rough Trade

                        One of the most highly anticipated debut albums of the year, comes in the shape of the Palma Violets '180' via Rough Trade Records. They kicked things off with last years 7" debut 'Best Friend' - a burst of raw hook-filled energy which sets a general template for the entire album. The tempo fluctuates throughout, but there's always that energy bubbling away. I've read a couple of reviews that have said it sounds a little rough around the edges, but I don't think it's any worse for it. It has an urgency and exhuberance that goes some way to matching that of their live performances.

                        ‘180’ is also the number of the Lambeth house that the four-piece have become known for regularly throwing parties and impromptu gigs for friends and fans in. The album artwork features the band stood outside the building.

                        '180' was recorded in London at RAK Studios (produced by Steve Mackey), and also at The Lightship (produced by Rory Attwell).

                        TRACK LISTING

                        1. Best Of Friends
                        2. Step Up For The Cool Cats
                        3. All The Garden Birds
                        4. Rattlesnake Highway
                        5. Chicken Dippers
                        6. Last Of The Summer Wine
                        7. Tom The Drum
                        8. Johnny Bagga' Donuts
                        9. I Found Love
                        10. Three Stars
                        11. 14

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                        Cover of Elements Of Light by Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory.

                        Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory

                        Elements Of Light

                        Rough Trade

                          Over the course of three albums - and as an in-demand remixer of artists ranging from Animal Collective to, most recently, Philip Glass - the Berlin-based musician and producer Pantha Du Prince (Hendrik Weber) has been celebrated for pushing the envelope of electronic music.

                          His newest effort, ‘Elements Of Light’, a collaborative project with The Bell Laboratory, is doubtless his most ambitious to date: The work is a symphony for electronics, percussion and bell carillon, a three-tonne instrument comprising 50 bronze bells.

                          The genesis of the project began in Oslo in the summer of 2010, when Weber was having lunch with local curators Mattis With and Håkon Vinnogg and heard, in the distance, one of the concerts played multiple times daily on a bell carillon inside the city hall. Weber was struck by how the frequencies and overtones unfolded unpredictably, influenced one another, and resonated, more or less, throughout the Norwegian capital.

                          With and Vinnogg suggested he compose for the carillon, which was developed in China 3,500 years ago, during the Shang Dynasty, and made its way to Europe during the Middle Ages. Weber began collaborating with the Norwegian Lars Petter Hagen, who served as arranger and conductor. For the recording, a bell carillon was shipped from Denmark to Germany, where Vegar Sandholt, the same carillonist that Weber had heard during his stay in Oslo, played it.

                          A separate session, in Oslo, brought together a variety of percussionists, including Weber; Martin Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist, Killl and The National Bank; Erland Dahlen of Nils Petter Molvaer Trio, Susanne Sundfør, Madrugada, Xploding Plastix, and Kaada; the researcher and performer Håkon Stene, who teaches at the Norwegian Academy Of Music; and Heming Valebjørg, of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. They contributed numerous tubular bells, marimba, xylophone, cymbals, chimes, handclaps, finger snaps and other percussion.

                          The album is a single continuous work, although it has been broken down into five tracks named for elements of light: ‘Wave’, ‘Particle’, ‘Photon’, ‘Spectral Split’ and ‘Quantum’. Sonically, the work is a fusion of electronic music and classical composition, and draws on house and minimalism, jazz and new music, Gamelan and Western sacred music. Influences include John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, LaMonte Young and Moondog.

                          ‘Elements Of Light’ is a natural next step in the Pantha Du Prince oeuvre. Bells figured prominently on his last album, the highly acclaimed ‘Black Noise’, which Rough Trade released in 2010. In a Best New Music review of ‘Black Noise’, Pitchfork said “each track is its own micro sound world with enough rich detail to draw you back for deeper investigation.”

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                          Cover of Never by Micachu & The Shapes.

                          Micachu & The Shapes

                          Never

                          Rough Trade

                            Rough Trade are excited to announce Micachu & The Shapes’ second studio album, ‘Never’.

                            ‘Never’ was self-produced by the band, recorded at band member Marc Pell’s studio in Stratford and mixed by Dillip Harris and the band. It is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut ‘Jewellery’ (2009).


                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Ryan says: Mica Levi's obscure song writing genius shines through once again on their second studio album. More sonically in your face than ever before but sticking to their usual interesting instrument modifications.

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                            Cover of POP ETC by POP ETC.

                            POP ETC

                            POP ETC

                            Rough Trade

                            ‘POP ETC’ was recorded by the band over the course of 2011 at both Headphone Cave and Pull Studios in New York City, as well as in Los Angeles at SoundEQ Studios.

                            Though largely produced by the band, the album also features contributions from Danger Mouse and Andrew Dawson (Kanye West, Lil' Wayne).

                            Bright synths, high-octane pop melodies, and watery R&B reconfigurations.

                            Until very recently the band were known as The Morning Benders.

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1. New Life
                            2. Back To Your Heart
                            3. Halfway To Heaven
                            4. Keep It For Your Own
                            5. Live It Up
                            6. Everything Is Gone
                            7. R.Y.B.
                            8. Whyd You Do It Honey
                            9. I Wanna Be Your Man
                            10.C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-E
                            11. YoYo

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                            Cover of Here by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes.

                            Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes

                            Here

                            Rough Trade

                              The album ‘Here’, the follow-up to the band’s 2009 debut ‘Up From Below’, was self-produced and recorded in Bogalusa, LA and in their studio in Ojai, CA.

                              Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros made an appearance with Mumford & Sons at the 2012 South By Southwest Film Conference & Festival for the world premiere of ‘Big Easy Express’, the Emmett Malloy directed film that covered the band’s journey as they travelled in vintage railcars across the American Southwest over the course of a week, playing concerts at six unique outdoor locations along the route.

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                              Cover of Radlands by Mystery Jets.

                              Mystery Jets

                              Radlands

                              Rough Trade

                                The album was recorded in Austin, Texas and Streatham, London and was co-produced by Mystery Jets and Dan Carey (Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand, Emiliana Torrini).

                                Mystery Jets are Blaine Harrison, Will Rees, Kai Fish and Kapil Trivedi. On the making of the album ‘Radlands’, Blaine explains: “We’ve always wanted to make a record in America and after touring ‘Serotonin’ the time felt perfect to go and do it. Our first three albums were entirely conceived and recorded in London so going out to Austin felt like the furthest place from everything we knew. We arrived with a handful of songs, but one in particular felt like it captured the spirit of why we had come there. It was called ‘Radlands’ (a fusion of the 1970s Terrence Malick film ‘Badlands’ and Redlands, Keith Richard’s Sussex estate), which is also what we named our studio; a big old wooden house on the banks of the Colorado River. All we brought on the plane were the guitars on our backs, so we ended up borrowing all this amazing valve gear from an old guy called jack who ran a little studio up in the hills, which is why the songs sound the way they do. In the daytime we wrote lyrics on the porch and in the evenings a family of deer would gather in the back yard to hear us play. Some nights we drove into town to drink and bring people back to play on the songs. When we arrived home, it was hard to believe any of it even happened. It somehow all felt like a strange dream. But when Dan Carey heard it and invited us down to his studio we listened back to everything and it was all there, it was real. All we were missing were some gospel singers, which he found in the Streatham Community Ladies Choir... Twelve months on, and we are gearing up to take ‘Radlands’ on the road.”

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                                Cover of Boys & Girls by Alabama Shakes.

                                Alabama Shakes

                                Boys & Girls

                                Rough Trade

                                  Alabama Shakes – comprising vocalist/guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, drummer Steve Johnson and bassist Zac Cockrell – began playing together when they were in high school. Ben Tanner assists on keyboards. 'Boys & Girls' was recorded at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN. Produced and mixed by the band members, the album is a vibrant fusion of swampy dirty South rock, blues and soul delivered with punk rock fervour.

                                  STAFF COMMENTS

                                  Darryl says: The debut album and a real biggie!! Don't be put off the massive hype surrounding this band, this is top notch soul rock bringing to mind the likes of Afghan Whigs, early Kings of Leon and Muscle Shoals period Rolling Stones.

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                                  Cover of XI Versions Of Black Noise by Pantha Du Prince.

                                  Pantha Du Prince

                                  XI Versions Of Black Noise

                                  Rough Trade

                                    Rough Trade Records announce the release of "XI Versions Of Black Noise" by Pantha Du Prince, an album of reworkings of tracks originally on his album "Black Noise", by friends and contemporaries including, amongst others, Animal Collective, Moritz Von Oswald, Four Tet, Efdemin and North American pioneer Hieroglyphic Being.

                                    Pantha Du Prince’s "Black Noise" has been lauded as a groundbreaking, seminal album in its field. The music on "Black Noise" balances precariously on the slippery threshold between art and nature, between techno and folklore, which lends it a certain spectral and intangible aspect.

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                                    Cover of Chopped & Screwed by Micachu & The Shapes / London Sinfonietta.

                                    Micachu & The Shapes / London Sinfonietta

                                    Chopped & Screwed

                                    Rough Trade

                                      Micachu & The Shapes have collaborated with London Sinfonietta, one of the world’s leading contemporary orchestras, to create "Chopped & Screwed". Recorded live in front of an audience at Kings Place, London in May 2010.

                                      The Sinfonietta invited Mica Levi, Micachu & The Shapes’ frontwoman, to compose a series of pieces that would reflect her interests and influences, whilst giving the Sinfonietta an opportunity to develop a relationship with a young and exciting composer. She then presented the ideas of Shapes Raisa, Marc, alongside her own, to the Sinfonietta’s players, who then helped the trio to expand and enhance their ideas during a series of workshops prior to the concert.

                                      The concept behind the album was inspired by the popular ‘chopping and screwing’ technique in American hip hop which was developed in Houston in the 1990s. The technique involves halving tempo, skipping beats and affecting portions of the original music. The approach was thought to have been developed by DJ Screw and largely influenced by Purple Drank, a codeine-based cough syrup which creates the effect of slowing down the brain, giving mellow music its appeal. For this exciting, innovative project Mica Levi and David Sylvester handmade the instruments played by Micachu & The Shapes.

                                      Accompanying both formats of the album will be a download code for a mixtape featuring the artist Brother May, repeats and extends the concept further by chopping and screwing the original album into grime tracks.


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                                      Cover of Valhalla Dancehall by British Sea Power.

                                      British Sea Power

                                      Valhalla Dancehall

                                      Rough Trade

                                        "Valhalla Dancehall" is the band’s fourth album proper, following the Mercury-nominated "Do You Like Rock Music?" in 2008 and the "Man Of Aran" soundtrack in 2009. With its title, "Valhalla Dancehall" invokes a wild-eyed internationalism, alluding to both the Norse mythos and Jamaican discos – to the Viking heaven and Caribbean good times. BSP are maybe unlikely to be taking up residence in downtown Kingston, but the album title and the music it comes with are antidotes to limited horizons and parochial mindsets. BSP have recently played live inside the Arctic Circle and atop the Great Wall Of China. With its ambition and sense of wonder, the new album mirrors such globe-girdling scope.

                                        'We almost called the album Return Of The Gender Benders', says BSP frontman Yan. 'It was a fun title, but it also had a more serious side. The music we were recording made us want to link ourselves with people who aren’t afraid to stand out. Another working title was The Interstellar Sussex Downs – a mix of the near and the far. It’s our most ambitious record yet and there’s a bit of a party theme – the word 'party' features a few times. Lee Perry and Odin are both there, in Valhalla where the bar stays open for eternity. Four albums in and we're finally learning to enjoy ourselves..'

                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                        Andy says: The British Arcade Fire: weird, wonderful and deceptively epic!

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                                        Cover of The Fool by Warpaint.

                                        Warpaint

                                        The Fool

                                        Rough Trade

                                          Los Angeles all-girl four-piece Warpaint release their debut album proper, "The Fool" on Rough Trade, following last year's "Exquisite Corpse" mini-album.

                                          Warpaint weave intricate guitar lines, hypnotic vocals and driving post punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between psychedelia and intimacy. Both live and on record, Warpaint sound like they're channelling something truly otherworldly, mystical.

                                          Recorded in a gym in LA, "The Fool" was produced and mixed by Tom Biller (Karen O – "Where The Wild Things Are" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" soundtracks), with further mixes from Andrew Weatherall (New Order, Primal Scream, Bjork) and Adam Samuels (Pearl Jam, Willie Nelson).

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                                          Cover of Write About Love by Belle And Sebastian.

                                          Belle And Sebastian

                                          Write About Love

                                          Rough Trade

                                            Unlike its predecessors, "Write About Love" is an album which has come together in a relatively short period of time. After reconvening in February 2010, a period of writing and pre-production in Glasgow was followed by a trip to Los Angeles for recording with Tony Hoffer (who also produced ‘The Life Pursuit’) at the renowned Sound Factory Studio B.

                                            Adopting a more fluid approach than on the previous record, fourteen songs were recorded and mixed by the start of June, of which eleven feature on the CD and vinyl releases. Two further tracks from these sessions appear on a bonus 7” with the vinyl edition of the album.

                                            As ever, the record draws the band’s internal songwriting strengths, but this time includes some guest performances. Stuart Murdoch wrote the majority of the songs on the album, while Sarah Martin takes lead vocals on her two contributions, "I Didn’t See It Coming" and "I Can See Your Future" and Stevie Jackson on his ("I’m Not Living In The Real World"). In addition, Norah Jones contributes lead vocals to "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" (which also appears on her forthcoming album of duets and collaborations called "Featuring") and actress Carey Mulligan sings on "Write About Love". Strings were added by LA residents The Section Quartet.

                                            STAFF COMMENTS

                                            Millie says: I’m spoilt for choice with Belle and Sebastian albums; they’re a favourite band of mine, their juxtaposition of melancholic lyrics with upbeat and cheery melodies are just brilliant. It’s bold and rosy; their story-like style is prominent in their ever on-going array of music.

                                            TRACK LISTING

                                            1. I Didn't See It Coming
                                            2. Come On Sister
                                            3. Calculating Bimbo
                                            4. I Want The World To Stop
                                            5. Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John (Feat. Norah Jones)
                                            6. Write About Love (Feat. Carey Mulligan)
                                            7. I'm Not Living In The Real World
                                            8. Ghost Of Rockschool
                                            9. Read The Blessed Pages
                                            10. I Can See Your Future
                                            11. Sunday's Pretty Icons

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                                            Cover of Swanlights by Antony & The Johnsons.

                                            Antony & The Johnsons

                                            Swanlights

                                            Rough Trade

                                              While "I Am a Bird Now" is compelling in its vulnerability and "The Crying Light" is a masterpiece of austerity, "Swanlights" may be Antony’s most wide-rangingly emotional work to date. It is a record that is at moments heartbreakingly tender, and at other times has a joyful gleam to its teeth.

                                              Unlike previous work, which was often quite sparsely voiced, on "Swanlights" the vines in the garden are overgrown and the sound palette has become more exotic; strange percussive elements, John Cale-esque string drones, heavily distorted guitars and symphonic winds and strings thread the song cycle together.

                                              The album includes the song "Flétta", a duet with Björk.


                                              TRACK LISTING

                                              1. Everything Is New
                                              2. The Great White Ocean
                                              3. Ghost
                                              4. I’m In Love
                                              5. Violetta
                                              6. Swanlights
                                              7. The Spirit Was Gone
                                              8. Thank You For Your Love
                                              9. Flétta
                                              10. Salt Silver Oxygen
                                              11. Christina’s Farm

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                                              Cover of Minor Love by Adam Green.

                                              Adam Green

                                              Minor Love

                                              Rough Trade

                                                Adam Green's sixth's studio album, recorded with long time producer / friend Noah Georgeson. Co-founder of influential anti-folk group The Moldy Peaches, Adam Green's unique vocal style has never been especially commercial. However, while "Minor Love" isn't exactly a 'Top40' style record, it is more accessible than his previous work. Green recorded almost all of the instruments himself, and the songs have simple arrangements, which highlight Green's vocals. "Minor Love" showcases a side of Green that is not often obvious in his public profile.  

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                                                Cover of Exquisite Corpse by Warpaint.

                                                Warpaint

                                                Exquisite Corpse

                                                Rough Trade

                                                  This is their debut mini-album originally released on Manimal Records, now reissued in the UK on Rough Trade.

                                                  Los Angeles' mystical Warpaint weave majestic, haiku-like guitars, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia / shoegaze, the haunting intimacy of folk, and rock's primal heaviness. At the core of the band are childhood friends Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman who both met bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg at a commercial casting audition in LA. The trio quickly traded in their headshots for guitars and the fertile, diverse LA music scene has been much better for it since. Expertly mixed by John Frusciante, the album successfully captures the band's sonic textures and playful dynamism Warpaint is notorious for creating live. Onstage, Warpaint's disarmingly authentic package can shake a room into a dance frenzy—while simultaneously holding it in a trance-like dreamworld.


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                                                  Cover of East Of Eden by Taken By Trees.

                                                  Taken By Trees

                                                  East Of Eden

                                                  Rough Trade

                                                    Victoria Bergsman wanted to travel to record in a mysterious, relatively uncharted area, avoiding the usual clinical studio experience which she has always disliked and found to be an uncreative environment. She chose Pakistan. The rhythm, drums and flutes of Pakistani music had long captivated Victoria and this, coupled with a deep admiration for singers Abida Parveen and the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, helped her choose Pakistan as the place to record her new album. Another attractive factor was her interest in Sufi musicians who play in order to enter a trance like state, using music to transport themselves to another time and place. Victoria is one of very few Western women, if not the only one, to record in this region, and the bureaucracy, cultural differences and prejudices she had to overcome to see this project through almost beggar belief. It's therefore little short of a miracle that this album turned out the way it did. Victoria, previously best known for her work with The Concretes and Peter Bjorn & John's worldwide smash hit single "Young Folks", now works under the nom de plume Taken By Trees. This new offering follows in the footsteps of Taken By Tree's debut album "Open Field" (2007). The album also includes a cover of Animal Collective's "My Girls", which Victoria has re-interpreted as "My Boys". She has been a long standing fan of band member Noah Lennox' voice and upon hearing their new album "Merriweather Post Pavilion" was so struck by the song she felt compelled to record a version for her album. Consequently, Noah was also invited to sing vocals on another track on the album, "Anna".

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                                                    Jarvis Cocker

                                                    Further Complications

                                                    Rough Trade

                                                      A new album from Sheffield's finest is always greeted with a great deal of excitement here at Piccadilly, and even more so this time around, as he teams up with the legendary Steve Albini for this new album. "Further Complications" is rockier than his earlier solo work and his work with Pulp, which is maybe explained by Albini's presence, although the record also contains a few soul numbers such as "Leftovers".

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                                                      British Sea Power

                                                      Man Of Aran

                                                      Rough Trade

                                                        British Sea Power have written and recorded a new soundtrack for the 1934 film "Man Of Aran". This package includes two discs - the re-scored Man Of Aran DVD, plus the soundtrack by itself on CD.
                                                        'It's a wonderful film', says BSP guitarist Noble. 'The images vary between huge drama and a brilliant kind of ridiculousness - check out the amazing foot-wide bobbled berets that the fishermen wear. It's a great look, like a 1930s Irish version of Jack White or Kraftwerk. It's a film that's also relevant to the current era – a time when the idea of living a simpler life is in the air. The film shows something I'd like to think I could do, but know I never will'. 'Man Of Aran' is a powerful and provocative dramatised documentary from the late American filmmaker Robert J Flaherty. In a series of startling black-and-white sequences the film presents daily life on the inhospitable Aran islands on the west coast of Ireland. The film was both celebrated and controversial on its release.

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                                                        The Decemberists

                                                        The Hazards Of Love

                                                        Rough Trade

                                                          The Decemberists' "The Hazards Of Love" album plots an extravagant tale rooted in ancient language and imagery of a woman ravaged by her lover who is able to change his form between animal and man. The result is musically and lyrically rich with elaborate orchestrations that explode like baroque fireworks. The Decemberists are joined on this record by Lavender Diamond's Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden and there are cameos from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Robyn Hitchcock and The Spinanes' Rebecca Gates.

                                                          Tracklisting
                                                          1. Prelude
                                                          2. The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle The Thistles Undone (The Hazards Of Love part 1)
                                                          3. Bower Scene
                                                          4. Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)
                                                          5. Wager All (The Hazards Of Love part 2)
                                                          6. Queen's Approach
                                                          7. Isn't It A Lovely Night
                                                          8. Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid
                                                          9. Interlude
                                                          10. Rake's Song
                                                          11. Abduction Of Margaret
                                                          12. Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing
                                                          13. Annan Water
                                                          14. Margaret In Captivity
                                                          15. Revenge (The Hazards Of Love Part 3)
                                                          16. Wanting Comes In Waves (Reprise)
                                                          17. Drowned (The Hazards Of Love Part 4)

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                                                          Micachu

                                                          Jewellery

                                                          Rough Trade

                                                            Equally at home making brilliant left-field pop as she is composing for orchestras and making grime mixtapes, it comes as no surprise that Micachu main woman Mica Levi's Matthew Herbert-produced debut long player is a multi-coloured, multi-layered conflation of ground breaking sounds and ideas. Levi (vocals, guitar and electronics), joined by Raisa Khan (keys) and Marc Pell (drums) makes a brash, lo-fi and quirky electro-acoustic noise. The antidote to the glossy girly electro-pop everyone's going gaga over! Includes the ace single "Golden Phone".

                                                            Tracklisting
                                                            1. Vulture (With The Shapes)
                                                            2. Lips (With The Shapes)
                                                            3. Sweetheart
                                                            4. Eat Your Heart
                                                            5. Curly Teeth
                                                            6. Golden Phone
                                                            7. Ship (Feat. Man Like Me)
                                                            8. Floor
                                                            9. Just In Case
                                                            10. Calculator (With The Shapes)
                                                            11. Wrong (With The Shapes)
                                                            12. Turn Me Well
                                                            13. Guts (With The Shapes)

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                                                            Cover of The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons.

                                                            Antony & The Johnsons

                                                            The Crying Light

                                                            Rough Trade

                                                              "The Crying Light" is the third studio album by New York group Anthony and The Johnsons. Fronted by Anthony Hegarty, this record draws upon the themes of landscape and future. An intimate and moving record, this sees Anthony reach new artistic heights which will please fans and newcomers alike. Includes the tracks "Her Eyes Beneath The Ground" and "Another World". "The Crying Light" looks set for critical acclaim, following the reactions to the heart stoppingly beautiful "Another World EP" and breathtaking sold out Barbican performances with the LSO, that led The Guardian to exclaim that 'his legend is now assured'.Tracklisting1. Her Eyes Are Underneath The Ground2. Epilepsy Is Dancing3. One Dove4. Kiss My Name5. Crying Light6. Another World7. Daylight And The Sun8. Aeon9. Dust And Water10. Everglade

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                                                              British Sea Power

                                                              Do You Like Rock Music?

                                                              Rough Trade

                                                                Given that this album was produced by Howard Bilerman (drummer on Arcade Fire's "Funeral Album"), Efrim Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) and Graham Sutton (Bark Psychosis), it's epic grandeur is really no surprise. With its layers of soaring guitar, thundering drums and chanting vocals comparisons to Arcade Fire are inevitable, particularly on tracks like "Waving Flags" and album opener "All In It". There is much more to this album though: although the big surging sound is pretty much full on, there's some lovely intricate instrumentation, lots of clever pace changes to keep you on your toes, and unlike pretty much every indie band around lately, they actually have a story to tell too. With "Do You Like Rock Music?", they've finally fulfilled the promise shown on their previous albums. Already an album of the year contender!

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                                                                Super Furry Animals

                                                                Hey Venus

                                                                Rough Trade

                                                                  Not as overtly ambitious as their recent work, SFA's unabashed return to simple power pop sees the group create their most coherent record since "Radiator". Eleven effortlessly crafted songs that hold together as an addictive pop album, "Hey Venus!" is by turns typically frenzied and blissfully relaxed. Combining the lush spacey arrangements and sun-kissed vocal harmonies characteristic of Spector, Wilson and Bacharach with more than a little glam rocker 'tude, Gruff and the boys have both rewarded long-term fans and delightfully converted those who had long since dismissed their wizardry (even in this very shop!) Despite its greater discipline, "Hey Venus!" sees them both continuing to progress whilst joyfully confounding expectations. Indeed, by embracing such disparate influences as soft-psych, lackadaisical soul and bubblegum pop, the Furries have once again proved their vitality and necessity to the pop music sphere.

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                                                                  Gruff Rhys

                                                                  Candylion

                                                                  Rough Trade

                                                                    "Candylion" is the new solo album from Gruff Rhys. It follows the single of the same name and is a mesmerising musical journey with one of our most talented singers and songwriters. It seems fitting therefore that insight into the workings behind the album come straight from the man himself. '"Candylion" took form in the spring of 2006 over a fragmented two week period at Gorwel Owen's Ofn studio in Llanfaelog, Wales. My ears were happily ringing from a few months touring with the Super Furry Animals and I had a batch of mellower acoustic songs I wanted to record quickly and get out of the way before the next speaker-blowing SFA record. Once in the studio however I got carried away and found myself in a nostalgic mood, pining for some of the music I grew up listening to.'

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                                                                    Jarvis Cocker

                                                                    Jarvis

                                                                    Rough Trade

                                                                      It's what we've all been waiting for; Jarvis Cocker is back. Jarvis' first solo album follows on from his controversial online single "Running The World", which was first unleashed on the public via Myspace.com/jarvspace to coincide with the first anniversary of Live-8 – quite purposefully of course, and has since taken on a cult anthemic status all of its own. And you can all relax: it's the hidden track on the CD and the free 7-inch with the vinyl! But the good news is that it's not even the best song on this rich, deep, and a little bit dark, pop record. It's full of massive, is-this-a-cover? tunes with weird treatments and cool sounds. Richard Hawley plays, and you'd think some of these songs were co-writes, cos they're of a similar, melancholy, croonsome vibe, but with Jarvis's brilliant words on top. It's nearly all excellent and it's great to have him back!

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                                                                      Cover of The Life Pursuit by Belle And Sebastian.

                                                                      Belle And Sebastian

                                                                      The Life Pursuit

                                                                      Rough Trade

                                                                        Seven albums in and Belle and Sebastian have just made the best record of their career. Produced by Tony Hoffer this album feels both familiar and strange at the same time. There is a powerful aesthetic at the heart of the "The Life Pursuit" that places it at some time in the early-to-middle Seventies without ever specifically sounding like anything you can put your finger on. Belle And Sebastian pull in stuff from all over the place, so that Sly & the Family Stone/Funkadelic inflections ("Song For Sunshine") sits side by side with the classic Bubblegum riffs and call-and-response vocals of "White Collar Boy" (another sure-fire stomping single); the "Queen Bitch"-era Bowie stylings of "Sukie In the Graveyard"; the glammy T-Rex of "The Blues Are Still Blue"; the prime-time miserablism of a Terry Hall "Mornington Crescent" and the irrepressible rousing piano drive of "The Price Of A Cup Of Tea". All formats come beautifully packaged.

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                                                                        Babyshambles

                                                                        Down In Albion

                                                                        Rough Trade

                                                                          Following a triumphant and eventful UK tour Rough Trade are proud to announce the release of the most anticipated album of the year: Babyshambles' debut album "Down In Albion". It includes the band's top five hit "Fuck Forever" and a new recording of their first "Killamangiro". The sixteen-track album was produced by Mick Jones and mixed by Mick Jones and Bill Price. There is a vinyl due for release later in the year - it's going to be a strictly limited double with the fourth side etched!

                                                                          [ + ]
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                                                                          Cover of Open Season by British Sea Power.

                                                                          British Sea Power

                                                                          Open Season

                                                                          Rough Trade

                                                                            Their first album did really well, as a word-of-mouth thing, and back then BSP stood alone in the old-school indie quirky art-pop stakes. They were a refreshing leftward turn. Now everyone's at it, but the good news is that this second album is a huge step on from their debut. It has a controlled, powerful splendour which recalls the dark, melodic wonder of Joy Division and features less of the jerky wackiness of old. This is a beautiful record and whilst the words 'epic' and 'soaring' aren't usually associated with leftfield pop, BSP manage to be both those things. But they do it cleverly, with grace and good taste. This will be a contender for Album Of The Year.

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                                                                            Antony & The Johnsons

                                                                            I Am A Bird Now

                                                                            Rough Trade

                                                                              "I Am A Bird Now" is the second full-length from this extraordinary New York artist Antony and his cohorts the Johnsons. The album features contributions from both Antony's peers (Rufus Wainwright, Devendra Banhart) and heroes (Lou Reed, Boy George). Their involvement reflects both their admiration for Antony, and his unique place in the contemporary arts community.

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                                                                              Cover of The Libertines by The Libertines.

                                                                              The Libertines

                                                                              The Libertines

                                                                              Rough Trade

                                                                                I'd normally say 'ignore the hype, just listen to the music' but with this band you simply can't. Their story is everywhere. And it informs nearly every lyric, every slash of guitar, on this, their excellent second album. God knows who plays bass and drums on Libertines' records because this is the Pete And Carl Show, through and through. Love, betrayal, spirit, dreams and passion are set to their usual musical blend of The Jam and The Clash. Mick Jones produces again but this time the songs are better, the sound much bigger than on their debut. And that's all you need to know; that's where we came in; accept the hype, enjoy the music. It's great.

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                                                                                Cover of Seven Swans by Sufjan Stevens.

                                                                                Sufjan Stevens

                                                                                Seven Swans

                                                                                Rough Trade

                                                                                  THE PICCADILLY RECORDS ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2004

                                                                                  This is wonderful! Sufjan has created another stunning album, by blending pastoral folk songs, with a whole host of unusual instrumentation, including electric piano, xylophone and glockenspiel that at times are reminiscent of Philip Glass, occasional bursts of frantic but melodic banjo, and various brass and woodwind instruments and the whole thing is held together through out by some stunningly simple acoustic guitar and fragile, half whispered vocals.

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                                                                                  Cover of Up The Bracket by The Libertines.

                                                                                  The Libertines

                                                                                  Up The Bracket

                                                                                  Rough Trade

                                                                                    Chancers? They'd take it as a compliment. But you don't get the Clash's Mick Jones to produce you if that's all you are. There's a real heart beating here. A rough energetic garage band fronted by two proper characters. A bit like the Strokes but mostly like the Jam. They've got the spirit of the new wave (that's 1979 mate!) and in "Time For Heroes" and "Up The Bracket" the tunes to match.

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