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LIFE

Cover of Life Without Sound by Cloud Nothings.

Cloud Nothings

Life Without Sound

Wichita

    Cloud Nothings are back with ‘Life Without Sound’, the follow up to 2014’s ‘Here And Nowhere Else’, on Wichita Recordings.

    Lead singer and guitarist Dylan Baldi maintains simple, admirable standards in quality. “A thing I like to do with all of my records is drive around with them,” the 25-year-old Cloud Nothings frontman says. “In high school, I would listen to music for hours like that: just driving through the suburbs of Cleveland. And if it sounds good to me in that context and I can think of high school me listening to it and saying, ‘That’s okay,’ I feel good about the record. This is the one that’s felt best.”

    ‘Life Without Sound’ is the radiant fourth full length Cloud Nothings have recorded since Baldi began writing and releasing songs on his own under the Cloud Nothings alias in 2008. While its highly acclaimed predecessor, 2014’s ‘Here And Nowhere Else’, came together spontaneously in the little time that touring allowed, ‘Life Without Sound’ took shape under far less frenetic circumstances.

    For more than a year, Baldi was able to write these songs and flesh out them out with his bandmates - drummer Jayson Gerycz and bassist TJ Duke - before they finally joined producer John Goodmanson (Sleater Kinney, Death Cab For Cutie) at Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas for three weeks in March of 2016. The result is Baldi’s most polished and considered work to date, an album that speaks to his evolving gift with melody while also betraying the sort of perspective that time provides.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Barry says: I used to listen to quite a lot of skate-punk and hardcore in my youth, whilst this is definitely not that, it has a similar sort of Loud-less loud-loud vibe going on. 'Modern Act' is a perfectly balanced slice of anthemic punky rock, inc. semi-snarled vocals and youthful exhuberance, punctuated with almost clean-cut interludes before breaking forth into another bombastic energetic exaltation. Peppered with moments of pure energetic brilliance, and bulked out with even more moments of bracing and dynamic expertise.

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    Cover of Honest Life by Courtney Marie Andrews.

    Courtney Marie Andrews

    Honest Life

    Loose

      After a decade spent at the height of the music industry, touring solo and with large pop bands, Courtney Marie Andrews has realised her desire for a place to come home to. She found that in a small rural town in the deep forests of Washington. There, she posted up at a local bar, slinging drinks, basking in the simplicity and reflection it allowed. She has emerged with a new fire on Honest Life, melding indie-folk and Americana with a rebellious country flavour reminiscent of her Southwestern roots.

      Honest Life is the culmination of Andrews' life on the road, absorbing the stories, traditions and heartbreaks along the way. The songs on Honest Life touch on personal coming-of-age stories ("Rookie Dreaming"), the stunning beauty of resiliency ("How Quickly Your Heart Mends"), take-no-shit self-determination anthems ("Irene"), and thoughts on how to accept emotions like loneliness and vulnerability in your life ("Table for One"). Andrews' heart-wrenching songwriting and crystal-clear vocal style are as captivating as they are invigorating. It's no wonder Ryan Adams called Andrews "a phenomenal songwriter." True to her own vision, Andrews produced the entire record herself and recorded it at Litho Studios in Seattle with recording engineer Floyd Reitsma, whose recent credits include Noah Gundersen and Pearl Jam.

      STAFF COMMENTS

      Barry says: A beautifully rendered and heartfelt collection of Americana anthems and soulful country, all topped by Andrews' powerful and immensely emotive voice. Pristinely produced, relentlessly melodic and irresistibly enduring.

      TRACK LISTING

      1. Rookie Dreaming
      2. Not The End
      3. Irene
      4. How Quickly Your Heart Mends
      5. Let The Good One Go
      6. Honest Life
      7. Table For One
      8. Put The Fire Out
      9. 15 Highway Lines
      10. Only In My Mind

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      Cover of Other Life by Makeness & Adult Jazz.

      Makeness & Adult Jazz

      Other Life

      Warner Bros.

        On "Other Life" the creative forces of Scottish producer Makeness and art pop four piece Adult Jazz combine to create an addictive slice of catchy disco-not-disco with post-punk influences. Makeness is the name of producer and songwriter Kyle Molleson. Having grown up in The Outer Hebrides it was at Leeds Uni that he meet Harry Burgess, Steven Wells, Tim Slater and Tom Howe of Adult Jazz. Drawing on influences from Afro Beat, New-Wave and techno in 2015 he had his debut release ‘Laca-Langa’, a thundering percussive track. Adult Jazz released two lovingly received records, 2014’s ‘Gist Is’ and 2016’s ‘Earrrings Off!’ (on Tri-Angle) and have established themselves as one of Britain’s finest new experimental pop groups, with lyrics that tackle questions of identity and belief. Prior to the release on Meno Records, a then unreleased ‘Other Life’ was remixed by Whities producer Minor Science. 15 dub plates were pressed up and stamped with MXMS, finding their way to Jamie XX, Ben UFO and Roman Flügel, who all played the track. The original track is now being released by Meno Records, with a limited run of 300 12” as well as being made available digitally. Fans of avant-disco will rejoice at the sound, with its loose and un-quantized groove, synth squeaks, flourishes and off-kilter vocal falsetto, it’s the artists but not as you know them and totally addictive. Makeness and Adult Jazz let their hair down and follow Arthur Russell’s advice; ‘First Thought, Best Thought’.


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        Cover of Bigger Than Life by Jack Lee.

        Jack Lee

        Bigger Than Life

        Alive

        Legendary singer/songwriter Jack Lee has been on the radar of rock fans since the late 70’s, when he formed the iconic power pop band The NERVES, alongside Paul Collins and Peter Case. His songs have been covered by a multitude of artists (Blondie, Suzy Quatro, Cat Power, Paul Young), but fans have found his solo work very hard to come by prior to this release. “Bigger Than Life” is a double LP single CD filled with 23 memorable songs, all reissued for the first time since the 1980’s, and showcasing the incredible songwriting craft of this reclusive and pop genius. 

        TRACK LISTING

        01. Good Times
        02. Give Me Some Time
        03. Come Back And Stay
        04. Any Day Now
        05. Stand Back And Take A Good Look
        06. Hangin' On The Telephone
        07. Woman
        08. I'm Gonna Have Fun
        09. Crime Doesn't Pay
        10. Paper Dolls
        11. It's Hot Outside
        12. Sex
        13. Somebody Else To Love
        14. Bird In A Cage
        15. Why Am I So Lonely
        16. From Time To Time
        17. Between Two People
        18. Play With Me
        19. Time Machine
        20. The Girl In The Picture
        21. Breaking Into My Heart
        22. Bigger Than Life
        23. Small World

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        Cover of Tunnel / New Pastoral Life by Minami Deutsch.

        Minami Deutsch

        Tunnel / New Pastoral Life

        Hoga Nord

          Sunrise, Sunset, Wherever. And who are ya!? We are Höga Nord Rekords and we´re busy keepin on. This time with a fresh 7" release from Minami Deutsch. Pure kraut live and direct from Tokyo. The quartet released their debut during 2015 on Chapata Records/Cardinal Fuzz (UK) and Guru Guru Brain in Japan. Of course you can hear their love for kraut-rock legends such as Can and Neu! But more interesting is the bands members definition of themselves as repetition freaks.

          A-Side New Pastoral Life sounds like a repetitive mystic chant that wants to communicate with Klaus Dinger on a ouija board in a distant and deep forrest.

          B-side Tunnel offers a straight forward monokrautriot. Kyotara Miula (guitar, vocals, synthesizer), Taku Rauschenberg (guitar), Keita Ise (bass) and Hikari Sakashita (drums) surely comes from the same strain as Bo Ningen, Cybele no Nichiyobi and Kikagaku Moyo. Act like you know! 

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          Cover of Unfinished Music, No. 2: Life With The Lions by John Lennon & Yoko Ono.

          John Lennon & Yoko Ono

          Unfinished Music, No. 2: Life With The Lions

          Secretly Canadian

          The sound of Ono and Lennon validating their love as something impenetrable and timeless. It’s when we, the listener, begin to fully understand that the scope of their recording efforts was much more than a recording collaboration and something closer to a performative documentary, a declaration of “Our life and our love is our art - every nitty, gritty part of it.”

          TRACK LISTING

          Cambridge 1969
          No Bed For Beatle John
          Baby’s Heartbeat
          Two Minutes Silence
          Radio Play

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          Cover of Life's Dancers - Inc. Floating Points Remix by The Invisible.

          The Invisible

          Life's Dancers - Inc. Floating Points Remix

          Ninja Tune

            In a career packed with plaudits, critical praise and plenty of highlights (for instance, when I put them on at Sounds From The Other City), The Invisible have cut a singular path through the musical world, remaining independent and individual whilst still achieving mainstream success. That they manage to pull this off whilst still boasting an ephemeral, essentially indescribable sound and style is remarkable when you think about it. 
            Here the trio follow their excellent third LP with a 12" single brought to you in collaboration with DJ, producer, jazz genius and man of the moment Floating Points. And it's the Eglo man who kicks us off, taking the controls for an A-side remix chocked full of loose funk and heart swelling melody. Sweeping, autumnal strings drift over syncopated drums and punchy bass, fusing into a nebulous shelter for Dave Okumu's gossamer vocals. Dreamy, deep and dancey, the track drops out into stripped back, groove led excursions with just enough frequency to make those maximal moments hit with full emotional resonance. Peppered with the trilling synths, sparkling sequences and subtle tones he's made his own, this is Floating Points in full control of all around him - simply masterful. Even for a man of FP's inummerable talents, none of this would be possible with from piss-poor material, and The Invisible's original version opens the flip in no less impressive fashion. Emotive, immersive and blessed with the kind of off-kilter rhythm missing from music since Micachu had her Shapes, this fusion of jazz tones, funk beats and dreampop haze is worth the admission fee alone. But that's not all folks, for deep in the obscurity of the B2 glimmers a brand new track, co-written by Floating Points. Powered by thudding drum machines and sparkling sequences, "First Time" offers dramatic 80s tinged guitar chords, booming boogie bass and all the wonk you'd expect from an intoxicated evening at an Eglo showcase. If you're digging on the synthetic soul sound of Blood Orange or Ghostpoet right now, you'll love this. 

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            Cover of Big Life by The Rifles.

            The Rifles

            Big Life

            Cooking Vinyl

            The Rifles return with their highly anticipated 5th album 'Big Life'. The new double album contains a remarkable 18 tracks that showcases a new maturity while retaining the indie rock spirit that has become synonymous with the band

            Since their last album ‘None The Wiser' (which charted at #6 in the UK album mid-weeks) the band have maintained a strong plot through impressive live feats such as 4 consecutive nights at London's Electric Ballroom, a sold out show at The London Roundhouse and multiple tours across the UK and Europe. With such a strong, dedicated and engaged fanbase, we have high expectations for this new album and feel that it stands a good chance of outperforming its predecessor.

            TRACK LISTING

            DISC: 1
            1. Groundhog Day
            2. Radio Nowhere
            3. Turtle Dove
            4. Numero Uno
            5. Caught In The Summer Rain
            6. Wall Around Your Heart
            7. Victoria
            8. Jonny Was A Friend Of Mine
            9. Young For A Day

            DISC: 2
            1. Big Big Life
            2. Motorway
            3. Independent
            4. Misunderstood
            5. Go Do What You Like
            6. Time In Hand
            7. Never Been That Close
            8. Heavy Weather
            9. Victoria (Acoustic) 

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            Reduced Cover of Gift Of Life by VHS.

            VHS

            Gift Of Life

            Suicide Squeeze

            ‘Gift Of Life’, the first proper full length by VHS, follows in the footsteps of their previous EPs, with the band self-recording their amalgam of Lost Sounds’ trashy discontent, early Big Black’s trebly guitar stabs and ‘Only Theatre Of Pain’-era Christian Death’s black reverberations. These are brash and bitter territories to occupy but the band sees no other choice for their musical direction, citing the daily grind as the impetus behind their music.

            The harsh reality of frontman Josh Hageman’s day-today existence working on the periphery of the medical field played a direct role in the overall theme of the album. Those fatalistic views and medical themes are on full display on ‘Wheelchair’, where a punk pulse underscores Hageman’s harrowing description of a life lived in chronic pain with drugs serving as the only escape.

            The album continues on to ‘Hospital Room’, where wiry guitar leads and ominous chords provide the soundtrack to a scene of misery and tragedy within the sanitized walls of Western medicine.

            Elsewhere, the themes of addiction and exposure take on more universal themes, such as on the culturegorging lament of ‘Binge Everything’ or the panopticon-paranoia of ‘Public Act’.

            TRACK LISTING

            Fully Realized
            Wheelchair
            Hospital Room
            Public Act
            Crooked Echo
            Binge Everything
            Art Decay
            Constant Hiss

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            Cover of Life In The Dark by The Felice Brothers.

            The Felice Brothers

            Life In The Dark

            Yep Roc

              The Felice Brothers return with nine songs in their unique blend of folk, country, rock and soul. Uncut magazine has described the band as, "just glorious". Life in the Dark was recorded in the garage on a farm in upstate New York, with no distractions and no outside influences.

              So, it's not surprising the band produced the album themselves. Highlights include, "Aerosol Ball," and "Plunder." The Felice Brothers will be playing select shows and festivals throughout the spring and summer, with a US Tour scheduled for the fall and UK/EU dates in the winter.

              The Felice Brothers got their start as a band playing in the New York City subway. They stayed in a little apartment in Brooklyn and would play in the subway stations at 42nd Street and Union Square and in Greenwich Village. The three brothers originally hail from Palenville, New York in the Catskill Mountains.

              The band has five main members: Ian and James Felice, their friend Josh "Christmas Clapton" Rawson, previously a traveling dice player, fiddle player Greg Farley and drummer David Estabrook. Ian is the main vocalist and plays the guitar and piano. James contributes vocals and plays the accordion, organ, and piano. Christmas plays the bass guitar.

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              Cover of Still Life by Young Magic.

              Young Magic

              Still Life

              Carpark

              The beginnings of Young Magic’s new album, Still Life, coincided with singer Melati Malay revisiting her own, in her birthplace of Indonesia. Having lost her father the previous year, she returned to the island of Java to reconnect with her family, dig up stories, and begin work on a new collection of music.

              “My father had been somewhat of a mystery to me,” Melati says. “How did a boy from the Midwest end up in the jungles of Borneo during the 60s, trading his watch and a carton of cigarettes for the gravestones of the indigenous headhunters?”

              The search led Melati deep into her family history. She rented a small shack by the water for a month, and with just a backpack and microphone, began recording – unraveling a past of superstition, black magic, and ties to the Javanese royal family.

              “I’ve always felt torn, like some kind of hybrid existing between two worlds,” Melati says. “Born to a Catholic father and a Muslim mother, growing up bilingual, attending an international school in Jakarta where all my friends were from different countries…in a city of 30 million people where the clash between poverty and affluence is extreme.”

              Still Life is a deeply personal and idiosyncratic record, somewhere close to the enchanted electronic pop realms occupied by Björk and Broadcast, yet unique to Young Magic. Found sounds and textures feature prominently across Still Life, including the Javanese gamelan, blossoming into ecstatic bursts during the climax of “Lucien.” Melati grounds the textured sonic world with arrows direct to the heart, like the arresting “How Wonderful” where the singer overflows with regret for “all those things I never said.” This is as deeply personal as the group has ever been.

              “In a way, Still Life became a kind of antithesis to a world where people tell you who to pray to, what to buy into, and who your enemies should be. It’s my reaction. Still Life is my way to celebrate music from all corners…my home without borders.”

              Upon returning to New York, her home of 10 years, Melati put together a group of musicians and began reimagining these new musical works inspired by her personal metamorphosis. She enlisted NYC-based cellist and composer Kelsey Lu McJunkins, Detroit producer Erin Rioux, Bolivian percussionist Daniel Alejandro Siles Mendoza, and Australian producer/songwriter Isaac Emmanuel, her longtime collaborator.

              Young Magic met in New York City in 2010 and began collaborating above a speakeasy in Brooklyn. Alongside original member Michael Italia, the trio signed to Carpark Records (Toro Y Moi, Beach House, Dan Deacon) on the strength of one single (Sparkly/You With Air) and a wave of positive press. Touring in Europe and North America began after a series of limited edition 7" releases in 2011. The following year brought new visibility, acclaim, and artistic achievement with the release of the group’s full-length album debut, Melt, which was followed by sophmore album Breathing Statues.

              Still Life inhabits a gorgeous, kaleidoscopic world, as delicate and intricate, as it is expansive and immersive. It walks the line between organic and mechanic, where dusty field recordings weave between warm Moogs and Prophets, where jazz breaks bump next to broken drum machines. It’s meticulously crafted outsider pop, made by obsessives, for obsessives. 


              TRACK LISTING

              1. Valhalla
              2. Lucien
              3. Sleep Now
              4. IWY
              5. Held
              6. Default Memory
              7. How Wonderful
              8. Homage
              9. Sky Interior
              10. Valhalla (Reprise)

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              Cover of Still Life Of Citrus &Slime by CFM.

              CFM

              Still Life Of Citrus &Slime

              In The Red

                CFM is Charles Francis Moothart. He has been making records for the past decade, playing various instruments in various bands—bass in The Epsilons, drums in The Moonhearts, and guitar in The Ty Segall Band and, most recently, Fuzz. Still Life of Citrus and Slime is Moothart’s first solo effort and it’s a great one.

                Moothart says, “Still Life of Citrus and Slime—the idea of creating something outside of the comfort zone. Blending basic elements of necessity, release and escape. An attempt to fuse reality with the elusions of the possible. The music represents an elevation beyond the barriers of linear motion and self-doubt. It is similar to looking in a mirror and realizing that time trails itself constantly by just a millisecond. You cannot kill time, and you cannot exist on both sides of the reflex. Yet, to bridge the gap is to eliminate instinct and output in their purest forms.

                “This record is a portrait of a person navigating the mechanics of two distinct machines. The first—the brain. The second—the Tascam 388. Eight tracks and a quarter-inch path to maneuver to the summation. The songs simmer from rare to well done. No matter the cut, the meat is fresh and still vibrating with life. “Fast, slow, wonky and straight. There are moments of everything in these grooves. At times it feels like it could come apart at the seams, but it doesn’t. It grabs the thread, bites the end, pulls it tight and continues the experiment. It’s rock ’n’ roll, and that’s all. The greener grass is browning on the other side. The drought is here to stay. The only way out of this mess is to put your head down and do the right thing. Keep moving, keep trying, keep creating, and project any positivity possible. Of course it is much easier to succumb to the wolf. Just forget about it, and pretend it is out of your control. Thankfully the wolf let down his guard. Having found refuge in a blanket of heartache and a bottle of wine, he took a cat nap in a manger of confusion.”

                TRACK LISTING

                1. You Can't Kill Time
                2. Brain Of Clay
                3. Lunar Heroine
                4. Street Car History
                5. Glass Eye
                6. Slack
                7. Habit Creeps
                8. Clearly Confusion
                9. Purple Spine
                10. The Wolf Behind My Eyes
                11. Still Life Of Citrus And Slime

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                Cover of Life Of Pause by Wild Nothing.

                Wild Nothing

                Life Of Pause

                Bella Union

                Wild Nothing, aka Brooklyn-based musician Jake Tatum, released his debut album ‘Gemini’ in 2010 to critical acclaim. Five years on, with an equally impressive sophomore release and a series of EPs under his belt, Tatum is pleased to announce his third-studio album and self-proclaimed most “mature and honest” work to date, ‘Life Of Pause’.

                When Jack Tatum began work on ‘Life Of Pause’ he had fascinating ambitions. “I desperately wanted for this to be the kind of record that would displace me,” he says. “I’m terrified by the idea of being any one thing, or being of any one genre. And whether or not I accomplish that, I know that my only hope of getting there is to constantly reinvent. That reinvention doesn’t need to be drastic, but every new record has to have its own identity, and it has to have a separate set of goals from what came before.”

                ‘Life Of Pause’ is an exquisitely arranged and beautifully recorded collection of songs that marry the immediate with the indefinable. “I allowed myself to go down every route I could imagine even if it ended up not working for me,” he says. “I owe it to myself to take as many risks as possible. Songs are songs you have to allow yourself to be open to everything.”

                After a prolonged period of writing and experimentation recording took place over several weeks in both Los Angeles and Stockholm, with producer Thom Monahan (Devendra Banhart, Beachwood Sparks) helping Tatum in his search for a more natural and organically textured sound. In Sweden, in a studio once owned by ABBA, they enlisted Peter, Bjorn & John drummer John Ericsson and fellow Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra veteran TK to contribute drums and marimba. In California, at Monahan’s home, Tatum collaborated with Medicine guitarist Brad Laner and a crew of saxophonists.

                From the hypnotic polyrhythms of ‘Reichpop’ to the sugary howl of ‘Japanese Alice’ to the hallucinogenic R&B of ‘A Woman’s Wisdom’, the result is a complete, fully immersive listening environment. “I just kept things really simple, writing as ideas came to me,” he says. “There’s definitely a different kind of ‘self’ in the picture this time around. There’s no real love lost, it’s much more a record of coming to terms and defining what it is that you have - your place, your relationships. I view every record as an opportunity to write better songs. At the end of the day it still sounds like me, just new.”

                TRACK LISTING

                Reichpop
                Lady Blue
                A Woman’s Wisdom
                Japanese Alice
                Life Of Pause
                Alien
                To Know You
                Adore
                TV Queen
                Whenever I
                Love Underneath
                My Thumb

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                Cover of Still Life by Mystery Plane.

                Mystery Plane

                Still Life

                Color Tapes

                  Mystery Plane formed in 1980 from the ashes of 70's new wave band 3D5 who's line-up also featured future Cure member Porl Thompson. This record was originally a demo cassette made in 1981 that was hawked around record labels with a view for release. Later Color Tapes released a 100 copies edition. To support their demo at the time the band played such gigs at the Marquee, Rock Garden and The Bridgehouse supporting bands such as Fad Gadget, Modern English and Henry Padovani (Ex-Police) in London.

                  This sublime minimal basement krauty synth LP was inspired by bands such as Neu, Amon Duul ll, and "Vienna" period Ultravox. The album features guitar work of Gerald O' Connell who was a big fan of Ash Ra Tempel's guitarist Manuel Gottsching. A year later he went on to form Lives Of Angels who made the classic cold wave album "Elevator To Eden" which was originally released on Color Tapes in 1983.

                  Mystery Plane have been featured on the sold out Cold Waves Of Color compilation series. The album has been remastered by Denis Blackham and comes complete with a poster insert.

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                  Cover of Love Of Life by The Swans.

                  The Swans

                  Love Of Life

                  Mute

                    Led by Michael Gira, Swans formed in 1982 and, after disbanding in 1997, returned with the critically acclaimed albums ‘My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky’ (2010), ‘The Seer’ (2012) and 2014’s ‘To Be Kind’.

                    Swans’ classic album ‘Love Of Life’ (1992) is now re-mastered and reissued as a deluxe vinyl edition with an exclusive poster and digital download code.

                    The digital download code for ‘Love Of Life’ also includes 18 bonus tracks.

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                    Cover of Adore Life by Savages.

                    Savages

                    Adore Life

                    Matador Records

                    It’s about change and the power to change. It’s about metamorphosis and evolution. It’s about sticking to your guns and toughing it out. It’s about now, not tomorrow. It’s about recognizing your potential. It’s about self-doubt and inaction. It’s about you. It’s about me. It’s about you and me and the others. It’s about the choices we make. It’s about finding the poetry and avoiding the cliché. It’s about being the solution, not the problem. It’s about showing weakness to be strong. It’s about digging through your dirt to look for diamonds. It's about claiming your right to think unacceptable thoughts. It’s about boredom and the things we do to drive it away. It’s about being on your own so you can be with people. It’s about knowing what it means to be human and what it might mean one day. It’s about the parts and the sum of the parts. It's about the music and the message: together, one and the same. It’s about bass, guitars, drums and vocals. It’s about opening-out and never, ever dying. But most of all it’s about love, every kind of love. Love is the answer.

                    Savages’ second album Adore Life was recorded in RAK Studios, London in April 2015. Johnny Hostile was the producer and Richard Woodcraft the engineer. Anders Trentmöller took care of the mixing in Copenhagen. 

                    TRACK LISTING

                    The Answer
                    Evil
                    Sad Person
                    Adore
                    I Need Something New
                    Slowing Down The World
                    When In Love
                    Surrender
                    TIWYG
                    Mechanics

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                    Cover of Where Have You Been All My Life? by Villagers.

                    Villagers

                    Where Have You Been All My Life?

                    Domino

                    ‘Where Have You Been All My Life?’ is a collection of songs that distils five years and three albums of Villagers’ songwriting into one flowing narrative.

                    Recorded in one day at London’s RAK Studio with Richard Woodcraft (Radiohead, The Last Shadow Puppets) and Villagers live engineer Ber Quinn, the album is a re-imagining of older material seamlessly woven with present glories from Villagers’ most recent studio album, ‘Darling Arithmetic’.

                    Released in April 2015, Conor O’Brien’s third album under the guise of Villagers was a more pared-back, intimate journey compared to the multi-faceted arrangements of ‘Becoming A Jackal’ (2010) and ‘{Awayland}’ (2013). This fresh approach was extended on subsequent Villagers tours, where old songs were reinvented to match the new. Then for one day in July 2015, 18 songs were quickly captured and 12 songs chosen for the final album, making it Villagers’ most intense but satisfying session to date. These recordings are all first or second takes and the immediacy of the occasion was part of the magic that day, live and unadorned by overdubs or studio trickery.

                    The unique nature of these arrangements is due in no small part to the musicians in the room at the time of recording: Cormac Curran on grand piano and analogue synthesizer, Danny Snow on double bass, Mali Llywelyn on harp, mellotron and vocals and Gwion Llewelyn on drums, flugelhorn and vocals. The result is a lush, harmony-laden and vibrant document of a time and a place.

                    Included in the album is a new recording of ‘Memoir’, which O’Brien wrote for Charlotte Gainsbourg; it can be found on her 2011 album ‘Stage Whisper’ but has never before been recorded by Villagers until now.

                    TRACK LISTING

                    Set The Tigers Free
                    Everything I Am Is Yours
                    My Lighthouse
                    Courage
                    That Day
                    The Soul Serene
                    Memoir
                    Hot Scary Summer
                    The Waves
                    Darling Arithmetic
                    So Naive
                    Wichita Lineman

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                    Cover of No Life 'til Cereal by Cereal Killer.

                    Cereal Killer

                    No Life 'til Cereal

                    Agitated / Antifade

                      4 track debut stomper of high energry riff smashing punk rock from that hotbed of now, Geelong / Victoria…yes, Australian spuzz at high volume… featuring members of Ausmuteants, ORB, Living Eyes and Wet Blankets. Like a blender was used on some early thrash metal, US hardcore sludge, and KBD compilations… play loud, play often. Smash your speakers. 250 copies only for the Northern Hemisphere.

                      "Their new track “No Life Til Cereal” taken from an upcoming 7” to be released through Anti Fade/Agitated clocks in at just over a minute but is as rowdy and rough with a nasty Flipper-like ‘ha, ha, ha’ in the chorus. Though it may not sound like it, the band are influenced as much by Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers as they are the Goner records catalogue." NOISEY.

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                      Cover of Real Life by Real Lies.

                      Real Lies

                      Real Life

                      Marathon Artists

                        Quickly heralded as a brave new voice in electronic pop, North London based Real Lies are embodying what it is to be young, locked in and yet somehow adrift in Britain today.

                        Real Lies’ music expresses late-night euphoria at the same time as it embraces the horrors of the following afternoon, twinning street bravado with bedroom vulnerability, loss with longing. It is music about burying yourself in an avalanche of words and warm bodies in an endless search for the right ones.

                        Baggy era indie, Stereo MCs breaks, the Streets intimate reportage... all for a new generation of sophisticated and urbane youths freed from genre constraints.

                        The LP is a single vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve, and includes a free download of the album.

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                        Reduced Cover of Everyone Make Happy by Shelf Life.

                        Shelf Life

                        Everyone Make Happy

                        Lefse

                        Shelf Life is longtime Philadelphia sideman / recording engineer Scotty Leitch, recently seen drumming for Alex G. He’s stepping out front to release his first album of solo material, ‘Everyone Make Happy’, on the venerable Lefse label.

                        Album opener ‘The Curse’ is a homespun 1990sstyle indie rock chestnut delivered with warmth and idiosyncrasy. Lazy acoustic strums and trippy keyboards serve as the basis for Leitch’s charmingly twee narration, filtering memories of early Modest Mouse and Built To Spill through his own distinct musical perspective. It’s one of those introductions that leaves a huge impression without making a big show of it.

                        “The first leak from Shelf Life’s debut full-length, ‘The Curse’, is about facing your demons. Its somber acoustic melodies and deadpan, occasionally grim poetry (‘Talk to the ghost of my dad’s mom / About nothing but heaven and the cancer in her gut’) reminds me of something David Berman might have dreamed up with his great, probably-not-reuniting indie-rock band, Silver Jews.” - Fader

                        TRACK LISTING

                        The Curse
                        Avril
                        Mark II
                        Creature
                        Low Key Lumber Theft
                        Time Traveler
                        Double Dare
                        Feel Better
                        Sinking Just Right
                        Don’t Palpatize

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                        Cover of No Life For Me by Wavves / Cloud Nothings.

                        Wavves / Cloud Nothings

                        No Life For Me

                        Ghost Ramp

                        No Life For Me is the highly anticipated collaborative album between Nathan Williams of Wavves and Dylan Baldi of Cloud Nothings via Williams’s own imprint, Ghost Ramp. The album was recorded at Williams’s home during sessions in March and June of 2014, with production from Sweet Valley.

                        “For all their differences, a Wavves / Cloud Nothings collaboration makes a good deal of sense, and fans have been eagerly anticipating an album since it was officially announced back in March…. [The album] is a summery slice of punk that’s more SoCal than Ohio, even if Baldi can’t help but smear his unique brand of melancholy all over standout tracks like ‘Nervous’ and ‘Nothing Hurts’…. “No Life For Me is deeply indebted to early 1980s Southern California punk, a scene that’s probably buried deep in the soil of Williams’ mind by this point…. This is pop music executed with the no-frills precision of hardcore….” - Consequence of Sound.

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                        Cover of Life Story / Love And Glory by Ólafur Arnalds And Nils Frahm.

                        Ólafur Arnalds And Nils Frahm

                        Life Story / Love And Glory

                        Erased Tapes

                          TWO WEEK EXCLUSIVE RECORD STORE ONLY RELEASE!

                          Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm reveal a new 7” single titled ‘Life Story Love and Glory’ following on from their recently re-issued 2012 collaborative EP ‘Stare’.

                          Erased Tapes artists and friends Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm have separately carved out a musical career that defies genres both with their unique live shows and a loyal fan base that’s always eager to hear what their prolific output will bring.

                          Their latest collaborative 2-track release ‘Life Story Love and Glory’ is a live improv affair on two pianos, recorded in 2012 at Nils’s Durton Studio in Berlin. Fans may wonder why they have waited until 2015 to release these tracks, but having revealed a new website www.arnaldsfrahm.com you may think this may not be the end to their musical story this year.

                          “We would meet in Reykjavik or Berlin with the intention to share some days off work, hiking, swimming or eating pizza. That is great for a couple days, but after a while we would always end up back in the studio, fiddling with synths or pianos.” – Nils Frahm.

                          “You can hear in the beginning of ‘Life Story’ how I have already started playing the piano whilst Nils is still moving microphones around and preparing everything. It was all kept in!“ – Ólafur Arnalds.

                          ‘Life Story Love and Glory’ will be released as a 7” on Erased Tapes – exclusively through record stores only on August 21, 2015 ahead of its digital release later on – as an ode to this classic and beloved format.

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                          Cover of Secret Life by Moon King.

                          Moon King

                          Secret Life

                          Last Gang

                          “Dream pop with fangs, packing their reverblayered surfaces with punchy playing and swooning melodies” - SPIN

                          Toronto duo Moon King, made up of songwriter Daniel Benjamin and singer / guitarist Maddy Wilde, have crafted a raw, rapturous and emotional new record, which documents their ascent from an intimate conceptual project into a powerful live band.

                          Following a year of touring in support of their ‘Obsession I’ and ‘II’ EPs, Daniel and Maddy relocated to a cottage in northern Ontario to record the album with a group of Toronto music scene luminaries, all of whom had played in various incarnations of the live band.

                          Mostly recorded live off the floor, there is a deep sense of loss and longing in ‘Secret Life’. Moon King channel desperation and project it outwards, each song carrying with it both a weight and a sense of urgency.

                          TRACK LISTING

                          Roswell
                          Secret Life
                          Impossible
                          Come Back
                          Hexe
                          Threads
                          Apocalypse
                          Golden Age
                          Medicine

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                          Cover of Lease Of Life by Errors.

                          Errors

                          Lease Of Life

                          Rock Action

                            ‘Lease Of Life’ is the follow up to Errors’ critically acclaimed 2012 album ‘Have Some Faith In Magic’. Formulated on the Hebridean Isle Of Jura - the location where George Orwell wrote ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ and the place where The KLF are rumoured to have burned a million pounds - the new album is a bold work borne by the confidence and ambition of a band with the desire to combine the exploration of fresh soundworlds combined with their most accessible, immediate songwriting yet.

                            Incorporating featured vocalists Cecila Stamp and Bek Oliva, ‘Lease Of Life’ is also the band’s most cohesive album statement to date: a start-to-finish experience that’s bound by recurring constituents and accomplished craft.

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                            Cover of The Dub Album They Didn't Want You To Hear by Scientist.

                            Scientist

                            The Dub Album They Didn't Want You To Hear

                            Jah Life

                            Totally killer previously unreleased dub companion to Flick Wilson's "School Days" is now on CD for the first time ever. Jah Life was no slacker when it came to mixing dubs, and sat in with Scientist at King Tubby's for the mixing of many of the classic Junjo / Radics / Scientist albums. But more importantly, they also mixed a ton load of dubs for Jah Life himself, many of which, like this album, remain unreleased ...until now! Nine out of ten tracks from the Flick Wilson album are dubbed here, and one track from the Wayne Jarrett "What's Wrong..." album. Classic Scientist 1980 style mixing, nothing else like it, hard stuff. Cover features a fantastic previously unseen photo from Beth Lesser.

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1. Jah Turn The Dub
                            2. My Lady's Dub
                            3. Yallas Dub
                            4. Slave Master Dub
                            5. Where Wicked Gonna Dub
                            6. Facts Of Dub
                            7. I Don't Mind Dub
                            8. Don't Give Up Your Culture Dub
                            9. Rockers Dub
                            10. School Days Dub

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                            Cover of Life / Thrills by Lower Plenty.

                            Lower Plenty

                            Life / Thrills

                            Mexican Summer

                            Acting as a respite from the celebrated strains of modern Australian underground music, Lower Plenty manage a deconstruction of folk music like none other: unsettled, unforgiving, unconcerned with what came before or what’s to follow. Acoustic guitars shuffle in and out of phase with one another, double-tracked vocals hover above in careful meter, brushed snare rattles the very frame of their sound, and then everything shifts again, and again. Comfort’s not long here, though beauty is maintained; melodies start sweet but turn inward, wane nostalgic and wax without resolve.

                            Life/Thrills is the Melbourne group’s third full-length, and their collective experience will leave you thoroughly unprepared for the beautiful confusion suggested by these ten songs, which seem to have the power of slowing and even stopping time. Suitable comparisons to this music are as disparate as early Cat Power, Arab Strap, the Shrimper roster ca. 1992, the Sun City Girls, and the late ‘60s/early ‘70s output of the Red Crayola, but as with much truly original music, Lower Plenty resists direct comparison and defies expectation. Their shambling, discordant presence will relieve you of any preconceptions – this is one best experienced alone, as the sun fades into the horizon for the night.

                            TRACK LISTING

                            1: Waiting On A Tram
                            2: Calculations
                            3: Life/Thrills
                            4: Took A Trip
                            5: Concrete Floor
                            6: On The Beach
                            7: Jealous
                            8: Go Down
                            9: You Pushed Me
                            10: Lots Of Lows

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                            Cover of Leave The Straight Life Behind by Bob.

                            Bob

                            Leave The Straight Life Behind

                            3 Loop Music

                              Legend has it that a chance meeting with John Peel in the Rough Trade record shop set Bob on the road to becoming a true indie favourite in the late 80s and early 90s, with Peel championing the band throughout their career.

                              Starting life in 1986, the band released a series of acclaimed singles, and with each single release, they toured and promised an album. Eventually they got enough money together to release Leave The Straight Life Behind on their own House Of Teeth label in 1991.

                              The album met with rave reviews but due to the collapse of Rough Trade Distribution it was frustratingly difficult to find. Now available again for the first time in many years, the album has been expanded to 2CDs, with a second disc including all four of their Radio 1 sessions, 3 for John Peel and 1 for Simon Mayo.

                              Following the various pieces of bad luck that befell the band, they became disillusioned with the industry and finally split in 1995, leaving a legacy of eight singles, one compilation of early singles, the album and a legion of happy fans who had been lucky enough to see them live.

                              The single ‘Convenience’ graced the John Peel Festive Fifty in 1989.

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                              Cover of Life Among The Savages by Papercuts.

                              Papercuts

                              Life Among The Savages

                              Memphis Industries

                                It’s a rare to come across an artist who’s equally skilled in songwriting, singing and production but lone-arranger Jason Quever, better known as San Francisco’s Papercuts, is a master of all trades. That the pocket-sized symphonies of brand new album ‘Life Among The Savages’ are set to see the light of day is through nothing but meticulous focus - due to his whizz-kid knack for instrumental arrangement, Quever often finds himself a sought-after musical collaborator.

                                As with each Papercuts album to date - 2004’s ‘Mockingbird’, 2007’s ‘Can’t Go Back’, 2009’s ‘You Can Have What You Want’, and 2011’s ‘Fading Parade’ - Quever recorded his latest offering on his Ampex 2” 16-track reel-to-reel in his home studio, Pan American, whittling the record down to its essentials over a two year period. It was there he worked alongside Port O’Brien, Beach House, Still Flyin’, The Skygreen Leopards, and most recently Galaxy 500’s Dean Wareham on their own recordings. “Galaxy 500 was a big influence on my music so it was very special to make a record with him that I’m really proud of,” says Quever. “More importantly, we had a great time doing it.”

                                Unassuming though ambitious, a life in demand was hardly of Quever’s expectations but such a skill set could never be kept secret for long. “I don’t want to hit people over the head. That’s just not who I am. I don’t necessarily like to be the centre of attention,” he’s often said. Yet ‘Life Among The Savages’ is about to do precisely that. The most concise and lucid Papercuts release to date, it demonstrates a uniquely fresh approach to classic instrumentation through shrewdly combining dreamy baroque pop string arrangements with lighter-than-air vocals via potent production work.

                                While Papercuts echoes bands like Spiritualized and The Zombies in mood, ambitious orchestration (the title track itself contains an arrangement contribution from Beach House’s Alex Scally) and the high-calibre dream pop of beautifully hypnotic tracks such as ‘Staring At the Bright Lights’, the sound on ‘Life Among The Savages’ is undeniably Quever’s own. Alongside haunting melodies that soar over strings, garagey guitar hooks, piano and mellotron, and energetic bass and drums that never rely on a clichéd beat, it’s impossible to refrain from being spellbound by Quever's unpredictable and chaotic world, whatever that may consist of.

                                “I like to write short stories, at least have the story in my mind and allude to it... from dystopian short stories to a utopian take on things, being outside looking in, alienation, search for bliss, the chaos of relationships, insanity, suicide...”

                                Having lost both of his parents and being orphaned at a young age before growing up on a commune, Quever is no stranger to the complexities life can bring. Crediting the four-track he got after his parents died with both helping him cope and inspiring his career, ‘Life Among The Savages’ is the next step in a musical trajectory that’s gently reshaping pop music in the way very few musicians know how.

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                                Cover of Money / Crawling by Life.

                                Life

                                Money / Crawling

                                Birthday

                                Birthday Records announce the return of Hull punk poets Life with their fine new double 'A' side release 'Money' and 'Crawling', released on 17th March and available as limited edition 7" and download.

                                Formed just a year ago, the last twelve months have gone by in a bit of blur for the Hull quartet, whose punchy guitar hooks and pop-poem lyrics have already garnered love from Steve Lamacq, John Kennedy, The Fly and NME Radar, and bagged them airplay on 6Music, XFM, Radio 1 and Amazing Radio for their infectious debut single 'I Wanna Forget'. Both tracks were produced by former Kaiser Chief Nick Hodgson at his studio in London.

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                                Cover of Screaming Life / Fopp by Soundgarden.

                                Soundgarden

                                Screaming Life / Fopp

                                Sub Pop

                                  From the depths of the Sub Pop archives comes a reissue of Soundgarden’s thunderous opening salvo, ‘Screaming Life’, plus bonus tracks from the ‘Fopp EP’ and ‘Sub Pop 200’ compilation.

                                  This reissue marks the first time these tracks will be available digitally, and their first appearance on vinyl since the original, late 80s pressings (notwithstanding a longgone, late 90s repress of ‘Screaming Life’).

                                  All tracks have been remastered by Seattle studio wizard and producer of the original ‘Screaming Life’ and ‘Sub Pop 200’ sessions, Jack Endino, who had this to say about it: “Ah, ‘Screaming Life’, Soundgarden's debut, and one of the first real records I made for anyone outside my own band. Soon after opening Reciprocal Recording in July 1986, there I was with Soundgarden, trying to make the most of our eight tracks. Somehow, we found room for all of Matt Cameron’s ‘bonus tubs’, Hiro’s primordial Fender bass, and a whopping four tracks to share between Kim Thayil's mad guitar psychedelia and Chris Cornell's still-expanding voice. ‘Nothing To Say’ was the song that made us all look at each other and go ‘uh, holy crap, how did we do this?’”

                                  Stuff started happening. A&M came calling. SST agreed to put out their next record. But Soundgarden were not finished with Sub Pop. They contributed ‘Sub Pop Rock City’, about Seattle’s then-rising ‘grunge’ scene, to the ‘Sub Pop 200’ comp, and they threw everyone a curveball with Steve Fisk-produced Ohio Players and Green River covers on the ‘Fopp EP’.

                                  The glorious vistas of a major label future awaited them. To quote Kim from an old interview, “It was karma, it was dogma, it was dog breath.”

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                                  Cover of Imitation Of Life by Eiko Ishibashi.

                                  Eiko Ishibashi

                                  Imitation Of Life

                                  Drag City

                                    Drag City present the first domestic release of any kind from the Japanese singer songwriter Eiko Ishibashi, and the first vinyl release of any kind for this already-accomplished performer. And what a release. ‘Imitation Of Life’ isn’t just another pop record from another part of the world - it’s got a sci-fi theme and is produced by none other than Jim O’Rourke.

                                    Eiko Ishibashi is a singer-songwriter, producer and session musician, focused on piano, but adept on drums, flute and vibraphone as well. She actually started out as a drummer, playing in several different bands. Then, at a filmmaker friend’s request, she did a soundtrack score, and the fulfilment of composing led to her solo career. Since 2006, she has released four pop albums and a solo piano album, all of which have been highly rated by the Japanese press. She plays at least a hundred gigs a year, including big rock festivals and European tours.

                                    Artists Eiko has played with include Keiji Haino, Akira Sakata, Charlemagne Palestine, Seiichi Yamamoto, Gasper Claus, Oren Ambarchi, Glenn Kotche, Darin Gray and Merzbow. She is also a member of the current Jim O’Rourke band and recently formed an improv group called Kafka’s Ibiki, with O’Rourke and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto.

                                    After her third album, ‘Carapace (2011), Eiko decided to do something new, which was when she started Eiko Ishibashi To Mou Shinda Hitotachi. The members of this group (Jim O’Rourke, Toshiaki Sudo, Tatsuhisa Yamamoto, Atsuko Hatano) became the band for ‘Imitation Of Life’, featuring production, like ‘Carapace’ before it, by Jim O’Rourke.

                                    With an understanding of band dynamics developed through her many live shows and recordings, Eiko’s delicate, precise compositions are arranged with a dramatic-yet-humorous prog-pop sound. The flowing backgrounds she has conceived for her light, sweet melodies are captured by O’Rourke with a lively sense of play, which matches Eiko’s lyric concept, embodying a science fiction story which brings the album to a challenging new level. The variety of sounds, the impact of lyrics and her imagination keeps expanding, and in the latter stages of the album, the songs achieve a shattering impact.

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                                    Cover of Kube by Paul Haig.

                                    Paul Haig

                                    Kube

                                    Rhythm Of Life

                                      Paul Haig's last album, 2009's Relive, was described as a bone-rattling thrill that could energise the darkened corners of any dancefloor. After releasing three albums in quick succession Haig decided to devote a longer period to consider his next musical move, It was time to re-invent and investigate the latest sounds and technologies available with a view to incorporate some of them into a new project. Four years on and we have 'Kube', carrying pagan ,synthetic, human and organic themes which somehow co-habitate in an imaginary secluded forrest where top secret work is carried out. The sounds are fresh and modern with a mixture of electronic glitch and organic textures sourced over a two year period as Paul was re-thinking and re-learning his craft.

                                      Standout tracks are 'UW2B', a bold mixture of trap brass/strings with slightly menacing vocals over punchy hiphop/urban beats/samples while retaining tradmark soundtrack elements heard in previous works. 'Red Rocks' has an indie jazz pop edge and rising anthemic chorus' which point to club and radio alike, while 'Four Dark Traps' is a brooding slow burner featuring hard yet hypnotic percussion with eastern sounding guitar floating above the mix.

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                                      Cover of Life In The Midwater by Aisha Burns.

                                      Aisha Burns

                                      Life In The Midwater

                                      Western Vinyl

                                      Often when you're in your mid-20's heavy realities start to settle in. Relationships that seemed like they'd last forever lose their spark, your aspirations and self-perception shift, you marvel at friends your age getting married and having babies, and you feel powerless and small, realizing that people you've known and loved for a lifetime can suddenly die. It's a serious psychological shakeup, made even more difficult if your frontal cortex hasn't fully matured yet. It's a beast, a mountain, a wall, or as in Kubrick's 2001 A Space Odyssey, a mysterious obelisk that pushes you to evolve…like it or not. For better or worse, parts of us die, new parts come to life, and if we're lucky we emerge smarter, stronger, and more resilient. It's no surprise that for ages we've felt a deep sense of connection with music, art, and films inspired by this metamorphosis.

                                      Aisha Burns' Life in the Midwater provides a snapshot of the rough stuff, but with a delicate sensitivity and wisdom beyond her years. Burns' contributions as the violinist and occasional vocalist for the Austin band Balmorhea belie a nuanced songwriting prowess, and a dynamic and powerful voice. The album's title references a deep dark layer of the ocean that flows far below the surface, and just above what we call the deeps sea. Bioluminescent jellyfish often inhabit this layer of the ocean, emitting mysterious flashes of light despite the risk of exposing themselves to potential predators. Similarly Aisha's songs are dreamlike beacons in the inky abyss…

                                      TRACK LISTING

                                      1. Sold
                                      2. Midwater
                                      3. Shelly
                                      4. Gatekeeper
                                      5. Discerpo
                                      6. Requiem
                                      7. Mine To Bear
                                      8. Destroyer
                                      9. Nothing

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                                      Cover of Women Of Your Life by Sleeping Bag.

                                      Sleeping Bag

                                      Women Of Your Life

                                      Joyful Noise Recordings

                                      Stripped-down, unblighted, bedroom pop songs... about girls. "Women Of Your Life" is the intimately facile sophomore album from indie-slackers Sleeping Bag. The Bloomington, Indiana based trio is spearheaded by Dave Segedy, who is the group's drummer, songwriter and primary vocalist (that's right: a drummer who writes and sings all the songs!). Specializing in simple and honest songwriting, Malkmus-deadpan vocal delivery, and unusually addictive melodies, Sleeping Bag craft songs that are at once familiar and fresh. The band's debut s/t album was released on Joyful Noise in August 2011, receiving praise from Under The Radar, Impose Magazine, Village Voice, RCRD LBL, and My Old Kentucky Blog.

                                      With their second album, the trio have matured in the ways one might expect: songs are a bit longer, lyrics a bit more personal, and arrangements more developed. But all of Sleeping Bag's signature elements are well represented throughout: the heartfelt ("In The Pocket", "Still Life"), the playful ("Allison Cole", "Saturday Night") and the unbelievably catchy ("Soccer Ball", "Walk Home"). Segedy's effortless melodies, accompanied by the distinctively jangling guitar work of Lewis Rogers and the tastefully minimal bass of David Woodruff, combine to form a sound that summons the energy and earnestness of 90s rock, while sidestepping throwback territory. Familiar influences are organically reconstructed into relevant,
                                      captivating pop. These are instantly accessible songs which gain surprising depth with each obsessively repeated listen.

                                      TRACK LISTING

                                      1. Women Of Your Life
                                      2. Soda You
                                      3. Soccer Ball
                                      4. Allison Cole
                                      5. In The Pocket
                                      6. Nightmare
                                      7. Saturday Night
                                      8. Coco
                                      9. Still Life
                                      10. Walk Home..

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                                      Cover of Split by Deceh / Total Life.

                                      Deceh / Total Life

                                      Split

                                      Important Records

                                        Pressed in an edition of 500 copies and housed in screen printed, hand numbered jackets. Kevin Doria's work as Total Life preceeds his work as half of Growing and continues evolve. Fader is no exception. Deceh's contribution is an extended harmonic magnification of a shruti box, Hammond organ, upright double bass & modular synthesizer. Proper full lengths from both Total Life & Deceh will be issued via Important in 2013.

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                                        Cover of Other Life by Sean Nicholas Savage.

                                        Sean Nicholas Savage

                                        Other Life

                                        Arbutus Records

                                        *Sean Nicholas Savage is a gifted narrator, driven by his own melodic and emotional odysseys. A fixture of the Montreal music scene, Savage expresses both the strength and fragility of the human experience. In his writing, Sean has the keen ability to articulate the intricate emotions of everyday life and romance with a measure of specificity and maturity uncommon to most singer-songwriters.

                                        A prolific and dynamic artist, Savage has released several albums since 2009, ranging from the classic confessional folk of Movin’ Up In Society (2010) to the trippy AM romance of Trippple Midnight Karma (2011) to the caribbean future punk of Won Ton Jaz (2011). This rapid rate of output mirrors that of the great songsmiths (Lee Hazlewood, Joni Mitchell, Scott Walker, David Bowie) that he follows in the footprints of. Savage chiefly works in service of what each song requires, never constrained by the barriers of a specific genre.

                                        This is a collection of deep and personal songs, which showcases a focused, darker side not seen on his previous titles. Welcome to Savage's Other Life.


                                        "Montreal's best kept secret (...) sparkles like Elliot Smith hopped on Arthur Russell's happy pills." -NME

                                        "From his unforgettable chip-toothed smile to his serious eyes, Sean gives off an other-worldly vibe at every turn. But, it is also these things that make his quiet invasion of your heart inevitable." -PORTALS

                                        "It simply is truest, passionate pop music, a graceful tribute to the Sexual Healing-era Marvin Gaye, drenched in lush melodies." -No Fear Of Pop

                                        TRACK LISTING

                                        01 She Looks Like You
                                        02 Other Life
                                        03 Lonely Woman
                                        04 More Than I Love Myself
                                        05 Like A Baby
                                        06 You Changed Me
                                        07 We Used To Live In A Dream
                                        08 Bygone Summer
                                        09 Change Your Mind
                                        10 Look At Me
                                        11 It’s Real
                                        12 Chin Chin

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                                        Cover of Release / Fix My Life - Inc. The Subliminal Kid Remix by Melt Yourself Down.

                                        Melt Yourself Down

                                        Release / Fix My Life - Inc. The Subliminal Kid Remix

                                        Melt Yourself Down

                                          Melt Yourself Down are twelve hands, six mouths and six hearts. Beating and blowing, shouting and shaking in perfect symbiosis. The third single, ‘Release!’ is an electro-riot of bass throbs and clarion calls, manic horns and pulse beats. This is future funk, the spirit of punk. This is modal jazz detonated by rhythms to rearrange the DNA.

                                          On the flipside: a head-spinning 11-minute remix of previous single ‘Fix My Life’ by Sweden’s The Subliminal Kid (aka Peder Mannerfelt of Roll The Dice). Spin magazine described it as “A lurching machine rhythm and lashings of synth squiggles and white noise, re-framing all that modal skronk in electro-industrial terms: it’s Addis Ababa meets Detroit in the year 3013.”

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                                          Cover of Invisible Life by Helado Negro.

                                          Helado Negro

                                          Invisible Life

                                          Asthmatic Kitty

                                          Press play on ‘Invisible Life’ and you lose your season. Roberto Lange - Helado Negro - is talking to you in Spanish. He’s talking to you, perhaps with more volume, in the language he’s been teaching us all over the past three years through the lessons of the seductive full length ‘Canta Lechuza’, the sub-narrative exploration EP ‘Island Universe Story One’, and the all-in collaboration, ‘OMBRE’, with Juliana Barwick.

                                          Jon Philpot, The Bear In Heaven frontman, is one of a few key contributions on the album, including more old friends like Eduardo Alonso (Feathers) and Matt Crum (Lange’s longtime bandmate in ROM), as well as kindred and vast spirit Devendra Banhart. Banhart’s guitar on ‘Arboles’ multiplies the whispered dream of Helado Negro into Technicolor parallel existences.

                                          TRACK LISTING

                                          Llumina Vos
                                          Lentamente
                                          Dance Ghost
                                          U Heard
                                          Catastrophe
                                          Arboles
                                          Relatives
                                          June
                                          Cuantas
                                          Catch That Pain

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                                          Cover of Such Is Life by Lord Creator.

                                          Lord Creator

                                          Such Is Life

                                          Randy's / VP

                                          In-demand limited repress of this classic 60s Randy’s production. ‘Such Is Life’ has been picked up for plays by more forward thinking influential DJs outside of the traditional reggae revival market so demand for this is sure to be high.

                                          "In my days of sufferation when I had nothing, when I could not pay rent, when I could not find food for me and my children to eat, while sleeping up in a plum tree with a pregnant woman, I put together a melody, and that is how I recorded the song called Such Is Life"

                                          That song, Lord Creator’s ‘Such Is Life’, now a much in-demand 1968 Randy’s production, is at last available again on this limited edition 7" repress.


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                                          Cover of Life by Andre Williams.

                                          Andre Williams

                                          Life

                                          Alive Records

                                          Andre Williams began a very prolific and creative phase of his life when he finally got off booze and drugs. His intake of various substances was excessive, unrelenting, and dated back to at least the 1960’s, when he was working extensively with Ike Turner. Reflecting on his very first drug-and-alcohol-free studio session in 2009, Andre says, “It was traumatic. It was like someone shot me out in space and I woke up on Pluto!” Andre Williams’ new album “Life” was recorded this past winter in Detroit, the city where his musical career first began in the 1950’s. Andre’s new songs are his latest experiments and explorations outside of the garage-soul bag that he’s often associated with. Produced by Matthew Smith, the album’s sonic palette recalls the work of Norman Whitfield’s Motown productions, 70’s Rolling Stones, Can, Bill Withers, Serge Gainsbourg, as well as Andre’s own doo-wop and funk history. “Life” finds Andre in a pretty upbeat mood, whether he’s singing about people being rude and impatient (“But’n”), or laying down a political commentary (“Blame it on Obama”), reciting a children’s bedtime story (“Ty the Fly”), singing a simple love song (“Stuck in the Middle”, “It’s Only You That I Love”), or conjuring a nocturnal fetish-sex-groove (“Heels”). The album also includes his own definitive rocking version of the standard he wrote and produced for the Five Du-Tones in 1963, “Shake a Tail Feather”. It’s a reminder that Andre Williams is one of the original guys who invented rock n’ roll.

                                          TRACK LISTING

                                          1. Stuck In The Middle
                                          2. But’n
                                          3. Don’t Kick My Dog
                                          4. Blame It On Obama
                                          5. Heels
                                          6. Beep Beep Beep
                                          7. It’s Only You That I Love
                                          8. Money Ain’t Got No Loyalty
                                          9. Shake A Tail Feather
                                          10. Ty The Fly

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                                          Cover of Modern Life Is Rubbish - 2012 Reissue by Blur.

                                          Blur

                                          Modern Life Is Rubbish - 2012 Reissue

                                          Food

                                            To celebrate the 21st anniversary of their debut release, Blur’s classic follow-up album Modern Life Is Rubbish has now been remastered from the original tapes by Frank Arkwright (The Smiths, Arcade Fire, New Order, Joy Division), with the remastering overseen by legendary original producer, Stephen Street.

                                            Expanded across two discs, the LP format of the Modern Life Is Rubbish remaster is cut on heavyweight 180 gram, audiophile vinyl and housed in a replica of the original sleeve artwork.


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                                            Cover of My Life As A Trash Can by Amida.

                                            Amida

                                            My Life As A Trash Can

                                            Jigsaw Records

                                              The new mini-album from Manchester-based, indiepopping Amida, and their first for Seattle's legendary Jigsaw Records. “Caffeine fueled dumpster diving hijinks.”- LOOFK.

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                                              Cover of Beautiful Life / Burn by Jj.

                                              Jj

                                              Beautiful Life / Burn

                                              Secretly Canadian

                                              This single (single no. 4) features two new songs from the Gothenburg duo.

                                              “Even when smoked out or slowed down, [the band] still teems with energy and both Kastlander and Benon, chameleons that they are, blend into snippets of song just as well as they shift gears between genres” - Pitchfork

                                              TRACK LISTING

                                              Beautiful Life
                                              Burn

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                                              Cover of Your Past Life Is A Blast by Okkervil River.

                                              Okkervil River

                                              Your Past Life Is A Blast

                                              Jagjaguwar

                                                ‘Your Past Life Is A Blast’ is the third single from ‘I Am Very Far’ from Okkervil River. The release of this single coincides with the band's late festival season appearance at End Of The Road.

                                                “The goal was to push my brain to places it didn't want to go. The idea was to not have any idea – to keep myself confused about what I was doing,” frontman Will Sheff says about Okkervil River's newest album. The resulting record is a startling break from anything this band has done before. By turns terrifying and joyous, violent and serene, grotesque and romantic, it's a celebration of forces beyond our control.

                                                ‘Gold Faces’ is an exclusive new non-album song.

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                                                Cover of David Comes To Life by Fucked Up.

                                                Fucked Up

                                                David Comes To Life

                                                Matador

                                                  The rock opera: the final word in decadent capitalist-pig rock. The kind of tediously long, navel-gazing fodder from which faded rock dictators cling onto power by their filthy fingernails. Breaking with rank unsurprisingly, then, come Fucked Up, one of the most vital punk bands around and people who aren’t scared of a challenge.

                                                  Following up their Polaris Prize winning breakthrough, ‘The Chemistry Of Common Life’, their third album ‘David Comes To Life’ is no less monumental. Split across four acts, it sees increased female vocals work in perfect contrast to Damian Abraham's wounded bull growl. The band, meanwhile, provide more space for the flourishes and imaginative song-writing that entwine their love of fey British indie pop with heavy riffing, amidst some genuinely twisted turns. Perhaps most grippingly, the triple-guitar interplay between Mike Haliechuk, Josh Zucker and Ben Cook has risen to symphonic levels. Together, they channel the energy of musicians ranging from Angus Young, Pete Townshend and Noel Gallagher, to Bob Stinson and Lyle Preslar, displaying a consummate ease and ferocity.

                                                  Then there comes the story that ties it together: ‘David Comes To Life’ appears to be a parable of lost love, global meltdown, depression, war, guilt and madness. Or is it? A modern day morality tale set to the dour backdrop of a British industrial town in the late 70s, the narrative follows the dark moods and inner psyche of its titular hero. At the same time, the reliability of the narrator is called into question, the tables are turned, responsibility shifts, and the story takes on a meta twist. It’s a fantastically complex concept that somehow works as a coherent narrative, while the mind-altering subject matter sits perfectly with the intense music.

                                                  Of course, you could always ignore the back-story and instead listen to a fiercely imaginative, powerful 78 minutes of blistering, melodic rock ‘n’ roll, crossed with all manners of psychic weirdness.

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                                                  Cover of Life Like by Joan Of Arc.

                                                  Joan Of Arc

                                                  Life Like

                                                  Polyvinyl

                                                  "Life Like" is Joan Of Arc distilled down to / embracing their rock essence.

                                                  Gone from the band’s music (for now) are the electronics and layers upon layers of tracks. Gone from their liner notes are an extensive list of musicians and instruments. Instead, ‘Life Like’ is the result of four men adhering to Thoreau’s famous principle, “Simplify, simplify, simplify!”.

                                                  "Life Like" is the first Joan Of Arc record to feature Victor Villarreal (Cap’n Jazz, Owls) as a member. The album was recorded at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with Steve Albini (who has previously engineered records for two other of Joan Of Arc singer Tim Kinsella’s projects: Owls and Make Believe).

                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                  I Saw The Messed Binds Of My Generation
                                                  Love Life
                                                  Like Minded
                                                  Life Force
                                                  Night Life Style
                                                  Howdy Pardoner
                                                  Still Life
                                                  Deep State
                                                  After Life

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                                                  Cover of Total Life Forever by Foals.

                                                  Foals

                                                  Total Life Forever

                                                  Warner Bros

                                                    2008 saw the Oxford quintet rise to prominence with their debut album "Antidotes" entering the UK charts at number three. From these early days playing house parties, to selling-out incendiary tours across the UK and the world, stand-out TV performances, and exhilarating festival appearances, they set the stage perfectly for their much-anticipated sophomore effort "Total Life Forever", including the single "This Orient".



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                                                    Cover of Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You by Lightspeed Champion.

                                                    Lightspeed Champion

                                                    Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You

                                                    Domino

                                                      Lightspeed Champion has returned with his second album, "Life is Sweet! Nice To Meet You", the follow-up to 2008’s "Falling Off The Lavender Bridge". It's an epic collection of twelve pop songs, two instrumental intermissions and one piano etude.

                                                      Lightspeed’s early leaning towards American country dressings is traded here for a palette that draws on classical music and even musical theatre. Producer and mixer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley) assembles the eclectic grab-bag of influences, joltingly 70s guitar and synth sounds, classical piano, Greek choruses shouting reprisals, and at least one ukelele-driven moment.



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                                                      The Mountain Goats

                                                      The Life Of The World To Come

                                                      4AD

                                                      "The Life Of The World To Come" is The Mountain Goats' 6th album for 4AD, and is less a profession of religious faith than an immersion in Biblical poetry and imagery. With John Darnielle remaining The Mountain Goats' creative hub - this time flanked by Peter Hughes and Jon Wurster - "The Life Of The World To Come" was recorded in three studios across three states and features string arrangements from Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy), who has also worked in a similar capacity with the varied likes of Arcade Fire, Fucked Up and The Pet Shop Boys.

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                                                      The Don't Fucking Cares

                                                      Underage Demon / Nihilism Is A Fact Of Life

                                                      Röka Records

                                                      Underground thrills and alternative sounds are delivered up by The Don't Fucking Cares (The DFC's) on "Underage Demon" - a generation baiting neurotic polemic with a krautrock beat and surging guitars, reminiscent of Spacemen 3 at their "Playing With Fire" peak. There's a hint of revolutionary menace contained in this Suicide plays MC5 linear riff, an unashamed analogue rock song stirring up sedition and criminal intent. Underlying all the mayhem Märta's vocal locks on to a melody line that conveys all the boredom and frustration which lay at the heart of the lyrics. The Don't Fucking Cares defy safe radio with a song that brings back edge and danger to rock'n'roll. Following on from their self-released first EP "Download", a blast of which is featured in the Guy Ritchie film Rocknrolla, this belting track sounds like the delinquent little brother of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club's first single "Whatever Happened To My Rock n Roll", soon to be a force to reckon with!!

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                                                      Gripper

                                                      A Life Of Consummate Ease

                                                      Atic

                                                      "A Life Of Consummate Ease" boasts a beautiful and evocative mix of styles ranging from tuff hip hop beats to laid-back summer sunset vibes to deep and soulful house, which lends the album a modern yet timeless feel that rewards and gets better with every listen. The album includes vocals by Seattle born artist Niko, Manchester's MC Kwasi and George W. Bush Snr.

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                                                      Cover of Songs In The Key Of Life by Stevie Wonder.

                                                      Stevie Wonder

                                                      Songs In The Key Of Life

                                                      Motown / Universal

                                                        After issuing six albums in 39 months, nearly two a year, Stevie Wonder signed a new contract with Motown that let him determine his own release schedule. And then he went into the studio for two years to create the final masterpiece of his classic 70s album series. Released as a double LP with bonus four track EP and songbook in 1976, the album features Wonder's mix of love songs, socio-political offerings and uplifting gems, covering jazz-funk, soul and disco. It includes the singles "I Wish" and "Sir Duke", plus anthems like "Another Star", "As" and "Isn't She Lovely". A triple Grammy winner in the year of its release, "Songs In The Key Of Life" has gone on to be seen as the pinnacle of Stevie's career. Essential.

                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                        CD Tracklisting
                                                        Disc: 1
                                                        1. Love's In Need Of Love Today
                                                        2. Have A Talk With God
                                                        3. Village Ghetto Land
                                                        4. Contusion
                                                        5. Sir Duke
                                                        6. I Wish
                                                        7. Knocks Me Off My Feet
                                                        8. Pastime Paradise
                                                        9. Summer Soft
                                                        10. Ordinary Pain

                                                        Disc: 2
                                                        1. Isn't She Lovely
                                                        2. Joy Inside My Tears
                                                        3. Black Man
                                                        4. Ngiculela (Es Una Historia)
                                                        5. If It's Magic
                                                        6. As
                                                        7. Another Star
                                                        8. Saturn
                                                        9. Ebony Eyes
                                                        10. All Day Sucker
                                                        11. Easy Goin' Evening

                                                        Vinyl Tracklisting
                                                        Record 1
                                                        1. Love's In Need Of Love Today
                                                        2. Have A Talk With God
                                                        3. Village Ghetto Land
                                                        4. Contusion
                                                        5. Sir Duke
                                                        6. I Wish
                                                        7. Knocks Me Off My Feet
                                                        8. Pastime Paradise
                                                        9. Summer Soft
                                                        10. Ordinary Pain

                                                        Records 2
                                                        1. Isn't She Lovely
                                                        2. Joy Inside My Tears
                                                        3. Black Man
                                                        4. Ngiculela (Es Una Historia)
                                                        5. If It's Magic
                                                        6. As
                                                        7. Another Star

                                                        7"
                                                        1. Saturn
                                                        2. Ebony Eyes
                                                        3. All Day Sucker
                                                        4. Easy Goin' Evening

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                                                        Capitol K

                                                        Notes From Life On The Wire With A Wrecking Ball

                                                        Faith And Industry

                                                          Having recorded albums for labels such as XL and Planet Mu, Capitol K returns with full length number six, this time on Faith and Industry. The first track unfolds gradually in classic Capitol K style with the beat-poet driven, nostalgic rave of "Diamond Skys", the energy rises with the deconstructed bossa-nova of "Go Go Go", again influenced by the early days of Beat poetry. Things slow down a little for Steve Lamacq ROTW single "Libertania". Next up, "Acid Favela" takes the gigantic baile funk "Rambo" anthem and mixes in some acid lines and shoe-gazing riffage like only Capitol K can. "Freak" is a progressive hyper-funk freak out over a cut up 2-step rhythm. "Impression", is part two of "Freak", reflecting on a love with a sense of stillness and calm, musically revisiting K's penchant for revealing serene melodies from dictaphone tape cut ups.

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                                                          Hexlove

                                                          Knew Abloom (Life's Hood)

                                                          Holy Mountain

                                                            Southern Illinois native Zac Nelson is a drummer, and knowing that you should also know that he is a madman. One of the few known photos of him looks like a cult leader or someone who might know a thing or two about eating diamonds. While he is a current member of Who's Your Favorite Son God and Prints, Hexlove is Nelson all by himself going nuts. Nelson's enthusiastic mania is not just in the realm of Keith Moon-ness but as a multi-instrumentalist who channels Dennis Wilson, Neil Michael Haggerty, and post-"Vision Creation Newsun" Boredoms, and combine it all and play it off like it was mixed by Tod Dockstader. No one is ever going to think you should listen to "Knew Abloom" on nitrous because it already sounds like it's on nitrous. Simply put, Hexlove is unlike anything and sounds exactly like right now should.

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                                                            The Spinning Fields

                                                            A Life Worth Living For

                                                            M60

                                                              "A Life Worth Living For" is the musical swansong for these Edgeley pranksters – a mind-boggling mixture of indie pop, folk, country, jazz and psychedelia held together by instantly catchy melodies and quirky observational lyrics.

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                                                              Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio

                                                              Love Is The Answer

                                                              Ninja Tune

                                                                Over a remarkable career, this Los Angeles native has worked with everyone from Bobby Hutcherson and Charles Lloyd to Harry Belafonte. He is the vocalist with the Pharaoh Sanders Quartet and also the vocal director for the Horace Tapscott Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, a Los Angeles institution with a history stretching back forty years and an active engagement in the city's Black community since the Watts Uprising. Enthused by the power of Trible's vision, Carlos Nino (one half of AmmonContact) started speaking to the new luminaries of the LA scene about collaborating with this elder statesman and before he knew it he had an album which combined sixties-inspired avant / spiritual jazz with the hottest beats the city had to offer. Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Madlib, Daedelus, members of Platinum Pied Pipers, Jay-Dee - wherever he went, Nino found only enthusiasm, and the project began to take shape. From "Equipoise", on which Sa-Ra revisit 80s synth funk and give it their signature loping twist, through "Freedom Dance" with its Stetsasonic-meets-Fela vibe, on into the sheer oddness of the Madlib-produced "Waves of Infinite Harmony", the more straight-up boombap of "The Tenth Jewel", and finally through a last third that probably peaks with the incantatory "Musician's Union" (by Ammoncontact) and the beautiful "Constellations" (which grew out of a piano loop contributed by Prefuse 73's Scott Herren to the Piano Overlord project), this is a record of pure sonic invention and all round goodness.

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                                                                Guilty Connector

                                                                Beats, Noise And Life

                                                                Planet Mu

                                                                  Dr Kohei, aka The Filth, aka GxGx, aka Guilty Connector is a Japanese hybrid of human and noise machine that creates noise-scapes of unfathomed depths. Ouch!

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                                                                  The Illiterati

                                                                  Oh Flaming Sword! Oh Tree Of Life!

                                                                  Fox & Hawk Records

                                                                    The Illiterati is indie-pop music, music made with microchips and melodicas, sweet singing and six-string-strumming, tapped-out, taped-up drum machines and joy-drunk-heart-machinations. They hail from Gainesville, Florida in the big old US of A, and their sweet brand of indie-pop could well earn them a legion of fans over here. For comparisons and influences think, The Decemberists, Badly Drawn Boy, The New Pornographers, Grandaddy, and Air amongst many others.

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                                                                    Cover of My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno And David Byrne.

                                                                    Brian Eno And David Byrne

                                                                    My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts

                                                                    EMI

                                                                      Originally released in 1981, this critically lauded album was the one of the first major label releases to heavily incorporate sample-heavy 'found sounds' and global beats. Lebanese mountain singers, preachers, exorcism ceremonies, Muslim chanting, Egyptian pop and radio talk shows all make an appearance, spread over hypnotic percussive rhythms and layered instrumentation.

                                                                      Overseen personally by Brian Eno and David Byrne, this new version has been remastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound (Interpol / Kings Of Leon) and features seven previously unreleased bonus tracks of out-takes and ideas from the album's original sessions from 1979 and 1980. The enhanced CD also includes Bruce Conner's film to "Mea Culpa". The packaging differs from all previous Eno reissues – a jewel case within a slipcase, plus very special added extras. The slipcase and artwork have been designed by Peter Buchanan Smith, and 28 pages of sleevenotes have been provided by David Toop and David Byrne.

                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                      America Is Waiting 3:36
                                                                      Mea Culpa 3:35
                                                                      Regiment 3:56
                                                                      Help Me Somebody 4:18
                                                                      The Jezebel Spirit 4:55
                                                                      Qu'Ran 3:46
                                                                      Moonlight In Glory 4:19
                                                                      The Carrier 3:30
                                                                      A Secret Life 2:30
                                                                      Come With Us 2:38
                                                                      Mountain Of Needles 2:35

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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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                                                                        Van Der Graaf Generator

                                                                        Still Life

                                                                        Virgin

                                                                          Originally released in 1976, "Still Life" saw Peter Hammill attempting to incorporate a more introspective mood into their sound.

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                                                                          XDeathstarX

                                                                          The Triumph

                                                                          Life Sentence

                                                                            Ferocious, crushing SoCal hardcore maelstrom of sound that perfectly captures the spirit of their explosive live performances. Raging, committed quadruple vocal harmonies, an unrelenting guitar barrage and steamhammer rhythms combine to mercilessly bludgeon your aching synapses into a bleeding pulp...ouch...

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                                                                            Soiled Doves

                                                                            Soiled Life

                                                                            Gold Satandard Laboratories

                                                                              Seattle's Soiled Doves are history - although the group's brief existence in no way reflects its significance in the scheme of things... The band emerged in the late 1990's as new-wave upstarts The Vogue, and by 2001 had mutated (or, rather, condensed) into the 4-piece Soiled Doves. Three of the Four Doves were soon to be members of the critically-acclaimed Chromatics, while vocalist Johnny was on loan from local heroes the Blood Brothers. Soiled Doves released a single on Arizona's collectable King Of The Monsters label, then ventured into Seattle's Paradox studio to record a full-length. Before the album was finished, it was decided that the group would lay itself to rest - Johnny's commitment to The Brothers was compromising his time, and the band were eager to get on with touring, etc. So, after a single West Coast tour in 2001, they had to split. Essential for fans of the Chromatics and Blood Brothers.

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                                                                              [ - ]

                                                                              Koufax

                                                                              Social Life

                                                                              Vagrant

                                                                                Koufax have merged 80s new wave, Costello / Flaming Lips / Cure and even a hint of the Beach Boys on "Social Life" their second album on Vagrant.

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                                                                                Zaire Black & June 22

                                                                                Life, Work It Out

                                                                                Puma Strut

                                                                                  Brighton's cool Puma Strut label brings us this mellow hip hop tune (vocal and instrumental mixes) from this Californian based crew. Fresh rhymes, fresh beats and cuts by Westafa.

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                                                                                  Bitchin'

                                                                                  The Night Life, The Tight Style

                                                                                  No Idea

                                                                                    Bitchin' were recently on the cover of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll and their pacy rhythms and female vocals come complete with a sonic attack of rebellion, anger, questions and answers over a '77-style punk rock onslaught. A great release and another great release from No Idea Records.

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                                                                                    Last Year

                                                                                    Pictures, Letters & Memories

                                                                                    Good Life

                                                                                      Last Year are a new emo band with a few rough hardcore edges. This CD used to be their demo but the quality of recording really blows away a lot of other bands releases. Five great songs that will surely please everybody that has an ear for decent tunes!

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                                                                                      Smith & Mighty

                                                                                      Life Is...

                                                                                      K7

                                                                                        The Bristol duo are back with more of what they do best - dubby downbeat with heavyweight soundsystem basslines and soulful / reggae vocals.

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                                                                                        Jimmie Lee Robinson

                                                                                        ...All My Life

                                                                                        APO

                                                                                          Jimmie Lee is a champion of the old acoustic roots blues style. "...All My Life" is an acoustic testament to his commitment to simple, direct and honest blues playing.

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                                                                                          Tompaulin

                                                                                          My Life At The Movies

                                                                                          Uglyman

                                                                                            New single from Tompaulin, a taster for the forthcoming album. Exclusive tracks on each format.

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                                                                                            Tears In X-Ray Eyes

                                                                                            Half-Life

                                                                                            Test Tube

                                                                                              Debut album from Tears In X-Ray Eyes, it’s an understated mixture of heartfelt vocals and cinematic arrangements, half life exquisitely captures a sense of suburban lostness, exploring feelings of frustration and restless ambition. If you haven’t heard the singles, think the Smiths / Flaming Lips / Magnetic Fields.

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                                                                                              [ - ]

                                                                                              Unitas

                                                                                              Porch Life

                                                                                              No Idea

                                                                                                Eleven songs by the new Gainesville rock n' roll powerhouse! Featuring Todd and Bill from the now defunct Discount and Jason from Hot Water Music and completing the line up is Discount's tour manager Jason. Celebrates the ethics and spirit of the punk scene that raised them.

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                                                                                                Citizen Fish

                                                                                                Life Size

                                                                                                Honest Dons

                                                                                                  Ex-Subhumans, Citizen Fish produce a wicked blend of punk, rock ska and reggae! This album proves that the band have stayed true to their roots and are now recording for the excellent Honest Dons records.

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                                                                                                  Cover of Discovery - 2021 Repress by Daft Punk.

                                                                                                  Daft Punk

                                                                                                  Discovery - 2021 Repress

                                                                                                  Daft Life

                                                                                                    "Discovery" was originally released in 2001, five years after those Daft Punks blew us all away with "Homework" and the world was a very different place. "Homework" had been the shot of adrenaline that club culture needed, prompting the golden age of filter house, with a legion of imitators following their lead. But the French duo hadn't spent the interim resting on their laurels, instead they'd dug deep into their record collections, exploring the productions of Thomas' father (Daniel Vangarde, who hit the charts with Ottowan's "D.I.S.C.O.") and honing their songwriting skills. They'd also spent a fair bit of time in the workshop making two very snazzy robot costumes which have become their uniform ever since. And when they were good and ready, they unleashed "Discovery" (or Disco Very) on the world. Opening with the massive hands in the air "One More Time", the album soon heads into a sampledelic melting pot of 70s disco grooves, reinterpreting the likes of Edwin Birdsong, Cerrone, Sister Sledge, George Duke, Tavares and Barry Manilow!!! This time around though, they'd taken a step back from the dancefloor, instead creating a pop gem that'd work in a club, on the radio, in an armchair or  anywhere really, that even contained proper songs. Perfect in its conception and execution this was the album that turned them from house music's golden boys to global megastars, and rightly so.


                                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                    Side A
                                                                                                    1. One More Time
                                                                                                    2. Aerodynamic
                                                                                                    3. Digital Love
                                                                                                    Side B
                                                                                                    1. Harder Better Faster Stronger
                                                                                                    2. Crescendolls
                                                                                                    3. Nightvision
                                                                                                    4. Superhereos
                                                                                                    Side C
                                                                                                    1. High Life
                                                                                                    2. Something About Us
                                                                                                    3. Voyager
                                                                                                    4. Veridis Quo
                                                                                                    Side D
                                                                                                    1. Short Circuit
                                                                                                    2. Face To Face
                                                                                                    3. Too Long

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