There are some artistic collaborations that are both unexpected and the fruits of that liaison very often fail to see the light of day. This was so nearly the case when it came to the Bristol and Zimbabwe collision that would be between former Bhundu Boys frontman, Biggie Tembo, and the sonic sculptors that were Startled Insects.

The experiment that would yield the tracks that make up the 'House of Stone' album came about after both Biggie and the group had left their respective band and label situations and needed a new way forward creatively. A totally inspired suggestion put the four individuals together, Biggie moved his family to Bristol from Harare to stay with one of the group, work commenced at the Insects studio and nine songs completed. After that, nothing happened.

Three decades later an opportunity was presented for the music to emerge from the vaults. Music curator Dave Massey had worked on a Startled Insects compilation album, heard the tracks and immediately contacted Bristol Archive Records owner, Mike Darby, to insist that this incredible melange of ideas to backgrounds had to be released!

Darby was moved by both the music and the back story to the making of this wonderful offering, to be released as a vinyl album and digitally. The record is both legacy for Bristol and for Zimbabwe. It would close a chapter for all concerned in its making as Biggie Tembo did not live to see his art be recognised. He died in 1995 as his own demons took him over. But nevertheless 'House of Stone' is a soaring tribute to his talent. How the album got made ties in with its importance.

As the group commented in an agile aside 'Having seen them play a number of times in Bristol, we knew the Bhundu Boys and liked them. But the prospect of a fruitful collaboration between a wacky postpunk artsy-fartsy bunch and a fairly middle of the road African "Jit" musician seemed a bit crazy.'

Further memories for the three Insects come thick and fast. 'We came up with a bizarre fusion of African and Western music styles. I remember Mike Darby thinking that this would be a 'world music' album but realizing that it transcended this categorization and would like to avoid the dreaded cultural appropriation scenario. The original idea behind 'Skin' (as a working title) was the idea that the colour of skin, black and white - English and African - was irrelevant to the making of the album. We were just four guys mucking around in the studio, writing and recording music.'

The eight tracks on the vinyl release take the listener on a journey between the veldts and urban sprawl of southern Africa, crashing with the drum and bass dexterity synonymous to the west of England capital, with adroit musicality that infuses every multi-faceted song.

The recordings include contributions from some of the crème de la crème of local musicians. Will Gregory is well known for his work with Tears for Fears, and on a longer-term basis in the extraordinary phenomenon that is Goldfrapp. Rob Merrill likewise has credits with Massive Attack and Roni Size & Reprazent.

Be prepared to be both soothed and confronted. This is deeply felt music, pushed by Biggie's own personal and political experiences and beliefs merging with three Brits who were equally open to new ideas and directions. The end result is a true find, a total gem which is both unique and universal. Take this wonderful travelogue into your life and make your own destination.

TRACK LISTING

1. Ndiwe
2. Patrice Lumumba
3. The Sun
4. Family Life
5. Rudo
6. House Of Stone
7. White Cow
8. The Curse Of Columbus 

Radio City is the second album from Big Star. Released in 1974, Radio City includes “September Gurls” and “Back of a Car” which remain some of the most famous Big Star songs. The legacy of Radio City have far exceeded the original commercial letdowns of the album, which is now considered to be a milestone in the history of rock by critics and musicians alike. Both Radio City and #1 Record. made it onto Rolling Stone‘s 500 “Greatest Albums of All Time” lists, while tracks from each album (“Thirteen” and “September Gurls”) are also among the magazine’s 500 “Greatest Songs of All Time

Big Star, considered to be among the founders of power pop, has been cited as an influence by many of the major alternative bands of the ’80s and ’90s, and continues to be a powerful presence in today’s musical landscape. Artists such as R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements (who famously penned the song “Alex Chilton”) and Wilco all enthusiastically tout the artistic impact of the group. Mike Mills recalls Big Star as “a band who had gotten it right, who made records that sounded like rock and roll bands should sound. A band who wrote all the songs, from flat-out rockers to achingly beautiful ballads that were still somehow rock songs.”

TRACK LISTING

Side A
O, My Soul
Life Is White
Way Out West
What’s Goin Ahn
You Get What You Deserve

Side B
Mod Lang
Back Of A Car
Daisy Glaze
She’s A Mover
September Gurls
Morpha Too
I’m In Love With A Girl 

If one thing is clear from the offset of revelatory fourth album ‘There’s A Big Star Outside...’, it’s that Swim Deep is no longer the same band you’ve always known.

In some ways, Swim Deep’s fourth album – full of acoustic guitars and floral notes courtesy of a Mellotron keyboard (one of the finest musical exports from their native Birmingham) – has no business being as luscious and evolved as it is. But ‘There’s A Big Star Outside...’ could only have surfaced as a result of such testing years. It takes the youthful dreaming of their debut, and the excitable experimentalism of its follow-ups, and leads it to a more assured space, aided hugely by the input of producer Bill Ryder-Jones, who became a mentor throughout the journey. “A lot of the album, Bill’s drawn out of me,” Ozzy nods. “That sense of boldness and not hiding behind the music that he’s instilled in me has really made the album flourish, and be what I want it to be. It’s a cliché to say, but I feel I’ve been writing towards this record my whole life.”

It’s fitting that this is the message Swim Deep have arrived at, because ‘There’s A Big Star Outside...’ genuinely does feel like a golden moment for the band. Across more than a decade in the industry, they’ve revelled in the highs and weathered the lows – but their fourth feels like an album that exists outside of all that. It’s one that’s less about chasing the next rungs of success and more about really nailing their flag to the mast as artists, as adults, and as a group who were always in it for more than just fleeting scenes and early buzz.

TRACK LISTING

1. How Many Love Songs Have Died In Vegas?
2. Very Heaven
3. These Words
4. Robin
5. Don't Make Me A Stranger
6. First Song
7. Big Star
8. It's Just Sun In Your Eyes
9. So Long, So Far (Marble-Bellied Baby)
10. Fire Surrounds

Recorded at Ardent Studios and released in 1972, the album has gone on to become one of the most influential and iconic debut albums of all time.

This 50th-anniversary indie exclusive edition is pressed on 180-gram metallic gold with purple smoke vinyl and features all-analogue mastering by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl.

The album has been included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, with the song “Thirteen” featured in its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Feel
2. The Ballad Of El Goodo
3. In The Street
4. Thirteen
5. Don’t Lie To Me
6. The India Song
Side B
7. When My Baby’s Beside Me
8. My Life Is Right
9. Give Me Another Chance
10. Try Again
11. Watch The Sunrise 

'She Said' is the third album from Los Angeles Rock band, Starcrawler. Fronted by Arrow de Wilde, guitarist Henri Cash, bassist Tim Franco, pedal steel/guitar player Bill Cash and drummer Seth Carolina, Starcrawler have morphed into a modern day take on LA legends X, with a sprinkle of The Go-Go’s, a smattering of The Distillers and some Rolling Stones sleaze thrown in for good measure. Though defiantly not a record obsessed with the pandemic, the constraints of lockdown mean that ‘She Said’ is Starcrawler’s most considered release to date. These are anthems made for blaring out of car speakers on warm summer night drives with the windows down and the volume up.

“We wanted to make songs on this record for everyone,” explains Henri. “For people that weren't just into punk rock.” Starcrawler might have broadened their scope, but they’ve definitely not watered down their sound. Known for his work on action and horror movie soundtracks, including the John Wick films, Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Halloweens I and II, the album was produced by industry titan Tyler Bates. Starcrawer met Tyler when he was drafted in to work with them on Goodtime Girl, a stand-alone single for DC’s Dark Nights: Death Metal soundtrack, which the band appeared on alongside the likes of Idles, Mastodon and Chelsea Wolfe. “It just sounded so big,” says Arrow of the resulting track. “It made me think we should do the whole of the new record like a movie soundtrack.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Roadkill
2. She Said
3. Stranded
4. Thursday
5. Broken Angels
6. Jetblack
7. True
8. Midnight
9. Runaway
10. A Better Place

Yaya Bey is one of R&B’s most exciting storytellers. Using a combination of ancestral forces and her own self-actualization, the singer/songwriter seamlessly navigates life’s hardships and joyful moments through music. Bey’s new album, ‘Remember Your North Star’ (out June 17), captures this emotional rollercoaster with a fusion of soul, jazz, reggae, afrobeat and hip-hop that feeds the soul. The artist’s knack for storytelling is best displayed in the album’s lead single, “keisha”. It’s an anthemic embodiment of fed-up women everywhere who have given their all in a relationship, yet their physical body nor spiritual mind could never be enough.

Bey’s ability to tap into the emotionally kaleidoscopic nature of women, specifically Black women, is the essence of the entire album. With themes of misogynoir, unpacking generational trauma, carefree romance, parental relationships, women empowerment and self-love, Remember Your North Star proves that the road to healing isn’t a linear one – there are many lessons to gather along the journey.

“I saw a tweet that said, ‘Black women have never seen healthy love or have been loved in a healthy way.’ That's a deep wound for us. Then I started to think about our responses to that as Black women,” Bey says of ‘Remember Your North Star’s title inspiration, an entirely self-written project featuring key production from Bey herself, with assists from Phony Ppl’s Aja Grant and DJ Nativesun. “So this album is kind of my thesis. Even though we need to be all these different types of women, ultimately we do want love: love of self and love from our community. The album is a reminder of that goal.”

The artist’s raw, unfiltered approach threads ‘Remember Your North Star’. “big daddy ya” finds the artist tapping into her inner rapper, channeling the too-cool and confident factor that artists like Megan Thee Stallion and City Girls are well-known for. “reprise” captures women’s exhaustion everywhere, with its lyrical tug-of-war of bettering oneself while trying to cut yourself off from toxic relationships. There’s also “alright” (co-produced by Aja Grant), a soothing, jazz-inspired ditty that showcases Bey’s love for the genre’s icons like Billie Holiday, while the carefree “pour up” highlights the artist’s friendship with DJ Nativesun (the song’s producer) and will immediately rush hips to the dancefloor.

There is no fakeness when it comes to Bey’s music, and her authenticity can be partly attributed to her upbringing in Jamaica, Queens. Early childhood memories included watching her father (pioneering ‘90s rapper Grand Daddy I.U) record in his studio – which also doubled as Bey’s bedroom – and listening to records by soul legends Donny Hathaway and Ohio Players around the house. Beginning at age nine, the artist’s father would leave space for her to write hooks to his beats, using her favorite artists like Mary J. Blige and JAY-Z as inspirations.

Bey quickly grew out of New York City and moved to D.C. at age 18. Calling it her second home, the city further ignited the artist’s creativity as she worked at museums and libraries, as well as tapping into poetry and attending protests. Her first release ‘The Many Alter - Egos of Trill’eta Brown’ in 2016 that incorporated a digital collage and a book, was praised by Solange’s Saint Heron agency, FADER, Essence, and many more. Bey followed up with fellow critically acclaimed projects like 2020’s ‘Madison Tapes’ album and 2021’s ‘The Things I Can’t Take With Me’ EP – the first release on Big Dada’s relaunch as a label run by Black, POC and minority ethnic people for Black, POC and minority ethnic artists – that received support from Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, NPR, Harper’s Bazaar, FADER, HotNewHipHop, Dazed, Clash, FACT, Crack Magazine, The Line of Best Fit and Mixmag.

In 2021, Bey was also profiled by Rolling Stone for their print magazine, contributed to the publication’s The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and curated a playlist for Document Journal. The artist’s “september 13th (DJ Nativesun Remix)” and “made this on the spot” singles received strong radio support from BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC 1 Xtra’s Jamz Supernova. Last May, Bey was interviewed on BBC 1Xtra and performed three tracks for Jamz Supernova’s “Festival Jamz” including The Things I Can’t Take With Me’s “fxck it then” and “september 13th” that December.

Bey is also a critically acclaimed multidisciplinary artist and art curator, creating the artwork for her music through collages of intimate photos and self-portraits. In 2019, her work was featured in the District of Columbia Arts Center’s “Reparations Realized” exhibit and Brooklyn’s Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA)’s “Let the Circle Be Unbroken” exhibit. She also completed multiple fine art residencies with MoCADA, curating programs that reflect the same theme that drives her music: the Black woman's experience.

‘Remember Your North Star’ continues Bey’s personal and artistic evolution as she strives to be a soundboard for Black women everywhere. “I feel empowered in music because I can transform anything that happens to me into something that is valuable. Music helps me to see the value in what's going on in my life,” she explains. “There’s a spirit in music. It’s a culture and I'm in that community, contributing my story which keeps us connected.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Seriously, get on this! Landing somewhere between Green Tea Peng, Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu (!!) with that adoration for retroistic jazz and soul influences showered in sunshine and delivered with her own highly individualistic, localized vocal flow. She's also provocative, stylish and outspoken, making her a perfect star for 2022. Gonna blow up!

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Intro
2. Libation
3. Big Daddy Ya
4. Keisha
5. Nobody Knows
6. Alright
7. Meet Me In Brooklyn
8. It Was Just A Dance
9. Pour Up (feat. DJ
Nativesun)
10. Uh Uh Nxgga

 Side B
1. Reprise
2. Rolling Stoner
3. Don't Fucking Call Me
4. I'm Certain She's There
5. Street Fighter Blues
6. Mama Loves Her Son
7. Either Way
8. Blessings

Big Star formed in 1971, and in their brief 4 years together, created 3 albums that consistently make “Best of All-Time” lists. 18 years after officially disbanding, original members Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens joined forces with The Posies’ Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow for a live performance, which led to a tour (documented on Omnivore Recordings’ Live In Memphis), and years of concerts. While the live shows were a joy and surprise, a bigger surprise happened in 2005. After over a decade playing together: a new studio album. As Ryko A&R’s Jeff Rougvie said. “It was the easiest approval for a project I ever got.” In Space featured new 12 tracks (11 originals and a cover of The Olympics’ “Mine Exclusively”) recorded where Big Star began, at the classic Ardent Studios.

The new line up was creating a new chapter for the band while minding and honoring its past. With original vinyl going for outrageous prices, In Space returns as an LP on translucent blue vinyl, and expanded CD with 6 bonus tracks including “Hot Thing” (previously available on the out-of-print Big Star Story) and 5 previously unissued demos and alternate mixes. Packaging contains liner notes from Rougvie, original album co-producer/engineer Jeff Powell (who also cut the new vinyl), assistant Ardent engineer Adam Hill, and surviving band members Jon Auer, Ken Stringfellow, and Jody Stephens. Expanded and remastered, In Space finally returns to earth. Prepare to blast off again

• Remastered and restored performance originally recorded and broadcast in 1974.
• On LP officially for the first time.
• New liner notes from authors Robert Gordon and Rich Tupica.
• Liners include an interview with bassist, John Lightman.

Big Star recorded their second album, Radio City, as a trio, after the departure of founding member Chris Bell. When it came time to tour, original bassist Andy Hummel decided to return to school to pursue his engineering education. With this departure, Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens recruited fellow Memphis native John Lightman to take over on bass duties, and the band readied their live set. That set is on display as Big Star recorded a radio session at Ultrasonic Studios in New York for broadcast on the city’s preeminent WLIR. Nearly two decades later, those recordings were issued as Live in 1992. Omnivore Recordings is proud to reintroduce those recordings, restored and remastered from the original tapes, as Live On WLIR, on CD—and, its first official release on LP.

The 15 track set features material from the band’s two releases, as well as a cover of “Motel Blues” by Loudon Wainwright III (which originally appeared on his classic 1971 sophomore release, Album II). With new, updated liner notes from Memphis writer/filmmaker, Robert Gordon (who won a Grammy® for his essay in 2010’s Big Star boxed set Keep An Eye On The Sky) and an interview with John Lightman by Chris Bell biographer Rich Tupica (There Was A Light: The Cosmic History Of Big Star Founder Chris Bell), Live On WLIR enters the Big Star canon in the form it deserves. Because, you know, you get what you deserve.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. September Gurls (Live On WLIR)
2. Way Out West (Live On WLIR)
3. Mod Lang (Live On WLIR)
4. Don't Lie To Me (Live On WLIR)

Side B
1. O My Soul (Live On WLIR)
2. Interview (Live On WLIR)
3. The Ballad Of El Goodo (Live On WLIR)
4. Thirteen (Live On WLIR)

Side C
1. I'm In Love With A Girl (Live On WLIR)
2. Motel Blues (Live On WLIR)
3. In The Street (Live On WLIR)
4. You Get What You Deserve (Live On WLIR)

Side D
1. Daisy Glaze (Live On WLIR)
2. Back Of A Car (Live On WLIR)
3. She's A Mover (Live On WLIR)

“Nippon Rock’n’Roll” documents the rise of Masaaki Hirao. Dubbed “The Japanese Elvis”, Hirao was one of the famed Rokabirii Sannin Otoko (Three Rockabillies), alongside singers Mickey Curtis and “Kei-chan”, Keijiro Yamashita. In early 1958, the rokabirii buumu (rockabilly boom) was born, the first youth music tribe in the Land Of The Rising Sun.

Rokabirii may resemble US rockabilly, but this Nipponese version is a more varied dish. Hirao and his band’s covers of Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley and Little Richard are not kitsch renditions, but raw, desperate rockers. Hear a Paul Anka makeover, but put through a rocking mangle; a smattering of jazz; a twist of New Orleans; and some Japanese folk songs with a greased-down quiff. American occupation a distant memory, these boys wanted to party.

Country and hillbilly music was a mainstay of young Japanese musicians working the GI base and jazz café circuit of the 1950s. Following the runaway success of a Japanese cover of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ (Hirao’s version here has dynamite in its teeth), demand grew for more of this strange, new music. The need was met with a huge gala, the Nichigeki Western Carnival, which showcased the new rokabirii groups to thousands of screaming Japanese teenagers. Wild footage of the concerts, alongside that of burgeoning radical student movements, put fear of a wave of delinquency into the heart of the establishment.

The studio numbers here are hardboiled, with unkempt live recordings that really rock. Tough drums back up honking sax, in a pedal steel pandemonium with slap bass. In the words of Elvis: these guys “get real gone”.

TRACK LISTING

01. Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Live)
02. Itsuki No Komoriuta Rock
03. Hoshi Wa Nandemo Shiteru 2 (Live)
04. Crazy Love (Live)
05. Jailhouse Rock

Side 2
01. Jenny Jenny (Live)
02. Ooh My Soul (Live)
03. One Way Ticket
04. Miyo-chan
05. Blues De Memphis

Listening to "Radio City" it's hard to believe that it was largely ignored on its release in 1974. Its heady combination of (future) Brit pop melodies and well crafted songs was probably a little unfashionable in a world obsessed with the stadium rock of Led Zep and it's only since the band's demise that they've received the recognition that eluded them in the short time they were together. Soft rock with jangly guitars and sweet vocal harmonies - what's not to like!?