Traversing the everyday in 2023,the need for ritual catharsis only grows stronger. The need to lose oneself in a force bigger than ourselves, and to venture into innerspace the better to sculpt armour for the battles outside. Luckily this is the job of Bonnacons of Doom, aural soothsayers and progenitors of Trans Pennine hypnotic music.

‘Signs’-their second album for Rocket Recordings-marks both a portent of things to come, and a roadmap of the psychic pathways to survival. This masked troupe, subsumed to mystery and amassed from across the North of England, have stepped up their mission accordingly. Building on the intimidating intensity of theirself-titled2018 debut, this series of fiercely charged mantras and premonitory transmissions is possessed of a new level of communal intensity. The band’s choice of weapons-the monomaniacal intensity of the riff, the liberating binary spirit of electronics and the incantatory vocals of ceremonial leader Kate Smith-here coalesce into a metaphysical force which stands defiant of easy categorisation. Within these otherworldly manifestations lurks solace in a place where the transcendent power of heavy amplification, cosmically aligned sonic explorations and strange forces darker and more unknowable can coalesce to cathartic and redeeming effect.

‘Signs’ marks out a supernatural landscape where ancient and modern, earthly and alien congregate in the eternal now, whilst Bonnacons of Doom transcend era to light a path for the future.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Rocket recordings are the perfect home for psych-drone monoliths Bonnacons Of Doom, and the incendiary 'Signs' is brimming with scathing guitars and hypnotic vocal phrases. Brilliantly heavy, and undeniably enjoyable.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Facing
2. Esus
3. Infra
4. Limina
Side B
5. Shore
6. Signs
7. Lichen
8. Semaphore

It has now been repressed for the 1st time, this 2023 pressing is limited to 500
copies on transparent 10" eco-vinyl with unique colour swirls. Zero 7's debut album 'Simple Things' sold over a million copies and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the band as Best Newcomer at the Brit Awards. The album featured singers Sia, Sophie Barker and Mozez. 'When It Falls' followed with the same guest vocalists along with Danish singer Tina Dico. Their third album 'The Garden' was nominated for a Grammy Award with singers Jose Gonzalez and Sia. Two further albums 'Yeah Ghost' and a best of 'Record' completed their time with Atlantic Records.

TRACK LISTING

1. Home (Alternative Mix)
2. Somersault (Danger Mouse Remix Ft. MF DOOM)

Almost three years since their debut self-titled release, Dream Nails aren't changing route, but broadening their appeal.

In their slick, humoured new album, 'Doom Loop' produced by Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, Amyl and The Sniffers) the band tackle everything from incel culture to rewriting the available images of trans masculinity. It's concise, powerful, and refreshingly disruptive.

TRACK LISTING

Good Guy
Case Dismissed
Geraniums
Prevenge
Monster
Sometimes I Do Get Lonely, Yeah
She's Cutting My Hair
Femme Boi
Ballpit
Time Ain't No Healer

There’s long been a growl festering in the West, an earthen rumble fed by tectonic tension, acrid smoke, and sun-parched air. The brew has boiled over lately, a pressure-cooked chaos that can no longer be contained. The growl has grown to a howl.. the howl is at the door. Few are as ready to meet the madness head on as Frankie and the Witch Fingers. On ‘Data Doom’ the band hurtles the listener head first into the wood-chipper of technological dystopia, systemic rot, creeping fascism, the military-industrial profit mill, and a near-constant erosion of humanity that peels away the soul bit by bit. With a fuse lit by these modern-day monstrosities the band seeks to find salvation through a thousand watt wake-up of rock n’ roll exfoliation.

After tearing through the tender heart of the Midwest, Frankie and the Witch Fingers found themselves clamped down on the fried edges of Los Angeles, carving out a niche that’s equal parts molten tar pit teardown and cataclysmic careen. Following releases on Hypnotic Bridge, Let’s Pretend, and Permanent, the band landed between the twin barbs of Greenway and The Reverberation Appreciation Society, a perfect fit for their frenetic blend of rhythmic whiplash and sonic soul shake. Anchored by songwriters Dylan Sizemore and Josh Menashe, the band has kept a rotating door of friends and collaborators moving through their midst over the past few years, coalescing post-pandemic into a symbiotic stage beast that’s become the beating heart of their new album, ‘Data Doom’. Bassist Nikki “Pickle” Smith and drummer Nick Aguilar have been road-hardened and readied over the last year, laying the groundwork for the new record’s 300 pounds of pummel and propulsion.

That heft was hurtled onto tape in the band’s Vernon, CA studio space. The locale let the city’s grit creep into the crevices of their new record, a wild swing at the sternum that hits the listener like an adrenaline shot to the heart. Wiping away the haze of stoned-ape psychedelics that permeated their opus ‘Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters’… the band favors an asphalt assault of rock, riff, and amphetamine rhythm. As they’ve wound out of the last phase, their sound, over a series of singles, has begun to thicken and throb. It’s coalesced into a darker strain that ingests the explosive impulses of gas-crisis-era proto-punk, the rhythmic insistence of 70’s German Progressives, and the elasticity of funk fusionists alike. They’ve welded their arsenal of influences to a chassis of nail-bitten bombast that drives ‘Data Doom’ into the midst of the maelstrom.

The band has shared bills with Kikagaku Moyo, Ty Segall, Oh Sees, Cheap Trick, and ZZ Top, churning their stage-side scorch into household recognition — burning through a barrage of multicolored vinyl pressings and sparring with indie heavyweights for Billboard chart positions. ‘Data Doom’ looks to cement that status, a sinewy slab cut on the stone of social collapse and licking the blade in anticipation of what’s to come. “Never name the darkness itself,“ intones Sizemore, but the darkness is already here, embedded in every moment, inextricable from the capital, sabbatical, sustenance, and solace of the modern age. ‘Data Doom’ is the elixir and the exorcism, it’s the reformation rendered in rock ’n roll.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: 'Data Doom' is a wonderfully weird melting pot of freak-out psych, angular guitar riffery and Frankie And The Witch Fingers' own brand of wry politicism. This is classic Frankie fare, but with the volume and weirdness turned up to 11. Superb.

TRACK LISTING

Side A:
1. Empire (7:31)
2. Burn Me Down (3:08)
3. Electricide (3:35)
4. Syster System (6:18)
Side B:
5. Weird Dog (3:58)
6. Doom Boom (4:10)
7. Futurephobic (3:39)
8. Mild Davis (4:46)
9. Political Cannibalism (4:26)

With his sophomore full-length album, Born Hot, Chris Farren paired polished, up-beat pop songs with lyrics full of self-examination and insecurity, all while developing a newfound sense of humor when it came to promoting himself. Stereogum called it “a tongue-in-cheek exploration of ideas of confidence and self-loathing," while The Atlantic featured it on their “Best Albums of 2019” list.

On his third full-length album, Doom Singer, Farren injects his latest work with a newfound sense of power and cohesion. Collaborating for the first time with outside drummer Frankie Impastato (Macseal), Farren's songs take on a whole new dimensionality, with Impastato's live drums bringing a fresh spontaneity to the tracks. Doom Singer marks another significant milestone in Farren's career as it is the first time he collaborated with a producer, multi-instrumentalist Melina Duterte (Jay Som, Bachelor, Routine). Her masterful production experience adds a layer of sophistication to Farren's sound, creating a rich and multi- dimensional sonic landscape that takes his music to new heights. With Duterte's keen ear and meticulous attention to detail, the album resonates with a level of clarity and depth that showcases Farren's songwriting and vocal abilities in a whole new light.

Chris Farren’s music has been praised in outlets such as MTV, Stereogum, and The Atlantic, who describes his music as having “bright-eyed hooks, sparkly orchestration, and tight songwriting.” With numerous world tours alongside artists such as Jeff Rosenstock, The Gaslight Anthem, Laura Stevenson, and others, Farren has been building a dedicated following of fans who connect with his introspective lyrics and infectious pop sensibilities.

TRACK LISTING

1. Bluish
2. All We Ever
3. Get Over U
4. Only U
5. Doom Singer
6. Screensaver
7. First Place
8. My Beauty
9. Cosmic Leash
10. StatueSong

We Are Busy Bodies presents a compilation of new perspectives on The Upsetters final collaborative album, 2021s Lee Scratch Perry's Guide to the Universe by New Age Doom. Remix The Universe features new versions by artists from the post- hardcore, experimental hip hop, indie rock, EDM and ambient spheres. From the overdriven electronic blast by Andy Morin (Death Grips), to the dance floor-ready groove of South Africas BLK JKS, to the head- banging fuzz- dub of Quicksand, and Nick Reinharts experimental exploration, the 12 track album sizzles across 44 minutes of new music.

TRACK LISTING

Conquer The Sin (Raising Of Lazarus Edit) - Daryl Palumbo
Life Is An Experiment (Kismet And Karma Version) - Child Of (Todd Weinstock)
Holy Wings (Righteous Love Mix) - Cola Wars (Gregory MacDonald)
Step In Space (A Big Step For Bass) - Benedicte Pierleoni
Step In Space (The Space Version) - Tuvaband
Fly In The World (Dub Love Version) - Kevvy (Kevin Maher)
Holy Dub (12 Bit Armageddon) - CrookOne
Holy Dub (Hallowed Be Thy Name) - Quicksand Produced By Walter Schreifels And Sergio Vega
Holy Wings (Nico Y Irel's 3 A.m. In Sabaneta Mix) - Nick Hook
Step In Space (BLKJKSSNDSYSTM) - BLK JKS
Conquer The Sin (Hard Repent) - Nick Reinhart
Life Is An Experiment (Cloud Climber Version) - Andy Morin

Before MF DOOM donned his mask and became one of the most prolific MC-producers of modern Hip-Hop, he was a member of KMD, an early ‘90s rap group whose work still goes criminally under-appreciated to this day.

Following their 1991 debut album, Mr. Hood, the former trio shed one member leaving only two remaining – Subroc and his brother, Zev Love X (better known today as MF DOOM). Originally scheduled for release in 1994, their sophomore album Black Bastards showed clear progression from their debut. It was a truly amazing record, both sonically and lyrically, full of youthful creativity and tinged with the stresses of growing up as Black men in urban America. Songs like the lead single “What A N*gga Know”, the slippery, bass-driven “Get U Now”, and the album’s title track explore Black consciousness viewed through young-but-experienced eyes. Musically alternating between bouncy and raw – many times both, concurrently – the tracks gave the MC’s the springboard they needed to express themselves clearly.

Sadly, Subroc would face a sudden and untimely death in 1993, just as the duo were finishing the album. Grief-stricken, his brother Zev Love X – now the sole remaining member of the group – was determined to carry the legacy of KMD onward, but Elektra Records unceremoniously shelved the project in the eleventh hour, due to controversy surrounding the album’s provocative cover art. Following the fallout with Elektra, Zev tried for years to release the album on other labels, but he was continually met with dead ends. Struggling through the pain of losing his brother, coupled with the inability to release their final project together, a discouraged Zev Love X quietly withdrew from the scene and began quietly plotting his revenge on an industry that had broken him spiritually. Thus, in order to understand the true origin story of the super-villain, MF DOOM, one must recognize and appreciate the evolution of his former group, KMD, and the backstory of their pivotal album, Black Bastards. 

TRACK LISTING

00 : Garbage Day #3
01 : Get-U-Now
02 : What A N*gga Know?
03 : Sweet Premium Wine
04 : Plumskinzz (Loose Hoe, God & Cupid)
05 : Smokin’ That S*#%
06 : Contact Blitt
07 : Gimme
08 : Black Bastards!
09 : It Sounded Like A Roc
10 : Plumskinzz (Oh No I Don’t Believe It!)
11 : Constipated Monkey
12 : F*#@ Wit’ Ya Head
13 : Suspended Animation

Underneath his mysterious metal mask, MF DOOM hides the cachet underground legends are made of. After his first group KMD’s sophomore album Black Bastards was shelved by Elektra in 1994, and his blood brother Subroc — one half of the sibling rap duo — passed away, surviving frontman Zev Love X slowly mutated into the supervillain MC known as MF DOOM, and the rap world is better for it.

The 1999 release of Operation: Doomsday marked MF DOOM’s official debut, reintroducing a mysterious figure who would soon become one of underground rap’s greatest voices. Within its 19 tracks, Operation: Doomsday reveals the confluence of DOOM’s tragic past, personal interests and daring creativity. His clever rhymes and remarkable schemes stood out against the landscape, and every sound he touched — from cartoon theme songs, to ‘80s soul, to rap classics and more — got reinterpreted into something brand new and surreal.

Decades later, MF DOOM is still celebrated for all facets of his work and influence. In the face of tragedy, DOOM re-infiltrated the rap game on his own terms, and crafted an instant cult classic. Operation: Doomsday stands as a testament to the power of betting on yourself against all odds. 

TRACK LISTING

01 : The Time We Faced DOOM (Skit)
02 : Doomsday Feat. Pebbles The Invisible Girl
03 : Rhymes Like Dimes Feat. DJ Cucumber Slice
04 : The Finest Feat. Tommy Gunn
05 : Back In The Days (Skit)
06 : Go With The Flow
07 : Tick, Tick... Feat. MF Grimm
08 : Red And Gold Feat. King Ghidra
09 : The Hands Of DOOM (Skit)
10 : Who Do You Think I Am? Feat. X-Ray, Rodan, Megalon, K.D., King Ghidra & Kong
11 : DOOM, Are You Awake? (Skit)
12 : Hey!
13 : Operation: Greenbacks Feat. Megalon
14 : The Mic Feat. Pebbles The Invisible Girl
15 : The Mystery Of DOOM (Skit)
16: Dead Bent
17 : Gas Drawls
18 : ? Feat. Kurious
19 : Hero V.s. Villain (Epilogue) Feat. E. Mason

Superhero? Supervillain? Super WHAT? CZARFACE & MF DOOM's newest team-up record Super What? is, much like the Avengers' arch-enemy Thanos...inevitable (and all-powerful!).

The icon MF DOOM unleashes his wizardry and wordplay throughout the record, while CZARFACE (bolstered by the legendary Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck and Esoteric) slash through each of the Czar-Keys' produced tracks as the team raises the bar on their previous LP, Czarface meets Metalface (2018). Featuring golden-age superhero DMC (of RUN-DMC) and Hieroglyphics' leader Del The Funky Homosapien, with art by longtime CZARFACE co-creator Lamour Supreme, this album will bring all the thrills of a cosmic summer blockbuster.

Recorded and slated for an early 2020 release, and paused while COVID raged, this collaboration of masked men is finally finding its way to you on all formats.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Though Doom may have joined the power cosmic, it's classics like this which mean he's gonna be with us forever. In cahoots with fellow masked man Czarface, the hip hop legend serves up some high grade golden age psychedelia with bars for days.

TRACK LISTING

DOOM SIDE:
A1. The King And Eye (feat. DMC Of Run DMC)
A2. Czarwyn's Theory Of People Getting Loose (feat. Kendra Morris)
A3. Mando Calrissian
A4. DOOM Unto Others

CZAR SIDE:
B1. Jason & The Czargonauts (feat. Del The Funky Homosapien)
B2. Break In The Action
B3. A Name To The Face
B4. This Is Canon Now
B5. So Strange (feat. Godforbid)
B6. Young World

King Geedorah aka MF DOOM is perhaps the most legendary and revered living figure in underground hip hop today. On the conceptual classic ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ he takes the form of a giant three-headed lizard from outer space to give you “Geedorah’s alien perspective on humans.” 13 tracks all produced, written, recorded, arranged, mixed and mastered by the Metal Fingered Villain himself, MF DOOM. A generation of musicians have grown up in awe of DOOM - he’s influenced and worked with Flying Lotus, Earl Sweatshirt, Madlib, Clams Casino, Danger Mouse, RZA, Ghostface Killah, De La Soul and more. Originally released in 2003 - a year before Madvillain ‘Madvillainy’, the collaborative opus with Madlib (Stones Throw / Jaylib / Quasimoto) - ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ was a critical success. Alongside the classic ‘Operation: Doomsday (Fondle ‘Em)’, ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ is a criminally rare full length studio production project from MF DOOM - off-centre beats that owe much to his love of jazz, fantastically skilled, charismatic MCing and ideas galore. Features a variety of vocal guests (some under alias) including MF DOOM, Kurious, MF GRIMM (as Jet Jaguar) and other members of NYC’s Monsta Island Czars. For fans of MF DOOM, Madvillain, Earl Sweatshirt, Run The Jewels, J Dilla, Ghostface Killah.

TRACK LISTING

Fazers
Fastlane Ft Biolante
Krazy World Ft Gigan
The Final Hour Ft MF DOOM
Monster Zero
Next Levels Ft Lil’ Sci, ID 4 Winds & Stahhr
No Snakes Alive Ft JetJaguar & Rodan
Anti-Matter Ft MF DOOM & Mr Fantastik
Take Me To Your Leader
Lockjaw Ft Trunks
I Wonder Ft Hassan Chop
One Smart Nigger
The Fine Print

In 1998 Zev Love X of the seminal rap group KMD re-emerged as a masked super villain known as MF DOOM. The following Year he release the ground breaking independent classic Operation: Doomsday. Doom only added to the mystery by creating multiple aliases (King Geedorah, Viktor Vaughn, etc.) and taking a no holds barred approach to his musical career. With collaborative side projects with Madlib (Madvillain) and most recently DANGERDOOM with Danger Mouse, MM..FOOD marks the super villain's long awaited follow up to Operation: Doomsday.

TRACK LISTING

1. Beef Rap
2. Hoe Cakes
3. Potholderz (feat. Count Bass D)
4. One Beer
5. Deep Fried Frenz
6. Poo-Putt Platter
7. Fillet-O-Rapper
8. Gumbo
9. Fig Leaf Bi-Carbonate
10. Kon Karne
11. Guinnesses (feat. 4Ize & Angelika)
12. Kon Queso
13. Rapp Snitch Knishes
14. Vomitspit
15. Kookies

Doom Days, Bastille’s grippingly confident third album, is a record of hope for turbulent times. Made by Dan Smith with bandmates Kyle Simmons, Will Farquarson and Chris ‘Woody’ Wood, and producer Mark Crew, it sees the Grammy nominated, Brit winning four-piece stretch out and open-up like never before.

Doom Days marks something of a shift in perception from its widely acclaimed No.1 predecessor ‘Wild World’, which confronted the world and the actions of those in power. Recorded throughout 2018 at the band’s South London studio, “One Eyed Jacks”, the new album captures the need to temporarily switch off and escape whilst taking the listener on a big night out in search of distraction from the surrounding apocalypse; be that screaming along to the radio in the back of an Uber careering through the city (the electric Quarter Past Midnight), getting loved up in the company of good friends (future classic 4AM), a casual hook-up (Another Place) or the end-of-night longing to be with somebody (the captivating Those Nights). It revels in the bad decisions we make both personally in our relationships and collectively on a macro scale (Bad Decisions), tells a relatable tale of being cornered into a deep discussion about the world’s problems when all you want to do is have a good time (Million Pieces), and wryly confronts modern anxieties, taking side-swipes at phone addiction, porn addiction, fake news and climate change denial (the uncompromising Doom Days).

Doom Days finds Bastille at their most lyrically provocative, most accomplished, and most vital. It taps into globally felt worries whilst also working on a much more intimate level. Setting the album over the course of one night allows the band to hold a mirror up to the world using personal, relatable situations.

TRACK LISTING

Quarter Past Midnight
Bad Decisions
The Waves
Divide
Million Pieces
Doom Days
Nocturnal Creatures
4am
Another Place
Those Nights
Joy

Another total winner from the Agitated stable, and two blasts of wild pop from San Francisco's finest purveyors of said genre The Fresh & Onlys. It's their first UK release, and both tracks highlight the bands abilities in creating pop music thats skewed yet perfect. They blend in many sounds / influences,
immediate 'recommended if you like pointers' include Violent Femmes / 13th Floor Elevators / early 80s British indiepop / Australian underground singles from the 80s. Both tracks exclusive to this release. You will dance to this, and so will Matt Groening at ATP in May.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: An awesome single! "Impending Doom" merges the 13th Floor Elevators garage psyche with the dark brooding of 80s Aussie bands like The Triffids (and ends up sounding like The Moffs!), while "Troubling Vision" on the flip is a skewed 60s garage number.