White Elephant announce their debut album 'World Elephant Day', the sound of time, trust and total freedom.

A project forged over ten years in Crazy P’s Nottingham studio, blending dancefloor DNA with intimate musicianship.

White Elephant began as a no-agenda weekend in Crazy P’s Nottingham studio, where Chris “Hot Toddy” Todd, Jim “Ron Basejam” Baron and Ben “BJ” Smith discovered an effortless musical union. Over the next decade, their collaboration slowly evolved into a debut album shaped by warmth, trust and lived experience rather than deadlines. Blending Crazy P’s dancefloor DNA with tender musicianship, the record moves between glowing disco grooves, 80s-bright sparkling pulses and intimate acoustic moments. It’s reflective without being nostalgic, playful yet deeply human. White Elephant is three friends rediscovering the joy of making music simply because it feels good.

TRACK LISTING

1. All Night
2. Lovers
3. Still Stills
4. Warriors
5. Breathe
6. Take All My Money
7. Lovely Day
8. Sail With Me
9. Livewire
10. IDTYCLM

Composed of 10 new tracks and clocking in at 42 minutes, 'Pink Elephant' is produced by Win Butler, Régine Chassagne and Daniel Lanois.

When experienced in its entirety, 'Pink Elephant' invites the listener on a sonic odyssey – a quest for life – that exists within the perception of the individual, a meditation on both darkness and light, the beauty within. The layers of this condensed epic unfold to reveal new dimensions with each successive listen.

TRACK LISTING

1. Open Your Heart Or Die Trying
2. Pink Elephant
3. Year Of The Snake
4. Circle Of Trust
5. Alien Nation
6. Beyond Salvation
7. Ride Or Die
8. I Love Her Shadow
9. She Cries Diamond Rain
10. Stuck In My Head

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

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

‘Mount Elephant’ is organic psychedelia at its finest. These are drifting, pastoral meditations rooted in the “joy and rhythms” of Eastern music and one of the most precious luxuries of our time: doing things slowly. Italian multi-instrumentalist Alessio Ferarri’s third Upupuyāma record and first on Fuzz Club finds inspiration in traditional Bhutanese music, Thai disco and Anatolian psych, by way of the lysergic acid-folk, ‘70s kosmische and stoner-rock that has always coursed through the project – dream-like instrumentals always threatening to breakdown into blasts of fuzzed-out riffing.

“Mount Elephant was born out of a need to listen, to listen to silence”, Ferrari says: “Listening to the silence while observing flowers, while moving your hands in the wind, listening to your body while you are dancing. If in my first album (Upupayāma) I had travelled the length and breadth of a place, in the second (The Golden Pond) I had reached one and stopped there, in this third album I set out again, crossing a border and entering a long-dreamed place that I could finally ‘see with my own eyes’.”

A six-piece band live, where things take a more ever-evolving improvisation-based approach, on the recordings Ferrari writes, plays and records everything himself – guitars, keys, flute, sitar, erhu and an arsenal of percussion all feature. The recordings were laid down over time in Ferrari's home barn studio in a small mountain village overlooking the city of Parma, before being mixed by Chris Smith at Kluster Sounds (Kikagaku Moyo, Wax Machine).

TRACK LISTING

1. Moon Needs The Wolf
2. Thimpu
3. Fil Dağı
4. Moon Needs The Owl
5. Dabadaba
6. Mount Elephant

Neon Pill is the highly anticipated new album from Cage The Elephant, and group’s first new music since their album, Social Cues, which won Best Rock album at the 2019 GRAMMY Awards. Cage The Elephant consists of brothers Matt Shultz (vocals) and Brad Shultz (rhythm guitar) along with Daniel Tichenor (bass), Jared Champion (drums), Nick Bockrath (lead guitar) and Matthan Minster (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals).

Ståle Storløkken – Fender Rhodes, Hammond L100, Minimoog, Mellotron, grand piano, celeste, Continuum. Nikolai Hængsle – Electric bass. Torstein Lofthus – Drums, percussion. After a solid run of five studio albums and two double live albums, Psychedelic Backfire I and II, (both 2019), Elephant9 had taken their groovy mix of high energy rock and power jazz as far as they could. In this respect their previous album Arrival of The New Elders (2021) came as a welcome and most timely addition to their recorded output. More varied, mature and reflective, they were as groovy as ever, but more structured and less jam oriented, earning them a 9/10 review in Uncut and a spot in their albums of the year list, noting their telepathic communion and concluding with “this is an Elephant9 you´ll never forget”. Jazzwise, Shindig, Prog, Electronic Sound, The Quietus and several others followed in the same fashion. Mythical River is moulded much in the same way and a natural follow-up, with six stellar new compositions by keyboard maestro Ståle Storløkken, bookended by two short cosmic snippets. From the hypnotic and magical to the razor sharp and polyrhythmic, this is yet another strong group effort from a trio on top of their game. Comparisons have been made with bands dating as far back as the sixties, but with Arrival of The New Elders and Mythical River, Elephant9 appear as a thoroughly contemporary, timeless and even futuristic sounding band. Mythical River was recorded and mixed by previous Dungen producer Mattias Glavå. Ståle started his musical journey in Veslefrekk with Jarle Vespestad and Arve Henriksen in the 90s, soon morphing into Supersilent with Helge Sten on board. He´s also a member of Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns, Møster! and Humcrush, and have collaborated with a number of artists, most notably Motorpsycho. Nikolai is also a member of Bigbang, Needlepoint and Band of Gold and have appeared on a couple of hundred records. The same goes for Torstein, an associate member of numerous bands ranging from pop and soul to free jazz. But Elephant9 has always been their special baby.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The brilliant Elephant9 return, this time bringing with them a suite of kosmische-flavoured experimental rock, rich with soaring organs, snapping percussion and airy progressive melodies.

TRACK LISTING

Solitude In Limbo #2
Mythical River
Party Among The Stars
Chamber Of Silence
Heading For Desolate Wastelands
Star Cluster Detective
Cavern Of The Red Lion
Solitude In Limbo #1

An overlooked nugget from San Fran's celebrated WICKED label.

Red Laser's Il Bosco had his mind blown when Felix Dickinson dropped this monster remix when playing the labels club night at the legendary White Hotel in Manchester.

The RL crew were surprised to learn this remix had never been released and immediately contacted ET to secure a full vinyl only release along with the epic original mix.

Since then, this has been an anthem at the Red Laser White Hotel residency and beyond. Don't sleep on this epic slab of anthemic synth jizz.

This one's mega-limited, so heads up!

TRACK LISTING

A. Trisha (Felix's Live Drum Italo Monster Mix)
B. Trisha (Original Mix)

‘Elephantasia’ is a glorious folk opus from 1972, long lost and attaining a legendary reputation for its candour and creativity, from the late Bangor-born singer/songwriter Dave Evans. Finally, the LP sees the light of day again via Earth Recordings, it is a true gem from the vaults of British folk history. For fans of Nick Drake, Bill Fay and Davy Graham – with a touch of Michael Chapman, Bert Jansch and Fahey for good measure.

Dave Evans’ story is like a Pinter play; he sailed the seas in the merchant navy, was taught guitar in a brief interlude by the “mythical” Morocco John, wound up sharing a room with Steve Tilston in 1963 when they attended Loughborough Art College and ran the local folk club, while learning to make stringed instruments, the art of wine making and ceramics. Over the next year, Dave got a domestic 2-track reel-to-reel tape recorder and experimented with its two speeds to produce the tracks ‘Elephantasia’ and ‘Lady Portia’. He pulled in members of local prog band Squidd, including latter day Hawkwind member Steve Swindells on keyboards, John Merritt on bass and Rodney Matthews on drums, who also designed the ‘Elephantasia’ album cover, and went on to become a renowned fantasy artist.

‘Elephantasia’ the album was originally released in 1972, fully exposing Dave’s finger picking style, lilting vocal and his dalliance with the tape manipulation. It sold around 2000 copies and over the years became a talked about rarity, deemed too progressive for folk, too folk for the new prog heads. In best plot-thickening style, Dave tried two more releases and then disappeared. The scant sleeve notes recounted the songs’ creation, featuring tales of experimentation in sound inspired by elephants, old memories recounted with all of the unpleasant bits edited out, storylines for escapists, the residents of St Agnes Park, broken beauty queens and a fat feline. It’s an eclectic but beautifully fluent narrative from a finger picking maestro with a warm and engaging vocal style that wowed Peel and Whispering Bob back in the day.

Dave Evans sadly died in April 2021. Earth Recordings is proud to reissue ‘Elephantasia’ for the first time in over 50 years, in collaboration with his estate and original Village Thing producer Ian A. Anderson.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1 Only Blue
A2 Elephantasia
A3 Lady Portia
A4 That's My Way
A5 On The Run
Side B
B1 St. Agnes Park
B2 Beauty Queen
B3 Ten Ton Tasha
B4 Earth, Wind, Sun & Rain
B5 Take Me Easy

Deer Tick’s debut album, ‘War Elephant’, is back (even though it never went anywhere). It is the same stellar album released in 2007 and then reissued by Partisan in 2008. This version of the album finds us returning to the original 2007 illustrated cover. This cover will become the new standard version of the album across all formats. The music and track listing remains the same.

John McCauley III wrote, arranged, played, and recorded the album at the tender age of 21. The album is full of songs wiser and more nuanced than John should have been able to produce according to natural law. The words are deliberate and heartfelt and follow the lead of singer / songwriter heroes of John’s like Townes van Zandt, Neil Young and Richie Valens.

The album concludes with a cover of the 1962 GRAMMY-winning Song Of The Year, ‘What Kind of Fool Am I’, made famous by Sammy Davis, Jr.

It can safely be said that this debut album is a genre defying classic; it’s a hook filled bar room rock album that is as connected to 90’s Seattle catchy gloom as it is to left-of-the-dial late 80’s Minneapolis and 70’s Austin honky tonk.

TRACK LISTING

1. Ashamed
2. Art Isn't Real (City Of Sin)
3. Standing At The Threshold
4. Dirty Dishes
5. Long Time
6. Nevada
7. Baltimore Blues No. 1
8. These Old Shoes
9. Not So Dense
10. Spend The Night
11. Diamond Rings 2007
12. Sink Or Swim
13. Christ Jesus
14. What Kind Of Fool Am I 

Ontario four piece Tokyo Police Club burst on to the scene as teenage sensations with 2007’s A Lesson in Crime EP, an opening salvo that delighted discriminating young music fans around the world and saw them win plaudits from NME, Pitchfork and more.

The EP was followed up in 2008 with Peter Katis on the desk for their debut album Elephant Shell which spawned the hits Your English is Good and Tesselate. Elephant Shell is the sound of these four young friends coming of age and into their own. The album catapulted the band into the popular consciousness, landing the band on the stages of the world’s biggest festivals, a spot in MTV’s video rotation, appearances on the Late Show with David Letterman, and even a cameo on Desperate Housewives. Beyond that, Elephant Shell has stood up as one of the defining albums of this particular era in indie rock. Hard to believe it’s 15 years hence. Elephant Shell is ripe for a reissue and this 2023 edition comes on tricolour-incolour-vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Centennial
2. In A Cave
3. Graves
4. Juno
5. Tessellate
6. Sixties Remake
7. The Harrowing Adventures Of…
8. Nursery, Academy
9. Your English Is Good
10. Listen To The Math
11. The Baskervilles

In his tenth year with Acid Jazz, the ever-prolific Matt Berry has crafted a psych masterpiece. Once again proving his artistic progression and ambition knows no bounds

Recorded during the summer of 2020, ‘Blue Elephant’ is testament to Matt’s exceptional musicianship, production skills and songwriting prowess with every instrument played by Matt including, guitars, bass, a variety of keyboards and synthesizers (piano, Wurlitzer, mellotron, Moog, Hammond, Vox and Farfisa organs), with the exception of drums – supplied by Craig Blundell, on arguably his best album to date. 

This music soundtracks an album that explores themes surrounding today’s close scrutiny in all its bewildering, objectifying and unnerving experiences. Very much a conceptual and, therefore, continuous long-player, the album’s infectious grooves come to the fore on standout tracks ‘Summer Sun’, heavy-psych instrumental ‘Invisible’, the three-part ‘Blues Inside Me’, which encompasses a psych journey through a late ‘60s and early glam filter mixed with the propulsive ‘Like Stone’.

TRACK LISTING

1. Aboard
2. Summer Sun
3. Safe Passage
4. Now Disappear
5. Alone
6. Invisible
7. Blues Inside Me
8. I Cannot Speak
9. The Blue Elephant
10. Life Unknown
11. Safer Passage
12. Like Stone
13. Story Told
14. Forget Me
15. Now Disappear (Again)

Recorded in ten days flat, in England's own Toe Rag studio (8-track, valve amps, nothing new in fact since 1963!) the White Stripes' fourth album is everything you ever wanted it to be. Same formula, but with a warmer, fuller tone, but... we're in it for the songs, aren't we? Well, NME nailed it when they said this album's like a White Stripes' Greatest Hits, every song's a potential single - it really is that strong. Who'd have thought they could actually go one better?! It feels stupid to write about stuff this pure, real, honest and passionate; I know you'll just buy it, play it, and allow yourselves to be taken over! Analysis ain't necessary, it's rock'n'roll distilled and it's happening right now. We're very lucky girls and boys!

RIYL: Jason Molina, Bonnie Prince Billy, Bill Callahan, Damien Jurado.

The raw inspiration for Vague Tidings came from a 2006 DIY tour of the 49th state. It was a trip that went off the beaten path sometimes a bit too far for comfort. Now, over a decade later, listeners find Joe O’Connell aka Elephant Micah stationed at a creaky spinet piano, singing about the Alaskan sky. Throughout, his lyrics take a new angle on a pet theme: human encounters with the natural world.

Vague Tidings places these encounters in the American West and, at times, in its sci-fi corollary, outer space. Its imagery draws from the allure of Alaska, the idea of Western prosperity, and the human relationship to wilderness more broadly. Often, O’Connell sings about the goal of capturing and commodifying nature. In poetic sketches of resource extraction industries and dark sky tourism, frontier lust runs amok. Pipelines catch fire and stars disappear, all to the tune of a stark, uncanny Americana. Vague Tidings is a sustained, hallucinatory rendering of this theme. In style, its eight songs follow a switchback path between foggy incantations and mountain anthems. Made with a small cohort of acoustic instrumentalists, the record is rough hewn, but easy on the ears. To put Vague Tidings down on tape, O’Connell assembled some of his favorite musicians in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area, where he’s lived since 2015: Libby Rodenbough (Mipso) bows and plucks a detuned fiddle, Matt Douglas (Mountain Goats) breathes life into various woodwinds, and Matt O’Connell (Lean Year) sets the pace on a two-piece drum set. Their loose, imaginative playing pushes Vague Tidings beyond the singer-songwriter genre into something richer in texture. Ultimately, this is foreboding but spacious music, with plenty of room for reconsidering life on earth.

Ståle Storløkken – Rhodes piano, Hammond organ, grand piano, Eminent 310, Mellotron, Continuum Nikolai Hængsle – Electric bass, electric and acoustic guitars Torstein Lofthus – Drums, percussion. After a solid run of five studio albums and 2019´s two double live albums, Psychedelic Backfire I and II, Elephant9 had taken their groovy mix of high energy rock and power jazz as far as they could. In this respect Arrival Of The New Elders comes as a welcome and most timely addition to their recorded output. More varied, mature and reflective, don´t let the self-ironic (?) title mislead you, they are as groovy as ever, but more structured and less jam oriented, with the longest track clocking in around the seven minute mark. Rather short, by their standards.

Having built a solid live reputation even before their brilliant 2008 debut Dodovoodoo, the trio boasts what is probably the strongest rhythm section in Norway, complemented with keyboard magician extraordinaire, the one and only Ståle Storløkken. And boy, does he excel himself on this album, notably with more focus on the Rhodes than before. That said, this is nothing if not another strong group effort from what has been a very tight unit straight from the outset. Seven brand new compositions from Storløkken and one from Hængsle make way for what we consider to be their finest and most cohesive album to date. Arrival Of The New Elders was recorded by trusted stalwart Christian Engfelt, with early Dungen producer Mattias Glavå handling the mixing duties.Ståle started his musical journey in Veslefrekk with Jarle Vespestad and Arve Henriksen in the 90s, soon morphing into Supersilent with Helge Sten on board. He´s also a member of Møster! and Humcrush, and have collaborated with a number of artists, most notably Motorpsycho. Nikolai is also a member of Bigbang, Needlepoint and Band Of Gold and have appeared on a couple of hundred records. The same goes for Torstein, an associate member of numerous bands ranging from pop and soul to free jazz. But Elephant9 has always been their special baby.

On their fifth album, UK based, Kentucky band Cage The Elephant have taken their garage rock roots and thrown in a heavy dose of Bowie-esque glam as they deal with the double header of classic rock’n’roll subject matter: the price of fame and heartbreak.

“Propulsive gorgeousness not dissimilar from what the Concretes were doing in their prime.” - Pitchfork 

Amelia Rivas and Christian Pinchbeck don’t just sing about feverish, frayed and fractured romances - in the three years since forming Elephant, they’ve been living one. It’s fitting that ‘Sky Swimming’, their debut full length release is a seductive, night time delight of an album. After all, it was in the twilight hours of a May morning three years ago that Pontefract native Amelia Rivas and Bristolian Christian Pinchbeck met at a house party and in alcohol-soaked all-nighter sessions that ‘Sky Swimming’ was written. 

A fibrous collection of songs about relationships - their own included, which broke down during the making of the album - hazy memories, twisted dreams, the metaphysical bleeding in to the physical - ‘Sky Swimming’ - all trilling keyboards, swooping melodies, broken hip hop beats, looped strings and Amelia’s uniquely curvy vocals - that makes you want to clamp your headphones tighter on your ears, letting you swim in its every detail and emotion. Influenced by everything from Toro Y Moi to composer Angelo Badalamenti, Everything But The Girl to rap originators Arrested Development and Joe Meek’s productions, it’s an intensely varied listen. 

“The first time we worked together, I went round to his house and didn’t leave for 3 days. I barely knew him,” Amelia remembers. “She turned up with some £10 Casio she bought from a charity shop in France and the whole demo EP was made on that,” recalls Christian. Elephant have grown beyond their lo-fi roots since then, with Andy Dragazis being drafted in on co-production duties, while retaining the emotional rawness of those early songs. Tracks vary from psyche-delving ballads about growing up - ‘Torn Tongues’ and ‘Skyscraper’ (“I want to understand what’s wrong with my brain,” Rivas laughs), to the thrilling pop of ‘Elusive Youth’, a eulogy to a friend who “wears a city crown”, to the everyday trials of being young and poor in London (see ‘Ants’ about Amelia’s crumbling Tooting bedsit and ‘TV Dinner’, a paean to rubbish telly and cheap booze) and the heartbreaking title track ‘Sky Swimming’ written in the eye storm of their relationship meltdown with the refrain “do your eyes turn blue before you cry, I see the blue in you”. 

With winning appearances at Primavera and Eurosonic festivals behind them, not to mention support slots with cult hero Matthew E White, under their belts, Elephant have in ‘Sky Swimming’ one of the year’s most seductive sounds. “I flew to the moon to mirror you” sings Amelia on album closer ‘Shapeshifter’, with the sort raw melancholy that could only be cribbed from a ‘Blue Valentine’ romance. “I saw the future.” It should be a very bright future ahead for Elephant indeed.

Amelia Rivas and Christian Pinchbeck don't just sing about feverish, frayed and fractured romances - in the three years since forming Elephant, they've been living one.

Their first recordings, recorded in the strung out early mornings after the night before, were delirious and lightheaded. Rivas’ stream of conscious lyricism combined with Pinchbeck’s innate melodic nous to create vignettes of delight and wonder. A debut single followed, 2011’s woozy ‘Ants’, followed by the ‘Assembly’ EP. But before they had a chance to capitalise on the growing acclaim around them the duo’s relationship broke down, almost to the point of no return.

An unexpected rapprochement in late 2012, along with a renewed musical hunger, saw Rivas and Pinchbeck reconcile. The first fruit was this year’s gauzy single ‘Skyscraper’, which announced their return in spectacular fashion, with Rivas’ swooping vocals allied to a spectral chorus creating an eerie, lens-flared 3 minute wonder of song.

Now, new release ‘Shapeshifter’ provides confirmation that Elephant are truly back as a force to be reckoned with. “I flew to the moon to mirror you and I saw the future” sings Rivas, with a raw melancholy and nostalgic longing. A sumptuous missive of love lost and lessons learned, that sparkles with charm, optimism, and the sort of lush swoonsome string arrangements that reach into your chest and wring your heart dry.

Backed by the sparse and stretched out ‘Snowday’, as icily cool as it sounds, full of chiaroscuro contrasts and flickering atmospherics, this is a release that suggests their debut album is set to be one of the standout albums of 2014.

Amelia Rivas and Christian Pinchbeck aka Elephant.

The two met in the early hours of a house party back in May 2010, a fateful encounter that led to many a long night writing and recording songs in Christian’s South London bedsit. They soon came to the attention of Memphis Industries in the Autumn of 2010, with whom they subsequently released a pair of acclaimed 7” singles, ‘Ants’ and ‘Allured’, with The Guardian declaring “they're a Meg'n'Jack reared on breathy Brill Building pop and haunting atmospherics”.

The pair set to work on their debut EP and the result, titled ‘Assembly’ and released in 2011, was a four track wonder that expanded and developed the quiet beauty evidenced on their previous releases.

But all was not well with Elephant - Amelia and Christian had parted ways in a Fleetwood Mac style bout of acrimony. Then Christian broke his wrist (which may or may not be related to the aforementioned acrimony) rendering him unable to play. It looked unlikely that they would ever write together again.

Sometimes, though, you have to realize when you’ve got something good. After a tempestuous year, where they just about managed to play a show at Primavera’s opening party without injury (or worse), a gradual rapprochement took place. September finally saw them starting to write together again and playing shows (including an appearance at Eurosonic and supports with Matthew E White), and lo and behold, an album shaped batch of songs finally started to take shape.

Sumptuous new track ‘Skyscraper’ sees Amelia’s vocals swooning and swooping over a backdrop that twists familiar fifties Doo-wop stylings into something new and alluring, whilst B side ‘Spies’ is a sweet and sparse repost.

It’s a strong, confident marker that Elephant’s debut album will be worth braving broken hearts and broken bones for.

White vinyl 7”.

TRACK LISTING

Skyscraper
Spies

Debut EP from hotly tipped London based band.

Elephant are Amelia Rivas (vocals, keys) and Christian Pinchbeck (guitars, computers).

French-by-way-of-Pontefract chanteuse Amelia Rivas met Christian Pinchbeck back in May 2010, since when they’ve been quietly creating some hauntingly fragile songs with a sense of mystery and history that belies their teenage years, picking up strong radio and press support along the way.

Elephant are heading out on tour for the first time, supporting Chapel Club and Casiokids, as well as appearing at SWN Festival

Currently writing toward their debut album which is due some time in 2012.

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: A beautiful debut EP, from this duo with lots of promise. Recalls the likes of AR Kane and Microdisney at their pomp. Can't wait for the album!!

If you've already checked out the Salem, Zola Jesus, Balam Acab and OoOOo releases, plus the "F*>K Dance, Let's Art" compilation you'll already be aware of the whole 'witch house', 'ghost step' and 'drag' sound that's been eminating from (mostly) America this year. These new genres combines elements of electronica, industrial, hip-hop, goth and shoegaze, with fractured beats, eerie, melancholic vocals and layers of doomy synth noise all combining to bring us a new sound for 2010. In association with Disaro Records, "Isvolt" features nine acts from across America, Europe and Australia, all of whom have previously only released on ultra-low run, self distributed CD-Rs or DVD-R / VHS or sold out 45s. Dark and murky, like the damp walls in and unfinished cellar, these acts will, as my nanna might have said, give you the willies.

TRACK LISTING

1. †‡† (Ritualzz) - Misery Walk
2. Party Trash - Sky Clad
3. Fostercare - Cold Light
4. //TENSE// - Versus Man
5. Modern Witch - Your Life A Movie
6. Mater Suspiria Vision - Ritualz Of The Crack Witches
7. Horse MacGyver- Nod
8. White Ring - IxC999
9. Raw Moans - Nectarine

'I used to have a girlfriend…..but she’s six feet underground'.

Describing their sound as 'A kick in the teeth…..with a load of reverb', Speak & The Spells formed somewhere deep inside their collective vinyl collection. And now they’re adding to yours with their debut single.

The ominous surf-rock opening riff of "She’s Dead" sets the tone for a b-movie style tale of grief and grave digging. Scratchy guitars and screams provide the perfect soundtrack for singer Joe Eakin’s lament. Front man Joe is joined by Benjamin Craven (Bass) and Alex Felstead (Drums) to complete a stripped back, bare essentials line-up that’s a million miles from the gadget heavy electro of 2009 but just as thrilling.

The equally enthralling b-side "Brianna" show’s a spiced up more punk side to the band, while "Caleb Pink" finds the band in a more experimental mood with a 4.5 minute instrumental.

Initially bonding at school through a shared love of Garage, Psych and Freak-Beat, the 3-piece outfit was conceived in a West London storeroom playing covers of 60s teenage garage heroes like The Downliners Sect and Tintern Abbey before developing their own unique and exciting style.

Straight out of school, the band created "Ricky Ticks" in a Soho basement, a bi-monthly clubnight where they could play their records and hone their live act. They quickly caught the attention of fellow London promoters, which led to them supporting one of their personal idols; Billy Childish and being invited by The Horrors to play their own night ‘The Cave Club’. They’ve also played alongside the likes of The Guillotines, Bo Ningen and The Vinyl Stitches.

"She’s Dead" is one of those records destined to accompany the sound of needle hitting wax but perfectly at home on your ipod as well as in your pile of prized 45’s.

Aaron Thomas has been writing and performing songs now for ten years. Born in Tasmania, he moved to Sydney at age nine with his mother, his twin brother and his older sister to live with his step father, Lonnie Lee. Lonnie was a musician and had numerous number one hits in Australia during the late 50s to the mid 60s. He taught Aaron to play the guitar and introduced him to a world of singing and performance. After high school he took the strange step of moving suddenly to the Ukraine to spend a year eating too much and trying to learn how to box whilst attending visual arts college (he was an inspiring illustrator). He fell in love with the culture, the people and especially the dark old melodies that could be heard in the small villages outside of Kiev. He returned there again some time later as he continued to travel, ending up in Los Angeles where he lived for a while and performed solo shows in some of the singer songwriter venues around Santa Monica. Now living in Madrid, Aaron has finally channelled these experiences and released his debut album entitled "Follow The Elephants", a collection of raw and honest material that speaks of the harshness that comes with being a stranger far from home, of the ups and downs of life in general and the frustration of big cities.

"Elephant Shell" lands roughly a year and half after the "A Lesson In Crime" EP and barely three years on from the band's 2005 formation. David Monks, lead singer/bassist, described "A Lesson in Crime" at the time of release as 'wide-eyed post-punk with a tendency to get over excited' - "Elephant Shell" is built on the same rapid-fire foundations of their previous work but is now built high with corridors of soaring sonic invention. The opening one-two rapid-fire salvo of "Centennial" and "In A Cave" barely evaporates before "Graves" and "Juno" pack innumerable hooks and "what-does-that-remind-me-of" glimmers into taut 2-minute-and-change frameworks, while "Tessellate" and "Sixties Remake" encapsulate everything great about the manic Tokyo Police Club live experience: soaring guitar signatures and keyboard figures, driving backbeats and irresistible sing-along's abound. Elsewhere, "The Harrowing Adventures Of..." and the dubbed out standout "Listen To The Math" find our young protagonists stretching out, hinting at a new-found maturity, ably adapting their energy into more subdued structures before the rousing coda of "The Baskervilles" brings the record to a shuddering halt.

Naming their CD after a business card found in a wallet left behind in a drug deal gone bad (the card says 'reece nasty, splittin' wigs'), the EP is a spellbinding collection of guitar pop that brings to mind the likes of The La's, The Verve, The Shins, and Ride or even 60s British bands like The Small Faces and The Kinks.

15 track compilation album from the Land Of Nod highlighting the band's choice cuts since their inception in 1997. "Reality Channel" includes tracks from the group's four albums on the UK label Ochre Records, "Translucent", "Timeless point", "Archive:02" and the current UK album "Inducing The Sleep Sphere". This also includes the full three track session recorded for Slobodan Vujanovic's show on B-92 radio show in Serbia.

Debut from "the purveyors of the elephantine riff" and the first release on the newly formed Loudspeaker label. The band appeared on a Metal Hammer sponsored tour last year and toured with loads of the UK's up and coming hardcore bands. The sound that the band have captured can be described as post hardcore but without the nu-metal tag.