Noah Kahan on Cape Elizabeth –
“And that EP in particular is such a special story, because it was right at the beginning of the pandemic, and I just made it with my neighbour, a friend of mine, who’s an amazing producer.

We worked on it for a week, and we didn’t really promote it too much — and it kind of became “Stick Season” before “Stick Season” in a lot of ways.

It was a study on a place and a relationship in a place, and it was the first time I’d experimented with telling a story that felt like it had an overarching narrative.

And it was also the first time that I let myself just not care about how it sounded at the end. Whatever the process was, I just wanted it to make me happy. And to see it connect with people really inspired me to write “Stick Season.”

It kind of gave me the confidence to be like, “All right, this niche-specific storytelling stuff can actually connect with people in a more universal way.” I really owe it all to that EP, and it’s still probably my favorite piece of work I’ve made. I just love it.”

Within six days and “without overthinking anything,” Noah Kahan completed the five-track Cape Elizabeth EP which has amassed 200M streams. See the newly repackaged Cape Elizabeth Aqua vinyl as Noah’s “thank you to the fans who stuck around, came to shows, watched my livestreams, and listened.” The vinyl features fan favorite songs “A Troubled Mind”, “Glue Myself Shut” and “Maine”.

TRACK LISTING

1. A Troubled Mind
2. Close Behind
3. Glue Myself Shut
4. Anyway
5. Maine

In meteorology, the word Norther refers to a cold wind that blows down from the north. For Liverpool’s Ex-Easter Island Head, it’s also an apt title for the strange and multi-faceted sound of their new album that now descends upon the world at large: ever shifting, a multiplicity of sounds both acoustic and manipulated, and yet one that still moves as part of a single mighty breeze. At times it might recall the experiments of Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca, the widescreen beauty of The Necks, the relentless experimentation of Arnold Dreyblatt or the boundary-pushing roster of Kompakt Records, yet ultimately this is music that has no direct compare.

Each of its six pieces demonstrates a different creative process. On blossoming opener ‘Weather’, whirring motors dance fairy-like atop strings and drums; on the dizzying ‘Magnetic Language’ voices are played back through phones and amplified through pickups made of magnets wrapped in copper wire; the title of ‘Golden Bridges’ refers to the brass rods the band shift beneath the strings of their guitar. All, however, tap to one degree or another into that abiding theme of the weather. Norther is Ex-Easter Island Head’s first studio album since 2016, a time spent on collaborations and one-off performances with everyone from classical musicians and fellow experimentalists to schoolchildren.

“All of the projects we were involved in between 2016 and 2024 have expanded the boundaries of what we do by exposing us to a huge variety of instruments, personalities and ways of working. It's really allowed us to see the purity of making music with a four-piece group,” says the band’s Benjamin D. Duvall.That status as a quartet is a new one, with the addition of longstanding friend and collaborator Andrew PM Hunt. Having a member of the band handling recording and mixing helped them push further and further into sonic territory that until Norther remained entirely unexplored – not just by Ex-Easter Island Head, but by any other band on earth. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Weather
2. Norther
3. Easter
4. Magnetic Language
5. Golden Bridges
6. Lodestone

25th Anniversary Edition of the pioneering Bristol trio’s album, Roseland NYC Live; recorded and filmed at New York’s Roseland Ballroom with a 28-piece orchestra in 1997, and released in 1998.

The live album and concert film combined have sold over 1 million copies to date, and features performances of the most acclaimed tracks, ‘Glory Box’, ‘Sour Times’, and ‘Roads’, from their debut and sophomore albums, Dummy and Portishead.

Newly remastered, the tracklist has been expanded to include ‘Undenied’ and ‘Numb’ from the concert film, as well as the full length performance of ‘Western Eyes’, which played in part over the credits of the film.

‘Sour Times’ and ‘Roads’ are also now the original Roseland versions (previously substituted on the album release with recordings from other performances). All 5 of these tracks will be on CD and vinyl for the first time.

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklisting:
Side A
Humming
Cowboys
All Mine
Side B
Mysterons
Only You
Half Day Closing
Over
Side C
Glory Box
Sour Times
Roads
Side D
Strangers
Undenied
Numb
Western Eyes

CD Tracklisting:
Humming
Cowboys
All Mine
Mysterons
Only You
Half Day Closing
Over
Glory Box
Sour Times
Roads
Strangers
Undenied
Numb
Western Eyes

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH 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 22ND.

Gorillaz release a special Record Store Day 2024 Deluxe Edition of their chart-topping 2023 album Cracker Island. The one-off release features 6 additional tracks that havenít been available on physical formats before and exclusive new album artwork by Jamie Hewlett. Cracker Island (Deluxe Vinyl Edition) is a limited run, pressed on double coloured vinyl (1 x pink disc, 1 x magenta disc) as well as 4 bonus tracks (Side C) and 2 remixes (Side D), plus a double-sided art print by Jamie Hewlett.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH 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 22ND.

Angels With Dirty Faces is a haunting album from a tortured soul. Unrelenting oddly enough itís a beautiful albumî PITCHFORK (8.2/10) ìTricky has been redefining his rhythms, adding skittering jungle loops and hardcore hip-hop beats to his trademark dub-warped trip-hop. On top of that, heís expanding his sonic palette, adding cheap synthesizers and avant-garde guitarists to create a nightmarish junk-pile of hip-hop, dub, electronica, rock, and gospelî ALLMUSICìA renegade Brit B-boyís caustic, lyrical declaration of selfÖ. trip-hopís mongrel daddy found his hip-hop soulî ROLLING STONE Trickyís 2nd most sought-after vinyl LP, repressed for the first time, exclusively on orange coloured vinyl. The 2LP includes 2 tracks not included on the original CD release: Peyote Sings + Taxi. Martina Topley-Bird is once again on vocal duties but also featured are English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey (on ìBroken Homesî), Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian (on ìCarriage for Twoî) plus Marc Ribot adds his twisted guitar lines to a number of tracks. Continuing Trickyís penchant for covering hip-hop tracks ëAngelsÖí features a cover of Slick Rickís ìThe Moment I Fearedî. A success across Europe, in AUS and NZ, it also sold over 100,000 units in the USA.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH 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 22ND.

Exclusive for Record Store Day comes the acclaimed 4th album from The Cranberries. The Complete Sessions makes its debut on 2LP Remastered Vinyl, providing 5 exclusive bonus tracks. With a Special Edition Matte Gloss cover, this is a welcome gem to the bandís eclectic catalog. Hits from this album includes ìPromisesî, ìAnimal Instinctî and ìJust My Imaginationî.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH 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 22ND.

Vinyl of live audio taken form the band's homecoming headline show (in Leeds 2023)Side A 1. Intro (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 2. The Worldís Biggest Paving Slab (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 3. Albatross (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 4. A55 (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 5. Mastermind Specialism (Live BrudenellSocial Club)6. You Blister My Paint (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 7. Broken Biscuits (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 8. Nearly Daffodils (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 9. R&B (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 10. Albert Road (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 11. This Could Be Texas (Live at Brudenell Social Club) 12. Good Grief (Live at Brudenell Social Club)

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH 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 22ND.

A 2-track, Record Store Day exclusive commemorating U2ís globally-acclaimed 40-date run of their pioneering show 'U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphereí in Las Vegas. Featuring a brand new live performance recording of ëAtomic Cityí captured at the worldís most cutting-edge venue, alongside a remix by Mike WiLL Made-It, available for the first time physically. Pressed on transparent limited edition red vinyl and includes a poster. Side A ñ ëAtomic Cityí Live -Side B ñ ëAtomic Cityí - Mike WiLL Made-It Remix

Leeds indie frontrunners English Teacher announce debut LP ‘This Could Be Texas’. Preceded by initial LP reveals ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’, ‘Nearly Daffodils’ and ‘Mastermind Specialism’, which were all A-listed on the BBC 6 Music playlist, English Teacher’s remarkable ascent continues to reach new levels, having completed sold-out debut UK and US headline runs last autumn, following their thrilling debut appearance on Later With...Jools Holland. Announced as Independent Venue Week Artist Ambassador for 2024. Lead singer Lily Fontaine explains, “I want this album to feel like you’ve gone to space, and it turns out its almost identical to Doncaster. It’s about in-betweens, it’s about home, and it’s about Desire Paths." In several songs, Fontaine reflects on growing up as a mixed-race individual in a place, she says, “where many didn’t have any tolerance towards people who are different” in a post-Brexit landscape.

The debut album by Leeds frontrunners ‘This Could Be Texas’ will be released on 12th April 2023.

Lead singer Lily Fontaine explains, “I want this album to feel like you’ve gone to space, and it turns out its almost identical to Doncaster. It’s about in-betweens, it’s about home, and it’s about Desire Paths."

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There's some brilliant music coming out of the London art/noise/garage rock scene at the moment and while i'm a big fan of pretty much all of it, there's nothing there that hits my feels quite as much as Leeds' English Teacher. Jagged, energetic instrumentation and moments of placid, drifting ambience abound, this is a startlingly cohesive and wonderfully deep debut.

Nia Archives is not interested in being one fixed thing. Since emerging in 2020, the 24-year-old producer, DJ, singer and songwriter has been at the forefront of the latest era of jungle. The Bradford-born, Leeds-raised artist has garnered accolades including placing third in the prestigious BBC Sound Poll for 2023, alongside a nomination for the Brit Awards’ Rising Star prize, plus wins at the DJ Mag, NME, the MOBOs and Artist and Manager Awards. She has also toured the world – be it North America, Europe or Asia – and even opened a show in London as part of a little something called Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour. She’s renowned as a party-starter in her own right, too, with takeovers at Glastonbury, Warehouse Project and her own Bad Gyalz day event. She’s done official remixes for the likes of Jorja Smith, had a huge summer hit with her Yeah Yeah Yeahs rework ‘Off Wiv Ya Headz’, and worked with brands like Corteiz, Nike, Flannels, Burberry, FIFA and Apple. In just three years, it’s fair to say that Nia Archives has become a need-to-know name in dance music.

On Silence Is Loud, her much-anticipated debut album, Nia Archives sounds thrillingly free as she looks to make music for beyond the rave. Working with Ethan P. Flynn (known for his work with FKA twigs and David Byrne) Nia is intent that Silence Is Loud is taken in as a full body of work of something “more song-focussed, putting interesting sounds on jungle.” It means that this is a record which finds gloomy Britpop, warm Motown, soaring indie, a love for Kings of Leon’s Aha Shake Heartbreak, skittering IDM, Madchester, classic rock, old skool hardcore and more, woven and fused into her ragga and junglist tapestry, all layered with feeling, imbued with her songwriterly lyricism about loneliness, relationships, family, navigating her 20s, and the intense potential power of silence.

Sitting in the push and pull between melancholy and euphoria, Nia’s work is always a snapshot of where she’s at when she’s making it. This might not be the debut album you were expecting, but that’s what makes Silence Is Loud so special. Nia Archives has learned the rules of her sound, and is unafraid to break them, pushing jungle and herself into new, unchartered territories that, in turn, go some way to map the history of the greats of British dance music. More than that, it plants her firmly in that lineage.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: 'Silence Is Loud' sees the brilliant Nia Archives flawlessly pulling together soul, jungle and synth-pop influences into a distinctly after-party flavoured groove thats both hugely enjoyable and undeniably skilled. A ground-breaking and hugely enjoyable debut from one of the biggest upcoming names in UK dance music.

TRACK LISTING

Silence Is Loud
Cards On The Table
Unfinished Business
Crowded Roomz
Forbidden Feelingz
Blind Devotion
Tell Me What It’s Like?
Nightmares
F.A.M.I.L.Y
Out Of Options
Silence Is Loud (Reprise)
Killjoy !
So Tell Me…

The new single from Catfish And The Bottlemen, 'Showtime', pressed on limited edition white vinyl and produced by Grammy award winner, Dave Sardy (The Ride).

Where’s My Utopia CD Fanzine edition. The second editions of the Yard Act Fanzine, designed by us for you for no other reason than to tear down more trees.

Where’s My Utopia? is the follow up to the Leeds band’s critically-acclaimed debut record The Overload which arrived in January 2022. The new album is a co-production between Yard Act and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr. The brand new album out 1st March 2024 features lead single ‘Dream Job’, which is out now.

The zine if printed on 140gsm uncoated paper and house in a beautiful 350gm uncoated cover. Includes the CD album.

TRACK LISTING

1. An Illusion
2. We Make Hits
3. Down By The Stream
4. The Undertow
5. Dream Job
6. Fizzy Fish
7. Petroleum
8. When The Laughter Stops
9. Grifter’s Grief
10. Blackpool Illuminations
11. A Vineyard For The North

Ghastly and hallucinatory -"Last Liasse" is a sign of the times, an alternative synth-pop record by Helen Island. Within this debut album, the artist captures the saccharine gaze of digital escapism through characteristic filtered high notes, cut-up genres, and processed vocals. Providing a comprehensive overview of Helen Island’s self-distributed initiatives, with the ethos of the Parisian Simple Music Experience collective, the twelve tracks set a solid musical score that resonates with the age to come. 

TRACK LISTING

U In The Red
Its So Easy
Goosebumps
Blazing
Its So Cool
Dressed To Shine
No Witness
My Bestie
Thank You
Marian 323
The Mirror Dance
Alice Dj

Where’s My Utopia? is the follow up to the Leeds band’s critically-acclaimed debut record The Overload which arrived in January 2022. The Overload was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize after a slew of positive reviews, national radio playlistings and a placing at #2 in the Official Charts. The new album is a co-production between Yard Act and Gorillaz member Remi Kabaka Jr. 

Since first steering their golden Rover into swift public acclaim back in 2020, Leeds quartet Yard Act have become one of the great indie success stories of the decade so far. Along the way, they’ve ticked off milestones ranging from a Number Two chart placing and Mercury Prize nomination for debut album The Overload, to a co-sign from Elton John who joined the band to guest on a string-laden reworking of album closer ‘100% Endurance’.

Yet, whilst the band’s trajectory continuously shot upwards, vocalist James Smith and his wife had also welcomed in a son. And it’s this duelling sense of responsibility and ambition, guilt, love, drive and everything in between that forms the narrative backbone of brilliantly exploratory second album Where’s My Utopia?

Written in snapshots of time between a relentless touring schedule, and produced jointly by the band and Gorillaz’ Remi Kabaka Jr, the quartet’s second act is a giant leap forward into broad and playful new sonic waters. “The main reason that ‘post-punk’ was the vehicle for Album One was because it was really affordable to do, but we always liked so much other music and this time we've had the confidence to embrace it,” James explains. Across the record, influences ranging from Fela Kuti to Ennio Moricone via Spiller’s ‘00s pop smash ‘Groovejet’ make themselves known.

It’s a celebratory palette upon which Smith allowed himself to reach lyrically deeper into himself than ever. Gone, largely, are the outward-facing character studies of yore, replaced with a set of songs that stare fully into the headlights of life, wrangling with the frontman’s own fears and foibles to create a sort of Promethean narrative - but with jokes. “You can commit to the idea that we’re just animals who eat and fuck and then we die, and that’s fine,” he suggests. “But for me, creativity always seems to be the best way of articulating the absolute minefield of what human existence is.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I get where the 'Difficult Second Album' idea came from, but on Where's My Utopia, Yard Act fly through the possible creative hurdles with an expansion of their already multi-faceted sound. Pieces like 'Dream Job' absolutely swim with the influence of pop music and bright, synthy disco alongside their more classic post-punk groove and machinated percussion.

TRACK LISTING

1. An Illusion
2. We Make Hits
3. Down By The Stream
4. The Undertow
5. Dream Job
6. Fizzy Fish
7. Petroleum
8. When The Laughter Stops
9. Grifter’s Grief
10. Blackpool Illuminations
11. A Vineyard For The North

The Last Dinner Party present a new 7” vinyl to celebrate their debut single release ‘Nothing Matters’. This limited-edition Crystal Clear transparent 7” release features the hauntingly beautiful 'Nothing Matters' on the A-side and a stunning stripped back acoustic version of 'Nothing Matters' on the B-side.

At the turn of the year, The Last Dinner Party was little more than a new name being shared amongst those that had caught them live. Great songs, strong aesthetic. Having spent much of 2022 writing those songs, road-testing them, and then taking them into the studio, it wasn’t until April when the band released the instantly more-ish, dark guitar-pop of Nothing Matters that seemingly everyone had now formed an opinion on them. It was an introduction that took the online world by storm, and yet behind all the excitement and narrative was a fantastically confident indie-rock song by a band doing it the old-fashioned way, out on the road.

Following a heady first-on performance to a packed crowd at the new Woodsies tent at Glastonbury, The Last Dinner Party released Sinner, another gloriously infectious, leftfield pop song that fuelled the fully-formed zeitgeist and set the band up for a Summer that replicated that success of Glastonbury with uncomfortably packed tents ensuing at the likes of Green Man, Reading & Leeds, Latitude and End of the Road (interspersed with support slots to the likes of Florence & The Machine, Lana Del Rey and First Aid Kit). It was a breakthrough Summer for one of the most talked about new British acts in years, delivering on all that early promise emphatically.

Concentrating on their own headline shows, the band skipped confidentally from venue to venue, playing to bigger rooms and on wider stages. Shows sold out and shows were upgraded. In London alone, the band have moved from sell-out dates at Moth Club to Camden Assembly, Oslo to two nights at EartH, and now move on to the 3000 capacity Roundhouse on the eve of album release (remaining tickets on sale now). Crucially, it’s not just London where the band finds its early fans, but right across the UK and into America too, with all five debut shows selling out several weeks in advance.

The band often set a themed dress code for the shows, with many fans relishing the task of rising to the request and donning their finery for a night with their new heroes.

But this is no case of style over substance. With the release of their third single, My Lady Of Mercy, an almost gothic, haunting rock song, and the atmospheric and anthemic ballad, On Your Side, the band’s songwriting is testament to all the buzz and excitement already accumulated. As it should be. Rather than wilt under the spotlight, they’ve arguably become a tighter, stronger unit because of it.

Prelude To Ecstasy is both the closing of that introductory chapter and the opening of the next. The Last Dinner Party? Believe the hype. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A thrilling debut from The Last Dinner Party, channelling the spirit of PJ Harvey, the operatic intensity of Nick Cave and the soaring cinematic orchestral arrangements of Hans Zimmer or John Williams. A powerful, bold melting pot of perfectly manicured influences.

TRACK LISTING

1. Prelude To Ecstasy
2. Burn Alive
3. Caesar On A TV Screen
4. The Feminine Urge
5. On Your Side
6. Beautiful Boy
7. Gjuha
8. Sinner
9. My Lady Of Mercy
10. Portrait Of A Dead Girl
11. Nothing Matters
12. Mirror 

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s debut album, Frank, UMR/Island are releasing the album as a picture disc for the first time.

This 2LP set features singles: Take The Box, Stronger Than Me, F**k Me Pumps and In My Bed, and is housed in a gatefold sleeve. The disc artwork uses the original sleeve imagery, plus images by Valerie Phillips from the original artwork shoot on LP2.

TRACK LISTING

LP1, Side A
Intro / Stronger Than Me
You Sent Me Flying / Cherry
Know You Now

LP1, Side B
Fuck Me Pumps
I Heard Love Is Blind
Moody's Mood For Love / Teo Licks
(There Is) No Greater Love
In My Bed

LP2, Side A
Take The Box
October Song
What Is It About Men
Help Yourself

LP2, Side B
Amy Amy Amy / Outro

Atomic City’, the brand new track from U2, is produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite and comes ahead of the band’s upcoming run of dates at Sphere in Las Vegas. This Limited Edition Photoluminescent Transparent 7’’ Vinyl, includes the original song, alongside an etching on the B-Side.

TRACK LISTING

Side A: Atomic City
Side B: Etched

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams’ classic 1998 album 'Car Wheels On A Gravel Road' is now on vinyl for the first time. The album won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album and features the songs 'Can’t Let Go' and 'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Right In Time
2. Car Wheels On A Gravel Road
3. 2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten
4. Drunken Angel
5. Concrete And Barbed Wire
6. Lake Charles
7. Can't Let Go
8. I Lost It
9. Metal Firecracker
10. Greenville
11. Still I Long For Your Kiss
12. Joy
13. Jackson

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 24TH 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 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 25TH).

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of U2’s Under A Blood Red Sky (1983), the 2023 Black Friday vinyl campaign sees a newly remastered release of the iconic live album on limited edition red vinyl. Consisting of live recordings from three shows on the band’s ‘War’ tour, the album helped to cement U2’s reputation globally as one of the greatest live acts of all time. Featuring legendary live versions of ‘Gloria’, ‘I Will Follow’ and ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday’, the album remains faithful to the original track list, but is newly remastered at the renowned studio Bernie Grundman Mastering. Includes double sided insert with credits and lyrics, plus a large 2-sided poster.

Catch A Fire is the fifth studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers and the first to be released by Island Records UK. Originally having a limited release under the name, The Wailers in a sleeve depicting a Zippo lighter, designed by graphic artists Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner. Future releases would have the classic portrait of Marley smoking a “spliff” and crediting the band as Bob Marley and the Wailers with the image taken by Esther Anderson. A tour taking place in the UK and US generating international interest in the band.

Critical acclaim has included the album being listed at number 126 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, It is regarded as one of the top reggae albums of all time.

In 1971 after a solo tour Marley returned to Jamaica with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer to record Catch A Fire but the sessions were abandoned because of clashes with Johnny Nash and Danny Sims. The band did not have funds to return to Jamaica, nor could they earn money due to work-permit restrictions, The group’s London Road manager, Brent Clarke, recommended they get in contact with Chris Blackwell from Island Records, who had released licensed singles by The Wailers from Studio One in Great Britain. Blackwell gave the group an advance of £4000 to help them get home to Jamaica, and to complete the recording of their next album. In 1972 the album was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica at 3 different studios. As the story goes, in 1972 Marley flew back to London to play the tapes to Chris Blackwell. CBS and Sims, with whom the band were already contracted, took Blackwell and the Island Records label to court over the recording, Island won the case, Blackwell remixed the tracks at the Island Studios on Basing Street and included overdubs.

April 2023 saw the 50th Anniversary of Catch A Fire, to mark this a limited edition 7” featuring 2 alternate versions of Stir It Up (vocal and instrumental) both feature on these releases. The 3LP+12” vinyl package will consist of the studio album, Live at The Paris Theatre London, previously only ever bootlegged, will get its first official release, the package also feature’s Alt, extended and instrumental Jamaican versions of album tracks Slave Driver, 400 Years No More Trouble and Stop That Train, finally on the 12” is 3 tracks from the Wailer’s performance at the Sundown Theatre in the village of Edmonton, North London, playing tracks Slave Driver, Stop That Train & Get Up Stand, Stand up, the reverse side has an etched image of the Zippo lighter.

Vega Rally is an incendiary self-taught, bedroom producer hailing from Manchester into big beats, baggy guitar riffs & Fred Perry. Since signing to independent Manchester record label; Spirit Of Spike Island in 2022, Vega Rally has released 3 earworm singles, hitting over 100k streams online, receiving airplay across BBC 6 music & Radio X in the process. He has also remixed tunes for underground indie starlets; Pastel & exciting upcoming folk artist; Ava Carlyle. Interest on the underground scene culminated in tour supports With Afflecks Palace, Pastel, Andrew Cushin and invites to perform at Isle Of Wight Festival, Humber Street Fest, Truck Festival & Why Not? Festival.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Infinity '93
A2. Come Out N Play
B1. This Moment
B2. Back At It Again

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of U2’s Zooropa, September 2023 sees the release of a limited edition coloured vinyl pressing of the Grammy-award winning album to coincide with the band’s performances at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Initially intended to be just an EP, Zooropa became a fully-fledged album with 10 tracks recorded in six weeks in 1993, making it the fastest U2 album ever produced. Produced by Flood, Brian Eno and The Edge, the album went to Number 1 in the UK, USA, Ireland, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Sweden, Austria, France, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland and featured the singles ‘Numb’, ‘Lemon’ and ‘Stay (Faraway, So Close!)’.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
Zooropa
Baby Face
Numb
Side 2
Lemon
Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car
Side 3
Some Days Are Better Than Others
The First Time
Dirty Day
The Wanderer
Side 4
Lemon (The Perfecto Mix)
Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix)

Tricky’s groundbreaking and peerless 1995 debut-album ‘Maxinquaye’ is being reissued in triple-LP, single-LP, double-CD and digital formats.

‘Maxinquaye (Reincarnated)’ contains rarities and brand new versions of tracks many of which have not been officially released before – The single-LP contains the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studio. The super deluxe triple-LP set and double-CD contains six new “Reincarnated” versions of tracks recorded by Tricky in 2022, previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with a full live band in the autumn of 1995 as well ‘Black Steel’ performed live at Glastonbury that same year and it concludes with some rough monitor mixes. The digital version also includes all the remixes from the original single releases plus eight remixes originally unreleased including one from Leftfield.

All versions of ‘Maxinquaye (Reincarnated)’ come with brand new artwork containing a rare image of his late mother, of whom the album is named after. The image was recently discovered by Tricky’s cousin and is the only one that exists of him and her together.

With creative control on the project, Tricky started reworking tracks from the original album in 2022 which have never before been released and allow ‘Maxinquaye (Reincarnated)’ to be a natural evolution of the original release. “If you’re an artist or a musician and you look back at your old stuff,” he reasons, “if you don’t think it’s dated then you’re either stood still or you’re satisfied with what you’ve done.”

“I hadn’t listened to it for years! And ‘Aftermath’ was the obvious one [track] to start with because that was my first release without any label. So it was like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to cover this.’ It’s almost like I just thought about that song and then ‘Aftermath Reincarnated’ – just how it should have sounded to me now. So I redid it as it should sound now. It’s not a cover, it’s a reminder.”

‘Maxinquaye’ remains one of the most groundbreaking records in British music history. Upon its released in 1995, it was met with resounding critical acclaim receiving near perfect scores from music critics across the board – Melody Maker deemed it “gripping, original, sublime”, NMEsaid the record was “… unprecedented, spellbinding and revealed something new with every listen”, Q Magazine“… Tricky proves himself to be more challenging and eclectic than his peers”, Pitchfork “An unrepeatable record so unbelievably wrong it could only be right”… even David Bowie took it upon himself to write a letter to Tricky in the August of 1995 proclaiming “I’ve loved Maxinquaye for some time”. In more recent times The New York Times and Guardian have respectively said of it “… [an] album-length masterpiece” and “Time has not dimmed the impact of this extraordinary record”.

In its year of release, NME, Melody Maker and The Wire all named it their album of the year and it was nominated for a Mercury Prize(losing out to Portishead’s ‘Dummy’). It continues to be sited for its impact on music being a mainstay of “Greatest Albums Of All Time” lists such as NME’s 2013 list of the 500 greatest albums, Uncut Magazine’s 2016 200 Greatest Albums, Q Magazine’s 100 Greatest British albums, Mojo’s 100 Modern Classics, Rolling Stone’s ‘Essential Recordings of the 90s’ to name but a few.

Format Descriptions:
2CD version
Celebrating Maxinquaye as it approaches its 30th Anniversary (2024) the Reincarnated 2CD package is a welcome reappraisal of this seminal album containing the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios, 6 new reincarnated versions of tracks recorded by Tricky in 2022, previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with full live band in 1995 along with rough monitor mixes and a previously unreleased remix from Leftfield.

3LP version – Black 140g vinyl
Celebrating Maxinquaye as it approaches its 30th Anniversary (2024) the Reincarnated 3LP package is a welcome reappraisal of this seminal album containing the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios, 6 new reincarnated versions of tracks recorded by Tricky in 2022, previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with full live band in 1995 along with rough monitor mixes.

1LP – Black 140g vinyl
Celebrating Maxinquaye as it approaches its 30th Anniversary (2024) the Reincarnated 1LP package is a welcome reappraisal of this seminal album containing the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios.

TRACK LISTING

3LP
LP1 - Side A
Overcome (Abbey Road Remaster)
Ponderosa (Abbey Road Remaster)
Black Steel (Abbey Road Remaster)
Hell Is Round The Corner (Abbey Road Remaster)
LP1 - Side B
Pumpkin (Abbey Road Remaster)
Aftermath (Abbey Road Remaster)
Abbaon Fat Tracks (Abbey Road Remaster)
Brand New You're Retro (Abbey Road Remaster)
LP2 - Side C
Suffocated Love (Abbey Road Remaster)
You Don't (Abbey Road Remaster)
Strugglin' (Abbey Road Remaster)
Feed Me (Abbey Road Remaster)
LP2 - Side D
Strugglin' (Reincarnated)
Aftermath (Reincarnated)
Ponderosa (Reincarnated)
Hell Is Round The Corner (Reincarnated)
Pumpkin (Reincarnated)
Little Aftermath
LP3 - Side E
Hell Is Round The Corner (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Strugglin' (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Ponderosa (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Pumpkin (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Black Steel (Live At Glastonbury, 1995)
LP3 - Side F
She Devil (Rough Monitor Mix)
Just For The Hate Of It (Rough Monitor Mix)
Overcome (Acapella - Rough Monitor Mix)
Black Steel (Rough Monitor Mix)

1LP
Side A
Overcome (Abbey Road Remaster)
Ponderosa (Abbey Road Remaster)
Black Steel (Abbey Road Remaster)
Hell Is Round The Corner (Abbey Road Remaster)
Pumpkin (Abbey Road Remaster)
Aftermath (Abbey Road Remaster)
Side B
Abbaon Fat Tracks (Abbey Road Remaster)
Brand New You're Retro (Abbey Road Remaster)
Suffocated Love (Abbey Road Remaster)
You Don't (Abbey Road Remaster)
Strugglin' (Abbey Road Remaster)
Feed Me (Abbey Road Remaster)

2CD
CD1
Overcome (Abbey Road Remaster)
Ponderosa (Abbey Road Remaster)
Black Steel (Abbey Road Remaster)
Hell Is Round The Corner (Abbey Road Remaster)
Pumpkin (Abbey Road Remaster)
Aftermath (Abbey Road Remaster)
Abbaon Fat Tracks (Abbey Road Remaster)
Brand New You're Retro (Abbey Road Remaster)
Suffocated Love (Abbey Road Remaster)
You Don't (Abbey Road Remaster)
Strugglin' (Abbey Road Remaster)
Feed Me (Abbey Road Remaster)
CD2
Strugglin' (Reincarnated)
Aftermath (Reincarnated)
Ponderosa (Reincarnated)
Hell Is Round The Corner (Reincarnated)
Pumpkin (Reincarnated)
Little Aftermath
Hell Is Round The Corner (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Strugglin' (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Ponderosa (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Pumpkin (1995 BBC Radio Session)
Black Steel (Live At Glastonbury, 1995)
She Devil (Rough Monitor Mix)
Just For The Hate Of It (Rough Monitor Mix)
Overcome (Acapella - Rough Monitor Mix)
Black Steel (Rough Monitor Mix)
Brand New You're Retro (Leftfield Remix)

Deluxe reissue of the third album by the Cranberries that sold over 6 million units worldwide, reached number one in six countries and became the band’s highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200.

In this deluxe reissue the original album has been remastered by John Dent @ Metropolis, and, on the 2LP versions, split over 3 vinyl sides with a 4th side featuring bonus tracks including three unreleased album demos recorded with producer Tim Palmer in Paris.

The digital and 3CD set includes unreleased outtakes and early mixes of the studio album and twelve rare live tracks recorded on the band’s 1996 “Free to Decide” tour and the 2LP and 3CD versions include a 4000 sleevenote about the making of the album based on interviews with the remaining members conducted by band archivist Eoin Devereux.

TRACK LISTING

1LP
LP1 - Side A
Hollywood
Salvation
When You're Gone
Free To Decide
War Child
Forever Yellow Skies
The Rebels
LP1 - Side B
Just Shot John Lennon
Electric Blue
I'm Still Remembering
Will You Remember?
Joe
Bosnia

2LP Deluxe
LP1 - Side A
Hollywood
Salvation
When You're Gone
Free To Decide
War Child
LP1 - Side B
Forever Yellow Skies
The Rebels
Intermission
Just Shot John Lennon
Electric Blue
LP2 - Side C
I'm Still Remembering
Will You Remember?
Joe
Bosnia
Cordell
LP2 - Side D
The Picture I View
Go Your Own Way
When You're Gone (Paris Demo)
I Just Shot John Lennon (Paris Demo
Free To Decide (Paris Demo)

3CD Deluxe:
Disc One – To The Faithful Departed – Deluxe Remaster
Hollywood
Salvation
When You're Gone
Free To Decide
War Child
Forever Yellow Skies
The Rebels
Intermission
I Just Shot John Lennon
Electric Blue
I'm Still Remembering
Will You Remember?
Joe
Cordell
Bosnia
The Picture I View
Go Your Own Way
Disc Two – Unreleased Demos And Outtakes
When You're Gone (Paris Demo)
I Just Shot John Lennon (Paris Demo)
Free To Decide (Paris Demo)
The Rebels (Outtake)
Hollywood (Outtake)
Cordell (Early Mix)
Bosnia (Early Mix)
Salvation (Early Mix)
When You're Gone (Early Mix)
Electric Blue (Early Mix)
Intermission (Early Mix)
Joe (Early Mix)
Free To Decide (Alternate Mix)
Disc Three – 1996 Free To Decide Tour
Intermission + Forever Yellow Skies (Live In Toronto)
Sunday (Live In Toronto)
Linger (Live In Toronto)
The Rebels (Live In Toronto)
Waltzing Back (Live In Toronto)
I Can't Be With You (Live In Toronto)
Free To Decide (Live In Detroit)
Dreams (Live In Detroit)
Hollywood (Live In Detroit)
Zombie (Live In Detroit)
Dreaming My Dreams (Live In Detroit)
The Icicle Melts (Live In Detroit)
Salvation (Live At Milton Keynes Bowl)

Celebrate 5 of Tom Waits’ albums from the Island years, all of which have had an incredible impact on music history.

All remastered to HD audio.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Lucky Day Overture
The Black Rider
November
Just The Right Bullets
Black Box Theme
'Tain't No Sin
Flash Pan Hunter/Intro
That's The Way
The Briar And The Rose
Russian Dance
Side B
Gospel Train/Orchestra
I'll Shoot The Moon
Flash Pan Hunter
Crossroads
Gospel Train
Interlude
Oily Night
Lucky Day
The Last Rose Of The Summer
Carnival

Celebrate 5 of Tom Waits’ albums from the Island years, all of which have had an incredible impact on music history.

All remastered to HD audio.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
The Earth Died Screaming
Dirt In The Ground
Such A Scream
All Stripped Down
Who Are You
The Ocean Doesn't Want Me
Jesus Gonna Be Here
A Little Rain
Side B
In The Colosseum
Goin' Out West
Murder In The Red Barn
Black Wings
Whistle Down The Wind
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
Let Me Get Up On It
That Feel

Originally released in 1987 on Island Records, Franks Wild Years is Tom Waits’ 10th studio album. Titled for a play of the same name and authored by Waits and his wife, Kathleen Brennan, Franks Wild Years was performed by Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1986. Franks Wild Years is an iteration of the track “Frank’s Wild Years” from Waits’ 1983 album Swordfishtrombones.The album divides the story neatly into two acts and although titled “un operachi romantic”, there is no opera in Franks. There is a hilarious touch of operatic styling by Waits himself in the song “Temptation.” His vocal character varies wildly throughout the work’s 17 songs, and is no more impressive than when the gruff, growly singer turns to impeccable Sinatra-esque phrasing on the Vegas number, “Straight To The Top.” While Franks featured a 14-member cast on stage, the album is all-Waits—yet suggests a multitude of characters by virtue of his chameleon vocals. The album is a startling group of lost dreams, bad dreams, dreams that might not even be dreams. The music is nightmarish, ethereal, beautiful. Think broken calliopes played by genius children, horns played at dawn in a graveyard, banjos leaking through practice room walls. Titles evoke Frank’s dime-store Odyssey: “Straight To The Top,” “Blow Wind Blow,” “Temptation,” “I’ll Be Gone.” NME ranked the work the number five album of 1987.

Newly remastered for the first time ever from the original ½” flat master tape and personally overseen by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer, Karl Derfler. The album packaging has also been restored. Franks Wild Years includes tracks such as “Cold Cold Ground,” “Way Down In The Hole” – versions of which were used as the theme music of HBO’s series The Wire – and “Temptation.”

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Hang On St. Christopher
Straight To The Top (Rhumba)
Blow Wind Blow
Temptation
Innocent When You Dream (Barroom)
I'll Be Gone
Yesterday Is Here
Please Wake Me Up
Franks Theme
Side B
More Than Rain
Way Down In The Hole
Straight To The Top (Vegas)
I'll Take New York
Telephone Call From Istanbul
Cold Cold Ground
Train Song
Innocent When You Dream (78)

Mike Salta & Mortale release their debut album ‘Moloko Island’ on Music For Dreams label. Moloko Island is a getaway where good vibes can float freely. An island where only fantasy set the limits.

It is a collection of tracks, some of which have already been buzzing around the balearic / downtempo scene for a while now. The Album includes the infectious ‘Hey Moloko’ which was picked up by Hot Chip for their splendid Late Night Tales compilation, and the gamers amongst you may have noticed it in the most recent Playstation – Gran Turismo 7 soundtrack. Outro track ‘Bye Moloko’ is a brand new Re-edit of this classic.

The music of Mike Salta aka Gert Nygaard flaunts an eclectic palette, collecting strands from New Orleans funk, 80’s italo disco or Brazilian tropicalia and transforming them into rich and sun-drenched dance music.

The album is produced in collaboration with long-time studio partner Mortale, and is a sumptuous piece of chillout to call on the summer. A full-bodied groove of an album to transport you and soundtrack those sunny days & balmy evenings. Moloko Island concludes a voyage and reconcile an era where electronics and acoustics have been explored and united in the unique sound and vibe Mike Salta and Mortale has strived to unfold…

TRACK LISTING

A1 Hey Moloko
A2 Bon Abantu
A3 Rheya
B1 Yaeyama
B2 Mamboyar
B3 Bye Molok

Red hot Italian DJ and production collective Aura Safari is back with a second full-length album, Island Dreams. It lands on Hell Yeah Recordings on September 15th and is another live and sun-kissed odyssey through balmy Mediterranean evenings, gorgeous sundown sessions and funky analogue grooves.

Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni, Nicholas Iammatteo, Lorenzo Francioli, Ruggero Bonucci and Nicola Pitassio are Aura Safari, and between them they play drums, percussion, bass, keys, and guitar. They contributed to the first volume of the Buena Onda compilation in 2020 on this label, a year after serving up a debut album on London's Church Records. Since then they have become ever more entrenched in their local scene in Perugia. They are skilled musicians and instrumentalists with an effortlessly charming sound and play summer sets at the Umbria Jazz Festival, winter warmers at the legendary Red Zone Club and host their own Tropical Climax parties each month in the town centre.

Aura Safari are also deep-digging music collectors who have extensive and far-reaching tastes. When cooking up their sounds they draw on everything from Afro to Italo, house to disco, 80s boogie to world music, jazz and Balearic beats. This new album shows that once more across four sides of vinyl that sweep you up and transport you to somewhere idyllic.

The title track kicks off with steamy Mediterranean grooves embellished with lush Rhodes chords and sprinkles of cosmic magic. 'Sur Mon Balconnet' then slips into dubbed-out disco territory with 80s synths and leggy drums while 'Riserva Naturale' is a new-age jazz house sound with majestic lead synths and heart-melting chords that speak of a sunset dance on the beach. 'Onda' has squelchy boogie bass with hip-swinging drums, 'Wave Riding' is a lo-fi funk excursion with hints of West Coast Californian swagger and 'Magic Malbe' is loose-limbed Balearica with clear blue skies and blissed-out chords.

'Dancing in the Moonlight' feat. Zeke Manyika has all the vibrant feelings of bubblegum pop with Afro vocals and steel drum sounds next to rich xylophone sounds. There is plenty of heat and exotic charm to the proto-Afro house of 'Tropical Climax' and as well as dub versions of 'Sur Mon Balconnet' and 'Dancing in the Moonlight' come the scuffed-up Dam-Funk style beats and boogie of 'Disco Mantra' before closer 'Patagonia' shuts down with elastic drums and bass and playful synth leads that send you home wanting more.

Island Dreams is a tropical escape to a rich world of fusion sounds that look back to go forwards. It's a feel-good record to accompany hot nights and lazy afternoons, cocktails at dusk and dancing till dawn.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Island Dreams
A2. Sur Mon Balconnet
A3. Riserva Naturale
B1. Onda
B2. Wave Riding
B3. Magic Malbe
C1. Dancing In The Moonlight - Ft. Zeke Manyika
C2. Tropical ClimaxC3Sur Mon Balconnet (Soca Dub)
D1. Disco Mantra
D2. Dancing In The Moonlight (Special Afro Dub)
D3. Patagonia

The World's Biggest Paving Slab' on limited press 7" vinyl. In words on Lily Fontaine, "“I wrote and recorded the demo in my bedroom in one day, during my final year of university in 2018. Moving to a city for university forced me to reflect on how my experience of growing up in and around Pendle, how witnessing the social, economic and political issues that exist around there in juxtaposition with the beauty of the landscape and the characters that live within in it, has shaped me into the artist and person that I am. These semi-rural stories leak into most of my writing; in particular, this song tackles delusions of grandeur and inferiority from the perspective of a small town’s local celebrities. It’s split into two halves."

TRACK LISTING

Side A: The World's Biggest Paving Slab
Side B: The World's Biggest Paving Slab (Demo)

Bridging Coral Island and Sea Of Mirrors, The Coral release a second album titled 'Holy Joe’s Coral Island Medicine Show'. With the full tracklisting limited to physical formats only, the album brings James and Ian Skelly’s grandad a.k.a The Great Muriarty back into the fold for the narrated post-script to one of The Coral’s most successful albums to date.

If Coral Island was a box-office hit in 2022, then 'Holy Joe's Coral Island Medicine Show' is it's low-budget little brother, written in a year and stitched together in less- think The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ll or Police Academy: Mission To Moscow- but without the plane fare to Russia. This is a sequel to rival the most shameless of cash-ins.

It features a ramshackle cast: along with the usual suspects, Coral Island compère (and Skelly Granddad) The Great Moriarty makes a return, alongside actor and friend-of-the-band John Simm, who recites wanderlust eulogy Drifter's Prayer. Glaswegian singer Rianne Downey is involved in a murderous duet. An unnamed pedal-steel player from the back of beyond plays a funeral score over Hotel.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't an act of self-sabotage or half-arsed in any way; more a deliberate attempt to make an art form out of the forgotten follow-up. Who else but The Coral are going to fill this important cultural sinkhole?

Framed inside a midnight radio show beaming out from a Michelin blimp that hovers somewhere past the piers of Coral Island, Holy Joe... is a love letter to the tradition of the death disc and murder ballad, from Stack-o-Lee to Skeleton Key, and everything in between.

Stay up late. Tune in. If you do, who knows? You might end up loving it more than the original.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The second of a duo of Coral releases hits this week, with the wild oddity 'Holy Joe's...' bridging the gap between their last LP and the newest. It's a fitting bridge though, with the melodic sensibilities of the latter segueing nicely into the oddball b-movie soundtrack business of the former. Brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
Holy Joe (Sounds From The Other Side)
The Sinner
Hotel
Holy Joe (Hitchhiker At The Highway’s Edge)
Affiliation
Leave This Town
The Road Is Calling
Holy Joe (Rita Is Having A Bad One)
Never Be In Love Like That Again
Side 2:
Drifter’s Prayer
Holy Joe (Bobby And Faith)
Long Drive To The City
Down By The Riverside
Holy Joe (The Graveyard Shift)
Baby Face Nelson
Holy Joe (A Wise Man Once Said)
The Coral Island Killer
Holy Joe (Let The Credits Roll)

Noted as Tom Waits’ most critically acclaimed album, Rain Dogs follows the new musical path Waits had taken with Swordfishtrombones. Considered the middle of a de facto trilogy with Swordfishtrombones and Franks Wild Years, Rain Dogs is the first of Waits’ albums to be written in New York, in a Lower Manhattan basement. A 53-minute, 19-track monster, Rain Dogs is a kind of mutant, late 20th century musical “Canterbury Tales” with a shape-shifting band. There are banjos and marimbas and bowed saw and parade drum and howling horns (and Keith Richards and Marc Ribot) on this rollicking, rough-hewn opus—and Waits, using his voice in increasingly weird-and-wild ways. The songs are stories, sagas, laments, breakdowns, character studies, comedies and cabaret numbers. There’s the aching “Hang Down Your Head,” and the moving anthem, “Downtown Train,” which was covered by Patti Smith and Rod Stewart.Waits coined the term, “rain dog,” a reference to dogs who lose their way when touchstone scents are washed away in storms. Among the lost dogs on the album: gruff, wandering merchant marines (“Singapore”), an accordion player in a slaughterhouse (“Cemetery Polka”), a “jockey full of bourbon” (also the song title), an abandoned, withdrawn woman (“Time”), a “gun street girl,” the old drunks and hustlers of Union Square, and even Waits, himself: Aboard a shipwreck train / Give my umbrella to the Rain Dogs / For I am a Rain Dog, too...

Originally released in 1985 on Island Records, the album is newly remastered for the first time ever from the original ½” flat master tape and personally overseen by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer, Karl Derfler. The album packaging has also been restored. Rain Dogs includes tracks such as “Downtown Train,” “Clap Hands” and “Jockey Full Of Bourbon.”

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Singapore
Clap Hands
Cemetery Polka
Jockey Full Of Bourbon
Tango Till They're Sore
Big Black Mariah
Diamonds And Gold
Hang Down Your Head
Time
Side B
Rain Dogs
Midtown
9th & Hennepin
Gun Street Girl
Union Square
Blind Love
Walking Spanish
Downtown Train
Bride Of Rain Dog
Anywhere I Lay My Head

2023 Marks forty years since Tom Waits released Swordfishtrombones, ushering in a new and critically acclaimed musical era for Waits and his longtime songwriting and production partner, Brennan. Waits went from ‘70’s-era “bluesy, boozy” wordsmith and melodist with seven albums behind him to sound sculptor, miner of the subconscious, abstract orchestrator, sonic cubist—while retaining his innate lyricism, melodic invention, humanity. As he put it in a 1983 interview: “I tried to listen to the noise in my head and invent some junkyard orchestral deviation—a mutant apparatus to drive this noise into a wreck collection.” It’s a Waits-arranged pastiche, a variety of atmospheres from different sound planets. There is the warped, marching-army-ants music of “Underground,” an impressionist chant about people living below cities, but there was also the poignancy of the spare piano ballad, “Soldier’s Things,” the good bar yarn, “Frank’s Wild Years”, the tender, minimalist paean to Waits’ wife and muse, Kathleen, “Johnsburg, Illinois,” and the raggedy anthem to neighborhood chaos, “In the Neighborhood.”“On Swordfishtrombones, Waits has made a breakthrough – he’s found music as evocative as his words. Waits’s grumble of a voice now bounces off a peculiar assortment of horns and percussion and organ and keyboards, as if he’d led a Salvation Army band into a broken-down Hong Kong disco. It’s as if he’s shifted from monologues to screenplays…” – Jon Parales January 1984 – GQ Magazine.

The album is newly remastered for the first time ever from the original EQ’ed ½” production master tape and personally overseen by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan. Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering under the guidance of Waits’ longtime audio engineer, Karl Derfler.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Underground
Shore Leave
Dave The Butcher
Johnsburg, Illinois
16 Shells From A 30.6
Town With No Cheer
In The Neighbourhood
Side B
Just Another Sucker On The Vine
Frank's Wild Years
Swordfishtrombone
Down, Down, Down
Soldier's Things
Gin Soaked Boy
Trouble's Braids
Rainbirds

The Trench Coat Museum is  on limited edition black vinyl, signed by no one and definitely not numbered, hand printed, stamped, and comes with no bonus prints, stickers or postcard
      
All well and good, but, what does it actually sound like!? Basically  this brand new track feels like something of a step up for this superb band. More propulsive and percussive with dare I say a funkier feel, frontman  James Smith spins a typical yarn about, well......find out for yourselves!

The A side is a whopping 8 minuts long but flip it over and there's an Arthur Baker ( yes, THE!) remix which makes the whole 12 a most desirable package,, no hand print, poster, sticker or number notwithstanding !!!

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: A brilliant step forwards for one of our favourite bands Love it!

TRACK LISTING

A-Side – The Trench Coat Museum
B-Side – The Trench Coat Museum (Arthur Baker Remix) (!)

Balearic DJs Chris Coco and George Solar started making tunes together a couple of years ago after a chance meeting at Ibiza Sonica radio followed by some deep chats about dub and the future of chill out music.

After a string of singles they decided to make an album based (loosely) around various rhythms for the basic inspiration. George, who is also an accomplished percussionist, made a list - Nyabinghi, Guaguanco, One Drop etc - and Chris added one of their own - Algaroba.

The basic rhythm tracks were recorded in Ibiza, mostly drums and percussion, naturally, with a little added bass from Fly, who also, fortuitously, is the sign writer who made the cover image.

Various elements were added in Ibiza, Buenos Aires and London, and, after some digital wrangling an album of beautifully organic downtempo delights finally took shape.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1 Guaguancoco
2 Rumba Solar
3 Na Baia
4 Holy Rising
Side 2
1 Algaroba
2 Como El Sol
3 Hook & Line
4 Pink Sun

"My Bed Is An Island" is the third single from The Chesterfields new album "New Modern Homes". A live favourite on the recent tour dates, the vinyl 7inch version is limited to 300 copies worldwide and comes in a luxurious package of a classic 90s style indie fold-out sleeve in a memory game style, and two inlays including a full discography plus an album souvenir insert, designed by the Terrible Hildas.

In March 2022, Ben Howard was sat in his garden when he found himself unable to think clearly, form sentences or speak for almost an hour. A month later, after the same thing happened again, the Ivor Novello Award-winning singer-songwriter learned he’d suffered two TIAs (transient ischemic attacks - known as mini-strokes). “It was out of the blue,” says the 35 year-old. “It was a confusing time.”

That June, after a month of inconclusive hospital tests Howard and his band returned to Le Manoir de Léon recording studio in south-west France, where they’d previously worked on his acclaimed third album ‘Noonday Dream’.

“We went in and put down ten songs in ten days, then spent the rest of the year tinkering with them”. The record was produced by Bullion, known for his work on Westerman’s ‘Your Hero Is Not Dead’ and Orlando Weeks ‘Hop Up’. Howard says, “We worked through the heatwave, the air conditioning broke, after what had happened I was so tired in the afternoons that I slept a lot. We just played solidly and slept, they was no time for retrospection”.

The result is ‘Is It’, a lush, sonically splintered album which captures Howard working through those moments of seismic shift. “I found it impossible not to dwell on the absurdity of it, that with one tiny clot, one can lose all faculties. It really ate into the writing of the record”.

The songs range from the peaceful quotidian Days of Lantana, to cut up samples and driven beats of Walking Backwards, the formers’ pitched and warped Linda Thompson chorus reminiscent of Malcolm Mclaren´s ‘Madame Butterfly’.

Moonraker, a song about climbing in the Guadarrama mountains touches on the meditational, while in the cyclical Richmond Avenue Howard talks of shared childhood moments with his father.

There are colourful, left-field production choices throughout- a staple of Bullion - but with a twist

“We really bonded over records in the studio” he says. “Nathan has an incredible ear and catalogue of sampled beats and rhythms which quickly became the bedrock…There were contributing factors also. Our mainstay drummer Kyle lives in Seattle and as we made the record on the fly we just leaned into drum-machine world, and really left almost all of that side of things up to Nathan.”

“We also did a session at Real World Studios and put most of the record through an echoplex”.

That session featured additional instrumentation from Raven Bush (violin, viola) and Mick Mcgoldrick (flute, Eileen pipes) as well as Howards mainstay band of Mickey Smith (Bass, guitars, percussion) R.D. Thomas (synths, keys, harmonium) and Nat Wason (guitars).

“It’s actually mostly a guitar record, but there are some nice additions. We bought an old harmonium at the beginning of the trip which made its way onto most tracks. I was very much stuck in stuttered delay and synth led guitar patterns. Mick McGoldrick came in to play on Richmond Ave and straight away played Liam O´Flynn lines from the Mark Knopfler record ‘Cal’ which is a long favourite of mine and a big connection to my Dad who had it on tape. That was a beautiful moment, perhaps one of my favourites moments in the studio ever.”
“It was a refreshing way to record, unweighted by the past”

The change is evident on ‘Is It’ - an album which represents a further creative evolution from an artist known for never repeating himself throughout his already-storied career.

¨I was so aware of the overwhelming information coming from everything, almost like my brain couldn’t filter what was happening and had to start again. So we just pushed forward, lyrically it seems obvious to me in parts, It’s about sitting there wondering what the hell is going on.”

Yet with each listen it feels like more than that. A characteristically onion-layered record which rankles like a series of questions, or a series of vignettes throughout Howard´s life, perhaps best distilled in the whirling chorus on ´Spirit´.

‘What’s mine anyway?
My feelings seem to be arranged.
What´s mine anyway?
Spirit? Is it?´

‘Is It’ stands quite starkly on it’s own, buoyed by the circumstances of its creation. “Just to be playing music in the studio felt like a real privilege and a luxury,” says Howard. “It was probably the best studio session we’ve ever had.”

R.J

TRACK LISTING

1. Could Not Make It Up
2. Walking Backwards
3. Days Of Lantana
4. Life In The Time Of Captivity
5. Moonraker
6. Richmond Avenue
7. Interim Of Sense
8. Total Eclipse
9. Spirit
10. Little Plant

isolée’s fourth album ‘resort island’ is a record as that's in turns hazy and thumping, euphoric and melancholy, always delivered in brilliant splashes of color. "coco's visa" sets the tone, its soft chords lapping against the drums like waves against a dock. Gentle moments like this and the exquisitely bittersweet "let's dence" offset dreamlike club tracks of the kind only Müller could make. "rumour", the album's first single, is all ghostly strings and loping synths, a mellow joy-ride in magic hour light.

isolée need not apologize for this flirtation with the sound of French touch. "pardon my french" has the key elements that give the best disco and disco-flavored house records their magic: impossibly smooth bass tones connect perfectly plump kick drums, a strutting rhythm, glittering synths, all joining forces to give you the feeling of having a supremely, impossibly good time. On Resort Island, it's a vacation within a vacation, an artist so skilled at subtle, ambiguous moods going for straight up bliss, just this one time.

The third single from Resort Island is "Canada Balsam," a dreamlike club track of the kind only isolée could make. The beat is taut and punchy, a welcome echo of the minimalist flair of his early records. The rest draws from the lush sonic palette he's perfected since then: vaporous chords, swirling hand percussion, a subtly dramatic earworm melody that almost sounds plucked from a harp. It's the kind of tune that brings a wash of technicolour onto the dance floor, a cool breeze riding on a perfectly tight groove.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Coco's Visa 3:15
A2 Canada Balsam 6:18
B1 Pardon My French 5:26
B2 Con O Sin 5:42
B3 Let's Dence 3:32
C1 Modernation 5:28
C2 Rumour (album Version) 6:35
D1 Clap Gently 2:39
D2 Tender Date 5:22
D3 7eleven2 4:41

In March 2020, Jack reached out to Lee “Scratch" Perry to produce a dub remix album based on Jack’s most loved recordings. On 8/29/21 the project was brought to a halt as Scratch departed this physical world. In ‘22 Jack and Subatomic Sound System, Perry’s band of the last decade, connected directly and discovered they had all the pieces to bring Lee “Scratch” Perry’s 3 creations to completion. The LP also features dubs from Dennis Bovell, Scientist, Mad Professor, Nightmares on Wax & more.

‘The Portable Herman Dune’ Vol. 3 is the final part of Herman Dune’s acoustic anthology, in which 22 years of songwriting are laid bare, stripped to the most intimate bone. Though sonically naked, the songs are bundled up in emotion and loaded with life.

The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte marks Sparks’ first release on the venerable Island Records label in close to five decades, following such classics as 1974’s landmark Kimono My House, highlighted of course by the indelible hit single ‘This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us’. The new album is described by Ron and Russell Mael as a record that is “as bold and uncompromising as anything we did back then or, for that matter, anytime throughout our career.”

The album includes such instantly intriguing new musical vignettes as ‘Mona Lisa’s Packing, Leaving Late Tonight’ and ‘Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is’, songs which once again display Sparks’ seemingly ceaseless ability to craft complete, intricately detailed stories within perfect three-and-a-half minute pop masterpieces. Both characteristically timeless and unequivocally modern, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte once again affirms that, after more than a half century making such masterpieces, Sparks remain inimitable, ingenious and, as ever, utterly one of a kind. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The sound of Sparks is uniquely theirs, bold pop chorus' and snappy vocal hooks, blooming from subtle and minimalistic to grand and orchestral without batting an eyelid. The title track is particularly enjoyable, showing both innovative groove and classic, Sparks melodies.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte
2. Veronica Lake
3. Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is
4. Escalator
5. The Mona Lisa's Packing, Leaving Late Tonight
6. You Were Meant For Me
7. Not That Well-Defined
8. We Go Dancing
9. When You Leave
10. Take Me For A Ride
11. A Love Story
12. It's Sunny Today
13. It Doesn't Have To Be That Way
14. Gee, That Was Fun

Public Library, the album by Canadian indie rock/folk rock band The Burning Hell was released in 2016, and has been sold out for several years. Now it returns as a limited edition coloured LP. Public Library was another high point in surreal humour, virtuosic wordplay wrapped in smart indie rock songs.

Originally called 'Love Island' - until "Linus didn't make the audition process so we jumbled it around" (or, possibly, for legal reasons) - Third Man London's first signing settled instead on 'Island of Love'.

For the label, an island within the UK music scene is exactly what Karim, Linus and Daniel are: feedback-fuelled adolescents with a depth of songwriting unheard since Teenage Fanclub's formative 'Catholic Education', and late '80s Dinosaur Jr. So mind-bendingly good are the group that Third Man co-founder and owner Ben Swank presented an offer approximately thirty seconds after they played the opening weekend of Third Man's new Soho digs (...new to the extent that the drummer left the stage with paint up his back).

Bonded by playing in various punk, hardcore and metal bands in their hometown of London, Island of Love's now double frontmen, Linus and Karim, would write and share demos between their family homes. The lo-fi, fuzzy fruits of these sessions melded into 2020's seven song 'Promo Tape', followed by 2021’s Third Man EP ‘Songs of Love’. Now, no longer a bedroom project, they present their adrenaline-filled debut, awashed with guitar distortion, Linus and Karim's dark harmonies and contemplative lyrics beyond their teenage years. This special release is sure to go down in both the TMR history books as well as mosh pits nationwide

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Island Of Love's debut is a roaring mix of 90's grunge, huge walls of sound and sharp distorted riffs twist under an undeniably tempering vocal performance from both guitarists. 'Grow' is the quintessential mid-point between grunge, pop-punk and indie, full of grit and swimming with earworm melodies.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Big Whale
2. Fed Rock
3. Grow
4. Blues 2000
5. Sweet Loaf

Side 2
1. I've Got The Secret
2. Losing Streak
3. Weekend At Clive's
4. Charles
5. Never Understand
6. It Was All Ok Forever

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 22ND 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 24TH).



First global vinyl pressing for Marianne Faithfull’s final album for Island records. 1995’s ‘A Secret Life’ received its only vinyl issue in Greece, and copies are hard to come by with collectors now expected to pay anywhere between £50 and £200 for a copy.



The album was a new direction for Marianne and was written with the Italian composer Angelo Badalamenti, known for his atmospheric scores to David Lynch’s films. The result successfully marries his multi-layered orchestral production style with Marianne’s trademark voice and poetic lyrics to create a wholly original and timeless album.



Marianne’s other 90's albums ‘20th Century Blues’ and ‘Vagabond Ways’ have recently appeared on vinyl, so this could join the dots for collectors.



• Album never pressed on vinyl outside of Greece

• Greek second hand copies sell for between £50-£100

• One of Marianne's most original collaborations essentially available on vinyl for the first time.

TRACK LISTING

Side A)
1. Prologue
2. Sleep
3. Love In The Afternoon
4. Flaming September
5. She
Side B)
1. Bored By Dreams
2. Losing
3. The Wedding
4. The Stars Line Up
5. Epilogue
6. You're Not In London Anymore

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

From Bob Marley and the Wailers world renowned 5th studio album (first release on Island Records) "Catch A Fire" this RSD exclusive will feature an unreleased version of Stir It Up Alternate Jamaican version and an instrumental version to celebrate the albums 50th anniversary 7".

TRACK LISTING

1. Promo/Stir It Up Alternate Jamaican
2. Stir It Up Alternate Jamaican Instrumental

Limited edition deluxe vinyl version on Honey Golden vinyl of She Keeps Bees' 2008 album. Previously available only as tour-sale item.

Manchester band Afflecks Palace return with their sophomore LP.

Produced by J. Fender, Afflecks Palace vocalist and Spirit Of Spike Island label boss said “This album is an ode to escapism from the modern day obsession with superficial status, wealth and success - propelled by social media F.O.M.O (fear of missing out)”.

If you're not from round here, the band are named after the legendary shopping emporium which is just down the road from us. Afflecks Palace was, and still is, a mecca for all things "alternative"( a word from back in the day!) and rose to fame during the heady days of Madchester. It was also  home to the Identity clothing shop which became famous for it's legendary "On  The Sixth Day God  Created Manchester" t-shirts.

Afflecks Palace are real music magpies, in the best possible sense. They've taken the energy and attitude of '89 and created super melodic guitar gems that tip their (bucket) hat to The Stone Roses, Inspirals and the like, as well as plundering classic pop from the 60s via Britpop and right  through to the present day. In doing so they've managed to create their own euphoric, hook filled sound. 

The new soundtrack to dancing til the sun comes up and weekends mooching around the Northern Quarter, thers's just a vibe and spirit around this band that's gonna be difficult to resist.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Like a greatest hits of Manchester music, all rolled up into one jangling, baggy, indie-pop nugget, this band are gonna go far.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dancing Is Not A Crime
2. Holidays
3. Wide Eyes On The Night Bus
4. WAKE UP!
5. Patchwork Quilted Veins
6. Big Fish, Small Pond
7. Ghosts On The Underground
8. I'm So Glad You're On Ecstasy
9. Hey Stranger
10. Find Your Place

Including ‘One’, ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’, & ‘Pride (In The Name Of Love)’. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: I'm famously a massive fan of U2, and this epic collection sees them reworking (upcycling?) tons of their older tracks, but stripped back to a reasonably unadorned core instrumental skeleton. Once again, a clear sign of a band still in control of their craft.

Following an unforgettable and era defining “Summer of Jungle” that saw Nia Archives playing all over the world from All Points East to Glastonbury, Los Angeles to New York, Rio De Janeiro to Australia, this rising star continues to command the unwavering attention of the UK scene with her first solo single since the breakout EP Forbidden Feelingz, “Baianá”. Most recently off the back of her record breaking debut Boiler Room, she continues to reframe the jungle narrative on “So Tell Me...”, a warm and utterly timeless jungle roller that speaks volumes on Nia’s incredible talent not only as a producer but as a vocalist and songwriter. Having been given the seal of approval from Rolling Stone, NME, TheFace, Danny Howard (TOTW), Jack Saunders (TOTW), Zane Lowe, Mary Anne Hobbs, Matt Wilkinson and more.

An artist on the rise and poised to soon be one of the world’s most recognisable names, in the last year alone, Nia has won a MOBO award for ‘Best Electronic/Dance Act’, the NME Award for ‘Best Producer’, been hotly tipped by BBC Radio 1 Dance as a ‘Future Star’ and Spotify as their ‘Our Generation’ cover star. With additional accolades such as #3 in the BBC Sound of 2023 Poll and a Brit nomination for the ‘Rising Star award’. Alongside her cover debut on one of the world’s most prestigious dance music publications, Mixmag, Nia Archives has been given the seal of approval from tastemakers across the board from British Vogue, Pitchfork, The Fader, i-D and CRACK.

Sunrise Bang Ur Head Against The Wall is that feeling when you’ve been at a afters and you’re in someone’s kitchen, all these thoughts running through your head, the sun comes up and it’s the most disgusting feeling ever with an element of bliss at the same time, all you wanna do is bang your head against the wall and teleport home.

Across the EP Nia is broadly talking about growing up as a person, reaching new levels of maturity, love and loss, rejection, estrangement, the come up and the come down. Nia says that “It’s the most exciting project I’ve made yet and It’s window into the future and the kind of artist I want to become. It’s six tracks with six different moods soundtracking the recent chapter in my life.”

Having lived their rollercoaster ride to the top of the charts and main stages inside just two years, The Lathums state their intentions to supercharge their continued rise with the release of 'Say My Name'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Struggle
2. Say My Name
3. I Know Pt. 1
4. Lucky Bean
5. Facets
6. Rise And Fall
7. Sad Face Baby
8. Turmoil
9. Land And Sky
10. Crying Out
11. Understanding

The Portable Herman Dune' is an acoustic anthology in three parts, in which 22 years of songwriting are laid bare, stripped to the most intimate bone, an being released at intervals over a series of months. Though sonically naked, the songs are bundled up in emotion and loaded with life. Centre-stage are David Ivar's songs, with his 1954 guitar, his 1930s mandolin, and his voice, plus exceptional guests: Julie Doiron, Mayon (Ivar's life partner), Caitlin Rose, Jolie Holland, and Kimya Dawson providing vocal counterpoint.

‘Cracker Island’ is the eight studio album from Gorillaz, an energetic, upbeat, genre-expansive collection of 10 tracks featuring yet another stellar line-up of artist collaborators: Thundercat, Tame Impala, Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Bootie Brown and Beck. Recorded in London and LA earlier this year, it is produced by Gorillaz, Remi Kabaka jr. and eight-time Grammy Award-winning producer / multi-instrumentalist / songwriter extraordinaire Greg Kurstin.

The virtual band exploded onto TikTok gaining over 2.1 m followers in the space of a few months where they continue to innovate, taking virtual characters where no character has been before…

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Another neon synth-heavy outing from Albarn & Co. This time sees previous collaborators Beck & Bootie Brown return, while inviting new assistance in the form of Tame Impala, Stevie Nicks (!) and Thundercat! R&B-tinged electronica, disco and synth-pop grooves atop jazzy bass and huge percussion loops. Unmistakeable, classic Gorillaz.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat)
2. Oil (feat. Stevie Nicks)
3. The Tired Influencer
4. Tarantula
5. Silent Running (feat. Adeleye Omotayo)
6. New Gold (feat. Tame Impala And Bootie Brown)
7. Baby Queen
8. Tormenta (feat. Bad Bunny)
9. Skinny Ape
10. Possession Island (feat. Beck)

Neutral Milk Hotel‘s explosive 1996 debut, On Avery Island, receives the deluxe reissue treatment with a yellow and red vinyl 2xLP press, complete with revised artwork and cut at 45RPM.

Jeff Mangum’s songs are cryptic and crazed, his ideas fast and furious, and together they force the home-recording concept out of the basement and into a brave new world, a fuzzy masterpiece of experimental lo-fi recording.

Full of rapid-fire wordplay with true and heartfelt experimentation, both ambitious and eclectic, it’s not hard to see why this has been such an influential album.

Part of the fabled Elephant 6 collective, Neutral Milk Hotel won over many a music critic with this cult classic. The band are recognized as one of the most influential alternative acts to come out of the mid-90s and sowed the seeds for everything from anti-folk to the likes of Arcade Fire, Caribou and even Franz Ferdinand

TRACK LISTING

Side A (45RPM)
A1 Song Against Sex
A2 You've Passed
A3 Someone Is Waiting
Side B (45RPM)
B1 A Baby For Pree
B2 Marching Theme
B3 Where You'll Find Me Now
Side C (45RPM)
C1 Avery Island/April 1st
C2 Gardenhead/ Leave Me Alone
C3 Three Peaches
Side D (33RPM)
D1 Naomi
D2 April 8th
D3 Pree-Sisters Swallowing A Donkey's Eye

"Island Time" is the latest album from Joel Sarakula and his first since relocating to The Canary Islands at the height of the pandemic. From his home in the UK he accepted an invitation to perform a special concert Alfredo Kraus Auditorium in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria in November 2020 not realising it would change his life.

"Island Time" is a collection of songs covering themes such as island life, city life, loneliness and romantic love and our relationship with nature.

Stylistically covering soft-rock, soul, disco and reggae, "Island Time" and its first single "Tragic" is broad in scope but ultimately a cohesive record, with the production focusing on a small group of musicians featuring Phil Martin (Dawn Patrol, Martin & Garp) on drums and Xav Clarke on guitar and bass. Building on his previous records "Love Club" and "Companionship", Sarakula expands his palette with a broader use of synthesizers and drum machines and makes stylistically adventurous choices such as the AOR samba of "Dinosaur" and the 70s-cod reggae inspired title track "Island Time", a tribute to escape and re-invention. Sarakula sings "Don't bother me I'm on island time, don't bother my mind once again." For any overworked and over-connected city-dweller, this plea for isolation in a tropical island is a beautiful fantasy.

"Island Time" will be released on Jan 20th, 2023 with Sarakula bringing some tropical sunshine to the freezing European winter in January and February with performances already confirmed in The Netherlands and Germany.

TRACK LISTING

1. Love My Shadow
2. Sun Goes Down
3. Work For Love
4. Tragic
5. Give It Up For Nature
6. Lonely Town
7. Island Time
8. Truth
9. Dream Life
10. Dinosaur

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2022 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25TH 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 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26TH).

Limited Edition Picture Disc of #2 Album 'The Overload' never been pressing on a Picture Disc before. 

A private press rarity that few know of, ‘Song of Island’ was the third album from pianist Yasuhiro Kohno’s trio, recorded live at the jazz club and live house (gig venue) ‘Again’ in August 1985. Pressed up in small numbers, ‘Song for Island’ was issued on the private ASCAP Records, set up by pianist and band leader Yasuhiro Kohno. The album is a follow up to Kohno-san’s previous two albums, ‘Peace’ and ‘Roma in the Rain’, released on the cult Aketa’s Disk label. However, unlike the ‘Peace’ and ‘Roma in the Rain’ albums, ‘Song of Island’ has never been reissued before – until now. The title track was included on J Jazz volume 3. This is a very special album that captures a special time in Japanese jazz, when exemplary acoustic jazz was still being performed and recorded by dedicated and talented artists at the height of mid-80s synth pop. ‘Song of Island’ features four original compositions by Yasuhiro Kohno plus a distinctive take on a jazz standard. Yasuhiro Kohno was born in Nara, southern Japan, in 1953 and made his professional debut as a member of Japanese rocker Eikichi Yazawa's band before going on to accompany actor/singer Masatoshi Nakamura. As well as recording and performing under his own name, Kohno has also played with American musicians such as Richard Davis and Mal Waldron and continues to perform regularly in Japan. ‘Song of Island’ will be issued as a full reproduction of the original work, with inserts, translated original sleeve notes, plus new sleeve notes, photos, and interview with Yasuhiro Kohno by Tony Higgins.

TRACK LISTING

1. Song Of Island
2. Time For Peace
3. Love For Sale
4. Mr Nilson
5. Village Festival

A tribute to Country/Novelty-singer-songwriter Roger Miller, made by two friends from the DIY underground. Mathias Kom is a Canadian musician, songwriter and academic. He releases most of his efforts as The Burning Hell. Toby Goodshank is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who made his high-profile musical debut playing acoustic guitar in The Moldy Peaches. He has a prolific solo career, recording 14 albums in a five-year span.

3CD
The definitive collection of PJ Harvey B-Sides, rarities and non-album demos.
59 tracks, 14 previously unreleased, spanning 3 decades.
Artwork features rare and unseen archive photography.
3CD version features 12 page booklet

6LP Box
The definitive collection of PJ Harvey B-Sides, rarities and non-album demos.
59 tracks, 14 previously unreleased, spanning 3 decades.
Artwork features rare and unseen archive photography.
6LP Box features 180g black vinyl housed in printed inner-sleeves.

TRACK LISTING

3CD:
Disc 1
1. Dry – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
2. Man-Size – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
3. Missed – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
4. Highway 61 Revisited – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
5. Me-Jane – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
6. Daddy
7. Lying In The Sun
8. Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
9. Darling Be There
10. Maniac
11. One Time Too Many
12. Harder
13. Naked Cousin
14. Losing Ground
15. Who Will Love Me Now
16. Why D’ya Go To Cleveland (Previously Unreleased)
Disc 2
1. Instrumental #1
2. The Northwood
3. The Bay
4. Sweeter Than Anything
5. Instrumental #3
6. The Faster I Breathe The Further I Go (4 Track Version)
7. Nina In Ecstasy 2
8. Rebecca
9. Instrumental #2
10. This Wicked Tongue
11. Memphis
12. 30
13. 66 Promises
14. As Close As This
15. My Own Private Revolution
16. Kick It To The Ground (4 Track)
17. The Falling
18. The Phone Song
19. Bows & Arrows
20. Angel
21. Stone
Disc 3
1. 97°
2. Dance
3. Cat On The Wall – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
4. You Come Through – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
5. Uh Huh Her – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
6. Evol – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
7. Wait
8. Heaven
9. Liverpool Tide
10. The Big Guns Called Me Back Again
11. The Nightingale
12. Shaker Aamer
13. Guilty – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
14. I'll Be Waiting – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
15. Homo Sappy Blues – Demo (Previously Unreleased)
16. The Age Of The Dollar – Demo (Previously Unreleased)
17. The Camp
18. An Acre Of Land
19. The Crowded Cell
20. The Sandman - Demo
21. The Moth - Demo
22. Red Right Hand

LP Box:
LP1 - Side A
1. Dry – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
2. Man-Size – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
3. Missed – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
LP1 - Side B
1. Highway 61 Revisited – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
2. Me-Jane – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
3. Daddy
LP2 - Side A
1. Lying In The Sun
2. Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
3. Darling Be There
4. Maniac
LP2 - Side B
1. Harder
2. Naked Cousin
3. Losing Ground
4. Who Will Love Me Now
5. Why D’ya Go To Cleveland (Previously Unreleased)
LP3 - Side A
1. Instrumental #1
2. The Northwood
3. The Bay
4. Sweeter Than Anything
5. Instrumental #3
6. The Faster I Breathe The Further I Go (4 Track Version)
7. Nina In Ecstasy 2
LP3 - Side B
1. Rebecca
2. Instrumental #2
3. This Wicked Tongue
4. Memphis
5. 30
LP4 - Side A
1. 66 Promises
2. As Close As This
3. My Own Private Revolution
4. Kick It To The Ground (4 Track)
LP4 - Side B
1. The Falling
2. The Phone Song
3. Bows & Arrows
4. Angel
5. Stone
LP5 - Side A
1. 97°
2. Dance
3. Cat On The Wall – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
4. You Come Through – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
5. Uh Huh Her – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
6. Evol – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
LP5 - Side B
1. Wait
2. Heaven
3. Liverpool Tide
4. The Big Guns Called Me Back Again
5. The Nightingale
6. Shaker Aamer
LP6 - Side A
1. Guilty – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
2. I'll Be Waiting – Demo (Previously Unreleased Demo)
3. Homo Sappy Blues – Demo (Previously Unreleased)
4. The Age Of The Dollar – Demo (Previously Unreleased)
5. The Camp
LP6 - Side B
1. An Acre Of Land
2. The Crowded Cell
3. The Sandman - Demo
4. The Moth - Demo
5. Red Right Hand

Limited edition 12", only available for a limited time only. In addition to its title track, ‘Brexit At Tiffany’s’ also features a collaboration with grime artist MC Manga Saint Hilare titled ‘3 Minutes To Midnight’, and is closed out by a song called ‘Test of Time’.

The new EP marks Skinner’s second release as The Streets this year, after linking up with Master Peace for ‘Wrong Answers Only’ in January. Last year, he celebrated lockdown ending on the ‘Who’s Got the Bag (21st June)’, and remixed Greentea Peng‘s ‘Free My People’.'

TRACK LISTING

Brexit At Tiffany’s
3 Minutes To Midnight
Test Of Time

'The Portable Herman Dune' Vol. 1 is an acoustic anthology, the first of three parts, in which 22 years of songwriting are laid bare, stripped to the most intimate bone, to be released at intervals over the coming months. Though sonically naked, the songs are bundled up in emotion and loaded with life. Centre-stage are David Ivar's songs, with his 1954 guitar, his 1930s mandolin, and his voice, plus exceptional guests: Julie Doiron, Mayon (Ivar's life partner), Caitlin Rose, Jolie Holland, and Kimya Dawson providing vocal counterpoint.

Second studio album via Island Records.

Signposting a bold and ambitious new era for the band, Sports Team explain that ‘R Entertainment’ explores “The packaging down of all human experience into entertainment, prompted by the infinite scroll through social feeds and the manic formlessness of the images we are hit with every day. Graphic news interrupted by ads for season 17 of The Bodyguard, news as a rubbernecking, passively waiting for the next drop of horror as we flick through recipes.”

Sports Team are Alex Rice (lead vocals), Rob Knaggs (rhythm guitar + vocals), Henry Young (lead guitar), Oli Dewdney (bass), Al Greenwood (drums) and Ben Mack (keyboard + percussion). Formed in 2016, the band released two EPs Winter Nets and Keep Walking! before sharing their debut album Deep Down Happy in June 2020 to widespread critical acclaim, praised by The Times for their “indomitable spirit and a refusal to take things too seriously” and The Guardian for their “sharply observational lyrics skewering the mores of suburbia”.

TRACK LISTING

The Game
Dig!
The Drop
Cool It Kid
Unstuck
R Entertainment
Kool Aid
Getting Better
Fingers
Light Industry

This is the EU version and not the U.S Kevin Grey release…..although the source audio from the EU version is from Kevin Grey’s master, but cut on a different lacquer.

Motown’s “Prince Of Soul,” Marvin Gaye, was already a hit artist for nearly a decade when, in 1971, he reached new heights with his album What's Going On. An immediate landmark recording, it was the first of Gaye's albums to break the top ten of Billboard’s Top LPs, and quickly became Motown's best-selling record. To this day, What's Going On is hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, earning the number one spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2020 list of “The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time.”

In celebration of this groundbreaking album while also marking the 50th anniversary of the title song’s release as a single, UMe will be issuing collections that honor the depth of Gaye's album.

First, Motown/UMe has consolidated several What’s Going On-related releases into one new digital collection, What’s Going On: Deluxe Edition/50th Anniversary This includes the original album, plus 12 bonus tracks featuring each of the LP’s original mono single versions and their B-sides, two of which are different takes – “God Is Love” and “Sad Tomorrows,” an earlier version of “Flying High (in the Friendly Sky)” – while the pre-album single version of “What’s Going On” has no “party” intro and a false fade. Also included is the title song’s earliest mix, initially made as a reference for Motown’s in-house quality control department before horns and strings were added; a dramatic instrumental mix; a “Coffeehouse Mix” by Grammy-winning engineer Russ Elevado that emphasizes the track’s previously buried acoustic guitar, originally available on a Record Store Day exclusive 10” EP for the album’s 45th anniversary in 2016. Also included from that same 2016 release is a “What’s Going On” duet with Motown artist B.J. the Chicago Kid. Other tracks are an early working version of “Symphony,” written by Marvin with Smokey Robinson, in which Marvin sings over and over, “what’s going on?” while the song of the same name sat unreleased; and the instrumental “I Love the Ground You Walk On,” recorded during the same waiting period.

Fifty years later, the influence and meaning behind this legendary record continues to ring true. The single “What’s Going On” originated as a response to police brutality at a protest in Berkeley, CA and coincided with personal tragedy in Gaye's life as well as Gaye’s brother's time fighting in Vietnam. The compounding experiences sparked the poignant plea that became the full-length LP What's Going On. Calling out to a broken country, Gaye searched for reason and hope in a world that felt desperate and senseless; a sentiment that many share now more than ever.

Marvin Gaye continues to hold his place as one of the greatest singers, composers and producers of all time, and in this half a century What's Going On has proven itself to be one of the world's most unforgettable records. 

TRACK LISTING

LP 1:
SIDE 1
What’s Going On 3:53
What’s Happening Brother 2:44
Flyin’ High (In The Friendly Sky) 3:50
Save The Children 4:03
God Is Love 1:42
Mercy Mercy Me 3:13
SIDE 2
Right On 7:32
Wholy Holy 3:08
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) 5:27

LP 2:
SIDE 3
What’s Going On Stripped Version * 3:57
What’s Going On 3:54 Mix 1/no Strings Or Horns
What’s Going On Rhythm & Strings Instrumental Mix 3:50
Symphony Demo Version 2:49
SIDE 4 – Original Mono Single Mixes
What’s Going On 3:54
God Is Love 2:51
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) 2:30
Sad Tomorrows 2:22
Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) 2:58
Wholy Holy 3:09

Bob Marley With The Chineke! Orchestra reimagines some of Bob Marley's greatest songs with contemporary classical orchestration from the globally esteemed Chineke! Orchestra. Recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by Nick Patrick (If I Can Dream, Elvis Presley and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, True Love Ways, Buddy Holly and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), reimagined tracks include Satisfy My Soul, Exodus, Is This Love, Redemption Song, Get Up, Stand Up, and One Love/People Get Ready, scheduled for release as a lead track on 25th March.

The genesis of the idea for Bob Marley & The Chineke! Orchestra came via the acclaimed cellist and 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year Sheku Kenneh-Mason OBE. Although now a full-time solo artist and no longer an active Chineke! member, it was Kenneh-Mason's pioneering and original arrangements of Marley's No Woman, No Cry and Redemption Song that initially captured the attention and appreciation of Tuff Gong and the Bob Marley estate. So the Chineke! musical journey, via Abbey Road Studios, had begun.

Chineke! founder Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE explains, "As a purely trained classical musician, the idea of being involved in a musical collaboration with the legendary Bob Marley was truly mind-blowing. I ardently believe that all genres of music should be open to absolutely everyone, so it was wonderful for Chineke! to be able to bring new orchestrations to these iconic tracks."

TRACK LISTING

1. Exodus
2. Stir It Up
3. One Love/People Get Ready
4. Get Up, Stand Up
5. Is This Love
6. Redemption Song
7. Top Rankin'
8. Satisfy My Soul
9. I Shot The Sheriff
10. Turn Your Lights Down Low

Originally released in 2008 and unavailable on vinyl until now – 22 Dreams is Paul Weller’s 9th studio album. The album features Oasis stars Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer as well as Steve Cradock (Ocean Colour Scene) and Blur guitarist Graham Coxon. At the time critics called it Wellers best album to date.

It went straight into the number 1 spot in the UK album chart. The release comes as a 2LP – Gatefold sleeve. Includes a 12″ x 36″ b/w-poster with printed lyrics, tracklist and credits on the back side + Includes an 8-page booklet titled “The Missing Dream AKA Dream # 22” by Simon Armitage.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
Light Nights
22 Dreams
All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
Have You Made Your Mind Up
Empty Ring
Side 2
Invisible
Song For Alice
Cold Moments
The Dark Pages Of September Lead To The New Leaves Of Spring
Black River
Side 3
Why Walk When You Can Run
Push It Along
Dream Reprise
Echoes Round The Sun
One Bright Star
Lullaby Fur Kinder
Side 4
Where'er Ye Go
God
111
Sea Spray
Night Lights

Whatever aspect you might like about these DIY Indie Pop Superheroes, you'll find it here, just a little bit more. Garbage Island, The Burning Hell's newest album, is a danceable romp through a fractured landscape of apocalypses near and far, celebrations of failure and escape, a dense medley of pop culture references, and plenty of birdlife. It will be released on June 24 2022 on BB*ISLAND and the band will spend much of the autumn and winter touring it through Europe, North America and Australia. Along the way, the album narrates both the need for action and the joys of refusing the hustle, imagines a futuristic nostalgia for the days of post-apocalyptic touring life, celebrates escape and solitude, and concludes with the hesitant suggestion that the end of the world can't last forever. The songs feature the omnivorous genre- bending and rapid-fire surrealist lyricism the band has been known for in the past, but while there is humour and playfulness in abundance, there are few jokes. It's either the darkest record The Burning Hell has made, the most reassuring, or the most fun. It might be all three.

"Making a record about a future world of disintegration and renewal while the real world seemed to be collapsing around us felt right." say Mathias Kom.

The Burning Hell is the ongoing musical project of songwriter Mathias Kom and multi- instrumentalists Ariel Sharratt and Jake Nicoll, often including additional comrades and collaborators. Their densely populated genre-shifting songs are packed with an abundance of literary, historical, cultural, and pop-cultural forebears, heroes and villains, subjects and objects, stories and hooks. They move with heavy rhyme and a light step, incorporating a frequent fixation on apocalypse and ruin into work that celebrates participation in a surprising, delightful, and even occasionally beautiful world. Which is to say they're good dance partners and they want to dance with you. The Burning Hell are DIY in the best possible sense-underlining the "Do"- affirming a commitment to the political power of sharing music. It is a profoundly optimistic gesture, by way of killer tunes, exuberant hooks, and joyful live performances.

TRACK LISTING

01. No Peace (4:34)
02. Nigel The Gannet (3:41)
03. Birdwatching (2:06)
04. Dirty Microphones (3:54)
05. The Last Normal Day (2:48)
06. Empty World (2:34)
07. Minor Characters (2:39)
08. All I Need (4:11)
09. Swan Boat (3:07)
10. Bird Queen Of Garbage Island (5:04)
11. Speechlessness (4:22)
12. The End Of The End Of The World (4:25)

In celebration of the return of Glastonbury Festival in 2022 and the 15th anniversary of the performance, we are pleased to announce the release of Amy Winehouse’s 2007 Pyramid Stage set for the first time.

This performance on the Pyramid Stage was the first of two on the 22nd June 2007, Amy later went on to perform on the Jazz World Stage too.

The artwork includes a foreword by Emily Eavis.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: We all know how this goes. It's Amy Winehouse, performing at Glastonbury in 2007. Peak Winehouse, on one of the most renowned stages in the world. Unsurprisingly great.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Addicted
Just Friends
Tears Dry On Their Own
He Can Only Hold Her
Side B
Cherry
Back To Black
Wake Up Alone
Love Is A Losing Game
Side C
Fuck Me Pumps
Cupid
Hey Little Rich Girl
Monkey Man
Side D
You Know I'm No Good
Rehab
Me & Mr Jones
Valerie

Omaha singer-songwriter Simon Joyner, who's been making records since 1990, has been on a roll since his mid-career magnum opus, 2012's Ghosts, one of the great double albums of the past 25 years. On Songs From A Stolen Guitar, he is abetted by collaborators new and old, but the social distancing required by the pandemic of 2020 imbues the album with a distinct and poignant tenor.

Following on from the reissues of ‘Everybody Else is Doing it… ‘ and ‘No Need to Argue’ – and 30 years after their debut release – UMC are proud to issue the band’s greatest-hits collection ‘Stars: The Best of 1992–2002’ on vinyl.

The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 1990s with global smashes such as ‘Zombie’, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Linger’ – collected here alongside tracks from their five albums for Island – plus two tracks unavailable on other albums, ‘New New York’ and ‘Stars’

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Dreams
Linger
Zombie
Ode To My Family
I Can't Be With You
Side B
Ridiculous Thoughts
Salvation
Free To Decide
When You're Gone
Hollywood
Side C
Promises
Animal Instinct
Just My Imagination
You & Me
Analyse
Side D
Time Is Ticking Out
This Is The Day
Daffodil Lament
New New York
Stars

Since oozing onto the scene, Mildlife’s mellifluous mix of jazz, krautrock and demon grooves has fast become a word of mouth sensation among open-minded DJs and diggers searching for the perfect beat. Their emergence was fortified by European tours, demonstrating a riotously looselimbed performance approach that was every bit as thrilling as their album’s tantalizing promise. By the end of their breakout year, they’d been nominees for Best Album at the Worldwide FM Awards (Worldwide’s Gilles Peterson was a notable champion), won Best Electronic Act at The Music Victoria Awards back home in Melbourne, and were officially anointed by DJ Harvey who included ‘The Magnificent Moon’ on his Pikes compilation Mercury Rising Vol II.

2020’s follow-up album Automatic saw the band elevate with more disciplined, directional and arguably more danceable synergy. With tightly structured arrangements making way for melodic improvisation and ethereal vocals, Mildlife effortlessly glid between live performance and studio songwriting like Kraftwerk and Herbie Hancock quarantined in Bob Moog’s Trumansburg workshop. Debuting Top 10 on the Australian charts, Automatic snared a converted ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album.

In early 2021, unable to play shows due to the pandemic, Mildlife travelled by boat to a long abandoned 19th century island fort to perform for fairy penguins and abalone poachers. The result is Live from South Channel Island, a 70 minute motion picture and live album where the band masterfully recreate the magic of their live shows, framed by the gorgeous Port Phillip Bay.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's really hard to ignore the similarities here to Pink Floyd's 'Live In Pompeii' (looking at the comments on bandcamp too, it's not just me), but Mildlife's brand of hazy psychedelic jazz veers away from Pink Floyd as much as it veers towards. Laid-back grooves and saturated, swooning synths all brought together with those syrupy vocals. Stupidly brilliant, visually and audibly.

TRACK LISTING

A
1 Rare Air (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Vapour (Live From South Channel Island)
B
1 Im Blau (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Citations (Live From South Channel Island)
C
1 The Magnificent Moon (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Zwango Zop (Live From South Channel Island)
D
1 Automatic (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Air (Live From South Channel Island)

Toby Goodshank made his high-profile musical debut playing acoustic guitar in The Moldy Peaches. Truth Jump Fall originally dates from 2011, only released previously on home-pressed CDr.

Island Family is the fifth album from Isle-of-Eigg dwelling electro-acoustic psych-pop wonder Pictish Trail, AKA Johnny Lynch. A strange, unpredictable, sardonic and yet deeply personal record inspired by all from Fever Ray to The Flaming Lips, Liars, Mercury Rev and Beck, Island Family is Pictish Trail’s contrarian view of arcadia; a search for the euphoric in the bucolic, bound up in sometimes conflicting ideas and feelings around nature and environment, sincerity and artifice, escapism and belonging. It’s an album about how no man can remain an island, however hard he might try.

Released by Fire Records, with support from Johnny’s own label Lost Map, and produced by long-term collaborator Rob Jones (The Voluntary Butler Scheme, The Gene Dudley Group), ‘Island Family’ opens with its title track, a song of death, ghosts and the ties that bind, fusing abrasive electronic beats with a tongue-in-cheek fireside folk refrain and the haunted ice cream van melody of a digitally reincarnated traditional Scottish jig. A purgative surrender to nature’s whim driven by a clattering machine drumbeat rolled in a puddle of filthy dirty fuzz, ‘Natural Successor’ is five-and-a-half-minutes of cathartic churning bass.

‘In The Land of The Dead’ is an eight-bit glitch-core reflection on island party excesses spasming into existential dread and regret, suitably accompanied by a funereal mariachi band. It’s followed by the epic ‘It Came Back’, the understated verses and arms-aloft falsetto chorus of which are accompanied by a tense, foreboding bass-driven electro hip hop instrumental with (spoiler) a brain-shattering industrial-metal meltdown. ’Melody Something’ is the album’s purest moment, a cautiously uplifting solar-powered-ballad about losing track of time in the cycle of the seasons, and the gap between memory and reality. Shapeshifting closer ‘Remote Control’ is a channel hopping cabin-fever-dream flipping from warped boyband ballad to deep-fried fuzz pop.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The latest outing in the Pictish Trail odyssey takes the blippy, 8-bit sounds of 202's 'Thumb World' and winds them around a core of wicker-folk psychedlia and oddball glitched electronics for stalwart label, Fire Records. It's both wonderfully odd and stunningly melodic in parts, but beautifully balanced with just the right amount of syncopated oddity and swimming lysergic folk.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1 Island Family
A2 Natural Successor
A3 The River It Runs Inside Of Me
A4 In The Land Of The Dead
A5 It Came Back
Side B
B1 Thistle
B2 Melody Something
B3 Nuclear Sunflower Swamp
B4 Green Mountain
B5 Remote Control

Collection of ten unreleased demos written for the ninth PJ Harvey studio album The Hope Six Demolition Project, including demos of ‘The Wheel’ and ‘The Community Of Hope’. Features brand new artwork with cover art based on a drawing by Polly Jean Harvey, plus previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz and Seamus Murphy. Artwork is overseen by Michelle Henning with Rob Crane. Mastering by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of long time PJ Harvey producer John Parish.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
The Community Of Hope
The Ministry Of Defence
A Line In The Sand
Chain Of Keys
River Anacostia
Side B
The Orange Monkey
Medicinals
The Ministry Of Social Affairs
The Wheel
Dollar, Dollar

Repress on vinyl of the ninth PJ Harvey studio album The Hope Six Demolition Project. Originally released in 2016, it features the singles ‘The Wheel’, and ‘The Community Of Hope’.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
The Community Of Hope
The Ministry Of Defence
A Line In The Sand
Chain Of Keys
River Anacostia
Side B
Near The Memorials To Vietnam And Lincoln
The Orange Monkey
Medicinals
The Ministry Of Social Affairs
The Wheel
Dollar, Dollar

Smile is the pet project of Björn Yttling & Joakim Åhlund - Björn, who is a member of famed international jet-set trio Peter, Björn and John, and also an extremely well merited writer and producer for a slew of other superstars such as Lykke Li, Primal Scream, Chrissie Hynde, Haim etc to name but a few.

Joakim, or Jocke as they call him back in their native Sweden, is more the freeloader here, riding on the coat-tails of his more successful colleague, but he has also been the driving force behind a couple of musical projects such as Teddybears and Caesars. He has dabbled in songwriting and producing also, working with Giorgio Moroder, Robyn, Charli XcX etc. Together the two form Smile, a duo, but that also sometimes contains several of their talented musician friends. Featuring the smash Call my name featuring global superstar Robyn on vocals.

TRACK LISTING

Kylie
Call My Name (feat. Robyn)
Special Knock
Kattens Pyjamas
Troll- Holk
Eon
Dressed For Success
Different Kind Of Fog
Landsort / Phantom Island

"Untitled" is a rare bona fide cult classic and weird pop album from Moldy Peaches guitarist Toby Goodshank.

Since the demise of his previous band Ultimate Painting, Jack Cooper – under his Modern Nature guise – has never stopped looking ahead, exploring, and reaching for something further. Since 2019, he’s released an EP, mini album Annual, one full length LP, one 7” and three live cassettes – in the process mapping out astonishing new terrain. Island Of Noise presents an obvious new peak in his discography.

“Mesmerising... A treasure trove of interesting musical ideas, as well as a source of restorative solace.” The Guardian – 4 stars ****

“On Island Of Noise Modern Nature’s Jack Cooper folds together much of what he’s already done – illuminated pop, exploratory improvisations, post-Canterbury prog – and locates a common thread, expanding outwards with the help of free-music pioneers saxophonist Evan Parker and bassist John Edwards.” Uncut – 9/10

“Jack Cooper captures a sense of mystery and magic on his second album as Modern Nature, using gentle folk rock as the base for a subtle evocation of peacefulness.” The Times – 4 stars ****

TRACK LISTING

1 Tempest
2 Dunes
3 Performance
4 Ariel
5 Bluster
6 Symmetry
7 Masque
8 Brigade
9 Spell
10 Build

Reissue on vinyl of the eighth PJ Harvey studio album Let England Shake. The album was produced by PJ Harvey, Flood and John Parish and originally released in February 2011. Let England Shake features the singles ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’ and ‘The Glorious Land’ and was the second album in the catalogue to win the UK’s Mercury Music Prize. Reissue is faithful to the original recording and package, cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of original co-producer John Parish.

Collection of unreleased demos of tracks written for the eighth PJ Harvey studio album Let England Shake, including demos of ‘The Words That Maketh Murder’, ‘The Glorious Land’ and ‘The Last Living Rose’. Features brand new artwork – the cover is a drawing by Polly, and the package also includes previously unseen photos by Seamus Murphy. Mastering by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey producer John Parish.

TRACK LISTING

1LP
Side 1
Let England Shake - Demo
The Last Living Rose - Demo
The Glorious Land - Demo
The Words That Maketh Murder - Demo
All And Everyone - Demo
On Battleship Hill – Demo
Side 2
England - Demo
In The Dark Places - Demo
Bitter Branches - Demo
Hanging In The Wire - Demo
Written On The Forehead - Demo
The Colour Of The Earth - Demo

1CD
Let England Shake - Demo
The Last Living Rose - Demo
The Glorious Land - Demo
The Words That Maketh Murder - Demo
All And Everyone - Demo
On Battleship Hill – Demo
England - Demo
In The Dark Places - Demo
Bitter Branches - Demo
Hanging In The Wire - Demo
Written On The Forehead - Demo
The Colour Of The Earth - Demo

Formed in 2019, Yard Act began life when friends Ryan Needham (Bass) and James Smith (Vocals) started creating minimalist rock tracks using a primitive drum machine and borrowed bass guitar. Later drafting in George Townend on drums, and Sammy Robinson on guitars whom they met at their spiritual home The Brudenell Social Club / Leeds

After a handful of singles, Leeds' Yard Act drop their hugely anticipated debut album. ‘The Overload’ is a record of great dexterity and curation, the output of a band who were raised on a 00s digital-revolution buffet of wide musical influences. Growing up on US MTV Hip-Hop, minimal 70s No-Wave and sharp-witted British indie, Yard Act benefit from this rich tapestry of musical near-history, using it to create something that feels like more than a trendy pastiche.

In a world of great polarity, nuance is normally the answer. We may shame and bicker and amplify our outrage, but at the core of it all, we’re all still inhabitants of the same ecosystem, most of us trying to tow the delicate line between empathy and self-preservation. If nothing and no-one is purely good nor evil, true societal improvement can only come from recognizing some kind of middle ground.

In many ways, Yard Act is a project that exists through the fusion of seemingly opposing entities. Old friends in a new band, they seek out shades of socio-political grey, imbibing their stories with sharp, satirical spoken-word humour. Spearheaded by James Smith (vocals) and Ryan Needham (bass), the now four-piece, completed by Sam Shjipstone (guitar) and Jay Russell (drums), have built a sound that speaks inherently to their birthplace of Leeds, West Yorkshire, and yet ties together observations from all walks of modern British life – the small-town bloke in the local pub, the anti-capitalist stuck at a desk job, the tired activist in all of us torn between easy complicity and the desire to fight. Their sound and ethos might be progressive, but it’s not about pointing fingers so much as opening eyes.

“Lyrically, I think it’s a record about the things that we all do - we're all so wired into the system of day to day that we don't really stop and think about the constructs that define us,” says Smith. “But also beyond that, it's kind of exciting, because there’s still so much we don’t understand; how a hive mindset is forged, how information spreads, how we agree and presume things without thinking. Some people think more than others, but a lot of this sloganeering - 'I'm on the left, I'm not wrong' - doesn't achieve anything. Gammons, Karens, Snowflakes, whatever – I find it all so boring. I'm just not into that.”

What Yard Act are into is ideas. Having grown from relatively casual pub acquaintances to housemates, Smith and Needham found living together to be conducive to a high work rate, racking up demos in quick succession. Settling into a system of programming, looping and layering, the alchemy between the two created a base from which to build their narrative world. “Ryan is a vibe guy, whereas I overthink everything,” laughs Smith. “It’s been the greatest creative partnership I've ever had. When you find a groove that works, it just kind of looks after itself.”

With just three hometown shows under their belt, world events intervened. But rather than letting the pandemic derail them Yard Act set up their own imprint, Zen F.C. and across the course of 2020 and into early 2021 released four increasingly coruscating, hilariously dark singles with ‘The Trapper’s Pelts’, ‘Fixer Upper’, ‘Peanuts’ and Dark Days’ all securing BBC 6Music play, and despite the circumstances developing a remarkable, ever increasing fanbase.

“One of the first reasons we started the band, before anything even took off, was to play live because we had fun playing live,” says Smith. “but very quickly, we realised that we just loved writing songs, and writing songs isn't just about jamming in a room and writing those long noodly songs. It’s a massive cliché, but we've always been influenced by pop music, and finding a way to present it in a way that feels like ‘us’. The more people reacted to the spoken word thing, the more we felt encouraged; you can kind of hear how it gets more and more ridiculous as the singles came out. Positive reinforcement is how you explore and push the strongest bits to the extreme. And our extreme is just me talking loads — I'll talk until the track runs out!

Far from the self-indulgent bluster that Smith jokes about, ‘The Overload’ is a record of great dexterity and curation, the output of a band who were raised on a 00s digital-revolution buffet of wide musical influences. Growing up on US MTV Hip-Hop, minimal 70s No-Wave and sharp-witted British indie, Yard Act benefit from this rich tapestry of musical near-history, using it to create something that feels like more than a trendy pastiche. “There are generations of digital crate-diggers now that just absolutely love music and know how to navigate it,” says Smith. “Old music becomes new music. It's made everyone less worried about the now I think.”

While time-travelling in parts sonically, ‘The Overload’ weaves a very-2021 storyline. The group made the decision early on to leave ‘Fixer Upper’ and ‘Dark Days’ off their album debut (“it sounds arrogant, but we felt we had enough good songs without ‘em”), but the joyous specificity of their early lyrical observation is still in fine evidence, plotting a visceral, satirical journey through capitalism and greed. Across the album’s 11 tracks, an unnamed character – a bricolage of characters that Smith has met, imagined, or himself been – finds himself in quite the financial pickle, ricocheting from desk job to desperate illicit activity to police investigation, before culminating in the kind of half-cut personal epiphany that even the most law-abiding among us could relate to. Bookended by cheeky cameo’s from ‘Fixer Upper’s' Graeme and a clear structure of four parts, there is no getting around it — Yard Act have written a soap opera.

“At Ryan's insistence, the record was actually called ‘Yard Act The Musical’ for a long time, but I've got a really weird relationship with musicals, as in I fucking hate them,” deadpans Smith. “I don’t want to overthink it, but I do like concept albums, and I do think stuff works better when it's given time to be gestated and let people pick at lyrics and think what they mean.”

“We had about six standout tracks when we started thinking about an album, and from those, I saw a theme of money and capitalism, a sort of mockery of it. It's basically just a man in their late 20s, early 30s, who's always tried to fight against the system, stood up for things that they believe in and had a very strong moral compass. But it kind of crushes them in as many ways as it makes them happy – you sacrifice your beliefs for a life of comfortability, and still have to carry the burden of that decision.”

For a record of some potential heaviness, a dark sense of humour is integral. The record’s title track – its opener — plays like a raucous spaghetti western-themed night at the Hacienda, while ‘Land Of The Blind’s loose-swinging bass and jabbing guitars gives acerbic pace to its sordid tale of financial exploitation. The influence of post-punk is apparent, but the shackles of ‘authenticity’ have been shaken loose - “I think we could all feel that this post-punk thing was getting tired; ‘Land Of The Blind’ felt like quite a pivotal song in switching us away from what people thought we were.”

Even through Smith’s openly cynical lens, the world isn’t an entirely cruel and hopeless place. As our character finds themselves in the reflective epitaph of the final three songs, they explore how they might have come to be; the narcissistic peers they grew up with (‘Tall Poppies’), the Friday nights setting the world to intoxicated rights (synth-tinged “Pour Another’), and then ‘100% Endurance’, a poignant, emotional release which finds some kind of freedom in the futility of it all, an opportunity rather than an oppression; “It’s all so pointless/ But it’s not though is it?” As a closer, it’s entirely pivotal for the juxtaposition they’re trying to achieve.

“When that came right at the end of the record, it felt like it really completed it by sounding different to the rest .” says Smith. “It’s a little bit like a slip of the mask, which felt really important after a record of me being quite sarcastic, which I’m quite good at. It feels a bit like a gateway to where we can go.”

Pulling off a debut album in a pandemic isn’t easy, but somehow, Yard Act have made it work. Recording with Ali Chant (PJ Harvey, Perfume Genius, Aldous Harding) at his Bristol studio, those prolific demos have been sharpened down into something that speaks to the times we live in, creating a statement of intent that survives on nuance – a record of retro influences, recorded in a modern way, that manages to poke fun at society without punching down from a place of lefty superiority. ‘The Overload’ is a political record, but in the same way that all great observations of human nature are – a messy, complex, knowingly hypocritical snapshot of our current state of play.

“I just hope it makes people laugh at the peculiarities of human nature,” says Smith. “The world feels very heavy at the moment; it has done for a while, and when bad things happen, the weight of the world makes you panic, you want to change everything like flipping a switch. But that's not how it works. All you can do is plant seeds. I don’t think good and bad really exists, and I don't think you can change people's minds any other way.

“So that's what I hope, but I also just hope people can just enjoy it. And I hope it lasts. I hope people like the detail - I think we can learn a lot about each other through an observational smirk. Jenessa Williams

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklist:
Side A
A 1. The Overload
2. Dead Horse
3. Payday
4. Rich
5. The Incident
6. Witness (Can I Get A?)
Side B
7. Land Of The Blind
8. Quarantine The Sticks
9. Tall Poppies
10. Pour Another
11. 100% Endurance

CD Tracklist:
1. The Overload
2. Dead Horse
3. Payday
4. Rich
5. The Incident
6. Witness (Can I Get A?)
7. Land Of The Blind
8. Quarantine The Sticks
9. Tall Poppies
10. Pour Another
11. 100% Endurance

‘Santa Cruz Gold’ is an album of country-tinged indie folk tunes.This is the first physical release for the album which was released digitally in 2018. The album comes after band leader David Ivar had given up on releasing albums through labels and recorded the whole thing by himself. The late David Berman (Silver Jews) was instrumental in giving Ivar the confidence that he’d written a great bunch of songs. Includes guest performances from Jolie Holland and Caitlin Rose.

On their vibrant and eclectic ninth studio album Clinic, the band who wore surgical masks before it was a matter of urgency, are taking you to Fantasy Island, where you will find yourself transported to tropical climes.

In Hartley’s words: “Clinic look to a brighter future, [Fantasy Island] it’s a very positive album, it's more about what you can make happen rather than being defeatist.”

Their last album, 2019’s Wheeltappers and Shunters, found the band satirising British culture and wallowing in sleazy Seventies nostalgia. Fantasy Island was recorded in an old studio on Merseyside during the summer of 2019, with good vibrations seeping into the grooves. This time they are embracing “the idea of looking at the future and the different ways it can unfold”, with their most electronic and pop record to date. “It’s a more global, international and outward looking record,” says Hartley. “Clear blue horizons. The brave new world!”

The album was mixed last year by Claudius Mittendorfer, who has worked with Parquet Courts, Neon Indian and many pop greats.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Clinic take their trademark post-punk psychedelic groove into new territories with their latest outing, 'Fantasy Island'. Part outsider electronica, part woozy psychedelic groove and entirely wonderful, it's a perfect listen for the times we live in.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Lamplighter
2. Fine Dining
3. Take A Chance
4. Refractions (In The Rain)
5. Dreams Can Come True
6. Miracles
7. On The Other Side…
8. Fantasy Island
9. I Can’t Stand The Rain
10. Feelings
11. Hocus Pocus
12. Grand Finale

How Beautiful Life Can Be, recorded at Parr Street Studios, Liverpool. In the company of producers, James Skelly and Chris Taylor, pushes The Lathums’ remarkable story into the next, even more exciting phase. The Great Escape, having been previously self-released by the young band, emerges from the album sessions in sparkling, new form, whilst retaining the melodic stardust that caused the first rumblings of the social-media led stampede to their early gigs.

Kick-started by growing pains and life’s unlucky twists, fuelled by the simple salvation of six guitar strings and supercharged by the fans that found them slogging their gear into the north of England’s pubs and small venues, The Lathums story may turn out to be the perfect not-all-nice-guys-finish-last tale.

It was only in the summer 2019 that the band’s fuse was lit by Tim Burgess, who offering them a late slot at Kendal Calling where, inside 24 hours, social media chatter caused their audience to spill into the field beyond their tent. A year later they had achieved their first UK Album Chart Top 20 for vinyl-only EP compilation, The Memories We Make, recorded their debut appearance for Later… With Jools Holland and joined the BBC Sound Poll 2021 list of tipped acts at the end of a year that skidded on the black ice of a global pandemic but, somehow, left the band on their feet.

For a band whose singing songwriter had never been to a gig before playing his own, yet incomprehensibly carried a trunk load of sensitively-crafted, empathetic, sing-a-long anthems straight into their first rehearsal, The Lathums have flown at nosebleed speed to where they are now.

Hailing from Wigan on the overlooked fringes of Greater Manchester, The Lathums are Alex Moore, casting a new outline of the modern frontman, singing alongside student of the Marr-esque jangle guitar, Scott Concepcion, rapid-fire, wise-cracking bassist, Jonny Cunliffe (aka: Bass Mon Jon) and the steady, rhythmic, wise head, Ryan Durrans on drums. Pithily described by those closest as ‘like The Inbetweeners in a Shane Meadows film’, they are four bright, wild flowers growing between grey paving stones. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: This new LP is sure to continue the meteoric upwards trajectory of The Lathums, swimming with influences from The Smiths, The Coral and 90's Britpop into a wonderfully upbeat and undeniably melodic full-length. This Wigan quartet are definitely going places.

TRACK LISTING

1. Circles Of Faith
2. I’ll Get By
3. Fight On
4. How Beautiful Life Can Be
5. The Great Escape
6. I Won't Lie Side B
7. I See Your Ghost
8. Oh My Love
9. I’ll Never Forget The Time I Spent With You
10. I Know That Much
11. Artificial Screens
12. The Redemption Of Sonic Beauty

Reissue on vinyl of the second collaboration album between PJ Harvey and John Parish – A Woman A Man Walked By.

Produced by Parish and Harvey, and originally released in March 2009, A Woman A Man Walked By features the single ‘Black Hearted Love’. Reissue is faithful to the original recording with vinyl cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, overseen by John Parish.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Black Hearted Love
Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen
Leaving California
The Chair
April

Side B
A Woman A Man Walked By / The Crow Knows Where All The Little Children Go
The Soldier
Pig Will Not
Passionless, Pointless
Cracks In The Canvas

Collection of unreleased demos written for the seventh PJ Harvey studio album White Chalk, including demos of ‘When Under Ether’, ‘The Piano’ and ‘The Devil’. Features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz. Artwork is overseen by Maria with Rob Crane. Mastering by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of long time PJ Harvey producer John Parish.

TRACK LISTING

1LP
Side A
The Devil - Demo
Dear Darkness - Demo
Grow Grow Grow - Demo
When Under Ether - Demo
White Chalk - Demo
Side B
Broken Harp - Demo
Silence - Demo
To Talk To You - Demo
The Piano - Demo
Before Departure - Demo
The Mountain - Demo

CD
The Devil - Demo
Dear Darkness - Grow Grow Grow - Demo
When Under Ether - Demo
White Chalk - Demo
Broken Harp - Demo
Silence - Demo
To Talk To You - Demo
The Piano - Demo
Before Departure - Demo
The Mountain – Demo

Yesterday Park’ is an album about nostalgia, that feeling of looking back, not to one specific time or place but rather the feeling associated with the hazy blur of childhood and teenage memories. The songs cover a lot of different themes, but at their heart they all stem from formative memories. When writing we considered how our understanding of past experiences had shifted through the many different retrospective lenses we have. Life has become more complex and we wanted to capture that feeling of looking back, finding the beauty in those simple moments that exist as silver-linings in our memories. That reflection also brought us to think differently about the complexity and challenges of life today. It inspired us to consider the importance of taking responsibility for the harm that the world is doing to itself, at the same time as needing to take more responsibility in our own lives.

We had the majority of the album written just before everything shut down in March last year, but, since taking that enforced pause, the songs have grown to take on new significance for us. Nostalgia is a feeling that has become more relevant for everyone in the last year, with more time and space to reflect on past experiences. We regrouped in the summer in a strange, semi-locked-down London to record ‘Yesterday Park’. Although we’d always previously self-produced our music, we wanted to expand our sound for this record in order to best capture that feeling we wanted to create, and we began working with producer Mikko Gordon (Thom Yorke, Arcade Fire). We stepped away from some of our old approaches and brought in new ideas, experimenting with more complex production that we had previously shied away from. Introducing new textures, instrumentation and recording techniques allowed us to better create that reflective feeling we were aiming for. We drew a lot of influence from the 90s, and particularly beat-driven 90s hip-hop which inspired a lot of the grooves in the album.

After being apart from each other for months, away from any chance to perform, hunkering down in our hometown and focusing in on making ‘Yesterday Park’ was a really intense experience for us, and emphasised that cathartic feeling of reflecting on the past.

TRACK LISTING

1. Octopus
2. Everyone's The Same
3. Do You Remember The Times
4. Young Days
5. We Use To Talk
6. Yesterday Park
7. By Your Side
8. The Lines We Follow
9. When I Gave You My Heart
10. This Part Of Town
11. My Brother
12. The Way We Love

Reissue on vinyl of the seventh PJ Harvey studio album White Chalk. The album was produced by PJ Harvey, Flood and John Parish and originally released in September 2007. White Chalk features the singles ‘When Under Ether’, ‘The Piano’ and ‘The Devil’. Reissue is faithful to the original recording and package, with cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of original co-producer John Parish.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
The Devil
Dear Darkness
Grow Grow Grow
When Under Ether
White Chalk

Side B
Broken Harp
Silence
To Talk To You
The Piano
Before Departure
The Mountain

Reissue on vinyl of the 2006 collection of PJ Harvey sessions with the late BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, spanning recordings from the start of her career in 1991 up to 2004.

Reissue is faithful to the original recording and package, with cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey producer John Parish.

TRACK LISTING

Side One
Oh My Lover – Peel 29.10.91
Victory - Peel 29.10.91
Sheela-Na-Gig - Peel 29.10.91
Water - Peel 29.10.91
Naked Cousin – Peel 2.3.93
Wang Dang Doodle - Peel 2.3.93

Side Two
Losing Ground – Peel 5.9.96
Snake – Peel 5.9.96
That Was My Veil – Peel 5.9.96
This Wicked Tongue – Peel 10.11.00
Beautiful Feeling – Peel 10.11.00
You Come Through – John Peel Tribute 16.12.04

“Nigel Rolfe’s “Island Stories” is a unique record for 80’s Ireland. An unusually experimental electronic and abstract record for the time, it was originally released to little fanfare on Reekus records in 1986. Based around the DX7 synth and key collaborations with studio engineers and vocalists it was created as a soundtrack to a performance work of the same name.

Born and raised in the Isle of Wight performance artist Nigel Rolfe has made Ireland his home since he arrived at Dublin Port in 1974. An art school graduate who witnessed the British rock explosion of the late 60s in person and as participant, he had been an organ player in a number of British rock bands of the time and a roadie for a number of the early 60’s UK tours by legendary US blues musicians. As the music world freaked out in the later part of the decade he moved with it, and after completing a fine art degree in the West Coast of England in the early 70s he moved to Ireland despite having no connections with the country – “Drawn by the archeology” – settling straight into the experimental arts scene which was based around the Project Arts Centre where he worked. Organising exhibitions and teaching, his interest in music was rekindled by the explosion of punk.

The key to his music making and this LP here was access to a studio – in this case Windmill Lane. A busy place in the early to mid 80s it had a production and video arm and acted as the centre for U2’s recording operations. Rolfe worked there doing carpentry and building jobs in exchange for off peak studio recording time. Coming in contact with the bands passing through and working closely with the engineers and tape operatives employed by the studio he was also able to take advantage of Brian Eno’s presence (he was there working with U2) and figure out the DX7 which forms the backbone of the LP and which – like most else - on the LP is played by Rolfe. Released by Reekus records in 1986 a year after it was completed, there was little expectation placed on the record and Rolfe had no careerist ambitions.”

TRACK LISTING

1. African Flower
2. Going Boeing
3. Three Monkeys (The Russians Are Coming)
4. Made In Japan
5. Heartbeat Drumbeat
6. The Ostrich
7. Amerikaye
8. Breast Mound Bowl
9. PW Bothas Funeral March

easy life have today announced details of their much-anticipated debut album ‘life’s a beach’, which will be released on Island Records on May 28th. The record is introduced by its powerful opening track ‘a message to myself’, and includes standout singles ‘nightmares’, ‘daydreams’, and more future-classics from the Leicester five-piece; who have already charted in the top 10 (on the ‘Junk Food’ mixtape), won ‘Best New British Act’ at the 2020 NME Awards, and amassed a huge live audience around the world with their unique brand of optimism !

The leaders of the pack" NME
“Properly original, easy life slide into your consciousness and immediately put down roots” Sunday Times
“Imagine what would happen if Alex Turner, Kaytranada and Loyle Carner collaborated, and you’ll get something fairly close to easy life’s indefinable sound” GQ
"Vibey, laidback...comically surreal" Fader
"One of the most buzzed about bands...undisputed bops" Wonderland. 

TRACK LISTING

A Message To Myself
Have A Great Day
Ocean View
Skeletons
Daydreams
Life’s A Beach (interlude)
Living Strange
Compliments
Lifeboat
Nightmares
Homesickness
Music To Walk Home To

‘At The BBC’ is the anticipated reissue from Amy Winehouse, originally released as a box set in 2012 this is the first time that the two discs ‘A Tribute To Amy Winehouse by Jools Holland’ and ‘BBC One Sessions Live at Porchester Hall’ are combined together to create this incredible masterpiece. The first time the tracks are available on vinyl, the set features tracks from Later with Jools across the year from 2003-2007 feature the most renowned tracks such as ‘Tears Dry On Their Own’, ‘Rehab’ and ‘Love Is A Losing Game’. And notably Amy’s first performance on the show in 2003 with ‘Stronger Than Me’. This is an essential listening and a celebration of the icon which is Amy Winehouse.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There's very little that needs saying for this. Amy Winehouse has left more of an impression on the landscape of singer-songwritery than pretty much any artist I can think of, and this soulful collection of her various BBC and Jools Holland appearances sees her in absolute peak form. As mindblowing as it is heartbreaking, the stripped-back perfection displayed here couldn't be any more of a testament to the enduring appeal of Winehouse, and to have it all in one place is perfect.

TRACK LISTING

A Tribute To Amy Winehouse By Jools Holland

Stronger Than Me (Later With Jools Holland/Nov 2003)
Take The Box (Mercury Prize/Sept 2004)
Teach Me Tonight Feat. Jools Holland (Hootenanny/Dec 2004)
Rehab (Later With Jools Holland/Oct 2006)
Tenderly Feat. Jools Holland (Later With Jools Holland/Oct 2006)
Tears Dry On Their Own (Later With Jools Holland/Oct 2006)
Monkey Man Feat. Jools Holland (Hootenanny/Dec 2006)
I Heard It Through The Grapevine Feat. Paul Weller And Jools Holland (Hootenanny/Dec 2006)
Don't Go To Strangers Feat. Paul Weller And Jools Holland (Hootenanny/Dec 2006)
Love Is A Losing Game (Mercury Prize/Sept 2007)

The BBC Sessions

Know You Now (Leicester Summer Sundae 2004)
Fuck Me Pumps (T In The Park 2004)
In My Bed (T In The Park 2004)
October Song (T In The Park 2004)
Rehab (Pete Mitchell 2006)
You Know I'm No Good (Jo Whiley Live Lounge 2007)
Just Friends (Big Band Special 2009)
Love Is A Losing Game (Jools Holland 2009)
Tears Dry On Their Own (Jo Whiley Live Lounge 2007)
Best Friends, Right? (Leicester Summer Sundae 2004)
I Should Care (The Stables 2004)
Lullaby Of Birdland (The Stables 2004)
Valerie (Jo Whiley Live Lounge 2007)
To Know Him Is To Love Him (Pete Mitchell 2006)

BBC One Sessions Live At Porchester Hall

Know You Now (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Tears Dry On Their Own (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
You Know I'm No Good (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Just Friends (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
He Can Only Hold Her (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
I Heard Love Is Blind (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Rehab (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Take The Box (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Some Unholy War (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Back To Black (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Valerie (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Addicted (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Me & Mr Jones (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)
Monkey Man (Live At Porchester Hall/2007)

Reissue on vinyl of the sixth PJ Harvey studio album Uh Huh Her. The album was self-produced and originally released in May 2004. Uh Huh Her features the singles ‘The Letter’, ‘You Came Through’ and ‘Shame’. Reissue is faithful to the original recording and package, with cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey producer Head.

TRACK LISTING

Side One
The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth
Shame
Who The Fuck?
The Pocket Knife
The Letter

Side Two
The Slow Drug
No Child Of Mine
Cat On The Wall
You Come Through
It’s You
The End
The Desperate Kingdom Of Love
The Darker Days Of Me & Him

Collection of unreleased demos of written for the sixth PJ Harvey studio album Uh Huh Her, including demos of ‘The Letter’ and ‘Shame’. Features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz. Artwork is overseen by Maria with Rob Crane. Mastering by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering, under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey producer Head.

TRACK LISTING

Side One
The Life And Death Of Mr. Badmouth - Demo
Shame - Demo
Who The Fuck? - Demo
The Pocket Knife - Demo
The Letter - Demo

Side Two
The Slow Drug - Demo
It’s You - Demo
The Desperate Kingdom Of Love - Demo
The Darker Days Of Me & Him - Demo

Originally released as a limited run cassette on Low Jack's Editons Gravats label in 2017, we now get an official vinyl pressing via L.I.E.S.

Krikor Kouchian serves this killer soundtrack to the documentary 'Arabie Saoudite: Les Liaisons Dangerousness' Where the French TV program focuses on the Saudi royal family’s support of Wahhabism and the West’s appeasement of Saudi foreign policy, Kouchian underlines and accentuates the content with a brooding blend of mirage-like electronics and minimalist drum machine geometries. A deviation from his previous works and one in which he moves into appropriately darker synth territory.

Disclosure are brothers Guy & Howard Lawrence. This year marks 10 years since they released their debut single ‘Offline Dexterity’. In that decade (they are still only 28 and 25 respectively) they have released two number 1 albums (‘Settle’ 2013 & ‘Caracal’ in 2015) and clocked up 4.5 billion streams, 4.5 million album sales, sold 500k tickets to their headline shows and topped festival bills all over the world (including the Other Stage at Glastonbury) – something they do with ease whilst also enjoying playing to packed out sweaty clubs whenever they can. They have been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, BRITs and five Grammy’s.

‘Caracal’ is a muscular and nuanced record, with a depth to it that will pin it to the canon of dance music history. It’s crunchy and gets under your skin. A proper album album, you might say. A number of exciting collaborator names appear on ‘Caracal’ including The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Lorde, Miguel , Gregory Porter , Nao, Lion Babe, Kwabs , Jordan Rakei & Brendan Riley. . These guest features sit perfectly alongside ‘Jaded’, ‘Echoes’ and ‘Molocules’ which are written and performed by Howard Lawrence himself. 

TRACK LISTING

Disc 1 - Side A

Nocturnal (ft. The Weeknd)
Omen (ft. Sam Smith)
Holding On (ft. Gregory Porter)

Disc 1 - Side B

Hourglass (ft. LION BABE)
Willing & Able (ft. Kwabs)
Magnets (ft. Lorde)
Jaded

Disc 2 - Side A

Good Intentions (ft. Miguel)
Superego (ft. Nao)
Echoes
Masterpiece (ft. Jordon Rakei)

Disc 2 - Side B

Molecules
Moving Mountains (ft. Brendan Reilly)
Afterthought

‘Island’, the latest album from Oscar-nominated composer and songwriter Owen Pallett, released on Domino / Secret City Records (Canada).

Almost entirely acoustic, ‘Island’ begins with 13 darkened chords and was recorded live at Abbey Road Studios with the London Contemporary Orchestra. The introduction is the sound of waking up alone and on the shore of a strange land. What follows is a shimmering and luscious orchestral album that draws across the full breadth of Pallett’s discography, from ‘Heartland’’s Technicolor to the glittering, fingerpicked guitar that marked Pallett’s first records with their trio, Les Mouches.

In addition to Pallett’s Grammy Award-winning work with Arcade Fire, Pallett’s commissions have included string, brass and orchestral work for Last Shadow Puppets, The National, The Mountain Goats, Christine and arrangements for Frank Ocean, Caribou, R.E.M., Linkin Park, Sigur Rós, Taylor Swift and the Pet Shop Boys.

Since the release of ‘In Conflict’ (2014), Pallett has earned an Oscar nomination for their film scoring work on Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ and an Emmy for Sølve Sundsbø’s ‘Fourteen Actors Acting’. Their score for Matt Wolf’s ‘Spaceship Earth’, a documentary about a crew who spent two years quarantined inside a replica of Earth’s ecosystem called BIOSPHERE 2, is out now.

TRACK LISTING

---> (i)
Transformer
Paragon Of Order
---> (ii)
The Sound Of The
Engines
Perseverance Of The
Saints
Polar Vortex
---> (iii)
A Bloody Morning
Fire-Mare
Lewis Gets Fucked Into
Space
---> (iv)
In Darkness
Paragon Of Order
(version)
Fire-Mare (version)

Collection of unreleased demos of every track written for the fifth PJ Harvey studio album Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea, including demos of ‘Good Fortune’, ‘A Place Called Home’ and ‘This Is Love’. Audio has been mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey collaborator Head. Features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Big Exit - Demo
Good Fortune - Demo
A Place Called Home - Demo
One Line - Demo
Beautiful Feeling - Demo
The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore - Demo

Side B
This Mess We’re In - Demo
You Said Something - Demo
Kamikaze - Demo
This Is Love - Demo
Horses In My Dreams - Demo
We Float - Demo

Island Of Lost Souls is the first of four new albums by Roy Montgomery coming out in 2021 to commemorate Montgomery’s forty years in music. His debut release was also Flying Nun’s first, the Pin Group 7-inch from 1981.

Roy Montgomery, a pioneer of the NZ underground, believes there is always new sonic terrain to investigate. His latest album for Grapefruit marks forty years of rigorous exploration in which he’s managed to navigate disparate genres, scenes, and atmospheres, always at the forefront of experimental independent music.

Island Of Lost Souls follows his acclaimed 2018 LP Suffuse—a novel departure in which he consigned all vocal duties to ambient / experimental peers Liz Harris (of Grouper), Julianna Barwick, Purple Pilgrims, Haley Fohr (of Circuit des Yeux), Katie von Schleicher, and She Keeps Bees. But the veteran evolves again. On this release Montgomery creates resounding, aerial compositions for guitar. Where some might be inclined to relax and lean into their legacy at this stage in a sprawling career, Montgomery’s new music continues to seek and challenge, moving like the eye of a storm.

This latest album cries out like a chorus, though there are no vocals on the record. Its tracklist instead builds upon the lonesome and polyphonic dimensions of guitar in order to express universal feelings of communion and isolation, resisting conclusion but never resorting to fatalism. Life is all about navigating these contradictions and everyone is with Montgomery on this island whether they’d like to admit it or not. Here, the artist has created a work of wisdom and grit, a searing beauty, a new masterpiece for an uncertain and restless time.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cowboy Mouth (For Sam Shepard)
2. Soundcheck (For Adrian Borland)
3. Unhalfmuted (For Peter Principle)
4. The Electric Children Of Hildegard Von Bingen (For Florian Fricke)

Reissue on vinyl of the fourth PJ Harvey studio album Is This Desire?. Produced by PJ Harvey with Flood and Head, and originally released in September 1998, Is This Desire? features the singles ‘A Perfect Day Elise’ and ‘The Wind’. Reissue is faithful to the original recording and package, cutting by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey producer Head.

TRACK LISTING

Side A

Angelene
The Sky Lit Up
The Wind
My Beautiful Leah
A Perfect Day Elise
Catherine

Side B

Electric Light
The Garden
Joy
The River
No Girl So Sweet
Is This Desire?

Collection of unreleased demos of every track written for the fourth PJ Harvey studio album Is This Desire?, including demos of ‘A Perfect Day Elise’, ‘The Wind’ and ‘Angelene’. Audio has been mastered by Jason Mitchell at Loud Mastering under the guidance of longtime PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish. Features brand new artwork with previously unseen photos by Maria Mochnacz.

TRACK LISTING

Angelene - Demo
The Sky Lit Up - Demo
The Wind - Demo
My Beautiful Leah - Demo
A Perfect Day Elise - Demo
Catherine - Demo
Electric Light - Demo
The Garden - Demo
Joy - Demo
The River - Demo
No Girl So Sweet - Demo
Is This Desire? - Demo