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JAMES

Skip James

The Rough Guide To Skip James

    Skip James was a Delta blues enigma, whose mesmerizing guitar playing and haunting voice produced bluer than blue masterpieces. This beautifully re-mastered collection of his seminal 1931 recordings shows why his otherworldly blues cast its spell on many blues greats from Robert Johnson to Eric Clapton.
    Arguably the greatest of the original Delta blues guitarists with his mesmerizing and truly unique style. 'The Rough Guide To Skip James' highlights his diverse repertoire of songs ranging from deep, dark Delta blues to upbeat barrelhouse piano tunes and spirituals.

    TRACK LISTING

    Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues
    I’m So Glad
    Drunken Spree
    If You Haven’t Any Hay Get On Down The Road
    Cherry Ball Blues
    Be Ready When He Comes
    Little Cow And Calf Is Gonna Die Blues
    Devil Got My Woman
    How Long “Buck”
    Jesus Is A Mighty Good Leader
    Cypress Grove Blues
    Illinois Blues
    22-20 Blues

    Lulu

    James Bond - The Man With The Golden Gun (RSD24 EDITION)

      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.



      2023 was a remarkable year for James - with a Top 3 album (their 9th Top 10 album), a sell out UK tour with a 25 piece orchestra and 8 piece choir onstage with them, a stunning special guest appearance at Latitude Festival, a headline show at The Acropolis in Greece and receiving the Icon award at The Ivor Novello awards in recognition of their songwriting. Amongst all of this, the band have recorded their new album to be released in April 2024. It is produced by Leo Abrahams (who has previously collaborated with Jon Hopkins, Brian Eno, Jarvis Cocker, Imogen Heap and Regina Spektor) and mixed by Cenzo Townsend (Courteeners, Specials, Keane, Snow Patrol, Everything Everything).

      2024 is already shaping up to being another huge year for the band - their June Arena tour is their biggest ever tour and they are already close to selling out both The O2 and the new Manchester Co-Op arena. James release their new album Yummy, with the first single ‘Is This Love’. The artwork for both the album and first single was designed by Stephen Kennedy (Studio Fury) who is responsible for a number of iconic works over the years including the Rolling Stones’ latest album Hackney Diamonds.

      TRACK LISTING

      Standard CD And LP Tracklisting:
      1. Is This Love
      2. Life Is A Fucking Miracle
      3. Better With You
      4. Stay
      5. Shadow Of A Giant
      6. Way Over Your Head
      7. Mobile God
      8. Our World
      9. Rogue
      10. Hey
      11. Butterfly
      12. Folks

      Deluxe 2CD Tracklisting:
      1. Is This Love
      2. Life Is A Fucking Miracle
      3. Better With You
      4. Stay
      5. Shadow Of A Giant
      6. Way Over Your Head
      7. Mobile God
      8. Our World
      9. Rogue
      10. Hey
      11. Butterfly
      12. Folks
      13. Anyone But You
      14. Close Enough
      15. Mine To Lose
      16. Activist Song
      17. Won’t Be The Same
      18. Tell Me Something
      19. Poolewe Day1Jam4
      20. Arpen Charp
      21. Deliver The Dawn
      22. Something Of A Pleasure
      23. Walk Tall
      24. 50s Out Takes

      James Elkington And Nathan Salsburg

      All Gist

        The duo's third album of instrumental guitar recordings pushes their sinuous compositions into labyrinthine new shapes, interlocking and interlocutory, supported by a cast of stellar collaborators. Interwoven among the dazzling original pieces is a fascinating array of covers, ranging from traditional Breton dance tunes to a deconstruction of Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance." How it was made - in two segments of three days, one in early Winter, one in late Winter, in Chicago—is a testament to James and Nathan’s enthusiasm for the project. As they’d done on their previous two duo records, each brought fragments of varying lengths to the table (literally James and his family’s kitchen table) and, in varying degrees of frenzy, built songs out of them. Some, like “Numb Limbs,” took several intense hours of tinkering, mostly for Nathan to carve sympathetic designs around the knotty edifice James had constructed—thus its title. Others, like “Death Wishes to Kill” (a phrase lifted from a T.F. Powys novel the two had each recently read and loved) took its feverish shape in forty minutes full of shrieks and groans and hysterical laughs hard-stopped by James rushing out, late, to get his son from school. The acceptable window for coffee consumption was pushed to its reasonable limits, and then beyond them, slamming up against a reasonable hour to start drinking beer. As with Ambsace, the covers on All Gist outline a Venn diagram of Elkington and Salsburg’s abiding interests. On one end is a faithful arrangement of English composer Howard Skempton’s resplendent “Well, Well, Cornelius” (1999); on the other is a composite of two traditional Breton dance tunes (pieced together from Canadian, Irish, and Breton sources); and in the middle where else is a transmutation of Neneh Cherry’s monumental “Buffalo Stance” (1988), a song that no one aside from James and Nathan would ever have thought for a moment could or should be made into fodder for two acoustic guitars. But it was, and with delicacy and joy and sincere reverence for the original, which they painstakingly deconstructed. All Gist perhaps demonstrates more than anything the precarious balance struck between what the Elkington-Salsburg duo is exemplified by cramming to compose or remember guitar parts in James’s kitchen and what the duo could be if it was the engine of a small orchestra in a government-funded arts enclave in some Central European country … where they’d be contractually obliged to perform in matching well-tailored suits.

        TRACK LISTING

        A1. Death Wishes To Kill
        A2. Long In The Tooth Again
        A3. Numb Limbs
        A4. Nicest Distinction
        A5. Well, Well, Cornelius
        B1. Explanation Point
        B2. Fears Of This Nature
        B3. Rule Bretagne
        B4. All Gist Could Be Yours
        B5. Buffalo Stance

        J & M Music Co US welcomes LeBaron James for another standout four-tracker that brings raw house and smooth disco together on one EP. Up first is 'Always Be True', a deceptively simple sound that brings straight-up dancefloor beats with hooky pads. 'House Party' then has more heavy kicks and wild percussive patterns to liven up any party and 'One' then brings a more cool and laid-back disco groove that has a slick modern twist. Last but not least is 'Sugar And Spice' which brings a touch of sophisticated and chic instrumental vibes. It's a fourth different sound on a versatile EP.

        TRACK LISTING

        Always Be True
        One
        House Party
        Sugar & Spice

        James Brown

        Please, Please, Please - 2024 Reissue

          Through the gospel-impassioned fury of his vocals and the complex polyrhythms of his beats, James Brown became the single most important fgure in the transformation of rhythm & blues into soul music. He was also arguably the most infuential African-American artist in the history of popular music. This special collector's edition of Please, Please, Please was James Brown & The Famous Flames' debut LP (1959) for the King label. This seminal album helped define the primeval nature of soul. It also offers a solid introduction into this Browm's special brand of musical feeling - his passionate style, intense delivery, and innovative R&B sound. The foot- tapping rhythms, spine- tingling stylings, and sentimental mood renderings so typical of his early performances can all be heard here. Without a doubt, this is the material upon which James Brown's kingdom was built.

          TRACK LISTING

          Please, Please, Please
          Chonnie-On-Chon
          Hold My Baby's Hand
          I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On
          Just Won't Do Right
          Baby Cries Over The Ocean
          I Don't Know
          Tell Me What I Did Wrong
          Try Me (Brown
          That Dood It
          Begging, Begging
          I Walked Alone
          No, No, No, No
          That's When I Lost My Heart
          Let's Make It
          Love Or A Game
          This Old Heart

          Australian DJ and producer James Mac joins forces with France based Vall for their Afro House rework of Aaliyah’s 2001 hit ‘Try Again’. This follows their debut hit single together 'The Boy Is Mine' which remained the #7 highest selling record on Beatport overall for 3 months. The vinyl includes official remixes from house music legend David Penn, French producer Holseek and Sydney based DJ/Producer on the rise Ben Miller, as well as the Sasson Remix of ‘The Boy Is Mine’.

          TRACK LISTING

          A1. Extended
          A2. Ben Miller 4am Afro Dub
          B1. David Penn Remix
          B2. Holseek Remix
          B3. The Boy Is Mine (Sasson Remix)

          James Varda

          Chance And Time - 2024 Reissue

            Suffolk-based singer songwriter James Varda’s fourth and final album before his death from a long battle with cancer in 2015, Chance And Time, reissued on Unspun Heroes is an astonishing aural document of a creative, forward -thinking musician coming to terms with a life slowly evaporating away. There is hubris, melancholy and an undeniable weight of sadness in these ten songs but, miraculously, there is also a stoic realisation and acceptance from Varda that is both heart-wrenching and deeply affecting. On Chance And Time Varda reconnects the human spirit to the land, a heavy, fearful heart to an optimistic soul, and in a beautiful poetic flourish gives a real tangible sense of loving and hope to his family and friends offering genuine reassurance and even, at times, a green light for celebration.

            Carrying a certain air of mystique, that same sense of a ‘other worldliness’ if you will of say a Karen Dalton or a Jeff Buckley, Varda’s delivery and tone carries huge emotional weight here and an unique ability to add an honest perspective and warmth to the starkest of realities. The hard hitting impact of the opening tracks is blunt and sharply defined. There is pain, hardship, and fear wrapped in these tales - ‘The Doctor Spoke, Two Hearts Broke” - made all the more hitting as this is a real life journey in the here and now being catalogued. As we move towards the second half of the record there is something even deeper and truly incredible at play. Varda’s whole demeanor is one of understanding and acceptance - hear the celebratory shamanic vibe of the extraordinary ‘Pass It On’ and the poignantly reflective, chokingly sad finale ‘We Won’t Dream’ - bringing to an end a record that will leave a mark on everyone who hears it. Real art is both timeless and omnipresent, these songs from James Varda will hang in the air forever and be there for those who look to find understanding, joy and a sense of hope. Chance And Time is both an extraordinary record and poignant study of life and living, of death and what comes after.

            James Varda released four albums between 1988 and his death in 2015. A fledgling career beginning on the singer-songwriting folk scene where his arrival was met with both curiosity and critical acclaim as was his debut, the John Leckie produced Hunger. Any momentum was lost however as it would be ten years before the next, In The Valley was met with a ruffle of applause. Cancer took hold of the troubadour and for a number of years Varda lived life and wrote songs until The River And The Stars appeared like a phoenix from the flames as he began to wrestle with the realities of his situation. It’s a record that beautifully lays the ground for this his masterpiece that was to follow.

            Unspun Heroes, a new label set up by Simon White, has the sole purpose of finding and reissuing albums that he considers both undervalued and seemingly ignored. All releases will be on vinyl only complete with Obi strip and extensive liner notes. Each will be individually numbered and limited.


            TRACK LISTING

            1) It’s Not Quite Too Late
            2) May This Moment Ever Glow
            3) The Doctor Spoke
            4) Our Love Will Never End
            5) Only Love
            6) Let My Place
            7) One Thing After Another
            8) Pass It On
            9) Beside The Sea
            10) We Won’t Dream

            The Messthetics And James Brandon Lewis

            The Messthetics And James Brandon Lewis

              On their Impulse! debut album, Washington DC’s experimental jazz punk trio The Messthetics (drummer Brendan Canty and Joe Lally of iconic punk band Fugazi, with guitarist Anthony Pirog) join forces with acclaimed jazz tenor saxophonist, composer and bandleader James Brandon Lewis. Together, they widen the reach of decisive instrumental music through their overlapping of jazz, punk, funk, aggression and innovation.

              TRACK LISTING

              1. L’Orso
              2. Emergence
              3. That Thang
              4. Three Sisters
              5. Boatly
              6. The Time Is The Place
              7. Railroad Tracks Home
              8. Asthenia
              9. Fourth Wall

              Fast paced and hypnotic, this transcendental transportation device courtesy of Ryan James Ford utilizes techno's deep set repetition to create states of suspended liminal bless. Sits really nice to that recent record by Erin Hopes, and others on Altered Circuits. Really nice stuff indeed for the up all nite crowd. Tip!

              TRACK LISTING

              01 Xtra Tall Tee
              02 Tricycle (proto Mix)
              03 Sensitive Needs
              04 Bodge (closing Mix)

              James Toth

              Demon Stations

                Next full length up on Feral Child sees a welcome reunion for both label and artist; having teamed up lots in the past, JAMES TOTH and label head Dom, join forces for another beauty.

                This time round, 11 previously (and mostly- certainly in these forms) unreleased home recordings and demos from a 10 year period between 2012 and 2022. Titled “Demon Stations”, it’s a beautifully seamless collection, mercifully saved from the relative oblivion of bandcamp / digital only demos and released on vinyl.

                Many of course know James best from his Wooden Wand moniker, alongside his work with the likes of Michael Gira and Thurston Moore etc, then one would hope last years’ “Birthday Blues” 33 artist tribute / comp covering songs from various points of James’ career (feat Meg Baird, Lee Ranaldo, Six Organs of Admittance amongst others) will only have raised his star further….

                On this collection, James says ““Demon Stations” is a compilation of songs from five different digital-only demo collections I released on Bandcamp between 2021 and 2023. I relied on the ears and judgment of my old friend Dom to curate this comp, allowing him to choose his favorites from over 60 songs. While I might have chosen an entirely different batch of tunes, I was happy to defer to Dom, as I’ve never had much perspective when it comes to assessing my own material.

                All of the songs were recorded at home, mostly on the same day they were written. Most are first takes, intended to provide a template for a theoretical band to follow if and when the songs were to be re-recorded “properly” at a later date. A few have since been re-recorded for studio records, and a few others remain in contention for future studio records.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Barry says: An evocative, beautifully performed selection of minimal acoustic guitar and vocals, reminiscent of traditional country music, but lightened with Toth's wry lyrical direction and light touch on the guitar. It's as ever, another brilliant release from Dom PY / Feral Child and further shows his dedication to the musical cause.

                Mark Knight / Green Velvet / James Hurr

                The Greatest Thing Alive / Lady (Hear Me Tonight)

                Chicago legend, Green Velvet, returns to Toolroom as he locks horns with label founder Mark Knight and studio partner, James Hurr, for 'The Greatest Thing Alive'. A low slung, chunky affair that screams Miami Space terrace at 8am! Quirky, full of character and Green Velvets unmistakable vocal re-work of the classic 'Mannish Boy' from Muddy Waters pushes this record into a really special place. Green Velvet debuted on the label back in 2015 alongside Technasia with 'Suga', a record that went onto to be an overall Beatport #1 and remained as their highest selling track for many years that followed, the track also sits on an impressive 9m streams. On the flipside, head honcho Mark Knight, returns with studio cohort and DJs favourite James Hurr, as they take on one of House music's all-time classic records; 'Lady (Hear Me Tonight)'. No messing around, Mark and James offer up an alternative take to this stone cold classic, bringing the infectious vocal and iconic guitar riff to the forefront, mixing into a signature Mark Knight club heavy beat. Having previously collaborated on 'Make You Happy' with Todd Terry and last year's 'You Are A God' with vocalist Cari Golden, Mark Knight and James Hurr are fast becoming a killer duo in the studio, and throughout the scene. Offering up a killer reinterpretation of legendary House classic 'Lady (Hear Me Tonight)' by French House duo Modjo, a record which transcended the boundaries of dance music back in the early 2000's and has since become a record synonymous with the era. True to form, Mark Knight and James Hurr mix their musical prowess together and deliver yet another stomping hit for the clubs!

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Matt says: Phwooaaarr!! Take it to the terraces and the super clubs with two stonkingly large main roomers. Hard to pick a fave - whether its the monumental deep chug of "The Greatest Thing Alive" or the rattling refix of "Lady" - both are gonna blow the roof off!

                TRACK LISTING

                A1. The Greatest Thing Alive
                B1. Lady (Hear Me Tonight)

                James Alexander Bright

                Fall For You

                Multi-hyphenate artist James Alexander Bright releases soulfully tender paean to romance 'Fall For You', backed with urgent funker 'Viper Flames'. This new music heralds James' third solo album, currently being recorded and mixed, which is planned for release via Athens of the North mid 2024.

                On 'Fall For You' James says "You know when you've loved, to love is a magical thing. Whether it's an experience, an object, or a person; we've all loved and lost. The senses, vibration and elements have a wondrous strength and power. Love is the most powerful of all."

                Following the release of !K7 debut album 'Headroom' ("Blissful choruses, sweetly nagging refrains and a lo-fi sensibility. Hard not to love" Mojo), James featured on Groove Armada's album 'Edge Of The Horizon', contributed 'Under The Sun' to the Too Slow To Disco: The Sunset Manifesto compilation and released single 'It's Alright' with Feiertag. His second album, the joyous 'Float' ("Vivid intermingling of buoyant breakbeat drum loops, sunkissed psychedelic folk song, retrofuturist synthesisers and hot buttered British soul" Test Pressing), was released in July 2022 with singles 'Drink This Water', 'Wheels Keep Turning' and 'Sundown' feat Fink paving the way. This was followed in early 2023 by 'Mirage In The Mojave' ("One hundred percent proof dancefloor ready" Louder Than War), an album of collaborations and reworks with cosmic Americana-disco DJ/producer duo Flying Mojito Bros. On radio his tracks have been played across BBC 6 Music (where he's recorded guest mixes for Tom Ravenscroft and Huey Morgan), Amazing Radio, Bandcamp Weekly, Worldwide FM, Soho Radio, KCRW, Triple J and BBC Solent (who chose his track 'Tigers Roar' to soundtrack Portsmouth FC's 2019 journey to Wembley – awkwardly James is a Saints fan).

                A new project with Groove Armada's Tom Findlay as Bright & Findlay - married around their shared love of machine-led funk, outsider soul, 70s-80s nautica and 21st century basement disco - was released via Athens of the North in summer 2023. Solid tastemaker support included BBC 6 Music's Gilles Peterson, who included 'Slow Dance' amongst his tracks of the year, and Huey Morgan, for whom the duo recorded a Block Party mix.

                STAFF COMMENTS

                Paul says: Nestled proudly at the front of my record bag ready for my next Sunday session, Athens Of The North never fail to deliver the goods and this modern soul 7" is just the ticket.

                TRACK LISTING

                1. Fall For You
                2. Viper Flames

                The James Taylor Quartet

                Mission Impossible - 2024 Reissue

                  To mark the 35th Anniversary of the label, Acid Jazz has been reissuing seminal records from their catalogue on colour vinyl.

                  The second James Taylor Quartet release in the series, following ‘The Money Spyder’, this version of ‘Mission Impossible’ is pressed on a fitting red vinyl. 

                  The original release track-listing showcases JTQ’s sixties soundtrack odyssey – driving organ instrumentals from the beginnings of Acid Jazz.

                  Alongside Lalo Schifrin’s iconic title track appear tracks by Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and Bacharach & David, before the Taylor-penned original ‘The Stooge’ closes out this lean, hip collection.


                  TRACK LISTING

                  1. Blow Up
                  2. Mission Impossible
                  3. Goldfinger
                  4. The Cat
                  5. Mrs. Robinson
                  6. Alfie
                  7. The Stooge

                  James Elkington

                  Me Neither

                    Me Neither is a 29 track double album of instrumental guitar music. While juggling a number of other projects James Elkington began writing "music for which there was no purpose." It became a new way of working for him - waking up each morning and improvising and recording the first thing that came into his head. "The only rules I gave myself were that I should make most of the sounds with a guitar, changing the speed or processing the recordings afterwards to get the effect I was looking for." Before long he had an albums worth of material. About mid-way through the second album Elkington had a liberating thought: he was making his own version of library music "if you’re writing library music, you don’t have to know what it’s for - that can be someone else’s job.

                    TRACK LISTING

                    1. No-Shows
                    2. Burial At See
                    3. A Message For The Janesville King
                    4. A Round, A Bout
                    5. Look Spectral!
                    6. The 100-Faced Magma
                    7. A Breathable Liquid
                    8. The Permeable Realm
                    9. Section 2
                    10. Double Orchid
                    11. Part The Thin Painter From His Work
                    12. Every Second Morning
                    13. Section 3
                    14. Me Neither
                    15. Contact Twig Entanglement
                    16. New Red Masterpiece
                    17. Cup Cape
                    18. The Bird Renamed
                    19. Psycasts In Love
                    20. Where For Do I Run
                    21. The Home Counties
                    22. Today’s Dictation
                    23. Untidled
                    24. Sleep Baguettes Sleep
                    25. Infintu B
                    26. Tree Breather
                    27. The Incredible Waist Of Time
                    28. Nor Yet Door But The One
                    29. The Winner Takes It All

                    The James Taylor Quartet

                    The Money Spyder - 2023 Reissue

                      The sound of acid jazz on one record – heavy, organ-driven instrumentals from Hammond maestro James Taylor and his quartet. Part of Acid Jazz 35th Anniversary series, highlighting core releases from the label. The debut album from The James Taylor Quartet, premastered and pressed on clear vinyl.

                      TRACK LISTING

                      1. The Money Spyder
                      2. One Way Street
                      3. Car Chase
                      4. The Spiral Staircase
                      5. Mr. Cool’s Dream
                      6. A Real Mean Time
                      7. The Onion Club
                      8. The Stroll
                      9. “Los Cuevos Pablo”
                      10. Midnight Stomp
                      (The New Rumba)
                      11. Buzy Bee
                      12. In The Park 

                      James

                      Gold Mother - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                        2023 sees 40 years of James. As part of the celebration UMR is reissuing the band’s breakthrough album, Gold Mother on 2LP gold vinyl. Combining the 1990 and 1991 versions of the album it includes the iconic anthem Sit Down as well as How Was It For You, Come Home (Flood Mix) and Lose Control.

                        TRACK LISTING

                        Side A
                        Come Home (Flood Mix)
                        Lose Control
                        Government Walls
                        Side B
                        God Only Knows
                        You Can't Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That's Always Smiling)
                        How Was It For You
                        Sit Down
                        Side C
                        Walking The Ghost
                        Gold Mother
                        Top Of The World
                        Side D
                        Come Home
                        Crescendo
                        Hang On

                        James

                        Laid - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                          Originally released in 1993, this Brian Eno produced album would include the worldwide hit, Laid that became the “theme” to the American Pie series of films. It also included the tracks Sometimes and Say Something. Issued on trans red 2LP vinyl.

                          TRACK LISTING

                          Side A
                          Out To Get You
                          Sometimes (Lester Piggott)
                          Dream Thrum
                          Side B
                          One Of The Three
                          Say Something
                          Five-O
                          Side C
                          P.S.
                          Everybody Knows
                          Knuckle Too Far
                          Side D
                          Low Low Low
                          Laid
                          Lullaby
                          Skindiving

                          Loraine James

                          Gentle Confrontation

                            ‘Gentle Confrontation’, Loraine James's third Hyperdub album, opens a new chapter of her real and sonic life in which she examines her past and present. It's a positively languid, enjoyably disjointed set made while listening to her teenage favourites; math rock and emo-electronic such as DNTEL, Lusine and Telefon Tel Aviv. The album also features an ever more diverse set of peers, placing them in her unusual musical settings and drawing out sensitive and reflexive performances. At other times the album stretches out into a drifting ambience as if seeking a sense of bliss in the everyday. ‘Gentle Confrontation’ is about relationships (especially familial), understanding, and giving back a little grace and care, while the tone of the record criss-crosses watery ambience with denatured rhythm and asmr beats. These 16 tracks are Loraine's best work yet, and a personal and musical leap forward, delivering a totally unique vision of electronic pop music.

                            STAFF COMMENTS

                            Barry says: The inimitable Loraine James effortlessly mixes languid lounge jazz, scattered electronics and woozy downbeat on her third album for veteran electronic superlabel, Hyperdub. It's full of melodic hooks, submerged under a wash of beautifully produced electronic soup, and it's my favourite thing she's done by far. Brilliant.

                            TRACK LISTING

                            A1. Gentle Confrontation
                            A2. 2003
                            A3. Let U Go Ft. KeiyaA
                            A4. Déjà Vu Ft. RiTchie
                            B1. Prelude Of Tired Of Me
                            B2. Glitch The System (Glitch Bitch 2)
                            B3. I DM U
                            B4. One Way Ticket To The Midwest (Emo) Ft. Corey Mastrangelo
                            C1. Cards With The Grandparents
                            C2. While They Were Singing Ft. Marina Herlop
                            C3. Try For Me Ft. Eden Samara
                            C4. Tired Of Me
                            D1. Speechless Ft. George Riley
                            D2. Disjointed (Feeling Like A Kid Again)
                            D3. I’m Trying To Love Myself
                            D4. Saying Goodbye Ft. Contour

                            (CD BONUS TRACK : Scepticism With Joy Ft. Mouse On The Keys)

                            James Mac & Vall

                            The Boy Is Mine (ft. Rosalie)

                            Australian born French producer James Mac and Frenchman Vall deliver ‘The Boy Is Mine’ featuring the vocal talents of Rosalie, reimagining this certified R&B anthem of the late ‘90s into a hazy afro house bumper. Whether it’s the original mix or the glitched out, harder-hitting Funkerman remix – both sides are destined to light up any dancefloor they’re put before.

                            TRACK LISTING

                            A1. The Boy Is Mine (ft. Rosalie)
                            B1. The Boy Is Mine (ft. Rosalie) [Funkerman Remix]

                            James Blake

                            Playing Robots Into Heaven

                              Playing Robots Into Heaven follows the critically acclaimed Friends That Break Your Heart and will see James return to the electronic roots of his Hessle, Hemlock and R&S Records days.

                              STAFF COMMENTS

                              Barry says: A beautiful juxtaposition of the smooth post-dubstep bread & butter of musical polymath James Blake, and a wonderfully implemented selection of jagged modular synth lines and tense, rich atmospheric drones. For me, the perfect combination of his already established sound and a more exploratory instrumental direction. Stunning.

                              TRACK LISTING

                              1. Asking To Break
                              2. Loading
                              3. Tell Me
                              4. Fall Back
                              5. He’s Been Wonderful
                              6. Big Hammer
                              7. I Want You To Know
                              8. Night Sky
                              9. Fire The Editor
                              10. If You Can Hear Me
                              11. Playing Robots Into Heaven

                              Hoodie & James K

                              065 (Scorpio)

                              The dubby street-soul-downbeat jam ‘Scorpio’ and its drifting ambient electric anagram, ‘Ether,’ are brought to you by Hoodie x James K. Hoodie is Naemi and Shy: Naemi is a Berlin-based artist whose work encompasses a broad range of sonic aesthetics and philosophies of musical composition by way of a handful of aliases. Their focus in the past few years has slowly shifted more into the vein of classic songwriting, implementing more organic instrumentation and vocals, via collaborations such as Hoodie and Baby Bong, as well as material released under their own name. Shy is Michigan born, Berlin based resident DJ at Kwia. Aka Caveman LSD, fka uon & Ghostride The Drift.

                              James K releases on Incienso, AD 93 and PAN, among others, and continue to operate her label She Rocks! K provides shows for NTS, has collaborated with artists such as Yves Tumor, Beta Librae, Drew McDowall, crimeboys, and slayed her band SETH twice. She produces music that makes temporary haven for indomitable lyrics – and these are in constant flux. 


                              STAFF COMMENTS

                              Matt says: Ad 93 are on a roll! Another subversive thriller from the maverick label who seem quite content releasing whatever the hell they want - be it scuzzy industrial, ethereal synth pop, or in this case - a dubby downbeat streetsoul jam!

                              TRACK LISTING

                              Scorpio
                              Ether

                              James Yorkston

                              The Year Of The Leopard - 2023 Reissue

                                "The Year Of the Leopard" confounds categories. If there's a traditional side to it, it's following the tradition of individual singer-songwriter albums which conjure and inhabit a genre which lasts just as long as the needle's in the groove. Produced by former Talk Talk member Paul Webb, Yorkston approached him after hearing his understated but enthralling work on "Out Of Season", Webb's Rustin' Man album with Beth Gibbons (Portishead). And what they've come up with is another warm, mellow, gentle folk album which could snuggle up nicely next to "Moving Up Country" and knocks his last LP into a cocked hat! Lovely.

                                James Yorkston

                                When The Haar Rolls In - 2023 Reissue

                                  James Yorkston returns with his 4th studio album "When The Haar Rolls In" and proves once again why he is one of the most essential songwriters of our time. Returning with his trusty Athletes, along with some legendary English folk names - Norma Waterson, Mike Waterson, Marry Gilhooly, Olly Knight, there is much to mine for Yorkston fans of old and new, all the ambition, beauty and pathos of his previous albums sweeps through with soothing, lush arrangements of all sorts.

                                  James Yorkston And The Athletes

                                  Just Beyond The River - 2023 Reissue

                                    One of the most long-awaited albums, for our shop anyway. Yorkston's debut was one of the surprise records of the year back in 2002 and all of us loved it. Now this one does sound, initially at least, to be less 'Pop'. Instead this feels like a proper folk album. Not 'Hey Nonny Nonny', just more serious, focussed....dense with banjos, mandolins and accordians. The production's slightly fuller thanks to Four Tet's Keiren Hebden and the songs all deal with romance, nature and (everyday) magic. There's the odd sea-shanty too and it all feels very warm, real and unconcerned with commerce or, indeed, 'normal' life. What a lovely world this record inhabits. Add him to the list of greats?

                                    James Yorkston And The Athletes

                                    Moving Up Country - 2023 Reissue

                                      Wonderful timeless folk-tinged pop from James Yorkston. He's been compared to everyone from Shane Macgowan to John Martyn, and there's definitely a bit of Nick Drake in there too. The more I listen to this album, the more I love it! 

                                      James Curd & Jonasclean

                                      Mullen It Over & Tried For Love

                                        James Curd joins forces with vocalist Jonasclean on his latest PRONTO instalment, once again inviting a sublime remix cast to offer interpretations of the EP's title track, ‘Mullen It Over’.

                                        ‘Mullen It Over’ features sensual synth motifs entwined over thumping house rhythms, the evocative melodies gorgeously complimenting Jonasclean’s searing vocal as throbbing bass adds boundless weight to the groove. The arrangement brims with nocturnal charge, effortlessly ebbing and flowing to maintain dancefloor magnetism.

                                        NYC resident and master of the deep Fred P rides in with a typically affecting take. Regenerating the signature bass line amidst soul-soothing pads and mystical overdubs, he reframes the music as a spiritually-charged meditation. Hypnotic percussion undulates over heartfelt chords as the distant vocal adds texture as off-world melodies elevate the emotion.

                                        Next, Lumberjacks In Hell frontman Marcel Vogel steps in with a kaleidoscopic rework, emphasising the harmonics and adding abundant soul to the mix as agile motifs glide though summery chords, the distinctive vocal piercing through the mood-lifting mist before full-bodied synth lines envelop the rhythm.

                                        The loose-limbed ‘Original Sketch Version’ offers a floor-focused instrumental take, with propulsive chords standing in for the vocal lead as the spaced-out orchestration meanders over crunching drums and rich synth bass, before house legend Robert Owens rides in to add a trademark vocal to the ‘Original Sketch Version’ on the newly named ‘Tried For Love’. Here, Owens’ soul-drenched vocal provides an irresistible alternative to the dubbed-out instrumental, lending itself brilliantly to the Chi-town bump of the composition.

                                        TRACK LISTING

                                        A1 James Curd & Jonasclean - Mullen It Over
                                        A2 James Curd & Jonasclean - Mullen It Over (Fred P Reinterpretation)
                                        B1 James Curd & Jonasclean - Mullen It Over (Marcel Vogal Remix)
                                        B2 James Curd - Mullen It Over (Original)
                                        B3 James Curd Feat. Robert Owens - Tried For Love

                                        Michael James Tapscott

                                        The Beasts Of History

                                          The Beasts of History is the new album from Michael James Tapscott, featuring contributions from members of Gospelbeach, Howlin' Rain, Sugar Candy Mountain, Papercuts, Elephant Micah, Tarnation, Odawas, Yea-Ming and the Rumours, and more. Nearly four years in the making, the album pulls from disparate strands of American ephemera to create a uniquely captivating collection of songs that play out like one act plays, full of doomed anti-heroes and beautiful losers; calling to mind the small town dramas of Bobbie Gentry, the golden age pop of The Beach Boys, the lonely jangle of The Beau Brummels, the echoing melodies of Lee Hazlewood, and the experimental ethos of ambient folk. Highly anticipated sophomore album from Michael James Tapscott. 

                                          TRACK LISTING

                                          1. Reno News (Intro)
                                          2. Cheap Hotel
                                          3. The Hills Of Montreal
                                          4. Bobby’s Army Jacket
                                          5. Roll, Little Sparrow
                                          6. The Lonely Evergreen
                                          7. Bobby’s Reprise
                                          8. Los Peñasquitos Falls
                                          9. When Lisa Got Pregnant
                                          10. Her Mysterious Past
                                          11. Leopard Print Coat

                                          The Guy Hamper Trio Feat. James Taylor

                                          Man In The Mouth Of A Cave

                                            Superb 45 featuring two Hammond-led instrumentals. The A-side is taken from The Guy Hamper Trio’s second long player due out on Hangman Records. The B-side is exclusive to this release. ‘Man in the Mouth of a Cave’ I have painted St. Cuthbert’s Cave, Northumberland on many occasions and decided that it was imperative that I write a great jazz /beat theme all about it. (Important info: After Viking raids monks from Lindisfarne wandered the north-east carrying the body of St. Cuthbert. Legend has it that they took refuge in ‘St. Cuthbert’s Cave.’) I wrote the song with my friend Jamie Taylor in mind to have his way with it, which he does to thunderous applause - I should imagine. ‘107 Sleepless’ ‘107 Sleepless’ is a tune I wrote in the early 1980s when me and Mick Hampshire would stay up the entire weekend writing songs for our group The Milkshakes. (We lived at 107 Rochester Street, Chatham.) About 3am Sunday morning we would be flagging and sitting there senseless. I would play this jazz riff over and over for some unknown reason. Meanwhile it should make a nice theme tune to some yet to be written HBO series and make me a millionaire - I should imagine. GUY HAMPER – APRIL 2023

                                            TRACK LISTING

                                            1. Man In The Mouth Of A Cave
                                            2. 107 Sleepless (Alt. Version)

                                            James

                                            Be Opened By The Wonderful

                                              James announce details of a new album in celebration of their 40th Anniversary.
                                              Be Opened By The Wonderful is a 20 track (19 Vinyl) of some of their most loved and rare tracks, re-imagined with a 22 piece orchestra and 8 piece choir. 

                                              Be Opened By The Wonderful was recorded at Blueprint Studios in Manchester, orchestrated and conducted by Joe Duddell with the ORCA22 Orchestra lead by Andra Vornicu featuring the Manchester Inspirational Voices choir, directed by Wayne Ellington.


                                              STAFF COMMENTS

                                              Barry says: James have been around for a bit eh? It would be easy to whip up a best of from but a portion of their discography but here we get new versions of their classic tracks, spanning four decades, beautifully orchestrated and produced. Lovely.

                                              TRACK LISTING

                                              CD Track Listing:
                                              #1
                                              Sometimes
                                              Love Make A Fool
                                              We're Gonna Miss You
                                              Tomorrow
                                              The Lake
                                              She's A Star
                                              Lookaway
                                              Sit Down
                                              Alaskan Pipeline
                                              #2
                                              Someone's Got It In For Me
                                              Hey Ma
                                              Hello
                                              Beautiful Beaches
                                              Why So Close
                                              Medieval
                                              Hymn From A Village
                                              Say Something
                                              Top Of The World
                                              Moving On
                                              Laid

                                              Vinyl Track Listing:
                                              Side A
                                              Sometimes
                                              Love Make A Fool
                                              We're Gonna Miss You
                                              Tomorrow
                                              Side B
                                              The Lake
                                              She's A Star
                                              Lookaway
                                              Sit Down
                                              Alaskan Pipeline
                                              Side C
                                              Someone's Got It In For Me
                                              Hey Ma
                                              Hello
                                              Beautiful Beaches
                                              Whjy So Close
                                              Side D
                                              Medieval
                                              Say Something
                                              Top Of The World
                                              Moving On
                                              Laid

                                              Will & James Ragar

                                              Will And James Ragar One

                                                A wonderful album full of Balearic vibes, funky riffs and mellow moments, originally released in 1980. BBE Music are excited to announce this highly sought after album titled ‘Will & James Ragar One”.

                                                James and Will Ragar hail from Louisiana, where their early education into music began. At a young age they moved to New Orleans - where they heard live Jazz for the first time. This inspiration is demonstrated through their free approach to this album. Their natural evolution through the Louisiana club scene saw them develop and hone their talents of adding that southern swag to covers they did, almost making them their own.

                                                ‘Will and James Ragar One’ is a blend of acoustic and electric tones, carefully and cohesively put together by the brothers. ‘As the Day Grows Tired’ is the first song on the album and one of the first songs James wrote. The theme for ‘She’s Laughter’ is about returning home to someone you love and features a heavy guitar solo. ‘My Shining Sun’ has an unusual jazz form and is an ode to the joy of playing music. ‘Don’t Wish’ was inspired by a jazz chord progression that was a favourite, James played the solo on a pearwood soprano recorder. Gary Roberts played percussion on the session and also played the flute on ‘Just a Wanderer’.

                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                1. As The Day Grows Tired
                                                2. She's Laughter
                                                3. My Shining
                                                4. Don't I Wish To Be Free
                                                5. Melting Pot
                                                6. Needs
                                                7. Parade
                                                8. Louisiana Fall
                                                9. Hidden Away
                                                10. Just A Wanderer
                                                11. Oregon
                                                12. Forever
                                                13. Bayou Paradise

                                                Prof. James Benson

                                                The Gow-Dow Experience

                                                Following my recent phone call with Prof. Benson, I left him to continue his 92nd birthday celebrations with his family. We'd talked about his life, his music, his achievements. Throughout our conversation it struck me what a kind, humble and pleasant man he was. I felt that I was in the presence of greatness – not the egotistical greatness that emanates so often from high achievers, but that of someone who had simply won at life.

                                                "I was a music teacher. I wasn't trying to make a record to compete, I was trying to make a record so the students would have something to remember the experience that we had... I was doing it for the kids."

                                                It was 1973 that Prof. James Benson had self-funded his private press LP for the benefit of the teenage musicians he tutored at Cal Poly, California. The album was a momentous achievement for him and his young protegees, something they were all proud of, and rightly so. Taking inspiration from their recent trip to Africa and blended with the radical jazz associated with the young minds of early '70s black America, the Gow-Dow Experience is a unique foray into the enthusiastic mindset of up-and-coming jazz musicians, as encouraged by their mentor Prof. Benson.

                                                We present the album as it was released in 1973 with a heavyweight tip-on jacket and 180g vinyl or on CD. We also include an insert with liner notes and photos provided courtesy of Prof Benson. The LP and CD come with 4 additional tracks taken from the recording session. Until now these tracks have never been heard since the day they were recorded - believe me, they're worth the wait!

                                                Made with love from Jazzman - because we love to dig deeper!

                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                1. Nigeria, West Africa
                                                2. Song For My Black Mother
                                                3. Barry Rae
                                                4. Compared To What
                                                5. Malcolm IX
                                                6. Spring 2000
                                                7. Brother Don
                                                8. Psychedelic Sally
                                                9. Compared To What (Alternate Take)
                                                10. You Are Arrogant
                                                11. Brother Don (Alternate Mix)

                                                James Brown

                                                Please, Please, Please - 2023 Reissue

                                                  Originally issued in 1959 to capitalize on the crossover success of his single 'Try Me', James Brown's debut LP Please,Please, Pleaseis a collection of 16 of his A and B-sides recorded for the Federal label between 1956 and 1958. It was also the debut studio album for the Famous Flames, and Originally released as 'James Brown and His Famous Flames'. Evenly split between ballads and up-tempo shouters, the songs here all fall into the same sax-driven, gospel-influenced style that you could hear in any Southern chicken shack or nightclub during the late 1950s. James Brown: lead vocals plus: The Famous Flames: Kenny Burrell, Nafloyd Scott, John Faire, Eddie Freeman (guitar), Clarence Mack, Edwyn Conley, Carl Pruitt (bass), Alvin "Fats" Gonder, Ernie Hayes (piano), Edison Gore, Reginald Hall, "Panama" Francis (drums), Wilbert "Lee Diamond" Smith, Ray Felder, Cleveland Lowe, Clifford Scott (tenor saxophone), George Dorsey, John B. Brown (alto saxophone), Bobby Byrd, Johnny Terry, Sylvester Keels, Nashpendle Knox, Bill Hollings, J.W. Archer, Louis Madison (background vocals). Produced by Ralph Bass, Andy Gibson. Recorded at King Studios, Cincinnati and Beltone Studios, New York City (NY) between 1956 and 1958.

                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                  1. Please, Please, Please
                                                  2. Chonnie-On-Chon
                                                  3. Hold My Baby's Hand
                                                  4. I Feel That Old Feeling Coming On
                                                  5. Just Won't Do Right
                                                  6. Baby Cries Over The Ocean
                                                  7. I Don't Know
                                                  8. Tell Me What I Did Wrong
                                                  9. Try Me
                                                  10. That Dood It
                                                  11. Begging, Begging
                                                  12. I Walked Alone
                                                  13. No, No, No, No
                                                  14. That's When I Lost My Heart
                                                  15. Let's Make It
                                                  16. Love Or A Game
                                                  17. This Old Heart

                                                  James Ellis Ford

                                                  The Hum

                                                    James Ellis Ford has been hidden in plain sight for his entire two-decade-long career. The composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and songwriter has worked with some of the biggest names in music, from Arctic Monkeys to Depeche Mode via Foals, Gorillaz and Kylie Minogue and as part of Simian Mobile Disco and The Last Shadow Puppets’ touring band. 

                                                    This year he takes centre stage with a bewitching debut solo album, ‘The Hum’. It is as much a homage to the tender and eccentric English pop music of Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt as it is love letter to his wife and son’s Palestinian roots; as much exploration of the pastoral verve of Canterbury prog as it is informed by the dynamics of modern hip-hop production; as much a madcap Radiophonic voyage into the cosmic unknown peppered with Can-like grooves. With ‘The Hum’, James Ellis Ford has finally come out of hiding.

                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                    01. Tape Loop #7
                                                    02. Pillow Village
                                                    03. I Never Wanted Anything
                                                    04. Squeaky Wheel
                                                    05. The Yips
                                                    06. Golden Hour
                                                    07. The Hum
                                                    08. Caterpillar
                                                    09. Emptiness
                                                    10. Closing Time

                                                    James Holden

                                                    Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities

                                                      Electronic explorer James Holden returns with a generically unconstrained new album of rave music for a parallel universe that seeks to reconnect with the feelings of hope, freedom and possibility that characterised the earliest days of dance music, coming to terms with his own musical past in the process.

                                                      In contrast to its jazz adjacent live band predecessor The Animal Spirits, Holden's trippy fourth solo artist album is more of a continuous sound collage, artfully juxtaposing audio worlds and field recordings with an anything goes approach in the style of early nineties pastoral classics like The KLF’s Chill Out and the sprawling radioscapes of Future Sound of London.

                                                      Physical formats include a colourful 12 page booklet of original illustrations by Jorge Velez (Professor Genius).


                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                      Barry says: James Holden has been an inspiration for many a year, deftly moving from jagged instrumental genius ‘The Inheritors’ through jazzy ambient fare ‘Animal Spirits’ to this latest album, imbued with the spirit of both. It's a sprawling and multi-faceted triumph, another indication that Holden is one of the greatest producers around.

                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                      1) You Are In A Clearing
                                                      2) Contains Multitudes
                                                      3) Common Land
                                                      4) Trust Your Feet
                                                      5) The Missing Key
                                                      6) In The End You’ll Know
                                                      7) Continuous Revolution
                                                      8) Four Ways Down The Valley
                                                      9) Worlds Collide Mountains Form
                                                      10) The Answer Is Yes
                                                      11) Infinite Fadeout
                                                      12) You Can Never Go Back

                                                      Will & James Ragar

                                                      Forever / Bayou Paradise

                                                      BBE Music announces the first-ever re-issue of this sun baked folk/jazz hybrid 45 by Louisiana brothers Will & James Ragar. First released in 1981, this private press 7" showcases Will & James' songwriting skills, refined performance and sophisticated compositions. Remastered by Frank Merritt the re-issue has an analogue warmth that the brothers say sounds even more pleasing than the original. Will & James Ragar began as the Will James Band performing on the popular 'Crawfish Circuit' of Southern Louisiana - this circuit included New Orleans, Thibodaux and Baton Rouge. They played blues, rock and jazz combos, covering everything from James Taylor to Jimi Hendrix. Eventually evolving into an acoustic folk-rock duo by the time they entered the studio in 1980. Both tracks on the 45 were recorded at River City studios in Baton Rouge in 1980. The engineer had the Allman Brothers on his list of recording credits, so they felt they were in excellent company. "Bayou Paradise" was an ode to the beauty of Southern Louisiana. The famous Sunshine bridge over wetlands as the sounds of migrating geese echo overhead on their journey down the Mississippi River flyway. The Atchafalaya river basin flows into the Gulf of Mexico near Lafayette creating a large wetland area and lush lakes connected by endless bayous. Miles and miles of lush swamps with many uninhabited areas just waiting to be explored.

                                                      "Forever" captures the exhilaration of new love, focusing on its intoxication and ecstasy without looking ahead to the reality of a life on the road. The soulful chorus inspires motion and enthusiasm. The shadow of Woodstock had a defining role against tradition. Things were changing socially. Loving someone forever was always part of the dream but seemingly broken in an age of break-ups and divorce. The optimistic hope that "love will survive" was half dream and half pessimistic glance forward at the social trends of relationships that were to follow. The studio band included Will & James. John Smart on keyboards, he's solo on "Forever" was achieved with the Legendary Analog Prophet synth and saturated the studio with rich layers of its distinctive sound, driving the up-tempo chorus. Dave D'Aubin, a versatile bass player whose resonant tone is very present on both songs. Tommy Jefferson is on drums, an alumnus of the Southern University jazz program, the same place Randy Jackson and Billy Cobham studied. Tommy used a tight higher pitch snare drum on the recording, a sound that would soon become very popular, but at that time was a little ahead of the curve. The session was recorded on analogue tape using the 24-track MCI recorder and mixed down to analogue tape for the single. Will & James added vocal harmonies and soaked up the fidelity during mix-down. The release coincides with the long-awaited re-issue of the brothers' album 'Will & James Ragar One'. This much sort after private press long-player was originally released in 1980 and sold locally in a limited run has now been fully remastered by Frank Merritt. BBE Music presents the album in a glorious gatefold with extensive sleeve notes. This time the vinyl will be pressed over 2 discs to produce the best sound possible.

                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                      1. Forever
                                                      2. Bayou Paradise

                                                      Rian Treanor + Ocen James

                                                      Saccades

                                                        In 2018, Rian Treanor left his home in Rotherham, UK, and headed to Kampala for a residency at Nyege Nyege's villa studio. The mind-expanding experience inspired his critically acclaimed 2020 full-length "File Under UK Metaplasm", but that wasn't the end of the story. Treanor also spent time working alongside Acholi fiddle player Ocen James, developing an improvisation-heavy collaboration that would push both musicians' idiosyncrasies into completely new places.

                                                        Treanor wanted this collaboration to be as tactile and reactive as a live performance with traditional instruments, so he set about working on a digital process that would synchronize with James' approach. Using physical modeling techniques, Treanor created an instrument that explored the tunings and sounds of the a'dungu, an arched harp, and the nah or nag. With Ocen playing his rigi rigi, a single string violin, they intuitively experimented with the spectral properties of sound, using texture and acoustic contours as their structural framework. They were able to develop a sound together that was unconventionally rooted in traditional Ugandan culture, but shuttled into different dimensions of noise, computer music and radical UK rave.

                                                        "Saccades" is the buffer between two vastly different sonic universes, united in respect and sprightly curiosity. Treanor's hyperactive computer-controlled rhythms are immediately identifiable on opening track 'Bunga Bule', but the sound palette is distinct: it's more flexible and less digital. James' expressionistic fiddle strokes are a revelation, contorted into hoarse squeals and rough vibrations that rub and flex off Treanor's tin can shuffle. The fertile back and forth continues through the ruff DSP tumble of 'As It Happens', before James cracks open the melodic core of his instrument on 'The Dead Centre', allowing Treanor to dispense with rhythm and meet his fiddle strokes with heavenly drones.

                                                        Each track steps down a different avenue for the two artists, from the nightmarish microtonal twang of 'Memory Pressure' to the 4AM inverted sci-fi club pressure of 'Naasaccade' and the folky dancefloor swing of 'Rigi Rigi'. And when the album closes on a cacophonous remix from Vienna laptop noise pioneers Farmers Manual it's an unexpected gift that makes perfect sense. "Saccades" is a cross-cultural collaboration that swerves simplicity but refuses to over-complicate itself - it's about interaction, improvisation and passion.

                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                        1. Bunga Bule
                                                        2. As It Happens
                                                        3. The Dead Centre
                                                        4. Agoya
                                                        5. Memory Pressure
                                                        6. Naassaccade
                                                        7. Rigi Rigi
                                                        8. Tiyo Ki
                                                        9. Casascade
                                                        10. Remo Rom (Farmers Manual Remix)

                                                        James Brown

                                                        Soul On Top - Verve By Request Series

                                                          In the liner notes to this grooving 1969 album, featuring a big band led by drummer Louis Bellson and arranged by Impulse! star Oliver Nelson, the Godfather of Soul explains that he is a “jazz man at heart.” Brown’s soul consigliere, saxophonist Maceo Parker, helps make this a swinging, spirited and satisfying set of standards and JB hits.

                                                          Verve By Request Series features 180-gram vinyl, pressed at Third Man in Detroit..

                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                          1. Homestretch (Side A)
                                                          2. If You Could See Me Now (Side A)
                                                          3. Passin’ The Buck (Side A)
                                                          4. Soulin’ (Side B)
                                                          5. Soulsphere (Side B)
                                                          6. My Secret Passion (Side B)

                                                          James Yorkston, Nina Persson & The Secondhand Orchestra

                                                          The Great White Sea Eagle

                                                            James Yorkston, Nina Persson and The Second Hand Orchestra release The Great White Sea Eagle, the follow up to James Yorkston and The Second Hand Orchestra’s The Wide, Wide River - a Guardian Top 10 Folk Album of 2021.

                                                            The record didn’t start life as a follow up; in early 2021, Yorkston began visiting his studio in Cellardyke, Fife and for the first time, starting writing songs on the piano as opposed to his usual guitar as he gazed upon the sea outside his window.

                                                            After sending the first five or six songs to Karl-Jonas Winqvist (the ringleader/conductor of TSHO), they began to discuss working on the music together. With Yorkston’s shift from guitar to piano, they thought about what other changes they could make to their process which led to the involvement of a guest singer and the legendary Nina Persson (The Cardigans) was brought into the fold.

                                                            They followed the same methodology as The Wide, Wide River – apart from James, Nina and KJ, none of The Second Hand Orchestra had heard the music prior to entering the studio – and the arrangements were made up on the spot. Yorkston summarises: “Everyone who was playing in The Second Hand Orchestra, in their own way they are all unique and colourful players. There was no-one there who didn’t know what to do. I would bring them the songs, we would start one - I would play it, and second time round people would start singing and playing, and by the time we had done it three or four times we would hit record and we would be ready to go. And the thing that they all had was the ability to give each other space and to come up with their parts based on what other people were playing naturally was a very quick process, and they were all so open, nobody was egotistical. Everything was just happy. I love the wildness in it.”


                                                            STAFF COMMENTS

                                                            Barry says: It's the second cracking Dinked release for the week and sees The Cardigans' Nina Persson team up with the endlessly talented James Yorkston and The Secondhand Orchestra for a beautiful LP brimming with brittle guitars and twinkling piano, all topped with those instantly recognisable vocal talents. A very welcome meeting of minds.

                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                            Side A
                                                            Sam & Jeanie McGreagor
                                                            An Upturned Crab
                                                            Keeping Up With The Grandchildren, Yeah
                                                            The Heavy Lyric Police
                                                            A Sweetness In You
                                                            A Forestful Of Rougues
                                                            Side B
                                                            Peter Paulo Van Der Heyden
                                                            Mary
                                                            Hold Out For Love
                                                            The Harmony
                                                            The Great White Sea Eagle
                                                            A Hollow Skeleton Lifts A Heavy Wing

                                                            Funk classic from 1971.
                                                            Handmade Tip-On Sleeve | Analogue Remastered | Insert

                                                            History is full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. No, let us rephrase that: once-in-the-span-of-human-history experiences. Because if you weren’t there when James Knight & the (Fabulous) Butlers made their claim to fame, then all you can do is try to get hold of a copy of their only record: Black Knight.

                                                            This was the very first release on the Cat sublabel of TK Records. It is noted for its very psychedelic funk and soul sound, which is extremely evident in ‘Uncle Joe’, with its distorted guitar sounds, reverb and screams. Think of Jimi Hendrix and/or Arthur Brown who decided to dabble in soul! The tone was already set by the preceding track, ‘Funky Cat’, in which Knight introduces the various artist of his band, building up the groove. That was the precise moment in which we as listeners are ensnared by the band’s inescapable funky mood, that fortunately continues the rest of this precious gem of a record.

                                                            It alternates the more psychedelic sounds with slightly more conventional and calmer tracks, making the album accessible to a wide variety of music fans. Still, are you looking for soul and funk with a touch of acid? Then our reissue of Black Knight by James Knight & the Butlers is a disc that deserves to be a regular guest on your record player!

                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                            Funky Cat
                                                            Uncle Joe
                                                            Flyin' High
                                                            Cotton Candy
                                                            Fantasy World
                                                            I Love You
                                                            Save Me
                                                            Just My Love For You

                                                            The Guy Hamper Trio Feat. James Taylor

                                                            All The Poisons In The Mud

                                                              For fans of - Booker T & The MGs, James Taylor Quartet, Georgie Fame, Big Boss Man.

                                                              Groovy Hammond garage rock instrumentals from Billy Childish (Thee Headcoats/CTMF etc) and featuring James Taylor (Prisoners/JTQ) We’re loving this new album by The Guy Hamper Trio! Who’s in the band sunshine? Mainly myself on guitar, Julie on bass, Wolf on drums, and of course Jamie on Hammond. A great bonus is Thee Headcoats with Bruce and Tub guest as rhythm section on a track or two.

                                                              You and James Taylor go back a long way. Do you remember how you first met? The Prisoners were a young group who played with us (the Milkshakes) in the early 1980s. One day they turned up with an organ player, Jamie. Jamie used to then borrow my Selmer guitar amp to play through. You’ve revisited a few old classics on this album, and given them a true makeover.

                                                              How would you describe The Guy Hamper Trio’s sound? I guess there must be a derogatory term for it but I might need some help finding it. In the very early days of The James Taylor Quartet (Wolf was their drummer back then), I was in the Natural Born Lovers (A blues group with Big Russ and Sexton Ming). We used to be the support for them. I really liked their sound and I guess The Guy Hamper Trio is not a million miles from that blues-influenced, film soundtrack vibe, man. There you made me say “man”. Next thing you know I will be saying “cool!” Let’s just say it's a wizard sound, Jamie is such a great player.

                                                              Prior to this album The Guy Hamper Trio’s sole release was the ‘Polygraph Test’ 7” from 2009. Why such a big gap? It takes time for all of us to get all our solders in line. “Get on with it mush! And trifle not, your time is but short!”

                                                              What inspired the album’s title track All The Poisons In the Mud? It’s actually the title of a novel I’ve been writing, and rewriting, over the past 12 years, and is taken from a quote from I Claudius by Robert Graves - a formative influence on me as a 15 year old.

                                                              The sleeve art is pretty different to your other recent records, could you tell us a about that? Who designed it? I nominally designed it but the truth is that it's essentially a rip off of a Saul Bass sleeve he did for Duke Ellington. We started mining that seam back in the Milkshakes when Bruce (Brand) did the sleeve for Thee Knights of Trashe.

                                                              The album closes with a storming cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire”. What do you think Jimi would make of your version? I've been a fan of Jimi since my elder brother brought his records home in the '60s. Jimi was well known to “dig” others work and interpretations and would no doubt smile, narrow his smoky eyes and say “cool man!” and I would no doubt reply "wizard Jimi!"

                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                              All The Poisons In The Mud
                                                              Come Into My Life
                                                              Moon Of The Popping Trees
                                                              Girl From '62
                                                              Full Eclipse Of The Sun
                                                              Sally Sensation
                                                              7% Solution
                                                              Step Out
                                                              Polygraph Test
                                                              The Kids Are All Square
                                                              Skinwalker
                                                              Fire

                                                              Loraine James

                                                              Building Something Beautiful For Me

                                                                Celebrated UK producer Loraine James joins Phantom Limb for breathtaking homage to vital NYC composer Julius Eastman, reinterpreting, reimagining and responding to key works for a brand new album.

                                                                In 1990, the composer Julius Eastman quietly passed away, out of the spotlight, a young man. By his death substance-addicted, homeless and broke, he was unforgivably overlooked in his lifetime. Still, the legacy of creative work he leaves is far more befitting to celebration than destitution. Only a portion of his music remains - a deeply regrettable sidenote to an already heartbreaking story - but this work represents a glorious and beautifully hued depiction of a composer totally in step with any modern great we could name.

                                                                Phantom Limb are long-term fans of both Eastman and Loraine James. Using their rare, fortuitous connection with Julius’ surviving brother Gerry, the label began this new project in summer 2021, hoping to continue the current tide of efforts to reinstate Eastman’s rightful place in 20th-century composition. Loraine was offered a zip drive of Eastman originals (courtesy of Gerry Eastman), Renee Levine-Packer & Mary Jane Leach’s illuminating biography Gay Guerilla (University of Rochester Press, 2015), and transcribed MIDI stems (courtesy of Phantom Limb A&R James Vella), and the resulting album Building Something Beautiful For Me carries the Eastman torch with finesse and sensitivity. Loraine employs samples, melodic motifs, themes and imagery, and inspiration from Eastman’s canon, slicing, editing, pulling apart and playing samples like instruments to craft a stunning album that venerates Eastman’s genius while adhering to her own.

                                                                Speaking in similar tongues as young, gay, Black, independent creatives in a challenging environment, the two musicians are bound closely together, despite a six-year gap between their lives ever intersecting. James includes the original Eastman title in many of her tracks, appending the source material in parentheses to mark the lineage of the work - a clear, traceable thread from the heavenly to the sublime.

                                                                Album opener “Maybe If I” riffs on Eastman staple Stay On It. Its arrestingly pretty central melody is reshaped into a living, undulating canvas on which James’ IDM-inspired beat production flickers and swirls. A repeated vocal line pulls Eastman’s towering work of modern minimalism towards reclassification as a “song”. Next follows “The Perception of Me (Crazy N–)”, channelling Eastman’s righteous anger and knowing reclamation of the brutally charged N-word into a quasi-ambient exploration of Eastman piano samples set to skittering beats. Elsewhere, opening side B, “Enfield, Always” acts as a creative response to our past master. While Eastman purposefully, slyly intermingled Uptown NY’s stuffy professionalism with Downtown’s loose fervour, Loraine is a London artist, bound into her locale with the same honour and justified sentimentality as Eastman was with his. And like Eastman, the track’s heady percussion and ecstatic arpeggios contrast intentionally with its austere backdrop.

                                                                In keeping with key Eastman codes, Phantom Limb engaged Black creatives to complete the record, including acclaimed designer Dennis McInnes for the album packaging, which is inspired by Eastman’s marginalia on his own (surviving) manuscript pages: “we sought to visually convey the complexity of what we may see as beautiful, how beauty is misunderstood and often lies beneath the surface.”

                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                A1 Maybe If I (Stay On It)
                                                                A2 The Perception Of Me (Crazy Nigger)
                                                                A3 Choose To Be Gay (Femenine)
                                                                A4 Building Something Beautiful For Me (Holy Presence Of Joan D'Arc)
                                                                B1 Enfield, Always
                                                                B2 My Take
                                                                B3 Black Excellence (Stay On It)
                                                                B4 What Now? (Prelude To The Holy Presence Of Joan D’Arc) 

                                                                Early James

                                                                Strange Time To Be Alive

                                                                  Alabama's native son, Early James, will release his sophomore album, Strange Time To Be Alive, on July 29th, 2022. The lyrical wordsmith conjures the ghosts of great southern gothic writers from Eudora Welty to William Faulkner, while channeling the haunted spirits of Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt. The album evokes a timeless amalgam of forsaken blues, wistful folk, and Tin Pan Alley crooning, anchored by the singer’s unmistakable voice that sways from gravel-filled shouts to pained, forlorn whispers – and songs that tread in the waters of darkly themed broken hearts, with the wry humor of the sad clown.

                                                                  On the road again since August 2021, Early James will continue touring consistently through 2022. Confirmed upcoming tour dates are with The Black Keys and The Ghost of Paul Revere. Previously, Early James has played Newport Folk and toured with The Lone Bellow, The Marcus King Band, Zachary Williams, and Shovels & Rope.


                                                                  James Taylor Quartet

                                                                  Man In The Hot Seat

                                                                    A bona fide legend of the acid jazz / jazz funk scene, James Taylor returns with a stunning new James Taylor Quartet orchestral record 'Man In The Hot Seat'. A sonic collossus of a record, particularly when listening on vinyl, it ties together the effortless melodic funk of the quartet, the fullness of sound that only an orchestra can bring, with James’ love of classic film soundtracks. Created and recorded with the musicianship and production mastery we have come to expect from JTQ this is undoubtedly one of the best sounding records you’ll hear in 2022.

                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                    A1. Man In The Hot Seat
                                                                    A2. The Danzig Connection
                                                                    A3. The New Money Spyder
                                                                    A4. Don’t Mess With The Champ
                                                                    A5. Cold War Etiquette

                                                                    B1. Murder On The Vaporetto
                                                                    B2. Diametric Opposition
                                                                    B3. The Gravedigger
                                                                    B4. Time For Revenge
                                                                    B5. Night Garden 

                                                                    Jim James

                                                                    Regions Of Light And Sound Of God - 2022 Reissue

                                                                      Released in 2013, ‘Regions of Light and Sound of God’ was the debut solo album from Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

                                                                      This deluxe reissue features the original album plus a second LP of twelve B-sides, demos and alternate versions, including ‘State of The Art (Demo)’ and the previously unheard ballad ‘Begin Again’.

                                                                      The double LP is housed in a rainbow foil tip-on gatefold spot matte jacket with revised artwork, a fold-out handwritten lyrics insert and new custom inner-sleeves and centre labels. Pressed on clear/purple blob vinyl.

                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                      ‘Regions Of Light And Sound Of God’
                                                                      State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U.)
                                                                      Know Til Now
                                                                      Dear One
                                                                      A New Life
                                                                      Exploding
                                                                      Of The Mother Again
                                                                      Actress
                                                                      All Is Forgiven
                                                                      God’s Love To Deliver

                                                                      Bonus Disc
                                                                      All Is Forgiven (Alt Version)
                                                                      State Of The Art (A.E.I.O.U.) [Demo]
                                                                      A New Life (Alt Version)
                                                                      Dear One (Demo)
                                                                      Actress (Demo)
                                                                      God’s Love To Deliver (Demo)
                                                                      You Always Know
                                                                      Read Between (Begin Again)
                                                                      Epichord
                                                                      Sweets
                                                                      Moving Away (Alt Version)
                                                                      Hallway Of Trees

                                                                      James Righton

                                                                      Jim, I'm Still Here

                                                                        ‘Jim, I’m Still Here’ is the second album from James Righton under his own name; produced by David & Stephen Dewaele of Soulwax and released on their label DEEWEE, the album follows The Performer released in 2020. James’ musical past is well documented; as the frontman of the genre inventing Klaxons, he helped create a revolution in British music and spawned a youth subculture. ‘Jim, I’m Still Here’ is a captivating meditation on the artists experience of the pandemic as James looks to conceptualize the myriad of emotions and events into a fascinating third person narrative. One of the album tracks features Benny Andersson from Swedish pop legendary band ABBA, with whom James has been working on putting together their new live band.

                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                        1. Livestream Superstar
                                                                        2. Pause
                                                                        3. Touch
                                                                        4. Release Party
                                                                        5. Real World Park
                                                                        6. Never Give Up On The City 
                                                                        7. A Day At The Races
                                                                        8. I Want To Live
                                                                        9. Lover Boy
                                                                        10. Empty Rooms
                                                                        11. Playing To Win
                                                                        12. Farewell Superstar

                                                                        Martin James

                                                                        French Connections : From Discotheque To Daft Punk - The Birth Of French Touch

                                                                          Revised reissue of the acclaimed first-ever book-length investigation into French Touch.

                                                                          "Updated version features previously unpublished interviews with Daft Punk, Laurent Garnier, Cerrone, Jean Jacques Perrey, Motorbass, Chris Le Friant (aka Bob Sinclar), Air, Etienne de Crecy, La Funk Mob, Cassius, The Micronauts, Stardust, Benjamin Diamond, Modjo, DJ GilbR, i-Cube, DJ Cam and many more...

                                                                          During the second half of the 1990s, Paris experienced a dance music revolution thanks to groundbreaking artists like Daft Punk, Air, Super Discount, Motorbass, Cassius, Dimitri from Paris, Bob Sinclar and many, many more. It was a scene that became known as French Touch and was heralded throughout the world as the epitome of dance music cool, forever placing Paris on the dance culture map.

                                                                          Journalist and author Martin James was there right from the start, documenting the scene from its inspirations to its earliest moments and onto its global breakthrough. In the process, he inadvertently provided the French Touch moniker that became adopted throughout the world.

                                                                          Drawing on a dazzling array of exclusive interviews with the biggest names in French electronic music history, French Connections explores France’s significant contribution to dance music culture that paved the way for the French Touch explosion."

                                                                          Jimmy James & The Vagabonds / Sonya Spence

                                                                          This Heart Of Mine / Let Love Flow On (RSD22 EDITION)

                                                                            THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2022 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

                                                                            A transparent blue vinyl version of our best selling Northern Soul release. With exclusive black and white label design.

                                                                            James Heather

                                                                            Invisible Forces

                                                                              Contemporary pianist and composer James Heather announces his second album ‘Invisible Forces’ out via Ahead of Our Time, Ninja Tune founders Coldcut’s first record label. Influenced by the sensibility of electronic, ambient, orchestral and post-rock music but channelled through solo piano and his classical and jazz grounding, the album follows the release of the critically acclaimed ‘Modulations: EP2’, released in 2021.

                                                                              Heather’s new album is about becoming aware of invisible forces around us to help deepen understanding of self and our connection to the world, from tuning into the natural world and getting lost in its patterns and energies to gaining more knowledge around ancestral lines such as the concept of epigenetics. It’s about looking that bit deeper into things, into areas that are not instantly visible but are all around us to achieve this. “Composing these songs gave me an anchor to feel more present in life after some troubling times and sent me on a journey to rediscover a kind of wonderment with the world. I hope the Invisible Forces universe will bring warmth to other people too.”

                                                                              Recorded, mixed and produced by Heather in his new home studio on a refurbished Bosendorfer 200 grand piano utilising various microphone techniques, ‘Invisible Forces’ is a love story to the instrument that was his first love. A step forward compositionally from his 2017 debut album ‘Stories From Far Away On Piano’, the songs are grander, deeper and broader in emotional range and are developed through a series of improvisation techniques rarely seen in the often notated world of classical music. He describes his music as “pulse music” with each track performed in a single take and with their roots in this live improvisation, often honed on the road where Heather moves between tender to more propulsive, trance-inducing dynamics. He memorised each movement, then subtly adapted, adding more complexities and compositional dexterity over time before committing to the final take. His approach to the new compositions, finds him playing freely, with no metronome or official notation to recall or dictate the piece but instead using just his muscle memory, feel and instinct to decide where each track will go.

                                                                              A deeply personal and autobiographical album, the first four tracks on ‘Invisible Forces’ come from inside, about life dreams that end up becoming devastatingly flawed (or not) as in ‘Meant to Be’, to complications around the sharing of grief and moving on in ‘No Time Limit to Grief’. Elsewhere, the loss of the “sixth” sense of balance in Heather’s father due to a brain tumour is addressed in ‘Balance,’ while Heather acknowledges trusting in his inner being to overcome life’s difficulties and look out once again with positivity in ‘In Your Spirit’.

                                                                              Heather’s profound sense of awe at the big wide world outside of the self is considered in ‘Ultraviolet’ – the realisation that everything is connected in the universe, often in unseen ways, like a magic that surrounds us while ‘Forgotten Cities’, is a dreamlike interest in lost civilisations who built at one with nature and the stars above to cities today affected by war, nostalgic for peaceful times, hoping their city won’t be forgotten. ‘Invisible Forces’, the core of the album, absorbs all the albums messages, and connects different stages of Heather’s own compositional history from childhood to now. “I feel like one of the messages in my music is an activism for peace and equality for all, it is political but just done in a minimalist way. It’s about learning to love ourselves but also to love others even more.”

                                                                              Throughout the closing stages of ‘Invisible Forces’, Heather questions the journey towards the end of a life, a feeling transcending perhaps even joy. A feeling of connecting back to ancestors long since gone and the realisation they might be effecting him now in subliminal ways as in ‘Ancestral Future Now’, to ‘Beginnings,’ which looks at the evolvement of the natural world around us.

                                                                              Empathy and compassion are two key themes underpinning the album, in particular with the most personal song in ‘Hidden Angel’, a letter of forgiveness to a missing lorry driver who put Heather in a coma in 2008 whilst he was cycling and may not know that he miraculously survived the episode. A topic which Heather has never addressed before in song, he was given just a 5% chance of survival and he endured both the mental and physical challenge of adjusting back into life, changing him fundamentally as a person through many highs and lows as he battled back to full fitness, an experience that he now looks at as a positive. ‘I am lucky that at last my life is now filled with a joy I could never have dreamed of before, dealing with the aftermath of such trauma can take time. The driver couldn’t be located some years later and I always wanted to let him know I survived, in case he didn’t know, and to tell him I’m ok and that I hold no anger. The whole experience has given me an increased empathy to people that may be going through something heavy and to face mortality head on at such a young age, whilst a shock, has deepened my understanding of life.”

                                                                              The album concludes with ‘Immortal Beloved’, a song about the treasuring of love, and a reference to the famous letter Beethoven, an early influence on Heather, wrote and never sent to someone unnamed.

                                                                              The album artwork is by long-time collaborator Suki and is a representation of the many invisible layers of our inner and outer worlds. Inspired by the structure of earth, each layer or journey is connected to the next through implied space and time transcending to unknown depths. ‘Invisible Forces’ is as much about emotional growth as it is physical awareness. The album art interprets this tension through a series of contrary emotions where wonderment and solitude, awe and isolation, contemplation and silence can be found in equal measure. Informed by real world invisible forces, the art is designed using computational techniques. Procedural materials and the movement of light create hyperreal terrains that feel both familiar and unfamiliar.


                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                              Meant To Be
                                                                              No Time Limit To Grief
                                                                              In Your Spirit
                                                                              Balance
                                                                              Ultraviolet
                                                                              Forgotten Cities
                                                                              Invisible Forces
                                                                              Ancestral Future Now
                                                                              Beginnings
                                                                              Hidden Angel
                                                                              Immortal Beloved

                                                                              The James Hunter Six

                                                                              With Love

                                                                                Daptone Records presents The James Hunter Six's latest offering, With Love: a heart-shaped collection of candle-lit ballads and love songs.

                                                                                Plucked like so many "he loves you" petals from the vast and sumptuous garden of his Daptone Recordings, these twelve lilting melodies have been selected and sequenced with great care, tenderness, and intention by Daptone staff for the solitary purpose of compiling some of the criminally overlooked treasures in the James Hunter Six's critically acclaimed catalog.


                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                1. Something’s Calling
                                                                                2. I Don’t Wanna Be Without You
                                                                                3. Who’s Fooling Who
                                                                                4. If I Only Knew
                                                                                5. Carina
                                                                                6. Take It As You Find It
                                                                                7. This Is Where We Came In
                                                                                8. Heartbreak
                                                                                9. It Was Gonna Be You
                                                                                10. Never

                                                                                Etta James

                                                                                At Last! - Stereo & Mono Versions

                                                                                  Limited edition 2LP set comprising of both stereo & mono versions of Etta James' classic album 'At Last!', plus 2 bonus tracks.

                                                                                  It was during the Sixties when Etta James truly found her musical direction and made a lasting mark as a soulful pop and blues diva. Presented here in both its Stereo and Mono versions, her debut album 'At Last!' was released in 1960 and noted for its varied choice in music from jazz standards to blues numbers to doo-wop and rhythm & blues. It ranked #119 on Rolling Stone's 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

                                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                                  Anything To Say Youre Mine
                                                                                  My Dearest Darling
                                                                                  Trust In Me
                                                                                  A Sunday Kind Of Love
                                                                                  Tough Mary
                                                                                  Spoonful
                                                                                  I Just Want To Make Love To You
                                                                                  At Last
                                                                                  All I Could Do Was Cry
                                                                                  Stormy Weather
                                                                                  Girl Of My Dreams [rendered As Boy Of My Dreams]
                                                                                  Somethings Got A Hold On Me
                                                                                  Anything To Say Youre Mine
                                                                                  My Dearest Darling
                                                                                  Trust In Me
                                                                                  A Sunday Kind Of Love
                                                                                  Tough Mary
                                                                                  I Just Want To Make Love To You
                                                                                  At Last
                                                                                  All I Could Do Was Cry
                                                                                  Stormy Weather
                                                                                  Girl Of My Dreams [rendered As Boy Of My Dreams]

                                                                                  Jame’s Newton’s 1977 self-released solo-debut, ‘Flute Music’ is an unheralded gem of the 70’s jazz underground. An album that showcases a diverse range of styles and fervent cross-pollination, while retaining a clear sense of direction and cohesion. An artist funnelling their wild expression into multiple facets of The New Music, crafting an auspicious and artistic debut. Newton would later go on to record with revered jazz labels like India Navigation and ECM, and collaborate with fellow creative luminaries like Sam Rivers, Anthony Davis, Andrew Cyrille, David Murray, and John Carter. But ‘Flute Music’ captures Newton’s fiery creativity and experimental nature in its earliest blossom.

                                                                                  The album’s opener, ‘Arkansas Suite’, finds Newton’s flute unaccompanied, but densely layered. Folding and cascading upon itself, he creates a ricocheting web of dense woodwind harmonics. The effect is deeply immersive and meditative. From first blush, it seems this could be an album of blissful new age. But after this track, Newton’s influences explode outwards. On the same LP side, ‘Darlene’s Bossa’ welcomes a full band into the fold. The track expounds upon a latin-jazz groove as if the group were seasoned experts of the form. The next track once again finds Newton’s flute on its own as he upends Duke Ellington’s jazz standard, ‘Sophisticated Lady’. And finally, on the sidelong b-side track, ‘Poor Theron’, the band is suffused with free-jazz electricity - quietly roiling in the midst of musique concrete clatter, and exploding into a din of spiritual fervor. Flute Music pushes in many directions at once, and yet it revolves firmly around a singular smoldering core. That core is Newton’s unmistakable talent and musicianship. His flute anchors the whole affair, whether it’s in cascading sheets of unaccompanied wind, or flitting between the breathmarks of his backing band.

                                                                                  With ‘Flute Music’, James Newton casts himself as a potent force on the creative-jazz scene, and the rest of his career has certainly given credence to that promise. Reissued for the first time since its scarce private-press issue in 1977, Morning Trip are exceedingly proud to present the debut solo work by a renowned and prestigious jazz luminary.


                                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                                  Side 1
                                                                                  1. Arkansas Suite (Benny)
                                                                                  2. Arkansas Suite (Soloman's Son)
                                                                                  3. Skye
                                                                                  Side 2
                                                                                  1. Darlene's Bossa
                                                                                  2. Sophisticated Lady
                                                                                  3. Poor Theon

                                                                                  James White And The Blacks

                                                                                  Melt Yourself Down - 2022 Reissue

                                                                                    Manic No Wave sax frenzy! James White tore up the city blueprints and charted his own map through the sonic sprawl of New York, perfecting a jittery, manic attack on sax and vocals and adopting the persona of a lounge singer in the waiting room of Hell - A maelstrom of chaotic transformations of funk, jazz (et al ) with equal parts James Brown and James White originals that rank among the most incendiary in his repertoire.

                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                    1. Super Bad (James Brown) 
                                                                                    2. Melt Yourself Down 
                                                                                    3. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (Standard) 
                                                                                    4. Hot Voodoo (Standard) 
                                                                                    5. Cold Sweat (James Brown) 
                                                                                    6. These Foolish Things (Standard) 
                                                                                    7. Hell On Earth

                                                                                    Ryan James Mawbey

                                                                                    Slow Wave Of Long Comfort

                                                                                      Slow Wave of Long Comfort was co-produced by Matthew Redfern at Sunny Side Sound Studio in Burton Upon Trent, in between stretches of isolation in 2020.

                                                                                      Mastered by Chesney.

                                                                                      Matthew Redfern appears on all pieces, contributing various synthesisers and tape delay manipulations. Jonny Hill appears on all pieces adding guitar, clarinet and voice.

                                                                                      Overwhelming love to Ami and Lucas.

                                                                                      Thank you to Matthew for his patience and generosity, to Jonny for his continuous support and to Woodford Halse for their confidence.

                                                                                      Dedicated to our dear friend Miles Cooper Seaton. I still think of you being out there.

                                                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                      Barry says: Part tribal folk, driven ambient and soaring, ritualistic drone, 'Slow Wave..' is a wonderfully effective statement and a wildly evocative, moving listen. Absolutely packed with twists and turns and every bit the exciting prospect from a great artist on an enduringly wonderful label.

                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                      1. Still 13:15
                                                                                      2. Other Light 06:44
                                                                                      3. Inner Light 06:12
                                                                                      4. Golden Spear 08:22
                                                                                      5. Meet Me Here 05:04

                                                                                      Mercury Music Prize and GRAMMY®Award winning UK singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer James Blake drops his first album in two years, "Friends That Break Your Heart". His tear-jerkingly poignant, auto-tuned & self-produced style has become a symbol of greatness across the UK scene, and his deeply personal songwriting and lyrical prowess shine through every release.

                                                                                      Adding a shimmering patina and haunting presence to soul and pop music's existing framework, James Blake is widely celebrated as a visionary and pioneering UK artist. "Friends That Break Your Heart" sees him emerging into the New Normal with plenty to say, with that familiar, rain-soaked melancholy and sentiment here to ease you through your next heartbreak or internal crisis. Blake makes the sadness more palatable but underlying it all is a sense of overcoming your insecurities & demons, and bettering yourself for times in which we live. It’s a positive message that holds it all together.




                                                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                      Barry says: James Blake has carved out a unique niche of mournful post-dubstep, moving from strength and landing on this, possibly his most emotionally raw outing yet. There are melodies here shrouded in the usual trundling electronics and loungey jazz-indebted ambience, topped with Blakes athletic vocal takes, sometimes simply unadorned and in other instances, stretched with Blake's trademark autotune.

                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                      CD Tracklist:
                                                                                      1. Famous Last Words
                                                                                      2. Life Is Not The Same
                                                                                      3. Coming Back (feat. SZA)
                                                                                      4. Funeral
                                                                                      5. Frozen (feat. JID & SwaVay)
                                                                                      6. I’m So Blessed You’re Mine
                                                                                      7. Foot Forward
                                                                                      8. Show Me (feat. Monica Martin)
                                                                                      9. Say What You Will
                                                                                      10. Lost Angel Nights
                                                                                      11. Friends That Break Your Heart
                                                                                      12. If I’m Insecure

                                                                                      LP Tracklist:
                                                                                      Side A
                                                                                      1. Famous Last Words
                                                                                      2. Life Is Not The Same
                                                                                      3. Coming Back (feat. SZA)
                                                                                      4. Funeral
                                                                                      5. Frozen (feat. JID & SwaVay)
                                                                                      6. I’m So Blessed You’re Mine

                                                                                      Side B
                                                                                      7. Foot Forward
                                                                                      8. Show Me (feat. Monica Martin)
                                                                                      9. Say What You Will
                                                                                      10. Lost Angel Nights
                                                                                      11. Friends That Break Your Heart
                                                                                      12. If I’m Insecure

                                                                                      Kelly Lee Owens

                                                                                      Inner Song Remix Series: Part 1 Feat. Loraine James / Breaka / Coby Sey Remixes

                                                                                      Form an orderly queue! It's another limited edition 12" from Kelly Lee Owens with remixes for the critically acclaimed album “Inner Song”. Part 1 features remixes from Loraine James, Breaka and Coby Sey.

                                                                                      James tackles the stems of "Wake Up" with a gross intensity, utilizing the latest cut-up software to re-mangle, stretch and skew the track into a punctuated, holographic refraction of its former self.

                                                                                      Breaka adds gliding subs, hi-tek breaks and lashings of electricity as he remixes "Re-Wild" into a club-ready future-garage beast destined for the big rooms.

                                                                                      Finally leftfield weirdo Coby Sey adds some black magick to "Corner Of My Sky"; a sonic cauldron of strange sounds seeping over tuned tribal toms and John Cale's haunting vocal part. Another excellent addition to Kelly’s multi-dimensional discography. Top stuff. 


                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                      Side A
                                                                                      1. Wake Up (Loraine James Remix)
                                                                                      2. Re-Wild (Breaka Remix)

                                                                                      Side B
                                                                                      1. Corner Of My Sky Ft. John Cale (Coby Sey Remix)

                                                                                      Loraine James

                                                                                      Reflection

                                                                                        Made during summer 2020, Loraine James’ second Hyperdub album, ‘Reflection’, is a turbulent expression of inner-space, laid out in unflinching honesty, offering gentle empathy and bitter-sweet hope. ‘Reflection’ further develops a unique pop sensibility realised on last year’s ‘Nothing EP’, while tones of Drill and R&B seep through into this collection too. In contrast to the brash splashes of 2019’s ‘For You And I’ LP and the grimey anger of ‘Nothing’, ‘Reflection’ is pared-down and confident, taking the listener through how last year felt as a young black queer woman in a world that has suddenly stopped moving, the arc of the album peppered with Loraine's diaristic confessions.

                                                                                        Starting positively with the gentle pop-trap of ‘Built To Last’ ft Xzavier Stone, into the bumpy instrumental of ‘Let's Go’, the album switches tone with ‘Simple Stuff’, followed by regular collaborator Le3 bLACK amplifying Loraine's vulnerability on the downcast drill of ‘Black Ting’, then ‘Insecure Behaviour And Fuckery’ is a techno glide which pairs Nova's confrontational plea for respect, delivered in monotone autotune, against deep Drexciyan chords. With Baths on vocals, the weightlessness of ‘On The Lake Outside’ soothes numb feelings, and Eden Samara explores the shadow world of anxious dreams on the airy R&B of ‘Running Like That’. Closing track ‘We're Building Something New’ with Manchester rapper Iceboy Violet brings the album together, confidently suggesting a new world is in reach. ‘Reflection’ is a brave step forward for a unique and creative 21st century musician

                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                        A1. Built To Last (ft Xzavier Stone)
                                                                                        A2. Let's Go
                                                                                        A3. Simple Stuff
                                                                                        A4. Black Ting (ft Le3 BLack)
                                                                                        A5. Insecure Behaviour And Fuckery (ft Nova)
                                                                                        A6. Self Doubt (Leaving The Club Early)

                                                                                        B1. On The Lake Outside (ft Baths)
                                                                                        B2. Reflection B3. Change
                                                                                        B4. Running Like That (ft Eden Samara)
                                                                                        B5. We're Building Something New (ft Iceboy Violet)

                                                                                        James

                                                                                        All The Colours Of You

                                                                                          Recorded in part before the Covid pandemic struck, the album was produced by the Grammy award-winning Jacknife Lee (U2, REM, Taylor Swift, Snow Patrol, The Killers). On production duties with James for the first time, he bought a fresh approach to their sound, working remotely from his studio liaising with Tim (his Topanga Canyon neighbour) liaising with Jim in a daisy chain, reimagining their demos, and capturing the band in all their virtual glory.

                                                                                          The result is a record with the most fresh and festival ready tracks of their 38-year career, the sound of one of Britain’s best bands, deconstructed and reassembled by one of the world’s most renowned producers. 

                                                                                          STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                          Barry says: There's no denying that James have a legendary legacy behind them, but with 'All The Colours Of You' we get proof that Booth & co are far from finished. Beautifully written stadium rock pieces sit well with more downplayed, hushed numbers and form a cohesive and enjoyable whole.

                                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                                          1. ZERO
                                                                                          2. All The Colours Of You
                                                                                          3. Recover
                                                                                          4. Beautiful Beaches
                                                                                          5. Wherever It Takes Us
                                                                                          6. Hush
                                                                                          7. Miss America
                                                                                          8. Getting Myself Into
                                                                                          9. Magic Bus
                                                                                          10. Isabella
                                                                                          11. XYST

                                                                                          James McAlister

                                                                                          Scissortail

                                                                                            LA-based producer, composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist James McAlister is a rare creator, and highly sought after collaborator. Perhaps best known for his work with Sufjan Stevens, McAlister has also appeared on record with Lorde amongst many others, and is a regular contributor to Aaron Dessner’s projects, including the latest albums from Taylor Swift, folklore and evermore. His regular work with film music includes The Two Popes, The Big Sick, and Ron Simonsen’s recent films. In 2018 he joined Stevens, Casey Foubert, St. Vincent and Moses Sumney for the Oscar performance for music from Call Me By Your Name, where he played piano and a bottle of cupcake sprinkles. With nearly countless projects to his name, it was in 2017 that his collaboration with Stevens, Nico Muhly, and Bryce Dessner entitled Planetarium was released by 4AD.

                                                                                            Around the same time McAlister started a deep dive into a personal sonic realm that has manifested as an ambient project under his own name. 2018 saw the release of Three Breaths, the first offering from this exploration. 2021 will see the second installment, an album called Scissortail which vividly puts McAlister’s evolving master craft on display. It is a collection of moving, meditative, immediately satisfying and quietly stunning work. It is the sound of an artist letting go entirely of pre-conceptions or expectations, instead mining the depths of that very real and abstract place of sound, texture, color and feeling. Some songs arrive almost intuitively, while others feel mechanically made, fed through the framework of synthesizers and the patchwork of recording gear. And with that comes a compelling duality to the work; a machine grace informing the on-going but subconscious dialogue between energy and material, sensitivity and asceticism.

                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                            A
                                                                                            1. Portrait (5:39)
                                                                                            2. Slow Wave (5:14)
                                                                                            3. Cycle 3 (6:16)

                                                                                            B
                                                                                            4. Crowns (5:29)
                                                                                            5. G0 (5:33)
                                                                                            6. Cycle 5 (5:04)

                                                                                            James Johnston / Steve Gullick

                                                                                            We Travel Time

                                                                                              James Johnston (Gallon Drunk / Nick Cave / PJ Harvey) and Steve Gullick (renowned music photographer) are pleased to announce their new album. It's a dark but beautiful trip. After working together on an art show in late 2019, the idea of making music again immediately resurfaced. Without any firm strategy, Johnston and Gullick began recording, unprompted, drawing 3 upon a shared love of noise, folk, and classical. After the first tracks began to evolve, however, they knew they’d unearthed something compelling and fresh, not to mention unexpectedly mysterious. This became WE TRAVEL TIME.The result is a deceptively crafted album that slowly reveals – and, more importantly, embraces – beauty in its cracks. Piano, voice, violin and guitar create a drifting haze, with the focus on these acoustic elements forging an imagined soundtrack which offers echoes of Big Star, Nico, Lee Hazlewood and Palace Brothers, as well as the gentle, haunting influence of contemporary minimal classical. Ambient sounds – birds, rain, cars, clocks, distant voices – also drift in and out, melting into the music’s fabric via windows left open during the early 2020 heatwave. WE TRAVEL TIME, nonetheless, resists definition, remaining enigmatically timeless.

                                                                                              James Yorkston And The Second Hand Orchestra

                                                                                              The Wide, Wide River

                                                                                                The album came to be after the blossoming of a long-term friendship between James Yorkston and Karl-Jonas Winqvist, the Swedish music producer, leader and conductor of The Second Hand Orchestra.

                                                                                                Yorkston says of recording “Struggle” with TSHO: “The band were sat by in the studio by themselves, looping the verses over and over. I was in the control room, drinking sweet tea. I just had to wait for the right moment and jump on board, like when I’m pushing my kids round on a roundabout in the local park. I love that everyone was singing along so freely when we recorded this. There were vocal mics for everyone, and people would just lean in with a harmony, every now and then. It gives it a very communal feeling.”

                                                                                                That communal feeling is apparent across the entire album. Recorded and mixed in Sweden over the course of three days with a selection of musicians Winqvist had brought together, including Peter Morén (Peter, Bjorn & John), Cecilia Österholm (one of Sweden’s best-known nyckelharpa players), Emma Nordenstam (piano & cello) and Ulrika Gyllenberg (violin). The studio approach with The Second Hand Orchestra was entirely improvised around Yorkston’s songs, and the only song they heard in advance was “Ella Mary Leather”; Yorkston didn’t want to direct anyone too much but instead, allowed for a welcoming, instinctive, free-spirited and joyful atmosphere. The Wide, Wide River is a soothing, warm and sublime listen, whilst also highlighting Yorkston’s skills for songwriting, collaboration and as a musical conductor. The record takes in past loves, advancing age and friends, now gone, whilst also containing some of the most sanguine songs Yorkston has ever made.

                                                                                                The Wide, Wide River is James’ tenth album for Domino, not to mention his three albums as part of Yorkston/Thorne/Khan and his two books. A prolific writer, Yorkston has worked with a wealth of talent over his two-decade career including Four Tet, Alexis Taylor, KT Tunstall, Rustin Man, Simon Raymonde, Norma and Mike Waterson, Martin Carthy, Max Cooper, David Wrench and many others.

                                                                                                STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                Barry says: James Yorkston makes some of the most endearing melodic indie-folk you're likely to hear and teaming up hear with the Second Hand Orchestra ends up sounding like a joyful, clattering distillation of trad folk and wild exhuberant art-rock. Exactly what we need right now.

                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                Ella Mary Leather
                                                                                                To Soothe Her Wee Bit Sorrows
                                                                                                Choices, Like Wild Rivers
                                                                                                Struggle
                                                                                                There Is No Upside
                                                                                                A Droplet Forms
                                                                                                A Very Old-Fashioned Blues
                                                                                                We Test The Beams

                                                                                                Ultraísta

                                                                                                Ordinary Boy: The Remixes (Floating Points / Zero 7/ FaltyDL / Crate Classics / Leifur James)

                                                                                                Following the release of their highly acclaimed new album ‘Sister’ in March 2020, Ultraísta have announce a remix package featuring the talents of Floating Points, FaltyDL, Zero 7, Crate Classics and Leifur James. Ultraísta are formed by Grammy-winning producer/engineer/musician Nigel Godrich, best known for his two decades helming Radiohead’s groundbreaking studio output; celebrated drummer Joey Waronker, who’s toured and recorded with everyone from R.E.M. and Beck to Roger Waters and Elliott Smith; and singer Laura Bettinson, an acclaimed solo artist whose work combines synthdriven electropop and dreamy vocal looping.

                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                Ordinary Boy (Floating Points Remix)
                                                                                                Ordinary Boy (FaltyDL Remix)
                                                                                                Ordinary Boy (Zero 7 Remix)
                                                                                                Ordinary Boy (Crate Classics Remix)
                                                                                                Ordinary Boy (Leifur James Remix)

                                                                                                James Dean Bradfield

                                                                                                Even In Exile

                                                                                                  EVEN IN EXILE is the second album by Manic Street Preachers frontman James Dean Bradfield “It’s a record that draws you in, first with its story, and then with its songs. A wonderful break from the day-job.” Q, 4* An ultra-vivid eulogy to a brilliant life cut short, EVEN IN EXILE is a beautiful collection of songs that loosely trace to story of the life and death of Chilean poet-singer-activist Victor Jara. At points pure and biographical, at others dreamlike and opaque, Bradfield sets words written specifically for the album by poet/playwright Patrick Jones to some of the most addictive and affecting melodies he’s ever composed.

                                                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                  1. Recuerda
                                                                                                  2. The Boy From The Plantation
                                                                                                  3. There'll Come A War
                                                                                                  4. Seeking The Room With The Three Windows
                                                                                                  5. Thirty Thousand Milk Bottles
                                                                                                  6. Under The Mimosa Tree
                                                                                                  7. From The Hands OfVioleta
                                                                                                  8. Without Knowing The End (Joan's Song)
                                                                                                  9. La Partida
                                                                                                  10. The Last Song
                                                                                                  11. Santiago Sunrise

                                                                                                  Leifur James

                                                                                                  Angels In Disguise

                                                                                                    Driving, melancholic electronica, ‘Wise Old Man’ is a nod to what can be expected of James’ second album, Angel In Disguise, showcasing a more experimental side to his production. Traversing through musicality, progressive synths and introspection, this first single unveils the producer’s distinct sound with disorientated vocals; speaking of the interplay between reason and emotion, the lyrics repeat “Wise old man in my brain, soul bursting through my veins”, opening the gates to this captivating electronically steered opus.

                                                                                                    This news comes after an incredible few years for the artist. 2018 saw James release his esteemed debut album A Louder Silence on Night Time Stories and follow up remix EP that championed upcoming electronic talent including Bruce, FaltyDL and Whities producer, Coby Sey, on rework duties; projects which captured the attention of key tastemakers including Resident Advisor, Pitchfork, Mixmag, Electronic Sound and Future Music UK.

                                                                                                    An aesthetically driven artist dedicated to marrying powerful visual backdrops with sonic explorations, James teamed up with Hungarian director, Balázs Simon; producing the critically acclaimed, ‘Wurlitzer’ project which saw widespread support from the likes of Boiler Room, CLASH, Directors’ Notes, Motionographer, the UK and Berlin Music Video Awards, the London Short Film Festival, Dublin International Film Festival and more.

                                                                                                    Angel In Disguise promises to explore the themes of love and loss through a masterful blend of harmonic vocals from James himself, nuanced electronic soundscapes and vibrant percussion - punctuated by bespoke visuals, directed by Balázs Simon. This exciting project is expected to make waves and see James step up, exhibiting his discerning ear and painstakingly honed production craft on a seminal label.

                                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                    1. Circles
                                                                                                    2. Black Lens
                                                                                                    3. I Ran With You
                                                                                                    4. Wise Old Man
                                                                                                    5. Angel In Disguise
                                                                                                    6. Ritual
                                                                                                    7. Alien (feat. Coby Sey)
                                                                                                    8. Strange With You
                                                                                                    9. Rebel

                                                                                                    James Elkington

                                                                                                    Ever-Roving Eye

                                                                                                      Chicago songwriter and guitarist James Elkington who has collaborated with everyone from Richard Thompson to Jeff Tweedy to Tortoise recorded his sophomore album at Wilco’s Loft, expanding upon his celebrated 2017 debut Wintres Woma (PoB-034) as well as his recent production and arrangement work for the likes of Steve Gunn, Nap Eyes, and Joan Shelley. Casting glances back to British folk traditions as well as toward avant-garde horizons, these brilliant new songs, as accessible as they are arcane, buttress Elkington’s brisk guitar figures and baritone poesy with strings, woodwinds, and backing vocals by Tamara Lindeman of the Weather Station.

                                                                                                      “An epiphany… a cryptic storyteller and dazzling acoustic guitarist.” Rolling Stone

                                                                                                      “Elkington stands apart among the wave of 21st century guitar soloists. Beautiful, complex, and assured.” Pitchfork

                                                                                                      “A convincing, warmly whirling weather system of his own.” The Guardian

                                                                                                      “James Elkington is a friend of mine, and I have long enjoyed and indeed found satisfaction from witnessing the juicy fruits of his successful labors. Though it sounds like a line culled from a murderous Child ballad, “Ever-Roving Eye” has everything to do instead with the slipperiness of satisfaction, and the equal parts virtue and vice that is being your own mule and driver. Meticulously planned and quickly tracked (the Elkingtonian way), it includes Wintres Woma alumni Nick Macri (James’ longtime bass colleague) and Macie Stewart (violin), plus new recruits Lia Kohl (cello), Spencer Tweedy (drums), The Weather Station’s Tamara Lindeman (vocals), and the prolific Paul Von Mertens (Brian Wilson) on woodwinds. Where the first record was more firmly situated in the sonic tradition of England’s more interesting 1970s folk revivalists, Eye engages in a broader wrassle, roping in echoes of British library musics, horror-film soundtracks, demure psychedelia, and more rocking elements of folk-rock. The result is a record even more elaborate, shrewd, thoughtful and confessional than its predecessor. Ever-Roving Eye is instead a sublime distillation of the humane wisdom of a dude who’ll never be; the dude who sings on the single, “Nowhere Time”: “There’s a master plan somebody understands / And I wish that one was me.” It might well cast a pox on the concept of satisfaction altogether. Though it still satisfies the hell out of me”. Nathan Salsburg, December 2019

                                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                      A1. Nowhere Time 4:25
                                                                                                      A2. Sleeping Me Awake 3:02
                                                                                                      A3. Leopards Lay Down 3:47
                                                                                                      A4. Moon Tempering 3:13
                                                                                                      A5. Rendlesham Way 4:14
                                                                                                      B1. Late Jim's Lament 2:54
                                                                                                      B2. Carousel 2:50
                                                                                                      B3. Go Easy On October 3:02
                                                                                                      B4. Ever-Roving Eye 4:41
                                                                                                      B5. Much Master 4:24

                                                                                                      Jimmy James & The Vagabonds / Sonya Spence

                                                                                                      This Heart Of Mine / Let Love Flow On

                                                                                                        Two more floor-friendly 45s from the Deptford Northern Soul Club’s record box. Includes Jimmy James & The Vagabonds’ super rare £100-valued 45, written by Motown’s Barrett ‘Money’ Strong. A great version of The Artistics’ track on what is an obscure gem from 1966 from the latter-day soul and ska hit maker. Backed with the often-sampled smooth soul of reggae singer Sonya Spence on a Sonia Pottinger- produced track from her £70 album ‘Sings Love’. First time on seven-inch for this class slice of funky soul.

                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                        Jimmy James & The Vagabonds - This Heart Of Mine
                                                                                                        Sonya Spence - Let Love Flow On

                                                                                                        James Alexander Bright

                                                                                                        Headroom

                                                                                                          James Alexander Bright's music is as visual a voyage as it is a sonic one; a kaleidoscope of colours that swirl, swoon, soar and sing. Stepping into his musical world is a multi-sensory experience, one where smooth grooves, wonky rhythms, dreamy melodies and immersive atmospheres coalesce to form their own sphere. “Sound as vision,” says Bright of the audio aesthetic he relates to and aims for. “Music you can bite into.”

                                                                                                          Based in the Hampshire countryside and an illustrator by day, Bright’s world is often a dual one but one where elements overlap and inform one another. “I spend a lot of my day creating things visually and everyday life can be an assault on the senses, ”says Bright.“ Evening is my quiet time; time for my ears. Invariably I’m inspired by the things that people and creatures do in the dark.

                                                                                                          ”This creative duality extends beyond just the visual and the music too. It’s found deep rooted in the music itself, which explores a mix between lo-fi and hi-fi, possessing an intimate bedroom recording-like quality but with production that sounds glowing and golden. Similarly, the sunny sheen found in the music-via a kind of psychedelic pop meets electronic soul-is one born from dichotomy.“I feel at home in the deep south of England,” he says. “I’m in the middle of nowhere with lots of green land, fresh air and head space. I feel like the sunshine in the South in the summer months really reflects in my music. However, I tend to make music in the dark hours and winter months, so it’s almost like the music is my sunshine and happy place in these moments.

                                                                                                          ”The end result is also an album that exists in a dual world, one that at times has enough bounce and buoyancy to fill a dance floor-as on the disco funk strutting “Lead Me Astray”- and others feels perfectly suited to introspective headphone listening as on the breezy, woozy ambience of “Cala Llenya”.The latter track pays tribute to the Ibiza beach of the same name, whereas “Dancing with the Birds”- a delicate exploration of pastoral folk-is a nod to one of Britain’s most beloved treasures. “It’s based on a late night walk having just watched a David Attenborough documentary, featuring these beautiful birds that have a crazy mating dance. I love his documentaries and I was listening to a lot of Bert Jansch. The next night I had this vision of dancing birds come into my mind.

                                                                                                          ”Elsewhere Headroom touches upon, in Bright’s own words, 60’s sunshine doo-wop, mutant disco, and mystic mountain top vibes. It’s an album that explores a great deal yet even amidst its dualities it retains a sense of cohesion throughout. It’s a mixture that Bright feels pleased to have managed to juggle so seamlessly. “I think there is a good balance around experimentation on the record-a nice mix between fun and substance.”


                                                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                          A1. Go
                                                                                                          A2. Outside
                                                                                                          A3. Lead Me Astray
                                                                                                          A4. Cala Llenya
                                                                                                          A5. Dancing With The Birds
                                                                                                          B1. Gold
                                                                                                          B2. Damn
                                                                                                          B3. 6AM
                                                                                                          B4. Kip On The Highline
                                                                                                          B5. Friends (Lovers Lost)

                                                                                                          After coming to prominence as the frontman of the Mercury Prize-winning Klaxons, recording with Arctic Monkeys and crafting his Shock Machine project, James Righton releases his debut solo album “The Performer”.

                                                                                                          ‘The Performer’ stands in stark contrast to the electro-hedonism of Righton’s work with Klaxons. Instead, it spins through various points from 1970 onwards. It touches on the suave art-lounge of Roxy Music, the jangly grooves of R.E.M., the sumptuous psychedelia of latter day Beach Boys and the songwriting gift of Nick Lowe. In short, it uses classic elements as the groundwork for something which feels a natural fit for now.

                                                                                                          The album flits between two core themes. Fatherhood has changed Righton’s life. It’s altered the relationship with his wife Keira Knightley, which he explores on the 90s-tinged pop-rock of “Start” and the crescendo that soars through “Lessons In Dreamland, Pt2”. But there are simpler emotions too, with the unrequited love and sweet harmonies of “Edie”, a song he wrote for his daughter when she was just a few days old.

                                                                                                          “The Performer” was written, performed and produced by James Righton, with the help of some select collaborators. James Ford (The Last Shadow Puppets, Simian Mobile Disco) performed drums throughout and bass on two tracks; Sean O’Hagan (High Llamas, Microdisney) contributed string arrangements; saxophone was provided by Jorja Chalmers (Bryan Ferry) and Josephine Stephenson (Thom Yorke, Ex:Re) contributed additional piano and string arrangements.


                                                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                          The Performer
                                                                                                          Edie
                                                                                                          See The Monster
                                                                                                          Devil Is Loose
                                                                                                          Lessons In Dreamland, Pt. 1
                                                                                                          Start
                                                                                                          Are You With Me?
                                                                                                          Heavy Heart
                                                                                                          Lessons In Dreamland, Pt. 2

                                                                                                          James Hunter Six

                                                                                                          Nick Of Time

                                                                                                            Back in the spotlight with a sublime new rhythm and blues record, James Hunter follows up six critically acclaimed albums with his latest recording, Nick of Time, set for release on Brooklyn’s renowned soul label Daptone Records.

                                                                                                            Nick of Time is a shining testament of how a master songsmith continually draws fresh water from a bottomless well. Recorded and produced by Bosco Mann, Nick of Time features one of today’s foremost soul singers at the top of his game performing with musicians who’ve backed some of the biggest contemporary music stars including Daptone artists Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley. Nick of Time will be internationally released on March 6, 2020.

                                                                                                            For Nick of Time, Hunter and Daptone co-founder Bosco Mann hunkered down in the label’s Penrose Studios in Riverside, California for what certainly will be one of 2020’s standout soul recordings. Unmistakably another stunning James Hunter album, Nick of Time is a voyage between beautiful, mid-tempo rumba recalling early King/Federal releases, while lush arrangements summon lost tracks from early '60s Burt Bacharach sessions. Nick of Time is steeped in an era when soul records were driven by earth-shattering vocal performances. James Hunter hands down ushers classic soul music into the 21st Century with a sense of timelessness that’s rare these days.

                                                                                                            James Hunter is an everlasting writer of compelling narratives sung with true grit while backed by an ace band of New York City’s finest musicians. Nick of Time finds Hunter in the company of Victor Axelrod (piano), Adam Scone (organ), Rudy Petschauer (drums), Myles Weeks (bass), Michael Buckley (baritone saxophone), and Freddy DeBoe (tenor saxophone). On the road for an extensive U.S., U.K., and European tour in support of Nick of Time, Matt Slocum (keyboards) takes the reins on keys for a hearty James Hunter Six ensemble ready to electrify soul music fans as they hit venerable stages in a city near you in spring 2020.


                                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                            1. I Can Change Your Mind
                                                                                                            2. Who's Fooling Who
                                                                                                            3. Till I Hear It From You
                                                                                                            4. Never
                                                                                                            5. Missing In Action
                                                                                                            6. Nick Of Time
                                                                                                            7. Brother Or Other
                                                                                                            8. Ain't Goin' Up In One Of Those Things
                                                                                                            9. Take It As You Find It
                                                                                                            10. Can't Help Myself
                                                                                                            11. How 'Bout Now
                                                                                                            12. Paradise For One
                                                                                                            13. He's Your Could've Been

                                                                                                            The satin-voiced songwriter’s latest is No Beginning No End 2 - a sequel to his 2013 album that resurrects the bold eclecticism we first fell in love with, while taking us on a journey through both celebration and introspection.

                                                                                                            This is his first set of new music on his own label/collective, Rainbow Blonde Records. The album is chock-full of collaborators who are auteurs in their own right - Laura Mvula, Aloe Blacc, Ledisi, Erik Truffaz, and Hindi Zahra, to name a few - appearing in unexpected sonic contexts. With the backing of a wildly good band held down by rhythm sections in Los Angeles and Brooklyn (befitting Rainbow Blonde’s bicoastal status) the songs are warmer and more defined than ever, balancing classic songwriting against immersive vibe

                                                                                                            STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                            Millie says: Soulful vocals that can make your knees weak, Jose Jones new album is warming and beautiful and worth the eight year wait. A mixture between Soul, Nu Jazz and slow R&B is the perfect combination.

                                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                            I Need Your Love
                                                                                                            You Know What It Do
                                                                                                            Feels So Good
                                                                                                            Turn Me Up
                                                                                                            Just The Way You Are
                                                                                                            Baby Don't Cry
                                                                                                            Nobody Knows My Name
                                                                                                            Take Me
                                                                                                            Home
                                                                                                            I Found A Love
                                                                                                            Saint James
                                                                                                            Miss Me When I'm Gone
                                                                                                            Oracle (????)

                                                                                                            James McArthur And The Head Gardeners

                                                                                                            Tourist Town/ Plane Sailors

                                                                                                              Taken from the 4 Star Shindig Reviewed LP Intergalactic Sailor, James McArthur And the Head Gardeners AA sided single is the only physical release from this session. Tourist Town is smothered in James's hushed vocals, The flip Plane Sailors grooves acoustic guitars and beats. Think Jansch & Drake with the Beta Band. WIth help from Syd Arthur this limited single was originally released as part of the Wonderfulsevens subscription club. 

                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                              1. Tourist Town
                                                                                                              2. Plane Sailors 

                                                                                                              Part two of our nod to the world of library from Athens of the North introduce Greg Foat journeys into the world of synthesis with good friend James Thorpe. This new LP was recorded in the old Bees Studio on the Isle of Wight earlier this year, a special, different piece of work which I was delighted to receive on ¼ inch tape without warning. Greg's output continues to be prolific without ever tiring, he never plays it safe and is always looking forward whilst having an ear for our musical-heritage.





                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                              1. Elementary Physiology, Pt. 1
                                                                                                              2. Elementary Physiology, Pt. 2
                                                                                                              3. Balloon Ride
                                                                                                              4. Circadian Rhythms
                                                                                                              5. Diametrically Opposed
                                                                                                              6. Grockle Box
                                                                                                              7. Living The Dream
                                                                                                              8. Platform Game
                                                                                                              9. Stacey's Theme
                                                                                                              10. Photosynthesis
                                                                                                              11. Chronobiology 

                                                                                                              James McVinnie is known as one of the world's leading organists. His work as a performer encompasses music from the 16th century to the present day. He is a member of Icelandic record label Bedroom Community. He has collaborated with many leading figures in new music including Philip Glass, Angelique Kidjo, Nico Muhly, Martin Creed, Richard Reed Parry, Bryce Dessner, Darkstar, Hildur Guðnadóttir, David Lang, Sarah Davachi many of whom have written large scale works for him.

                                                                                                              The compositions were commissioned by No-Nation with PRSF for Music and debuted as ‘The Secret Life of Organs’ in 2016 with a run of live dates in the UK supported by Arts Council England. The original pieces have since been revised to make up "All Night Chroma". Performed at the Harrison & Harrison organ of the Royal Festival Hall by James McVinnie. Composed and produced by Tom Jenkinson of Sqaurepusher. 


                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                              Mono Chroma (2013)

                                                                                                              01: Voix Célestes
                                                                                                              02: Mutations With Reeds
                                                                                                              03: Flutes With Major Bass
                                                                                                              04: Reeds & Flûtes Harmoniques

                                                                                                              Poly Chroma (2016)

                                                                                                              01: Mixtures
                                                                                                              02: Bombardes & Cymbel
                                                                                                              03: Flutes 
                                                                                                              04: Full Organ

                                                                                                              Loraine James

                                                                                                              For You And I

                                                                                                                Raised in the multicultural and mind-broadening London borough of Enfield, Loraine James grew up hearing everything from steel pan music to Metallica, from jazz and electronica to drill and grime, and the results of this exposure can be heard on ‘For You And I’. In part the album explores the complexities of being in a queer relationship in London - “I’m in love and wanted to share that in some way … to make songs that reflect layers of my relationship.” – and as a whole ‘For You and I’ is rhythmically free flowing and sprawling, with melodies that evolve into rippling keys, feeling like a live jam session with a jazz mentality, contrasting the delicate and abrasive. Opener ‘Glitch Bitch’ is a warm ear-worm, brandishing swirling textures with undulating keys and compressed percussion, with an introspective theme revisited soon after on third track ‘So Scared’, whose glitched percussion and syncopated dub bassline build to a frantic meltdown melody.

                                                                                                                On ‘London Ting // Dark As Fuck’, inspired by Dizzee Rascals's ‘Boy In Da Corner', James explores the darker side of her production with her frequent collaborator Le3 BLACK laying verses over the skeletal track. ‘Hand Drops’ is an instrumental, about public displays of affection in a queer relationship. ‘Sensual’ reflects on intimacy with vocals by UK singer Theo, whose lyrics capture love and gentleness over a soft, minimal production of ethereal keys and scattered glitches. The albums’ title track is also the most colourful, it’s ecstatic and effusive chaos driven by fervent synths expressing elation and the joyful side of her relationship, while ‘My Future’ is a more reflective moment, where warping synths wash in and out with compressed kicks, as the artist considers the dangers that may come with her relationship : “I wanna tie the knot / But the rope is dangerous”. ‘For You And I’ is a deeply intimate and personal offering, expressing happiness, anxiety, joy, sensuality and fear through a vivid sound palette and an experimental sense of rhythm.


                                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                A1. Glitch Bitch
                                                                                                                A2. London Ting // Dark As Fuck
                                                                                                                A3. So Scared
                                                                                                                A4. Hand Drops
                                                                                                                A5. Sensual
                                                                                                                B1. For You And I
                                                                                                                B2. My Future
                                                                                                                B3. Scraping My Feet
                                                                                                                B4. Sick 9
                                                                                                                B5. Vowel // Consonant 

                                                                                                                James Booth

                                                                                                                Space Echo Track / Locus Of Control

                                                                                                                The Growing Bin may have taken a hiatus for AW18, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a deciduous operation; after all the most powerful plantlife grows from below. Moving through the mulch, Basso traces the mycellium network from Hamburg's forests to the gentle slopes of Hasenheide, reconnecting with James Booth for the first Growing Bin release of 2019.

                                                                                                                Emerging from the green house with a heroic dose of wavy caps, the Mancunian export unleashes A-side sizzler 'Space Echo Track', a little post-minimal magic for the peak time shamans. Built around the polyrhythmic patter of organic percussion, a touch of UK shuffle and the occasional blast of soundsystem bass, the track rolls and rattles from start to finish, tailor made for mid-set hypnosis. And while neon leadlines dance with disorienting sampler vox and papaya whistles summon the ethno-flute melodies, Booth brings us to a new level of future primitive consciousness, unlocking the Stargate once and for all.
                                                                                                                Onto the B-side and we're hurtling through galaxies, submerged in the entheogenic frequencies of 'Locus'. Shimmering swathes of angelic synth vox and dreamlike pads drift freely, forming a perfect counterbalance to the warp factor thrust and rasping resonance of the wormhole sequences. Beatless in space, 'Locus' balances ambient techno and acid gurgle, cleansing your synapses like a Sven Vath warm down circa '94. This is music for the microdosers...


                                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                A. Locus
                                                                                                                B. Space Echo Track

                                                                                                                James Brown

                                                                                                                Sho Is Funky Down Here

                                                                                                                  THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2019 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 13th 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 12.01AM SATURDAY APRIL 20th.

                                                                                                                  First issued in 1971. Available digitally, CD is out of print. Vinyl has been out of print since at least the mid-90s. 3000 only worldwide. Sho is Funky Down Here and The Grodeck Whipperjenny are a pair of albums that are the result of an unlikely but highly productive musical relationship between James Brown, a superstar at the creative and commercial peaks of his long career, and David Matthews, a then young arranger-musician whose limited professional experience had little or nothing to do with the funk and soul of his collaborator. James Brown’s psychedelic album, created by his then-bandleader David Matthews, and issued at the same time as Matthews’ classic The Grodeck Whipperjenny. Underground, fuzzy, rambling psych-funk. The genesis of Brown’s “Talking Loud And Saying Nothing,” a 1990s hip hop sample staple, informing A Tribe Called Quest, Large Professor, Brand Nubian and others. Lacquered directly from the original master tapes at Capitol Studios. This is the first official reissue of both of this rare titles. Contains an extensive booklet with full annotation, liner notes by Brown historian Alan Leeds and never-before-published photos. Tracks : A Side 1. Sho Is Funky Down Here 2. Don't Mind 3. Bob Scoward B Side 1. Just Enough Room For Storage 2. You Mother You 3. Can Mind.

                                                                                                                  Come Out to Play bridges the gap between my previous two singles and combines the pad soundscape of Whispers with the angular unpredictability of Alone Again - though Come Out to Play is far more upbeat and lighthearted in terms of musical and lyrical themes.

                                                                                                                  Musically it draws inspiration from the classic songwriters of the 60/70s, but also harks to Aztec Camera and the Smiths. I've been told that it sounds as if Johnny Marr had joined the Beatles / Beach Boys in the studio for a day which is a huge compliment.

                                                                                                                  It is probably the catchiest chorus I’ve written to date, and it’s become a crowd favourite at gigs (not least because of my anecdotal monologue, with a slice of crowd interaction, before I play the song).

                                                                                                                  Lyrically, the song is a journey through the life of a shy, introverted person, and their struggle to socialise. There’s never an explicit reason why, but there are hints that they’re hoping for something more (“But I just keep holding on, for a day to reminisce on…”). Each verse is a different stage of his life, represented by the references to different seasons, but it’s in the last verse where our character sees himself in his son and tells him not to make the same mistakes he has made.

                                                                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                  1. Come Out To Play
                                                                                                                  2. Whispers
                                                                                                                  3. Alone Again
                                                                                                                  4. Burning Moon
                                                                                                                  5. Whatever Happened To John? 

                                                                                                                  Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

                                                                                                                  The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (OST)

                                                                                                                    BMG are set to release an exclusive version of the acclaimed soundtrack “THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD” available on vinyl for the very first time.

                                                                                                                    Re-mastered and available on limited edition whiskey coloured vinyl with a gatefold sleeve.

                                                                                                                    Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, of the internationally celebrated bands Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, The Dirty Three and Grinderman, have composed, played and produced a compelling and intense soundtrack for director Andrew Dominik's savage tale of the true West. The new score captures perfectly the charismatic and unpredictable nature of its central protagonist. Like the film, Cave and Ellis' music cuts through the mythic figure of Jesse James to reveal the complex, contradictory man beneath. Daring and passionately delivered, Cave and Ellis' beautiful soundtrack retains its captivating power even without the benefit of Dominik's images 


                                                                                                                    James Yorkston

                                                                                                                    The Route To The Harmonium

                                                                                                                      Produced by Yorkston and David Wrench, The Route to the Harmonium is James’ first solo record since 2014’s Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society (CRAWS) and follows the two collaborative albums he made as one third of Yorkston/Thorne/Khan as well as the release of his debut novel Three Craws in 2016.

                                                                                                                      The album was almost entirely recorded by James himself, in the small Scottish fishing village of Cellardyke, where he lives. Yorkston’s studio is a ramshackle old loft space, originally used to repair fisherman’s nets, and now stuffed full the antique instruments James has collected throughout his life as a musician. Having created hours of recordings, James called up his old collaborator David Wrench - the mixer and producer who has worked with the likes of Caribou, Four Tet, Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs and David Byrne - and someone who has worked on James’ albums since 2003 – to help make sense of the sessions.

                                                                                                                      The Route to the Harmonium (or, ‘the search for peace’) is intensely personal; it’s the sound of home, of undisturbed craftmanship. Listen closely and you can imagine him putting it together. Overlaying vocal and guitar tracks, adding further with Dulcitones, harmoniums and autoharps, with nyckelharpa, the distinctive Swedish stringed instrument given to him by a friend. And friends and family, past and present swim all over his songs. Remembering them, and those you’ve shared life with, those who leave and those who remain, is the strongest thread running through these affecting, extraordinary songs. This is Yorkston’s world and could be nowhere else in music.

                                                                                                                      James adds: “I guess, as a musician and writer, I find myself reacting to what goes on around. So, this album is about life, the life that carries on around me. There’s family, place, and the being away from family that the life of a touring musician brings… But there’s also reference to friends departed – the hows, the whys – When a friend jumps ship it’s always a haymaker to the gut, you know? And this album is about them, but it’s more about us, us who are left behind...”

                                                                                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                      Barry says: Tender ballads and brittle songmaship on this stunning outing from the great James Yorkston. Reminiscent of some of the country-folk offerings from Constellation / Alien8 recordings in the early 90's, Yorkston manages to convey a heartbreaking morose air whilst keeping the melodicism intact. A beautifully written collection, as expected.

                                                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                      01 Your Beauty Could Not Save You
                                                                                                                      02 The Irish Wars Of Independence 
                                                                                                                      03 Like Bees To Foxglove
                                                                                                                      04 Shallow
                                                                                                                      05 The Blue Of The Thistle
                                                                                                                      06 Brittle
                                                                                                                      07 My Mouth Ain't No Bible
                                                                                                                      08 Solitary Islands All
                                                                                                                      09 The Villages I Have Known My Entire Life
                                                                                                                      10 Oh Me, Oh My
                                                                                                                      11 Yorkston Athletic
                                                                                                                      12 A Footnote To An Epitaph 

                                                                                                                      James Holden

                                                                                                                      A Cambodian Spring: Original Soundtrack

                                                                                                                        The latest addition to the James Holden archive is an album of solo synth work originally written to accompany the critically-acclaimed documentary ‘A Cambodian Spring’: fourteen tracks of pulsing melancholy, foreboding drone and even the occasional burst of beatless trance in the form of the uplifting arpeggios of surefire album highlight ‘Solidarity Theme’.

                                                                                                                        Picking up where his classic 2013 album ‘The Inheritors’ left off (and giving ‘Self-Playing Schmaltz’ a new cinematic airing) Holden’s debut soundtrack project combines the sound palette of his beloved Prophet 600 with a cranky old Hammond organ to showcase the full breadth of his musical tastes across the epic documentary format.

                                                                                                                        The LP includes digital download code and sleevenotes by ‘Imaginary Cities’ author Darran Anderson.


                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                        Srey Pov’s Theme
                                                                                                                        Monk’s Theme Part I
                                                                                                                        Downturn Medley
                                                                                                                        Solidarity Theme (Villagers)
                                                                                                                        Monk’s Theme Part II
                                                                                                                        The Villagers
                                                                                                                        Disintegration Drone I
                                                                                                                        Solidarity Theme (Release)
                                                                                                                        Monk’s Theme Part III (Exit)
                                                                                                                        Reprise
                                                                                                                        Disintegration Drone II (Torn Cone)
                                                                                                                        Disintegration Drone III (Death Rattle)
                                                                                                                        Self-Playing Schmaltz
                                                                                                                        Srey Pov’s Theme (End Credits)

                                                                                                                        2018 Reissue – Remastered From Original Tapes, Carefully Reproduced Original Art.

                                                                                                                        James Clarke’s Mystery Movie was released in 1974 as “modern, small group compositions in various moods. Ideally suited to the new Americanised style of T.V. and cinema film where music is used to create the mood and carry the action”. So this collection covers a lot of bases, but it does so brilliantly and has absolutely no right to be such a fantastic listen from start to finish. Mystery Movie is best known for the slick drum breaks underpinning the top-notch jazz-funk chase theme “Car Patrol”, the fuzz riffing and ARP soloing of “The Heavies” and the slow-mo strut of “Mystery Moll”. “Study In Fear” and “Empty Streets” are horror soundtrack fodder of the finest sort. However, it’s the understated, plaintive pieces that we find the most rewarding. Ambient feels and strung-out fried-folk treats, full of cyclical naïve melodies. Music that evokes the ‘downlifting’ Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood instrumentals from their great Mahoney’s Last Stand LP, as well as the beautiful soundtrack work of Jack Nitzsche and Ry Cooder. You might also recognise “Waiting Game” from being sampled by melodic downbeat masters Express Rising. Check “Relaxed Theme”, “Quiet Girl”, “Routine Procedure” and “Quietness Sustained” for a melodic, melancholic set, with the last three performed on just acoustic guitar and harp. Gorgeous work. As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Mystery Movie comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We’ve taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM’s brand identity.


                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                        Mystery Prelude
                                                                                                                        Car Patrol - Title Sequence
                                                                                                                        Breathless
                                                                                                                        Breathless - Short Version
                                                                                                                        Waiting Game
                                                                                                                        Mystery Moll
                                                                                                                        Mystery Movement
                                                                                                                        The Heavies
                                                                                                                        Dirty Scene
                                                                                                                        Study In Fear
                                                                                                                        Empty Streets
                                                                                                                        Night Watch
                                                                                                                        Foot Patrol
                                                                                                                        Quiet Girl
                                                                                                                        Relaxed Scene
                                                                                                                        Routine Procedure
                                                                                                                        Quietness Sustained

                                                                                                                        "A Louder Silence" is the London-based producer and multi-instrumentalist’s first proper release; his two earlier singles feature on the record, after gaining support from Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM with a live airing and interview in 2017, plus continued backing from XLR8R, Stamp the Wax, and BBC Radio 6 Music DJ’s.

                                                                                                                        The album is both spacious and thought-provoking, energetic yet restrained, brimming with nuanced electronic instrumentals, dubby synths, and jazz breaks - creating an array of rich textures, complemented occasionally by James’ own soulful vocals.

                                                                                                                        While James’ early unreleased work was singularly electronic, "A Louder Silence" focuses on analog synths and warm acoustic instruments, all played by his own hand. It’s the product of a two-year spell in James’ home studio, with additional live drums recorded with Jim Macrae at London’s Old Paradise Audio.

                                                                                                                        James’ rich musical influences are laced through the release. Encouraged by his mother, a classically trained pianist, he learned to play the cello and developed a deep understanding of rhythm and melody that informs his approach to writing electronic music. James plays the piano he grew up listening to in “Mumma Don’t Tell” and samples an indefinable percussive element to drive forward “Suns Of Gold.” “Night and Day” sees cello plucks and long melodic strokes interlink with a grooving synth line. He also field records the atmospheric Moroccan sea in “Red Sea.” Inspiration stems from the experimentation of modern day electronic producers, fused with the Jazz, Classical, Blues, and Soul music that soundtracked his youth.

                                                                                                                        Central to the album is the idea of space. James recalls the early advice of his uncle, a jazz guitarist, who features on “Uncle Blue”:'I remember him saying to me: 'What goes in comes out' James says. 'Every detail should be a worthy detail; sometimes nothing is better than something.' Moments of blissful, structured intensity are juxtaposed with stillness and near silence -dark and light; loud and quiet. This also forms the foundation for the album title: "A Louder Silence" reflects the dichotomy of finding pockets of stillness in a noisy world.


                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                        1. Alpine
                                                                                                                        2. Time
                                                                                                                        3. Suns Of Gold
                                                                                                                        4. Argonaut
                                                                                                                        5. Mumma Don’t Tell
                                                                                                                        6. Uncle Blue
                                                                                                                        7. Night And Day
                                                                                                                        8. Salaninam
                                                                                                                        9. Red Sea
                                                                                                                        10. Osho

                                                                                                                        “The idea for UNIFORM CLARITY came from UNIFORM DISTORTION,” says James, “an album of intentional chaos/dirt: literal and figurative distortion of lyrics and sound meant to echo and hopefully shed some light on the twisted times and distortion of the truth in which we now live. UNIFORM CLARITY is meant to illuminate the other side – raw and real, but very clear, much like in the early days of recording where all you could hear was the truth because there were no ways to manipulate recordings in the studio. Working with Shawn Everett, we created a document style recording of these songs- just vocals, guitar and the space itself- no special FX. A crystal clear illustration of the flawed beauty of what a song starts off as or sometimes remains- a thought. a seed. a light from the womb of the universe brought to life down here on earth."

                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                        1 Just A Fool
                                                                                                                        2 You Get To Rome
                                                                                                                        3 Out Of Time
                                                                                                                        4 Throwback
                                                                                                                        5 No Secrets
                                                                                                                        6 Yes To Everything
                                                                                                                        7 No Use Waiting
                                                                                                                        8 All In Your Head
                                                                                                                        9 Better Late Than Never
                                                                                                                        10 Over And Over
                                                                                                                        11 Too Good To Be True
                                                                                                                        12 It Will Work Out
                                                                                                                        13 Flash In The Pan

                                                                                                                        James White And The Blacks

                                                                                                                        Sax Maniac (Redux)

                                                                                                                        The New York No Wave legend returns to record store shelves everywhere! Long out of print, it’s only right James Chance (White) was back where he belongs, this time it is in the shape of a lovingly packaged reissue of one of his masterpieces - 1982’s Sax Maniac LP.

                                                                                                                        Currently at the forefront of the popular music conciousness, fresh from a guest performance with Franz Ferdinand on prime time US televisions ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’, this fantastic Redux version of one of JAMES’ most revered records showcases his anarchic saxophone and deconstructionist approach to rock ‘n’ roll through avant garde arrangements and a blending of contemporary jazz with a true punk ethos.

                                                                                                                        To go alongside the music are four incredible photographic prints of JAMES CHANCE and Anya Philips by Edo Bertolgio, the director of the now classic movie Downtown 81, which starred Jean-Michel Basquiet and a memorable performance by the James White And The Blacks era band heard here on this record. Drenched in an infinite cool, Sax Maniac is a true document of downtown New Yorks’ underground music and art scene in the early 80’s.

                                                                                                                        This limited edition Redux version of this incredible LP is remastered and contains a bonus track featuring fellow no-wave legend Arto Lindsay (DNA, The Lounge Lizards). It comes on heavy 180g limited coloured vinyl with free download. The record is encased in a clear PVC sleeve with the logo printed on the font, inside it contains 4 x photographic prints of images by the great Edo Bertoglio (Downtown 81, Jean-Michel Basquiet) allowing you to use whichever image you desire as the front cover! It also boasts newly written liner notes by the legendary James Chance himself. So get yourself a slice of hot sax - only while stocks last.


                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                        1. Irresistible Impulse
                                                                                                                        2. That Old Black Magic*
                                                                                                                        3. Disco Jaded
                                                                                                                        4. Money To Burn
                                                                                                                        5. Sax Maniac
                                                                                                                        6. Sax Machine
                                                                                                                        7. The Twitch
                                                                                                                        8. Hyp No Tease (Bonus Demo)

                                                                                                                        Jim James third studio album ‘Uniform Distortion’ follows on from his previous success from being frontman of My Morning Jacket.Uniform Distortion was produced by Jim James and Kevin Ratterman at Louisville, KY’s La La Land, with Ratterman also serving as recording engineer. All songs were written by James, who is backed on the album by bassist Seth Kauffman (Floating Action) and longtime touring drummer Dave Givan, with backing vocals provided throughout by Dear Lemon Trees’ Leslie Stevens, Jamie Drake and Kathleen Grace. “The name of my new record is Uniform Distortion because I feel like there is this blanket distortion on society/media and the way we gather our ‘news and important information. More and more of us are feeling lost and looking for new ways out of this distortion and back to the truth…and finding hope in places like the desert where I write this now...finding hope in the land and in the water and in old books offering new ideas and most importantly in each other and love.” says James. Uniform Distortion is James’ finest work to date filled with compassion and brimming with meaningful ideology. 

                                                                                                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                        Andy says: Jim James does things differently on his solo records and this one's no exception. Raw, playful and rocking, but still with melodies galore, which other massive alt-rock stars keep things this fresh!

                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                        1. Just A Fool
                                                                                                                        2. You Get To Rome
                                                                                                                        3. Out Of Time
                                                                                                                        4. Throwback
                                                                                                                        5. No Secrets
                                                                                                                        6. Yes To Everything
                                                                                                                        7. No Use Waiting
                                                                                                                        8. All In Your Head
                                                                                                                        9. Better Late Than Never
                                                                                                                        10. Over And Over
                                                                                                                        11. Too Good To Be True

                                                                                                                        James Heather

                                                                                                                        Stories From Far Away On Piano

                                                                                                                          James Heather drops his debut album on vinyl for the first time via Ahead Of Our Time, Coldcut’s first label and playground for free expression and experimentation. A collection of nine conceptual solo piano pieces inspired by real world news events. The album art by Suki features layers of Indian ink bled into newspaper print. It also plots the nine latitude and longitude locations of each story’s origin. For fans of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Poppy Ackroyd, Max Richter, Nils Frahm.



                                                                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                          Ruqia
                                                                                                                          Empire Sounds
                                                                                                                          MHope
                                                                                                                          Biomes
                                                                                                                          Last Minute
                                                                                                                          Change Of Heart
                                                                                                                          Pathos
                                                                                                                          Teardrop Tattoo
                                                                                                                          Kraken
                                                                                                                          Blueprint

                                                                                                                          Jim James

                                                                                                                          Tribute To

                                                                                                                            Tribute To is a collection of George Harrison songs recorded by Jim after George’s death. “All I had was that eight track at our studio and right after George died I just went up there and sat in a room and played those songs to try and deal with the emotions I felt from his passing and pay tribute to him” said Jim James.

                                                                                                                            Spin described the EP as “spare and somber – just that windy Americana tenor against a squeaky acoustic guitar … Many of us remember where we were when Harrison died; now we hear when James began to heal.”


                                                                                                                            This re-issue includes a bonus track, a cover of "If Not For You".

                                                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                            Long, Long, Long
                                                                                                                            Behind That Locked Door
                                                                                                                            Love You To
                                                                                                                            If Not For You
                                                                                                                            My Sweet Lord
                                                                                                                            Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
                                                                                                                            All Things Must Pass

                                                                                                                            James

                                                                                                                            Whiplash - Vinyl Reissue

                                                                                                                              Double Vinyl re-press with download code.
                                                                                                                              180g black vinyl.
                                                                                                                              Double LP of the original album.

                                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                              1. Tomorrow
                                                                                                                              2. Los A Friend
                                                                                                                              3. Waltzing Along
                                                                                                                              4. She's A Star
                                                                                                                              5. Greenpeace
                                                                                                                              6. Go To The Bank
                                                                                                                              7. Play Dead
                                                                                                                              8. Avalanche
                                                                                                                              9. Homeboy
                                                                                                                              10. Watering Hole
                                                                                                                              11. Blue Pastures

                                                                                                                              James

                                                                                                                              Millionaires - Vinyl Reissue

                                                                                                                                Double Vinyl with download code.
                                                                                                                                180g black vinyl.
                                                                                                                                First time available on vinyl. 

                                                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                1. Crash
                                                                                                                                2. Just Like Fred Astaire
                                                                                                                                3. I Know What I'm Here For
                                                                                                                                4. Shooting My Mouth Off
                                                                                                                                5. We're Going To Miss You
                                                                                                                                6. Strangers
                                                                                                                                7. Hello
                                                                                                                                8. Afro Lover
                                                                                                                                9. Surprise
                                                                                                                                10. Dumb Jam
                                                                                                                                11. Someone's Got Ity In For Me
                                                                                                                                12. Vervaceous

                                                                                                                                James

                                                                                                                                Gold Mother - Vinyl Reissue

                                                                                                                                  Double Vinyl re-press with download code.
                                                                                                                                  180g black vinyl.
                                                                                                                                  First time available on vinyl with this specific track-list.


                                                                                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                  1.Come Home (Flood Mix)
                                                                                                                                  2.Lose Control
                                                                                                                                  3.Government Walls
                                                                                                                                  4.God Only Knows
                                                                                                                                  5.You Can't Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That's Always Smiling)
                                                                                                                                  6.How Was It For You?
                                                                                                                                  7.Sit Down
                                                                                                                                  8.Walking The Ghost
                                                                                                                                  9.Gold Mother
                                                                                                                                  10.Top Of The World
                                                                                                                                  11.Come Home (Album Version)
                                                                                                                                  12.Crescendo
                                                                                                                                  13.Hang On

                                                                                                                                  James

                                                                                                                                  Pleased To Meet You - Vinyl Reissue

                                                                                                                                    Double Vinyl with download.
                                                                                                                                    180g black vinyl.
                                                                                                                                    First time available on vinyl. 

                                                                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                    1. Space
                                                                                                                                    2. Falling Down
                                                                                                                                    3. English Beefcake
                                                                                                                                    4. Junkie
                                                                                                                                    5. Pleased To Meet You
                                                                                                                                    6. The Shining
                                                                                                                                    7. Senorita
                                                                                                                                    8. Gaudi
                                                                                                                                    9. What Is It Good For
                                                                                                                                    10. Give It Away
                                                                                                                                    11. Fine
                                                                                                                                    12. Getting Away With It (All Messed Up)
                                                                                                                                    13. Alaskan Pipeline

                                                                                                                                    Jim James

                                                                                                                                    Tribute To 2

                                                                                                                                      After releasing the politically charged solo album ‘Eternally Even’ in 2016, My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James returns with ‘Tribute To 2’, a collection of cover songs that reverberate with hope.

                                                                                                                                      Unlike his 2009 mini album of songs by George Harrison and the Beatles, ‘Tribute To’, which was recorded on an eight-track, reel-toreel tape recorder in the days following Harrison’s passing, the 11 songs of ‘Tribute To 2’ were recorded over a period of years, in different places, with different gear and varied instrumentation. James explains, “These are some of my favourite covers - songs I recorded trying to bring myself peace during a rough time or trying to make myself laugh or just have fun. I hope others can relate and enjoy the journey during these tough times and hopefully in times of peace and love as well!”

                                                                                                                                      James Holden & The Animal Spirits

                                                                                                                                      The Animal Spirits

                                                                                                                                        Let electronics guru James Holden and his newly-expanded band The Animal Spirits transport us to a magical other world with this third album: a bold new set of synth-led folk-trance standards, fusing elements of psychedelia, krautrock, world and spiritual jazz with Holden's usual propulsive melodic vigour into his most ambitious - but also most accessible - work to date.

                                                                                                                                        The synth-and-drum core of Holden's Inheritors-era live touring outfit has picked up several members along the way, incorporating saxophone, cornet, recorder and cosmic percussion, all recorded live together in one room under the direction of band leader Holden to produce a genre-blending new form of universal music that feels inherently fluid and alive.

                                                                                                                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                                        Barry says: Holden, and his newly inherited (pun intended) band segue away from the dense, fractured electronic excursions of yesteryear, into a genre-bending percussive world-music odyssey. Progressive, multi-layered and incredibly rewarding. Another slice of genius from the Border Community head honcho.

                                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                        Incantation For Inanimate Object
                                                                                                                                        Spinning Dance
                                                                                                                                        Pass Through The Fire
                                                                                                                                        Each Moment Like The First
                                                                                                                                        The Beginning & End Of The World
                                                                                                                                        Thunder Moon Gathering
                                                                                                                                        The Animal Spirits
                                                                                                                                        The Neverending
                                                                                                                                        Go Gladly Into The Earth

                                                                                                                                        You could be forgiven for thinking Basso‘s been hitting the plant food of late. Last time out we took a trip with Trance, and now our esoteric expert nods his head, rolls his shoulders and drops a h-h-h-house record on our unexpecting asses. That‘s right folks, roll up the rug, push the sofa back and enjoy some ‚Personal Growth‘ from James Booth.
                                                                                                                                        Operating a million miles away from the kick and hiss of the trendy lo-fi folks, the Berlin based producer favours subtle rhythms, delicate textures and tender melodies - turning out a string of sophisticated dance floor winners for 100% Silk, Church and No Bad Days. Now he brings his organic house stylings to the Growing Bin with a fresh five-tracker packed with all the warmth of a Tempelhof picnic on a balmy July afternoon.
                                                                                                                                        Emerging from the watery depths of the Drexciyan ocean, opener "Mood" strides calmly through the morning dew, stretching those loose limbs and seeking out Hardcastle‘s rainforest. Drifting freely through immersive, aquatic pads and soft focus melodies, the track takes in a little R&R before snapping electro percussion, cascading synthlines and a rolling rhythm up the intensity. The deepness continues on the A2 as "Dream Precipitation" offers a medicated vision of Debussy doing P-Bar while Lynch rolls the cameras. Syncopated hi-hats, jazzy keys and star-gazing sine waves wrap themselves around your cerebellum, expanding your mind as a steady kick moves your body into the pleasure zone. Booth takes a Derren Brown tip on the flip, imbuing "You" with the kind of mesmeric rhythm that can make the staunchest wallflower pull a Pink Panther on a packed dance floor. The exotic tumble of woody percussion and hissing castanets keep up a fascinating rhythm, driving the titular mantra and snaking synth melody through bursts of slapped bass and subtle 4/4. "Dhoop Stick" stays on board with the boogie hypnotism, weaving its way through celestial melodies, squelching bass and toasty Rhodes before "The Chorus" brings down the curtain with wailing FM vox, military snares and the dreamy synth pop charm of a lost Sheffield classic. Warm, woody and entirely organic, this is the birth of Green House...you heard it here first!

                                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                        1. Mood
                                                                                                                                        2. Dream Precipitation
                                                                                                                                        3. You
                                                                                                                                        4. Dhoop Stick
                                                                                                                                        5. The Chorus 

                                                                                                                                        Wintres Woma-- Old English for "the sound of winter"-- is James Elkington's debut solo record, but you've likely heard his masterful guitar playing and arranging, even if you didn't realize it. Elkington (an Englishman living in Chicago) is an inveterate collaborator who brings his lyrical compositional and improvisational sensibilities to any group. He has toured, recorded, and/or collaborated with Jeff Tweedy, Richard Thompson, Steve Gunn, Michael Chapman, Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg and Brokeback, to name just a few of his many enthusiastic admirers.

                                                                                                                                        His assured album, recorded at Wilco's Loft, is baroquely detailed and beautifully constructed, featuring both his baritone vocals and some of Chicago's finest, including Tomeka Reid. Elkington was brought up in England during the ’70s and ’80s—a time when traditional and acoustic music was largely shunned in favor of the new wave (to which his largely-destroyed copy of The Fall’s Perverted By Language will attest)—but found after his first forays into songwriting that some semblance of the folk music vernacular had crept in and wouldn’t leave.

                                                                                                                                        Elkington’s music, however, is anything if retroactive, and anything if folk music: “It’s not folk music,” he asserts. “I may use the mechanics of folk music to put across my own ideas at times, but it really doesn’t fall into any specific community or songwriterly tradition. The album’s lyrics do seem to have a preoccupation with unseen powers at work and other dimensions, both of which seem to show up in traditional English music, but it’s based on my own experience and understanding, not anyone else’s.” Wintres Woma was recorded at Wilco’s studio, The Loft, in a five-day sprawl with engineer Mark Greenberg. 

                                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                        1 Make It Up
                                                                                                                                        2 Hollow In Your House
                                                                                                                                        3 Wading The Vapors
                                                                                                                                        4 Grief Is Not Coming
                                                                                                                                        5 When I Am Slow
                                                                                                                                        6 The Parting Glass
                                                                                                                                        7 The Hermit Census
                                                                                                                                        8 Greatness Yet To Come
                                                                                                                                        9 Sister Of Mine
                                                                                                                                        10 My Trade In Sun Tears
                                                                                                                                        11 Any Afternoon

                                                                                                                                        "If you don't vote it's on you, not me," Jim James sings on his second solo album. It's an election-year entreaty geared towards too-pure leftoid lintheads, but the song is no screed, befitting a guy whose music usually turns inward. James floats his humidly ethereal soul mumble over seven minutes of a languid beat, cottony strings and chill organ bleat. Throughout Eternally Even, the My Morning Jacket mainman renders his change gospel with conversational grace, Bill Withers warmth, Sly Stone optimism and Neil Young conviction – less soap box pugilist than lazy-Sunday sage.

                                                                                                                                        The music recalls Aquarian soul, Nineties trip-hop and laser-gun funk: "True Nature" ties a find-your-mission message to a hazily coiled Blacksploitation groove; the loose flowing prettiness of "Here in Spirit" links today's battles to a history of struggle. The sonic spaciness can sometimes undercut James' less probing moments ("This world is war and blood when it could've been love," he observes on "We Ain't Getting Any Younger (Pt. 2.)" More often, the effect is charming. The gentlest moment is the title cut, in which his Kentucky coo cuddles against a track that's like Dark Side of the Moon as an astral doo-wop lovers prayer, reaching for a personal and social over-the-rainbow moment of Zen so sweetly visioned it feels like it's already unfolding –walking in the shadows, tripping towards the light. 



                                                                                                                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                                        Andy says: This record has the meandering, groovy, mellow and melancholic vibe of Marvin's masterpiece "Here, My Dear". Stoned, soulful, fuzzy songs bleed into one another to create a powerful meditation on the times (political and personal). It is a stunning record.

                                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                        1. Hide In Plain Sight
                                                                                                                                        2. Same Old Lie
                                                                                                                                        3. Here In Spirit
                                                                                                                                        4. The World's Smiling Now
                                                                                                                                        5. We Ain't Getting Any Younger Pt. 1
                                                                                                                                        6. We Ain't Getting Any Younger Pt. 2 [Explicit]
                                                                                                                                        7. True Nature
                                                                                                                                        8. In The Moment
                                                                                                                                        9. Eternally Even

                                                                                                                                        The Starless Room is the debut solo album by Gallon Drunk mainman and PJ Harvey cohort James Johnston.

                                                                                                                                        The Starless Room - The results are a revelation, and not just for James Johnston. Vast in its scope, visceral, intimate and instinctive - " I just followed whatever triggered an emotional response in me".

                                                                                                                                        The Starless Room represents a remarkable distillation of both his lyrical obsessions and prodigious, arguably under-acknowledged talent. Suitably, it's the title track that encapsulates the romantic sweep of the record best, with its star at his most intense and Sebastian Hoffman's string arrangements at their most ambitious. For James Johnston, however, the greatest pleasure of all is a simple one: the songs' slow tempos, "Something I adore, like a lot of the Isaac Hayes or Ray Charles albums that I love. It almost feels like I'm listening to someone else's record." But it's not. It's James Johnston's debut solo album, The Starless Room. Like he said, it feels just right.

                                                                                                                                        James Johnston - As well as playing with Gallon Drunk, James Johnston has spent considerable time working with others: A mid 90s spell as a touring guitarist in The Bad Seeds led to a full role in Nick Cave's band between 2003 and 2008, and he's performed regularly with other iconic acts, including Lydia Lunch, Faust, and, currently, PJ Harvey, on whose The Hope Six Demolition Project Johnston appears. But if it sounds like he's softened on this album, he argues powerfully otherwise. "The band's records have quite an earthy feel, but in a way this is rawer, more focused and direct, musically and emotionally. The last Gallon Drunk record's my favourite, and it was certain elements of that which I really wanted to take further, to strip away the dissonance and anger, to reject the more familiar sounds in order to free it all up again. So the instrumentation is very different, led by piano and voice, and the overall sound is lush yet intimate. Overall it's far more reflective of me, both as a person and the sort of music I actually listen to."

                                                                                                                                        " It felt right, and when that happens, you just go with it," says James Johnston of his decision, well into a third decade as frontman of Gallon Drunk, to record The Starless Room, his unexpectedly sumptuous, long-awaited, debut solo album. Over eight albums, Gallon Drunk have carved out a reputation as a savage live act whose work has increasingly revealed a bold sophistication, growing from the psychotic fury of 1991's You, The Night… And The Music up to 2014's epic The Soul Of The Hour. A solo album by their co-founder, though? That had somehow never come to pass. Especially one this lavish.

                                                                                                                                        "It wasn't something I'd really considered before," Johnston admits, and even now he appears a little startled by the turn events have taken. "But that's where the writing was going. I've always poured all my ideas into Gallon Drunk, but we'd done two great records in fairly quick succession, and I really didn't want to repeat myself, so I was writing in a different way, one that didn't feel like it would work as Gallon Drunk. The moment the decision was made to go ahead with a solo album it freed a lot of things up for me, letting it go somewhere different without any constraints or expectations."

                                                                                                                                        The Starless Room is distinguished by its grandeur and romance as much as its refreshing musical approach.

                                                                                                                                        As well as playing with Gallon Drunk, Johnston has spent considerable time working with others: a mid 90s spell as a touring guitarist in The Bad Seeds led to a full role in Nick Cave's band between 2003 and 2008, and he's performed regularly with other iconic acts, including Lydia Lunch, Faust, and, currently, PJ Harvey, on whose The Hope Six Demolition Project Johnston appears.

                                                                                                                                        Given the licentious nature of much of his previous work, that this newly mature, refined sound is indicative of Johnston's character may be unforeseen. His influences, however - "Big Star's Third, John Cale's 70s albums, Lee Hazlewood, Nina Simone, that sort of thing" - remain much as they were, if arguably employed with a new, more thoughtful perspective. Furthermore, his considered approach is indicative of a man with a musical education, both formal and informal.

                                                                                                                                        Suitably, it's the title track that encapsulates the romantic sweep of the record best, with its star at his most intense and Sebastian Hoffman's string arrangements at their most ambitious. For Johnston, however, the greatest pleasure of all is a simple one: the songs' slow tempos, "something I adore, like a lot of the Isaac Hayes or Ray Charles albums that I love. It almost feels like I'm listening to someone else's record." But it's not. It's James Johnston's debut solo album, The Starless Room. Like he said, it feels just right.

                                                                                                                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                                        Barry says: Heartfelt anthems ruminating on life and love, existence and everything inbetween. Slow string swells and bombastic build-ups fade into mournful piano territory, all driven along by Johnston's heartfelt crooning vocal delivery. Sensitive soaring rock equally at home in the front room or belting out over a stadium PA.

                                                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                        1. I'd Give You Anything
                                                                                                                                        2. St. Martha's
                                                                                                                                        3. Starless Room
                                                                                                                                        4. Cold Morning Light
                                                                                                                                        5. Dark Water
                                                                                                                                        6. Frozen Time
                                                                                                                                        7. Heart And Soul
                                                                                                                                        8. The Light Of Love
                                                                                                                                        9. Let It Fall
                                                                                                                                        10. When The Wolf Calls

                                                                                                                                        The James Hunter Six

                                                                                                                                        Hold On!

                                                                                                                                          James Hunter has been on the scene for enough years to acquire plenty of feathers in his cap. He has earned an international reputation as a rhythm and blues troubadour for his command of the microphone both on stage and in studio. This album, however, is something far deeper than just another notch in his belt. It is truly an artist’s vision come to fruition.

                                                                                                                                          This may be James Hunter's fourth album, but it is his first Daptone record. Produced by Daptone's own Bosco Mann (Gabriel Roth) at Penrose Recorders (Daptone West) near his home in Riverside, California, ‘Hold On!’ is a perfect portrait of an artist at the top of his game. 

                                                                                                                                          Though tunes like "(Baby) Hold On," "If That Don't Tell You," and "Stranded" carry the buoyant energy, crackerjack arrangements, and tough soulful pulse for which the band has become renowned, the true treasures of this LP may lie in the deeper grooves. Rumbas, boleros, bossanovas, and easy rockers, each one swinging more than the last: "This Is Where We Came In", "Something's Calling", "A Truer Heart", “Light of My Life”, “In The Dark” - no clichéd throwback nods to a-time-gone-by here.

                                                                                                                                          These are forever songs crafted with immaculate care and ingenuity, sung with an effortless balance of tenderness and grit. Many will be tempted to describe it as “authentic,” but the word really has no place here. Hunter's words are truly his own and though at moments his voice may "evoke" Ray Charles or Sam Cooke, there lies an inherent naturalness in these songs that bucks any comparison past or present.


                                                                                                                                          Various Artists

                                                                                                                                          GU #41: James Lavelle Presents UNKLE Sounds - Naples

                                                                                                                                            Global Underground (GU) has returned under the ownership of one of its original founders, Andy Horsfield. The label returns with GU41 Naples- James Lavelle Presents UNKLE SOUNDS. James Lavelle’s Naples Mix is set host a plethora of exclusive new UNKLE material alongside album exclusive UNKLE remixes of artists as broad as Queens of The Stone Age, Mark Lanegan Band, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Lana Del Rey, through to Naples Legends Planet Funk.

                                                                                                                                            Essex-born, Liverpool-based songwriter James Canty returns with a new five track EP.

                                                                                                                                            EP title track 'Love' is packed with harpsichords, synthesisers and electronic flourishes, coming across like some amazing future-retro psych-folk experiment. The collection of tracks follows two years on the road across Europe for Canty, with the five songs written and recorded in the home studio of producer and Obscenic Records chief Joe Wills.

                                                                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                                            Love
                                                                                                                                            Deborah
                                                                                                                                            Strangers
                                                                                                                                            Putney Bridge
                                                                                                                                            Burning Alive


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