Pure world magic brims from every groove of this new set of pearlers from the Beauty & The Beat label. We know nothing about Loopcinico, who is behind the originals, but they blend plenty of Latin, cumbia and expressive percussive sounds into ass-wiggling grooves. Cow bells litter 'Curimbobata', which has stringy rhythms and external synths weaving in and out. 'Maquio' has busy, relentless handclaps and acoustic strings with shamanic spoken words, then 'Upaon-acu' and 'Calma-cara' bring sunny spiritualism to another pair of urgent rhythms. Leonidas lays down hefty, bass-driven rhythms that make these suited to club deployment and open-air dancing this summer.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1:
Loopcinico - Curimbobata
Loopcinico - Maquio
Loopcinico - Upaon

Side 2:
Loopcinico - Calma-Cara
BATB X Loopcinico - Maquio (Leonidas Remix Disco Dub)

Side 3:
BATB x Loopcinico - Curimbobata (Leonidas Remix)

Side 4:
BATB x Loopcinico - Maquio (Vidock Remix)

Since the turn of this century, perhaps no other modern composition has had a more resonant healing effect than The Disintegration Loops. Composer William Basinski’s deteriorating analog tape loops evolved from melodic symphonies to melancholic silence over a span of time that uncannily turned passing minutes into pensive lifetimes. In her foreword for the new box set reissue of The Disintegration Loops, the pioneering multimedia storyteller Laurie Anderson describes the impact of this transformation in poetic detail: “These dissolving sounds, this emptying space, has gained my complete confidence. They are taking me somewhere. I am willingly following these sounds, becoming more and more transparent.” The Disintegration Loops – Arcadia Archive Edition is an expansive new box set that includes the entire 5-hour suite of iconic work. Newly remastered from the original recordings by Josh Bonati, the hefty package includes eight vinyl records (or four CDs for the less analog-inclined) in sturdy full-color jackets featuring the restored original artwork, and a new 1000-word foreword by Laurie Anderson – all housed in a striking heavyweight, case-wrapped box. It is the ideal encapsulation of one of the 21st century’s most truly transcendent works. As Anderson concludes in her foreword, “this music has created another world, a world to be carried away in.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Dlp 1.1 (1:03:35)
2. Dlp 2.1 (10:50)
3. Dlp 2.2 (32:41)
4. Dlp 3 (41:53)
5. Dlp 4 (20:12)
6. Dlp 5 (52:19)
7. Dlp 6 (40:32)
8. Dlp 1.2 (20:41)
9. Dlp 1.3 (12:02)

Formed in South London in the mid-1980s by Robert Hampson, Loop blazed a trail with their potent mix of motorik beats and heavy guitar riffs, recording a trio of brilliant albums that set the indie charts alight before imploding in 1990 after the release of album number three, A Gilded Eternity. As critics enthused at the time, Loop were the sound of Suicide jamming with the Stooges aboard a spaceship built by Hawkwind and piloted by CAN. They were post-psychedelic, pre-shoegaze figureheads in a world of anodyne pop jangle and baggy rhythms, and even their closest contemporaries like Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine didn’t plough such a distinctive furrow as theirs.

First time vinyl pressing of these remastered 12”/EP tracks. Originally released in the 80s / 1990, on the Chapter 22 / Head / Situation 2 labels.

16 Dreams 12” (Head) released 1986
Spinning 7” /12” (Head) released 1987
Collision 7”/12” (Chapter 22) released 1988
Black Sun 12” (Chapter 22) released 1988
Arc-Lite 7”/12”/CD5 (Situation 2) released 1989
Primsma Uber Europa 12” (Beggars) released 1991 (Live Promo only)

Remastered from the original tapes by Kevin Metcalf and then reissued for the first time in 2009 as part of the WORLD IN YOUR EYES 3CD set on Reactor. Now re-mastered for vinyl and re-cut to lacquers by Shawn Joseph /Optimum Mastering and issued as TWELVES. (ref: the 3 x 7” set SEVENS released 2020)

Each side of this 3LP set has one of the 12”s in full, 16 Dreams / Spinning / Collision / Black Sun / Arc-Lite..as well as the promo only LIVE 12” Prisma Uber Europa. The 12” cover of each LP has the relevant sleeve on each side to recreate the original sleeve image, and each 12” side will have labels as close to the original designs as possible.

Hear Loop expand their sound from the Stooges / Velvets / garage pyschout of “16 Dreams”, into the “Spinning” era and then develop their motorik fuzzed-out nihilistic pummel through the “Collision” and “Black Sun” EPs to finish this set with the “Arc-Lite” side, possibly Loop at their most visceral. Unable to be pigeon holed like most bands of this time, their live shows also wiped the floor with everyone as evidenced on the “Prisma Uber Europa” 12”. Not reissued on vinyl when first remastered, now its time. PLAY LOUD

TRACK LISTING

Side A - 16 Dreams
16 Dreams
Head On
Burning World

Side B - Spinning
Spinning (Parts 1&2)
Brittle Head Girl
Deep Hit

Side C - Collision
Collision
Crawling Heart
Thief Of Fire (Written-By – The Pop Group)
Thief (Motherfucker) (Written-By – The Pop Group)

Side D - Black Sun
Black Sun
Circle Grave
Mother Sky (Written-By – Can)

Side E - Arc-Lite
Arc-Lite (Sonar)
Arc-Lite (Radar)
Sunburst
Arc-Lite (Radiated)

Side F - Prisma Uber Europa
Afterglow (Live)
Got To Get It Over (Live)
Burning World (Live)

Reissued to coincide with the vinyl – "Twelves" 3LP; the complete 3CD World In Your Eyes set, originally released in 2009, and out of print for over 12-13 years.

3 CDS containing all the all the band's 12-inches and compilation tracks in chronological order, with some demo tracks along the way, featuring tracks from the very first Loop demo, "16 Dreams" single, "Spinning", "Collision", "Black Sun" and "Arclite" as well as the Nick Drake tribute on Imaginary, the Neil Young tribute Comp on No. 6 Records, the "promo" Live 12", and even the Godflesh cover version from their split on Clawfist.

All remastered from Original tapes in 2008 by Kevin Metcalf and Robert Hampson.

TRACK LISTING

CD 1
16 Dreams
Head On
Burning World
Spinning (Parts 1&2)
Brittle Head Girl
Deep Hit
I'll Take You There

1st Loop Demo - House In The Woods:
Brittle Head Girl
Burning World

Spinning (Spun Out) Good Feeling Compilation

CD 2
Collision
Crawling Heart
Thief Of Fire
Thief (Motherfucker)
Black Sun
Circle Grave
Mother Sky

Nick Drake / Neil Young Covers Compilation Tracks
Pink Moon
Cinnamon Girl

CD 3
Arc-Lite (Sonar)
Arc-Lite (Radar) Daniel Miller Remix
Sunburst
Arc-Lite (Radiated) Daniel Miller Remix

Prisma Uber Europa Promo Live 12":
Afterglow
Got To Get It Over
Burning World

(Loop / Godflesh Split Single Comp)
Like Rats (Loopflesh)

Castles in Space is delighted to have been able to curate an album pulled from Robin The Fog's unreleased tape archive. A true innovator and incredible live performer, Robin comments on the album "A Loop Where Time Becomes. Rare and Unreleased Recordings 2012-2017"

After twelve years, ten albums and innumerable live shows (including at least one former underground reservoir), the Howlround sound has indeed changed quite a lot, but the basic ethos remains the same as it did back in 2012. All tracks are created by manipulating field recordings dubbed onto analogue tape, with all digital effects and artificial reverb strictly forbidden - a process that has been described by Electronic Sound magazine as ‘conjur[ing] magic’. Of the twelve tracks here, only one has been physically released on a limited edition and long out of print compilation. A second appeared on a download only release several years ago and a third was created as part of the unreleased soundtrack to a documentary. Everything else on this compilation is seeing the light of day for the first time.

All were created in South London at various periods between 2012 and 2017, five years during which the project evolved from the Radiophonic mournfulness of 2012's debut album The Ghosts Of Bush ('The ultimate Hauntological artefact' - Simon Reynolds), to 2015's tour with tape legend William Basinski, to 2016's darker and weirder soundtrack to Steven McInerney's multiple award-winning film A Creak In Time and on towards what would become the wilder, gnarlier noise of 2019's The Debatable Lands. This retrospective from the first five years marks the gradual evolution of Howlround from the earliest days conjuring 'aural ectoplasm' from nocturnal field recordings of the last days of an underground BBC studio to increasingly spurning of the external world altogether by creating blistering no-input noise and raw analogue feedback. It's been quite a trip.

Dots and Loops is Stereolab’s fifth studio album and the first to completely ditch the motorik drone that had been a trademark since their inception; predominated by lush lounge and jazz textures, it showcases the band’s most complex set of rhythms yet. Stereolab is aided by members of The High Llamas (like-minded travelers in the production of whimsical ’60s sounds), Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma of Mouse on Mars, and John McEntire of post-rock pioneers Tortoise.

The album was recorded in Chicago and Düsseldorf and bridges a unique American-Euro influence. The new rhythmic approach separates Dots and Loops from the band’s previous output, as does a Beach Boys influence which adds to the band’s standard brand. Bossa Nova and ’60s Euro pop are still major touchstones and give the album a deceptively light vibe; however, further listens reveal an elaborate work, with almost every track featuring odd time-signatures and more complicated and layered arrangements.

“Parsec” is space-rock meets drum and bass; “Brakhage” marries a minor key bass line to clinking vibes and a shuffling beat; the segmented, 20-minute “Refractions in the Plastic Pulse” is sunny and appealing, yet intricately constructed.

The dividing line between the band’s first phase and what would be its more experimental latter period, Dots and Loops is the type of album that reveals its charms over many listens and is the one Stereolab aficionados point to as the band’s best work.

This new edition utilises the same remasters as the 2019 expanded album edition, cut from the original 1/2" tapes by Bo Kondren at Calyx Mastering and overseen by Tim Gane, but without any of the bonus material from the 3LP version.

TRACK LISTING

1. Brakhage
2. Miss Modular
3. The Flower Called Nowhere
4. Diagonals
5. Prisoner Of Mars
6. Rainbo Conversation
7. Refractions In The Plastic Pulse
8. Parsec
9. Ticker-tape Of The Unconscious
10. Contronatura 

The Post-Punk Synth Alchemists return with new album ‘Strange Loops’.

With blistering rhythms and searing bass, AK/DK return with their highly anticipated fourth album, ‘Strange Loops’. It builds on the momentum of their previous release; Shared Particles, which sold out of the Dinked edition even before its release, and achieved no. 7 in the Indie Record Store charts.

Known for their trademark motorik energy and riotous joy, AK/DK are back, and for the first time, they’ve introduced guest vocalists into the fray. This new release sees the drum and synth duo collaborate with three exciting artists: the musician TVAM, punk poet - Thick Richard, and I Am Fya; sound artist.
“We’ve always had guests join us on stage for live improvisations; some were planned appearances, and some were random audience members. We thought we’d try and recreate that excitement on record, and feel very lucky that these amazing artists have joined us on our new album.” Ed Chivers

The angular guitars and spaced-out vocals of TVAM intertwine with the duo’s driving beats and convulsing synths, resulting in the pulsating Devo-esque powerhouse of ‘Square Route’. The two bands have been crossing paths on festival line ups for a while now and it seemed inevitable that they should join forces.

I Am Fya’s usual experimental textures and sound-collage is temporarily put to one side on ‘Pull Up’. For this deep and heavy sub-rattling cut; I Am Fya and AK/DK lean heavily into sound system bass and dancehall style. Her febrile and powerful vocals interweave with tectonic sub bass and stuttering rhythms, sounding like Missy Elliot jamming with a modular synth.

Manchester’s very own Thick Richard adds his lyrical, jet-black humour to the track ‘Nobody Shouts’. Their collaboration began when the band invited the punk poet up for an impromptu improvisation during their set at Beatherder festival 2020. It went down so well that they had to record it; learning the track from fan footage online. This is nothing new for AK/DK, creating powerful improvised moments for those lucky enough to be in the audience.

Strange Loops presents two distinct halves of music. The A side offers sure-fire bangers that will linger in your ears and have you pounding the dance floor, while the B side delves into more experimental and ambient territories with completely live takes from the studio, reflecting the duo’s love of ‘70s German Kosmische bands. “We always had more ambient experimental tracks on our records, and wanted to give them a spotlight on this release” says the band’s Gee Sowerby. Their previous releases have earned accolades such as BBC 6 Music’s ‘Album Of The Day’ and impressed judges on Steve Lamacq’s Roundtable, solidifying their reputation as pioneers in their genre.

It’s on stage where AK/DK truly come to life. Their electrifying performances, characterised by joyous live-looping of keyboards, drums, and distorted whoops, have made them a fervent fan favourite for over a decade. They’ve left an indelible mark on audiences at festivals like End Of The Road, Blue Dot, and Green Man, winning over new audiences wherever they play.

With Strange Loops, AK/DK continue to push boundaries and defy expectations, reinforcing their status as one of the most dynamic and innovative acts in the scene.

TRACK LISTING

1. Square Route
2. Nobody Shouts
3. Strange Loop
4. Pull Up
5. Munch Machine
6. Wholes
7. All Through This
8. Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost
9. Casio Tony

62 years of music, loves, losses, long summer days and longer, darker nights are vividly recalled by ‘our greatest living songwriter’, Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band as he plays out flickering scenes from his life on new album, Loophole.

12 evocative and autobiographical songs to be accompanied by the written word as Michael Head prepares his memoirs for release with an autobiography with Nine Eight Books. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Dear Scott's mellower sibling picks up where our record of the year left off, with the stunning Shirl's Ghost, and meanders beautifully through Mick's usual magical worlds before ending on his ages old, but hitherto not recorded, lost classic, Coda. Mick's only gone and smashed it again. As the maestro himself would undoubtedly say: Is Right!

TRACK LISTING

1 Shirl's Ghost
2 Ambrosia
3 Ciao Ciao Bambino
4 Tout Suite!
5 The Human Race
6 You Smiled At Me
7 A Ricochet Moment
8 Connemara
9 Merry-Go-Round
10 You're A Long Time Dead
11 Naturally It's You
12 Coda

7" - Exclusive To Dinked Edition
Side A
1. Connemara - Acoustic (Live From Hebden Bridge)
Side B
2. Tour Suite! (Live Acoustic From Hebden Bridge)

GRAMMY-award nominated Jordan Rakei is a renowned multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer, and songwriter who, over soon-to-be-five studio albums, has been on a wide-ranging journey that explores the outer reaches of his inner psyche, traversing themes of emotional evolution, personal growth and family with unwavering sincerity. Always positioning himself in and amongst the bigger questions in life, he has navigated his musical journey with passion and precision, unveiling something new about himself through his songwriting at every turn. The Loop is by far Rakei’s most cohesive and evolutionary work to date following an impressive career of previous releases, each of which have demonstrated his natural curiosity and capabilities in exploring new sounds.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Another stunningly assured, confidently presented outing from soulful jazz-tronica hero Jordan Rakei. The Loop sees his once minimal sound blooming into a grand, orchestrated statement that's as bold as it is heartfelt. There are as many brittle, tender progressions as there are cinematic swells and rich Bonobo-like grooves.

TRACK LISTING

1. Flowers
2. Freedom
3. Friend Or Foe
4. Royal
5. Trust
6. State Of Mind
7. Hopes And Dreams
8. Learning
9. Cages
10. Forgive
11. Everything Everything
12. Miracle
13. A Little Life

Mute celebrates the 25th Anniversary Edition of Looper’s 1999 album, Up A Tree, featuring never-before-released songs.

Initially released on Sub Pop, Up A Tree is the debut record by the Scottish lo-fi band led by Stuart David (co-founder and bass player of Belle & Sebastian) and his wife Karn David. Upon release, the album reached #24 on the UK independent album charts and received acclaim for its gentle sound and honest lyrics, being described by singer-songwriter Ben Folds as “…a gift of a record.”

The anniversary edition also features alternative artwork designed by Karn and includes new sleeve notes by Sub Pop’s Jenny Hayo, who recounts working with Looper on their first records and first US tour, alongside words from Stuart’s sister Karla Black, who takes us back to Glasgow School of Art in 1998, reminiscing about the first Looper show.

The vinyl edition of Up A Tree comes with a Flexi Disc of ‘Brilliant Paper’, an unreleased track by Looper and Sue Tompkins (Life Without Buildings) and the double CD includes a remix by Pulp (credited as The Chocolate layers).

TRACK LISTING

LP Tracklist
1. The Treehouse
2. Impossible Things #2
3. Burning Flies
4. Festival '95
5. Ballad Of Ray Suzuki
6. Dave The Moon Man
7. Quiet And Small
8. Columbo's Car
9. Up A Tree Again
10. Back To The Treehouse

FLEXI DISC
1. Brilliant Paper

CD Tracklist
CD1
1. The Treehouse
2. Impossible Things #2
3. Burning Flies
4. Festival '95
5. Ballad Of Ray Suzuki
6. Dave The Moon Man
7. Quiet And Small
8. Columbo's Car
9. Up A Tree Again
10. Back To The Treehouse

CD2
1. Back To The Treehouse (Ambient Mix)
2. Ray's Golden Fist (Bananahand Remix)
3. Burning Flies (Acoustic)
4. Columbo's Car (Peugeot 403 Mix)
5. Blurred Stars
6. Up A Tree Again (The Chocolate Layers St. John's Ambulance Mix)
7. Quiet And Small (Acoustic)
8. Dave The Moon Man (Scott Twynholm Remix)
9. Impossible Things
10. Up A Tree Again (Acoustic)

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

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

TRACK LISTING

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

Ride guitarist and songwriter Andy Bell releases a new compilation album called Strange Loops & Outer Psych on February 10, 2023.

The release marks the end of the campaign for Andy’s second solo album Flicker, which came out to great acclaim in February 2022, and rounds up 16 tracks from his recent run of three EPs (I Am A Strange Loop, The Grounding Process and Untitled Film Stills) that were made up of remixes, acoustic versions and covers of songs that inspired the album.

The new CD release includes four tracks that weren’t included on the original limited-edition vinyl releases. It also includes his fuzzed-up cover of Yoko Ono’s song ‘Listen, The Snow Is Falling’ – which was recently given the official seal of approval when Yoko herself tweeted the video to her 4.5 million followers – and the majestic Maps remix of ‘It Gets Easier’, as heard on Lauren Laverne’s show on BBC Radio 6 Music. There are further remixes by David Holmes, Richard Norris, bdrmm, A Place To Bury Strangers and Claude Cooper, as well as covers of songs by The Kinks, Arthur Russell and Pentangle and five fragile acoustic takes on album tracks.

“Almost a year to the day since I released my second album Flicker, here is a technicolour companion piece that pulls together the tracks from the EPs to colour in the edges of the record,” says Andy. “Influences, stripped down acoustic reworks and remixes by my friends, comrades and heroes all hopefully help the listener see where my head was when I made Flicker, but also it stands up as a decent listen in its own right.”

The CD was mastered in New York by Heba Kadry and is sequenced like a mixtape, which makes for a proper listening experience. “Hatful Of Hollow is my favourite Smiths album, just saying,” explains Andy. “Thanks to everyone who supported my music in 2022, I appreciate you all, see you in 2023.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Liam says: Collating his three 10 inch releases from last year into a tasty little CD package, with a couple of extra remixes thrown in, 'Strange Loops & Outer Psyche' is the essential companion piece to Bell's fantastic 'Flicker'. With covers, acoustic versions and remixes, this one shouldn't be missed!

TRACK LISTING

1. The Sky Without You (David Holmes Radical Mycology Remix)
2. It Gets Easier (Maps Remix)
3. Our Last Night Together (Arthur Russell Cover)
4. The Way Love Used To Be (The Kinks Cover)
5. Something Like Love (Richard Norris Remix)
6. Listen, The Snow Is Falling (Yoko Ono Cover)
7. She Calls The Tune (Acoustic Version)
8. Love Is The Frequency (Acoustic Version)**
9. Light Flight (Pentangle Cover)
10. Lifeline (Acoustic Version)
11. World Of Echo (A Place To Bury Strangers Remix)**
12. Sidewinder (Claude Cooper Remix)**
13. Way Of The World (bdrmm Remix)
14. World Of Echo (Acoustic Version)
15. Something Like Love (Acoustic Version)
16. Something Like Love (Richard Norris Remix – Instrumental)**

“It was so great to see what came back when I gave these tracks from Flicker to various comrades, friends and heroes to play with,” says Andy. “They’ve given them a new technicolour life.” “David Holmes requested the opening track as he had formed a bit of a connection with it, and what he came up with turns the song into an hallucinogenic beast, taking pride of place here as the opening track but in a whole different way to how Flicker opens. “James Chapman AKA Maps has taken ‘It Gets Easier’ to a bigger, brighter and shinier place, he’s given quite a downbeat track a euphoric and epic sheen. James is an absolute master of electronic production and he’s taken the same care and attention over this remix as he does with his own wonderful music. “I couldn’t put Richard Norris’ lovely widescreen take on ‘Something Like Love’ better than the man himself – in his own words he found the ‘hitherto undiscovered sweet spot between ‘Roscoe’ and ‘Outdoor Miner’’ and he tapped into the melancholy euphoria at the core of the song. “bdrmm’s remix of ‘Way Of The World’ is one for headphones. There are so many great moments to love, all held together by a bassline worthy of Jah Wobble (by way of Andrew Weatherall). Astonishing!”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: 'I am a Strange Loop' is the first in the trio of Andy Bell recordings this week, seeing the hugely talented Ride legend Andy Bell reworked by a number of today's most renowned musicians. This time we get ambient legend Richard Norris as well as the brilliant bdrmm, Maps and David Holmes. Ace

TRACK LISTING

A1. The Sky Without You (David Holmes Radical Mycology Remix)
A2. It Gets Easier (Maps Remix)
B1. Something Like Love (Richard Norris Remix)
B2. Way Of The World (bdrmm Remix)

Unhappybirthday from Hamburg have been releasing dreamy Avant-pop records and touring Europe consistently for over 10 years now. "Stella Loops" circles around the vast cosmos offering refuge from the feeling of confinement that has enveloped us all over the last few years and to help achieve this Unhappybirthday have mixed their trademark elements of Electronica, House and Ambient music and for this release invited a guest list that includes Andreas Dorau, Martha Rose and Jimi Tenor to contribute.

This unique package successfully archives the key elements of Jane’s ‘Loops In The Secret Society’ tour. Housed in a concise limited-edition pocket-compendium the new CD version brings Jane’s fully realised ‘Loops Variations’ and sonic installations into your own environment with new illustrations based on the songs by Andy Votel and DVD featuring the experimental film installation featured on the tour by Nick Farrimond. When science fiction turns science fact the effect can be truly momentous. The state demands that no-one wants an unlicensed machine-hum from an outbuilding; no-one wants clever prose mapping the future, no-one wants “music” that is attention-seeking, soul-defining, beneficial, Biblical, baroque and beautiful.

No-one told Jane Weaver that. Jane Weaver’s multi-layered synthetics evolved into a welcoming slew with 2014’s ‘The Silver Globe’, continuing through to 2017’s ‘Modern Kosmology’. ‘Loops In The Secret Society’ is a re-imagined journey through parts of both albums, with new ambient pieces primed and polished; with new tangents explored in a lab-friendly blossoming of the Weaver vision that travels yet further into the psych of our future. A continuous experience with one-line observations set in glorious sense-stimulating sound. That source material was then united in an expansionist experiment in late 2018. The ‘Loops In The Secret Society’ tour fused unrelated sounds set off against sympathetic new textures, tones and drones; hot-housed into an idealistic soundscape that formed the conducive parts of the imminent album of the same name. Co-conspirators include Henry Broadhead, PJ Phillipson and Andy Votel. Renegades all, headed by the enigmatic Weaver all under surveillance. 

TRACK LISTING

1 Element (Loops Variation)
2 Milk Loop
3 Arrows (Loops Variation)
4 Found Birds
5 H>A>K (Loops Variation)
6 Did You See Butterflies (Loops Variation)
7 Sun House
8 I Wish (Loops Variation)
9 Mission Desire (Loops Variation)
10 Battle Ropes
11 Found Birds
12 Slow Motion (Loops Variation)
13 Margins
14 Cells (Loops Variation)
15 Code (Loops Variation)
16 Signs Are Rising
17 Ravenspoint (Loops Variation)
18 Sous Le Même Soleil, Vie Disparu Dans Le Ciel (Loops Variation)
19 Majic Milk (Loops Variation)
20 Conduit
21 Ivana Vessel
22 Battle Ropes

When science fiction turns science fact the effect can be truly momentous. The state demands that no-one wants an unlicensed machine-hum from an outbuilding; no-one wants clever prose mapping the future, no-one wants “music” that is attention-seeking, soul-defining, beneficial, Biblical, baroque and beautiful. No-one told Jane Weaver that.

Jane Weaver’s multi-layered synthetics evolved into a welcoming slew with 2014’s ‘The Silver Globe’, continuing through to 2017’s ‘Modern Kosmology’. ‘Loops In The Secret Society’ is a re-imagined journey through parts of both albums, with new ambient pieces primed and polished; with new tangents explored in a lab-friendly blossoming of the Weaver vision that travels yet further into the psych of our future. A continuous experience with one-line observations set in glorious sense-stimulating sound.

That source material was then united in an expansionist experiment in late 2018. The ‘Loops In The Secret Society’ tour fused unrelated sounds set off against sympathetic new textures, tones and drones ; hot-housed into an idealistic soundscape that formed the conducive parts of the imminent album of the same name.

Co-conspirators include Henry Broadhead, PJ Phillipson and Andy Votel. Renegades all, headed by the enigmatic Weaver – all under surveillance.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Beautiful reinterperations of tracks from Jane's last two albums, interspersed with new ambient style pieces to make a brand new album in its own right. Gorgeous.

TRACK LISTING

1 Element (Loops Variation)
2 Milk Loop
3 Arrows (Loops Variation)
4 Found Birds
5 H>A>K (Loops Variation)
6 Did You See Butterflies (Loops Variation)
7 Sun House
8 I Wish (Loops Variation)
9 Mission Desire (Loops Variation)
10 Battle Ropes
11 Found Birds
12 Slow Motion (Loops Variation)
13 Margins
14 Cells (Loops Variation)
15 Code (Loops Variation)
16 Signs Are Rising
17 Ravenspoint (Loops Variation)
18 Sous Le Même Soleil, Vie Disparu Dans Le Ciel (Loops Variation)
19 Majic Milk (Loops Variation)
20 Conduit
21 Ivana Vessel
22 Battle Ropes

‘Earth Loop’, the debut album by BEAK> keyboardist William Young’s Moon Gangs project, is set for release via Village Green Recordings.

A classically-trained pianist, Young composed ‘Earth Loop’ “half and half in a classical sense,” some played live on keyboards, with ideas notated traditionally, the other half created using analogue sequencers with random voltage sources.

“Earth Loop mainly came out of jamming with synths. The mixer I use is an old Tascam 144 so if things are sounding good I just hit record and get it to tape. Everything started as big long rambles recorded live that are then trimmed down into something more concise. Inspiration-wise I’d been listening to more classical stuff, a lot of chamber music for strings, and I think that shows in the string section-y bits. Although they’re all synths, not actual strings. It was recorded all over the place over quite a long time which I guess is why there are a lot of different ‘moods’ on it, rather than it being a document of a specific period of time/place. I also started building a field recording library over the last couple of years so there’s quite a bit of that in there, but they’re generally processed and run through synths so they’re not too recognisable.” - William Young, Moon Gangs

Young’s introduction to synth music came from listening to film scores when he was a teenager, such as ‘Terminator’, ‘Videodrome’, ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters’ and ‘Phantasm’. Scores from kosmische pioneers Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh also played a large part in these formative musical years.

Not going out much as a child, Young spent a lot of time indoors playing video games. Instead of a SNES, his mum bought him a Commodore 64 as she thought the keyboard made it seem more educational. Certain games and their soundtracks also struck a chord, such as ‘The Last Ninja’, ‘Dante’s Inferno’, ‘Stormlord’ and ‘Castle Master’.

Moon Gangs officially began in 2011, with the release of ‘Sea/Sky’ on cassette tape via the incipient Where To Now label. Friends from his time spent in Brighton, it was both Young’s and the label’s first release and set the tone for his later output with ambient, analogue synth loops and foreboding, cinematic drones. Subsequent releases followed, such as 2014’s self-titled EP, mixed by Hookworms’ MJ, and an appearance on the Blanck Mass-curated film score ‘The Strange Colour Of Your Body's Tears’, released via Death Waltz.

Offgrid:Offline was released as a download only within the band’s 5CD box set, These Things. The vinyl is a limited edition of 500 and includes a download with 3 previously unreleased tracks, Our Own Way Home, (the original song that became the intro and outro on the album, and the melodic theme that occurs throughout), Lucky Tui and The Back Roads.

Looper emerged from Belle & Sebastian in 1997, when Stuart David (co-founder and bass player of B&S) and his wife Karn (an artist who directed the early B&S videos) collaborated for a show at Glasgow School of Art. A degree show fundraiser for Stuart’s sister Karla Black – who received a Turner Prize nomination in 2011- the performance was a multi-media affair incorporating TVs, super 8 film, 35mm slides and kinetic sculptures. Since nothing broke down and everyone clapped, they decided to keep doing it.

The band went on release four albums via Sub Pop, Jeepster & Mute, with many of their tracks appearing in film, including Mondo 77 which appeared in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky (watch the recent video for that track here: https://youtu.be/Xh93L8qDcxI)

After a break from music for a few years, Karn went back to art school to study animation and Stuart turned his focus to studying literature and writing novels, a move to the remote countryside, post-study, prompted the creation of a new body of work.

Offgrid:Offline, the band’s fifth studio album, was the result - these new songs and stories, inspired by the return to peace and quiet and influenced by indie-folk music saw Looper conscious of the very different styles of previous albums. They set out to bring together elements of each into this new work. Structured like the first album, around a recurring melody, Offgrid:Offline is thematically centred on the spoken word piece which gives the album its title, drawing together the musical motifs and lyrical themes from throughout.

Earl Brutus achieved notoriety and cult status with the release of their debut album Your Majesty… We Are Here. Their attention grabbing interviews and gigs attracted wider interest and they sign to Island Records via Fruition. They released a second long player, Tonight You Are The Special One, and several singles including The SAS And The Glam That Goes With It and Come Taste My Mind (“masterful examples of raging techno-pop” - Select ) and Larky.

The band continued to play chaotic shows and the last ever gig is at Hammersmith Working Men’s Club on 7th April 2004 and the last track from that gig, Teenage Taliban, is included on the 2CD edition along with a demo recorded in William Reid’s (Jesus And Mary Chain) front room. Other bonus tracks include all the single b-sides sequenced by the band.

The art direction on this re-issue has been done by Scott King who realised the concepts for the original release and singles. The album sleeve is included in Q magazine’s 100 Best Album Sleeves Of All Time in 2001.

TRACK LISTING

DISC: 1
1: The Sas And The Glam That Goes With It
2: Universal Plan
3: Midland Red
4: God, Let Me Be Kind
5: Come Taste My Mind
6: Second Class War
7: Your Majesty We Are Here
8: Don't Die Jim
9: 99 P
10: East
11: Edelweiss
12: Male Wife

DISC: 2 (2cd Edition Only)
1: Nicotine Stain (Live)
2: Superstar
3: Larky
4: Tv Tower
5: William, Taste My Mind (William Reid Remix)
6: Gypsy Camp Battle
7: The Scottish
8: Teenage Opera
9: Come Taste My Mind (Live At The Astoria 1998)
10: Nice Man In A Bubble
11: England Sandwich
12: Teenage Taliban (Demo / Live From Hammersmith Working Men's Club, 7 Th April 2004

60ft Dolls are one of the most underrated of the Cool Cymru bands. They spearheaded the Newport scene of the 1990s, were championed by Steve Lamacq and soon signed to Indolent Records following a couple of Rough Trade singles and support slots for Oasis, Elastica and Dinosaur Jr. The Big 3 was released in 1996 to strong reviews and made the Best Of The Year lists in the NME, The Guardian, New York Times and was named in 2003 by Mojo as one of the Top 12 Britpop Albums Of All Time. It features the singles Happy Shopper, White Knuckle Ride, Pig Valentine, Stay and their Top 40 hit Talk To Me.

They spearheaded the Newport scene of the 1990s, were championed by Steve Lamacq and soon signed to Indolent Records following a couple of Rough Trade singles and support slots for Oasis, Elastica and Dinosaur Jr. This 2CD expanded edition includes the original album together with the best of their b-sides as chosen by the band. Also included is their session for John Peel which is listed in the Best Peel Sessions Of All Time.“as close to soar-away rock perfection as it's possible to imagine" NME 1996. “pure, unadulterated, no nonsense, emotional, tuneful, impassioned, purposeful, hedonistic rock 'n' roll" Melody Maker 1996. A blistering kamikaze mission of damaged punk magic.” MOJO (2015)

TRACK LISTING

DISC: 1
1: New Loafers
2: Talk To Me
3: Stay
4: Hair
5: Happy Shopper
6: The One
7: Good Times
8: No. 1 Pure Alcohol
9: Streamlined
10: Loser
11: Pig Valentine
12: Terminal Crash Fear
13: Buzz

DISC: 2
1: Doctor Rat
2: British Racing Green
3: Everybody's Got Something To Hide(Except For Me And My Monkey)
4: Mess
5: Stay (60ft Dolls Vs Pastor Ray Bevan)
6: White Knuckle Ride
7: After Glow
8: Easy
9: The Maindee Run
10: Yellow Candles
11: Rosalyn
12: The New Loafers*
13: Streamlined*
14: Loser*
15: Piss Funk*
16: Stay*

Next in the series of long overdue Loop reissues is a super deluxe 3CD compile of all the Loop singles: Singles compilation "The World In Your Eyes" is re-released in a 3CD remastered set, all the 12"s and compilation tracks in chronological order, with some demo tracks along the way, featuring tracks from the very first Loop demo, "16 Dreams" single, "Spinning", "Collision", "Black Sun" and "Arclite" as well as the Nick Drake tribute on "Imaginery", the Neil Young tribute Comp on No. 6 Records, the 'promo' Live 12", and even the Godflesh cover version from their split on Clawfist. Thus rounding up the reissues with a brace of real career spanning releases, from the very first demo, to the band's last recordings. Packaged as 3 CDs in wallets in a slipcase: to fit alongside the other three 2CD sets. 27 tracks in total, an absolutely essential compile of an often overlooked band. Highly recommended.

Remastered from the original analogue sources, the first two releases, "Heaven's End" and "Fade Out" are released as double discs and housed in a mini vinyl style card sleeve, reproducing the original artwork. Both are released with re-mastered extra material from the relevant chronological time frame as the main album: The album in its entirety on CD 1, with the bonus tracks (including relevant Peel session material from the time) on CD 2, the bonus material will be available on CD formats only. Remastered by Robert Hampson at Sound Masters with Kevin Metlcalfe, "Heaven's End" originally came out on the Head label in 1987, they recorded their first Peel session that year (on the bonus disc) and the album draws heavily from the likes of the Velvets, Stooges, and the MC5. So, for the reissue, a two CD set will be issued with "Heaven's End" on CD 1, CD 2 will feature the only true outtake from the H E sessions, "Rocket USA". Also found from the archive are two different mixes of "Soundhead" and "Head On" which have never been released in any form before, two for the collectors there and rounded up with the first John Peel Session - "Soundhead", "Straight To Your Heart" and "Rocket USA".