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.

Mercury Studios is releasing a 3LP of the South Park 25th Anniversary Concert for Record Store Day 2024. This concert was recorded over two nights on August 9 and 10, 2022 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado and features performances from South Park creators Matt Stone & Trey Parker, along with Primus and Ween. Also included is a special performance of ìCloser To The Heartî with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson from Rush in their first public performance together since Rush retired from touring in 2015. The 3LP package is pressed on ìTowelie-blueî vinyl and is numbered up to 5500 copies.Please be advised that Record Store Day will be making an official announcement of the titles in early 2024, so please keep this info confidential until we have word on the announce date from them. The canvass for this title will begin in the next couple days.SynopsisCelebrating 25 years of the animated sitcom South Park at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado, this 3LP package, pressed on ìTowelie-Blueî vinyl, features South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone along with Primus and Ween performing a variety of songs made famous by the show. Also included is a special guest appearance by Rushís Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, performing ìCloser To The Heartî alongside Primus and Matt Stone.

Killer female roots vocal on the tuff lick of the 'Java' rhythm. This tune was originally released on 12" on Park Heights' Son of a Gun label, under the name 'Park Heights Angel' aka Angel Hoytt. This is the first release on 45, and the A-side vocal cut is an alternate previously unreleased mix. Massive T I P on this one reggae heads! 

TRACK LISTING

A. I Love You Dready
B. I Love You Dready Dub

Killer mid '80s 'live digital' tune made at Aquarius Studio, released for the first time ever. A rarity to get Dunkley on this type of rhythm, this one was great to unearth.Comes with a killer dub to boot. Recommended!

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Another from this week's slew of dancehall / dub 7"s from the 80s showcasing the move from analogue to digital production.

TRACK LISTING

A. Want No More
B. Want No More Dub

Paisley Park Enterprises, in Partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Records, announces expanded reissue of Prince & the New Power Generation’s multi-platinum album Diamonds And Pearls. This 2LP contains Diamonds And Pearls remastered for the very first time by Prince’s original mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.
Diamonds And Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by Prince, and was the first with his new backing band, The New Power Generation. Featuring six massive international singles, including the hits “Gett Off”, “Cream”, and the iconic title track, the album was a worldwide smash reaching multi-platinum status in the USA and the UK, where it remains his best-selling album.
The New Power Generation was a band that Prince believed in so wholeheartedly that he gave them co-credit on the cover of Diamonds And Pearls, something he’d only done previously with one other band, The Revolution. The group consisted of Sonny Thompson (vocals & bass), Damon Dickson (vocals & percussion), Rosie Gaines (vocals & keyboards), Michael Bland (drums), Kirk Johnson (vocals & percussion), Tony M (vocals), Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass, guitar & vocals), and Tommy Barbarella (keyboards).

TRACK LISTING

Side One
1. Thunder
2. Daddy Pop
3. Diamonds And Pearls
Side Two
1. Cream
2. Strollin’
3. Willing And Able
4. Gett Off
Side Three
1. Walk Don’t Walk
2. Jughead
3. Money Don’t Matter 2 Night
4. Push
Side Four
12. Insatiable
13. Live 4 Love

On The Inside, the debut album from Gotts Street Park, is more than an album – it’s an invitation. “We want listeners to feel like they’re stepping into a room with us, peering into our process,” say the acclaimed Leeds trio, describing a genre-hopping odyssey that acts as a diary of everything their relationship encompasses, both as collaborators and close friends.

The group was formed in Leeds by Josh Crocker (bass, production), Tom Henry (keys) and Joe Harris (guitar). What began as an outlet for their shared love for sixties Motown, soon became a jewel in the Yorkshire scene’s creative crown, with millions of Spotify streams to their name and some of hip-hop and pop’s most exciting emerging voices requesting collaborations: Celeste, Kali Uchis, Cosima and Rejjje Snow are just a few of the acts the band have individually written/produced for.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Silky smooth basslines and snappy guitar licks, swimming vocal hooks and soaring, modulated Hammond organ make for a decidedly upbeat but super relaxing melting pot of northern soul, funk and jazz.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. Summer Breeze (feat. Rosie Lowe)
2. Tell Me Why (feat. Olive Jones)
3. Shiloh
4. Got To Be Good (feat. Pip Millett)
5. Fuego
6. Mountains (feat. ENNY)
Side B
1. Strawberry Dream
2. Fool For Love (feat. Pip Millett)
3. Purple
4.Are You Still A Friend? (feat. Flikka)
5. Portofino (feat. Parthenope)
6. Walk Away

Ever since they arrived on the Norwegian indie scene at age 17, the Oslo-based four-piece Veps has released a steady stream of jaw droppingly mature, indie pop gems. Now, as they are all in their final teenage year, Veps announces their debut album Oslo Park for July 21st release on Kanine Records. Continuing to dish out indie pop bangers with a carefree, DIY attitude, Oslo Park is Veps at their most dynamic. Produced by fellow Norwegian Matias Tellez (Girl in Red, Sondre Lerche), Oslo Park is an emotional, fun ride through adolescence. Feisty rocker “His Brother” evokes the spirit of the alternative rock scene of the early 1990s, before the minor key gem “Crawl” breaks your heart with its honest depiction of teenage heartbreak. The gorgeous ballads “Ballerina (Norah)” and “To the Bedwetters” are both, in their unique way, an instant emotional time capsule to the melancholy and vulnerable aspects of being young and searching for your identity. If their EP, Open the Door, was described by the band as a “love letter to our teenage years,” this album, raw, emotional, beautiful and melodic, is more of a goodbye, perhaps.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1 The Other Side Of The Door
A2 Mooney Tunes
A3 UFO
A4 A Show Of Hands
A5 His Brother

Side B
B1 Crawl
B2 Ballerina (Norah)
B3 To The Bedwetters
B4 The Credits
B5 No. 2

When Bernie Wilcox and Geoff Brown approached Chris Hewitt in June 1978 about building a stage and providing a PA system for Alexandra Park, Manchester, Chris already had all the hardware booked for the Deeply Vale Festival which was a week later in July 1978 than the date Bernie and Geoff had proposed for the Northern Carnival Against Racism Concert. This then meant that all of the equipment, generators, scaffolding and fencing could simply have the hire period brought forward to cover Alexandra Park and that the costs would be far more reasonable than a completely ‘start from scratch hire’. So it was that about 12 days before Deeply Vale 1978 we started to build a stage and secure compound in Alexandra Park, Manchester. Three days before Buzzcocks were due to play on the Saturday we got a call to ask if Graham Parker and The Rumour could rehearse in the park on the stage on the Thursday night as he was supporting Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton at a festival at Blackbushe Aerodrome on the Saturday and Graham and the Rumour had never played outdoors before. So we finished the stage by Thursday lunchtime for a free concert by Graham Parker in the evening and then Buzzcocks played Alexandra Park Saturday afternoon.

Pete Shelley in 2016 – “I know Chris Hewitt obtained a recording of Buzzcocks at Alexandra Park, it would be great fun if it came out as an album”. Pete Shelley 1978 after playing his set at Alexandra Park –“This wasn’t politics it was fun, but the best kind of fun is with people and being with people is politics”. Paul Morley reviewing the concert – “Buzzcocks placed the emphasis on entertainment – a people’s celebration. Arriving on stage with no fixed set they played some pop music… They were a triumph”. 

TRACK LISTING

Side 1.
1 Spoken Word From People Involved
2 Ever Fallen In Love
3 Sixteen
4 Moving Away From The Pulse Beat
5 Fiction Romance
6 Love You More
Side 2.
1 Spoken Word From People Involved
2 Nothing Left
3 Breakdown
4 Noise Annoys
5 What Do I Get
6 Autonomy
7 Boredom

Gerry Cinnamon, an already legendary live performer, made history last summer after selling out Scotland's national football stadium twice over to become the first independent act - and the first Scot - to sell out multiple nights at Hampden Park. A year on, the definitive live album from the multi-platinum singer/songwriter will be released on 14 July 2023. "Well that was a trip and a half. Played all sorts of gigs all over the world but that was something else. Over 100,000 of us. Music is a magical thing that connects people in a special way. History made. Memories made more importantly. Felt the Hampden roar right in my chest and it was mighty." - Gerry Cinnamon. The homecoming shows concluded his 350,000-capacity UK and Ireland tour, originally due to happen in 2020, instead taking place across 2021-22, also included sold out shows at Birmingham and Manchester Arena, London’s iconic Alexandra Palace, the 25,000 capacity Malahide Castle, Dublin, and Musgrave Park Stadium, Cork.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There's no way you could ever argue that Mr. Cinnamon doesn't have a good thing going, with his most recent tours breaking records all over the place, the peak of which was at Glasgow's Hampden Park. Crosbie's vocals are on fine form, and his execution of these souped-up folk ballads makes it all the more impactful. A great document of a stunning live run.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Lullaby (Live At Hampden Park)
2. Sometimes (Live At Hampden Park)
3. What Have You Done (Live At Hampden Park)
4. Ghost (Live At Hampden Park)
5. Fortune Favours The Bold (Live At Hampden Park)
SIDE B
1. Sun Queen (Live At Hampden Park)
2. Fickle McSelfish (Live At Hampden Park)
3. Dark Days (Live At Hampden Park)
4. Roll The Credits (Live At Hampden Park)
5. Belter (Live At Hampden Park)
SIDE C
1. Sacred (Live At Hampden Park)
2. War Song Soldier (Live At Hampden Park)
3. The Bonny (Live At Hampden Park)
4. Mayhem (Live At Hampden Park)
5. Diamonds In The Mud (Live At Hampden Park)
SIDE D
1. Discoland/Wonderful Days/I Wanna Be A Hippy (Medley) (Live At Hampden Park)
2. I Wish I Was In Glasgow (Live At Hampden Park)
3. Where We're Going (Live At Hampden Park)
4. Kampfire Vampire (Live At Hampden Park)
5. Canter (Live At Hampden Park)

Brit Award nominated Trailer Park makes a welcome return to vinyl with a 2LP pressing to ensure a superior audio quality and with the track Whenever re-instated, having been left off the original 1LP release. This sits alongside classics such as Someone’s Daughter, She Cries Your Name and the epic Galaxy Of Emptiness (produced by Andrew Weatherall).

TRACK LISTING

Side One
01 She Cries Your Name
02 Tangent
03 Don’t Need A Reason
Side Two
01 Live As You Dream
02 Sugar Boy
03 Touch Me With Your Love
Side Three
01 Whenever
02 How Far
03 Someone’s Daughter
04 I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
Side Four
01 Galaxy Of Emptiness

Debut album from the hyped tae fook South Korean artist Park Hye Jin. Now located in LA, it seems 2021 is the explosive year for this in-demand act.

Stiring up a storm through her "If U Want It" 12", plus some tasty collaborations with the likes of Clams Casino, Blood Orange, Galcher Lustwerk and Nosaj Thing, the Ninja Tune-signed genius lays out her sonic identity in an edgy, attitude-filled LP which is both hi-tek and emotion-filled.

Stylistically, Jin seems to digest booty bass and ghetto house, combine it with some of the modern lo-fi house aesthetics and give it her own uniquely S. Korean sugary icing. Some of her drum patterns recall early DJ Rush or Green Velvet, while at other times lo-fi pioneers like Seinfeld and DJ Boring are clearly an influence. It's her deadpan, cool ass delivery that really seals the deal though. Taking influence from Chicago drill, post-punk and pop and somehow gelling it all together into something sincerely her own.

It's a beautifully modern LP which loses none of its soul from being entirely electronic. A future star in the making. Recommended. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The wonderful 'Before I Die' sees Park Hye Jin renewing her take on oft-minimal footwork influenced house. It's a sleek and breezy affair, with the more propulsive moments being tempered with her heavily reverbed, hypnotic vocals forging a brilliant combination of drive and nuanced, lo-fi percussion.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Let’s Sing Let’s Dance
I Need You
Before I Die
Good Morning Good Night
Me Trust Me
Where Did I Go
Never Give Up

Side B
Can I Get Your Number
Whatchu Doin Later
Sex With ME (DEFG)
Where Are You Think
Never Die
Hey, Hey, Hey
Sunday ASAP
I Jus Wanna Be Happy 

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

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

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

TRACK LISTING

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

Muslim poet and songwriter Mustafa presents his debut project, ‘When Smoke Rises’, via his own Regent Park Songs label.

Mustafa’s two singles to date - ‘Stay Alive’ and ‘Air Forces’ - have been met with adoration from fellow artists, critics and fans and serve as a near-perfect introduction to an important new voice in music. Both songs are included on ‘When Smoke Rises’ alongside ‘Ali’. They exemplify a style Mustafa himself describes as “inner city folk music” that finds musical inspiration in the folk greats such as Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Richie Havens but channelled through the contemporary lens of Mustafa’s modern-day Toronto.

Mustafa was moved to release his own music following the loss of close friends to gun violence. Much of his music is addressed to those departed friends and to his Toronto neighbourhood, Regent Park; a vehicle to honour and affirm the concerns of his community while providing sonic solace for those looking to make sense of their own loss.

The video for ‘Stay Alive’ prominently features footage of Regent Park, one of the first housing projects in North America and one of the biggest redevelopment projects on the continent. Mustafa’s experience of seeing the blocks, community and culture that raised him transform into something unrecognizable is a story that is playing out in neighbourhoods across the world - the inner city from which his folk songs are born.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Gorgeous downbeat grooves, twinkling piano and shimmering acoustic guitars all coalesce into an organic sounding but perfectly produced backdrop to Mustafa's intoxicatingly smooth vocals. Falling somwehere between neo-soul, R&B and swimming in airy electronic beats, this is a wonderful listen and a great sign of what's to come.

TRACK LISTING

Stay Alive
Air Forces
Separate
The Hearse
Capo (ft. Sampha)
Ali
What About Heaven
Come Back

Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall is one of the rising stars of the UK jazz scene. His unique sound was brilliantly described as "Rain-streaked spiritual jazz from Manchester" by the Independent On Sunday and previous albums have found Halsall exploring the modal jazz of John and Alice Coltrane or paying heartfelt tribute to the hard bop of the late 50s and early 60s, but on 'Fletcher Moss Park' he offers his most personal statement yet.

Written and recorded over the last couple of years, 'Fletcher Moss Park' is inspired by one of Manchester's most beautiful places. A rambling, multi-tiered park of walkways and dreamy gardens that offers the contemplative Halsall a place of peace and respite from the city, a meditative space to think and write in. The stillness and beauty of the surroundings have steeped into his beautiful compositions for this album. Elegant and sincere, Halsall's compositions draw on his love of spiritual jazz, modern dance music and even his work with the award-winning Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band earlier this year. Halsall who has recently been exploring his music in a stripped-back, electronica influenced, trio (featuring Taz Modi and Luke Flowers who also appear here) as well as the 12 piece Gondwana Orchestra has always favoured an earthy honestly and direct communication over tricksy arrangements and it is this deceptively simple openness that gives his music such a unique flavour as the young composer and producer seeks to express his feelings and thoughts with his music.

'Fletcher Moss Park' opens with three tracks featuring saxophonist Nat Birchall, harpist Rachael Gladwin and pianist Adam Fairhall alongside bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Gaz Hughes all long running members of Halsall's sextet. The beautiful 'Cherry Blossom' opens with a nod to Alice Coltrane before exploring it's own contemplative trajectory, the title track features a gorgeous opening from harpist Gladwin and one of Halsall's trademark slow but foot tappingly catchy grooves, Mary Emma Louise is an elegant tribute to someone special and features some beautifully wistful playing from the composer. 'Sailing Out To Sea' and 'Wee Lan' offer a change in mood, two short interludes for violin (Holly Simpson and Davinder Singh), cello (Adrianne Wininsky) and double bass (Barras), Halsall chose not to play here feeling that the brief musical sketches caught his intentions perfectly. Finally the album closes with the two most recent compositions, the reposeful 'Sun In September' which features fine work from flautist Lisa Mallett, alongside pianist Taz Modi and drummer Luke Flowers and the uplifting 'Finding My Way', which with its compelling groove and fine drumming from Flowers (best known for his work with Cinematic Orchestra) offers a nod towards Halsall's love of contemporary electronic music as well as a hint of future projects. But as with the writing here you can be sure that wherever Halsall's muse takes him his music will remain heartfelt and life affirming in its elegant directness as he explores his own unique musical terrain that stretches from the bucolic stillness of 'Fletcher Moss Park' to a world far beyond!

STAFF COMMENTS

Ryan says: A favourite of mine from our own local Jazz mastermind. Fletcher Moss Park explores a 50's, 60's sound channeling the likes of Coltrane. As you can imagine this album flows beautifully from beginning to end, almost as good as a stroll through the park itself.

TRACK LISTING

1. Cherry Blossom
2. Fletcher Moss Park
3. Mary Emma Louise
4. Sailing Out To Sea
5. Wee Lan (Little Orchid)
6. The Sun In September
7. Finding My Way

An album of our times, Newcastle band Maximo Park return with their seventh record Nature Always Wins

The album arrives as something of an examination, zeroing in on the notion of the self, identity as a band, and that of humanity as a whole. The album’s title nods to the famous Nature vs Nurture debate. Discussing whether change is capable under the influence of time, perspective, environment or if we are destined to be bound by our own genetics, it asks, “who are we, and who do we want to be, and do we have any control over it?”.

“I'm so happy we were able to make this album during lockdown, as it's been a challenging time for everyone. After almost 4 years since Risk To Exist, we wanted to explore new musical territory (for us) without sacrificing our trademark melodic twists and heartfelt lyrics. As always, the passing of time looms large, although the songs contain more affection for the past than before, and there are occasional hints of the fractious, divided time that we live in” – frontman Paul Smith

Produced by Atlanta-based Grammy-winning producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), who afforded the band freedom to play and create. What wasn’t anticipated was how that freedom would be soon be stripped, as lockdown restrictions left the band recording remotely across Newcastle, Liverpool and Atlanta with audio files bounced back and forth, 4000 miles across the world!

TRACK LISTING

Partly Of My Making
Versions Of You
Baby, Sleep
Placeholder
All Of Me
Ardour
Meeting Up
Why Must A Building Burn?
I Don’t Know What I’m Doing
The Acid Remark
Feelings I’m Supposed To Feel
Child Of The Flatlands

An album of our times, Newcastle band Maximo Park return with their seventh record Nature Always Wins

The album arrives as something of an examination, zeroing in on the notion of the self, identity as a band, and that of humanity as a whole. The album’s title nods to the famous Nature vs Nurture debate. Discussing whether change is capable under the influence of time, perspective, environment or if we are destined to be bound by our own genetics, it asks, “who are we, and who do we want to be, and do we have any control over it?”.

“I'm so happy we were able to make this album during lockdown, as it's been a challenging time for everyone. After almost 4 years since Risk To Exist, we wanted to explore new musical territory (for us) without sacrificing our trademark melodic twists and heartfelt lyrics. As always, the passing of time looms large, although the songs contain more affection for the past than before, and there are occasional hints of the fractious, divided time that we live in” – frontman Paul Smith

Produced by Atlanta-based Grammy-winning producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter), who afforded the band freedom to play and create. What wasn’t anticipated was how that freedom would be soon be stripped, as lockdown restrictions left the band recording remotely across Newcastle, Liverpool and Atlanta with audio files bounced back and forth, 4000 miles across the world!

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Nature Always Wins sees Maximo Park in fine form within a familiar but gradually perfected arena, mixing bombastic hooks and those unmistakeable vocals high in the mix. Propulsive and beautifully produced, this may be their finest outing yet.

TRACK LISTING

Partly Of My Making
Versions Of You
Baby, Sleep
Placeholder
All Of Me
Ardour
Meeting Up
Why Must A Building Burn?
I Don’t Know What I’m Doing
The Acid Remark
Feelings I’m Supposed To Feel
Child Of The Flatlands

Off the back of the incredible recent album ‘I Trawl The Megahertz‘, Prefab Sprout have announced exciting release plans for remastered vinyl versions of three of the band’s classic albums along with their incredible greatest hits collection ‘A Life of Surprises: The Best Of’. From the remastering and artwork, to sourcing new images, the project has been fully orchestrated by both Paddy and Martin McAloon.

The releases include their third album ‘From Langley Park To Memphis’, containing their biggest hit “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” along with one of the best pop anthems of the 1980s – “Cars And Girls”. The album also features contributions from Stevie Wonder and Pete Townsend. 

Maximo Park release this live album spanning their six albums to date. "Get High (No, I Don’t)" and "What Equals Love?" appear from latest album "Risk To Exist", as does Top 20 single "Books From Boxes", and the beloved "Going Missing" B-Side "A19". Much-loved on record, the band are famed for reaching new levels of dynamism, energy and excitement in a live environment. Many fan-favourites are given such life in this new release. Mixed by Adrian Bushby, he captures the band at the peak of their powers, showcasing what has made them such a popular live act over the last 14 years.

TRACK LISTING

1. Get High (No, I Don’t)(Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
2. I Want You To Stay (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
3. Girls Who Play Guitars (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
4. Questing, Not Coasting (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
5. The National Health (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
6. A19 (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
7. What Equals Love? (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
8. Limassol (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
9. Midnight On The Hill (Recorded Live At Vada Studios)
10. Books From Boxes (Recorded Live At Vada Studios) 

"Meadow Lane Park" is the first full-length album from the French quintet Le Superhomard and immediately, from the cover to the song titles, shows us its bucolic vision. Just put on opening song, "In The Park", and we can see that the landscapes they show us are injected with acid, flooded with stardust, with lysergic caresses, sweet and pleasant. Under the play of the synthesizers, under the psychedelic-style muted bases, strings and guitars aimed at lounge, they create an irresistible atmosphere.

Le SuperHomard's electronic pop naturally resonates with a classic French pop references including those of spiritual fathers of the electro-pop genre, Stereolab and Medhi Zannad.

The groovy electronics, the oddly meandering vocals, the elaborately gorgeous production, the super mellow acoustic guitars and simple syncopated beats, the psychedelic feeling, it's all here: It's like feeling dappled sunlight on your face as you relax.

TRACK LISTING

1.In The Park
2.Springtime
3.Door After Door
4.Paper Girl
5.Karaoking
6.Snowflakes
7.Meadow Lane Park
8.Elephant In The Room
9.SDVB
10.Black Diamond
11.Refuel
12.Back To Meadow Lane

Coming four years after their self-titled debut album, North London trio Theme Park embrace a new independent spirit, a bold sense of defiance and a fearless pop-fuelled vision with their second album ‘Is This How It Starts?’.

Three years in the making and completed on an ad hoc basis, ‘Is This How It Starts?’ is the result of the band’s collaboration with their old friend Ben Garrett who, under the artist name Fryars, masterminded his own remarkable 2014 album ‘Power’ and has also collaborated with artists such as Lily Allen and Mika.

Fully in control of their destiny, Theme Park’s open-minded approach to the album was to remain true to their vision, to take the bolder option when a safer option presented itself, and to take risks in all of the right places. Lyrically, it focuses on two different yet immediately complementary styles: for some tracks, notably last year’s ‘L.A. (Is Stealing My Friends’), Miles Haughton (vocals/guitar) adopts a direct and abrupt persona based upon his snappy Tweets, while on others he explores ideas more reflective and personal in nature.

Completed by Miles’s twin brother Marcus (bass/guitar/synths) and Oscar Manthorpe (bass/guitar/synths), Theme Park have created a record about growing up, about hitting your mid-20s and seeing the world differently, and about the schism between real and online life. It often pits challenging emotions against uplifting, unashamed pop.

"Without getting too philosophical, you're always looking for stories and meanings in the blank space of life," says Miles. "Lots of the songs are about the start of relationships, the start of things, reading meaning into things, trying to find the stories."

After the scene-setting title track, the album bursts into life with ‘You Are Real’, a song which tops swirling psychedelic pop and tropical, world music-tinged grooves with a chorus that’s both confidently immediate and atmospherically ethereal. That irrepressible sense of elation is also prevalent in ‘Something Good’, a track that prompted DIY to draw comparisons with Jungle and Jai Paul. Whether exploring vibrant disco vibes on ‘Dancing With The Other Girls’ or moodier 80s pop on ‘10AM’, Theme Park exude a bright and buoyant soundscape layered with elastic bass, luminous guitars and rich array of synths.

That summery concoction stands particularly proudly in the album’s new track ‘I’ll Do Anything’ which is available now. "It's about feeling a connection with someone when they've got a boyfriend," says Miles. "It's nice to write a song from the point of view of a villain."

TRACK LISTING

1. Is This How It Starts?
2. You Are Real
3. Hello Hello
4. Something Good
5. Dancing With The Other Girls
6. U R Rly Nice
7. L.A. (Is Stealing My Friends)
8. I’ll Do Anything
9. 10AM
10. Cocoon
11. Never Ending Story
12. Xbox

Risk To Exist’ sees Maximo Park on blistering form, bringing together their trademark hook-laden melodies and sense of urgency with off-kilter rock, soulful grooves and pop sensibilities. Informed by the dire state of world affairs in 2016 and crumbling political systems, their latest body of work is a vital record for our times. ‘Risk To Exist’ was co-produced by Tom Schick (Wilco, Beck, White Denim) and Maximo Park. Keen for the inspiration of unfamiliar surroundings after writing the album in their native North-East, the band decamped to Wilco’s studio, The Loft in Chicago, in Autumn 2016. Recorded completely live, the recording represents another bold stylistic step for the band after 2014’s Top 10 ‘Too Much Information’. Maximo Park have also enlisted Mimi Parker from acclaimed US band Low for the record, whose voice lends its inimitable warmth to five album tracks, including lead single ‘Risk To Exist’. With 1,500,000 albums and four UK Top 10 albums under their belt to date, Maximo Park have once again shifted seamlessly into a higher gear. They have expertly crafted an infectious pop album for our time, confronting the crucial issues track by track, one monstrous hook at a time.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Having all the melodic leanings of their previous efforts but with a lucidity and maturity that seeps into every neon-tinged chorus and beautifully engineered chord progression, Risk To Exist sounds like a band at ease with their forte. Confidently accomplished and brilliantly conceived anthems all-round.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. What Did We Do To You To Deserve This?
2. Get High (No, I Don't)
3. What Equals Love?
4. Risk To Exist
5. I'll Be Around
6. Work And Then Wait
7. The Hero
8. The Reason I Am Here
9. Make What You Can
10. Respond To The Feeling
11. Alchemy

Disc: 2 (COOKCD654X Only)
1. Sharp Tongue (Bonus Track)
2. A Brief Dream (Bonus Track)
3. All Been Done Before (Bonus Track)
4. Work And Then Wait (Acoustic Version)
5. Risk To Exist (Acoustic Version)
6. Get High (No, I Don’t) (Acoustic Version)
7. I'll Be Around (Piano Version) 

We bring you Spectral Park’s debut full-length under the auspices of pop brainchild Luke Donovan, who played all of the music (and records) on the record. These are songs borne from the trash, literally sourced from a box of records the Southampton multi-instrumentalist found on a walk by a council block’s curbside garbage. Donovan chopped them up and fed them through his sampler, warped, pitch-bent snippets of notes, rhythms and loops spanning disparate portions of musical history. Then he started recording live instrumentation and heavily-treated vocals over them, creating a gritty, noisy, yet wide-eyed dive into manic, ‘60s psychedelia, clear-eyed flower child reveries of reverberation and pop chaos.

Spectral Park is a collection of songs that serve as reflections of a fractured year full of joys and sadness, a jumble sale of ideas and moments that work together, dancing and exploding off of one another. These songs lunge off the record, bursting with breakneck tempos and infectious, soaring melodies, sounding as if they are ready to shatter under all of the energy rattling inside. Moreover, they offer a unique and exciting view into a reconstructed musical past, one that brings bygone eras of mind expansion and infinite human potential back within reach.

TRACK LISTING

1. L'appel Du Vide
2. Ornaments
3. Nausea
4. Lows
5. Colours
6. Shells
7. Filler #54
8. Still
9. Cut
10. Get You Gone
11. The Thief's Journal
12. Generation Loss

Theme Park are pleased to announce details of their forthcoming autumn release. The Two Hours EP opens with the original title track – a sonic electronic exploration into the heartfelt emotions of singer Miles Haughton which is fast becoming a clear live favorite which often brings their packed out shows to a euphoric climax.

The 10” EP will also feature three brilliant covers of Jessie Ware’s Wildest Moments, The National’s ‘Bloodbuz Ohio’ and Hot Chip’s ‘Ready For The Floor’. New remixes of Two Hours will also be available from Mad Decent’s hot new act Dawn Golden & Rosy Cross and Scandinavian band Museum of Belles Artes along with the earlier remixes from RAC and Populette.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Two Hours (single Mix)
A2. Wildest Moments
B1. Bloodbuz Ohio
B2. Ready For The Floor

Two guitars, two humans, every riff in the world. May we introduce the treble warrior spazzos from Baltimore otherwise known as Ecstatic Sunshine. The playful and whimsical electric guitar duo of Matthew Papich and Dustin Wong are like a punk-lite version of John Fahey, Greg Ginn, and Bruce Springsteen. In other words they can shred, rip and roll. Having plenty of time and freedom to perfect their sound and performance while hanging out in art school and throwing parties in Baltimore's cheap industrial lofts, Ecstatic Sunshine are now ready to take their frenetic live show to kids all over the world. They will not rest until they change your life.

Just found 1 copy of this! First come first served!

A tasty compendium of Maximo Park's "A Certain Trigger" campaign. A two disc (one DVD, one CD) set housed in a limited edition deluxe casebound book with 16 page booklet featuring writing and photos from the band. Includes live performance at Brixton Academy in London, the final date on their 2006 Headlining NME Awards Tour, mastered in 5:1 surround sound. Close up and personal documentary filmed intimately by friends of the band whilst on the NME tour. Live in Newcastle on 29.01.06 capturing the hysteria and raw energy that permeated their home town show. Also includes all six videos to date and a live studio session filmed for AOL. The audio CD features BBC Sessions hosted by Jo Whiley, Zane Lowe, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson including a previously unreleased track and cover of Natalie Imbruglia's "Shiver".

Shimmering, intricate guitar leads married to off kilter, aggressive rhythms and anguished, soulful vocals make for a beautifully unsettling brew. Love it. Jawbox played by At The Drive In?