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PEACE
Peace Okezie, the brainchild behind Master Peace, does not mince his words. He needs to get things out and embodies the phrase, “If you’re going to say it, just say it.” While never careless or unsympathetic with his words, the phrase is an affirmation that fuels him. Lucky for us, his energy is on par with the idiosyncratic, effervescent and most importantly, extremely good music he makes with intention and a keen ear. Master Peace’s music is about inviting people into the weird, wonderful and cacophonous world he’s created. Attracting listeners who crave rebelliousness and divergence from the norm.
Master Peace’s debut album How To Make A Master Peace, pushes the parameters of genre more than ever. Peace flexes his inspirations by cutting through the sonic generations of British music that have raised him. ‘I Might Be Fake’ has the urgency of 2005’s ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ by the Long Blondes, mixed with the spaciness of the late noughties Klaxons catalogue.
‘Shangaladang’ is an ode to Peace's black music inspirations, with a nod to Skepta; here he adapts the lyrics ‘I’ve got my hood mates and white niggas” from the rapper’s 2016 song ‘Man’ to fit his more rugged, The Clash - like tune. The raucous artist has been hailed as the new voice of British Indie and was a “One To Watch” nominee at the 2023 AIM Awards. The 11 track album is a pastiche of the alternative music the British artist was raised on, from Arctic Monkeys & Friendly Fires to Gorillaz. His headline tour, culminating at the iconic Scala, will see Master Peace create his own legacy in British Indie music, and this album is a statement of intent.
Master Peace’s debut album How To Make A Master Peace, pushes the parameters of genre more than ever. Peace flexes his inspirations by cutting through the sonic generations of British music that have raised him. ‘I Might Be Fake’ has the urgency of 2005’s ‘Giddy Stratospheres’ by the Long Blondes, mixed with the spaciness of the late noughties Klaxons catalogue.
‘Shangaladang’ is an ode to Peace's black music inspirations, with a nod to Skepta; here he adapts the lyrics ‘I’ve got my hood mates and white niggas” from the rapper’s 2016 song ‘Man’ to fit his more rugged, The Clash - like tune. The raucous artist has been hailed as the new voice of British Indie and was a “One To Watch” nominee at the 2023 AIM Awards. The 11 track album is a pastiche of the alternative music the British artist was raised on, from Arctic Monkeys & Friendly Fires to Gorillaz. His headline tour, culminating at the iconic Scala, will see Master Peace create his own legacy in British Indie music, and this album is a statement of intent.
10th anniversary clear, black and white splatter vinyl reissue of 'Peace on Venus' by Bardo Pond, Philadelphia's foremost purveyors of psychedelic rock. Includes ‘Kali Yuga Blues’, a true behemoth of a song and a shining example of the band’s ecstatic intensity.
Delving deep in to their subconscious to bring it to the conscious, the band’s 2013 effort dazzles, with their gift for heavy riffs laced with soaring vocals and swathes of sound. Bardo Pond has the outward specifications of a rock band but the rivers that converge into the band's oneiric flow have their headwaters in the outlands of ecstatic jazz, free noise and the avant-garde.
The recording process of ‘Peace On Venus’ used the principle of the Quintessence, which is a principle cited by the 16th Century physician Paracelsus, who noted: "Nothing of true value is located in the body of a substance, but in the virtue thereof, and this is the principle of the Quintessence, which reduces, say 20 lbs. of a given substance into a single Ounce, and that ounce far exceeds the 20 lbs. in potency. Hence the less there is of body, the more in proportion is the virtue thereof."
“Obviously, Bardo Pond are the greatest band in the world” Vice.
Delving deep in to their subconscious to bring it to the conscious, the band’s 2013 effort dazzles, with their gift for heavy riffs laced with soaring vocals and swathes of sound. Bardo Pond has the outward specifications of a rock band but the rivers that converge into the band's oneiric flow have their headwaters in the outlands of ecstatic jazz, free noise and the avant-garde.
The recording process of ‘Peace On Venus’ used the principle of the Quintessence, which is a principle cited by the 16th Century physician Paracelsus, who noted: "Nothing of true value is located in the body of a substance, but in the virtue thereof, and this is the principle of the Quintessence, which reduces, say 20 lbs. of a given substance into a single Ounce, and that ounce far exceeds the 20 lbs. in potency. Hence the less there is of body, the more in proportion is the virtue thereof."
“Obviously, Bardo Pond are the greatest band in the world” Vice.
TRACK LISTING
A1 Kali Yuga Blues
A2 Taste
A3 Fir
B1 Chance
B2 Before The Moon
Brotherhood Of Peace (aka B.O.P.) brought the world some of the best breezy power pop, Southern rock and heavy boogie all packed into one brilliant album in 1976, the fittingly titled Cuttin’ Loose. The album is a free-flowing nine song collection of genre blending would-be hits suited for both ’70s AM gold and FM album rock that never received its proper due, until now. The album flows somewhat similar to the way Big Star combined heavy riffs with airy pop sweetness, but B.O.P. brought more of a blues rock groove to the proceedings, resulting in heavier undercurrents to songs with glowing three-part harmonies and impeccable power trio musicianship. By the mid-’70s, rock ’n’ roll was truly anything goes. Experimentation, excess and inventing new genres was all the rage, and the trio of spritely young men—guitarist / vocalist Dennis Tolbert, bassist / vocalist Mike Arrington and drummer / vocalist Ronnie Smith—gamely tackled whatever sound they pleased. Fortunately, the band captured it all on their lone album, released on the small independent label Avanti Records in March 1976.
The Mount Airy, North Carolina trio got its start as teens in 1969 as the backing band to a large 20-50 person traveling church choir called the New Americans. By 1970, the band was ready to move on to performing on their own. First as a sextet, the band soon trimmed down to a three-piece, working the local club circuit like madmen, sometimes playing three shows a day. At the height of their live tightness, B.O.P. recorded the album with local musicians Don Dixon and Robert Kirkland of the band Arrogance who worked at Charlotte recording studio Reflection Sound in October 1975. The band laid out the highlights of their live set in the studio, which ran the range of influences from The Raspberries to Deep Purple, Doobie Brothers to Nazareth, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Grand Funk. The initial pressing of 1000 copies was released in March 1976, but without major label machinery for retail distribution, radio and press, the album never took off. The band mostly sold them at live shows, via consignment at local stores and in limited distribution in the Southeastern region. However, to date, the record still occasionally pops up for sale online worldwide at exorbitant collectors’ prices. Until now, finally getting a proper reissue via Riding Easy Records.
The Mount Airy, North Carolina trio got its start as teens in 1969 as the backing band to a large 20-50 person traveling church choir called the New Americans. By 1970, the band was ready to move on to performing on their own. First as a sextet, the band soon trimmed down to a three-piece, working the local club circuit like madmen, sometimes playing three shows a day. At the height of their live tightness, B.O.P. recorded the album with local musicians Don Dixon and Robert Kirkland of the band Arrogance who worked at Charlotte recording studio Reflection Sound in October 1975. The band laid out the highlights of their live set in the studio, which ran the range of influences from The Raspberries to Deep Purple, Doobie Brothers to Nazareth, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Grand Funk. The initial pressing of 1000 copies was released in March 1976, but without major label machinery for retail distribution, radio and press, the album never took off. The band mostly sold them at live shows, via consignment at local stores and in limited distribution in the Southeastern region. However, to date, the record still occasionally pops up for sale online worldwide at exorbitant collectors’ prices. Until now, finally getting a proper reissue via Riding Easy Records.
Music has always been a key part of Peace’s life. Since the age of 17 he’s been heavily involved in it, from watching his brother making music to being a part of Ammi Boyz. He started to build his name and a bit of a small cult fan base, mainly due to crashing sets and rapping nursery rhymes.
Peace’s new EP, “Peace of Mind”, marks a transition toward a heavier Brit Pop/Indie Sleaze sound influenced by notable UK bands from the 90s/2000’s such as: Blur, Bloc party, Arctic Monkeys & The Wombats
Produced by the legendary Mati Schwartz (Yungblud, Massive Attack), “Peace of Mind” is, at its heart, a coming of age record.
Peace’s new EP, “Peace of Mind”, marks a transition toward a heavier Brit Pop/Indie Sleaze sound influenced by notable UK bands from the 90s/2000’s such as: Blur, Bloc party, Arctic Monkeys & The Wombats
Produced by the legendary Mati Schwartz (Yungblud, Massive Attack), “Peace of Mind” is, at its heart, a coming of age record.
TRACK LISTING
1. Country Life
2. Achilles Heel
3. Veronica
4. Groundhog Day
5. Kaleidoscope
The very limited 7” release of ‘Prayer for Peace’ accompanies the boxset and features a picture of Lora and Poly together during their time living at the temple. ‘Prayer for Peace’ is a re-imagining of the X-Ray Spex track from the tragically overlooked album, ‘Conscious Consumer’ (1995) on which Lora also played sax.
Creative reimaginings for piano of Ólafur Arnald’s some kind of peace album (2020).
The Icelandic modern classical composer, performer and producer brings together a diverse group of friends, collaborators and musical kindred spirits from across the globe and musical spectrum to experiment and rework his music.
This Ólafur-curated lineup includes artists from the worlds of modern classical, electronic, jazz and alternative, featuring Yiruma, Dustin O’Halloran, Hania Rani, Alfa Mist, tstewart, JFDR, Lambert, Sophie Hutchings, Eydís Evensen and Magnús Jóhann.
The Icelandic modern classical composer, performer and producer brings together a diverse group of friends, collaborators and musical kindred spirits from across the globe and musical spectrum to experiment and rework his music.
This Ólafur-curated lineup includes artists from the worlds of modern classical, electronic, jazz and alternative, featuring Yiruma, Dustin O’Halloran, Hania Rani, Alfa Mist, tstewart, JFDR, Lambert, Sophie Hutchings, Eydís Evensen and Magnús Jóhann.
TRACK LISTING
Loom - Eydís Evensen
Woven Song - Hania Rani
Spiral - Dustin O’halloran
Still / Sound - Sophie Hutchings
Back To The Sky - Lambert
Zero - Alfa Mist
New Grass – Tstewart
The Bottom Line (live) - Jfdr
We Contain Multitudes – Yiruma
Undone - Magnús Jóhann
Several things happened before a warm day when I met the four members of Frankie Cosmos in a Brooklyn studio to begin making their album. Greta Kline spent a few years living with her family and writing a mere 100 songs, turning her empathy anywhere from the navel to the moon, rendering it all warm, close and reflexively humorous. In music, everyone loves a teen sensation, but Kline has never been more fascinating than now, a decade into being one of the most prolific songwriters of her generation. She’s lodged in my mind amongst authors, other observational alchemists like Rachel Cusk or Sheila Heti, but she’s funnier, which is a charm endemic to musicians.
Meanwhile Frankie Cosmos, a rare, dwindling democratic entity called a band, had been on pandemic hiatus with no idea if they’d continue. In the openness of that uncertainty they met up, planning to hang out and play music together for the first time in nearly 500 days. There, whittling down the multitude of music to work with, they created Inner World Peace, a collection of Greta’s songs changed and sculpted by their time together. While Kline’s musical taste at the time was leaning toward aughts indie rock she’d loved as a teenager, keyboardist Lauren Martin and drummer Luke Pyenson cite “droning, meditation, repetition, clarity and intentionality,” as well as “‘70s folk and pop” as a reference for how they approached their parts. Bassist/guitarist Alex Bailey says that at the time he referred to it as their “ambient” or “psych” album. Somewhere between those textural elements and Kline’s penchant for concise pop, Inner World Peace finds its balance.
The first order of business upon setting up camp in Brooklyn’s Figure 8 studios was to project giant colorful slides the band had made for each track. Co-producing with Nate Mendelsohn, my Shitty Hits Recording partner, we aimed for FC’s aesthetic idiosyncrasies to shine. The mood board for “Magnetic Personality” has a neon green and black checkerboard, a screen capture of the game Street Fighter with “K.O.” in fat red letters, and a cover of Mad Magazine that says “Spy Vs. Spy! The Top Secret Files.” On tracks like “F.O.O.F.” (Freak Out On Friday), “Fragments” and “Aftershook,” the group are at their most psychedelic and playful, interjecting fuzz solos, bits of percussion, and other sonically adventurous ear candy. An internal logic strengthens everything, and in their proggiest moments, Frankie Cosmos are simply a one-take band who don’t miss. When on Inner World Peace they sound wildly, freshly different, it may just be that they’re coming deeper into their own.
Inner World Peace excels in passing on the emotions it holds. When in the towering “Empty Head” Kline sings of wanting to let thoughts slide away, her voice is buoyed on a bed of synths and harmonium as tranquility abounds. When her thoughts become hurried and full of desire, so does the band, and she leaps from word to word as if unable to contain them all. As a group, they carry it all deftly, and with constant regard for Kline’s point of view.
Says Greta, “To me, the album is about perception. It’s about the question of “who am I?” and whether or not the answer matters. It’s about quantum time, the possibilities of invisible worlds. The album is about finding myself floating in a new context. A teenager again, living with my parents. An adult, choosing to live with my family in an act of love. Time propelled us forward, aged us, and also froze. If you don’t leave the house, who are you to the world? Can you take the person you discover there out with you?”
- Katie Von Schleicher
Meanwhile Frankie Cosmos, a rare, dwindling democratic entity called a band, had been on pandemic hiatus with no idea if they’d continue. In the openness of that uncertainty they met up, planning to hang out and play music together for the first time in nearly 500 days. There, whittling down the multitude of music to work with, they created Inner World Peace, a collection of Greta’s songs changed and sculpted by their time together. While Kline’s musical taste at the time was leaning toward aughts indie rock she’d loved as a teenager, keyboardist Lauren Martin and drummer Luke Pyenson cite “droning, meditation, repetition, clarity and intentionality,” as well as “‘70s folk and pop” as a reference for how they approached their parts. Bassist/guitarist Alex Bailey says that at the time he referred to it as their “ambient” or “psych” album. Somewhere between those textural elements and Kline’s penchant for concise pop, Inner World Peace finds its balance.
The first order of business upon setting up camp in Brooklyn’s Figure 8 studios was to project giant colorful slides the band had made for each track. Co-producing with Nate Mendelsohn, my Shitty Hits Recording partner, we aimed for FC’s aesthetic idiosyncrasies to shine. The mood board for “Magnetic Personality” has a neon green and black checkerboard, a screen capture of the game Street Fighter with “K.O.” in fat red letters, and a cover of Mad Magazine that says “Spy Vs. Spy! The Top Secret Files.” On tracks like “F.O.O.F.” (Freak Out On Friday), “Fragments” and “Aftershook,” the group are at their most psychedelic and playful, interjecting fuzz solos, bits of percussion, and other sonically adventurous ear candy. An internal logic strengthens everything, and in their proggiest moments, Frankie Cosmos are simply a one-take band who don’t miss. When on Inner World Peace they sound wildly, freshly different, it may just be that they’re coming deeper into their own.
Inner World Peace excels in passing on the emotions it holds. When in the towering “Empty Head” Kline sings of wanting to let thoughts slide away, her voice is buoyed on a bed of synths and harmonium as tranquility abounds. When her thoughts become hurried and full of desire, so does the band, and she leaps from word to word as if unable to contain them all. As a group, they carry it all deftly, and with constant regard for Kline’s point of view.
Says Greta, “To me, the album is about perception. It’s about the question of “who am I?” and whether or not the answer matters. It’s about quantum time, the possibilities of invisible worlds. The album is about finding myself floating in a new context. A teenager again, living with my parents. An adult, choosing to live with my family in an act of love. Time propelled us forward, aged us, and also froze. If you don’t leave the house, who are you to the world? Can you take the person you discover there out with you?”
- Katie Von Schleicher
TRACK LISTING
Abigail
Aftershook
Fruit Stand
Magnetic Personality
Wayne
Sky Magnet
A Work Call
Empty Head
Fragments
Prolonging Babyhood
One Year Stand
F.O.O.F.
Street View
Spare The Guitar
Heed The Call
William The Conqueror are back with a new 2022 mix of their debut album Proud Disturber Of The Peace. Engineered and mixed in LA by Joseph Lorge (Hiss Golden Messenger etc), the new mix has achieved the sound the band and their label saw out of reach in the bands early DIY days.
Including firm fan favourites ‘Tend to the Thorns’ and ‘Cold Ontario’, the album’s alt-rock transatlantic appeal puts the band in the same lane as Drive-By-Truckers, The Felice Brothers et al.
Including firm fan favourites ‘Tend to the Thorns’ and ‘Cold Ontario’, the album’s alt-rock transatlantic appeal puts the band in the same lane as Drive-By-Truckers, The Felice Brothers et al.
TRACK LISTING
In My Dreams
Tend To The Thorns
Did You Wrong
Pedestals
Sunny Is The Style
The Many Faces Of A Good Truth
Proud Disturber Of The Peace
Cold Ontario
Mind Keeps Changing
Manawatu
Various Artists
Soul Jazz Records Presents - Fire Over Babylon: Dread, Peace And Conscious Sounds At Studio One
Soul Jazz
Soul Jazz Records’ new Studio One collection ‘Fire Over Babylon: Dread, Peace and Conscious Sounds at Studio One’ features a stellar selection of 70s roots music - classic and rare tracks recorded at Clement Dodd’s musical empire at 13 Brentford Road in the 1970s.
Rastafarian-inspired Roots music was an ever-important aspect of Studio One’s output from the start of the 1970s onwards and this album features many of the groundbreaking groups and artists that established the sound of Jamaica during this decade and beyond.
Featured here are seminal artists such as Freddie McGregor, The Wailing Souls, The Gladiators, Horace Andy, Devon Russell, Cedric Brooks, Count Ossie and Judah Eskender Tafari alongside a host of lesser-known rare cuts made at Studio One from artists such as The Prospectors, Viceroys and Pablove Black.
Studio One and founder Clement Dodd’s connection with Rastafarianism dates back to the early 1960s, with Dodd accompanying members of the Skatalites up to the hills of Kingston to listen to the music of the Rastafarian Count Ossie and his drummers. The album sleevenotes discuss how Clement Dodd’s musical links, as well as his role in heading the most important record label in Reggae, are in many ways linked to the beliefs of Rastafarianism.
Rastafarian-inspired Roots music was an ever-important aspect of Studio One’s output from the start of the 1970s onwards and this album features many of the groundbreaking groups and artists that established the sound of Jamaica during this decade and beyond.
Featured here are seminal artists such as Freddie McGregor, The Wailing Souls, The Gladiators, Horace Andy, Devon Russell, Cedric Brooks, Count Ossie and Judah Eskender Tafari alongside a host of lesser-known rare cuts made at Studio One from artists such as The Prospectors, Viceroys and Pablove Black.
Studio One and founder Clement Dodd’s connection with Rastafarianism dates back to the early 1960s, with Dodd accompanying members of the Skatalites up to the hills of Kingston to listen to the music of the Rastafarian Count Ossie and his drummers. The album sleevenotes discuss how Clement Dodd’s musical links, as well as his role in heading the most important record label in Reggae, are in many ways linked to the beliefs of Rastafarianism.
TRACK LISTING
Freddie McGregor - I Am A Revolutionist
The Silvertones - Burning In My Soul
Wailing Souls - Without You
Devon Russell - Jah Jah Fire
Trevor Clarke - Sufferation
The Gladiators - Sonia
Judah Eskender Tafari - Always Trying
The Viceroys - Ya Ho
Im And Count Ossie - Give Me Back Me Language And Me Culture
The Gladiators - Serious Thing
The Prospectors - Glory For I
Wailing Souls - Things And Time
Pablove Black - Inner Peace
The Gladiators - Peace
Horace Andy - Mr. Jolly Man
Wailing Souls - Rock But Don’t Fall
Albert Griffiths And The Gladiators - Righteous Man
So Many Problems - The Viceroys
Following a series of records with Thrill Jockey (including the sensational Seasonal Hire with Steve Gunn), the Black Twig Pickers return to the VHF mothership to continue their charming and original take on old time and Appalachianinspired string band sounds. Together since 2001, and a continuous presence in the music’s true home of Southwest Virginia, the Twigs represent the actively working evolution of the traditions—learning songs from other locals, playing dances at the Floyd Country Store, etc—without retroartifice or nostalgia.
The ragged-but-right performances and recording (and Sally Ann Morgan’s perfect cover design) sit at the ideal intersection of DIY / “underground” and local string-sound values. On Friend’s Peace, the band travels a range of styles, from the lovely harmony on the trad-classic “Moonshiner” to the racing fiddle / guitar / banjo on the “Money Musk” medley. Mixed in with the traditional songs are several perfectly-placed original tunes, including Mike Gangloff’s keening “Cara’s Waltz” and Isak Howell’s solo guitar spotlight on “Barnswallow.”
The ragged-but-right performances and recording (and Sally Ann Morgan’s perfect cover design) sit at the ideal intersection of DIY / “underground” and local string-sound values. On Friend’s Peace, the band travels a range of styles, from the lovely harmony on the trad-classic “Moonshiner” to the racing fiddle / guitar / banjo on the “Money Musk” medley. Mixed in with the traditional songs are several perfectly-placed original tunes, including Mike Gangloff’s keening “Cara’s Waltz” and Isak Howell’s solo guitar spotlight on “Barnswallow.”
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Grand strings, plucked banjo and soaring vocal harmonies coalesce over traditional country ballads and southern folk songs, presenting a dynamic but comfortably familiar sound.TRACK LISTING
1. Moonshiner
2. Money Musk/Icy Mountain/Tommy Hawk
3. Cara's Waltz
4. Sheets Of Rain, Streams Of Sun
5. Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone?
6. Roan Mountain Sally Ann
7. Knight On The Road
8. Barnswallow
9. St. Valentine's
10. March Elliston Joy
11. Dan Friend's Piece
Main Source
Peace Is Not The Word To Play (Remix) / Peace Is Not The Word To Play (Album Version)
Mr Bongo
Large Professor being a prodigy on the SP-1200 is well established, but the way he flips parts of MFSB’s ‘TLC’ and Milly and Silly’s obscure ‘Gettin’ Down for Xmas’ with a sprinkling of Lyn Collins here establishes his credentials in the top tier.
Lyrically, it’s a tour de force, with Main Source taking exception with the misuse of the word ‘peace’ by the hip-hop fraternity. With even the most homicidal of gangster rappers dropping it at the end of tracks at the time, time was overdue for some regulation.
The album version makes its point pithily in a single verse, while the remix, included on the flip of this first ever 7” release, expands on the topic with new verses and some new samples too. It’s a welcome reminder of the time when remixes were remixes - not just the identical track with the latest hot rappers joining in.
Most of all, Main Source once again walk the fine line between lyrical lecture and head-nodding banger - the rare example of a track with a point to make that can still fill a dancefloor and get necks snapping.
Lyrically, it’s a tour de force, with Main Source taking exception with the misuse of the word ‘peace’ by the hip-hop fraternity. With even the most homicidal of gangster rappers dropping it at the end of tracks at the time, time was overdue for some regulation.
The album version makes its point pithily in a single verse, while the remix, included on the flip of this first ever 7” release, expands on the topic with new verses and some new samples too. It’s a welcome reminder of the time when remixes were remixes - not just the identical track with the latest hot rappers joining in.
Most of all, Main Source once again walk the fine line between lyrical lecture and head-nodding banger - the rare example of a track with a point to make that can still fill a dancefloor and get necks snapping.
STAFF COMMENTS
Patrick says: Glorious golden age hip hop from Large Pro, Sir Scratch and K-Cut. Though the lyrical message is pointed and on point, it's the sampler sophistry which makes this a classic.TRACK LISTING
Peace Is Not The Word To Play (Remix)
Peace Is Not The Word To Play (Album Version)
The lives we lead can feel like a simulation as the line between our reality and augmented futures continues to blur. Following the ever-emotive Boo Boo, Toro Y Moi’s new album Outer Peace is a time capsule that captures our relationship to contemporary culture into one comprehensive, sonic package.
Shortly after the release of his 2015 record What For?, Toro Y Moi (also known as Chaz Bear) packed up his belongings, leaving the comfort of his Oakland base for the relative solitude of Portland to write Boo Boo. Apart from the familiarity of his surroundings, Bear focused on what would become his next sonic statement. In doing so, he was struck by the reign that technology holds over our day to day lives and its ability to obscure the consumption of creativity. His change of envi- ronment resulted in freedom from disturbances and, in those quiet and tranquil spaces, the creation of music acted as a protest in favor of peace.
Having now moved back to Oakland, Bear’s new record Outer Peace is a response to the lessons gleaned while making Boo Boo — a response to the expendable state of art that is a product of instant grati cation. Bear’s ingenuity reveals a multifaceted expression of his universe on this record. It’s the space be- tween the accessible and unconventional where he invites us to experience Outer Peace, which is rooted in nding peace in antithetical conditions: being stuck in traffic, hustling for your next check as a freelancer and all other chaotic moments in life that require digging beneath the surface to nd solace.
As both a producer and designer, Bear utilizes abstract sound pairings with recognizable samples for his most pop in uenced record to date. This is no de- parture from his funk and disco roots, which can be heard on “Ordinary Pleasure”, later fusing into variations of house with tracks like “Freelance” and “Laws of the Universe.” Smooth interludes melt into fast paced beats, paralleling the feeling of driving through the Bay Area, where Bear spent most of his time writing the album.
Outer Peace is duality. It embodies whatever form you choose to inhabit in the moment. Listen and let your imagination become the universe.
Shortly after the release of his 2015 record What For?, Toro Y Moi (also known as Chaz Bear) packed up his belongings, leaving the comfort of his Oakland base for the relative solitude of Portland to write Boo Boo. Apart from the familiarity of his surroundings, Bear focused on what would become his next sonic statement. In doing so, he was struck by the reign that technology holds over our day to day lives and its ability to obscure the consumption of creativity. His change of envi- ronment resulted in freedom from disturbances and, in those quiet and tranquil spaces, the creation of music acted as a protest in favor of peace.
Having now moved back to Oakland, Bear’s new record Outer Peace is a response to the lessons gleaned while making Boo Boo — a response to the expendable state of art that is a product of instant grati cation. Bear’s ingenuity reveals a multifaceted expression of his universe on this record. It’s the space be- tween the accessible and unconventional where he invites us to experience Outer Peace, which is rooted in nding peace in antithetical conditions: being stuck in traffic, hustling for your next check as a freelancer and all other chaotic moments in life that require digging beneath the surface to nd solace.
As both a producer and designer, Bear utilizes abstract sound pairings with recognizable samples for his most pop in uenced record to date. This is no de- parture from his funk and disco roots, which can be heard on “Ordinary Pleasure”, later fusing into variations of house with tracks like “Freelance” and “Laws of the Universe.” Smooth interludes melt into fast paced beats, paralleling the feeling of driving through the Bay Area, where Bear spent most of his time writing the album.
Outer Peace is duality. It embodies whatever form you choose to inhabit in the moment. Listen and let your imagination become the universe.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Another great LP from Toro Y Moi, with pulsing beats and smooth synths all wrapping comfortably around the machinated vocal delivery. Working it's way between the dancefloor and home listening, there’s enough activity to keep you moving, but the whole thing is imbued with the kind of languid beats and euphoric basses that a more horizontal position can benefit. Perfect.TRACK LISTING
1. Fading
2. Ordinary Pleasure
3. Laws Of The Universe
4. Miss Me (feat. ABRA)
5. New House
6. Baby Drive It Down
7. Freelance
8. Who Am I
9. Monte Carlo (feat. WET)
10. 50-50 (feat. Instupendo)
Since releasing their self-titled debut record in 2012, which The New Yorker called, “One of the year’s best albums…a punishing, noisy, exhilarating thing,” the Toronto-based 3-piece METZ have garnered international acclaim as one of the most electrifying and forceful live acts, touring widely and extensively, playing hundreds of shows each year around the world.
Now, Alex Edkins (guitar, vocals), along with Hayden Menzies (drums), and Chris Slorach (bass) unleash their highly-anticipated third full-length album, Strange Peace, an emphatic but artful hammer swing to the status quo.
"The best punk isn't an assault as much as it's a challenge — to what's normal, to what's comfortable, or simply to what's expected. Teetering on the edge of perpetual implosion,” NPR wrote in their glowing review of METZ’s 2015 second album, II.
Strange Peace was recorded in Chicago, live off the floor to tape with Steve Albini. The result is a distinct artistic maturation into new and alarming territory, frantically pushing past where the band has gone before, while capturing the notorious intensity of their live show. The trio continued to assemble the album (including home recordings, additional instrumentation) in their hometown, adding the finishing touches with longtime collaborator, engineer and mixer, Graham Walsh.
Strange Peace isn’t merely a collection of eleven uninhibited and urgent songs. It’s also a kind of sonic venting, a truculent social commentary that bludgeons and provokes, excites and unsettles. With all the pleasurable tension and anxiety of a fever dream, Strange Peace is equal parts challenging and accessible. It is this implausible balancing act, moving from one end of the musical spectrum to the other, that only a band of METZ’s power and capacity can maintain: discordant and melodic, powerful and controlled, meticulous and instinctive, subtle and complex, precise and reckless, wholehearted and merciless, brutal and optimistic, terrifying and fun.
“Their whiplash of distortion is made with precision, a contained chaos. But you would never talk about them like that. Because METZ are not something you study or analyze,” wrote Liisa Ladouceur in Exclaim! “They are something you feel: a transfer of energy, pure and simple.” In other words: to feel something, fiercely and intensely, but together, not alone.
Now, Alex Edkins (guitar, vocals), along with Hayden Menzies (drums), and Chris Slorach (bass) unleash their highly-anticipated third full-length album, Strange Peace, an emphatic but artful hammer swing to the status quo.
"The best punk isn't an assault as much as it's a challenge — to what's normal, to what's comfortable, or simply to what's expected. Teetering on the edge of perpetual implosion,” NPR wrote in their glowing review of METZ’s 2015 second album, II.
Strange Peace was recorded in Chicago, live off the floor to tape with Steve Albini. The result is a distinct artistic maturation into new and alarming territory, frantically pushing past where the band has gone before, while capturing the notorious intensity of their live show. The trio continued to assemble the album (including home recordings, additional instrumentation) in their hometown, adding the finishing touches with longtime collaborator, engineer and mixer, Graham Walsh.
Strange Peace isn’t merely a collection of eleven uninhibited and urgent songs. It’s also a kind of sonic venting, a truculent social commentary that bludgeons and provokes, excites and unsettles. With all the pleasurable tension and anxiety of a fever dream, Strange Peace is equal parts challenging and accessible. It is this implausible balancing act, moving from one end of the musical spectrum to the other, that only a band of METZ’s power and capacity can maintain: discordant and melodic, powerful and controlled, meticulous and instinctive, subtle and complex, precise and reckless, wholehearted and merciless, brutal and optimistic, terrifying and fun.
“Their whiplash of distortion is made with precision, a contained chaos. But you would never talk about them like that. Because METZ are not something you study or analyze,” wrote Liisa Ladouceur in Exclaim! “They are something you feel: a transfer of energy, pure and simple.” In other words: to feel something, fiercely and intensely, but together, not alone.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: Rawkous, punky snarling rock, infused with the energy of political upheaval, and produced with a fine-tuned and perfect balance between melodicism and raw lo-fi energy. A fist-pumper to the end. Turn it up and get going!TRACK LISTING
1. Mess Of Wires
2. Drained Lake
3. Cellophane
4. Caterpillar
5. Lost In The Blank City
6. Mr. Plague
7. Sink
8. Common Trash
9. Escalator Teeth
10. Dig A Hole
11. Raw Materials
Big Peace (formerly known as Big War) is a Manchester based producer, DJ, member of the Generic Greeting Collective and co-promoter of No White Tee's (alongside Swing Ting's Joey B). Working in a variety of musical disciplines, you're as likely to hear his music as part of an installation in a gallery as you are to hear it on a rap mixtape. His unique and underivative productions have received praise both locally and further afield and have been featured on websites such as Vice, Dummy, Southern Hospitality and Cocaine Blunts. Big War's DJ sets run the gamut from funk and soul to rap and leftfield beats. Peace & War was created between 2010-2016 and is a two part collection of instrumentals made from samples and original
material with an awareness of DIY music and a clear influence from early 90's Warp / electronica. The music is bright eyed and positive but keeps it's foot firmly in the present as it marries its hip hop influences with a very post-everything, 2016 aesthetic. References could be made with 1080p, 100% Silk and the more recent Hyperdub output; but this definitely stands out as something sincere and considered, not simply an attempt to latch onto a fashionable trent of also-rans. Although highly produced, this is honest music that should resonante with the heart as much as it stimulates the mind and body. There's elements of yearning, lust, wide-eyed optimism and serene melancholy. Wonderfully sequenced and presented, this is a brilliantly realized piece. Highly recommended!
material with an awareness of DIY music and a clear influence from early 90's Warp / electronica. The music is bright eyed and positive but keeps it's foot firmly in the present as it marries its hip hop influences with a very post-everything, 2016 aesthetic. References could be made with 1080p, 100% Silk and the more recent Hyperdub output; but this definitely stands out as something sincere and considered, not simply an attempt to latch onto a fashionable trent of also-rans. Although highly produced, this is honest music that should resonante with the heart as much as it stimulates the mind and body. There's elements of yearning, lust, wide-eyed optimism and serene melancholy. Wonderfully sequenced and presented, this is a brilliantly realized piece. Highly recommended!
TRACK LISTING
Peace Side:
1. Aisha
2. Hush (with Szajna)
3. Cosey
4. Diva
5. Mrmi3
6. Imperial Bedrooms (with Moose)
7. Find A Way
8. Bodyhigh
9. Scales (with Szajna)
10. Peace
(33:04)
War Side:
1. Tour
2. Hypeeee
3. Knew Too Much
4. Stiffy (with Szajna)
5. Ballout
6. Nono
7. Bonus Edit
8. Skerg
9. One Of You
10. Oscar
(32:36)
First official reissue of this essential Zamrock album, painstakingly restored, remastered and pieced together from multiple copies of the incredibly rare original album. Contains extensive booklet with never before published photos, an overview of the Zamrock scene, and the history of Peace and Black Power. The Boyfriends, from Kitwe’s Chamboli Mine Township, supplied the founding members for Zamrock’s most famous band, WITCH, and kick started one of Zamrock’s best bands, Peace. Their sole Zamrock entry, 'Black Power', recorded at Malachite Film Studio circa 1973/4 and issued circa 1975, sounds like nothing else in the Zamrock canon: a lost message drifiting from the flower power era, imbued with a fiery Zambian voice. Essential garage Zamrock / soul / funk: the first official reissue of the celebrated band’s one and only album.
“The musical style that became known as Zamrock came to embody the economic despair that followed the 1973-1974 oil crisis, which flung Zambia into recession and exacerbated a wide range of social tensions. Much of Zamrock also captured the controversy of wider politics in Africa and the world. Perhaps the finest example of this is Black Power by The Peace”. - The Guardian
“The musical style that became known as Zamrock came to embody the economic despair that followed the 1973-1974 oil crisis, which flung Zambia into recession and exacerbated a wide range of social tensions. Much of Zamrock also captured the controversy of wider politics in Africa and the world. Perhaps the finest example of this is Black Power by The Peace”. - The Guardian
TRACK LISTING
1. Black Power
2. I Have Got No Money
3. This Is The Time Now
4. I Need Mercy
5. Peaceful Man
6. Umbwalawa Ne Chamba
7. I Don’t Know
8. Get On The Way
It's hard to think of another artist who has their feet firmly planted across as many styles as the Mad Decent founder, head honcho and brand ambassador, Diplo. Equally immersed in Top 40 and hip-hop world as he is in underground club, indie rock and world music, the Grammy-nominated producer is embarking on his most ambitious year yet with not just the launch of the new Major Lazer cartoon on FXX, but also the release of a new Major Lazer album, 'Peace Is The Mission'. This will be the third studio album from Major Lazer, the dancehall collective spearheaded by Diplo with trusted co-conspirators Walshy Fire and Jillionaire.
Fans who’ve learned to associate Major Lazer with some of the biggest names in dancehall alongside up-and-comers and mainstream mainstays can expect even more exciting names on this go. 'PITM' features guest contributions from Ellie Goulding, Elliphant, Wild Belle, MØ, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Travi$ Scott, Jovi Rockwell, DJ Snake, Tarrus Riley, Mad Cobra, Nyla, Chronixx and a re-work of the Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Pt 1. motion picture soundtrack song "All My Love" featuring Ariana Grande from Trinidadian star Michel Montano.
When Major Lazer first launched in 2008, tastemakers embraced the indie side project and niche underground media outlets championed the sound. Seven years later, Major Lazer have developed their sound to become integrated with pop music and beyond and continued their ascent, recognised by their peers, fans and media around the world as leaders in a genre they helped to build.
Fans who’ve learned to associate Major Lazer with some of the biggest names in dancehall alongside up-and-comers and mainstream mainstays can expect even more exciting names on this go. 'PITM' features guest contributions from Ellie Goulding, Elliphant, Wild Belle, MØ, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Travi$ Scott, Jovi Rockwell, DJ Snake, Tarrus Riley, Mad Cobra, Nyla, Chronixx and a re-work of the Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Pt 1. motion picture soundtrack song "All My Love" featuring Ariana Grande from Trinidadian star Michel Montano.
When Major Lazer first launched in 2008, tastemakers embraced the indie side project and niche underground media outlets championed the sound. Seven years later, Major Lazer have developed their sound to become integrated with pop music and beyond and continued their ascent, recognised by their peers, fans and media around the world as leaders in a genre they helped to build.
TRACK LISTING
01 Be Together (Feat. Wild Belle)
02 Too Original (Feat. Elliphant & Jovi Rockwell)
03 Blaze Up The Fire (Feat. Chronixx)
04 Lean On (Feat. MØ & DJ Snake)
05 Powerful (Feat. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley)
06 Light It Up (Feat. Nyla)
07 Roll The Bass
08 Night Riders (Feat. Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz, Pusha T & Mad Cobra)
09 All My Love (Remix) (Feat. Ariana Grande & Machel Montano)
The first volume of Glitterbeat's new series of releases: Hidden Musics.
Each Hidden Musics release will feature un-mediated "field" recordings of lesser-known global music traditions.
"Hanoi Masters: War is a Wound, Peace is Scar" is a haunting audio document recorded in the summer of 2014 by Grammy-award winning producer Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Malawi Mouse Boys, The Good Ones). The sepia-tinged songs are sung and played live and direct by elderly Vietnamese musicians using half-forgotten traditional instruments. These musicians all have deep personal connections to the upheavals of the Vietnam War and the album's mesmerizing mood navigates the blurred line between raw beauty and muted sadness. 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War, a war these Hanoi musicians still call the "American War", the wounds and scars of that era are ever-present. "Hanoi Masters" is an album of cautious healing and an unforgettable meditation on conflict, resistance, collective memory, and the longing for what has been lost.
Each Hidden Musics release will feature un-mediated "field" recordings of lesser-known global music traditions.
"Hanoi Masters: War is a Wound, Peace is Scar" is a haunting audio document recorded in the summer of 2014 by Grammy-award winning producer Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Malawi Mouse Boys, The Good Ones). The sepia-tinged songs are sung and played live and direct by elderly Vietnamese musicians using half-forgotten traditional instruments. These musicians all have deep personal connections to the upheavals of the Vietnam War and the album's mesmerizing mood navigates the blurred line between raw beauty and muted sadness. 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War, a war these Hanoi musicians still call the "American War", the wounds and scars of that era are ever-present. "Hanoi Masters" is an album of cautious healing and an unforgettable meditation on conflict, resistance, collective memory, and the longing for what has been lost.
THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2014 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.
"A World Of Peace Must Come is his masterpiece. That was fantastic." - Brian Wilson
"'Be Still' is the only song I've ever heard that made me want to be a better person." - Brian Barr, The Seattle Weekly
"The only other artist as pure as him is Captain Beefheart." - Bill Bentley
Stephen John Kalinich was born in Endicott, New York and grew up in Binghamton. In his early teens, he stared writing poems and articles about World Peace. He first came to California around 1964, fell in love with it, and promptly transferred from Harper College in upstate New York to UCLA.
Kalinich found himself immersed in the vibrant anti-War culture of late 60’s California, often writing songs and poems against the War. He found a musical partner and kindred spirit in Mark Lindsey Buckingham. They cut a demo for a track called "Leaves of Grass," inspired by the famous Walt Whitman poem "Leaves Of Grass", and Kalinich started taking demos around.
In the mid 60s, it was either at Brother Records or while pumping gas that Kalinich first met the Beach Boys. He hit it off with Brian, Carl and Dennis right away. As the first artist signed to the Beach Boys new label Brother Records, Carl Wilson produced a record for him. His first songs that saw release were "Little Bird" and "Be Still," which he wrote with Dennis and were released on the Friends album. His relationship with Dennis would lead to a number of further collaborations and Kalinich / Dennis Wilson co-writes, including: 20/20 - "All I Want To Do," Hawthorne, CA - "A Time to Live in Dreams", Pacific Ocean Blue - "Rainbows," and Bambu - "Love Remember Me.”
A World of Peace Must Come was recorded at various LA studios and Brian's house in Bel-Air in 1969. The tapes were promptly lost, not to be heard again until our discovery of them in 2008. Following the CD-only reissue in that year, this is the first time this timeless snapshot of an era and an ethos will be available on vinyl for Record Store Day 2014.
"A World Of Peace Must Come is his masterpiece. That was fantastic." - Brian Wilson
"'Be Still' is the only song I've ever heard that made me want to be a better person." - Brian Barr, The Seattle Weekly
"The only other artist as pure as him is Captain Beefheart." - Bill Bentley
Stephen John Kalinich was born in Endicott, New York and grew up in Binghamton. In his early teens, he stared writing poems and articles about World Peace. He first came to California around 1964, fell in love with it, and promptly transferred from Harper College in upstate New York to UCLA.
Kalinich found himself immersed in the vibrant anti-War culture of late 60’s California, often writing songs and poems against the War. He found a musical partner and kindred spirit in Mark Lindsey Buckingham. They cut a demo for a track called "Leaves of Grass," inspired by the famous Walt Whitman poem "Leaves Of Grass", and Kalinich started taking demos around.
In the mid 60s, it was either at Brother Records or while pumping gas that Kalinich first met the Beach Boys. He hit it off with Brian, Carl and Dennis right away. As the first artist signed to the Beach Boys new label Brother Records, Carl Wilson produced a record for him. His first songs that saw release were "Little Bird" and "Be Still," which he wrote with Dennis and were released on the Friends album. His relationship with Dennis would lead to a number of further collaborations and Kalinich / Dennis Wilson co-writes, including: 20/20 - "All I Want To Do," Hawthorne, CA - "A Time to Live in Dreams", Pacific Ocean Blue - "Rainbows," and Bambu - "Love Remember Me.”
A World of Peace Must Come was recorded at various LA studios and Brian's house in Bel-Air in 1969. The tapes were promptly lost, not to be heard again until our discovery of them in 2008. Following the CD-only reissue in that year, this is the first time this timeless snapshot of an era and an ethos will be available on vinyl for Record Store Day 2014.
In 1985 The Cult enjoyed breakthrough success with the single ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ and the album ‘Love’, establishing themselves as a new breed of alternative rock band.
When it came to recording a follow-up, the band booked into The Manor studios in Oxfordshire with Steve Brown again producing the album. By the end of October 1986 the album was recorded, the masters assembled and it was given the title ‘Peace’. However, the band weren’t happy with the final results which seemed too polished. Appreciating the rawness of Run-D.M.C.’s ‘Walk This Way’, the band contacted producer Rick Rubin to re-mix the lead track, ‘Love Removal Machine’. Rubin agreed to work with the band but only on condition that the track was entirely re-recorded. The result was a sparse, dry, riffing version that captured the sonic excitement the band were looking for. Enthused by the results, the decision was made to abandon the expensive ‘Peace’ recordings and re-record the entire album in New York with Rick Rubin. The new tracks would become The Cult’s third album, re-titled ‘Electric’, and a multi-million seller.
Tracks from ‘Peace’ were used as single B-sides and some of the alternative versions were issued on an early CD - ‘The Manor Sessions’ - but it wasn’t until the limited ‘Rare Cult’ box set in 2000 that fans got to hear the full album correctly sequenced. The box rapidly sold out meaning that ‘Peace’ has been unavailable for 13 years. Until now.
When it came to recording a follow-up, the band booked into The Manor studios in Oxfordshire with Steve Brown again producing the album. By the end of October 1986 the album was recorded, the masters assembled and it was given the title ‘Peace’. However, the band weren’t happy with the final results which seemed too polished. Appreciating the rawness of Run-D.M.C.’s ‘Walk This Way’, the band contacted producer Rick Rubin to re-mix the lead track, ‘Love Removal Machine’. Rubin agreed to work with the band but only on condition that the track was entirely re-recorded. The result was a sparse, dry, riffing version that captured the sonic excitement the band were looking for. Enthused by the results, the decision was made to abandon the expensive ‘Peace’ recordings and re-record the entire album in New York with Rick Rubin. The new tracks would become The Cult’s third album, re-titled ‘Electric’, and a multi-million seller.
Tracks from ‘Peace’ were used as single B-sides and some of the alternative versions were issued on an early CD - ‘The Manor Sessions’ - but it wasn’t until the limited ‘Rare Cult’ box set in 2000 that fans got to hear the full album correctly sequenced. The box rapidly sold out meaning that ‘Peace’ has been unavailable for 13 years. Until now.
Nottingham’s six. by seven, released their first album, The Things We Make to rave reviews in 1998. Five Peel Sessions followed, an appearance on ‘Later With Jools Holland’ and much touring. The band gained a strong underground following, and released four more albums. Lead singer and creative force, Chris Olley preferred to shun the limelight, releasing internet only albums of wide ranging music and building valve distortion boxes for a number of famous bands with fellow guitarist, Martin Cooper. In 2011, Olley formed the drummerless version of six. by seven, macabrely named ‘The Death Of Six By Seven’ with long time original member and Hammond Organ player, James Flower and ex-six. by seven bass player, Pete Stevenson as well as Martin Cooper on guitar. Gigs followed and so did five singles and an album. After a wrong phone call to a music shop and a chance meeting in London, Olley found himself having a beer with ex Placebo / Boo Radleys drummer Steve Hewitt.
It turned out to be a magical and divine coming together as Hewitt said, “There’s nothing for it, I should throw my drums in the car and come up to Nottingham and get you rocking again.” What followed was four months of rehearsing old songs Olley had written over the last five years, before the band recruited producer, Dan Austin (Massive Attack, Doves, Biffy Clyro) and recorded 9 tracks at the legendary Moles studio in Bath. This July sees the release of what is arguably six.by seven’s most accomplished album. Nine songs of pure drumming dynamite, feral guitars, and a string of songs dealing with the human condition and its broken dreams. It’s a new start by a band that refuses to lie down and stop rocking.
It turned out to be a magical and divine coming together as Hewitt said, “There’s nothing for it, I should throw my drums in the car and come up to Nottingham and get you rocking again.” What followed was four months of rehearsing old songs Olley had written over the last five years, before the band recruited producer, Dan Austin (Massive Attack, Doves, Biffy Clyro) and recorded 9 tracks at the legendary Moles studio in Bath. This July sees the release of what is arguably six.by seven’s most accomplished album. Nine songs of pure drumming dynamite, feral guitars, and a string of songs dealing with the human condition and its broken dreams. It’s a new start by a band that refuses to lie down and stop rocking.
TRACK LISTING
Change
Sympathy
Truce
More
Standing In The Light
The Rise And Fall And Decline Of Everything
Colder
Crying
Fall Into Your Arms
‘Amok’ is the debut album from Thom Yorke (Radiohead)’s new project Atoms For Peace.
Atoms For Peace include Thom Yorke (vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars), Nigel Godrich (production & programming), Joey Waronker (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Flea (bass).
In Thom Yorke’s own words: “We formed to learn to play ‘The Eraser’ record, if you know that, and discovered a really good energy doing that… and it fell into this record. I’m still reeling from being on tour for much of the year but we are planning to get together and play etc next year! We’re figuring all that out right now. Atoms… is an ongoing and open ended project, where it leads I know not for certain... which is what is nice about it.”
Atoms For Peace include Thom Yorke (vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars), Nigel Godrich (production & programming), Joey Waronker (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Flea (bass).
In Thom Yorke’s own words: “We formed to learn to play ‘The Eraser’ record, if you know that, and discovered a really good energy doing that… and it fell into this record. I’m still reeling from being on tour for much of the year but we are planning to get together and play etc next year! We’re figuring all that out right now. Atoms… is an ongoing and open ended project, where it leads I know not for certain... which is what is nice about it.”
TRACK LISTING
01 Before Your Very Eyes
02 Default
03 Ingenue
04 Dropped
05 Unless
06 Stuck Together Pieces
07 Judge Jury And Executioner
08 Reverse Running
09 Amok
ULTRA LIMITED DELUXE VERSIONS ON CD AND VINYL.
‘Amok’ is the debut album from Thom Yorke (Radiohead)’s new project Atoms For Peace.
Atoms For Peace include Thom Yorke (vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars), Nigel Godrich (production & programming), Joey Waronker (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Flea (bass).
In Thom Yorke’s own words: “We formed to learn to play ‘The Eraser’ record, if you know that, and discovered a really good energy doing that… and it fell into this record. I’m still reeling from being on tour for much of the year but we are planning to get together and play etc next year! We’re figuring all that out right now. Atoms… is an ongoing and open ended project, where it leads I know not for certain... which is what is nice about it.”
‘Amok’ is the debut album from Thom Yorke (Radiohead)’s new project Atoms For Peace.
Atoms For Peace include Thom Yorke (vocals, keyboards, programming, guitars), Nigel Godrich (production & programming), Joey Waronker (drums), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Flea (bass).
In Thom Yorke’s own words: “We formed to learn to play ‘The Eraser’ record, if you know that, and discovered a really good energy doing that… and it fell into this record. I’m still reeling from being on tour for much of the year but we are planning to get together and play etc next year! We’re figuring all that out right now. Atoms… is an ongoing and open ended project, where it leads I know not for certain... which is what is nice about it.”
Peace Sequence is the third full-length from songwriter Danielle Stech-Homsy under the Rio en Medio moniker. Recorded and produced by Stech-Homsy herself in the New Mexico and California deserts, the album offers nine reveries on a borrowed Martin guitar, several of which feature veteran koto master Shoko Hikage. Also guesting on organs on two songs is psychedelic multi-instrumentalist Nathan Shineywater. Rio en Medio’s debut album Bride of Dynamite was released on Gnomonsong in 2006, and she toured with Devendra Banhart across the US as main opening support, appearing at the Banhart-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties in England. Stech-Homsy has toured the USA and internationally with such bands as CocoRosie and Brightblack Morning Light, and shared the stage with Michael “Snock” Hurley, Grizzly Bear, Vetiver, Vashti Bunyan and Diane Cluck. She was requested to perform at ’60s folksier Linda Perhacs’s first public performance in decades. Los Angeles’s Manimal Vinyl label released the second Rio en Medio full-length, Frontier, in 2008.
• Third full-length album from New Mexicoborn musician draws on her subtler wiles
• Guest appearances by veteran kotoplayer Shoko Hikage and psychedelic multi-instrumentalist Nathan Shineywater (Brightblack Morning Light, Library of Sands)
• Digipack beautifully printed on recycled board stock
• Third full-length album from New Mexicoborn musician draws on her subtler wiles
• Guest appearances by veteran kotoplayer Shoko Hikage and psychedelic multi-instrumentalist Nathan Shineywater (Brightblack Morning Light, Library of Sands)
• Digipack beautifully printed on recycled board stock
In May 2011, Foxygen’s Sam France and Jonathan Rado nervously handed off a CD-R of their homemade miniopus ‘Take The Kids Off Broadway’ to producer and visionary Richard Swift after his performance in a Lower East Side club. The duo, who had just mixed and burned the disc that very night, had been devotees of Swift’s outsiderpop oeuvre since high school, when they first began recording their own pubescent forays into oddball rock ‘n’ roll (at least a dozen records were finished before they graduated high school). Foxygen left the venue that night unsure whether Swift would truly listen or sling the disc into a dumpster on his way out. In fact, Swift flipped for Foxygen’s bugged out, esoteric majesty and called upon them immediately to say as much.
Eight months later, Foxygen was holed up for a week-long recording session at Swift’s neo-legendary National Freedom studio, creating what has become ‘We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic’, a precocious and cocksure joyride across California psychedelia with a burning, bursting punk rock engine.
The songs were written in an inspired fury just after ‘Take The Kids…’ was complete, pouring from their hands and mouths. Foxygen believe that each song was a message of peace delivered from cosmic beings who used France and Rado as their messenger vessels.
Bubbling beneath their supreme melodic instincts, there’s a wild, nervy energy and a raw musicianship that makes Foxygen incapable of doing anything exactly straight. They somehow pack a host of musical left turns, lyrical non sequiturs and decades-spanning bridges into industry preferred 3 - 4 minute gems that are at both reinvention and memorial.
Eight months later, Foxygen was holed up for a week-long recording session at Swift’s neo-legendary National Freedom studio, creating what has become ‘We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic’, a precocious and cocksure joyride across California psychedelia with a burning, bursting punk rock engine.
The songs were written in an inspired fury just after ‘Take The Kids…’ was complete, pouring from their hands and mouths. Foxygen believe that each song was a message of peace delivered from cosmic beings who used France and Rado as their messenger vessels.
Bubbling beneath their supreme melodic instincts, there’s a wild, nervy energy and a raw musicianship that makes Foxygen incapable of doing anything exactly straight. They somehow pack a host of musical left turns, lyrical non sequiturs and decades-spanning bridges into industry preferred 3 - 4 minute gems that are at both reinvention and memorial.
Incendiary debut album from Liverpudlian music legend Edgar Jones' new band Free Peace.
Earlier this year NME dedicated a whole page to Edgar 'Jones' Jones and his classic album from 2005, 'Soothing Music for Stray Cats (Viper).
Free Peace's line-up is completed with Nick Miniski on drums + Stuart Gimblett on Guitar. Their sound is loud and heavy with a touch of soul.
Since touring with Oasis, they have been working on their album making sure it is just right. Edgar in his time has worked with the best - Paul Weller, Johnny Marr and Lee Mavers amongst others.
Shake it loose!
Earlier this year NME dedicated a whole page to Edgar 'Jones' Jones and his classic album from 2005, 'Soothing Music for Stray Cats (Viper).
Free Peace's line-up is completed with Nick Miniski on drums + Stuart Gimblett on Guitar. Their sound is loud and heavy with a touch of soul.
Since touring with Oasis, they have been working on their album making sure it is just right. Edgar in his time has worked with the best - Paul Weller, Johnny Marr and Lee Mavers amongst others.
Shake it loose!
Ecstatic Peace has been wanting to release a CD by Lord Jeff since we first heard their stray tapes and CDRs floating around the Pioneer Valley like so much spring pollen a few years back. We knew nothing about them except they had some familial connection to The Entrance Band who we were most definitely interested in, and subsequently released an amazing LP and CD by. As it turned out Ecstatic Peace founder Thurston Moore’s niece Louise Erdman reported she had been singing backups in this band Lord Jeff so Uncle T went to see them at Union Pool in Brooklyn one fine rock n’ roll evening and was entirely charmed. Plans went into action to release something/anything by these cats and after many moons of them playing in front of single digit audiences they got it together to record this amazing and beautiful disc. Think the genuine heart music of Buffalo Springfield and Wooden Wand with sweet Garcia moves and a punk gleam in the eye. Chief songwriter Sean Goggins is a gentle force of inspiration and his sound and vision are captured lovingly by the legendary Justin Pizzoferrato (J Mascis, T Moore, Fat Worm of Error etc.).
'My "career" in music is about to enter its 13th year. Lucky 13! I've performed in at least 15 groups (probably more on the order of 20 if you count guest spots) over the years, the most prominent being the long-running "quiet music" combo Son of Earth and the short-lived-but-much hyped Believers. Historically more of an experimental man, the Believers project showcased my always right-below-the-surface interest and passion for all things rock, and so, a couple of years after the demise of that group, I was approached by Ecstatic Peace, who asked me to produce a solo record. For the better part of a year I conceptualized, recruited, and eventually came up with I Couldn't Love You More. An early attempt to marry electronics, field recordings, and song was scrapped in favor of the personal and perhaps obvious choice of producing a covers record. It was the perfect idea, the realization of a dream. Years of singing in the shower and on long car trips had given way to the stuff of fantasy. Why stick to what you know when you can reach for what you've always desired?' - Matt Krefting, December 2008.
An active four-piece for a little more than a year now, Religious Knives have presided over a pair of twelve-inches, a couple of collections of out of print singles and long gone burns, and one full-length. All throughout, these four have traced a path away from the clamour they once knew, bathing slight guitars, interlocking vocals, and solemn basslines in reedy organs and recalcitrant modular synths. The seemingly tin eared would call it noise, but in these eight hands such a set plays as anything but, instead a (cough) syrupy stroll in search of the ghosts of rock's classicist past. With "The Door", Religious Knives have not only found those bygone days, but broken them apart. There are bookmarks to be found here, pages creased in well-worn chapters. These six songs are brighter, sharper than anything that has come before, locking in tight on jugular rhythms. It's the score for disappearing neighbourhoods and crumbling buildings, a hope of holding onto the past as those around us move fast to forget it. It is scent as sound, the stench of smog and sickly smoke spiralling towards the sky. It is Brooklyn, July of 2008. The sun has left us in the East, disappearing somewhere behind Jersey, leaving our borough to find the pulse of another night deep with the city's streets.
Electric Eel Shock are unique, in that they've a vision of rock'n'roll that refuses to stay in one box. Energetic, lively and rousing, they're the sort of band you'd love to have play at your house party, when the guests are into everything from metal to stoner to punk to... well, any other genre defined by turning on the power and putting on the style.
Ohio has been rampant on the Ecstatic Peace playlists lately with the release of a long player by Leslie Keffer and a forthcoming split LP by Emeralds and Tusco Terror. Like Keffer, who's moved to Nashville (to be closer to Be Your Own Pet), 16 Bitch Pile-Up and Mike Shiflet are both ex-pats of Ohio. 16 Bitch to California and Shiflet to some weird small town in Japan. Mike Shiflet we've known for years as he has produced some of the more interesting tapes and what not of midwestern out-ness from his Gameboy label and from his legendary duo tour with Burning Star Core / C. Spencer Yeh of a few years back. Like the amazing beard he has sported since childhood his music is a free-fall of acoustic wonder. He is also the cat responsible for turning on most of the world to the radical charms of three girls from Ohio wickedly named 16 Bitch Pile-Up. With a name like that you may have expected something just kinda funny but what made itself imminently obvious was that 16 Bitch was really and extremely into producing a wholly personal thrombosis of noise improvisation. Crystallized to the trio of Sarah Bernat, Sarah Cathers and Shannon Walter this trio has become one of the most consistently exciting live experiences of the last five years. These recordings by both artists were done when both were still residents of Ohio and reflect that time and space right before each other's exodus. They are raw and righteous and ready for you to take a bite.
Whether or not you believe he was raised by pheasants following his birth in 1904 as his Myspace page purports, a glimpse of the refined, debonair and charismatic Luke Toms leads you to think he may just believe it himself. Equally influenced by Hercule Poirot (moustache, pre war fascination) as Freddy Mercury (moustache, consummate showman) and with a Bowie-esque performance on this hazily rich new single "Peace By Myself", Toms really is quite unlike any other singer songwriter in the UK today.
Photographer and musician Zak Riles (Norfolk & Western, Operacycle) creates a cinematic ambient and arid soundtrack to stand by the photographs of open space and empty environment. Using acoustic guitars, banjo, violin, piano, drums and only a small bit of vocals, "Not Yet Fire" accompanies the photography and film of a movie that will never be made. Constant, delicate, careful and beautiful. For fans of Papa M, and Palace.