Recorded in Los Angeles over Valentine's Day weekend 2025, in the wake of the horrific fires - 'Ghost of American Psychonauts' showcases songs from the (at the time) recently released album 'The Purple Bird' along with various nuggets from the Bonnie Prince Billy songbook, performed by a stellar band comprised of Emmett Kelly (bass), Ryder McNair (piano), Dv DeVincentis (sax), London May (drums), Thomas Deakin (guitar, clarinet), Patrick Shiroishi (sax) and Jacob Duncan (sax). Dave Ferguson (who produced 'The Purple Bird') sings on 'Downstream'.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A rare insight into the oft haunting, intimate live show experience that is Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's, at the height of his creative peak. The pieces here flow and swell, bringing in orchestration and ambience where appropriate, leading the listener into a deep voyage of discovery. An intense and gorgeous document from a hugely talented bunch of performers.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sometimes it's Hard to Breathe
2. Shorty's Ark
3. London May
4. Downstream
5. Strange Form of Life
6. This Is Far From Over
7. Trees of Hell
8. I See a Darkness 

There are pop stars, and then there is Prince. In this kaleidoscopic, freewheeling biography, John McKie examines the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious figures in music through the prism of the record most widely considered his masterpiece, 1987's Sign o' the Times. Drawing on more than 200 interviews with friends, ex-girlfriends, bandmates, recording engineers, bodyguards, personal assistants, wardrobe designers and hairdressers, accomplished music writer John McKie examines the life of this musical polymath with the help of many of the people who knew him best.

Family members and friends discuss his childhood when he learned to master several instruments, there is new information on how he made the soundtrack to Purple Rain, the full story about why he decided to stop using his name, the now legendary Super Bowl half-time show and that guitar solo at the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame which has been viewed on YouTube 100 million times. McKie also dives into the personality of the man: what made him laugh, the way he hired and fired colleagues, what he was like to live with, how his relentless drive to make music led to him recording for hours without sleep, how he changed his car stereo to road test his new hits and even booked his guitar and album sleeves their own seats on flights. Prince: A Sign o' the Times is the most comprehensive book ever written about one of the most enigmatic and talented pop stars of all time.

Dub album full of sound system explosives by expert riddim tinkerer Prince Riser – hard rocking, spaced out Kawai synth digi bangers, hitting that sweet spot between analog and digital reggae while drawing vibes from the legacy of Dread & Fred, Exterminator and Jammy.

Aside from the thunderous Dub epic “Through The Storm” Prince Riser’s debut LP is also featuring the killer vocal cuts “Poverty Ina Russia” by Sammy Gold – a super heavy depth charge of Sly & Robbie proportions – the soulful Wackie’s flavoured anthem “Keep On Trodding” by Madi Simmons (who sadly passed away in 2024) and the plonky digi stepper “Travelling Gal” by Prince Riser himself, each accompanied by a murderous Dub version.

With extra cosmic dust added by disrupt at the Jahtari home studio, "Through The Storm" is crucial gear for any soundsystem vinyl crate.

Cover art by Robbie Reiser.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Tectonic dubs from Prince Riser on 8-bit reggae label Jahtari. Easily the strongest material on the long serving label for quite sometime. This one really draws on the dub roots traditions, with some serious echo chamber techniques on display.

TRACK LISTING

through the storm
militant youth riddim
Sammy Gold - Poverty Ina Russia
poverty dub
modern world troubles
nuh do me so
travelling gal
travelling version
wrap it up riddim
madi simmons - keep on trodding
trodding dub
my homeland dub

'Timeless' is a brand-new 10-track compilation featuring rare and unreleased studio recordings from Prince’s legendary vault. This unprecedented album encompasses tracks spanning every phase of Prince’s illustrious career, from 1977 to 2016. The project has been meticulously mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer and producer Chris James, a former Prince engineer whose notable credits include 'HITnRUN Phase Two', 'Art Official Age', and 'Plectrumelectrum'.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Am You
2. Tick Tick Bang
3. Heaven
4. I Wonder
5. With This Tear
6. Stone
7. Calabama
8. The Guilty Ones
9. Bestest Friend
10. How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore? (Live)

Speedy Wunderground founder and producer-in-demand, Dan Carey, first discovered Lava while attending a festival. He says “I was wandering around Latitude Festival in 2021 and came across Lava La Rue, and watched their set. When it finished, I remember thinking that I’d seen the coolest person ever. I wanted to make a record with them… and 5 years later, I finally got to make a Lava La Rue Speedy Single!”

The resulting single, 'Prince Of Bologna', is a high adrenaline melange of motorik overdriven guitars, organ, and raucous digitally augmented drumming that just breaks the 2- minute mark. The track was written and co-produced with Tomasso Medica (Husky Loops), and is an ode to overheard conversations with lyrics such as “I think Turnstile is for girls”, “I’m rejecting my OBE”, and “I am famous! On Reddit!”

TRACK LISTING

1. Prince of Bologna
2. Prince of Dublogna

'Girls' is Princess Nokia at her most fully realized, a bold celebration of femininity in all its power, vulnerability, and duality. Blending hip-hop and dreamy pop textures, the album moves between confession and high-gloss attitude. Anchored by standout singles 'Drop Dead Gorgeous', 'Medusa', and 'Blue Velvet', that each capture a different facet of her sonic and emotional range.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A blazing run through high-nrg electronica infused with Nokia's inimitable flow and spoken word storytelling and more traditionally beat-heavy pieces that clearly show her effortlessly off-kilter rhythms. Though there's a huge variety of genres peeking through the pieces, it never feels too disjointed, and results in a highly chameleonic end result.

TRACK LISTING

1. Girl FM #1
2. Blue Velvet
3. Medusa
4. Period Blood
5. Matcha Cherry
6. Drop Dead Gorgeous
7. Gossip Girl
8. Beach Babe
9. Pink Bronco (feat. Lindsey Stirling)
10. Girl FM #2
11. Phoebe Philo
12. ArtStar

For some time now, followers of Field Medic have been piecing together clues about 'Floral Prince'. The name has been mentioned in late night Twitter hints, secret YouTube leaks, teaser riddles, Instagram live sets, and standalone single drops. This unconventional approach paints a bigger picture for the 11-track project as a whole.

Part mixtape, part album, part collection, part musical patchwork quilt, 'Floral Prince' is the latest offering from Field Medic, aka the preeminent Bay Area freak folk artist Kevin Patrick Sullivan. It’s a reflection of his unique approach to songwriting and a creative drive that can’t be contained to the traditional album format. Field Medic’s songwriting rarely slows down; even after the release of his 2019 full-length fade into the dawn and the busy touring schedule that followed, Sullivan still found himself flush with new songs and ideas. As he attempted to earmark certain songs for his next release Sullivan began to chafe at the pressures of a follow-up album.

Longing for the spontaneity of Field Medic’s earlier work, Sullivan found inspiration in what he calls the “full-time freestyle” mindset where he writes and records songs on the fly with a four-track, usually with a self-imposed limit of three takes. “This style lends itself to more off-the-cuff lyrics and recordings that communicate their point much clearer to my ears,” he explains. “It’s also fun.” The process proved surprisingly satisfying, often capturing the diary-like nature of Sullivan’s songwriting more accurately than some of the music he’d been poring over. “The songs born from this method aren’t always ‘hits,’ he says. “But they feel much more important to me…closer to how I really feel.” Some of these charming homespun missives made their way onto the internet, spurring fans to follow the breadcrumbs towards these first glimpses into 'Floral Prince' and the ever-expanding Field Medic mythology. “I realized the songs I was saving for another album were much less focused and effective than some of the freestyles I had been creating and subsequently leaking,” Sullivan says. “I think that’s because I really enjoyed the process of writing and recording the freestyles, whereas the ‘hits’ I was attempting to make were being approached as more of a chore.”

'Floral Prince' officially began to see the light of day through a series of stand-alone singles released throughout early 2020 in tandem with episodes of Sullivan’s homemade webseries, the field medic show. To invite fans further into Field Medic’s unique world of achingly beautiful melodies and conversational lyricism, songs like the atmospheric ballad 'better way' and the Alex Menne (pickleboy/Great Grandpa) collaboration 'talkin johnny & june (your arms around me)' were shared alongside the YouTube show’s accompanying live versions. Other tracks—like rousing opener '-h-o-u-s-e-k-e-y-z-' and the longing 'i want you so bad it hurts'—were repurposed from the fade into the dawn sessions to finally find a home on 'Floral Prince'. Elsewhere 'it’s so lonely being sober' exemplifies the unvarnished appeal of the full-time freestyle attitude. The song’s direct lyrics and single-take phone recording preserve the deeply personal storytelling, relatable details, and palpable emotions that make Field Medic’s work so intimate and enthralling.

Although 'Floral Prince' is culled from several years of Field Medic songs, its 11 tracks have a sense of cohesion that can be attributed to Sullivan’s singular vision and willingness to allow the listener into his life. “These songs were written through different seasons of my life but they all share a common theme of quiet, nagging, yet somehow defiant insecurity,” he explains. “To hear them all grouped together reminds me that I’ve always felt more or less the same way, and have had the same obsessive tendencies my whole life that have often led to self-destructive behavior. Maybe this is catharsis.”

In the end 'Floral Prince' is actually many things at once: a snapshot of an artist shaking off the perceived boundaries of his medium; a document of years of Sullivan’s life preserved in musical form; the closing of one songwriting chapter and the start of another. Or perhaps as Sullivan puts it, “All songs have their day…”

TRACK LISTING

1. -h-o-u-s-e-k-e-y-z-
2. i want you so bad it hurts
3. i will not mourn who i was that has gone away
4. bundle of hyacinths
5. HEADCASE
6. it’s so lonely being sober
7. better way
8. talkin johnny & june (your arms around me)
9. older now (it hurts)
10. before your body goes
11. TRANQUILIZED

Back on Panorama Records, we turn to a beautiful slice of under-the-radar Jamaican reggae with Horace Martin's “Me Rule.”

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Horace Martin was just 20 years old when he stepped into Channel One Studio to record the track in 1974. At the time he was building his name locally, performing in clubs and talent shows around the city while cutting sides in Kingston’s vibrant studio scene. “Me Rule” captures that moment perfectly - youthful confidence over a deep, steady rhythm.

This record earned its place among the deepest collectors. Proper rootsy dancefloor reggae that feels just as good today as it did when it first came out of Kingston.

On the flip, things open up with a dubbed-out version of the rhythm titled “Rule,” credited to Prince Huntly. Stripped back, the dub extends the track - echo, percussion, and bass doing the work.

As always, Panorama Records continues its search for overlooked gems from across the globe - records with history, character, and real musical weight. Carefully remastered and brought back on 7", "Me Rule" is another example of these records finding their way back to the turntable and the dance! 

TRACK LISTING

A. Me Rule
B. Rule

This 7-inch singles features a previously unreleased cover of Bob Marley's iconic 'Sun Is Shining', performed by the prolific Jamaican singer Ronnie Davis of The Itals and The Tennors. The multi-track tape was famously mixed by Prince Jammy into the popular 'Jammys A Shine' dub, without any vocals. More recently, Prince Fatty mixed his version 'Dub Is Shining' for the acclaimed 'Prince Fatty Meets The Gorgon' album (VP4246) in 2023.

The vocal was never mixed or issued, for reasons unknown, but with Prince Fatty's usual magic touch, it finally finds its way to the public after nearly five decades. Ronnie Davis, 1950-2017, was one of Jamaica's beloved voices during his long career. He was better known as a member of the rocksteady group The Tennors, and later with The Itals, but during the 1970s he was on of Bunny Striker Lee's top vocalists.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sun Is Shining
2. Dub Is Shining

However dimly we perceive it, we are living through a change of worlds. The one we were born into is slipping away, reshaped and denuded by human action. What remains is the question of what we will carry forward, and how we will refuse to surrender ourselves. Will Oldham’s new album, 'We Are Together Again', feels like an answer. In Oldham’s songs - and in the circle of others gathered beneath the name Bonnie “Prince” Billy - friendship, community, and the stubborn joy of making art with others become a means of persistence. This isn’t a denial of collapse, which would be delusion, but a kind of defiance: remaining fully human, fully joyful, in a world with a diminishing horizon.

'We Are Together Again' was recorded at End of an Ear studios in Louisville, Kentucky. After a brief sojourn in Nashville for 'The Purple Bird' it continues his recent ambition - beginning with 'I Made A Place' and 'Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You' - to make records in Louisville.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A characteristically evocative and soaring suite of brittle barely-folk ballads and beautifully rendered acoustic Americana from one of the greatest singer-songwriters in indie music. Bracingly orchestral and wonderfully hard-hitting lyrically, 'We Are Together Again' is Oldham's finest transmission for some years.

TRACK LISTING

1. Why Is The Lion
2. They Keep Trying To Find You 
3. Strange Trouble
4. Life Is Scary Horses
5. (Everybody's Got A) Friend Named Joe
6. Vietnam Sunshine
7. Hey Little
8. Davey Dead
9. The Children Are Sick
10. Bride Of The Lion

Something of a lost 80s classic, the 'Prince Charming' album is home to three of Adam & The Ants biggest hits – 'Stand And Deliver', 'Ant Rap' and title track 'Prince Charming'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Scorpios
2. Picasso Visita El Planeta De Los Simios
3. Prince Charming
4. Five Guns West
5. That Voodoo!
6. Stand And Deliver
7. Mile High Club
8. Ant Rap
9. Mowhok
10. S.E.X.
11. The Lost Hawaiians

Celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Prince’s 2015 penultimate studio album, available now on vinyl for the first time. The album showcases the innovative spirit of Prince, featuring popular singles like 'Stare', 'This Could Be Us', and 'FALLINLOVE2NITE'.

The album includes contributions from artists such as Prince’s bandmates in 3RDEYEGIRL (Hannah Ford-Welton, Donna Grantis, and Ida Nielsen), Judith Hill, Rita Ora, and female rap duo Curly Fryz, but it was primarily a collaboration between Prince and Joshua Welton, who was a co-producer on the album

TRACK LISTING

1. Million $ Show 
2. Shut This Down 
3. Ain't About 2 Stop 
4. Like A Mack 
5. This Could B Us 
6. Fallinlove2nite 
7. X's Face 
8. Hardrocklover
9. Mr. Nelson 
10. 1000 X's & O's
11. June

'HITNRUN Phase Two' is the final studio album that Prince released in his lifetime, arriving just a few months after the release of 'HITNRUN Phase One'. It is now available on vinyl for the first time. Originally released in 2015, 'HITNRUN Phase Two' features a mix of funk, soul, and rock, showcasing standout tracks like 'Baltimore', 'Stare', and 'Rocknroll Loveaffair'.

TRACK LISTING

1. Baltimore 
2. Rocknroll Loveaffair 
3. 2 Y. 2 D. 
4. Look At Me, Look At U 
5. Stare 
6. Xtralovable 
7. Groovy Potential 
8. When She Comes 
9. Screwdriver 
10. Black Muse
11. Revelation 
12. Big City 

Initially "Dracula Prince Of Darkness" was a cult 1966 horror movie starring Cristopher Lee. Released in 1969, Dracula Prince Of Darkness was produced by Joe Mansano on the Duke label DU034 (but featuring the blue Joe label) with the great instrumental Honky by the Joe's All Stars on the flip. It was the very first title in the King Horror series and one of the very best tracks. It is widely believed that it is Laurel Aitken who is performing on it!

This irresistible track "Ghost Horror" was the last in the King Horror series and was only released as a B-side on a white label that never got released. This was in 1970 on the Reggae label. Reggae was a subsidiary of UK label Doctor Bird and only released around ten singles between 1969 and 1970, all highly collectibles including tracks by King Horror, The Message, Pama Dice and the Skinhead Reggae instrumental classic "Tea House" by The Opening. Ghost Hours is not the most famous King Horror track but it is the rarest and is, in our humble opinion, one of King Horror's very best tracks and a fantastic companion of the Prince of Darkness on the flip...

TRACK LISTING

Dracula Prince Of Darkness
Ghost Hour

'Girl Violence' is the third album from New York artist King Princess (Mikaela Straus), marking her most personal and unapologetic work to date. Written after walking away from a long-term relationship, a major label deal, and a city that dulled her spark, the album captures the chaos, clarity, and catharsis of starting over.

Across bold pop anthems and intimate confessionals, Straus explores the nuanced, messy and magnetic dynamics of loving women. The result is a record that’s emotionally feral, sonically fearless, and deeply self-assured.

Since her breakout with '1950' - a Platinum-certified anthem with over a billion streams - King Princess has carved out a singular space in modern pop. On 'Girl Violence', she turns the page, taking full creative control and delivering her most striking and uncompromising vision yet.

TRACK LISTING

1. Girl Violence
2. Jaime
3. Origin
4. I Feel Pretty
5. Cry Cry Cry
6. Get Your Heart Broken
7. Girls
8. Covers
9. Say What You Will
10. RIP KP
11. Alone Again
12. Slow Down And Shut Up
13. Serena

Originally released in 1997, Princess Mononoke explored environmental issues through an epic feud between forest gods and a mining community.

Studio Ghibli Records presents the vinyl version of the Soundtrack Album by Joe Hisaishi.

Making its vinyl debut, the soundtrack was recorded with the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra, and features the main theme song with vocals by Yoshikazu Mera.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Legend Of Ashitaka
2. The Demon God
3. Departure -To The West-
4. Demon Power
5. The Land Of The Impure
6. The Encounter
7. Kodamas
8. The Forest Of The God
9. Evening At The Fireworks
10. The Demon God II -The Lost Mountain-
11. Lady Eboshi
12. The Tatara Woman Work Song
13. The Furies
14. The Young Man From The East
15. Requiem
16. Will To Live
17. San And Ashitaka In The Forest Of The Deer God
18. Princess Mononoke Theme Song (Instrumental Version)
19. Requiem II
20. Princess Mononoke Theme Song (Vocal)
21. Battle Drums
22. Battle In Front Of The Ironworks
23. Demon Power II
24. Requiem III
25. Retreat
26. The Demon God III
27. Adagio Of Life And Death
28. The World Of The Dead
29. The World Of The Dead II
30. Adagio Of Life And Death II
31. Ashitaka And San
32. Princess Mononoke Theme Song (Vocal Ending)
33. The Legend Of Ashitaka (Ending)

The label say: "Experiments in electronic music out of Amsterdam's Ruigoord by this young upcoming producer Mozes Meijer. Ruigoord is a haven for free spirits just outside of the Amsterdam center where Meijer holds his studio in which he has been experimenting for years with all sorts of hardware. Our personal favorite on this EP is the "Honda Wanderer". Witness the birth of new and fresh ideas by this newcomer in the scene. Limited vinyl pressing to a few 100 copies."

==

A1 FORWARD
Was inspired by the revolution of the year of 1988 also referred to as the 2nd summer of love. Revolutions great and small are happening all around us all the time, and they take place in the minds of individuals.

A2 CHARANJIT DRIVE
Describes the revolution i 've got in mind, angelic bass-string harmonic notes flying left and right, Indian-vocals, sudden sped-up dancehall baselines and breaks. Imagine a hippie a homeboy and a funky dread, hugging and dancing and telling their mates how much they love each other in a nice green field while this plays.

B1 HONDA WANDERER
A man in a blue honda civic is traveling through a misty world at a high velocity. Seeking that which is just hiding behind the next bend. I made this after a beautiful misty, raining/sunshine rainbow ride on the autobahn. I had just picked up a cheap mutron bi-phase which was sitting beside me in the passenger seat. It was amazing.

B2 MISTY VALLEY
It's time to get a little bit serious, this one feels like the place where i made all of this music, the village of Ruigoord, covered in a thick winter fog. The remnants of a possible previous reincarnation of myself as an 80s new-beat producer are haunting this music.

all music & artwork by Mozes Meijer, mastering: Wouter Brandenburg, cut: Dubplates & Mastering a&r: Arne Cinema Royale Visser.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Nicely inventive EP from a fledging producer who's quite obviously intent on cutting his own path through the hedges of house music.

TRACK LISTING

Forward
Charanjit Drive
Honda Wanderer
Misty Valley

The legendary New Jersey House collective Smack were responsible for a long list of hits throughout the 90's, with members of the team producing under a number of different aliases and alongside Blaze, Kerri Chandler, Tony Humphries were at the forefront of the New Jersey sound.

One such alias was Princess Di, produced by Smack Productions own Healey LeCator and featuring an unknown vocalist. Together they released a string of X-rated house tracks from 1994 until 1996 that have gone on to be cult classics, standing the test of time.

With the permission from Jeffrey Collins from Music Station, WOLF have hand-picked their favourite Princess Di tracks and combined them onto one bumper 12-inch. Fully remastered and cut LOUD. Sometimes you have to look back in order to move forward!

TRACK LISTING

A1.  Who's Dick Is This? (Instrum-Beat Mix)
A2.  What's My Name? (The Tribe & Friends Mix)
B1.  Big Dick - Mutha Fucka (Sample Mix)
B2.  Big Dick - Mutha Fucka (Drum Mix)

'The Purple Bird' finds Bonnie "Prince" Billy working with a "producer" for only the second time in his illustrious catalogue. This time it's David "Ferg" Ferguson (Johnny Cash, Sturgill Simpson) who guides the songs backed by "the best band you can get in Nashville right now", country singer John Anderson and Bluegrass legend Tim O'Brien. The Purple Bird is simultaneously like and unlike other BPB records. Many of the songs are a product of multiple composers’ voices, making the shape-shifting aspect of the BPB persona more fluid than ever before.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The most widescreen BPB record for some time comes in the form of the soaring, majestic country balladry of 'The Purple Bird'. With nods to classic country and folk as you'd expect, but also full of moments of huge cathartic melodicism and perfectly contrasting minimalism.

TRACK LISTING

1 Turned To Dust (Rolling On)
2. London May
3. Tonight With The Dogs I’m Sleeping
4. Boise, Idaho
5. The Water’s Fine
6. Sometimes It’s Hard To Breathe
7. New Water
8. Guns Are For Cowards
9. Downstream Ft. John Anderson
10. One Of These Days (I’m Gonna Spend The Whole Night With You)
11. Is My Living In Vain?
12. Our Home Ft. Tim O’Brien

Bold pop hooks, sex positivity, honest songwriting and a heavy dose of glitter make up the world of Chappell Roan, the next multi-faceted force in pop music. A technicolor celebration of self-discovery and transformation, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess tracks Chappell's cinematic journey of falling in queer love for the first time, while embracing all the messy and imperfect moments in-between. Penned by Amstutz alongside Dan Nigro (Olivia Rodrigo).

When Nathan Salsburg’s daughter was a baby, he often sang her to sleep in a rocking chair. At one point, he remembered a song he had taught himself as a teenager: “The Evidence” by Lungfish, the Maryland band who coined a singular brand of post-punk in the 90s and 00s. Salsburg realized he could play the guitar part with one hand, singing while holding Talya in his other arm. Though the original version of “The Evidence” is only five minutes long, it’s essentially a repetitive mantra, so Salsburg could extend it as long as he wanted–10 minutes, 20 minutes, even an hour. “It was therapeutic and calming and just lovely for me,” he says.

“And it worked on her.” Eventually Nathan and Talya moved on from their ritual, but his lullaby cover stayed in his head. So he proposed to his fellow Louisville collaborators Bonnie “Prince” Billy (aka Will Oldham) and Tyler Trotter that they record a version with Salsburg on guitar, Oldham singing, and Trotter adding drum machines and synths. They decided to pair it with a rendition of another Lungfish song, “Hear the Children Sing,” playing each tune for more than enough time to fill two sides of an album. The result is the beguiling Hear the Children Sing the Evidence, an album that displays the strengths and visions of the participants while showcasing how richly powerful Lungfish’s songs are.

TRACK LISTING

1. Hear The Children Sing (19:56)
2. The Evidence (21:08)

After a prolific 18-month period releasing two critically acclaimed John Parish-produced studio albums, New Long Leg (2021) and Stumpwork (2022), as well as last year’s companion release the five-track Swampy EP, South London’s Dry Cleaning are taking a moment to reflect on their journey and pay homage to their roots.

Dry Cleaning’s origin story is well known by now. Guitarist Tom Dowse, drummer Nick Buxton, and bassist Lewis Maynard had been friends and musical collaborators for years, and invited mutual friend Florence Shaw – a visual artist, picture researcher and drawing lecturer – to join the band in 2017. With clear musical influences from the Feelies, the Necessaries, the B52s and Pylon, and constrained by the small garage space they rehearsed in, Dry Cleaning were drawn to making simple music; direct and uncomplicated, anything superfluous was left behind.

By March 2018 the group had recorded the six-track debut EP Sweet Princess with producer Kristian Craig Robinson at Total Refreshment Centre in a single day. Two months later, in May 2018, the band played their first live show in Dalston at the Shacklewell Arms, and released the EP in August. Sweet Princess was a thrilling debut, its dizzying and restless instrumentals with Shaw’s sardonic vocals delivering a satirical collage of witty observations and social commentary. A further 6 songs in the form of the Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks EP quickly followed two months after. It was named in tribute to the band’s rehearsal space in Maynard’s family’s south London (Sidcup) home, and to his mother Susan whose home-cooked meals sustained the four friends in between sessions. With singles like ‘Sit Down Meal’ and ‘Viking Hair’, Boundary Road Snacks and Drinks is a powerful companion to Sweet Princess. They share a similar pent-up energy, unsurprising given they came to life in the same environment those EPs were created in, an environment that had a huge influence on the band during those formative years.

TRACK LISTING

Boundary Road Snacks And Drinks:
1. Dog Proposal
2. Viking Hair
3. Spoils
4. Jam After School
5. Sombre One
6. Sit Down Meal

Sweet Princess:
1. Goodnight
2. New Job
3. Magic Of Meghan
4. Traditional Fish
5. Phone Scam
6. Conversation

Wicked previously unreleased late '80s combination tune from Icho Candy & his brother Prince Junior, who are sometimes confused for each other. On the same rhythm as King Kong's "Agony and Pain" (also repressed this week). Lyrically about the struggle for freedom of the day, as resonant today as it was nearly 40 years ago.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Icho Candy muses on the struggle for the freedom over King Kong's "Agony And Pain" riddim. Its another winner from the selection of Jah Life Time reissues we've been luckily blessed with this week.

TRACK LISTING

A. Free Up
B. Free Up Dub

Prince Fatty's 'Mercedes Benz' with Shniece and Horseman is a rub-a-dub version of a 1970s hit from Janis Joplin that now gets a very special and very limited edition pressing courtesy of Lovedub Limited. The A-side kicks off with the spine-tingling and epic original vocal before disappearing into a world of reverb. At that point the dubby low end arrives and brings a different vibe to the stunning vocals but one that really makes a mark next to new bars from Horseman, police sirens and funky riffs. It's a tough sound system groove that is backed with a fine version and has been a firm fixture of Prince Fatty's record box for a while now.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I couldn't imagine a better version of this classic than this Fatty version of Janice Joplin's original. It's a floor-shakingly rich and full-spectrum dubbed-out wonder.

TRACK LISTING

Mercedes Benz
Mercedes Benz (Version)

Coming off the back of the expensive Lovesexy Tour, Prince needed to replenish his coffers and agreed to record nine original songs for Tim Burton's box office smash movie, Batman, starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger. The 1989 album was a huge success, and featured hit singles “Batdance” and “Partyman”, as well as “Scandalous”.

TRACK LISTING

A1 The Future (04:07)
A2 Electric Chair (04:07)
A3 The Arms Of Orion (05:02)
A4 Partyman (03:11)
A5 Vicki Waiting (04:51)
B1 Trust (04:23)
B2 Lemon Crush (04:15)
B3 Scandalous (06:14)
B4 Batdance (06:13)

With the follow-up to the hugely successful Batman soundtrack album, Prince returned with yet another soundtrack album in 1991, this time featuring songs from his self-directed movie Graffiti Bridge. Features the hit Prince single “Thieves In The Temple”, plus the Prince-produced Tevin Campbell single, “Round And Round".

TRACK LISTING

A1 Can't Stop This Feeling I Got (4:24)
A2 New Power Generation (3:39)
A3 Release It (3:54)
A4 The Question Of U (3:59)
B1 Elephants & Flowers (3:54)
B2 Round And Round (3:55)
B3 We Can Funk (5:28)
B4 Joy In Repetition (4:53)
C1 Love Machine (3:34)
C2 Tick, Tick, Bang (3:31)
C3 Shake! (4:01)
C4 Thieves In The Temple (3:19)
D1 The Latest Fashion (4:02)
D2 Melody Cool (3:39)
D3 Still Would Stand All Time (5:23)
D4 Graffiti Bridge (3:51)
D5 New Power Generation (Pt. II) (2:57)

Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You – an album made as it was meant to be heard, in a room. The sound of people together – a sound we’d so recently feared that we’d lost – playing, communing, strings and wood and keys and voices singing. KSWDY presents simply, and is sung along easily and happily with in time BUT --is it family portrait or fairy tale? How does it think the world was made, and will end?

Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You was recorded in Louisville by Nick Roeder, featuring Sara Louise Callaway on violin, Kendall Carter on keys, Elisabeth Fuchsia on viola and violin, Dave Howard on Mandolin, Drew Miller on saxophone and Dane Waters’ voice. The presence of so many local players and music educators in the band lends not only to a flow of moments so fluidly encompassing of a wide range of musics from classical to Japanese acid folk and elsewhere, but perhaps even more importantly, to the sense of community, heredity and the triumph of inheritance that is the marrow and life blood of this music. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Though 'Keeping secrets...' is undoubtedly one of BPB's quietest outings in terms of its instrumentation, drawing beauty from a reasonably unadorned mixture of guitar strings and vocals, the depth of feeling and scope of the result is astounding. Heartwarming folky balladry abound, all pulled together with Oldham's unmatched sensitivity.

TRACK LISTING

1. Like It Or Not
2. Behold! Be Held!
3. Bananas
4. Blood Of The Wine
5. Sing Them Down Together
6. Kentucky Is Water
7. Willow, Pine And Oak
8. Trees Of Hell
9. Rise And Rule (She Was Born In Honolulu)
10. Queens Of Sorrow
11. Crazy Blue Bells
12. Good Morning, Popocatépetl

Prince’s 1988 follow-up to his masterpiece double LP, Sign O’ The Times, saw him recycle some of the material that had originally been intended for the ill-fated Crystal Ball and Black Album albums, and repurposed here along with additional material. Features the smash hit single “Alphabet Street”.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Eye No (05:46)
A2 Alphabet Street (05:39)
A3 Glam Slam (05:08)
A4 Anna Stesia (04:58)
B1 Dance On (03:44)
B2 Lovesexy (05:51)
B3 When 2 R In Love (03:58)
B4 I Wish U Heaven (02:47)
B5 Positivity (07:13)

The Gold Experience, released in 1995, was the first full-length Prince album to be credited to his unpronounceable symbol and was released at the most public, heated stage of his battle with the major label industrial complex. With the word “SLAVE” written on one cheek, Prince shined on the opulent ballads “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and “Gold” and the defiant single “[eye] Hate U,” and the album earned widespread critical acclaim. Available as black vinyl double LP.

The Truth is widely regarded as one of Prince’s most underappreciated hidden gems. The album was originally released as an accompaniment to the 1998 triple album Crystal Ball, which marked the first time that Prince released an album totally independently. The Truth was also the first Prince album to be labeled “acoustic,” though it does contain electronic instruments and elements, and it gave listeners an unprecedented chance to hear his songwriting and voice in a stripped-down presentation. 

Death Is Not The End's 333 returns to follow a reissue of the sub-label's eponymous 45 by Prince Jazzbo, with another crucial shot from his Ujama catalogue - a much-needed reproduction of the original Replay 45, complete with vocal & version. Fully licensed from the late great foundation deejay's family. A must.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Hen's-teeth rare dancehall deejay tackle here date of origin unknown! I'd hazard a guess at mid 80s, due to its primitive digital production but don't let that detract from its speaker busting soundsystem potential. This is underground as fuck! Mega reissue. Don't sleep!

TRACK LISTING

1. Replay
2. Replay Version

Cult producer Princess Chelsea crafted her upcoming “nervous breakdown album” Everything is Going to be Alright, at home in pastoral Aotearoa New Zealand. The album, due this October, is a comforting offering. These aren’t wallowing sad songs, instead, they chronicle Chelsea Nikkel's recovery, and provide a hopeful and cathartic listen.

Princess Chelsea’s cinematic, dreamy pop has been refined over 11 years, five albums, an E.P, and 11 singles. Her delivery and songwriting is distinctive for layering almost naive earnestness with cynical, tongue-in-check wit and aural sparkles. Her 2018 girl group meets grunge track ‘I Love My Boyfriend’ and her 2011 Nancy & Lee inspired ‘Cigarette Duet’ have recently raised their heads into a wider public consciousness via the grass roots influence of a new Tik Tok Generation.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Everything Is Going To Be Alright
2. The Forest
3. Love Is More
4. Time
5. I Don’t Know You
SIDE B
6. Forever Is A Charm
7. We Kick Around
8. In Heaven
9. Dream Warrior
10. Everything Is Going To Be Alright (Pt. 2)

Original 1980 album now released on coloured vinyl. Features full colour Insert with extensive sleeve notes. Recorded at Channel One Recording Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. Mixed at Harry J Recording Studio, Kingston, Jamaica

TRACK LISTING

Mechanical Devices
Natural Wild
My Generation
Natural (Reprise)
Spaceship
People's Minds
People Love Jah Music
Smiling Faces

Deluxe offering of Grammy® Best New Artist nominee Arooj Aftab’s breakthrough album Vulture Prince, featuring Grammy® Best Global Music Performance-nominated track “Mohabbat”.

Aftab’s remarkable voice, backed by a team of renowned musicians, transports listeners to the composer’s world. Intimate piano and swelling orchestral strings unveil mystical passage into Aftab’s emotionally gripping symphonic world - vast with colorful sounds and transcendent of genre.

TRACK LISTING

1. Baghon Main (feat. Darian Donovan Thomas)
2. Diya Hai (feat. Badi Assad)
3. Inayaat
4. Last Night
5. Mohabbat
6. Saans Lo
7. Suroor
8. Udhero Na (feat. Anoushka Shankar)

Arthur Ponder, a life long Macon, Georgia resident, started his singing career in the 60s replacing Otis Redding in Johnny Jenkins & The Pinetoppersafter Otis went solo. Although he gigged extensively, he did not actually make it onto a record until around 1970. Presented here, we have mostly his 80s Modern Soul output Solo and with local group Side Show, some with was released on 45 others remain unreleased till now. Special thanks to Angelo Angione who went above and beyond to help with this project and Arthur Ponder - The Prince of Georgia Soul.

TRACK LISTING

1. Lonely Girl (feat. Side Show)
2. Sexy Lady
3. If You Want My Love
4. My Love
5. Let's Get Together For The Wrong We Have Done
6. Whatcha Gonna Do About It
7. You Are The One For Me (feat. Side Show)
8. Oh Baby Why You Want To Make Me Cry
9. You Talk Too Much
10. It's You Girl

The Gold Experience was the first full-length Prince album to be credited to his unpronounceable symbol and was released at the most public, heated stage of his battle with the major label industrial complex. With the word “SLAVE” written on one cheek, Prince shined on the opulent ballads “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” and “Gold” and the defiant single “Eye Hate U,” and the album earned widespread critical acclaim.

TRACK LISTING

P. Control
NPG Operator #1
Endorphinmachine
Shhh
We March
NPG Operator #2
The Most Beautiful Girl In The World
Dolphin
NPG Operator #3
Now
NPG Operator #4
319
NPG Operator #5
Shy
Billy Jack Bitch
Eye Hate U
NPG Operator #6
Gold 

The Blind Date Party hosted by Bill Callahan and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy and featuring AZITA, Matt Sweeney, Alasdair Roberts, Matt Kinsey, Sean O’Hagan, Bill MacKay, George Xylouris, Dead Rider, David Pajo, Mick Turner, Meg Baird, Ty Segall, Emmett Kelly, Cory Hanson, Six Organs of Admittance, David Grubbs, Cassie Berman, Cooper Crain and Sir Richard Bishop happened online in the fall and winter of ’20–’21 — but the party planning dated back to the spring of 2020. Stuck at home, with no gigs in the foreseeable future, Bill, Bonnie and Drag City needed an outreach program to keep themselves busy, not to mention sane. In the absence of any company or anything on the calendar, playing songs they loved was an idea; playing with people they loved, the desire. And making it fun — so pairing someone with someone else having no say in the matter, the essence of the blind date, was the plan. Favorite songs were chose; players from around the Drag City galaxy were messaged. Pretty soon, songs were flying back and forth — music in the air!

And thus, they were entertained throughout the summer of 2020, when so much else in the world seemed so completely wrong. By the fall, the songs started to appear online: Bill and Bonnie singing a song by someone they loved and admired; each song cut by another another artist they loved and admired, then sent to Bill and Bonny to provide the finishing touches. The spotlight pointed in every direction each week: toward the singers and writers who’d originally played the songs (Yusuf Islam, Hank Williams Jr., Dave Rich, The Other

Years, Billie Eilish, Steely Dan, Lou Reed, Bill Callahan, Jerry Jeff Walker, Robert Wyatt, Lowell George, Johnnie Frierson, Air Supply, Will Oldham, Leonard Cohen, David Berman, Iggy Pop and John Prine), toward their featured collaborators, the artists whose artwork adorned each digital single and videos made by still more collaborators. And you, the listener.

Like the best parties, it turned out to be everything and more than they’d even hoped for. So many more people were involved in the process that we can get on the page here. Suffice to say, making records over the years has required a broad sense of community and an always-surprising mix of independence and unity, inspiration and utility. Some of our best memories are those where as many of our folks as as possible were together in one place at one time. In those moments, it was just a great thing just to be there. And with others looking in . . . this was a joy one could only be infinitely lucky to feel and to take for granted, as well.

The Blind Date Party was one of these, maybe the most improbable one yet. It’s for everyone who’s here and it’s in the name of everyone who’s gone but will never go and will always live with us here. This album will too.

And thus, we are entertained.

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Combining the best elements of each others talents 'Blind Date Party' finds Bill and Will in fabulous form. Mellow, dark, country-folk laments to snuggle up to during the cold winter months.

TRACK LISTING

A
The Blackness Of The Night (feat. Azita)
OD'd In Denver (feat. Matt Sweeney)
I've Made Up My Mind (feat. Alasdair Roberts)
Red-Tailed Hawk (feat. Matt Kinsey)
Wish You Were Gay (feat. Sean O'Hagan)
Our Anniversary (feat. Dead Rider)
B
Rooftop Garden (feat. George Xylouris)
Deacon Blues (feat. Bill MacKay)
I Love You (feat. David Pajo)
C
Sea Song (feat. Mick Turner)
I've Been The One (feat. Meg Baird)
Miracles (feat. Ty Segall)
I Want To Go To The Beach (feat. Cooper Crain)
D
Night Rider's Lament (feat. Cory Hanson)
Arise, Therefore (feat. Six Organs Of Admittance)
The Night Of Santiago (feat. David Grubbs)
The Wild Kindness (feat. Cassie Berman)
Lost In Love (feat. Emmett Kelly)
She Is My Everything (feat. Sir Richard Bishop)

Recorded in the spring of 2010 and then mysteriously abandoned by Prince before its release, the statement album Welcome 2 America documents Prince’s concerns, hopes, and visions for a shifting society, presciently foreshadowing an era of political division, disinformation, and a renewed fight for racial justice. The album features some of Prince’s only studio collaborations with the bassist Tal Wilkenfeld, drummer Chris Coleman, and engineer Jason Agel, with additional contributions from New Power Generation singers Shelby J, Liv Warfield, and Elisa Fiorillo and keyboardist Morris Hayes, who Prince also recruited to co-produce the album.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It really is a testament to the output of the purple one himself that THIS absolute stunner got left on the cutting room floor. Political spoken word, undeniable groove and impeccable instrumental performances from all involved lead to one of the greatest albums he's put out for a LONG time.

TRACK LISTING

CD TRACKLIST:
1. Welcome 2 America (5:23)
2. Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master) (4:05)
3. Born 2 Die (5:03)
4. 1000 Light Years From Here (5:46)
5. Hot Summer (3:32)
6. Stand Up And B Strong (5:18)
7. Check The Record (3:28)
8. Same Page Different Book (4:41)
9. When She Comes (4:46)
10. 1010 (Rin Tin Tin) (4:42)
11. Yes (2:56)
12. One Day We Will All B Free (4:41)

VINYL TRACKLIST WITH SIDE BREAKS:
SIDE A
1. Welcome 2 America (5:23)
2. Running Game (Son Of A Slave Master) (4:05)
3. Born 2 Die (5:03)
4. 1000 Light Years From Here (5:46)
SIDE B
1. Hot Summer (3:32)
2. Stand Up And B Strong (5:18)
3. Check The Record (3:28)
4. Same Page, Different Book (4:41)
SIDE C
1. When She Comes (4:46)
2. 1010 (Rin Tin Tin) (4:42)
3. Yes (2:56)
4. One Day We Will All B Free (4:41)
SIDE D
Etching

BLU-RAY TRACKLIST:
Welcome 2 America: Live At The Forum, April 28, 2011
Runtime: 2:13:00
Available In Stereo, 5.1 Surround And Dolby Atmos
Joy In Repetition
Brown Skin (India.Arie Cover)
17 Days
Shhh
Controversy
Theme From “Which Way Is Up” (Stargard Cover)
What Have You Done For Me Lately (Janet Jackson Cover)
Partyman
Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan Cover)
Misty Blue (Eddy Arnold Cover)
Let’s Go Crazy
Delirious
1999
Little Red Corvette
Purple Rain
The Bird (The Time Cover – Prince Composition)
Jungle Love (The Time Cover – Prince Composition)
A Love Bizarre (Sheila E Cover – Prince Composition)
Kiss
Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry Cover)
Inglewood Swingin’ (version Of Kool & The Gang’s Hollywood Swingin’)
Fantastic Voyage (Lakeside Cover)
More Than This (Roxy Music Cover)

Where once was Superwolf, now roam Superwolves, the new album and demon spawn of Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

The songs that make up Superwolves, the duo’s second album and first since 2005’s Superwolf, go boldly into undreamed-of places, and go deep, as Matt and Bonny take all the musics they know to make songs that penetrate. In classic Garcia-Hunter style, Sweeney and the ‘Prince’ first work separately, finding a path to each other in their solitary imaginings. Bonnie lyric sets delivered to Matt spark Sweeney’s guitar brain; chords and a melody are shaped, recorded fast and loose and sent back to the Prince, then the two parties meet up to sing, stitch, strengthen and finally perform them together in front of a small unsuspecting audience. Then new sets of lyrics are sent, animated and played in a high wire style until the shared songs and experiences are ready to commit to record. This is just the beginning of their fusion process, as words imply vocalizations to counter and support, and guitar lines suggest harmonic fields to subtly push into. In this process, a new creature grows out of the old one. In this name of this partnership, the guitar shares an open and fluid space with the vocals, the voices sing with the guitars—every moment in the life of Superwolves is an extravaganza, guided only by its need.

“The chemistry comes from lives, lived separately, in which music is crucial sustenance. We listen with gratitude and awe, knowing that we belong in there. We construct our dream selves with the faith that these selves will have their chance at life. We know what we are capable of doing and just need each other’s support to bring the imagined languages to life.” — Will Oldham

“I love the challenge to write melodies for Will to sing. Struggle with that challenge too. Knowing that Will’s voice will elevate the melody makes me reach higher and dig deeper for the tune. Makes me want to match it with a guitar part that holds his voice like a chalice holds wine (or blood, or whatever is needed to live the best life). I also love singing harmonies and responses to this voice of his.” — Matt Sweeney

As far as this record, as in when and how it came together, the two man crew started working on it five years ago. The first actual session, however, went down about a year ago at Brooklyn’s Strange Weather and the next took place at the Butcher Shoppe in Nashville. Sweeney oversaw the mixing of the Brooklyn sessions with Oldham overseeing the Nashville mixes. On the album, Sweeney sings harmonies along, with, and around his favorite singer, and plays all electric, acoustic, and bass guitars, joined in places by David Ferguson on stand-up bass, Mike Coltun on electric bass, Mdou Moctar on electric lead, Ahmoudou Madassane on rhythm guitar, Souleyman Ibrahim, Ryan Sawyer and Peter Townsend on drums and Mike Rojas on keys. The Bonnie ‘Prince’ sings. Does he ever. And Superwolves rules over all.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: This is a perfect collaborative effort from Sweeney & Oldham here, offsetting BPB's sometimes saccharine vocal style with Sweeney's brilliantly dynamic guitar playing. There are moments of stunning minimalistic bliss ('Resist The Urge') or more psychedelic grooving force ('Hall Of Death') but this is a constantly confounding and rewarding listen.

TRACK LISTING

1. Make Worry For Me
2. Good To My Girls
3. God Is Waiting
4. Hall Of Death
5. Shorty’s Ark
6. I Am A Youth Inclined To Ramble
7. My Popsicle
8. Watch What Happens
9. Resist The Urge
10. There Must Be A Someone
11. My Blue Suit
12. My Body Is My Own
13. You Can Regret What You Have Done
14. Not Fooling

Overflowing with musical ideas and topical lyrics that sound just as relevant today as they did when they were initially released, Prince’s iconic double album Sign O’ The Times captured the artist in a period of complete reinvention. The final 16-track album included just some of the countless songs Prince recorded in the prolific period of 1985-1987, which saw the dissolution of his band The Revolution, the construction of his innovative recording complex, Paisley Park, and the creation (and ultimate abandonment) of the albums Dream Factory, Camille, and Crystal Ball.

This September 25, The Prince Estate, in partnership with Warner Records/Rhino UK, will reissue Sign O’ The Times. This limited edition 2LP peach vinyl set and 2CD set will feature the classic album remastered for the very first time by Prince’s original mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.

TRACK LISTING

LP1: Remastered Album (Disc 1)
1. Sign O’ The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Housequake
4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
5. It
6. Starfish And Coffee
7. Slow Love
8. Hot Thing
9. Forever In My Life

LP2: Remastered Album (Disc 2)
1. U Got The Look
2. If I Was Your Girlfriend
3. Strange Relationship
4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
5. The Cross
6. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
7. Adore

CD1: Remastered Album (Disc 1)
1. Sign O’ The Times
2. Play In The Sunshine
3. Housequake
4. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
5. It
6. Starfish And Coffee
7. Slow Love
8. Hot Thing
9. Forever In My Life

CD2: Remastered Album (Disc 2)
1. U Got The Look
2. If I Was Your Girlfriend
3. Strange Relationship
4. I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
5. The Cross
6. It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
7. Adore

Considered one of the most iconic and influential double albums of all time, Prince’s "1999" was released at a major turning point in the artist’s career. After years of bossing the R&B charts, he experienced his first true crossover moment with the mega-hits “Little Red Corvette,” “1999,” and “Delirious,“ shattering barriers with his revolutionary blend of rock, funk, R&B and new wave pop, and making history by being one of the first black artists to have their videos in heavy rotation on MTV. Flawless from start to finish, perfectly produced, played and performed by a true musical genius, this falls into the ever home should have one category.

TRACK LISTING

Remastered Album (LP1 1-5 / LP2 6-11 / CD)
1. 1999
2. Little Red Corvette
3. Delirious
4. Let's Pretend We're Married
5. D.M.S.R.
6. Automatic
7. Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)
8. Free
9. Lady Cab Driver
10. All The Critics Love U In New York
11. International Lover

Bonnie “Prince” Billy stays busy - in the past five years he has released albums of previously-recorded songs by Susanna Wallumrod, Mekons, Merle Haggard; even himself) and a collaborative record with Bitchin Bajas! The only thing he hasn't done is a new album of Bonny originals - in case you weren't counting, 2011's Wolfroy Goes To Town was the last one. That's from the first half of the Obama presidency, for chrissakes!

Things happen for reasons that are often bigger than ourselves and outside of our control. They happen suddenly or they happen slowly - but they always happen one day at a time and day after day. Here's Will Oldham, on the confluence of marketplace, values, aesthetic and process that slowly built new album I Made A Place:

"In recent years, the whole world of recorded music, in the way that such music is conceived, perceived, recorded, released and distributed, has been atomized. I tried holding my breath, waiting for the storm to pass, but this storm is here to stay and its devastation is our new landscape. What else is a person to do except what he knows and feels, which for me is making records built out of songs intended for the intimate listening experiences of wonderful strangers who share something spiritually and musically? I started working on these songs thinking that there was no way I was going to finish them and record and release them. This was a constructive frame-of-mind that protected the songs until this frightening moment when we let go of them and give them to you."

The world has changed. Some things will never change. Some are gone forever. Thankfully, this isn't one of them: the wait for new Bonnie “Prince” Billy is now on a timer. What's more, the new single drops a bit of Apocalypse WOW. Picking up in a sense where last year's "Blueberry Jam" left off, "(At The) Back of the Pit" considers what to do with the things we love when it comes time for the death (and therefore, rebirth) of our painstakingly-built'n'kill't world. It's an affirming country jam: elegiac early moments give way to jaunty roots-rock strides, a horn section soulfully charting the long rays at the end of the day as well as the first rays of the new rising sun as they light on all our hopeful tomorrows.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I think it's probably hard for someone as resolutely productive as Mr. Billy to reach the moment in a songs creation where it feels like there is no more work to be done. Fortunately for us, these delicate, tender country ballads finally reached the light of day, and we're all the better for it. As brilliantly produced and perfectly balanced as any of his previous work, whilst being more focused and melodic. Gorgeous stuff.

Released ahead of 1995’s "The Gold Experience", the first album credited to Prince’s infamously unpronounceable symbol, "The Versace Experience (Prelude 2 Gold)" was a gift to attendees of the designer’s collection at Fashion Week in Paris.

Produced at the time as only a very limited edition promotional cassette, it featured remixed versions of future favorites “Pussy Control,” “Gold” and “Eye Hate U” as well as rare and commercially unreleased selections by The New Power Generation and Prince’s jazz-fusion project Madhouse. The rare promotional cassette went on to be incredibly sought after, with one copy setting a record as the highest priced cassette every sold, fetching over $4,000.

It was recreated as a limited edition cassette release as a Record Store Day exclusive in April 2019 and was one of the most popular releases. First time available on LP Vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Pussy Control (Club Mix Edit)
A2 Shhh (X-cerpt)
A3 Get Wild In The House
A4 I Hate U (Remix)
A5 319 (X-cerpt)
A6 Shy (X-cerpt)
B1 Billy Jack Bitch
B2 Sonny T. (X-cerpt)
B3 Rootie Kazootie (Edit)
B4 Chatounette Controle
B5 Pussy Control (Control Tempo Edit)
B6 Kamasutra Overture #5
B7 Free The Music
B8 Segue
B9 Gold (X-cerpt)

The definitive Prince reissue series continues with a first time on vinyl for three of his essential noughties albums, "Musicology", "3121" and "Planet Earth".
On its original UK release, Prince's 2007 album "Planet Earth" was available as a free covermount CD with the Mail On Sunday, or as part of a ticket deal for his 21 night live run at London's O2 arena. While this might have caused chaos amongst record stores at the time, it did ensure that a great late Prince album was heard by the widest audience possible. Where previous albums "Musicology" and "3121" predominently dealt with funk and R&B, "Planet Earth" is more of a mixed bag, as evidenced by its three singles, "Guitar", "Somewhere Here On Earth" and "Chelsea Rodgers".

TRACK LISTING

A1. Planet Earth
A2. Guitar
A3. Somewhere Here On Earth
A4. The One U Wanna C
B1. Future Baby Momma
B2. Mr. Goodnight
B3. All The Midnights In The World
B4. Chelsea Rodgers
B5. Lion Of Judah
B6. Resolution

This raw, intimate recording, which took place at the start of Prince’s career right before he achieved international stardom, is similar in format to the Piano & A Microphone Tour that he ended his career with in 2016. The nine track, 35-minute album features a previously unreleased home studio cassette recording of Prince at his piano captured in 1983.

The private rehearsal provides a rare, intimate glimpse into Prince’s creative process as he worked through songs which include “17 Days” and “Purple Rain” (neither of which would be released until 1984), a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case Of You”, “Strange Relationship” (not released until 1987 on his critically acclaimed Sign O’ The Times album), and “International Lover”.

The album also includes a rare recording of the 19th Century spiritual “Mary Don’t You Weep” which was used to spine-tingling effect during the end credits of Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman in theatres August 2018.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: There's never really been any doubt about Prince's genius, but this previously unreleased set sees the Purple legend sweep through a handful of his many many classics, along with a couple of stunning covers, arranged/improvised for piano and voice. Intimate, expressive and unfeasibly funky, this is pretty much as good as it gets.

TRACK LISTING

1. 17 Days
2. Purple Rain
3. A Case Of You
4. Mary Don’t You Weep
5. Strange Relationship
6. International Lover
7. Wednesday
8. Cold Coffee & Cocaine
9. Why The Butterflies

Princess Nokia – aka New York rapper Destiny Frasqueri – has been releasing music via Youtube and Soundcloud since she was in High School and catapulted herself to the next level with last year’s critically acclaimed rap opus 1992 Deluxe -- selling out venues across the globe and steadily gaining tens of millions of streams. Now, this shapeshifting emcee returns with a brand new collection of songs titled A Girl Cried Red, a self-described “emo mixtape” which will undoubtedly cement her place in the Alternative underground as well as the Hip-Hop world. “Black people created punk — the band Death was way before The Ramones,” she stated in a recent interview, “If you think about it, the wool has been pulled over our eyes. This is our shit. Very naturally, that's why we return to it.” Drawing on influences as varied as the introverted acoustic sounds of Elliott Smith to the bombastic pop-punk energy of Paramore – A Girl Cried Red showcases another fully formed side of Destiny that still taps into the uncompromising feminist ideology of Princess Nokia.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: I am obsessed with this. Princess Nokia's emo side has emerged and it's fab. She clearly gives no cares on what people think and just does what she wants. I heart Princess Nokia!

TRACK LISTING

Flowers And Rope
Your Eyes Are Bleeding
For The Night
Look Up Kid
Interlude
Morphine
At The Top
Little Angel

Bonny sings Susanna, to simply try and save the world. Sonata Dwarf Mix Cosmos is an old companion of his and with the Chijimi house band +1 they bring it all back home again, this time to the space in Bonny’s place.

“As other practitioners are leaving the room in favor of novel forms of recording and distro and consumption, we are left with a virtual PALACE, fantastical and real structures and practices. Like we are allowed into the museum at night. We can make a great essentially live record with great songs and great players because nobody else is? ‘Wolf Of The Cosmos’... is about, as much as anything, direct engagement with recorded music. So step right up to the replicant.” - Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy is joined by musicians Emmet Kelly (bass guitar, voice, acoustic guitar), Cheyenne Mize (violin, slide ukulele, voice), Chris Rodahaffer (banjo, voice, acoustic guitar) and Elsa Madeline Oldham (juice harp).

“‘Wolf Of The Cosmos’ is a wonderful obsessive trip into the mind of one of the most important living singers” - Country Music

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Beautifully emotive country-tinged plucks, BPB's unmistakable voice and softly pulled strings make for an enchanting an absorbing journey. Yet more evidence of the unwavering excellence of one of today's most successful singer-songwriters. Brilliantly fresh, but comfortable and familiar.

TRACK LISTING

Intruder
Born In The Desert
Hangout
People Living
Stay
For You
Better Days
Traveling
Demon Dance
Home Recording
We Offer
Lily

Prepare to hear the hottest shit around! Stomping out of Harlem in an explosion of speaker wrecking beats, hard hitting bars and vintage clothing, Princess Nokia has taken the world by storm of late. Sticking a fat middle finger up to the hyper masculine (often misogynistic) hip hop crowds, white male industry bods and bro-ey haters, Destiny Frasqueri blew up last year with the release of her '1992' mixtape, and now returns with an expanded version for physical release. A child of the 90s, Frasqueri was robbed of the noughties via an abusive foster mother, leaving home with 3$ and 75% battery to make her own way on the streets. After a brief brush with the industry as Wavy Spice in 2012, Destiny swerved the suits, headed back to Harlem, only to re-emerge as Princess Nokia. Taking her name from the cheap ass Obamaphone she got from the state, Destiny set about combining a hard edged punk attitude, political consciousness and a fuck load of raw talent into the freshest rap you'll hear in 2017. Flow-wise we're talking the best of Wu, Nas, Monie Love, Biggie & Pac; politics are Le Tigre, Bikini Kill and L7; the beats flip between Premo head nod and trap rumble and the lyrical content touches on the gentrification of NYC, her upbringing, contemporary feminism and her unapologetic outsider status. So if you were wondering what rap should sound like in 2017, it's this - a fiercely independent intersectional feminist making a whole lot of noise. Turn it up!

TRACK LISTING

Bart Simpson
Tomboy
Kitana
Brujas
Mine
Excellent
Saggy Denim Ft Wiki
Green Line
ABCs Of New York
Goth Kid
Receipts
G.O.A.T.
Brick City
Flava
Different
Chinese Slippers

Delusional and hopeful. Loving but injured. Full of vitriol though brimming with forgiveness. Intensely personal yet brutally open. Baxter Dury’s fifth album is both a private meditation into the very real relationship breakdown he experienced over the last year and his most ambitious and biggest work to date.

The album’s opening track is also the portal into Dury’s hazy, anti-wonderland and it comes complete with a guide, “Miami” himself: a foul-mouthed, cocksure ladies man conjured into existence via a heady mix of excess, fatigue and emotional repression. “The guy in the first song is a completely delusional person who thinks he’s a gangster,” explains his creator. The natty charm of Dury’s other records – like his debut Len Parrot's Memorial Lift or the acclaimed Happy Soup – hasn’t been lost, but by collaborating with a full band, producer Ash Workman (Metronomy, Christine & The Queens) and an orchestra, that spirit soars.

Dury recruited several vocal collaborators for the Prince Of Tears’ retinue, illuminating some of the album’s dark corners. Long-term foil Madelaine Hart returns to provide her melancholic yet knowing backing vocals to several songs, Rose Elinor Dougall adds a sinister edge to Porcelain, while Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson enthusiastically chimes in on Almond Milk.

chuffed is how Dury feels – perhaps surprisingly – about this album. “It was really fun to make – except for the pain I had to go through to inspire it,” he grins. “But I really like this record. My old man once said of a friend of mine: ‘Your friend has got pronoia. It’s the opposite of paranoia, it’s when you suffer from thinking everything is too brilliant.’ Well I’ve got a nice case of pronoia at the moment.” So, yeah… your heart hurts, but it is 3am so the sun will be up soon… Behold the Prince Of Tears.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Well, well. Son of Ian Dury of blockheads fame continues his dad's legacy (in a way) by producing bloody good records. This one is even more of his swooning semi-drawl, but with a more refined and melancholic air, brilliantly balanced by a host of well-curated guests. Lovely.

TRACK LISTING

1. Miami
2. Porcelain
3. Mungo
4. Listen
5. Almond Milk
6. Letter Bomb
7. Oi
8. August
9. Wanna
10. Prince Of Tears

The DNA of Purple Rain can be felt throughout pop culture at large. It is a timeless body of work with an immortal resonance exemplified by smashes such as “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry,” “Darling Nikki,” the title track “Purple Rain” and more. Minted Diamond by the RIAA for sales exceeding 13 million, the record stands out as the sixth best-selling soundtrack album in history, moving more than 22 million copies. Hailed by Vanity Fair as “the best soundtrack of all time,” Time Magazine placed it as the 15th greatest album ever.
The album won two 1985 GRAMMY Awards® in the categories of “Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal” and “Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Special.” Posthumously, it was honored as “Favorite Soundtrack” at the 2016 American Music Awards. It was also recently nominated for a 2017 Billboard Music Award in the category of “Top Soundtrack/Cast Album.”

2015 Paisley Park Remaster of the original tapes from the soundtrack, presenting an unheard vision of the album overseen by Prince himself before his untimely 2016 passing.

Pantha Du Prince (Hendrik Weber) has been working with longtime engineer Kassian to create an ambient version of last year’s triumphant studio return, ‘The Triad’. This reworking showcases the otherworldly and moody delicacy that makes Weber’s music so absorbing and affecting; with the beats and most vocals removed, his dreamy sonic details come to the fore.

With ‘Best Troubador’, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy pays homage to a longtime and forever hero, the late Merle Haggard.

A singer who, some 25 years previously, first performed in public by playing a Merle Haggard song, Bonny has often cited Merle’s work in performance, on records and in conversation with anyone who was around, even talking to Merle himself for Filter magazine in 2009.

‘Best Troubador’ flips through his song book, landing on pages unmoored from their time and located anew. Moving from 1978 to 1969 to 2003 to 1981 allows the album to circle Haggard’s music in a simulation of thought and memory, slipping around from spot to spot as if they were discrete impressions, unknown but knowable yet.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Superbly uplifting plucked guitars, swooning woodwind and Mr. Billy's sweet but serious vocal delivery. It's a wonder that there could be any more gold flowing from this supremely talented songwriter, yet it continues. Touching, beautiful and sublime.

TRACK LISTING

The Fugitive
I’m Always On A Mountain When I Fall
The Day The Rains Came
Haggard (Like I’ve Never Been Before)
I Always Get Lucky With You
Leonard
My Old Pal
Roses In The Winter
Some Of Us Fly
Wouldn’t That Be Something
Pray
That’s The Way Love Goes
Nobody’s Darling
What I Hate (Excerpt)
I Am What I Am
If I Could Only Fly

'Purple Rain' made Prince sound like he could do anything, but it still didn't prepare even his most fervent fans for the insular psychedelia of 'Around The World In A Day'. Prince had made his interior world sound fascinating and utopian on 'Purple Rain', but 'Around The World In A Day' is filled with cryptic religious imagery, bizarre mysticism, and confounding metaphors which were drenched in heavily processed guitars, shimmering keyboards, grandiose strings, and layers of vocals.

“Hendrik Weber is one of the leading figures in modern techno.” - Pitchfork • “A gift for generating heavily melodic mazes of sound.” - BBC

German techno auteur Pantha Du Prince (aka Hendrik Weber) releases ‘The Triad’, his first proper studio album since his 2010 breakthrough ‘Black Noise’ and 2013’s collaboration with The Bell Laboratory, ‘Elements Of Light’.

Of the new album’s conceptual framework Weber says, “‘Black Noise’ was very much about me being alone in a small room in Berlin and composing. ‘The Triad’ opens the structure to more human ways of interacting, not digitized ways of interacting. It’s not about Facebook; it's about meeting up and jamming. I wanted to cut through the digital dust that surrounds us.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The tone for this whole album is set by the organically blooming electronic melodies and serene ambient sweeps of anthemic opener 'The Winter Hymn'. Nuanced and breathtaking.

Pantha du Prince's new EP 'The Winter Hymn' features the titular album cut along with the exclusive track “Post Human Palisades (feat. Bendik & Kassian)” and an extended mix of the album track “Dream Yourself Awake".

There are no Peel sessions anymore - that tradition was buried in the pyramids with John Peel himself upon the great man's passing. Of the thousands left in the wake, six are ascribed to Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - and of those six, three have been combined to form the deeply congruous experience of Pond Scum.

A span of eight years is covered, in reverse, and many chestnuts are rolled out, freed of former contexts with sparse arrangements. "(I Was Drunk at the) Pulpit" feels, ten years from inception, more vividly worn; "Death to Everyone" is loosed from its frame, the bones decoupled and spread out, giving the song a re?ective air (as opposed the biting declamation of the original); "Arise, Therefore" adapts its metronomic base, the evangelic twist of its roots made palpable. With the centre of the performance in stark relief, the gnomic qualities of two "Get On Jolly" pieces are intensi?ed. Further accenting the devoted spirit of this collection is the inclusion of Bonnie's take on Prince's "The Cross", as well as the previously-unreleased original "Beezle."

Bonnie's lone shadow casts over this lot, accompanied on the ?rst four tracks by David Heumann, but otherwise playing solo through a set of original songs (and two covers) representing a decade of progress in the almost unbearably intimate-yet-unknowable manner that was so often the vibe of those strange and wondrous days.

Layers peel to reveal the subtle artistry and refinement contained within these sessions, so begin to dig deep into the vault on January 22nd, 2016! But wait, there's more! You can download a new arrangement of "Rich Wife Full of Happiness", (which is similar in tone, but not found on Pond Scum!)!

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s new album ‘Singer’s Grave A Sea Of Tongues’ is released on Domino.

At the locus of five corners, mythos is in the wind; a sea of tongues boils forth, mountains spurting forth from the magma. Bonnie sings for who he was and will be and for all of us, in time.

Bonnie Billy has been quoted as saying that one of the songs on the album is a conceptual track that’s about “one day in 1973 when only two people died in the whole world.”

TRACK LISTING

Night Noises
So Far And Here We Are
There Will Be Spring
Quail And Dumplings
We Are Unhappy
It’s Time To Be Clear
Whipped
Old Match
Mindlessness
Mew Black Rich (Tusks)
Sailor’s Grave A Sea Of Sheep

Mr Bongo is extremely proud to announce the much-anticipated release of the next installment from the legendary Prince Fatty. This time Prince Fatty is up against the mighty Mungo's Hi Fi Soundsystem.

Prince Fatty is a group put together by producer and engineer Mike Pelanconi, (whose credits include Lilly Allen's smash 'Alright Still' and Little Barrie 'Stand your Ground' ). The group also includes; Little Roy, Bubblers from the Ruff Cut Band, Style Scott from the Roots Radics, Winston Francis and Hollie Cook. Prince Fatty has worked with the likes of Bukky Leo, Nostalgia 77, Prince Buster, Lee 'Scratch' Perry and Studio One and won't disappoint the lovers of the early 70s sound.

Mungo's Hi Fi champion the evolution of reggae, dub and dancehall music and are re-invigorating soundsystem culture. They have developed formidable live shows, collaborating with foundation legends like Ranking Joe, Sugar Minott and Sister Nancy as well as top vocalists on the scene at the moment including Charlie P, Solo Banton, Mr Williamz, YT and Scotland's own lyrical lassie Soom T.

A collection of songs performed by Dawn McCarthy & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy as learnt from The Everly Brothers. As children, the music of The Everly Brothers touched Dawn McCarthy and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy; it touches Dawn’s children and the little ‘prince’ within Bonnie today, and makes them dance and sing.

‘What The Brothers Sang’ is no mere gesture of nostalgia. These new versions rethink The Everly Brothers for the audience of listeners today; people who naturally might have no previous knowledge or experience of these songs.

Over the course of three albums - and as an in-demand remixer of artists ranging from Animal Collective to, most recently, Philip Glass - the Berlin-based musician and producer Pantha Du Prince (Hendrik Weber) has been celebrated for pushing the envelope of electronic music.

His newest effort, ‘Elements Of Light’, a collaborative project with The Bell Laboratory, is doubtless his most ambitious to date: The work is a symphony for electronics, percussion and bell carillon, a three-tonne instrument comprising 50 bronze bells.

The genesis of the project began in Oslo in the summer of 2010, when Weber was having lunch with local curators Mattis With and Håkon Vinnogg and heard, in the distance, one of the concerts played multiple times daily on a bell carillon inside the city hall. Weber was struck by how the frequencies and overtones unfolded unpredictably, influenced one another, and resonated, more or less, throughout the Norwegian capital.

With and Vinnogg suggested he compose for the carillon, which was developed in China 3,500 years ago, during the Shang Dynasty, and made its way to Europe during the Middle Ages. Weber began collaborating with the Norwegian Lars Petter Hagen, who served as arranger and conductor. For the recording, a bell carillon was shipped from Denmark to Germany, where Vegar Sandholt, the same carillonist that Weber had heard during his stay in Oslo, played it.

A separate session, in Oslo, brought together a variety of percussionists, including Weber; Martin Horntveth of Jaga Jazzist, Killl and The National Bank; Erland Dahlen of Nils Petter Molvaer Trio, Susanne Sundfør, Madrugada, Xploding Plastix, and Kaada; the researcher and performer Håkon Stene, who teaches at the Norwegian Academy Of Music; and Heming Valebjørg, of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. They contributed numerous tubular bells, marimba, xylophone, cymbals, chimes, handclaps, finger snaps and other percussion.

The album is a single continuous work, although it has been broken down into five tracks named for elements of light: ‘Wave’, ‘Particle’, ‘Photon’, ‘Spectral Split’ and ‘Quantum’. Sonically, the work is a fusion of electronic music and classical composition, and draws on house and minimalism, jazz and new music, Gamelan and Western sacred music. Influences include John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, Steve Reich, LaMonte Young and Moondog.

‘Elements Of Light’ is a natural next step in the Pantha Du Prince oeuvre. Bells figured prominently on his last album, the highly acclaimed ‘Black Noise’, which Rough Trade released in 2010. In a Best New Music review of ‘Black Noise’, Pitchfork said “each track is its own micro sound world with enough rich detail to draw you back for deeper investigation.”

There is a first time for everything. Prior to the recording, 'Wolfroy Goes To Town' was played by the whole band in performance at Chicago's Millennium Park in May, 2011. This is the first time any Bonnie album has been previewed in public before it was made in the studio!

In addition to Bonnie, the players on this record are: Ben Boye (keyboards & extra singing), Van Campbell (drums & percussion), Shahzad Ismaily (percussion, guitar, extra singing), Emmett Kelly (guitars, mandolin, harmony singing), Danny Kiely (basses) & Angel Olson (singing).

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Stark and hushed instrumentation and typically intimate vocals combine to make another Bonnie Prince Billy masterpiece. Perfect for a mellow night in with a fine whiskey. You need this!

TRACK LISTING

1. No Match
2. New Whaling
3. Time To Be Clear
4. New Tibet
5. Black Captain
6. Cows
7. There Will Be Spring
8. Quail And Dumplings
9. We Are Unhappy
10. Night Noises

"Dirty Mind", Prince’s third studio album, originally released on Warner Bros in 1980. Produced, arranged, and composed primarily by Prince, it incorporates musical elements of electro-funk, boogie, and new wave-influenced rock music. Title track "Dirty Mind" is super-catchy and has its sights set on American college radio, while "When You Were Mine" could have been written by any of those skinny-tied power-pop trios the US churned out in the wake of Blondie. 

"Controversy", Prince’s fourth album, was originally released by Warner Bros in 1981. For the most part, the album was an expansion of its predecessor, 1980's "Dirty Mind", continuing the mix of electro-boogie, crazy new wave-influenced funk-rockers tailor made for US high school movie soundtracks (like, wild!) and sleazoid ballads (ditto). This record was considered to be his most political to date. The album was also an important stepping stone from his early works to the more mature song writing of the mid 1980s. Worth every penny for the title track alone (surely one of the best 80s boogie-disco records?), which will set you back £20 on a 12" all by itself.

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For this 2010 album of songs, Bonny Billy and The Cairo Gang together have built a bridge forward, assembled with riffs and bits from Emmett Kelly's guitar and the lyricism of Bonny's heart. But mostly, "The Wonder Show Of The World" was, in its making, about trust. It's a record made eye-to-eye in a room, close and careful, by and for a few men who wanted to be together, who wanted to make music that sounds as good to listen to as it did to make, and who in doing so forged something new in space, the wonder of you and of them.

TRACK LISTING

1. Troublesome Houses
2. Teach Me To Bear You
3. With Cornstalks Or Among Them
4. Sounds Are Always Begging, The
5. Go Folks Go
6. That's What Our Love Is
7. Merciless And Great
8. Where Wind Blows
9. Someone Coming Through
10. Kids

Will Oldham, AKA Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, here continues to carve his niche in the world of indie-Americana with "Beware", his seventh under his current alias. Where his preceding album, 2008's "Lie Down In The Light", was a reasonably cheerful and buoyant affair, one look at the song titles alone for this release indicate that Oldham is considerably less bright here. Titles such as "Beware Your Only Friend", "Death Final" and "I Don't Belong To Anyone" seem to suggest that the mood is significantly more sombre for this outing. The constants with Oldham, though, are his sparse arrangements and world-weary howling delivery, and "Beware" sees him continue to be a much-admired songwriter.

TRACK LISTING

1. Beware Your Only Friend
2. You Can't Hurt Me Now
3. My Life's Work
4. Death Final
5. Heart's Arms
6. You Don't Love Me
7. You Are Lost
8. I Won't Ask Again
9. I Don't Belong To Anyone
10. There Is Something I Have To Say
11. I Am Goodbye
12. Without Work, You Have Nothing
13. Afraid Ain't Me

"Lie Down In The Light" is the ninth Bonnie 'Prince' Billy album, and his first proper album release since 2006's "The Letting Go". It is the brightest album to date from the Bonnie 'Prince'. Brisk tempos skip among his signature slower numbers and ballads. Bonnie's vocals are among his most expressive: carefully nuanced, singing all up and down his range, showing him at a judiciously dynamic and tuneful apex. The album features Bonnie repeat players Paul Oldham and Emmett Kelly and also benefits from the multi-instrumental presence of Shahzad Izmaily, who works percussion, piano, guitar, banjo and the mysterious, sensual 'row of wrenches'. New (duet) partner Ashley Webber forges her own presence next to Bonnie in a pair of fantastic turns. Additionally, some of Nashville's finest appear in between the band's strings and harrows, adding light (and yeah, we see a little darkness too) wherever they appear.

After a devastating string of full-lengths in the early 2000s culminating in the one-two punch of 2005's collaboration with Matt Sweeney, "Superwolf", and 2006's wrenching "The Letting Go", Will Oldham seemed to be in a state of letting go himself. He re-energized his acting career with Old Joy and a goofy appearance in a Kanye West video; wrote "His Hands", the title track to soul singer Candi Staton's comeback record; and backed up Tortoise on an odd album that featured - among other throwaways - a cover of Springsteen's "Thunder Road". "Ask Forgiveness", a mini-album of his own covers, finds Oldham back in fine form even as it chips away at his hard-earned gravitas. Recorded on a lark in Philadelphia with members of the homegrown folkie outfit Espers, "Ask Forgiveness" finds Oldham lending his trademark warble to a diverse array of numbers. While Phil Ochs, Bjork, Thom Yorke, and Danzig are all given the Palace brother's spacious and shambolic indie-folk makeover here, the collection's stand-out is R. Kelly's "World's Greatest", within which Oldham discovers an earnest heart.

ROC's "Princess" was BBC 6 music's evening sequence record of the week (May 2-8) and has been played on Radio 1 and XFM. The song's coasting groove is hailed by music site Losingtoday as 'a corker, the soundtrack to summer... Happy Mondays with pockets full of space dust'. Mixed by Coldplay / Morrissey producer Danton Supple, the song sets desert horns against country guitars while Fred delivers a bleak lyrical response to Iraq, terrorism, and the fragility of love in the 'safe' West. "Princess" is the first taste of their third album, due out later this year.

One of the greatest double albums of the vinyl era, Sign 'O' the Times shows Prince at his peak. Here, Michaelangelo Matos tells the story of how it emerged from an extraordinary period of creativity to become one of the landmark recordings of the 1980s. He also illustrates beautifully how - if a record is great enough and lucky enough to hit you at the right time - it can change your way of looking at the world.

Following on from his masterpiece, "Master & Everyone", Bonnie Prince Billy (aka Palace aka Palace Brothers aka Will Oldham) returns with "Greatest Palace Music", which is a Nashville recorded, technicolor re-rendering of the fans' favourite Palace songs. Moving away from the sparseness of previous releases, the playful attention to melody here will entice a whole new audience, without (fans will be pleased to know) compromising the emotion and honesty at the core of Will Oldham's work.

Great compilation to help kick start new San Francisco label Prince House, a real genre-defining punk funk comp of sorts, combining both dance and electronics with punk rock. From San Francisco's minimal techno funk artists Broker/Dealer to the trashy rock and roll of the Pattern. 15 tracks, including soon to be classics by Paradise Boys, Adult, Numbers, Gogogoairheart, A Tension, Hint Hint, Ghost Orchids, the Vanishing, the Pleased (like a West Coast Interpol), the Lovemakers, Dance Disaster Movement,and I Am Spoonbender.

Debut single on Clown Prince recordings, from this Wigan based singer / songwriter who cites influences as diverse as Johnny Mathis and the Sex Pistols. His songwriting encapsulates his thoughts and feelings on life with a blend of pathos and tongue in cheek humour, in the most English, self-depreciating way.

The legendary roots vocalist teams up with the Disciples for this roots / dub LP on Backyard Movement.