Media Puzzle is a mysterious figure in Lismore’s nightlife, named after the Irish horse that claimed victory in the 2002 Melbourne Cup (naturally).

Over the last 3 years, Media Puzzle have churned out 3 scuzzy post-punk albums and 2 blisteringly short, and fun EPs. “Residing somewhere between Suicide’s dark melodies, and Uranium Clubs remote eccentricities".

Having carved out a space between drum machine-riddled egg-punk and fuzzy scuzz-pop, their newest record is a departure from previous efforts, and it seems, a maturing…

After a year of DIY recording and touring, Media Puzzle grace the track with their 4th (and still somewhat speedy) album, “New Racehorse”. Ditching the previous drum machine-focused, egg-punk fashion.. This fourth album is the most collaborative yet, mixing oddball pop and garage punk.

TRACK LISTING

1. Knowledge
2. New Pet
3. Out Of The Rain
4. I Don’t Care!
5. More Horse, Less Code
6. Tea Time
7. My Age, In Minutes And Seconds
8. Don’t Know You
9. See You There
10. Equine End Of Life
11. Dead Dog!
12. Outro

acing Mount Pleasant began as a group of friends and like-minded musicians in Ann Arbor, anchored at a single creative house that various members of the band have frequented and, to this day, continue to live in near the University of Michigan.

After an early album and smattering of songs under the name Kingfisher, including one beguiling and ambitious album released in 2022, the band reimagined themselves as Racing Mount Pleasant.

Now the band are reintroducing themselves under this new moniker with a beautiful, challenging self-titled debut album that draws on each member’s academic mastery of their instruments, but also a spirited defiance of conventional song structures—or even what a contemporary band looks or sounds like. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Your New Place
2. Tenspeed (Shallows)
3. Heavy Red
4. Emily
5. Seminary
6. You
7. You Pt. 2
8. Racing Mount Pleasant
9. Call It Easy
10. Outlast
11. 34th Floor
12. Seyburn
13. Your Old Place

The Rapture was formed in the spring of 1998 by Vito Roccoforte and Luke Jenner. With a keen ear focused toward visionaries such as PiL, Television, and Chrome, the band quickly formed a reputation across the country, among “those who know” for its energetic, often chaotic live sets; Jenner jumping about like a stilted prat on steroids, while the rhythm section pushed out its patented brand of “sonic deathfuck groove.” Two records were recorded that fall: an 8-song LP released on the seminal San Diego art punk label, Gravity Records, and a single released on Sonny Kaye’s Gold Standard Laboratories. Following these two releases, the band took its make-it-fucked-up philosophy on the road, touring with Sunny Day Real Estate, Gogogo Airheart, and Nuzzle. In May of 1999 the band relocated to New York City. Matt Safer, a recent arrival from Washington DC, took over the bass roles. With a more solid lineup than ever before, the band dove into an exploration of dance and pop music, adding Chic, The Byrds, The Happy Mondays, and Timbaland to their previous influences. On the EP that followed - 2001’s 'Out Of the Races and Onto the Tracks' - The Rapture nailed their iconoclastic brand of wildly energetic rock drawing as much from dance music as post-punk.

TRACK LISTING

1.Out Of the Races and Onto the Tracks
2.Modern Romance
3.Caravan
4.The Jam
5.The Pop Song
6.Confrontation

'Flirty Ghost' is an evocative LP by Rachel Kitchlew, a jazz and contemporary harpist known for pushing the boundaries of her instrument. A blend of jazz, ambient, and experimental sounds, the album was crafted in a spontaneous, deeply personal atmosphere, recorded late at night in the cozy, smoky setting of SFJ headquarters. Inspired by everything from Henry Mancini to Dorothy Ashby, this LP captures an eerie, playful essence, like a ‘flirty ghost’, while celebrating exploration and self-expression. The album holds emotional depth, particularly in tracks like ‘Truncate’ and ‘Cyclical’, which were recorded shortly after the passing of Rachel's grandmother, Sheila Horton, whose work is featured on the back cover. With the collaboration of close friends and talented musicians, ‘Flirty Ghost’ represents a new chapter for Rachel, marking a joyful departure from her solo harp work into a collective, experimental musical journey.

TRACK LISTING

1. Mammone
2. Panther Jam
3. Heady
4. Truncate
5. Cyclical
6. Opium Lounge
7. Leopard Slug
8. Heady Reprise 

In March 2016 Red Rack’em pressed up 300 copies of a record called ‘Wonky Bassline Disco Banger’. It was more than just a quirky title though - it quickly became THE crossover hit of the year. Described as ‘game changing’ by all that heard it pre-release. They were right.

The first pressing sold out before it even hit the shops. 2 months later, it was on its third repress. By the end of the year it had sold over 3,000 copies on vinyl. Crowned ‘Record Of The Year’ by multiple record shops. Number 5 in the German club chart. Elton John called it ‘Unbeatable’.

From underground clubs to festival main stages, it’s had huge support from Moodymann, DJ Harvey, Blessed Madonna, Bicep, Dixon, Carl Craig, François K, Masters At Work, Idjut Boys, Mr Scruff, Crazy P, Disclosure, Make A Dance, Claptone, Paul Woolford, Dam Swindle, Mousse T.

BBC Radio 1 went crazy for it too with repeated plays from Pete Tong, Annie Mac, MistaJam, B.Traits, Danny Howard, Heidi and Monki.

Hammered everywhere from Love International to Sonar. ‘Almost like it’s come down from a different planet’ - Groove Armada

A decade later and it still sells out every time it gets repressed so to celebrate 10 Years Of Wonky, this special 10th anniversary edition arrives on transparent red vinyl with full colour jacket and sleeve notes from Red Rack’em telling the full story for the first time.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A beautifully folkloric story that doesn't dilute the floor-shaking force that Red Rack 'Em managed to harness. Almost alchemical in its execution - utilizing a few simple elements to shattering devastation. I've never seen this not go off when played.

TRACK LISTING

A1: Wonky Bassline Disco Banger
B1: Jazzy Extension
B2: Destined

Buoyed by the joy of creating their 2022 album - 'Confidence' - The Hoosiers are swaggering back through the saloon doors of the music industry with both barrels locked and loaded. Armed with their sixth album, Irwin Sparkes & Alan Sharland pick up where they left off; honing a more adult take on the jubilant sound that made a name for them back in 2007. Reflections between the duo probed the question of why even bother to make an album - at considerable cost - in an age with scant regard for the form? “The conversation that had been picked up with fans following 'Confidence' had taken on a momentum of its own and we were compelled not to lose something so valuable”, says Irwin. With 'Compassion', Al & Irwin wished to imbue the listener with this new-found sense of self-belief in what they do and who they are. This time the question of how to focus the album was handled in a novel way: “Releasing an album into the world is like releasing your intentions so we wanted to approach it as if we had a genie offering us one wish”, says Al Sharland. “On a personal and political level, it’s apparent that we could all do with more compassion."

"The way we talk to ourselves influencing how we talk to each other and thereby creating the world in which we live; this tied together the songs already written (‘Everybody Is A Little More Broken Than They Pretend To Be’, and ‘Don’t Hang Your Head’) with those that would be written with the concept of compassion in mind (‘Permission To Rest’). Perhaps where compassion is needed the most is when it comes to people who don’t share our values and this is what the title track ‘Compassion’ is grappling with. We love playing in this band more than ever and we feel so loved by the fans we have and this album is a big, stanky hug back to them”, clarifies Irwin. “We don’t just want to leave the world with better music than when we found it”, winks Al, “we want to leave it a more confident, compassionate spinning orb.

TRACK LISTING

1. Multiply
2. ⁠Automatic Glow
3. ⁠So High
4. Sleeping With The Light On
5. Compassion
6. Don’t Hang Your Head
7. ⁠Lonely Together
8. ⁠Jigsaw Heart
9. Everybody Is A Little More Broken Than They Pretend To Be
10. Man From The Magazine
11. Permission To Rest
12. The Final Piece Of The Puzzle

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2026 EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

Rachel will be bringing the 'Little House' EP to vinyl for the first time, with a beautiful green recycled vinyl edition of the EP. This will include the full EP tracklist including 'What A life' and the currently unreleased 'Little House' (All tracks will be released prior to the vinyl release). Little House, The critically acclaimed EP, on vinyl for the first time, exclusive to Record Store Day 2026.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2026 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 18TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM (BST) ON MONDAY APRIL 20th).

Special vinyl repress for RSD 2026 of the long sold out remix LP from 2016. 1000 copies worldwide on Pale Green vinyl. Standard LP packaging. The Race For Space / Remixes, eight tracks that tell the story of the USA and USSR's battle for supremacy in space, this time remixed by and through the lens of PSB's talented musical contemporaries. The album includes mixes from Field Music, Boxed In, Vessels, Dutch Uncles, Maps, Copy Paste Soul, Petar Dundov and Kauf. The Race For Space reached #11 in the UK album charts in its first week – with 5 weeks in the top 40 and 14 weeks in the top 100 – selling over 100k records worldwide since its release, recently achieving Gold status in the UK. J. Willgoose Esq. points out, "Even back when I was still writing this album, I was imagining the kind of remixes we could get and the artists who we'd ask. I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out; I think this is a really interesting and fresh (and in some cases mildly bonkers, a good thing in my book) reinterpretation of our songs and I'm looking forward to sharing it with our fans." Press quotes "This is the pinnacle of what PSB are trying to achieve, by breathing new life into dusty old relics, and it makes for truly magical, exhilarating listening" The 405. “Vividly conveys the triumph, the glamour and the tragedy of the space race” Album Of The Week. Time Out. “Rich and evocative, 'The Race For Space' is the sound of two young men gazing heavenwards and dreaming” Uncut. "Vibrates with poignancy and grandeur" Q. “Out of this world” The Observer ****. “A magnificent record” GQ. “A rocket-fuelled silver screen roller coaster… PSB are pushing the boundaries of what rock music can be” DIY. 

TRACK LISTING

1. E.V.A. [Vessels] 2. Tomorrow [Copy Paste Soul] 3. Go! [Kauf] 4. The Other Side [Maps] 5. Korolev [Field Music] 6. Sputnik [Petar Dundov] 7. Valentina (ft. Smoke Fairies) [Boxed In] 8 E.V.A. [Dutch Uncles]

English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Love began her musical career in the late 70s with the legendary Dolly Mixture, a group of three teenage friends who subverted pretty much every rock cliche imaginable with their bright, energetic DIY pop music and created the template for countless non-dude bands since. No one used the words post-punk or indiepop back then, but Dolly Mixture are in the DNA of both. Post Dolly Mixture, Rachel kept busy writing and playing music in various groups, leading in 2021 to 'Picture In Mind', an elegantly pastoral sunshine/folk/indie pop album co-produced with her late husband Steve Lovell.

Rachel's 2024 album 'Lyra' was written and recorded as she processed Steve's passing, joined by her sons David and Syd as players, with David also co-producing. Musically 'Lyra' is very much of a piece with 'Picture In Mind', surveying intimate folk-tinged pop, elegant atmospheres and gentle melodicism that perfectly complements the stately, sorrowful tunes. Songs like 'Without You', 'Fly Me Away' and 'April Love' are beautifully-effecting chamber pop, lush and dreamy odes to love, loss and family.

TRACK LISTING

1. Without You
2. Why
3. Sad And Lonely
4. Fly Me Away
5. Lyra’s Theme
6. April Love
7. I Lost Myself
8. What Was It For
9. Alone
10. All Across The World

English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Love began her musical career in the late 70s with the legendary Dolly Mixture, a group of three teenage friends who subverted pretty much every rock cliche imaginable with their bright, energetic DIY pop music and created the template for countless non-dude bands since. No one used the words postpunk or indiepop back then, but Dolly Mixture are in the DNA of both.

After Dolly Mixture wrapped-up in 1984 Rachel continued writing and playing music, but it wasn't until 2021 that she released the first record under her own name. 'Picture In Mind' is packed with lush, dreamy pop that sits comfortably between 60s sunshine pop and and the mod-ish sounds of groups like Saint Etienne and Broadcast. Tunes like 'Primrose Hill', 'Wandlebury' and 'Borrowed Time' drift by like daydreams, foregrounding Rachel's lovely voice and melodies. Co-produced with her late husband, Steve Lovell (Blur, Julian Cope), 'Picture In Mind' is minimal but never overly spare; rather it basks in a warm simplicity that feels like a tonic in these hectic times.

TRACK LISTING

1. Primrose Hill
2. Down The Line
3. No More
4. Dreaming
5. The Long Way Round
6. Far Away
7. Borrowed Time
8. Wandlebury
9. Easter Song
10. Look For The Gold

A bold analysis that exposes the racist policing of Black music. The emergence of UK drill music made headline news, portraying it as a criminal enterprise instead of recognising it as an art form. This new rap subgenre, however, is neither the first nor the only Black music to be targeted this way.

Policing the beats rewinds the tape to demonstrate how music has been used as an instrument for policing Black people, from the era of colonial slavery to the present day, revealing the racist legal processes that make crimes out of rhymes. This original and readable book offers the first in-depth account of the policing of Black music in Britain, highlighting the relationship between politics, culture and criminal (in)justice and inviting music lovers, scholars and activists to tune in.

The perfect soundtrack to your next doomscrolling session. A new double disc anthology set from Rephlex alumni Bogdan Raczynski, which pairs his critically-acclaimed 2024 album, 'You’re Only Young Once But You Can Stupid Forever', with the 2025 companion set (previously only available digitally), 'Slow Down Stupid'.

The main album is a collection of warmly melodic electronic sketches, with tracks alternately drifting beatless on the breeze or underpinned by lo-fi drums, sometimes barely held together with a delicate construction of odd synth patches and ping-pong percussion. Mojo called it ““a satisfyingly lo-fi, fragile creation, it’s a nuanced, multi-layered insight into Raczynski’s increasingly becalmed world.” whilst DJ Mag said “By stripping the music to the barest sketetal parts, he discovers a more subtle, yet equally confounding beauty. It’s one worth taking from start to finish.”

On the second disc, the producer stretches out the material into even more languid sonic pastures, a cheeky deconstruction of both the ‘slowed and reverbed’ phenomenon, and the endless relax/yoga/meditation app/playlist hustle beaming from one dystopian tech platform to the next.

TRACK LISTING

CD1 - You’re Only Young Once But You Can Stupid Forever:
1. Gearee
2. Newdiv
3. Fairalign
4. Coughyspns
5. Bangsaft
6. Djstus
7. Hundrecision
8. Zownthram
9. Visionsrevisions
10. Bowgh
11. Fallybli
12. Faq
13. Yewt
14. Shttwobe
15. Sicksicksicks
16. Deweyedair
17. Rew
18. Gauq

CD2 - Slow Down Stupid:
1. Order Is A Fig
2. Meant For Our Imagination
3. What Is Real Is Blood
4. The Lengths The Worst Will Go
5. To Say She Hates It
6. Say It Before
7. Say It After
8. If Smart Is In Charge
9. Let Me Be
10. Stupid Forever
11. Slow Down

'Grip Your Fist, I'm Heaven Bound' is the debut album from Michigan based seven-piece band, Racing Mount Pleasant, formerly known as Kingfisher.

TRACK LISTING

1. Intro (Shannondale Road)
2. Annie
3. Reichenbach Falls
4. Talus (Song For John)
5. Holy Hell
6. Snowing, All At Once
7. Grip Your Fist
8. Regulate
9. Heaven Bound, Home
10. Do You Think I'm Pretty

London’s gothic five-piece, Dog Race, unveil ‘Return The Day’ - a debut EP that drags you deep into the fog of burnout, codependency, and emotional stasis. Across five tracks, the band unspools the slow horror of fading joy and fractured identity, where insomnia bleeds into daylight and personal growth is sacrificed to keep others comfortable. Following the stark theatrics of ‘It’s The Squeeze’ and the icy operatic swell of ‘The Leader – which earned praise from BBC Radio 6, landed them in NME’s 2025 Top 100, and left Anthony Fantano in awe, placing It’s The Squeeze at #11 in his Best Singles of 2024 – the EP pushes further into the dark. Operatic vocals drift through modulated guitars and synths that crackle with unease. Produced by Ali Chant and released via Fascination Street Records, ‘Return The Day’ captures a band fully embracing psychological unrest and emotional paralysis. Dog Race may take their time, but they strike hard.

This EP is proof of that—cinematic, unnerving, and uncomfortably honest. "A soundscape born from sleepless nights, intrusive thoughts, and the quiet war between the mind and the world around me. Each track pulls at the threads of cultish beliefs and everyday expectations, exposing the weight they place on someone already battling inner turmoil."

TRACK LISTING

Side A:
Where The Barrel Meets The Badger
The Leader
Return The Day (Colours)

Side B:
40 Winks To Wyoming
It’s The Squeeze

Flirty Ghost is an evocative LP by Rachel Kitchlew, a jazz and contemporary harpist known for pushing the boundaries of her instrument. A blend of jazz, ambient, and experimental sounds, the album was crafted in a spontaneous, deeply personal atmosphere, recorded late at night in the cozy, smoky setting of SFJ headquarters.

Inspired by everything from Henry Mancini to Dorothy Ashby, this LP captures an eerie, playful essence, like a ‘flirty ghost’, while celebrating exploration and self-expression. The album holds emotional depth, particularly in tracks like ‘Truncate’ and ‘Cyclical’, which were recorded shortly after the passing of Rachel's grandmother, Sheila Horton, whose work is featured on the back cover.

With the collaboration of close friends and talented musicians, ‘Flirty Ghost’ represents a new chapter for Rachel, marking a joyful departure from her solo harp work into a collective, experimental musical journey.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Mammone - 4’00
A2. Panther Jam - 4’56
A3. Heady - 5’02
A4. Truncate - 3’54
B1. Cyclical - 4’02
B2. Opium Lounge - 6’14
B3. Leopard Slug - 4’25
B4. Heady Reprise - 1’42

"Disiniblud", the thrilling new collaborative album project from the composers/producers/multi-instrumentalists Rachika Nayar and Nina Keith.

Rachika and Nina meet on complementary but seemingly disparate musical grounds. On her 2022 breakout LP 'Heaven Come Crashing', Rachika departed from her usual ambient guitar in favor of maximalist synths, sub-bass, and flickers of Amen breaks. Her distinct fusion of post-rock and electronica earned her accolades as Pitchfork's Best New Music, on several best of the year lists (The New York Times, Stereogum, Fader, GQ, Bandcamp, etc), and as the opening act on tour with M83. Nina, meanwhile, is best known for her self-trained approach to composition, as evident on her 2019 debut 'MARANASATI 19111' and its delicate medley of cello, piano, clarinet, and flute, used to explore a personal history marked by community tragedy and paranormal incidents.

On 'Disiniblud', the two’s self-described “wordless conversation,” orbits such themes as mortality, reinvention through destruction, and sublimating fractured histories into music—all resulting in a work that suggests sweeping transformation can come from embracing old wounds with childlike wonder. Nina envisions this as she and Rachika's younger selves packing a satchel, holding hands, and daring one another to run away into a place of "wounds and wonder," only to discover an unforeseeable magic in an amalgam of post-rock, glitchy indie electronica, ambient, and pop genres in this co-created realm.

'Disiniblud' features guest appearances from Julianna Barwick, Tujiko Noriko, Cassandra Croft, ASPIDISTRAFLY, Katie Dey, June McDoom and Ponytail's Willy Siegel.

TRACK LISTING

1. Give-upping (ft. Julianna Barwick)
2. Blue Rags, Raging Wind (ft. Amigone)
3. Serpentine (ft. Cassandra Croft)
4. No More To See (ft. June McDoom)
5. [it Could Happen]
6. It's Change (ft. Willy Siegel, Katie Dey & Julianna Barwick)
7. Traces In The Window (ft. ASPIDISTRAFLY)
8. Whole30 Fight Club
9. Disiniblud
10. [as Is Most (bimbo It Out)]
11. My Flickering Gift To You (ft. Tujiko Noriko)

THIS YEARS BANGER IS HERE! After last years crossover smasher ‘Italo Disco Banger’, which picked up love from DJ Harvey, Gerd Janson and Fatboy Slim, Red Rack’em has been back in the lab, cooking up this years contribution to his ever growing, genre hopping series of ‘Bangers’. He’s hit discotheque paydirt once more with the euphoric tropical disco house burner vibes of ‘Secret Banger’. The feedback has been insane with early support from a wide range of tastemakers including Make A Dance, Nikki Nair, Luke Una, Boris Dlugosch and Gallegos, it’s a crossover, summer magic jam, perfect for those Adriatic or Balearic mornings. Secret Banger is an instant classic. Perfectly pitched for festival sunshine and late night heads down parties. It’s a ‘moment’ track, combining the biggest vocal hook this side of Daft Punk, ecstasy pads, tropical boogie strut and the trademark Rack’em club shaking sub bass. Secret Banger is a sureshot, guaranteed to give eyes closed moments to even the most frosty dancefloors. Monday is ostensibly ‘the deeper B Side cut’ but it’s also a certy club wrecker. Samples are being mad flipped people. A wacked out street soul snippet is sliced and diced before the track mutates into a huge pitched down late night jaw bothering incantation. The OG sample is hard cut into the track like a more clever than most DJ on the decks. You need this.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Secret Banger
B1. Monday

Som, Sangue e Raça is still one of the milestones in Brazilian music. The music of Dom Salvador e Abolição is a funky and smooth blend of samba, soul, rock, jazz, forro and baião. The band’s sound was a major influence on the successful group Banda Black Rio. Som, Sangue e Raça still stands out for its catchy and groovy melodies and shows the wide range of the band. All this makes this samba/soul classic a must for all mu- sic collectors.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Uma Vida
2. Guanabara
3. Hei! Você
4. Som, Sangue E Raça
5. Tema Pro Gaguinho
6. O Rio

SIDE B
1. Evo
2. Number One
3. Folia De Reis
4. Moeda, Reza E Cor
5. Samba Do Malandrinho
6. Tio Macrô

Straight out of Tokyo, the illusive Guchon steps up for the next release on Feelings Worldwide.

One for the heads who like to stay up late and get down with their games consoles, the EP is packed with dance floor curveball material.

Super fun vibes throughout, a slab of Japanese bubblegum pop-house with some bonus breaks and a remix from cult hero Chrissy of Chicago Smartbar fame.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Raccoon Hill
A2. Raccoon Hill (Chrissy Remix)
B1. Liquid Wands
B2. Final Home

A collection of warmly melodic electronic sketches, with tracks alternately drifting beatless on the breeze or underpinned by lo-fi drums, sometimes barely held together with a delicate construction of odd synth patches and ping-pong percussion. Each piece is short and to the point, a record of perfect miniatures. Whilst this description may sound utopian, the album is conceived around themes of late stage capitalist brutality, hyper consumerism, online doom and alogorhithmic apocalypse. Beauty in the face of planetary collapse and 24/7 livestreamed genocide.

Rumoured to have been discovered by Aphex Twin sleeping on a park bench in Tokyo, Raczynski first appeared on the scene in 1999 with 3 albums in that year alone. He went on to explore hallucinatory, bassbin-rattling IDM, outsider junglism and traditional Polish folk music amongst other paths, collaborated with Björk, produced a soundtrack for a PlayStation game, and remixed the likes of Autechre, Jonsi, and CLIPPING. In 2019, Disciples began looking after his Rephlex era catalogue, putting together the Rave 'Till You Cry compilation of unreleased gold from the vaults, and reissuing his classic Samurai Math Beats LP. His last studio album, ADDLE, came out on Planet Mu in 2022.

"Bogdan was a massive inspiration for some of my tracks on the Drukqs album, the fact he was doing it all on a shit PC tracker… totally amazing. This was before 99.9 percent of people used the computer for everything. His records are so underrated." - Aphex Twin

TRACK LISTING

1. Gearee
2. Newdiv
3. Fairalign
4. Coughyspns
5. Bangsaft
6. Djstus
7. Hundrecision
8. Zownthram
9. Visionsrevisions
10. Bowgh
11. Fallybli
12. Faq
13. Yewt
14. Shttwobe
15. Sicksicksicks
16. Deweyedair
17. Rew
18. Gauq

Dublin-born singer and composer Rachael Lavelle’s debut album ‘Big Dreams’, released via her Rest Energy label, has quickly seen her become recognised as one of Ireland’s most exciting emerging talents.

It’s seen the album receive a nomination for Ireland’s prestigious Choice Music Prize Album of the Year. Lavelle has also been tapped up to tour with breakthrough Irish trailblazers Lankum and CMAT, as a musical guest on The Adam Buxton Podcast Live, as well as taking part in the Sorcha Richardson curated ‘Imagining Ireland’ at The Barbican in London and National Concert Hall in Dublin alongside SOAK, Ye Vagabonds, Aby Coulibaly and more.

‘Big Dreams’ is an existential coming-of-age album that chronicles the journey of a young woman searching for direction and meaning in a very strange world. Inspired by sounds of everyday life and an intriguing obsession with YouTube self-help videos, the album explores romance, directionless-ness, ambition and the expectations of the unsatisfied digital native. ‘Big Dreams’ is an introspective journey that invites the listener to ask what it means to be alive in the 21st century.

Floating in a world that is at once full of irony and honesty, Rachael examines the essential things: sleeping, eating, work and the search for love, reimagining them in a dream-like musical landscape of luscious synths, manipulated vocals, cinematic sound design, strings, woodwind and electronic beats. A wry sense of humour peppered throughout is glued together by the iconic voice of Doireann Ní Bhriain, the voice of the Luas transport system in Dublin.

Recorded in various locations between Ireland and Portugal, the album is the result of years of experimentation and destruction. Written and produced by Lavelle, it was created alongside long-time collaborator, multi-instrumentalist and co-producer Ryan Hargadon (moondiver, Anna Mieke, Kojaque) and engineer and co-producer Alex Borwick (Niamh Regan, Inni-K).

TRACK LISTING

1. Travel Size
2. Let Me Unlock Your Full Potential
3. Soft Colour Palettes
4. Eat Clean
5. Gratitude
6. Perpetual Party
7. My Simple Pleasures
8. Night Train
9. Sleepy Gal
10. Big Dreams

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2024 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 20TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 8PM ON MONDAY APRIL 22ND.

Recorded live at Racket, NYC on October 19th 2023. Previously only available as a bonus disc on the 2CD version of Hackney Diamonds, the band's first studio album since 2005. Heavyweight solid white vinyl.

In 1979, 2 Tone exploded into the national conscience as records by The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat, and The Bodysnatchers burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born.

2 Tone was black and white: a multi-racial force of British and Caribbean island musicians singing about social issues, racism, class and gender struggles. It spoke of injustices in society and took fight against right wing extremism.

The music of 2 Tone was exuberant: white youth learning to dance to the infectious rhythm of ska and reggae; and crossed with a punk attitude to create an original hybrid. The idea of 2 Tone was born in Coventry, masterminded by a middle-class art student raised in the church. Jerry Dammers had a vision of an English Motown. Borrowing £700, the label's first record featured 'Gangsters' by The Specials' backed by an instrumental track by the, as yet, unformed, Selecter. Within two months the single was at number six in the national charts. Dammers signed Madness, The Beat and The Bodysnatchers as a glut of successive hits propelled 2 Tone onto Top of the Pops and into the hearts and minds of a generation. However, soon infighting amongst the bands and the pressures of running a label caused 2 Tone to bow to an inevitable weight of expectation and recrimination.

Still under the auspices of Jerry Dammers, 2 Tone entered in a new phase. Perhaps not as commercially successful as its 1979-1981 incarnation the label nevertheless continued to thrive for a further four years releasing a string of fresh signings and a stunning endpiece finale in '(Free) Nelson Mandela'.

Told in three parts, Too Much Too Young is the definitive story of a label that for a brief, bright burning moment, shaped British culture.

Race The Night, the band’s eighth studio album, is released via one of their earliest label homes Fierce Panda. With 29 years, 18 hit singles, seven studio albums and an unfathomable number of tour dates since their appearance on the label’s 1994 Crazed And Confused compilation, Race The Night is both a party with old friends and a message to leap into the present with arms wide open.

Fitting then that the lead single should be the album’s title-track, with its super-charged and widescreen anthemia being the perfect primer for a record that has melodies to spare. “Before the shadows let us go, and it’s too late, to race the night” sings lead vocalist and guitarist Tim Wheeler as the band feel the heat of obsession on their backs and motor away to grab hold of opportunity.

Wheeler comments: “Race the Night is the sound of the band revelling in the sheer joy of being a band after being separated by time and distance through the insanity of the early 2020s. Lyrically it's all about seizing the crossroads moments in life with both hands. Take every chance as if it could be your last.”

Continuing about the video he says: “Race the Night video is the product from the fevered mind of long time friend and horror director Jed Shepherd. He's taken a song about seizing the moment and had the band seized by a super fan who proceeds to force the band into doing her bidding. Enjoy the Misery…”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I kind of feel like i've grown up with Ash at this point, and there's still something wildly nostalgic that triggers whenever I hear the start of their debut LP, '1977'. It's some comfort then that verging on 30 years later, we're still presented with a heavy, unmistakeable but also undeniably unique Ash offering. Huge melodies, hints of melancholy and loads of drive. Exactly the ticket.

TRACK LISTING

1. Race The Night
2. Usual Places
3. Reward In Mind
4. Oslo (feat. Démira)
5. Like A God
6. Peanut Brain
7. Crashed Out Wasted
8. Braindead
9. Double Dare
10. Over & Out
11. Like A God (Reprise)

Expanded CD Bonus Tracks:
12. Race The Night (Acoustic)
13. Usual Places (Acoustic)
14. Reward In Mind (Acoustic)
15. Peanut Brain (Acoustic)
16. Oh Yeah (Teenage Years) [The Subways Cover]
17. Like A God (Extended Version)
18. Race The Night (Antosh V Ash Remix)

Review from 2006:
I'm sure you know the score with these guys anyway, but just incase you don't: The Raconteurs consist of Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler from The Greenhornes, Brendan Benson and Jack White. While each of these four individuals have had successful careers with their own bands, the culmination of all of their talents is what truly makes The Raconteurs a force to be reckoned with. The quartet convened at Benson's East Grand Studio to lay down the basic tracks for "Broken Boy Soldiers". Work would continue whenever the boys could get together over the next year - although actual recording only took a couple of weeks in total. The album draws influences from early blues (as you'd expect from the line-up), along classic rock from the 60s to the present day. From the ready-made, radio-friendly quality built into songs like "Steady, As She Goes", to the explosive tenacity of "Store Bought Bones", all the way down to the lullabies that encompass the full length recording, The Raconteurs are more than capable of conquering any genre challenge or tale that they encounter. After all, a raconteur is, by definition, a deft storyteller. And now a new story is unfolding.

Review from 2008:
'With this release, The Raconteurs are forgoing the usual months of lead time for press and radio set up, as well as forgoing the all important 'first week sales'. We wanted to explore the idea of releasing an album everywhere at once and THEN marketing and promoting it thereafter. The Raconteurs would rather this release not be defined by it's first weeks sales, pre-release promotion, or by someone defining it FOR YOU before you get to hear it. Another purpose was to also allow people to have their own choice as to exactly which format they would like to hear the album in IMMEDIATELY, rather than having to wait for their favorite format to become available. The band are also not releasing any version of this record that contains bonus tracks. Musically this album will be the same as the band created it no matter what format it is purchased in (The sound quality of each format however, is a different story. The Raconteurs recommend hearing it on vinyl, but the choice is of course up to the listener).'
Sincerely, The Raconteurs.

Following the release of the Love Is Still Alive EP, the legendary Slovenian group Laibach presents their brand new album and soundtrack for IRON SKY : THE COMING RACE.

The Coming Race (dir. Timo Vuorensola, 2019), was the follow-up to the film Iron Sky (2012) in which Nazis plot to take over the world after lying dormant in a secret military base on the dark side of the moon. Laibach were commissioned to compose the music for the Finnish dark comedy, which achieved cult-status and raised more than $1 million via crowdfunding, with their original soundtrack being widely acclaimed.

The Coming Race see’s humanity trying to survive on the former Nazi moon base, but as supplies are running low, a small band of survivor’s journey to the hollow Earth's core where a power is buried that could save or destroy mankind. Along the way they must fight an ancient shape-shifting reptilian race to save humanity.

This soundtrack is as epic and cinematic as the first, providing a musical journey of orchestral scores with bonus songs featured on the CD and download, including the track ‘The Coming Race’ that adds Slovenian Grammy winner Amaya’s powerful vocals into the Laibach mix.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Title Sequence
A2 Neomenia Moon Base
A3 Moonquake
A4 The Jobsists
A5 Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
A6 Renate And Obi
A7 Vestal Celestial Amelia
A8 Moon Führer Is Back
A9 Vril-ya
A10 Back To Earth / Crash Landing
A11 Hollow Earth
A12 3310 Blue R7309170
A13 The Promised Land
A14 The City Of Agartha, Pt. 1
A15 The Vril Banquet Hall, Pt. 1

B1 The Vril Banquet Hall, Pt. 2
B2 The City Of Agartha, Pt. 2
B3 First Among Steves
B4 Malcolm Fights Raptors
B5 The Gate To The Holy Grail
B6 Malcolm Fights Vril Jobs And Vril Hitler
B7 The Triceratops Chariot Race
B8 Escape From Earth
B9 Sieg Heil, Mutterfückers!
B10 Zeit Zum Töten
B11 Renate Dies
B12 Escape From The Moon / IExcommunicating Wolfgang

Big Black was started by Steve Albini in 1982 while he was attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Lungs, the first Big Black release was recorded by Steve on a borrowed 4-track. He played everything on the EP himself - except the sax bleating courtesy of pal John Bohnen and the drums courtesy of Roland. Soon after, Steve recruited Jeff Pezzati (Naked Raygun) on bass, and Santiago Durango (also Naked Raygun) joined them on guitar. In 1983, together with live drummer Pat Byrne, they recorded the Bulldozer EP. By 1984, the band had done some touring and recorded the Racer X EP and the start of the Il Duce 7". After that, Jeff returned to Naked Raygun and was replaced by Dave Riley. In 1985, Big Black recorded their first full-length, Atomizer, as well as finishing the Il Duce 7". Atomizer was released in 1986 along with the release of the Hammer Party compilation CD. In 1987, the Headache EP and Heartbeat 7" were released. That same year, the band recorded and released the 7" of The Model/He's A Whore as well as their second full-length album, Songs About Fucking. They toured extensively (for Big Black). And they broke up.

TRACK LISTING

1. Racer X
2. Shotgun
3. The Ugly American
4. Deep Six
5. Sleep!
6. The Big Payback

There’s something almost magical about a great collaboration. When two artists are able to synchronize on an infinitesimal level, where each note and breath and strum aligns to create a perfect whole. The Colorist Orchestra know how to do this — in fact, they’ve made it their speciality. Since 2013, the Belgian duo (comprised of multi-instrumentalists and longtime friends Aarich Jespers and Kobe Proesmans) have made a career out of reimagining the discographies of a wide array of artists, using their background in pop, electronic, and world music to transform the songs.

Recently, they have reconnected with acclaimed Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilina Torrini, with whom they first collaborated in 2018 on the album The Colorist Orchestra & Emiliana Torrini. This time, however, their project exceeded even their own expectations.

In 2023, The Colorist Orchestra and Emiliana will release Racing the Storm, a joint record that takes both artists to towering new heights. An album of all original material, it melds TCO’s classical chamber pop roots with the power and fragility of Emiliana’s understated songwriting.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A thoroughly hypnotic selection of classical-leaning electronic lounge business here from the wonderful Colorist Orchestra, all topped with Emilíana Torrini's beguiling vocal charms. Racing The Storm is clearly an album steeped in influence, but what comes out at the end could only have been made by this pairing. Beautiful.

TRACK LISTING

Mikos
You Left Me In Bloom
Hilton
Dove
Wedding Song
Right Here
Smoke Trails
A Scene From A Movie
The Illusion Curse
Racing The Storm
Lonesome Fears

Race 'N Rhythm was originally a 12 member jazz group out of Oakland. The members were multiracial, which inspired the name.

The group was managed by jazz-master Rudolph Peters. He also owned the small Oakland based record label "Northstar Records." After playing the local jazz circuit for a few years, the group decided to put out their first and only 7" single. Luckily for Race 'N Rhythmthey were under the guidance of Harvey Scales's right hand "William Scott Harralson.", William was a brilliant soul pianist and songwriter. Aside from all the work he did with Harvey Scales, he also co-produced two amazing Bay Area record grails; 'Debravon Lewis - The Little Things" and 'The Stars - (We Are The Star's)'.

With the local success of the single, the group signed on to record a full album titled "Album One". Members Sharon Nance and Gerald Goudeau worked closely together, finding romance, and eventually they got married. They became the driving force behind the groups further success. For decades Race 'N Rhythm played and toured Japan, Canada and all the United States. Sharon and Gerald continued working together until Sharon's passing last October.

TRACK LISTING

1. Space Saver
2. Candybar Superstar

Wildly creative free-form songwriter Rachael Dadd releases her brand new studio album ‘Kaleidoscope’ via Memphis Industries and follows 2019’s 'Flux', which was released to much acclaim and which she was touring when the pandemic struck.

Like so many people disconnected from their communities and struggling through the lockdowns, Rachael Dadd turned inwards, seeking escape through music and connection through song writing, and her hope is that when people listen to ‘Kaleidoscope' “they will feel held and find space to breathe, grieve and celebrate.”

“This album is a lot more honest and personal than ‘Flux'” she shares, “but I feel the songs are universal as they are largely rooted in truth and love. If I had to pick a favourite album it would be this one because of the magical rekindling of human connection when me and my band got back in a room together again. All that magic went into these songs."

Co-produced "intuitively, boldly, and playfully" by Rachael and Rob Pemberton (The Staves, Emily Barker, Maja Lena), ‘Kaleidoscope’ includes musical collaborators such as Maja Lena (Low Chimes), long-time collaborator Emma Gatrill (Willy Mason), Alex Heane (bass), Charlotte West (synths), Alex Garden (strings) and ‘Flux’ producer Marcus Hamblett (Villagers, James Holden, The Staves), giving the record "just the right colour combination, just the right pattern of shapes, plenty of space where needed and finally landing in a sound world that feels fresh and open and true” reflects Rachael.

Japanese aesthetics absorbed from her time spent living there are subconsciously woven into Rachael’s songs. "I first stepped foot in Tokyo in 2008, sparked by the adventure of such a rich and different culture and later on I lived on a small island and experienced an appealing and balanced way of life: the aesthetics, the art and the traditions,” she recalls. “There was a lot of caring for each other, a lot of gentleness, and a lot of simple living in harmony with nature. Japan left its cultural mark on me and is now part of my inner world and I’m sure this comes out with the words and music I write”.

“But overall” Rachael explains “this is an album of homecoming and reconnecting to my own truth, to my community here, to the earthy land that I love and to the sky that I know.”

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Children Of The Galaxy
Footsteps
Moon Sails
Ox
Ghost
Side B
River Spirit
Heads Down
For Honey And Ray
White Snow
Swift
Join The Dots

Dinked Edition Bonus CD
The Bridge (feat Kate Stables – This Is The Kit)
Fronds
Crystalizing In Time
Fences (feat Rozi Plain)

Planet Mu presents ‘ADDLE’ – Bogdan Raczynski’s first album of new music in 15 years. Marking a change from the high-octane jungle tekno braindance for which he is most commonly known, here we find the Polish American musician in a more melodic and zen-like place of peace, which is ergonomic and decluttered, whilst also bittersweet and tinged with melancholy. ‘ADDLE’ is closest in spirit to 2001’s tender ‘myloveilove’, or the light-hearted ditties of this year’s ‘BANANS’ EP, but is also a markedly new milestone. A robust and bottom-heavy rhythm section juxtaposes with sad electronic tear jerkers, at points laced with the soft cooing wail of his vocals, which are loaded with a haunting, heavy and almost wounded emotion. Bogdan comments “Calm is great. You need to take a breather in the eye of the storm now and then. But the real growth happens in turbulence, when your feelings oscillate in and out of sync. It’s not dry land you’re after. You’re trying to build a new island while on a piddly raft. Beleaguered and weary you lay the foundation with your bare hands while the rain lashes your back; a new place for you and yours to moor yourself to until the next storm hits. ‘ADDLE’ is about that storm, its adjacent periphery, and what you look like, in and out, when you set foot. As space and time push against you, that process of adapting becomes an anchor. Among that state of being addled, out of flow, seemingly untethered, there is beauty.”

Although less unhinged and riotous than some of his previous work, ‘ADDLE’ is no less impactful. Lean, punchy and purposeful, this seemingly simple combination of beats and melody belies a razor sharp skill, which bursts with verve and virtuosity. Across its eight unique and moving tracks the listener experiences tenderness, feelings somewhere between unease and comfort, and a sense of reflection, with Bogdan seemingly gazing at twinkling stars, but with his view distorted by welling-up. Sonically, spaces range from razor-sharp choppage, juddering heavyweight head-nodders, bit-crushed siren squall and something akin to Philip Glass’ ‘Candyman’ score played through a high-tech-fairy-tale music box. There’s also a warming, life-affirming moment as close to deep house as Bogdan will ever comfortably get, neck-snapping metallic percussion, Casiotone on steroids and reverberant warehouse throb. Booming drum machines are a prominent factor too – reminiscent of early hip hop instrumentals – but spirited off somewhere, lost in purgatory. Bogdan Raczynski (born 1977) is a Polish-American electronic musician. Raczynski’s work draws inspiration from the chaotic breakbeats of jungle and hardcore rave as well as traditional Polish music and other sources. He has collaborated with Bjork, remixed Autechre, CLPNG and Jonsi from Sigur Ross, and toured with Aphex Twin, who commented how “his records are so underrated.” Bogdan was also a roster mainstay of Richard James’s seminal Rephlex label, with additional releases on Warp, Ghostly, Disciples and Unknown to the Unknown. A keen proponent of tech, he created a sample pack using pollution and recently collaborated with Polyend on a custom made banana-themed tracker.

TRACK LISTING

2LP
A:
1/LADDE
2/DLEDA
3/DLAED

B:
1/ELDDA
2/EADLD

C:
1/LDDAE
2/ADLDE

D:
1/ALDDE

The Senior Service returns with a brand new 10” for 2022. A year or so ago, The Senior Service decided that it wanted to add a little more to its well-honed instrumental sound. On one slightly drunken night out, they approached local songwriter and chanteuse Rachel Lowrie and asked if she’d like to perform guest vocals on some specially written new material. By this time, Rachel had supplied impressive ‘pipework’ on quite a few Medway records so the band was confident that she’d be able to deliver – the band was right. Following a lengthy hiatus in activity due to lockdown restrictions, The Senior Service was finally able to get together to record the new songs, so they piled into Ranscombe Studios to crack on. It soon became apparent that they’d lost none of the chemistry that had made them such a powerful musical collective and the instrumental backing tracks were laid down with relative ease.

It was when Rachel arrived and sprinkled vocal sugar over the tracks that they really began to shine! Intuitively, she understood the approach needed and delivered a made-to-measure performance for each song. this collection includes four original tracks penned by the band plus two rollicking covers of lesser-known instrumentals; John Schroeder’s take on ‘Lovin’ You Girl’ – a slinky slice of lounge grooviness, given a slightly chunkier sound, informed by the band’s musical aesthetic, and ‘Mysterious Land’ – The Chris Lamb Orchestra’s little heard filmic masterpiece; a track seemingly tailor-made for the band to get its musical chops around. So, we invite you to spend ‘A Little More Time with The Senior Service’

TRACK LISTING

1/Everyone's Stranger Than Me
2/Seasons Of My Mind
3/Lovin' You Girl
4/Just A Little Time
5/If You're Not There
6/Mysterious Land

The classic second line up of The Fall, classic material too. Mark E. Smith (vocals), Martin Bramah (guitar), Tony Friel (bass), Una Baines (keyboards), Karl Burns (drums). Tony Friel’ s last gig before he went off to join Dick Witts in The Passage. The Fall set was recorded on cassette by Chris Hewitt , a copy was given to Bernie Wilcox RAR gig organiser who passed it on to Mark. Mark thought it was such an important gig recording despite not being brilliant quality that he asked Chis could The Fall release it – so it first appeared on CD in 1999. In 2013 Mark E Smith told Chris Hewitt it was now due a release on vinyl and would he sort it out on Ozit. It has taken a bit of time since Mark’s suggestion but here it is.

TRACK LISTING

Side One

1 Psycho Mafia
2 Last Orders
3 Repetition
4 Dresden Dolls
5 Hey Fascist
6 Frightened
7 Industrial Estate.

Side Two

1 Stepping Out
2 Bingo Masters Breakout
3 Oh Brother
4 Cop It
5 Futures And Pasts
6 Louie Louie 

‘Sun Racket’ is the brand new album from legendary Boston trio Throwing Muses, consisting of Kristin Hersh, David Narcizo and Bernard Georges. The follow up to 2013’s ‘Purgatory/Paradise’ is an outpouring of modal guitars, reverbed shapes, echoey drums and driving bass set behind Kristen Hersh’s well-thumbed notebook of storylines. A ten-song opus of suitably wrought tales set against a wall of sound that’s at once calm and ethereal before building into glorious cacophonous crescendos. When Throwing Muses wrote their last album, they were shattered. Pieces were coming and going, elements repeating and charging the whole. “It sounded beautiful jumping around like that”.

Two-minute songs reappearing as twisted instrumentals or another song’s bridge. They mimicked the effect live which kept them on their toes. Whatever was happening was already over in other words. ‘Sun Racket’ is the opposite. It refused to do anything but sit still. It says, “sit here and deal”. “All it asked of us was to comingle two completely disparate sonic vocabularies: one heavy noise, the other delicate music box. Turns out we didn’t have to do much. Sun Racket knew what it was doing and pushed us aside, which is always best. After thirty years of playing together, we trust each other implicitly but we trust the music more” - Kristin Hersh And so, they continue. Business unusual.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Throwing Muses bring us their newest selection of gritty, fuzzed-out rock and / or roll, classic rock tinged melodies and deep, bluesy grooves. It's an intoxicating and exciting mix, and one that hasn't tempered any over time.

TRACK LISTING

1 Dark Blue
2 Bywater
3 Maria Laguna
4 Bo Diddley Bridge
5 Milk At Mcdonald’s
6 Upstairs Dan
7 St Charles
8 Frosting
9 Kay Catherine
10 Sue's

Grammy-winning artist RAC (Andre Allen Anjos) returns with his highly anticipated new album “BOY”, released on Counter Records following his 2017 release “Ego”. Stand alone single is a cover of the iconic early 2000s hit “Never Let You Go” from Third Eye Blind featuring singer, songwriter, DJ and record producer Matthew Koma and his actress wife Hilary Duff.

Recommended if you like… Odesza, Classixx, Goldroom, St Lucia, Sigala, Rudimental, Tourist, Elderbrook, Big Wild, Jai Wolf, Sigma, Louis The Child

TRACK LISTING

LP:
SIDE A
A1. Rapariga
A2. Boomerang (ft. Luna Shadows)
A3. MIA (ft. Danny Dwyer)
A4. Passion (ft. Louis The Child)
SIDE B
B1. Sweater (ft. Maddie Jay)
B2. Next To You (ft. Emerson Leif)
B3. Toulouse (ft. Minke)
SIDE C
C1. Gomas
C2. Stuck On You (ft. Phil Good)
C3. Together (ft. Evalyn)
C4. Carefree (ft. LeyeT)
C5. Oakland (ft. Winnetka Bowling
League)
SIDE D
D1. Arcoíris
D2. Solo (ft. Gothic Tropic)
D3. Get A Life (ft. Instupendo)
D4. Change The Story (ft. Jamie Lidell)
D5. Dolores Park
D6. Better Days (ft. St. Lucia)

CD
1. Rapariga
2. Boomerang (ft. Luna Shadows)
3. MIA (ft. Danny Dwyer)
4. Passion (ft. Louis The Child)
5. Sweater (ft. Maddie Jay)
6. Next To You (ft. Emerson Leif)
7. Toulouse (ft. Minke)
8. Gomas
9. Stuck On You (ft. Phil Good)
10. Together (ft. Evalyn)
11. Carefree (ft. LeyeT)
12. Oakland (ft. Winnetka Bowling League)
13. Arcoíris
14. Solo (ft. Gothic Tropic)
15. Get A Life (ft. Instupendo)
16. Change The Story (ft. Jamie Lidell)
17. Dolores Park
18. Better Day

Big Stick's recordings resonate among a wide cross section of so-called "alternative," rock, pop, punk and industrial music enthusiasts - their new Christmas release proves it's still difficult to pigeonhole or categorize Big Stick down to one particular genre of the various music scenes.

Big Stick's John Gill says, "I honestly never thought I'd write a Christmas song, but I felt compelled to share the story of what happened to me at the age of five. There was even a photograph taken (featured on the record cover) to prove the slightly humorous, though somewhat heart warming childhood story, of the day when my folks took me to the local shopping mall and I wound up sitting on what was a visibly 'Sauced Up Santa's' lap." Hence, the title track "SAUCED UP SANTA" that's featured in both regular and extended versions on this, Big Stick's first ever Christmas themed EP release. Gill adds, "When the photo of me sitting on an extremely inebriated shopping mall Santa's lap surfaced in my family photo album many years later in my life, I simply had to write a song about it. I activated my memory banks to recall that distant December day of my childhood and put it into song."

The song isn't a derogatory diss of the intoxicated Santa, rather, it's more of a song expressing grace, forgiveness and humility, highlighting the fact that despite Santa being “sauced up,” he was still as friendly and jovial as his alcohol-affected faculties would permit. Gill explains, "It's not meant to be a judgemental song, it's more of a heartfelt, sentimental Christmas song, telling of a time when I recall the innocent joy of that day, the warmth of my family, the loving congeniality and a feeling of harmony and peace.” Big Stick's Yanna Trance and John Gill agreed that since "SAUCED UP SANTA" is reminiscent of a childhood memory, it would only be fitting to add a touch of aural authenticity by assembling a choir of children to perform on the song's choruses. Yanna is credited with conducting and coaching the children's choir. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Sauced Up Santa
2. Christmas Island
3. The Boisterous Birds Of Christmas Eve
4. Sauced Up Santa (Extended Version)
5. Christmas Island (Tremolo Violinist Mix)
6. Christmas Island (Enchanted Ethereal Mix)

Contemporary folk multi-instrumentalist Rachael Dadd is set to release her new album “Flux” on Memphis Industries on the 8th November 2019. Produced with Marcus Hamblett (Villagers / Laura Marling), “Flux” is a response to external and internal tides: the flow of life uprooted; a protest against the flow of recent political history and a diary of the flow within the intimate space of home.

Collaborators include multi-instrumentalist Emma Gatrill (Willie Mason / Matthew and the Atlas), drummer Rob Pemberton (Emily Barker / Low Chimes), bassist Jim Barr (Portishead) and vocalists Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) and Rozi Plain. Flux follows Rachael’s highly acclaimed album “We Resonate” which came out on Talitres and Sweetdreams Press, and a string of international releases on Broken Sound, Lost Map, Sweetdreams Press and Angel’s Egg. Living half her time as a travelling musician in Japan, witnessing how other people create things, connecting with other cultures and landscapes; all this is a furnace for Rachael’s innovative song writing, which has seen her gain a reputation as a pioneering and thought provoking artist, unafraid to push the boundaries of folk and pop.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There are moments in 'Flux' of such whimsical beauty that hark back to the early days of American psychedelic folk, with plucking guitars and Dadd's gorgous vox. It's the more soulful pieces here that really impress, soaring and weaving in equal measure, providing a fascinating but cohesive listen. Lovely stuff.

TRACK LISTING

1. Arrows
2. Cut My Roots
3. Beacon
4. Two Islands
5. Language Of Water
6. Animal
7. Palaeontologist
8. Super Moon Machine
9. Knot
10. Two Coiled Springs
11. Connected To The Rock

It's been fifteen years since Big Stick's last proper record release. That's an even longer period of time than some winged cicada bugs take to rise from the deep depths of earth and sing us their noisy repertoire of songs. Big Stick's dynamic duo of John Gill and Yanna Trance are pleased to finally have a new LP's worth of material to share. This new album is simply titled LP. It's a long playing collection of Big Stick selections cultivated over several years.

This release is a joint effort between Big Stick's new Drag Racing Underground record label and Forte Music Distribution. Gill and Trance performed most of the vocals and instrumentation on the album's fifteen tracks. Some of Big Stick's musician friends appear on select songs. Much of the recording was done at their own studio, using a vintage Otari MX-70 16-track analog tape machine. Big Stick are self-produced. Gill plays guitar and keyboard. Trance performs percussion, bass, and keyboards. Both of the duo write and compose.

Big Stick's new LP includes a retrospective collage of Big Stick photographs and images, along with photos of Gill's and Trance's artwork as well as liner notes describing curious facts and trivia related to the duo and the featured songs. This long playing release is available on 12" vinyl & CD. Both formats include a special bonus "SOME OF BEST OF BIG STICK" EP CD with ten 'classic' Big Stick tracks.

Some appreciation of the guest musicians who've contributed to this new release...Fred Schneider of the B52s has long expressed a desire to record with Big Stick. John and Yanna have always admired Fred's unique vocal approach, so when they penned "HOT SAUCE" it seemed like an appropriate time to bring in Fred. Another admired vocalist is Groovie Mann from My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult. In the mid-90's Big Stick toured with the industrial pioneers. Big Stick wrote "VENOMOUS VOODOO PRINCESS" as a duet for Groovie and Yanna. The track also features longtime friend Tom Timko on bari sax. Timko also plays on "MARLIN IN A MAIDEN'S DRESS." Tom's credits include gigs with Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder, among others. John and Yanna have an endearing friendship with Jerry A of Poison Idea. Jerry contributes vocals on "DARLING RAVEN." Drummer Johnny Kelly of Type O Negative notoriety is a like-minded hot rodding friend who hangs out at the local drags with Big Stick. Kelly handles the drums on "HOOCHIE EXPRESS." Other musicians featured on selected tracks include “first lady of sass brass” Paula Henderson on bari sax, “the man of sensual trombone” Dave Smoota Smith, Satoru Ohashi and Alicia Rau on torrid trumpets, Jim Sorensen of El Muchacho on percussion, John Thompson on bass guitar - and last but certainly not least, Shawn Banks and Mark Lopez finessed their aesthetically accelerating fingers on bongos.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A brilliantly clashing, rawkous collection, rich with gritty distorted riffage and snapping, snarling vocals in classic Big Stick fashion. Walls of guitar noise and throbbing chug meet headfirst in a sweaty basement to great effect, AND it comes with a 'Best Of Big Stick' sampler CD! What's not to love?

TRACK LISTING

01. Burning Rubber
02. Calamari Coco Butter
03. Darling Raven
04. Hoochie Express
05. Hot Sauce
06. Koochie Koochie Time
07. Marlin In A Maiden's Dress
08. Metaphysic Al Speaker
09. Pleased To Meet You
10. Potato Chip Dip
11. Rascal
12. Soul Shaker Town
13. Stop The Ball Shit
14. Venomous Voodoo Princess
15. Whiplash

'Help Us Stranger' is The Raconteurs' third studio LP and first new album in more than a decade. It sees the mighty combo reassembled, stronger and perhaps even more vital than ever before as they continue to push rock 'n' roll forward into its future, bonding prodigious riffs, blues power, sinewy psychedelia, Detroit funk, and Nashville soul via Benson and White’s uncompromising songcraft and the band’s steadfast musical muscle. With 'Help Us Stranger' The Raconteurs have returned right when they are needed most, unified and invigorated with boundless ambition, infinite energy and a collectivist spirit operating at the peak of its considerable powers, once again creating a sound and fury only possible when all four of its members come together.

White and Benson wrote all the songs on 'Help Us Stranger' except one cover, “Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness),” which was written by Donovan. Recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, TN, the album was produced by The Raconteurs and engineered by Joshua V. Smith. Longtime friends and musical collaborators helped make 'Help Us Stranger', including keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather, Queens of the Stone Age) and Lillie Mae Rische and her sister Scarlett Rische. The album was mixed by Vance Powell and The Raconteurs at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.

STAFF COMMENTS

Mine says: After focusing on his solo career and his label Third Man Records, Jack White is reuniting with his Raconteurs for their first studio album since 2008. They pick up where they left off (ish) and, taking it up a notch, create an album that feels more energetic than its predecessors. Fans of Jack White's latest solo album will probably dig this.

TRACK LISTING

Bored And Razed
Help Me Stranger
Only Child
Don’t Bother Me
Shine The Light On Me
Somedays (I Don’t Feel Like Trying)
Hey Gyp (Dig The Slowness)
Sunday Driver
Now That You’re Gone
Live A Lie
What’s Yours Is Mine
Thoughts And Prayers

Big Stick are chuffed to announce that their new Drag Racing Underground record label, in conjunction with Forte Music Distribution, are releasing a special Much Of The Best Of Big Stick 12" record album. A long playing collection of 'classic' Big Stick selections, along with three tracks taken from Big Stick's soon to be released new album, LP.

There's a total of 15 songs on Much Of The Best Of Big Stick release. The 'classics' include "Drag Racing" (of "John Peel's Box" fame) "I Look Like Shit", "Jesus Was Born On An Indian Reservation", "Billy Jack Paddy Wack", "Devil's Jukebox", "Hoochie Koo Time", "Bianca Blast", "California Dreamin'", "Hokey Pokey Girl", "Scum Rooky's Cafe", "I Live The Good Life", and "Black Cow". The three brand new Big Stick tracks picked from their upcoming album (Released in June !!!), which the duo believes worthy of including on the Best Of release are "Rascal", "Metaphysical Speaker" and "Calamari Co Co Butter".

The mindful packaging of the Much Of The Best Of Big Stick album includes a retrospective collage of Big Stick photographs and images both past and present, along with photos of Gill's and Trance's art and sculpture work and detailed liner notes describing curious facts and trivia related to the duo and the 15 different featured songs.

Aiming to serve in acquainting those not familiar with Gill's and Trance's somewhat off-the-beaten-path brand of musical undertakings, while also providing long overdue satisfaction for those who do know of Big Stick and have been waiting ever-so-patiently for something like this to finally spin on their turntables!

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
Drag Racing
I Look Like Shit
Jesus Was Born On An Indian Reservation
Billy Jack Paddywack
Metaphysical Speaker
Devil?s Jukebox

SIDE B
Hoochie Koo Time
Bianca Blast
Scum Rooky's Caf'
I Live The Good Life
Rascal
Calamari Co Co Butter 

Amazing! Reissue of the very first Big Stick 7" to announce the launch of their own label Drag Racing underground, Big Stick are reissuing their first single, as the 4 track 7" it came out as in 1985, remastered and recut..with repro sleeve..

Disciples follow up the raid on the archives of Black Lodge with ‘Rave "Till You Cry" by enigmatic producer Bogdan Raczynski, a collection of unreleased tracks and versions. Raczynski arrived on the scene in 1999 with not one but three albums released in quick succession that year alone on Rephlex Records. A unique operator even by Braindance standards, rumoured to have been discovered by Aphex Twin whilst sleeping rough in Tokyo. A steady stream of records followed, hyperactive broadsides of percussion set off by a winning knack for the buried earworm melody, much like his mentor Richard D James. He also memorably collaborated with Björk and remixed Autechre for Warp’s "10+3" compilation but things have been quiet since the release of his last studio album "Alright!" in 2007.

"Rave ‘Till You Cry" signals a return across 18 tracks selected and sequenced by Disciples, joining the dots between the outsider junglism of the "96 Drum n Bass Classixxx" ‘compilation’ and his earliest rephlexions on hallucinatory, bassbin-rattling IDM with "Boku Mo Wakaran". Across one CD or four sides of vinyl, the joyous sugar-rush tunes of classic 1990s Nintendo games meet drill-like breaks, ambient drone and slabs of bit-crushed noise. It also showcases a more introspective side to the Bogdan sound, the soundtrack to a labyrinth of tunnels loaded up with gurners starting to feel unwell as the early hours begin to dissipate into the harsh rays of morning light.

Much like the recent resurgence of Digital Hardcore’s Christoph De Babalon and the off-kilter time signature of recent records by Demdike Stare and Rian Treanor, Bogdan Raczynski’s return is a timely reminder of menace and beauty contained within irregular rhythm science. 

TRACK LISTING

156 S2n
134 32iii
318 22t7
220 S3d
329 15h
220 S1c
307 33m15
332 23t422
309 14ae2
213 213r
220 S2c
356 34h12
306 24n812
306 41dr
210 31c22
220 S5d
355 44ir
204 Fr

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

Released in 1976, Distinctive Themes / Race To Achievement is legendary arranger Nick Ingman exploring the two distinct ideas of “impressive themes varying in style from ‘Basie to Elgar’” and “a study in the pressure and rewards of achievement”.

Distinctive Themes is a veritable indulgence of variously-tempoed, full orchestra, big band workouts, from relaxed swing to more propulsive themes. The progressively building “Expanding Markets” is a true highlight, with its rolling pianos, contemplative electric guitar solos and moody horns over skipping beats. The dramatic “Against The Odds” is another stand-out.

Race To Achievement is all rugged funk with stabbing chords and strutting horns and it’s probably our favourite side. Of course we have to acknowledge the fantastic “Tense Preparation”, sampled by Prince Paul and Dan The Automator for Handsome Boy Modeling School’s seminal “Magnetizing” with Del Tha Funky Homosapien. But the whole side’s range from tense underscores to fast and punchy chase themes makes this is a gem of the KPM catalogue.

As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Distinctive Themes / Race To Achievement comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We’ve taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM’s brand identity.

TRACK LISTING

Happy To Be Alive
Basie 77
It's Easy
Expanding Markets
Land Of Opportunity
Against The Odds
Ooops!
Pride In Purpose
Winner Takes All – Opening
Winner Takes All – Closing
The Road Forward – Opening
The Road Forward – Closing
Trademark, Tense Preparation
Light Preparation
Under Pressure
Speedway
Double Quick
Made It
Pick Up
Accolade

‘Race To Zero’ is the new album by musician and composer John Matthias and producer, musician and composer Jay Auborn, via the Village Green label.

The album’s starting point was a series of acoustic improvisations recorded in a variety of locations, from a 700-year-old chapel in the Devon countryside to a basement studio in Reykjavík, Iceland. In an attempt to create a fractured sense of space reflective of the digital condition, the duo found themselves working within a place that could only exist in the digital landscape. By crushing the recordings through a hundred different virtual rooms of reverb and other chaotic digital processes they collided, soared and splintered into sweeping new rhythms, melodies and drones. Pushing the computer’s processor beyond its limits threw up sonic ‘errors’ that wouldn’t be easily possible to create through standard methods. In response, these outcomes created new and unplanned inspiration for further composition. Elements of the album were then produced binaurally adding a three dimensional listening experience. The outcome is a unique landscape that blurs the line between the virtual and physical worlds.

“Cerebral yet accessible” - Uncut (8/10)

“A fascinating album that continually surprises with its neo-classical meets electronic template” - Clash

Melbourne, Australia band Chook Race formed in 2010, starting out as a scrappy, garage/surf band, but soon developed a greater pop sensibility, born of their love of the Flying Nun bands and other bedroom favorites. After a string of of tapes and 7"s Chook Race return with new album 'Around The House', due for release on September 2nd through Chicago's Trouble in Mind Records.

The ten songs on "Around The House" are oddly withdrawn yet highly personal tunes, but performed by the band with a desperate urgency. Songs like the immediate & catchy "Hard To Clean" & "Sometimes" clang & clatter like chrome-plated pop earworms, while others like the somber "Pink & Grey" and album-closer "Start Anew" hum pensively, quietly insinuating themselves into your subconscious.

Captured in a single day by Tom Hardisty (NUN, Woollen Kits) and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring) the album has a compelling sound defined by jangly guitars, boy-girl harmonies and lyrical observations of the everyday. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Hard To Clean
2. Sometimes
3. Eggshells
4. Lost The Ghost
5. At Your Door
6. Pink & Grey
7. Sorry
8. Pictures Of You
9. Sun In Eyes
10. Start Anew

“a SF group riding a timewarp, singing about the tech-driven gentrification of their city in the style of their mid-’60s forebears.... Exceptional tunes” Uncut

As West-Coast gentrification washes a wave of loud and gritty garage bands away from San Francisco, Cool Ghouls stand strong. Just like the most revered, political records of the 60s and 70s, the third album Animal Races channels the past, the present and the future with an authentically fresh psych-rock take on American society through its own neo-cosmic language.

“San Francisco has always been great and hopefully always will be but these days there are things we despise,” tells Ghoul guitarist and vocalist Pat McDonald, “the lifestyle The Bay once afforded artists has been decimated. This gold-rush of the tech industry is forcing prices up and it’s been a flood of bullshit. Some people are being forcibly displaced, others are disheartened and leave by choice. Our song ‘Never You Mind’ is a reminder to the creative community not to roll over. San Francisco isn't dead until you let it die in your heart.”

It’s impossible to separate Cool Ghouls from their adopted hometown. Whether playing dollar dice games and shooting pool or stepping out for a walk through the Californian hills, this is a band who swapped their young lives in stripmall suburbia to settle in the Shaky City of their electric heroes. The place where Gram Parsons’ Flying Burrito Brothers unwittingly inspired lesser-known followers of the Cosmic American gospel to commit readings to tape, Cool Ghouls slot right in the city’s rich musical lineage. Pat M, with Pat Thomas (bass/vocals), Ryan Wong (guitar/vocals), and Alex Fleshman (drums), made their own celestial pilgrimage to their place of worship and have established themselves as one of the city’s brightest young bands playing, against the backdrop of a chaotic big city, a laid-back psych-rock sound for the here and now.

Those who fell for the raw, primitive sound of the band’s 2014 album A Swirling Fire Burning Through the Rye recorded with local hero Tim Cohen of The Fresh & Onlys, will be pleasantly surprised by the Ghouls’ latest evolution in sound. This time recorded with melodic maestro Kelley Stoltz in his backyard Electric Duck studio, the album was mixed and mastered by Mikey Young (Total Control / Eddy Current Suppression Ring), and features full-colour artwork by Shannon Shaw of Shannon and The Clams.

“Animal Races is the harvest of work we created between last year’s tours, working in bars, record stores and coffee shops,” says Pat M. “We chose the title because the song’s lyrics are a broad characterization of society. So any track on the album, whether it be about love, personal growth, death or whatever, takes place in the setting of the 'animal races' ".

Commenting just as much on the individual’s place in society as the San Francisco community itself, the theories of ‘self-actualization’ and ‘anima’ by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung about achieving individual potential pervade ‘If I Can’t Be The Man’ and ‘Material Love’. Whether time-hopping from the summer of love on ‘Sunrise’ or channelling the freewheeling feeling of The Grateful Dead and Canned Heat through loud guitars, acid riffs, party screams, and stacked-as-f*ck three-part vocal harmonies, each of Animal Races’ 11 tracks bring the four-piece’s electrifying live performances to life.

'Time Capsule’ is about exactly this, explains Pat T; “when you replay a recorded track, that little chunk of time is brought into the current moment. This is especially true of a recording of a live performance. ‘Time Capsule’ was designed to open the door for improvisation and is the encapsulation of just one version of this song, each version specific to the one time we play it. It’s going to change a lot as we play it over the years.”

For a band who, just like society and the world itself, is constantly evolving, Cool Ghouls are the perfect antidote for San Francisco’s current state of mind, providing the real-life soundtrack whilst not letting the city’s culture be burned to the ground.

TRACK LISTING

01. Animal Races
02. Sundial
03. Time Capsule
04. When You Were Gone
05. Days
06. Just Like Me
07. The Man
08. Brown Bag
09. Never You Mind
10. Material Love
11. Spectator

The Morwells formed in 1973 comprising Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont and Maurice "Blacka" Wellington, childhood friends from Kingston's Trenchtown area. The band expanded to a trio in 1974 with the addition of Louis Davis, formerly of The Versatiles alongside Junior Byles. David was a talented arranger and also taught Lamont to play guitar. Wellington began working as a studio engineer and producer for Joe Gibbs in 1976, working on the early recordings by Culture, while Lamont joined The Revolutionaries as rhythm guitarist, although they continued to work as The Morwells. Their new connections gave them access to much of Jamaica's musical talent of the era, and in 1977 they were joined by bassist Errol 'Flabba' Holt. Recorded in 1977 'Crab Race' also features the likes Sly & Robbie, Franklyn Bubbler Waul, Tarzan and Sticky. Quality vocal set.

TRACK LISTING

Baby Why Did You Leave Me To Cry
Swing And Dine
Reality
Come On Little Girl
Got To Be Witty
Movie Star
Got To Find Somewhere To Live
Bit By Bit
Give Me Power
Music Is So Divine
(See Me Again) Roman Stewart
Crab Race

"In every sense, A Day at the Races is an unapologetic sequel to A Night at the Opera, the 1975 breakthrough that established Queen as rock & roll royalty. The band never attempts to hide that the record is a sequel -- the two albums boast the same variation on the same cover art, the titles are both taken from old Marx Brothers films and serve as counterpoints to each other. But even though the two albums look the same, they don't quite sound the same, A Day at the Races is a bit tighter than its predecessor, yet tighter doesn't necessarily mean better for a band as extravagant as Queen. One of the great things about A Night at the Opera is that the lingering elements of early Queen -- the pastoral folk of "39," the metallic menace of "Death on Two Legs" -- dovetailed with an indulgence of camp and a truly, well, operatic scale. Here, the eccentricities are trimmed back somewhat -- they still bubble up on "The Millionaire Waltz," an example of the music hall pop that dominated Night, the pro-Native American saga "White Man" is undercut somewhat by the cowboys 'n' indians rhythms -- in favor of a driving, purposeful hard rock that still could have some slyly hidden perversities (or in the case of the opening "Tie Your Mother Down," some not-so-hidden perversity) but this is exquisitely detailed hard rock, dense with minutiae but never lush or fussy. In a sense, it could even function as the bridge between Sheer Heart Attack and Night at the Opera -- it's every bit as hard as the former and nearly as florid as the latter -- but its sleek, streamlined finish is the biggest indication that Queen has entered a new phase, where they're globe-conquering titans instead of underdogs on the make." - Allmusic.

Following the critical and commercial success of their debut album last year and 18 months' extensive touring and festival appearances, Public Service Broadcasting release their eagerly anticipated second album, 'The Race For Space'. Once again working with exclusive archive footage from the British Film Institute, the new record tells the story of the American and Soviet space race from 1957 - 1972 via the duo's eccentric mix of guitar-driven electronica, propulsive drumming and spoken word samples culled from this uniquely rich period of modern history.

'The Race For Space' follows 'Inform - Educate - Entertain', Public Service Broadcasting's debut album which reached number 21 in the UK album charts and was nominated for 'Best Independent Album' at the AIM Awards 2013, as well as being The Guardian's Album of the Week and one of BBC 6Music's Top 10 albums of 2015.

Short biog: Taking in archive material from a variety of sources the new album sees the corduroy-clad J. Willgoose, Esq. and his faithful drumming companion, Wrigglesworth, continue their mission statement to Inform, Educate & Entertain. Through both the record and their uniquely spell-binding live audio-visual ‘Transmissions’, audiences witness the band weave samples from these films around live drums, guitar, banjo and electronics, creating an array of diverse tracks. What emerges is, by turns, thrilling, moving, funny and powerful. The Independent’s Simon Price said of the band : “In their love of history, and their understanding of the dignity of the wartime generation, they remind me of British Sea Power, although Stereolab are closer sonically. PSB are progressive without the florid ornamentation of Prog, dense and complex with not a semiquaver wasted. It's an industrious, diligent sound, and, in the flesh, surprisingly danceable: slamming chemical beats accompanied by old cine footage, providing a peculiar opportunity to party to Pathe news”

TRACK LISTING

1. The Race For Space
2. Sputnik
3. Gagarin
4. Fire In The Cockpit
5. E.V.A.
6. The Other Side
7. Valentina
8. Go!
9. Tomorrow

Rachel Zeffira’s new single ‘Break The Spell’ is set for release. Its B-side will be a remix of her previous single ‘Here On In’, a Tom Furse (The Horrors) Extrapolation.

Both ‘Break The Spell’ and ‘Here On In’ are taken from Zeffira’s debut solo album ‘The Deserters’.

Rachel Zeffira's debut solo album 'The Deserters' is both beautiful and beguiling - a rapturous tour de force that recalls the baroque pop of John Cale and the hazy experimentation of My Bloody Valentine.

Fans of everyone from Bat For Lashes to The Horrors will find something to enjoy here.

The artwork features photos from celebrated fashion photographer Yuval Hen.

The album was written and produced entirely by Rachel and was recorded at Miloco’s The Pool and Abbey Road Studios alongside engineer Ben Thackeray.

melodious pop songs through a devolved, malodorous glam-punk aesthetic. It continues the stylistic jump from their self-titled debut to sophomore full-length Homo, further exploring the possibilities of the first wave of punk, incorporating orchestral arrangements and gutter-glitter psych stomp, like if Vom tried to write their own Forever Changes; like if the Electric Eels backed up Bolan or if The Fall put out a record on Crass Records. There are tuneful lamentations of heartbreak and loss alongside very debased, toilet-humor punk licks; Lovecraftian psych-cult morbidity at one moment and rousing anti-anthems against self denial the next. It has been an especially productive year for the band— they are about to launch their first feature-length film, Autonomy and Deliberation, and the soundtrack LP recorded for the film comes alongside Racism, a split 7-inch with Native Cats (on Ride the Snake), a split live LP with Eddy Current Suppression Ring (on Almost Ready, originally released on a limited run of cassettes back in 2008), and the Gypsy King single (from Racism, on HoZac). All this, plus the output of the numerous other Melbourne bands in which members of UV Race play—Asps, Dick Diver, East Link, Guy & Marcus Blackman Experimentation, Lower Plenty, School of Radiant Living, Soma Coma, Straightjacket Nation and Total Control—reveal a relentless commitment for the sake of the song.

TRACK LISTING

1. Be Your Self
2. I’m A Pig
3. Life Park
4. Unknown Pleasures
5. Sophie Says
6. Raw Balls
7. Bad Egg
8. Gypsy King
9. Nuclear Family
10. Memenonome

A group who thrive in their songcraft while picking apart the everyday to find the hidden relationships within, Aberystwyth’s Race Horses return with new album ‘Furniture’ and lead-off single ‘My Year Abroad’.

Indicative of the new album’s tight, compact songwriting, ‘My Year Abroad’ sees the band make their most defined steps forward yet and hone in on the pin-sharp pop that lead singer Meilyr Jones has cited as recent influences, such as Soft Cell, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Queen.

‘My Year Abroad’ is typical of Jones’ lyrical perspective. It focuses on the tale of a businessman on a trip to Tokyo, but digs under the surface level to find, as he puts it, “the grim reality, not the glamorisation of excess, using things and people, cheap thrills.”

Features Welsh language B-side ‘Cysur a Cyffro’.

Limited to 500 bright yellow coloured 7”s with postcard and tracing paper insert. Includes business card with phone number - fans are invited to leave messages for the band.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Pin-sharp pop influenced by Soft Cell, Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Queen. Limited to 500 bright yellow coloured 7”s with postcard and tracing paper insert.

TRACK LISTING

My Year Abroad
Cysur A Cyffro

For this new album Wiley goes head to head with fellow grime rival Skepta in a 50 cent vs Kayne West type battle of who can sell the most units in the same week (except Skepta's CD was released last week...). He's enlisted the likes of Danny Weed and Skream to add production beef to his raps, and the results are a bass'n'breaks fuelled jaunt through hip hop, grime, dubstep, funky and electro. Currently the godfather of grime has a lot of hype around him following the club banger and 1 single from the album "Too Many Man" (which also features on the Skepta album.

"Acid Or Blood" is Racebannon's most caustic, abrasive, fluid, and balls-out riff-heavy endeavor. Eleven tracks of unchecked emotion (recorded by Mike Bridavsky of Russian Recording and mastered by Bob Weston) unfurl as the band unleashes its working-class destruction without a care in the world for convention or marketability. Songs like "The Hard Way", "Terror And Dread", "Translucent Lifeforce", and "Vampyric Solution" showcase this killing machine at their most lethal and original. But just in case you didn't get the memo, Racebannon doesn't give a fuck what you think, and make sure you take your shoes off when you step on their carpet. Brace yourself for the impact of "Acid Or Blood", which will take no prisoners, and make no apologies.

Daniel Rachel's second album "A Taste Of Money" has a glorious upbeat feel, with captivating, luscious string arrangements, fantastically catchy pop chorus' and beautiful, bitter-sweet ballads.

Randomnumber aka: Matt Robson is perhaps best known for his drumming skills for the English band Hood. Matt has since branched off to further his experimenting with beats in an electronic vein, not too much unlike his ex-bandmates gone electronic the Remote Viewer.

Racebannon craft a sordid tale of woe, depression, excitement, accolade, fear, rise, fall, alpha and omega through a five part aural aria of the pleasures and pain of the rock'n'roll lifestyle. Tracks often go from a funeral dirge to defiant and pompous to a spaced out overdose. One for fans of The Melvins, Icarus Line and Jesus Lizard.

The Box Car Racer debut is a real powerful, straight to the goolies grab-a-riff crazy emocore sensation. Gonna be huge.

Second single from Icelandic five piece Leaves. Another great single, with similar guitar sounds to their previous single, but a much bigger, more anthemic song.

Thomas Hansen (aka St. Thomas) delivers 13 songs of unpretentious and melodic Psycho Cowboy tunes with beautiful heavenly harmonium underscored by acoustic guitar, organ and acid banjo.