As a young person I frequently heard tales that high-end stereo shops used Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ as a demonstration disc, in order to fully document the prowess of their impossibly-expensive wares.

I rarely frequented any of these establishments but always took these stories on faith. I’m no audio guru, but it seems to me that someone attempting to do the same thing in 2019 could do a whole lot worse than adopting USA/Mexico’s long-awaited 2nd album, ‘Matamoros’ for similar purposes. The trio’s first album 2017’s ‘Laredo’ might’ve been a worthy candidate for a test-spin in the Bang & Olufsen showroom, but the successor is the sort of record that really makes if you’re the sort of person who can appreciate the BACKES MÜLLER BM 100 loudspeaker (list price $500,000.00 USD)

Once you’re comfortably settled in, you’ll find that the all-star team of guitarist Craig Clouse (Shit & Shine) drummer King Coffey (Butthole Surfers) and Nate Cross (Marriage, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth) have done everything possible to help you expand your sonic palette — some might say they’ve even done too much! Either way, these guys are as unselfish as they are loud. Or perhaps they’re as selfish as they’re quiet — i do hope you’ll agree their motives are less important than the results, and in this instance, those results are nothing less than a staggering sensory overload.

George Dishner (Spray Paint) and Kevin Whitley (Cherubs — on a rendition of his band’s “Shoofly”, as previously heard on 1992’s ‘Icing’) make cameos. The entire affair was engineered by budding genius Ian Runndell (he of every other great record recorded in Austin) and is available via the 12XU and Riot Season record labels in North American and UK/Europe respectively.

Expert commentary on USA/Mexico’s now sold out debut album ‘Laredo’ (2017)

“One is bludgeoned into the proverbial submission via the Coffey-Cross doomsday rhythm machine; imagine an early Hawkwind album, stripped of its high-end sonics and the low end ones being slowed to 16rpm, plus Clouse’s Cookie Monster vocals with all the cookies’ sweeteners removed and replaced by arsenic prior to baking.” Fred Mills, Blurt

“A colossal masterpiece…oscillates between a deliberately mesmerizing headbang and a noise drenched mind-fuck.” Maximum Rock N Roll

“Gloriously molten sludge-punk; it’s heavy as hell, just the right amount of dumb, and injects its own personality in each tune…have faith in our youth to surpass the sonic brutality of my musical generation, but I’m wondering if anyone alive today can surpass the elder statesmen of USA/Mexico.” Matt Korvette, Yellow Green Red

“A heavy swamp of growling voices, lumbering beats, and ear-rupturing guitars. If you dig deep enough into sonic muck, you can hear echoes of their previous projects, but it’s better to just let yourself drown.” Marc Masters, Pitchfork

FORMAT INFORMATION

Coloured LP Info: Limited edition 400 only white vinyl lp housed in a 350gsm sleeve with download code.

Twenty four years into their existence, Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. have circled the globe at least a few dozen times, released over 100 albums in their various guises and played thousands of shows.

In recent years, they’ve experienced seismic line up changes which has given them yet another new lease of life ... or a rebirth if you will. Original members Kawabata Makoto (guitar, speed guru) and Higashi Hiroshi (synthesizer, noodle god) are now joined by Jyonson Tsu (vocal, midnight whistler), Satoshima Nani (drums, another dimension) and Wolf (bass, space & time) and as anyone that has seen the new line up live will testify, things have gone even more cosmic ...

‘Reverse Of Rebirth In Universe’ sees the band return to their old label Riot Season for the first time since 2012’s 'IAO Chant From The Melting Paraiso Underground Freak Out' (CD still available). Both label and band have gone on some wonderful journeys during that time apart but both felt the stars were finally correctly realigned to renew their partnership in all things weird.

Long time AMT fans will immediately recognise some of the song titles listed on the album sleeve here. But the songs themselves have been reworked and transformed far away from their original versions. New boy Jyonson Tsu's quiet, almost whispered vocals bring a whole new aura to proceedings, despite the familiar riffs hidden in the depths below them. It's so laid back in places it's practically horizontal, with only occasional trademark piercing guitar squeals threatening to destroy the peace and calm. The whole of side two is taken up with the twenty minute epic 'Black Summer Song' .. and if this is an indicator to where the AMT mothership is heading going forwards we're all in for another fucked up and magical ride.

If you stepped off the AMT ride over the years, possibly overwhelmed by the amount of releases they were once firing out ... it could be time to step back on it and check out where they're currently at. In a world that's more messed up than ever, we could all use a little break away from the norm, and nobody takes you as far away from the norm as possible as Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I can feel the lysergamides oozing out of this one. Slow, hypnotic crescendos are broken by double time psychedelic freakouts before segueing into a simmering stoner dirge. A sprawling, transportative affair, and one to be taken in heroic abundance dried, and with the lights off. AMT do it once again.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd LP Info: Limited edition 300 copies on black vinyl housed in a gloss finished 350gsm sleeve with download code.

‘Mo - The Demon’ was recorded at Leeds college of music between November 2017 – February 2018. The basis of the album was to record an imaginary soundtrack to the Shaw Brothers bat shit psychedicrazy Kung Fu horror ‘The Boxer’s Omen’ aka MO or demon.

The story is an everyday one.

After a Hong Kong kick boxer is paralysed by a cheating Thai competitor, his mobster brother vows revenge and journeys to Thailand for a duel. Along the way, our hero is met by bizarre visions, entered into a Buddhist monastery, and begins a quest to save the soul of a deceased Monk (his twin brother in a past life) who died at the hands of a powerful black magician.

We’ve all been there. However the movie descends into a kind of spiritual Jodorowsky mushroom fest that is completely deranged and is therefore one of those perfect midnight movies.

So we got free studio time at LCM in November and just went ‘fuck it’ lets make an imaginary soundtrack in homage to such a great movie.

Taking inspiration from all the things musical that have inspired us over the years. Berlin era Bowie, Prime Magazine circa ‘Correct Use Of Soap’, Electric Funk Miles, ‘Caravanserai’ Santana, Embryo and god knows what else (it doesn’t really matter as it all ends up Earthling Society), we think we’ve made a groovy as fuck concept.

Then, Invited back in February we decided to record 2 stand alone pieces ‘Spring Snow’ and ‘Jetavina Grove’ and bring all our space rock elements and psych raga back into the fray. Throw in some super cool Korean vocals courtesy of Bomi Seo of Tirikiliatops and run the guitars through a harmonizer H910 (as used by Visconti on Low an Heroes) and its the perfect swansong to the last 14 years of playing live and recording together.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Coloured LP Info: Limited edition 400 only translucent violet coloured vinyl LP. Housed in a full colour outer sleeve with mind bending artwork and download code.

RRR was Hey Colossus’s seventh album, originally released back in 2011 by Riot Season on CD and ridiculously limited LP. This reissue has the original LP plus it comes with a bonus LP containing different takes and versions and a cut that didn't make the first press. It is housed in a single 350gsm fat spined printed sleeve with insert and download code.

THE STORY: The band had a weekend booked in at The Dropout Studio, Camberwell, the winter of 2010. They were going to do 'some recording'. The Friday of the weekend the six piece played a show at The Windmill in Brixton, home to the roof dog. The show was a typical (of the time) debauched affair, in the post show glow the band asked Jon (Notorious Hi-Fi Killers) and Leon (Shit+Shine) to come down to the session the following day: BRING GUITARS, WHAT CAN GO WRONG?. By noon they hadn't shown up so they got called: WHERE ARE YOU? Neither believed the offer to be true, by 1pm they showed up with guitar + synth in tow. An hour later RRR was being recorded by the now 8 piece band, lights down, volume up. Over 48 hours it was done. Not a single idea was brought to the table but somehow it all fell into place, assuming you think 'falling into place' sums up RRR (it totally does).

Legendary reviewing man, Peter Kemp (RIP), had this to say: "The record starts off with slow guitars and screaming ghostly voices like from a horror film, this first track ends with some talking and then goes into the next song which sounds like they are swinging the guitars around their heads and banging them on the floor....there are dark voices screaming ARRRRRRRRGGGHHHHH ARRRRRRRRRGGGGHHH ....The next song does sound a bit more Spanish as it starts with a guitar which sounds like a Spanish church bell and a deep voice which sounds like somebody praying and another voice which sounds like somebody dying....The closing song is faster and has talking in it and what sounds like a priest in the background and then lots of loud guitars come in - it is a good way to finish the record. Overall I think this was very good record by a brilliant band and I would give it ten out of ten."

The original vinyl sleeves were all handvpainted in Somerset by an artist called Chav, they took three months to do with each one being totally unique. The gatefold sleeves, all the inners were incredible works of art. The front and back were stencilled. The paint was blagged from a car spray paint firm, they sent three pallets to get the job done. A begging letter was sent to them and it fell onto some welcoming ears. Christ knows how it all came together. These copies are almost impossible to come by, rarely appearing anywhere. They sold out instantly.

This Riot Season re-releasing is limited to 500 copies. It won't get repressed again so for those who bought the original keep it safe and buy this one for the bonus record. For those new to the band following the record triple LP drop over the last couple of years on Rocket Recordings tuck in, but be prepared.

FORMAT INFORMATION

2xLtd LP includes MP3 Download Code.

In Their Own Words … ‘Happy Birthday’ was Hey Colossus’s 4th album, and it was originally released by Riot Season back in 2008 on CD only. The album marked the beginning of chapter two for the band, it was the first for Riot Season, the first where the wings were spread and the band took flight. Total noise rock, 100% out there sounds. The band was a 5 piece at the time and had just completed a tour of Spain that was riddled with ups and downs but mainly full of future talk.

Having done three albums on their own label the main topic was what next? 'You gotta keep moving' is the bands mantra, still is to this day - check the three recent records on Rocket Recordings and compare them to the first records. It was time to move away from conventional song writing and screw with the heads. ‘Happy Birthday’ was recorded in Dropout, South London. The only label they sent it too was Riot Season as Mainliner, Shit And Shine and Circle were doing stuff with them at that time.

Riot Season said YES so the CD was released. It was the beginning of the NOISE ROCK TRILOGY (HA-HA!) all on Riot Season, ‘Happy Birthday’, ‘Eurogrumble Vol 1’ and ‘RRR’. Now, nine years later it’s finally time for the vinyl version. No tweaks. No new mastering bullshit. Nothing different. Same songs, on a slab of classic black vinyl.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd LP Info: Limited edition black vinyl LP in full colour spined outer sleeve with black inner. 400 retail copies for the world.

Ltd LP includes MP3 Download Code.

Scotland's favourite space-psych-rock-gods return with a new album 'Psych Is Dead' before heading out on a lengthy UK/European tour including appearances at all the key genre festivals such as Safe As Milk, Wrong Fest, DesertFest, Raw Power Festival and Karma Fest.

Formed in 2010, The Cosmic Dead are a quartet from Glasgow, Scotland who share their music through good vibes and better vibrations. Known for their improv, chaos strewn, Buckfast smashed against the wall take on space music, they have roamed from Roadburn to Las Vegas, Dundee to Bangalore with each album offering a meditative window into a certain time and space.

'Psych Is Dead' is the sixth full length album from the band, the glowing embers of a a few days spent recording in a sweaty Sardinian kitchen overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Soon to be available on LP and CD via Riot Season Records, 'Psych Is Dead' is an aural exploration of their tumultuous universe.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Cosmic Dead have once again opened our minds with an expansive and hazy vision of reality. Chugging guitars and swirling synths mix with thunderous drums and all-round heavy vibes. It's a wonder their hearing is still ok with riffs like this going down.

Knocking around the UK underground toilet scene for the past 4 or 5 years, Reading’s WORKIN’ MAN NOISE UNIT have been busy playing countless gigs, releasing limited run tapes/singles and making a nuisance of themselves on postage stamp sized stages around the country. Along the way they’ve picked up some fans, including the likes of Julian Cope who dragged them to London to perform at one of his book launches, and have shared stages with plenty of the current UK underground Mafioso including Hey Colossus, The Unit Ama, Good Throb, Carlton Melton, Terminal Cheesecake, the Wharves, Sly & the Family Drone, Grey Hairs, Gum Takes Tooth, Art of Burning Water, Henry Blacker, Perspex Flesh, Wolf People etc

SOME OF THE THINGS THIS RECORD IS ABOUT
Most of the songs on this record are pretty self-evident. Creepin’ Round is about feeling like an outsider. Smoke Like Hell is about choosing immediacy, choosing the ‘right now’. Jammer is sorta the same except it’s got a beady eye on what you might call ‘basic shamanism’, you know… Cruisin’ the IDR is about Reading’s Inner Distribution Road, which is a concrete blanket that snakes around the centre of the town, holding Reading in a sort of permanent stranglehold. It’s been there since the late 60s and it’s ugly to look at. Part of the IDR has big concrete walls and all you can see whilst driving through these sections is tarmac, concrete and, if you look up, sky. We drive around it a lot. Cruisin’ the IDR is the closest thing we will ever get to a ‘hometown’ song. Yeah, I was Hypnotised is about fascination with the atomic bomb, particularly the ubiquitous ‘mushroom cloud’ image but also the small matter of the human race making this thing in order to destroy itself en masse. Hate It is about apathy and feeling powerless to change owt going on. It’s also about recognising that apathy and trying to get yourself going, find a way through it. And about lying to yourself.

Julian Cope reviewing the bands ‘DRINKIN’ STELLA TO MAKE MUSIC TO DRINK STELLA’ cassette

“Okay, now deffo the best way to commence this month’s Reviews Section is to pop on to my nearest ‘90s ghetto blaster this manky chromate yellow cassette emblazoned with the simple words ‘play loud’. Brilliantly named DRINKIN’ STELLA TO MAKE MUSIC TO DRINK STELLA TO and magnificently performed by four English nuttas by the name of Workin’ Man Noise Unit, there’s enough cunted Mithraic fire within these two brief sides of monumental midrange and Tinnitus-inducing plateaux to summon up a whole new music scene around these geezers, nay, these Pyramids of Giza. What’s it sound like? Fuck knoweth, brothers’n’sisters. How about the bastard offspring of Final Solution-period Pere Ubu plays Tight Bros From Way Back When, or even the Electric Eels performing Monoshock’s ‘Model Citizen’ into a single compressor microphone. Sweeeeeett! A classic debut, kiddies; let’s just hope nobody with a studio comes to fuck’em up.”

Summed up nicely. PLAY LOUD.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd LP Info: Limited edition 400 only black vinyl LP with download code and insert.

Early Mammal are a 3-piece based in the home of South London Sludge, Dropout Studios. Formed in 2012

Early Mammal are: Rob Herian - guitar, drone box & vocals, Ben Davis - drums & Ben Tat - bass & baritone guitars

The band released two albums in 2013 and received strong reviews. Debut album 'Horror at Pleasure' was released in April of that year on Devouter. Denis Belindir provided cosmos expanding synth on this brooding dark invitation through the woods of the mind. The album, as with all to date was recorded live at Drop out over the course of 3 days. The LP streams continuously combining raw power and claustrophobic psyche blues, coaxing and sometimes dragging the listener through its journey. Influences of Captain Beefheart, Aphrodite's Child, White Hills, Hawkwind and Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats can be heard:

Less than half a year later the band released 'My Fire' on Convoy records. This album found Dan Davies (Wolf people) joining to record a more experimental late night driving experience through psych-rock, Denis Belindir's distinctive Turkish tinged synth really taking the trip to different levels.

‘I have been blown away by this promo twice today! Think Pink Floyd soundtrack work circa 1970 and Irmin Schmidt's incredible 3 album run of 'filmmusik' + 'Toy Planet' 1980-81. Yes THAT good! Eurorock pulses; a bit of SanFranjam; driving around mainland Europe in the early 70's in a lorry left over from the war, worried about the last generation's involvement...easily the best recording I've yet heard from them but, once again, nothing like their tremendous live show, Valve amps wall of cabs- everyone dies overdrive...but the grooves are still tight’ TOBY MEARING RADIO SHOW

Two well received albums on Devouter and Convoy lead to the band supporting Bong, and Baba Yaga’s Hut gigs around London, including the Raw Power Festival 2014

Third album, 'Take a Lover' is proudly released September 2015 through Riot Season records. After the sudden departure of Denis Belindir on synth, the band regrouped with a reinvigorated sound. Taking the experimentation of My Fire, the narcotic muscularity of Horror at Pleasure, this album represents a new chapter out of the woods and showing greater depth. With the arrival of Ben Tat on bass and baritone guitars, the band shares two common ancestors now: Elks and 85bears. The upcoming release reflects the sound of a lineup finding order through the entropy of extended jams and developing their sound. Recorded at Dropout studios by the band. Take a Lover is live and captures a stream of single takes from two days of winter, December 2014. It has become the catalyst to yet again prolific recording and sets the tone for where Early Mammal are going next.

FORMAT INFORMATION

LP includes MP3 Download Code.

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2015 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

LIMITED EDITION RECORD STORE DAY EXCLUSIVE 400 ONLY VINYL LP, PRESSED ON NEON BLUE VINYL WITH DOWNLOAD CODE. FEATURING MEMBER OF HEY COLOSSUS & REIGNS

HENRY BLACKER have been up and down the country and into Europe relentlessly for the past 18 months, three times playing twice in a day, slamming heads in doors, raging left and right. Touring their debut, 'Hungry Dogs Will Eat Dirty Puddings' (Riot Season, 2014 Cat# REPOSELP039), and road testing the new tunes that have made up LP TWO: 'Summer Tombs'. Recorded in one brutal day, one voice-box shredding day. Westminster Brown (Part Chimp) at the desk, South London, back in September 2014.

Tunes are more complex, more speed, more frustrated, with the same vocal mangle and rhythmic splat. Seven tracks, 29 minutes, SET TO CRUISE CONTROL AND RIDE. In May they head out on tour with Torche in the UK, and other dates around it. ONWARDS.

The renowned Japanese Cosmic freak-out heavyweights return with a brand new studio album and tour, marking ten years since their mothership first descended on the UK ....

Now a steady four piece led by Kawabata Makoto (guitar) and including Tsuyama Atsushi (bass/vocals), Higashi Hiroshi (synthesizer/guitar) and Shimura Koji (drums). The collective recorded the album in the aftermath of the Japan disaster at their mountaintop retreat where the collective still reside.

With the exception of the album's opener 'Chinese Flying Saucer' and it's unashamedly obvious musical references to Led Zeppelin II (hello 1969!) the rest of the album locks into a much more laid-back groove than on recent AMT releases. This dynamic shift is best displayed on the 22 minute jam, 'Shine On You Crazy Dynamite' and also the album's closer 'Electric Death Mantra'. The band opt for less frantic explosions of electric guitar overload and fuzz, replacing those elements with a more epic, blissed-out and at times brooding Japanese psychedelia, with more emphasis on acoustic guitars, sitar, organ, synthesiser and at times, really trippy vocals (most prevalent on 'Back Door Man Of Ghost Rails Inn'), recalling the twisted psychedelics of early Pink Floyd. Yet still, their sound remains so expansive that it is easy to become totally immersed in this album.

Epic in proportions, cloaked in a cosmic haze and shimmering in a synth utopia. The Ripper At Heaven's Gates Of Dark maintains AMT's status as masters of out-of-this-world music and reveals their darker side of the moon.

FORMAT INFORMATION

CD Info: CD is limited to 1500 copies, and is packaged in a special first edition 350gsm card gatefold sleeve. Repress will be in standard sleeve.

Introducing Dead Elephant who are: Enrico Tauraso (electric guitar, voice, power electronics, samples), Fulvio Grosso (electric bass, voice) and Omar Tomaino (drums).

'Thanatology' aims to investigate the process of acceptance of loss, a concept particularly timely in these transitional times in which we live. In order to understand precisely where the band are coming from with this concept, here is a deeper explanation: 

“In this order of things life can sometimes be cruel. Sometimes we feel caught in a strange trap. The events appear to us as a dark spiral and our destiny is lost in it. Within this dark spiral, it is very difficult understand what is right and what is wrong. There, something must burn and you must accept to lose it. From the consciousness that some things must die in order to for change to be born.”

Dead Elephant's powerful sonic assault has a wide range of influences from the heaviness of bands like Cherubs, Jesus Lizard, Colossamite, Melvins, Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost to the psychedelic attitudes of Ash Ra Tempel, Cluster, Neurosis and Badalamenti soundtracks, all prevalent throughout this latest record.

On 'Thanatology', Dead Elephant attack the listener with their claustrophobic and visceral sonic forces and fuse these brutally heavy sounds with moments of genuine haunting beauty, which are actual samples of the funeral marches of Southern Italy. The effects of these galvanizing forces are that of ultimate catharsis that not only challenge the listener, but also force one to question preconceptions of heavy music.

FORMAT INFORMATION

Ltd CD Info: Limited edition 500 only CD with 8 page booklet.