Described by music journalist and author Everett True as “A 30-minute insight into what it’s like to live hard and fast and loose and happy with like-minded buddies, fuelled by a shared love for similar bands and drugs and booze and freedom.”. ‘It's A Shame About Ray’ had a considerable impact back in those heady, carefree days of '92, the record perfectly captures Dando’s ability to effortlessly encapsulate teenage longing and lust over the course of a two-minute pop song. The reissue includes a download card with a slew of extra material, including the ‘My Drug Buddy’ KCRW session track from 1992 featuring Juliana Hatfield, B-sides from singles ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’ and ‘Confetti’, a track from the ‘Mrs. Robinson/Being Round’ EP. Singles such as 'My Drug Buddy' and the breezy perfect pop of the title track might stand out (plus the add-on of 'Mrs. Robinson' which later copies included), but the album's real strength lies in the tracks in-between; the truly fantastic 'Confetti' (written about Evan's parents' divorce), and the eye-wateringly casual acoustic cover of 'Frank Mills' (from the "hippie" musical Hair), a version that seems to resonate with every ounce of pathos and emotion felt for the lost 1960s generation. To hear Evan Dando sing lines like 'I love him/but it embarrasses me/To walk down the street with him/He lives in Brooklyn somewhere/And he wears his white crash helmet' is to truly appreciate how wonderful and tantalising pop music can be. Then, there's the rush of insurgency and brattishness on the wonderfully truncated 'Bit Part'; the topsy-turvy 'Ceiling Fan In My Spoon'... this was male teenage skinny-tie pop music on a level of brilliance with The Kinks, early Undertones, Wipers.

TRACK LISTING

1 Rockin' Stroll
2 Confetti
3 It's A Shame About Ray
4 Rudderless
5 My Drug Buddy
6 The Turnpike Down
7 Bit Part
8 Alison's Starting To Happen
9 Hannah & Gabi
10 Kitchen
11 Ceiling Fan In My Spoon
12 Frank Mills

Essential Extras – Download Only
1 Mrs Robinson
2 Shakey Ground
3 My Drug Buddy (KCRW Session, 1992)
4 Knowing Me, Knowing You (Acoustic)
5 Confetti (Acoustic)
6 Alison's Starting To Happen (Acoustic)
7 Divan
Demo Recordings – Download Only
8 It's A Shame About Ray (Demo)
9 Rockin' Stroll (Demo)
10 My Drug Buddy (Demo)
11 Hannah & Gabi (Demo)
12 Kitchen (Demo)
13 Bit Part (Demo)
14 Rudderless (Demo)
15 Ceiling Fan In My Spoon (Demo)
16 Confetti (Demo)

Andy Blade pays tribute to The Damned’s Brian James with and EP of songs they co-wrote.

The lead track is an instant classic. “Ain’t That A Shame” channels the bittersweet grandeur of classics like “Ain’t It Fun” by the Dead Boys, “Baby Baby” by The Vibrators, and “You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory” by Johnny Thunders, alongside the melodic ache associated with The Only Ones. Sometimes you play a song, and it feels like you’ve known it your whole life.

Nearly 50 years after it was first written, 'Ain’t That A Shame' finally emerges as the 24-carat earworm it was always destined to be - a lost punk era classic reborn.

In 1978, during a late-night, alcohol-fuelled studio session, Andy Blade (formerly of Eater), Brian James (founding member of The Damned) and Mark Laff of Generation X came together for an all-star collaboration. The trio recorded two tracks of the four Blade/James songs they had written together - "Lying Again” and “Death Awaits” - showcasing a psychedelic new wave edge driven by James’ unmistakable guitar and Blade’s urgent vocal delivery. Shortly after the session, the short-lived union dissolved. James would later revisit one of the songs they’d worked on together “Ain’t That A Shame” (originally titled "I’m Not Taking All The Blame” with Blade’s lyrics) - reshaping it for his first solo single before going on to form The Lords of the New Church with Stiv Bators.

For decades, that could have been the end of the story but in 2025 Andy Blade decided to re-record the original version with Billy King (John Mckay’s Reactor) playing Brian’s parts. The result is nothing short of a revelation - an irresistibly catchy song, driven by a nagging, poignant guitar coda and Blade’s characteristically emotive vocal. It is a fitting tribute to the late Brian James, complete with a solo that captures James' distinctive, razor-sharp style. "I am sure Brian would approve. It is my tribute to him”, says Blade. Timeless in its appeal, “Ain’t That A Shame” feels equally at home in a sweaty club or blasting across a festival field — the kind of anthem that has crowds singing back, arms and phones aloft. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Ain’t That A Shame
2. Death Awaits
3. Lying Again

Cutthroat is shame at their blistering best. An unapologetic new album with Grammy winning producer John Congleton at the helm; it’s souped up and supercharged. It’s exactly where you want shame to be. Still in their twenties, the five childhood friends - Charlie Steen, guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green, bassist Josh Finerty and drummer Charlie Forbes - have grown Shame exponentially, with ambitious sonic ideas and the technical chops to execute them. Having proved themselves several times over with legendary live shows and three critically-acclaimed albums under their belts, Shame went into Cutthroat ready to create a new Ground Zero. “This is about who we are,” says Steen. “Our live shows aren’t performance art - they’re direct, confrontational and raw. That’s always been the root of us. We live in crazy times. But it’s not about ‘Poor me.’ It’s about ‘Fuck you’.” Crucial to this incendiary new outlook was producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Angel Olsen). From their initial meeting, Congleton’s no-bullshit approach became a guiding force to streamline the band’s ideas.

Stamped throughout with Shame’s trademark sense of humour, the album takes on the big issues of today and gleefully toys with them. Casting a merciless eye on themes of conflict and corruption; hunger and desire; lust, envy and the omnipresent shadow of cowardice. Musically, too, the record plays with visceral new ideas. Making electronic music on tour for fun, Coyle-Smith had previously seen the loops he was crafting as a separate entity to the things he wrote for Shame. Then, he realised, maybe they didn’t have to be. “This time, anything could go if it sounded good and you got it right,” he says. The result is an album that revels in the idiosyncrasies of life, raising an eyebrow and asking the ugly questions that so often get tactfully brushed over. “I’m not here to answer the questions, I’m a 27-year-old idiot…” Steen caveats with a self-effacing chuckle. But the one answer that Cutthroat gives with a resounding flourish is that, right now, Shame have never sounded better.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A raucous selection of riotously melodic indie stormers from Shame here, taking everything they've established on their previous three LP's and turning the volume up even more. Brighter, more carefree and with years of experience on the live circuit to bolster their energetic blast of melody. A band entirely at ease with their sound.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. Cutthroat
2. Cowards Around
3. Quiet Life
4. Nothing Better
5. Plaster
6. Spartak

SIDE B
7. To And Fro
8. Lampião
9. After Party
10. Screwdriver
11. Packshot
12. Axis Of Evil

Baba Stiltz has written and produced the award winning soundtrack for the Swedish Movie "Shame On Dry Land (Syndabocken)". Awarded the Guldbagge price for best feature film soundtrack in 2024, the music is dense, at times oppressive, than again light-Mediterranean, all perfectly accompanying the story's vibe. 

Baba Stiltz moving between Stockholm & LA. A myth, a young legend. Writing music since the tender age of 13, not bound by genres or expectations. Used to do Skweee before he defined his own sound of tech-house - skipped that (temporarily?). Now moving on to more folkloristic styles: country, rock, indie… you name it. Good music.

TRACK LISTING

A1) Welcome Dimman
A2) Kicki
A3) Island
A4) Shame On Dry Land
A5) Follow Me
A6) Fredrik’s Gone
A7) Again
A8) Body Drop
A9) Moped Escape
A10) Karema Goodbye
B1) Voyeur
B2) Follow Him
B3) Standoff
B4) Reconciliation
B5) Love Theme
B6) Dress Rehearsal
B7) Kill Krum
B8) Believe
B9) Underwater Love

On the one hand, new album Food for Worms calls to mind a certain morbidity, but on the other, it’s a celebration of life; the way that, in the end, we need each other. The album is an ode to friendship, and a documentation of the dynamic that only five people who have grown up together - and grown so close, against all odds - can share.

For the first time, the band are not delving inwards, but seeking to capture the world around them. “I don’t think you can be in your own head forever,” says Steen. A conversation after one of their gigs with a friend prompted a stray thought that he held onto: “It’s weird, isn’t it? Popular music is always about love, heartbreak, or yourself. There isn’t much about your mates.”

It’s through this, and defiance, that the band have continually moved forward together; finding light in uncomfortable contractions and playing their vulnerabilities as strengths: The near-breakdowns, identity crises, frontman Charlie Steen routinely ripping his top off on stage as a way of tackling his body weight insecurities. Everything is thrown into their live show and the best shows of their lives are happening now.

Back in 2018, around debut album Songs of Praise, they were at the vanguard of a transformative scene that changed the underground music landscape in the UK; paving the way for artists soon to come. Then, Charlie Steen suffered a series of panic attacks which led to a tour’s cancellation. For the first time, since being plucked from the small pub stages of south London and catapulted into notoriety, shame were confronted with who they’d become on the other side of it. This era, of being forced to endure reality and the terror that comes with your own company, would form shame’s second album, 2021’s Drunk Tank Pink.

Now they arrive, finally, at a place of hard-won maturity. Enter: Food for Worms, which Steen declares to be “the Lamborghini of shame records.”

Reconnecting with what they first loved about being in a band hotwired them into making the album after a false start during the pandemic. Their management then presented them with a challenge: in three weeks, shame would play two intimate shows and debut two sets of entirely new songs. It meant the band returned the same ideology which propelled them to these heights in the first place: the love of playing live, on their own terms, fed by their audience. Thus, Food for Worms crashed into life faster than anything they’d created before. The band recorded it while playing festivals all over Europe, invigorated by the strength of the reaction their new material was met with. That live energy, what it’s like to witness shame in their element, is captured perfectly on record - like lightning in a bottle.

The album marks a sonic departure from anything they’ve done before. shame have abandoned their post-punk beginnings for far more eclectic influences, drawing from the sharp yet uncomplicated lyrical observations of Lou Reed and the more melodic works of 90s German band, Blumfeld.

They called upon renowned producer Flood (Nick Cave, U2, PJ Harvey, Foals) to execute their vision. Recording each track live meant a kind of surrender: here, the rough edges give the album its texture; the mistakes are more interesting than perfection. In a way, it harks back to the title itself and the way that with this record, the band are embracing frailty and by doing so, are tapping into a new source of bravery.

STAFF COMMENTS

Liam says: Oh boy, I've been HANKERING for this one! The third outing for shame, 'Food For Worms' has been declared by the band as "the Lamborghini of shame records" and we'd be hard pressed to argue with that. From the anthemic combo of 'Adderall'/'Orchid', to the psych-wail of 'Six-Pack' and the beautiful 90s emo tinged closer 'All The People', shame recapture that unbridled excitement that we all felt and fell in love way back in 2016 - stellar stuff!

TRACK LISTING

1. Fingers Of Steel
2. Six-Pack
3. Yankees
4. Alibis
5. Adderall
6. Orchid
7. The Fall Of Paul
8. Burning By Design
9. Different Person
10. All The People

Lemonheads’ seminal album ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’, lovingly reissued for it’s 30th Anniversary. The long overdue reissue includes a slew of extra material, including an unreleased ‘My Drug Buddy’ KCRW session track from 1992 featuring Juliana Hatfield, B-sides from singles ‘It’s A Shame About Ray’ and ‘Confetti’, a track from the ‘Mrs. Robinson/Being Round’ EP, alongside demos that are released for the first time on vinyl. 

Described by music journalist and author Everett True as “A 30-minute insight into what it’s like to live hard and fast and loose and happy with like-minded buddies, fuelled by a shared love for similar bands and drugs and booze and freedom.”. ‘It's A Shame About Ray’ had a considerable impact back in those heady, carefree days of '92, the record perfectly captures Dando’s ability to effortlessly encapsulate teenage longing and lust over the course of a two-minute pop song.

Singles such as 'My Drug Buddy' and the breezy perfect pop of the title track might stand out (plus the add-on of 'Mrs. Robinson' which later copies included), but the album's real strength lies in the tracks in-between; the truly fantastic 'Confetti' (written about Evan's parents' divorce), and the eye-wateringly casual acoustic cover of 'Frank Mills' (from the "hippie" musical Hair), a version that seems to resonate with every ounce of pathos and emotion felt for the lost 1960s generation. To hear Evan Dando sing lines like 'I love him/but it embarrasses me/To walk down the street with him/He lives in Brooklyn somewhere/And he wears his white crash helmet' is to truly appreciate how wonderful and tantalising pop music can be. Then, there's the rush of insurgency and brattishness on the wonderfully truncated 'Bit Part'; the topsy-turvy 'Ceiling Fan In My Spoon'... this was male teenage skinny-tie pop music on a level of brilliance with The Kinks, early Undertones, Wipers.

TRACK LISTING

It's A Shame About Ray
1 Rockin' Stroll
2 Confetti
3 It's A Shame About Ray
4 Rudderless
5 My Drug Buddy
6 The Turnpike Down
7 Bit Part
8 Alison's Starting To Happen
9 Hannah & Gabi
10 Kitchen
11 Ceiling Fan In My Spoon
12 Frank Mills

Essential Extras
1 Mrs Robinson
2 Shakey Ground
3 My Drug Buddy (KCRW Session, 1992)
4 Knowing Me, Knowing You (Acoustic)
5 Confetti (Acoustic)
6 Alison's Starting To Happen (Acoustic)
7 Divan

Demo Recordings
1 It's A Shame About Ray (Demo)
2 Rockin' Stroll (Demo)
3 My Drug Buddy (Demo)
4 Hannah & Gabi (Demo)
5 Kitchen (Demo)
6 Bit Part (Demo)
7 Rudderless (Demo)
8 Ceiling Fan In My Spoon (Demo)
9 Confetti (Demo)

There are moments on Drunk Tank Pink where you almost have to reach for the sleeve to check this is the same band who made 2018’s Songs Of Praise. Such is the jump Shame have made from the riotous post-punk of their debut to the sprawling adventurism and twitching anxieties laid out here. The South Londoner’s blood and guts spirit, that wink and grin of devious charm, is still present, it’s just that it’s grown into something bigger, something deeper, more ambitious and unflinchingly honest. The genius of Drunk Tank Pink is how these lyrical themes dovetail with the music. Opener Alphabet dissects the premise of performance over a siren call of nervous, jerking guitars, its chorus thrown out like a beer bottle across a mosh pit.Songs spin off and lurch into unexpected directions throughout here, be it March Day’s escalating aural panic attack or the shapeshifting darkness of Snow Day. There’s a Berlin era Bowie beauty to the lovelorn Human For A Minute while closer Station Wagon weaves from a downbeat mooch into a souring, soullifting climax in which Steen elevates himself beyond the clouds and into the heavens. Or at least that’s what it sounds like.From the womb to the clouds (sort of), Shame are currently very much in the pink.

This deluxe edition includes the full tracklist as early demos. These previously unreleased versions tell the story behind the James Ford produced album that cemented the band as one of the most exciting in British music today.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A:
1. Alphabet
2. Nigel Hitter
3. Born In Luton
4. March Day
5. Water In The Well
6. Snow Day

SIDE B:
7. Human, For A Minute
8. Great Dog
9. 6/1
10. Harsh Degrees
11. Station Wagon

SIDE C:
12. Alphabet (Demo)
13. Nigel Hitter (Demo)
14. Born In Luton (Demo)
15. March Day (Demo)
16. Water In The Well (Demo)
17. Snow Day (Demo)

SIDE D:
18. Human, For A Minute (Demo)
19. Great Dog (Demo)
20. 6/1 (Demo)
21. Harsh Degrees (Demo)
22. Station Wagon (Demo)

There are moments on Drunk Tank Pink where you almost have to reach for the sleeve to check this is the same band who made 2018’s Songs Of Praise. Such is the jump Shame have made from the riotous post-punk of their debut to the sprawling adventurism and twitching anxieties laid out here. The South Londoner’s blood and guts spirit, that wink and grin of devious charm, is still present, it’s just that it’s grown into something bigger, something deeper, more ambitious and unflinchingly honest.

The genius of Drunk Tank Pink is how these lyrical themes dovetail with the music. Opener Alphabet dissects the premise of performance over a siren call of nervous, jerking guitars, its chorus thrown out like a beer bottle across a mosh pit. Songs spin off and lurch into unexpected directions throughout here, be it March Day’s escalating aural panic attack or the shapeshifting darkness of Snow Day. There’s a Berlin era Bowie beauty to the lovelorn Human For A Minute while closer Station Wagon weaves from a downbeat mooch into a souring, soullifting climax in which Steen elevates himself beyond the clouds and into the heavens. Or at least that’s what it sounds like.

From the womb to the clouds (sort of), Shame are currently very much in the pink.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: As uncompromising and incendiary as ever, Shame's 'Drunk Tank Pink' takes all of the riotous guitars and pummeling percussion and twists them into a recognisable but refreshing take on their trademark sound. A lot more intricate, elaborate and nuanced, Shame go from strength to strength.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A:
1. Alphabet
2. Nigel Hitter
3. Born In Luton
4. March Day
5. Water In The Well
6. Snow Day

SIDE B:
7. Human
8. Great Dog
9. 6/1
10. Harsh Degrees
11. Station Wagon

Hot on the heels of "2017-2019", his second album of angular, off-kilter electronics and mechanical rhythms work under the Against All Logic alias, Nicolas Jaar offers up a 12" containing two eyebrow-raising collaborative cuts. Legendary alternative artist Lydia Lunch, who also features on the album, pops up on A-side "Illusions of Shameless Abundance", adding a out there spoken word vocal - much of which is presented as a series of overlapping loops - to Jaar's skewed modular electronics and trippy, out-of-this-world sounds. Estado Unido and FKA Twigs lend a hand on flipside "Alucinao", providing gently soulful lyrical flavour to a distorted, thrillingly aggressive South American electro rhythm, sweaty pots-and-pans percussion and metallic melodic elements.

TRACK LISTING

A Illusions Of Shameless Abundance
Featuring – Lydia Lunch

B Alucinao
Feat. Estado Unido & FKA Twigs

On first glance, the line-up on Shame Engine / Blood Pleasure, the seventh studio album from Chicago’s Health&Beauty, might indicate a passing of the torch. The recording features a large cast of musicians from the outfit’s past and its present helping the band’s founder and sole constant Brian J Sulpizio achieve his idiosyncratic vision—a sound and ethos he’s been kicking around, retooling, and finessing for more than 15 years, a few years after moving to Chicago from his native Defiance, Ohio in 2000. From song to song the band’ssound encapsulates detail-rich pop songs, extended jamming inspired by Chicago’s free jazz legacy, and devastatingly potent country-folk tunes. Sulpizio has never been hung up on genre, but his imagination and musicianship has allowed him to bring far-flung ideas to beautiful fruition.

A good chunk of the beautifully scorching new album was cut right after a quartet version of the group—with guitarist Jake Acosta, drummer Seth Vanek, and bassist Bill Satek—had finished an intensive three-week tour at the end of 2017. The new album conveys a directness and scorching power that seems to stem from the band’s live performances, whether the harrowing, droning blues of the opener “Saturday Night” or the soulful Irish-tinged folk-rock of “Recourse.” In reality, Shame Engine / Blood Pleasureis simply the latest chapter in an evolving tome, but it’s absolutely the most gripping and satisfying instalment in that process yet.

Over time many musicians have collaborated with Sulpizio—some in short bursts, others, like keyboardist Ben Boye and drummer Frank Rosaly, over the long haul—and the new record includes some fresh faces. Sulpizio is that rare beast with a keen ear for detail—no doubt a byproduct of his frequent work as an engineer and producer for some of Chicago’s most beloved bands—as well as an abiding love for the spontaneity and heated interaction of live gigs. His epic improvisational abilities have been a constant in the bands led by Ryley Walker—where the guitarist cemented his bonds with both Boye and Rosaly— but he’s always focused on serving the band rather than grandstanding. Even within Health&Beauty he frequently cedes lead guitar duties to others: check out Acosta’s post-Eddie Hazel fantasias on “Saturday Night.”

Shame Engine / Blood Pleasure, like its predecessors, is undeniably the product of his fertile mind, but it wouldn’t sound the way it does without the input and ideas of his collaborators. “We all have too much to gain by working with as many people as makes musical sense to us, and I really enjoy having Health&Beauty records run a wide musical gamut,” explains Sulpizio of the peripatetic line-ups of the band over time. “I've loved working with everyone I've played with over the years. Some versions of Health&Beauty seemed to live out a natural lifespan; some may come back together again. I really can't express enough how grateful I am to get to make music with the people I've worked with. Their contributions amaze me, ranging up to songwriting. Making music, going to shows or sessions or rehearsals, is joy and catharsis for me.”

TRACK LISTING

Saturday Night
Yr Wives
Rat Shack
Clown
Lack
Bottom Leaves
Judy
Escaping Error
Recourse
Love Can Be Kind

Shame thrives on confrontation. Whether it be the seething intensity crackling throughout debut LP Songs of Praise or the adrenaline-pumping chaos that unfolds at Shame’s shows, it’s all fueled by feeling. NPR’s Bob Boilen noted, “Of the 70 bands I saw at this year’s SXSW, the band Shame seemed to mean what they played more than any other.”

Comprised of vocalist Charlie Steen, guitarists Sean Coyle-Smith and Eddie Green, bassist John Finerty, and drummer Charlie Forbes, the London-based five-piece began as school boys. From the outset, Shame built the band up from a foundation of DIY ethos while citing The Fall and Wire among its biggest musical influences.

Utilizing both the grit and sincerity of that musical background, Shame carved out a niche in the South London music scene and then barreled fearlessly into the angular, thrashing post-punk that would go on to make up Songs of Praise, their Dead Oceans debut. From “Gold Hole,” a tongue-in-cheek takedown of rock narcissism, to lead single “Concrete” detailing the overwhelming moment of realizing a relationship is doomed, to the frustrated “Tasteless” taking aim at the monotony of people droning through their day-to-day, Songs of Praise never pauses to catch its breath.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dust On Trial
2. Concrete
3. One Rizla
4. The Lick
5. Tasteless
6. Donk
7. Gold Hole
8. Friction
9. Lampoon
10. Angie

Cult punk rock heroes, Alkaline Trio return with ‘My Shame Is True’, their most dynamic album to date. In anticipation of the release, the band have debuted a brand new single ‘I Wanna Be Warhol’ from the forthcoming album.

Recorded with Bill Stevenson of punk legends The Descendents and Black Flag and with Jason Livermore at the producers’ Blasting Room Studios in Colorado, ‘My Shame Is True’ pushes the band into new musical terrain while embracing their classic Trio sound. The album contains 40 minutes of passionate punk-filled rock that showcases guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba, bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano and drummer Derek Grant at their absolute best.

"We're very proud of it,” says Matt Skiba. “Once we got in the studio, the songs really took on a shape of their own.”

From the album’s first melodic opener ‘She Lied To The FBI’ to the first single, ‘I Wanna Be A Warhol’ the Trio waste no time setting the tone for their energetic, hook-filled, eighth studio album. For the first time ever on an Alkaline Trio record, ‘My Shame Is True’ finds a guest appearance from Rise Against’s Tim Mcllarth on rousing punk rock anthem, ‘I Pessimist’, while songs like ‘I’m Only Here To Disappoint’ and album closer ‘Till Death Do Is Part’ remind fans of classic Trio, with stellar song-writing and catchy choruses.

Determined to never make the same record twice, Alkaline Trio have preserved the most electric elements of their collaborative songwriting abilities while pushing ahead creatively and as a band. With multiple world tours, numerous chart successes, and over fifteen years under their belt, the dark punk trio have cemented their legacy with ‘My Shame Is True’.

TRACK LISTING

1 She Lied To The FBI
2 I Wanna Be A Warhol
3 I'm Only Here To Disappoint
4 Kiss You To Death
5 The Temptation Of St Anthony
6 I Pessimist
7 Only Love
8 The Torture Doctor
9 Midnight Blue
10 One Last Dance
11 Young Lovers
12 Until Death Do Us Part