THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28th FROM 10AM 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 8AM ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29th).

Space-surf-psych-rock quartet Japanese Television's album 'Automata
Exotica' has been remixed by invited friends and peers; including Goat Fool from GOAT, Factory Floor's Gabe Gurnsey, and Edgar Breau from cult band Simply Saucer.

Informed by UFO encounters, ritualism, robots, Northern Soul, and nuclear weapons, 'Automata Exotica' was released in March 2024 and was described as "Heavy but also joyful" by The Quietus, "A fuzzy blast of space-surf energy " in Shindig and "A remarkable and unique proposition" by Louder Than War.

Rather than having been transformed out of all recognition, "reimagined" is a more apt term to describe this new version of 'Automata Exotica'. With the album's eight tracks presented via considered, alternative mixes with pertinent sonic application, it hangs together incredibly coherently - albeit as a wild and feverish psychedelic experience.

JTV toured with GOAT while writing 'Automata Exotica', with the fat fuzz tones and extended middle percussion section of 'Typhoon Reggae Police' heavily influenced by their time watching and learning from side stage. Starting life as an uneasy mixture of scratchy 60s garage rock and 70s Afghan psych folk, Goat Fool from GOAT ripped the song apart and stitched it back together. Recognisable but weird and uncanny, it's a stripped down, oppressive, shimmering voodoo nightmare.

TRACK LISTING

1, Golden Birds - Edgar Breau & Mike Trebilcock From Simply Saucer Remix
2. Typhoon Reggae Police - Goat Fool From GOAT Remix
3. Death Waltz II - The Gathering Doubt Remix
4. Ariel School Sighting - Floral Image Remix
5. Automata Exotica - Rossana Remix
6. Fantasia - Sugo Remix
7. Uranium Knights - Phil MFU Remix
8. Tabadaboum - Gabe Gurnsey Remix

This 2024 version is being released on the bands imprint Ohoo Records, and has been remastered for vinyl by longtime Tom Verlaine musical collaborator Patrick Derivaz, who was an assistant engineer on these sessions.

The eponymously Titled third and final studio album from Television was recorded and released in 1992, fourteen years after the band's sophomore album 'Adventure' (and subsequent breakup) in 1978. In a decade kicked off by alt-rock guitar albums, Television regrouped in early 1992 with a new sonic identity. Released later in the year, Television was completely unexpected and un- expectedly wonderful. Call Mr Lee, 1880 Or So In World and No Glamour For Willi rank among the best of the bands material, and the guitar interplay between Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd was as mesmerizing and unique as ever.

Television was met with met with high critical praise from The Village Voice - "a droll, warm- hearted, sophisticated, cryptic, jazzy yet unjazzlike, they sound like nothing else except, just a little, like old Television", NY Times referred to the album as ""scaled-down Television with exquisite design details"", and Rolling Stones David Fricke said it was worth the fifteen year wait, citing the albums ""celebration of the lost virtues of precision, emotional depth and sonic elegance." " Television toured the record into 1993, then would again disappear from the public eye.

Upon worldwide release by Capitol Records, a vinyl version was not available commercially in North # America, it was never pressed past the white label promo version, so fans had to do with the CD (or cassette) or source a pricey import. This 2024 version is being released on the bands imprint Ohoo Records, and has been remastered for vinyl by longtime Tom Verlaine musical collaborator Patrick Derivaz, who was an assistant engineer on these sessions.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. 1880 Or So
2. Shane, She Wrote This
3. In World
4. Call Mr Lee
5. Rhyme

Side B
1. No Glamour For Willi
2. Beauty Trip
3. The Rocket
4. This Tune
5. Mars

This is a thoroughly researched study of the origins of the New York City punk scene, focusing on Television and their extraordinary debut record. Two kids in their early twenties walk down the Bowery on a spring afternoon, just as the proprietor of a club hangs a sign with the new name for his venue. The place will be called CBGB which, he tells them, stands for 'Country Bluegrass and Blues'.

That's exactly the sort of stuff they play, they lie, somehow managing to get a gig out of him. After the first show their band, Television, lands a regular string of Sundays. By the end of the summer a scene has developed that includes Tom Verlaine's new love interest, a poet-turned-rock chanteuse named Patti Smith.

American punk rock is born. Bryan Waterman peels back the layers of the origin myth and, assembling a rich historical archive, situates Marquee Moon in a broader cultural history of SoHo and the East Village. As Waterman traces the downtown scene's influences, public image, and reputation via a range of print, film, and audio recordings we come to recognize the real historical surprises that the documentary evidence still has to yield.

Originally released in 1982, ‘They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles’ was the influential band’s third album. A collection of singles, demos, outtakes and rarities that was intended to mark the band's breakup in 1982, had they not got back together again so soon. This 2024 reissue comes with faithfully restored artwork, from one the album’s original hand painted sleeves.

The record features ‘David Hockney's Diaries’, ‘The Boy In The Paisley Shirt’ and ‘Psychedelic Holiday’. With the formidable Daniel Treacy at its core, Television Personalities remain one of new wave’s longest serving and seminal artists, with a career spanning over three decades. The indie pop visionaries have influenced many people across the industry including Pavement, The Lemonheads, Fat White Family, MGMT and Creation Records’ Alan McGee.

“Its scope is incredible, its ambition outstanding and its heart damn near broken.” Melody Maker.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
A1. Three Wishes
A2. David Hockney's Diary
A3. In A Perfumed Garden
A4. Flowers For Abigail
A5. King And Country
A6. The Boy In The Paisley Shirt
A7. Games For Boys

Side B
B1. Painter Men
B2. Psychedelic Holiday
B3. 14th Floor
B4. Sooty's Disco Party
B5. Makin' Time
B6. When Emily Cries
B7. The Glittering Prizes
B8. Anxiety Block
B9. Mysterious Ways 

A combination of cyclical, mechanical rhythms and heavy bass, 'Automata Exotica' is louder, tighter, bolder and rawer than anything japanese television have done before. Informed by ufo encounters, ritualism, robots, northern soul, and nuclear weapons, the space-surf-psych-rock quartet's second album is a fuzzy, funky barn-stormer.

After beginning his career with roots in drum & bass, Nuage shifted his sound to embrace a wider range of styles while maintaining an emotionally charged vibe and finding a home on labels such as Anjunadeep and 20:20 Vision.

Kicking off this EP for Phonica is the title track, “Pink Television”, a floaty and playful yet quite pacey melodic house excursion that reminds us of Floating Points’ synth work on his “Crush” album; with a real optimistic, blue-sky illumination about it.

Next is “Ninety High” which swaps the four to the floor for an intricate breakbeat, highlighting Nuage’s history in break heavy music. A cleverly reconceptualised disco vocal sample and subtly withheld synth lines are combined with a sub rattling and pulsating bassline. The kinda track everyone from Craig Richarids to Ben UFO to Jane Fitz would roll out to rapturous enjoyment; it’s poised yet powerful, deep but anthemic.

“Don’t Forgive Me” recalls classic trance and progressive house tropes with haunting vocal reverberations and a warehouse wall shaking bassline as the track meanders through tension and release of euphoric energy. Lastly, “Glances” opens with a skittish Rhodes riff and unites it with rich and perky melodies that weave in and out of focus. A classy deep house joint to close off this detailed and varied EP. Top stuff. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Phonica records continue their flawless streak with this neon-hued number from Nuage. Real clubby, with sumptuous electronic textures and crisp beats as it navigates a varied and modern soundscape of breaks, techno and bass.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Pink Television
A2. Ninety High
B1. Don't Forgive Me
B2. Glances

Enriched with plenty of scene and period colour from British pop from the 1960s to the present, "Dreamworld" tells of all the ups and downs of a legend who once ironically (but quite rightly) described himself in an interview as the "Godfather of Indie Pop".

Much anticipated, the band's frst full length release sees the four- piece surf a swirling wave of reverb-drenched organ, garage-rock guitars, hypno-motorik bass and pounding, ritualistic drums. Preferring to work in a village hall deep in the wilds of the east British countryside, JTV recorded live to an old 8 track machine with The Wytches' Kristian Bell.In 2020 the band released their third EP slice of off- piste cosmic- beach psych before calling in top remixers including UNKLE, Gabe Gurnsey, and James Welsh for a 2021 Record Store Exclusive around a headline UK tour culminating in a triumphant homecoming London show at The Lexington and playing with friends Snapped Ankles. EP III had followed two previous critically acclaimed and quickly sold out EPs supported heavily by key alternative tastemakers from Marc Riley & Steve Lamacq at BBC 6Music to the likes of So Young, NME, and Clash.

Only Japanese Television are 100% space surf.

TRACK LISTING

1. Space Fruit Vineyard
2. Moon Invasion
3. Mosquito Dance Routine
4. Ghoul Rules
5. Bruce Willis
6. Sputnik Swimming
7. Doppleganger Disco
8. Snake Shake
9. Freddy's Back
10. Bumble Rumble

This double a-side 7", limited to just 300 copies worldwide, showcases the band surfing a swirling wave of reverb- drenched organ, garage- rock guitars, hypnomotorik bass and pounding, ritualistic drums. Preferring to work in a village hall deep in the wilds of the east British countryside, JTV again recorded live to an old 8 track machine with The Wytches’ Kristian Bell.In 2020 the band released their five track EP III slice of motorik space twang before III calling in top remixers including UNKLE, Gabe Gurnsey, and James Welsh for a 2021 RSD Exclusive. EP III had followed two previous critically acclaimed and quickly sold out EPs. The band will release their much anticipated debut album in 2022.Only Japanese Television are 100% space surf.

TRACK LISTING

Bumble Rumble
Bruce Willis

Following nearly two years of global touring in support of their adventurous and acclaimed album, The Wilderness (2016), Explosions In The Sky paused on the future to reflect on the past. Celebrating their 20th year as a band with a pair of remastered reissues of early beloved classics – How Strange, Innocence (2000) and The Rescue (2005) – they embarked on a memorable series of anniversary concerts in 2019. It was around then that Explosions In The Sky was approached to craft the score to a new documentary about a place with which, as native Texans, they were very familiar: Big Bend National Park.

That documentary, Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas, premiered on PBS in the United States as well as on a variety of networks in other countries in early 2021. The hour-long film intimately follows the lives of native animals amid expansive aerial views of the iconic desert landscape that makes up one of the grandest natural wonders in the world. The band set these sights to an inspired, melodic, and meaningful blend of acoustic guitar, slide guitar, strings, piano, bells, and drums that feels as alive and diverse--and vast and lonely--as the place it depicts.

Big Bend (An Original Soundtrack for Public Television) takes that mesmerizing score and recontextualizes it as a standalone album. Those brief cues have been expanded and transformed into a thoughtful, gorgeous full-length album that recalls some of the band’s most magical and memorable moments from their storied history.

Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas is a film that explores the past and present of the vast, complicated landscape that still holds countless mysteries yet to be uncovered. In Big Bend (An Original Soundtrack for Public Television), Explosions In The Sky pursue a similar approach to their own past and present, and find inspiration in all that has yet to be discovered.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I'm a BIG EITS fan, and one of my favourite soundtracks of all time was their Prince Avalanche OST, so it's with no small joy I get to add this one to the collection. It's a beautifully majestic and uplifting set of acoustic / post-rock vignettes, rich in texture and wonderfully brought together.

TRACK LISTING

1. Chisos (4:11)
2. Climbing Bear (3:19)
3. Woodpecker (2:05)
4. Spring (2:38)
5. Flying (3:03)
6. Camouflage (2:29)
7. Swimming (1:05)
8. Stories In Stone (2:36)
9. Summer (3:14)
10. Nightfall (2:22)
11. Owl Hunting (2:15)
12. Sunrise (3:30)
13. Big Horns (2:11)
14. Autumn (2:41)
15. Cubs (1:54)
16. Pallid Bats (2:56)
17. Rains Legacy (2:28)
18. Bird Family (2:10)
19. Winter (3:17)
20. Human History (6:08)

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2021 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY JUNE 12TH 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 6PM ON THE SAME DAY (SATURDAY JUNE 12TH).

Record Store Day exclusive limited edition 500 press on neon green heavyweight vinyl featuring big hitting remixes from James Lavelle's UNKLE, Gabe Gurnsey (Factory Floor), James Welsh (Phantasy Sound), Space Age Freak Out (John Paynter), and International Teachers of Pop (ERC / Moonlandingz) who add a whole new dimension to JTV's critically accalimedthird EP and a further RSD physical exclusive with JTV's remix of Internatianal Teachers Pop's Flood The Club (Themes Water Remix).

3 (Remixed) is on vinyl for the first time especially for RSD and JTV say: During lockdown we thought it would be cool to create a remix project with artists we admire. We love collaborating. Itís exciting to have them reimagine our tracks say Japanese Television - who formed with a shared vision of creating a modern psych space-surf soundscape. Gabe Gurnsey add his trademark hard-hitting beats and minimalist synths to otherworldly psych single ëBee Cageí and has already had three plays from Lauren Laverne and two from Gideon Coe on 6 Music and the mix was made John Kennedy's 'X-Posture Hot One. A groove-laden treat, Gabe adds layers of astral beats to create something wholly other. We heard Gabe's remix for Working Men's Club and loved it, we're stoked he's on board. This is followed by James Lavelleís masterful UNKLE Reconstruction of Falling Spikes (the original was named as one Amy Lameís BBC 6 Music Favourite Tracks of 2020), which delivers the trademark eclectic UNKLE sound and twist. James is a living legend and as big fans it's an honour to have him remix, say JTV.

With additional mixes from Space Age Freakout (we love the dirty Manchester electronic vibe), International Teachers of Pop (We're big fans of ITOP. Sheffield's finest); and James Welsh (Like Gabe we found James through Erol Elkan's Phantasy Sound label. He's delivered absolute dynamite), say JTV.Japanese Television surf on a swirling wave of reverb-drenched organ, garage-rock guitars, hypno-motorik bass and pounding, ritualistic drums.

In 2020 the band released their five track EP III slice of motorik space twang. Preferring to work in a village hall deep in the wilds of the east British countryside, JTV again recorded live to an old 8 track machine with The Wytches Kristian Bell following the success of EPs I & II. The band has been played over 70 times on BBC 6 Music including a session with Marc Riley and have seen acclaim from the likes of NME, So Young, Clash, Arts Desk, WFUV in New York, and The Wire. Only Japanese Television are 100% space surf. Their cosmic glow remains extraordinary.

From the ashes of three psychedelic rock bands, rose Japanese Television, Al Brown, Alex Lawton, Ian Thorn and Tim David Jones - who formed with a shared vision of creating a modern psychedelic space-surf-soundscape. The band went into the studio with Kristian Bell of The Wytches who captured the raw spirit of their live performance, recording to 8-track tape. The tracks make up their debut self-titled 2018 EP, which was named as an EP of the year by both Gideon Coe and Amy Lame at BBC 6 Music, and in 2019 EP II, which both sold out physically. The new release combines the sold out EP I & EP II with the addition of four brilliant bonus live Mark Riley BBC 6 Music Session tracks recorded in 2019.

TRACK LISTING

Tick Tock
Surfing Saucers
Country Joe
Lizard Moon
Tick Tock - Mark Riley BBC 6Music Session
Lizard Moon - Mark Riley BBC 6Music Session
Crocodile Dentist - Mark Riley BBC 6Music Session
Uncle Doovy
Bruno’s Nightmare
Slime
Bloodworm
Crocodile Dentist
3 Ball Plant
Blood Worm - Mark Riley BBC 6Music Session

The soundtrack to Shane Meadows’ ‘The Virtues’, which screened on Channel 4 in May / June 2019, features six original pieces of music by PJ Harvey written for the series and includes tracks used throughout the series, including music by Aphex Twin, MONO, Lisa Hannigan and more.

“I am so happy to have provided the original music for this extraordinary and powerful new drama by a director I have admired and followed all my life. Shane has a unique directness and sensitivity to his work which I am drawn to and aspire to in my own work, so our collaboration was open and trusting. I sent Shane ideas as demos for him to try out as he edited and let him choose what he used and where to the greatest effect. In the end we both loved how the demos worked so left them as they were, adding to the raw beauty of the piece.” - PJ Harvey

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: What better combination could there be than Shane Meadows' singular artistic direction and PJ Harvey's keen soundtracking talents? Beautiful ambient sections and orchestral lushness, terse melodies and PJ's instantly recognisable vox. Lovely.

TRACK LISTING

PJ Harvey - The Lonely Wolf
Lisa Hannigan - Flowers
PJ Harvey - Death
Aphex Twin - Gwely Mernans
Micah P. Hinson - Beneath The Rose
PJ Harvey - Submerge
Toydrum - Jesus Song (Rival Consoles Rework)
Gazelle Twin - Cutting Into Flesh
PJ Harvey - Prayer
MONO - The Flames Beyond The Cold Mountain
Ted Barnes - If The Truth Hurts
Set Fire To Flames - When Sorrow Shoots Her Darts
PJ Harvey - Subterranean
PJ Harvey - The Crowded Cell

A comprehensive remastered collection of all of the Television Personalities’ ground-breaking single releases from the Peel-approved ‘14th Floor’ through to the effervescent ‘Salvador Dali’s Garden Party’ EP. Includes the super rare Creation flexi, the TVPs as The Gifted Children, and the even rarer Caff 45 where the band tackle Stock, Aitken And Waterman. Purists will also find two shelved 45s for the Dreamworld label plus their take on Syd Barrett’s ‘Apples And Oranges’ from the ‘Beyond The Wildwood’ tribute album. Features the seminal ‘Where’s Bill Grundy Now’ and the self-effacing ‘Part Time Punks’ alongside a host of pop culture-bating gems. A celebration of the songwriting of Dan Treacy

TRACK LISTING

Disc One -

01 - 14th Floor
02 - Oxford St., W.1
03 - Part Time Punks
04 - Where's Bill Grundy Now?
05 - Happy Families
06 - Posing At The Roundhouse
07 - The Prettiest Girl In The World
08 - If That's What Love Is
09 – Miracles Take Longer
10 – Apples And Oranges
11 - Smashing Time
12 - King And Country
13 - I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives
14 - Arthur The Gardener
15 – Painting By Numbers
16 – Lichtenstein Girl
17 - Three Wishes
18 - Geoffrey Ingram
19 - And Don't The Kids Just Love It!
20 - Biff, Bang, Pow!
21 - A Picture Of Dorian Gray (Live)

Disc Two -

01 - A Sense Of Belonging
02 - Paradise Estate
03 - How I Learned To Love The Bomb
04 - Then God Snaps His Fingers
05 - Now You're Just Being Ridiculous
06 - She's Only The Grocer's Daughter
07 - A Girl Called Charity
08 - Salvador Dali's Garden Party
09 - The Room At The Top Of The Stairs
10 -This Time There's No Happy Ending
11 - Part One: Fulfilling The Contractual Obligations
12 - I Still Believe In Magic
13 – Respectable
14 – Privilege
15 – Me And My Desire
16 - My Imaginary Friend
17 - I Remember Bridget Riley

“Television Personalities have been England's great forgotten band for too long.” Melody Maker // A comprehensive remastered collection of all of the Television Personalities’ ground-breaking single releases from the evocative ‘Strangely Beautiful’ EP through to the dark introspective terrain of ‘Far Away And Lost In Joy’. Includes the super rare ‘Favourite Films’ 12-inch (only previously available on12-inch vinyl) plus the exquisite ‘Goodnight Mr Spaceman’ and ‘You, Me And Lou Reed’ EPs. Sequenced in chronological release order including every track and remix, embracing a host of pop culture threads from art, music and writing with all the ironic wit and wisdom of a master tunesmith – a veritable L-shaped room of pop desire. A further celebration of the songwriting of Dan Treacy. 

TRACK LISTING

CD1 -

1. Strangely Beautiful (7" Mix)
2. Reaching For The Stars
3. Not Even A Maybe
4. Strangely Beautiful (Chill Out Reprise)
5. She's Never Read My Poems (7"mix)
6. The Day The Dolphins Leave The Sea
7. Christ Knows I Have Tried
8. She's Never Read My Poems (12" Mix)
9 - Favourite Films
10 - The Dream Inspires
11 - Happy All The Time (Ten Years Ahead Of Its Time Version)
12. We Will Be Your Gurus (7” Mix)
13. An Exhibition By Joan Miro
14. Love Is Better Than War…

CD2 -

01. Goodnight Mr Spaceman (12” Mix)
02. If I Was Your Girlfriend
03. She Loves It When He Sings Like Elvis
04. Goodnight Mr Spaceman (Lost In Space Mix)
05. You, Me And Lou Reed.
06. My Imaginary Friend
07. I Remember Bridget Riley
08. I Wish You Could Love Me For What I Am
09. I Don’t Want To Live This Life
10. Far Away And Lost In Joy
11. Do You Know What They’re Saying About Me Now?
12. I Get Frightened

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2019 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY APRIL 13th 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 12.01AM SATURDAY APRIL 20th.

2000 only. Gatefold Sleeve, Double LP + Bonus DL tracks. Singles collection. “Television Personalities have been England's great forgotten band for too long.” Melody Maker // A comprehensive remastered collection of all of the Television Personalities’ ground-breaking single releases from the evocative ‘Strangely Beautiful’ EP through to the dark introspective terrain of ‘Far Away And Lost In Joy’. Includes the super rare ‘Favourite Films’ 12-inch (only previously available on12-inch vinyl) plus the exquisite ‘Goodnight Mr Spaceman’ and ‘You, Me And Lou Reed’ EPs. Sequenced in chronological release order including every track and remix, embracing a host of pop culture threads from art, music and writing with all the ironic wit and wisdom of a master tunesmith – a veritable L-shaped room of pop desire. A further celebration of the songwriting of Dan Treacy. Track List Side One 1. Strangely Beautiful (7" mix) 2. Reaching For The Stars 3. Not Even A Maybe 6. The Day The Dolphins Leave The Sea 7. Christ Knows I Have Tried Side Two 8. She's Never Read My Poems (12" mix) 9 - Favourite Films 10 - The Dream Inspires 11 - Happy All The Time (Ten Years Ahead Of Its Time Version) 12. We Will Be Your Gurus (7” mix) 13. An Exhibition By Joan Miro 14. Love Is Better Than War Side Three 15. Goodnight Mr Spaceman (12” mix) 16. If I Was Your Girlfriend 17. She Loves It When He Sings Like Elvis 19. You, Me And Lou Reed.

Television were part of the late ‘70s punk nucleus that put New York’s CBGB club on the map. Driven by Tom Verlaine’s raw-nerve song-writing and both his and Richard Lloyd’s guitar playing - dual strands of slashing hooks and cathartic riffs - their music is spare yet structurally complex, artistic yet unpretentious. Among rock’s true innovators, Television put a new face on punk and influenced everything from New Wave to jam-rock.

‘Marquee Moon’ is widely considered as one of rock’s great debuts and 2012 sees its 35th anniversary of influencing and leading the way for many bands to come.

180 gram heavyweight audiophile vinyl LP. Gatefold sleeve. Cut from analogue masters. Original artwork.

At last! The classic music from this important TV series is now available! Yes, to many people who grew up near a television in the 1970s and 1980s, Fingerbobs was a curious, formative and hugely inspiring series. Only 13 episode were made but were often repeated. It starred the audacious Fingermouse, a host of his paper friends (Scampi, Gulliver, Flash), and was fronted by folk musician, actor and former Play School presenter Rick Jones as “Yoffy”. Each episode involved simple craft, music and a story or fable based on that week’s theme (such as sound, wood, shapes and shadows). The whole series was conceived, created and modelled in a briliant home made style by the legendary husband and wife team Joanne and Michael Cole, the minds behind much of Playschool, the books and TV series Bod, and Ragtime.

The Fingerbobs album has been quite hard to put together; there are no masters and very little paper based archive to speak of, so no set stills, no paper puppets. All that really remains are a few scraps of paper in the Cole’s very small archive and the Fingerbobs annual, which contains nothing but pecualir drawings, none that really relate to the show. But, as the album was going to print Lo Cole found an exceptionally rare promotional flyer for the series in 1973 when it was first aired, and this wonderful little gem is what has been used to make the fabulous artwork.

In order to produce a musical album worthy of release, Jonny Trunk entrusted the ears and musical abilities of Jon Brooks (AKA The Advisory Circle) to pull together a musical collage of the whole series. So, we have all the themes, all the songs, all the instrumentals, a scattering of stories too. The music is a touch folky, a little whimsical, classically nostalgic, humble, hip, witty and occasionally camp (Gulliver’s song). Fingerbobs was possibly the last remaining unreleased score from TVs golden era, and finally, thanks to this first ever release, we can now enjoy it whenever or wherever we want. Like in the car with the kids. Which is a very good thing indeed.

Like an updated version of the classic Elvis Costello debut this Long Island band combines a fuzzbox sound and sleek pop-rock sensibility with the edgy style of 2002 emocore. With dual vocals and driving guitars matched against organ and a slinky bassline, their well-crafted songs are infectious and full of zip. New on Victory Records, The Reunion Show and Foo Fighters / Jimmy Eat World producer Nick Raskulinecz have come up with a brilliantly realized album that showcases their pristine melodies and crunchy guitars perfectly.