On his new album, Look Over The Wall, See The Sky, John Francis Flynn delicately unpicks traditional songs and rearranges them with an emotional force that sometimes leaves them unanchored, foating in a surreal space between the past and the present, the analogue and the digital, between love and tragedy.

In his frst single, Mole In The Ground, a cover of an American anti-establishment folk song recorded by Bascom Lamar Lunsford in 1928, John allows the surrealism of the song to take centre stage, opting to speak rather than sing the words. His voice, too, lives beneath the ground of the melody, burrowing its way beneath hypnotic drums, dancing guitars, and sliding violins. By taking away the nursery rhyme-like melody of the song, we focus on our narrators' fantasies and desires, but also on "the weirdness of the song, and its aggressiveness. The last line is: I don't like the railroad man/ the railroad man will kill you when he can/ and he'll drink up your blood like red wine, and I wanted to get to grips with that emotion."

TRACK LISTING

1. The Zoological Gardens
2. Mole In The Ground
3. Willie Crotty
4. Kitty
5. The Seasons
6. Within A Mile Of Dublin
7. The Lag Song
8. Dirty Old Town

To kick off his new label and musical output - Aweh Music, Esa shares with us two exclusive tracks from his most recent soundtrack LP for The Invisible Hand podcast. This limited 7" features a modern street soul track and a collaboration with the legacy duo from the early 1990s, Doval and Robert Roper of Special Touch, which you might be familiar with from their cult classic the "Garden of Life" LP. On the flip side, Esa collaborates with his sister Tasneem based in Cape Town, for the very first time. They present a musical journey that takes influence from soul with Balearic tones and Afro-beat, all brought together nicely by the talented Franck Biyong on organ, guitar, and paying homage to Fela with his introductory vocals & lyrics. Esa recorded these tracks during the pandemic, with many of the studio sessions done remotely. It also features some rising talents based in London - Ayo Salawu on Drums, Raquel Martins on Guitar, Amane Suganami on Synths and Manu Idra on percussion. All tracks were written, produced and arranged by Esa. Limited copies.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Really nice modern soul with rich musicality and expert song writing. Has classic written all over it. Don't sleep.

TRACK LISTING

I See You Feat. Special Touch
Aweh No Wahala Feat. Franck Biyong And Tasneem

MAT is proud to announce the forthcoming release of ‘The Side I Never See’, by Hugh Small & Brian Allen Simon. Hugh forms half of Scottish post-punk duo Vazz, whose work was the subject of a recent retrospective by Belgian label Stroom. Brian is known best for his solo project Anenon, under which name he has released four full length albums and multiple remixes for artists including Ryuichi Sakamoto.

An improvised recording of Brian playing over the Vazz piece ‘Kazimierz’ catalysed this long-distance collaboration; 2000 feet up a mountain in Andalucia, Hugh heard the recording on a broadcast of Brian’s dublab LA radio show. Immediately taken in by Brian’s playing, the pair soon established contact and began discussing the possibility of working to create something new together.

The rest, as they say, is history: the results are fully realised in ‘The Side I Never See’, a shimmering suite of ten compositions for piano, soprano saxophone, synthesizer and guitar. In Hughs words… ‘so, what is it? It’s Ambient-Punk, Abstract-Jazz, Disaffected-Classical, it’s whatever the fuck you want it to be!’ :-)

‘The Side I Never See’ will be released on Melody As Truth in early August 2021, as always on vinyl and digital. Mastered by Stephan Mathieu, Artwork by Michael Willis.

TRACK LISTING

Rocco
Observation Point
Myxomorphia
Source And Origin
Kazimierz
Related Objects
Palace
Cloudland
Viridians
Archangel

“The Black Angels bring the aura of mid-1966 the drilling guitars of early Velvet Underground shows, the raga inflections of late-show Fillmore jams, the acid-prayer stomp of Austin avatars the 13th Floor Elevators everywhere they go, including the levitations on their second album, Directions to See a Ghost. Mid-Eighties echoes of Spacemen 3 and the Jesus and Mary Chain also roll through the scoured-guitar sustain and Alex Maas’ rocker-monk incantations. But he knows what time it is. ’You say the Beatles stopped the war,” Maas sings in ‘Never/Ever.’ ‘They might’ve helped to find a cure/But it’s still not over.’ Even so, this medicine works wonders." – David Fricke, Rolling Stone

Last time we met The Black Angels, they were staring into the desert sun somewhere outside of Austin, Texas. Two years later, night has fallen and the spirits have come out. It’s time for The Black Angels to provide Directions On How To See A Ghost.

If you’re familiar with Passover, the band’s 2006 debut, you’ll know that The Black Angels’s music alone is enough to invoke spirits. There’s a name for the band’s sound; they call it ‘hypno-drone ’n roll’. It’s the sound of long nights on peyote, of dreams of a new world order, and of half-invented memories of the seamy side of ’60s psychedelia.

While the Iraq war is still a major influence on the band’s lyrics, there are new forces at work here, including Eugene Zamyatin’s dystopian novel We and in Christian Bland’s words “psychic information from the past and future.” See, The Black Angels really are in contact with ghosts.
“Civil War battlefields are prime spots for seeing ghosts,” says Bland. “One time at Kennesaw mountain in Georgia, I was climbing the mountain in the middle of June and it must have been close to 100 degrees, but in this one particular spot it was very cold. The hairs on my neck stood up and I knew something strange was happening. Then the wind whispered something like ‘retreat,’ and I did. I later learned that the spot where I was on the battlefield was known as ‘the dead angle’, the place where the fiercest fighting took place. The confederates ended up retreating from the mountain towards Peachtree Creek.”

The Black Angels formed in Austin, Texas, in 2004, comprising from six people (now five) from very different backgrounds. Singer/vocalist Christian Bland is the son of a Presbyterian Pastor and was raised in a devoutly religious household. Bassist / guitarist Nate Ryan was born on a cult compound and drummer Stephanie Bailey claims she’s a descendent of Davy Crocket. She and Alex Maas (vocals/guitar) believe a little girl in a red linen dress haunts the group’s home.

The band released Passover in 2006 to critical acclaim for both the album and the song “The First Vietnamese War”. Most of all, Passover established The Black Angels as a band with brains, balls and a strong message. And this time around, the message is there to read in a 16-page booklet that comes with the album.

“Our central theme is that people need to open up their minds and let everything come through, and to learn from past mistakes,” says Christian. “Only then will we understand the reality of this world and progress beyond where we are now as humans. We’ve built upon that theme with Directions to See a Ghost. We want people to study the booklet we are providing with the album in hopes that they will be able to relate each song to something in their life.”
_"War is Peace.

Freedom is Slavery.
Ignorance is Strength.
Keep Music Evil."_

TRACK LISTING

You On The Run
Doves
Science Killer
Mission District
18 Years
Deer-ree-shee
Never/ever
Vikings
You In Color
The Return
Snake In The Grass

A classic Vee-Jay side from 1965 that originally sneaked out on the Bay Area Wee label. The original goes for around £100, the second Wee press for £75, while the Vee-Jay version is 50 quid a throw. That said, copies are few and far between these days.

Featuring an upbeat, brass-powered Temptationslike harmony with a call and response, a deep sax wail and a piano motif pushing it forward towards a glorious middle eight that breaks into a Gospel roll out.

Powered by Ric-Tic-like drum rolls; a euphoric soulful classic split into two essential parts.

The Ballads were a four-piece from Oakland, across the bridge from San Francisco, featuring Freddie Hughes, who would later sign to Wand. The band themselves almost made it, charting in 1968 with the Willie Hutch-produced ‘God Bless Our Love’ but this earlier recording is the business.

Both sides remastered from the original sound source.

TRACK LISTING

I Can’t See Your Love (For The Tears In My Eyes) Pt.1
I Can’t See Your Love (For The Tears In My Eyes) Pt.2

Hailing from Los Angeles, Jimmy Tamborello has been a key figure in refining what today is considered electronica for over 20 years. "The Seas Trees See" is the first of two Dntel albums to be released in 2021 by Morr Music in collaboration with Les Albums Claus: a free-floating and rather loose stroke of musical genius, giving ambience a whole new meaningful context. It combines crackles and hiss with deep, yet modest, synths and poignant, yet elegant, vocals and lyrics.

"Away", its counterpart album, will follow later in 2021. It will showcase Dntel's unapologetic love for pop music from a long-gone era, presenting yet another aspect of his multi-faceted personality. Dntel has always covered many musical grounds - from the pop-infused hits on "Life Is Full Of Possibilities" (Plug Research, 2001) to his much more abstract works on "Aimlessness" (Pampa Records, 2012), "Human Voice" (Leaving Records, 2014), and his electronics for The Postal Service (Sub Pop). Whatever his style - Tamborello has retained his very own musical voice. When it comes to producing music, it can be a good idea to get away from the studio and find a more relaxed environment. Inspiration does not necessarily require huge bass bins. Fewer pieces of gear make it easier to really focus on ideas first and let them be. After recording "Hate In My Heart" - his most recent album, released in 2018 - this way, Tamborello continued working in that fashion, mainly jamming and getting ideas together for upcoming live shows. One of the first results of this creative process was the opening track of "The Seas Trees See" - a cover version of "The Lilac and the Apple", originally recorded by Californian folk singer Kate Wolf in 1977. Tamborello turns the acapella song into a vocoder-like extravaganza.


Working with the original recording, the track perfectly sets the tone for what "The Seas Trees See" turns out to be - a quiet yet mesmerizing journey through sound and emotion, bringing together his very own sound design, disguised samples and an incredible feel for moods and atmospheres. "I thought a lot about making an album that you would find in a thrift store", Tamborello remembers. Something "like a mysterious collection of sketches that leaves a lot unanswered. It doesn't beg for attention or have any big moments." Despite its perfect and gentle flow, it is worth digging deeper, to surrender oneself to all the painstakingly placed details.


Whether the beautiful and haunting piano work on "Movie Tears" or the almost sidechained-sounding "Yoga App" - every aspect of this album has been beautifully crafted, often bringing one of life's biggest questions to the table: What if? What would have happened if Tamborello would have done this on that track or that on this track? It is good that he did not. Small things add up to something great, diverse and riveting. The subtlety of his latest endeavor is fascinating. It opens up a new world, in which small musical sketches mean at least as much as perfectly produced pop anthems - if not more.

TRACK LISTING

1 The Lilac And The Apple (remix)
2 The Seas
3 Whimsy
4 The Man On The Mountain
5 Back Home
6 What I Made
7 Movie Tears
8 Fall In Love
9 Yoga App
10 After All
11 Hard Weather 

Over the course of two decades The Body - Lee Buford and Chip King - have consistently challenged assumptions and defied categorization, redefining what it means to be a heavy band.

On ‘I’ve Seen All I Need To See’, they test the boundaries of the studio to explore the extremes and microtonality of distortion to find its maximal impact.

Their most incisively bleak album to date, a towering monolith of noise, Buford’s booming, resolute drums paired with King’s obliterated guitar and howl.

Course, bristling distortion contorts every instrument, with samples of spoken word, cymbals, toms and King’s already noxious tone emerging from layers of feedback.

Features guests Ben Eberle (Sandworm) and Chrissy Wolpert (Assembly of Light Choir).  Recorded with long time engineer Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets (Lightning Bolt, Battles, Daughters) and mastered by Matt Colton (Sumac, Brian Eno, Uniform, Sunn O)))).

The Body have collaborated with many, including Full Of Hell, Thou, Uniform and Bummer.

“The distortion has this ability to envelope you, and not push you away. It has this strange kind of beautiful timbre... once you give into the sheer power of it, and let it take you on a ride then it becomes this whole other kind of sonic experience.” - Matt Colton

TRACK LISTING

A Lament
Tied Up And Locked In
Eschatological Imperative
A Pain Of Knowing
The City Is Shelled
They Are Coming
The Handle/The Blade
Path Of Failure

THIS IS A BLACK FRIDAY RELEASE AVAILABLE ONLINE ONLY ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27TH FROM 6PM.
LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

Throughout their career, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings remained in high demand both publicly and privately to recreate and often re-imagine songs by other artists. More often than not, these covers were recorded by request – commissioned for placement in movies, television programs, tribute albums, or for samples. This album compiles some of their most popular as well as never-before-heard renditions.

Though the band has mostly built their career on a prolific catalog of originals, these forays into other artists’ compositions lay bare their gift for arrangement and the unmatched studio prowess that earned them their reputation as The Baddest Band in the Land.

TRACK LISTING

1. Signed Sealed Delivered
2. Little By Little
3. Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In)
4. Here I Am Baby
5. What Have You Done For Me Lately
6. Take Me With You
7. Inspiration Information
8. Giving Up
9. Rescue Me
10. In The Bush
11. It Hurts To Be Alone
12. Trespsaser

Love. Connection. Community. Understanding. Most of us experience these aspects through the prism of family and friends. But not everybody can turn those feelings into song, especially not with the beauty and sensitivity of Pennsylvania trio the innocence mission, fronted by Karen Peris and husband Don. Following their Bella Union album debut Sun On The Square, which won the band some of their best-ever reviews, they have made another exquisite and touching album, See You Tomorrow. A record steeped in awe and wonder, intense longing, sadness and joy; a rich sequence of songs that attempt to describe the essence of what makes us human.

Sufjan Stevens, who has covered the innocence mission’s classic ‘Lakes Of Canada’, once called their music “moving and profound. What is so remarkable about Karen Peris' lyrics is the economy of words, concrete nouns which come to life with melodies that dance around the scale like sea creatures.”

The band recorded See You Tomorrow in the Peris’ basement (and the dining room where the piano sits). Karen wrote and sang ten of the album’s eleven songs, and plays guitars, piano, pump organ, accordion, electric bass, melodica, mellotron, and an old prototype strings sampler keyboard. Don contributes guitars, drums, vocal harmonies, and one lead vocal on his song ‘Mary Margaret In Mid-Air’. Fellow founder member Mike Bitts adds upright bass to four songs including ‘On Your Side’, the album’s first single.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Brothers Williams Said
2. On Your Side
3. Movie
4. We Don’t Know How To Say Why
5. St. Francis And The Future
6. At Lake Maureen
7. John As Well
8. This Boat
9. Mary Margaret In Mid-Air
10. Stars That Fall Away From Us
11. I Would Be There

I See You marks a new era for the London trio of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith, both sonically and in terms of process. For while xx and Coexist were both made in relative isolation in London, I See You was recorded between March 2014 and August 2016 in New York, Marfa TX, Reykjavik, Los Angeles and London, and is characterised by a more outward-looking, open and expansive approach. Produced by Jamie Smith and Rodaidh McDonald, I See You is The xx at their boldest yet, performing with more clarity and ambition than ever before.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: After two perfect, and pretty similar albums of clipped, late-night minimalism, The XX ring the changes, tinkering with their template with a record showing some of the dynamism and richness of Jamie's smash-hit solo album of 2 years ago. It still has all their hallmarks intact, just warped and deepened to beautiful effect. Brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dangerous
2. Say Something Loving
3. Lips
4. A Violent Noise
5. Performance
6. Replica
7. Brave For You
8. On Hold
9. I Dare You
10. Test Me

Growing up in a Caribbean household, ska was a staple for Kermit, and Derrick Morgan’s easy skanking ‘Seven Letters’ was a record that particularly resonated.

Taking him back to childhood; mentally, emotionally and spiritually, ‘Seven Letters’ is one of those songs that’s been a constant in his life.

Originally a soul track written and recorded by Ben E. King, ‘Seven Letters’ follows a series of love notes sent to his girl over a week.

In this contemporary version, Kermit’s decided enough is enough and he’s heading back home; his bags are packed, his boots are laced up and he’s going down that long dusty road - this is the last time you’ll see him round here.

Hot on the heels of the recent 'must have' collection of sold out 45s and rarities on the mighty Sundazed label, The See See return with their third studio full length in October via The GPS on vinyl and on CD and download via Dell'Orso.

Another fantastic collection of bittersweet sunshine psych pop nuggets, layered with the bands' killer ear for a vocal harmony and hooks aplenty. Passing nods to Big Star, Later era Byrds / Burritos and the 'Paisley Underground' sounds of the great Rain Parade and Long Ryders amongst others, the set doesn't disappoint and is sure to build on the acclaim and quick sell out status of all of their previous output.

Admired by the likes of Sid Griffin, Ric Menck and Norman Blake to name a few, the band have recently collaborated with longterm fans such as Jim Noir and The Coral, from whom Nick Power penned the great “Jenny Said” from the set here.

There is a defiant air of unflinching bravery in Mirel Wagner’s carefully chosen words and the skeletal chords of her acoustic guitar. Her songs are like smooth, polished pebbles, thrown into a cold bottomless pond, drops of life that set the darkness rippling.

Squeezing the last drop of life from a worn out genre, her acoustic balladry is as far as you'll get from clichéd coffee house folk. It has more to do with the primeval darkness of Swans than the folksy bonhomie of Bob Dylan.

Her background couldn't be more normal: a relatively sheltered childhood in one of the better-off suburbs of Helsinki, teenage years spent rummaging around the blues section of her local library, fumbling around with her brother’s acoustic guitar. She is wary of speaking of her Ethiopian origins (Wagner was adopted at 1½ years of age) and sees herself as Finnish. Her art is all the more astonishing considering this cultural context, all the more shocking in its strangeness because it stems from something so normal.

‘When The Cellar Children See The Light Of Day’ was recorded at Shark Reef Studios in Hailuoto by electronic music producer Vladislav Delay (Luomo, Uusitalo). Delay fleshes out Wagner’s sound, adding subtle production touches that give her songs a newfound vastness and gravity, while keeping the winning formula that garnered critical acclaim for her self-titled debut.

The new album also features Academy and Grammy award winning Scottish composer Craig Armstrong.

Less than a year after releasing their debut, and with their lineup now settled, The See See return with their second album for Dell'Orso. With this new release, The See See have created an album far more dynamic than its predecessor. Aligning a brash love of U.S. West Coast psychedelia to latter-day European influences (Spacemen 3 particularly), ‘Fountayne Mountain' weaves harmonized laments through McGuinn-esque guitars.

This is a band who have now become a lush sum of their parts. Led by Richard Olson (who previously fronted acid folk rock band Eighteenth Day Of May) this London based group have on this record pooled their influences together to make an album of a perfect two halves, dishing up spun out ballads (Big Wheels, Fix Me Up), alongside euphoric, lazer guided instrumentals (Sunbleached) and ritualistic, daisy-chained rollercoasters (The Day That Was The Day).

This album will be released on compact disc and through digital formats on Dell'Orso and on limited edition tri-coloured vinyl via our friends at Great Pop Supplement.

GPS will also be releasing the first single from the album, Gold & Honey' on 7" only backed by a superb kraut-remix of Sunbleached by Eat Lights Become Lights. To coincide with this single release The See See have just supported one of our all time favourites, Olivia Tremor Control at Cargo, London.

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: Like a sweet psyche dappled mix of The Byrds and Spacemen 3. Highly recommended!

Tom Williams and the Boat return following a summer that has seen them play across the UK at various festivals including five sets at Glastonbury and high profile sets at Latitude and Lounge On The Farm with an EP of new material recorded throughout August. The band are currently putting the finishing touches to their debut album, due for release in Spring 2011.

Lead track "See My Evil" has been raising eyebrows amongst fans, who now number the likes of Huw Stephens, Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson, taking their well known ear for a melody into new and darker musical territory and saw The Fly rapt with ‘an unexpected dark dynamism, and an all-round righteous fury’ whilst Likesounds thrilled to a track so ‘massive and loaded with hooks’ when they caught the band live at the Buffalo Bar. Coupled with "Get Older", a bluesy confessional burning with the anger of a young Nick Cave, the two tracks further demonstrate Tom Williams and the Boat as one of the most inventive songwriting teams around. With the dark mood persisting into the groove of "Strong Wheels", threaded gossamer like with a sinewy guitar line there is still space for the release of "Kick the Cat" and the warped confessional of "In Love".

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: This EP is all over 6 music at the moment, and deservedly so - it's ace!

TRACK LISTING

1. See My Evil
2. Get Older
3. Strong Wheels
4. In Love
5. Kick The Cat

Debut album from The Present: The Present is the new music project of legendary New York musician and producer Rusty Santos (Panda Bear "Person Pitch", Born Ruffians "Red Yellow & Blue", Animal Collective "Sung Tongs"). Described by one band who worked with him as a hyper boy genius, Rusty has always fixed his attention on producing music that is experimentally rich whilst remaining accessible. By attempting to create music that arises unconsciously through improvisation, The Present's debut album "World I See" hauls this ethos over its shoulders as it tramples on musical boundaries and preconceptions, whilst leaving an album that is still capable of relating musically and emotionally to a wide audience. Fans of Deerhunter, Atlas Sound, Animal Collective, Panda Bear and Gang Gang Dance will be much drawn to this.

Atlas Sound is the solo moniker of Deerhunter frontman / provocateur Bradford Cox. Here on his debut album, Cox's sound moves out of dank nightclubs filled with eternal existential drone punk, and relaxes at home in his Grant Park, Atlanta bedroom. And this is, essentially, a bedroom album, a collage, mixing the garage rock and ambient electronic influences previously explored with Deerhunter into a new context, with newly explored recording techniques, mainly laptop-based, learned with guidance from Kranky artist Nudge's Brian Foote. The result is fourteen songs of melancholy and mania. This is a true solo album, entirely created and produced by a single person. That is certainly not unique, especially in the contemporary scene. But Bradford Cox's unusual talent is the ability to take a wide variety of seemingly incongruous sound elements, and seamlessly meld them into a cohesive pop narrative. Ultimately it is this innate ability to combine all these disparate elements into a singular whole that makes this album such an enjoyable, and unique listen.