The giant avalanche that is THE LONDON DIRTHOLE COMPANY is back with another slab of prime-time partisan punk noise. With a Futurist disdain and Dadaist sense of sardonic humour, the MODERN IST EP celebrates the realities of the Family Of Noise as a truly interactive social experiment. The genuinely odd bunch of protagonists that make up the bands personnel stretch the boundaries of conventional group structure and methods. A truly outsider approach that reverberates with its nebulous intensity and spirit of joy. The result is a fractious cacophony created (on this record) by four drummers, 3 guitarists a bass player and 2 different vocalists. Live the band rotate up to a dozen singers if occasion and availability conspire. The music has elements and attitudes in common with The Monks, Velvet Underground, Pussy Galore and The Fall without any direct plagiarism or imitation. These bands are but ships in the night to the Battleship Dirthole and its crew of desperate fellows. PROFESSOR THE CONFESSOR is an intimate memoir of utterances from the dark recesses of The Professor’s mind. CRYING ONIONS is a sleazy ballad of all-consuming pleasure, timeless romance, sensual purgatory, erotic possession, empty tears, disrobing and eating an onion. TOMORROW, TODAY faces up to the bleak realities of a passion consumed and the vagaries of the staring up from the gutter as you watch your former partner dance the same dance you fell for with someone else. The strapping fit and healthy London Dirthole Company pedigree on this recording; The Nuns, Pulkas, Echobelly, Headbutt, Felix Moment Power Trio, Lot Lizards, Project Dark, Headcleaner.

“There Is Nothing Left But The Enjoyment Of Senseless Destruction” is the first deadly plastic bullet from Dead Normal, a Barcelona-based trio fusing harsh electronics with a confrontational punk aesthetic to devastating effect. Think: early SPK meets 1990s Whitehouse, distorted Scorn/JFK type skullcrushing beats, a sprinkling of deconstructed Mark Stewart/Tackhead-esque mutant groove and a ferocious dual male/female vocal attack reminiscent of Mark E Smith at his most irascible combined with Crass' Eve Libertine at her most acerbic. Push the levels into the red and you're still only half way close to the unique and original hybrid of Dead Normal's punishing sonic assault. Founded in 2016 by Mario (electronics) with Oriol Rosell and Zoë V sharing vocal duties, the members of Dead Normal have a pedigree spanning two decades in the experimental/avant-garde scene, including collaborations with artists such as The New Blockaders and 2nd Gen. Dead Normal have played in Spain, London and Berlin alongside a diversity of acts from hardcore punk to power electronics and synthpop with further live performances to be announced shortly. 

TRACK LISTING

1/Reasons To Not Love
2/When The Shit Hits The Fan
3/The Epiphany
4/Little Tweaker Fuck 
5/The Man Is A Twat
6/Bobby
7/Guilt Hits Harder Than The Truth
8/You Were Good
9/Fully Loaded

Katy J Pearson would like you to know that she is not a country singer. Sure, there was an influence of the genre to the now - 26 - year - old’s celebrated debut ‘Return’ - an album that saw Pearson snowball from Bristolian newcomer to a critically - acclaimed bre akthrough star, selling out shows up and down the UK - but there’s also much, much more to her magnetic blend of soaring, widescreen melodies and warm, intimate storytelling than just three chords and the truth.

“There was one music video [for ‘Tonight’] that I did in the beginning where I line - danced and was wearing rhinestones, and from there it just turned it into this real thing,” she laughs. “Every review would be ‘country - tinged’ whereas actually, there was literally one country song on the record re ally. But I think that’s what’s good about the new record, that I think it’s not what people will expect from me. When people ask me what the new album sounds like, it’s just... a bit different?!”

Happy to wax lyrical about the relative merits of Townes Van Zandt, Elton John and Fugazi within the same breath, there’s always been a lot going on in Pearson’s musical palette (FYI she’d call her debut more of a folk - rock LP, if anything). But though the critics might have skewed the specifics of ‘Return’ - relea sed via Heavenly Records in November 2020 - the acclaim for the album still came pouring in. Having had a previous taste of the industry via a major label project that quickly turned sour, the difference this time around was tangible: praised for “ the arre sting quality of [her] Kate Bush - meets - Dolly Parton vocal delivery” by The Times, labelled as “finding humanity in every moment” by DIY and with lead single ‘Take Back The Radio’ described as “a whoop of pure joy” in the Guardian, amidst the bleak toll of lockdown, something about this curiously optimistic album began to really resonate. “ It was terrifying getting to the point of releasing a debut after making music for eight years, like woah!” she says with an exaggerated grimace (random noises and excita ble gestures are par - for - the - course in a Pearson anecdote).

“But weirdly it feels like it couldn’t have come out at any other time. It felt like everything people were saying to me [during lockdown] was everything that I’d been feeling when I wrote that al bum; it was a very personal album for me, and it was released at a time when a lot of people were in their house, feeling isolated. It was the antidote to a lot of peoples’ lives.” It feels fitting then that, having provided an aural balm at just the righ t moment with her first album, its follow - up should reflect a world brimming with curiosity, back in action and wanting to expand its horizons.

If Pearson’s extracurricular activities in recent months have shown that she can dip a toe into a multitude of g enres - providing guest vocals on Orlando Weeks’ recent album ‘Hop Up’; popping up with Yard Act for a collaboration at End of the Road festival; singing on trad - folk collective Broadside Hacks’ 2021 project ‘Songs Without Authors’ - then forthcoming secon d album ‘Sound of the Morning’ takes that spirit and runs with it. It’s still Katy J Pearson (read: effortlessly charming, full of heart and helmed by that inimitable vocal), but it’s Katy J Pearson pushing herself musically and lyrically into new waters. Written and recorded in late 2021 after a self - prescribed period of down time spent walking, going on daily cold water swims and “just chillaxing massively”, even the credits on ‘Sound of the Morning’ profess a new thirst for experimentation from the sin ger. Joining ‘Return’ producer Ali Chant on desk duties this time was Speedy Wunderground head honcho Dan Carey, who worked with Pearson on some of the album’s grittier tracks. “Dan got a completely different structural, songwriting style out of me which i s what I wanted: something a bit more confident and in your face,” she nods. “He could see that there was a part of me that wanted to branch out, I just didn’t know where and how far to push it, but it was exactly the kind of progression I was looking for. ”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: While Pearson's voice may draw comparisons to much beloved country singers (understandably), it's in her clever songwriting that her latest outing really shines. There are more woozy, airy moments of jangling indie amongst the heavier progressions and orchestrally intricate compositions, lurching between ideas seamlessly and without losing the melodic thread. Another brilliant success for Katy J Pearson.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sound Of The Morning
2. Talk Over Town
3. Riverbed
4. Howl
5. Confession
6. The Hour
7. Float
8. Alligator
9. Game Of Cards
10. Storm To Pass
11. Willow’s Song

Blink-and-you'll-miss-it 7" from Terekke who touches on the kind of sublime, cushion soft dub-techno-electronica that used to be the realm of acts like Farben, Fluxion, Burnt Friedman and such like.

"2 The World" reflects deep space red-shift across a plasma lake, it's thick, viscous buoyancy supporting a whole manner of contemplative emotion before a thudding kick returns us to focus.

"Fandn" swells with a positive luminescence, airy strings and delicate, distant leads teasing the senses like seeing by the ocean at a Summer's daybreak.

Tender, sensuous movements from a master of the machines. Don't miss this one folks.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Icey, crystalline vapour-dub from esteemed sound smith Terekke. Really, really limited!

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. 2 The World
Side 2
1. Fandn 

In association with DJ Amir and 180 Proof Records, BBE Music proudly presents ‘Strata Records - The Sound of Detroit - Reimagined by Jazzanova’, a brand new celebration of the iconic imprint. How does the Berlin-based production collective Jazzanova find itself reimagining songs from the iconic, Detroit record label Strata? “I couldn’t think of a more perfect band to do this work,” DJ Amir says about Jazzanova, a combination of DJs, record collectors and musicians, “because they brought passion and love to the project, because they know the music and love the music. And on top of that, they know how to play.” This unlikely, yet ideal pairing is the result of years of work and passion from Amir Abdullah, the crate-digging, DJ and label-head for 180-Proof Records which in 2011 began reissuing the groundbreaking Strata Records back catalog and unreleased gems from the vaults. On Strata Records - The Sound of Detroit - Reimagined by Jazzanova, DJ Amir and Jazzanova breathe new life into eleven hand-picked tracks from the Strata catalog for fans of the label’s historic recordings and new ears alike. Strata Records rose from the ashes of Detroit’s tumultuous 1960s decline..

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A superb compilation from the ever reliable BBE which sees renowned collective Jazzanova reimagining the output of Detroit stalwart label Strata. It's an absolute wealth of amazing material to draw on, and the endlessly talented Jazzanova do it great justice here. A match made in heaven.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Introduction
2. Face At My Window
3. Root In 7-4 Plus
4. Lost My Love
5. Creative Musicians
6. Joy Road
Disc: 2
1. Orotunds
2. Inside Ourselves
3. Scorpio’s Child
4. Beyond The Dream
5. Saturday Night Special
6. Loser

Sunshine Sound deliver an absolute doozy for their vinyl debut, treating us to 'Happy Song', the original DJ tool from the legendary Francois K.

This is not just a bonus beat...This is THE bonus beat! This iconic rhythm track has been the source of countless samples, imitations & duplications since it first appeared in 1977. Now for the first time FK's original edit is available as a high quality stereo recording direct from tape. You may now put away your bootlegs.

Flip it over to find the long lost Walter Gibbons Battle Edit of 'Happy Song'. 
Walter Gibbons, one of NYs founding DJs, would skilfully experiment with the rhythm live on turntables at his Galaxy 21 club residency, whipping the floor into a frenzy as well as inspiring FK to create his famous edit.
What you may not know is that Walter also worked on his own version of Happy Song. Pulsing with primordial stereo syncopation, Walter's previously unheard Battle Edit could be considered the Director's Cut.

This is just the beginning, prepare to amend the history books.

Package includes hand-stamped sleeve and information inlay.

TRACK LISTING

A. Happy Song (Edit By Francois K)
B. Happy Song (Walter Gibbons Battle Edit)

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2022 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

180g Clear Vinyl - first time on vinyl. Formed in south London in 1979, the Sound were an English post-punk band fronted by singer-songwriter Adrian Borland. Whilst the Sound may never have matched the commercial success of their peers, the group are frequently hailed as one of the greatest bands of the 1980s and have a cult following to this day.

Issued in 1986, 'Counting The Days' was the sole compilation released during the band's years together and gathers together tracks from their acclaimed releases "Shock Of Daylight", "Heads And Hearts" and "In The Hothouse". The complete collection is now issued on vinyl for the very first time, pressed on two 180g clear vinyl.

Dean Honer and Kevin Pearce present a beautifully designed original soundtrack of songs taken from a science show for children and adults alike.

Dean Honer is a Sheffield based musician, producer and founding member of many iconic electronic music bands including The All Seeing I, I Monster, The Moonlandingz and The Eccentronic Research Council. He has worked as a producer for bands such as The Human League, Add N to X and Roisin Murphy.

Kevin Pearce is a songwriter from Essex. He has received plaudits for his work from The Independent, The Guardian and Mojo magazine. His music has been used on HBO programmes in the USA as well as BBC TV shows in the UK.

Castles in Space is proud to present The Sound of Science. Dean explains the background and inspiration for the album:

“The idea for The Sound of Science had been in my head for a number of years.

“Being a parent of young kids I endured a lot of very cliched and awful children's songs that were attempting to combine education and entertainment. These quickly became a form of torture to me, something that the CIA might use in covert operations to flush out a drug cartel from their hideout. It became apparent that there was a desperate need for informative songs and music that were appealing and bearable for both children and their parents.

“I recruited my friend Kevin Pearce, (who I have produced and collaborated with on various projects over the years), to bounce ideas off and who could put together a nice series of chords and could sing! Which helps when writing songs. Kevin is from an acoustic folk background and I'm more of a one finger synth player in the Human League tradition. I thought it would be interesting to mix the folk and electronic element together for children’s songs. Something that harks back to both the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 60's and 70's and also the folk songs of TV programmes like Play Away, public information films and music from various weird and oddball kids TV from that era.

“We then recruited various artists to sing on the tracks including PsychFolk singer Sharron Kraus, performance artist Heidi Kilpaleinen (HK119), synth goddess Tara Busch, artist and ex Add N to X man Steven Claydon and vocalists Liza Violet and Tom O'Hara.

“Kevin and I are both interested in science and astronomy so that was the obvious direction for the album. Writing songs about various scientific subjects was interesting and a challenge. Aiming them at children meant that we didn't need a PHD for the lyrics. It became more about conveying a sense of wonder and presenting some amazing facts to audience.

“In 2018 we were asked by Sheffield University to work on a live version of the album and to collaborate with some of their senior scientists on the project. This turned The Sound of Science into a live performance spectacular involving scientific experiments on stage, a live band performing the songs, plus 3D visuals created by Human in Sheffield. We performed 3 shows over two days and the reaction from kids and their parents was amazing. More festival shows due in 2020 were curtailed because of the pandemic, but we hope to get the show back on the road in 2022.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: An absolutely stunning package here, once again for the ever-brilliant CiS, and a landmark release for their 100th cat no. too! Beautiful kosmische synths, robot vocals and airy arps, bringing to mind Kosmischer Laufer or Panabrite, but imbued with a percussive drive and Hohner-exclusive humour. Really beautiful stuff in sight and sound.

TRACK LISTING

1. Photosynthesis (Love The Green Machines)
2. What Makes Sound
3. Everything’s Made Of Atoms
4. These Are The Elements
5. Global Warming
6. The Water Cycle
7. The Speed Of Light
8. Gravity
9. Nebulae
10. The Planets And Moons Of The Solar System
11. Black Hole (Sagittarius A Star)
12. A Total Solar Eclipse

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2022 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

180g Translucent Blue Vinyl - first time on vinyl. Chi-Sound Records was launched in 1976, by soul producer Carl Davis. The Chicago label produced some of the great soul Artists of the late 70s and became a new home for the legendary Duke of Earl, Gene Chandler, whose Disco classic "Get Down" tore-up the dancefloors around the world.

TRACK LISTING

1 Windy City Windy City Theme
2 Ebony Rhythm Funk Campaign Watchin' You, Watchin' Me
3 Manchild Red Hot Daddy
4 Gene Chandler Get Down
5 The Impressions Come To My Party
1 Sydney Joe Qualls So Sexy
2 Gene Chandler When You're # 1
3 The Dells All About The Paper
4 Manchild Taking It To The Streets
1 The Chi-Lites Hot On A Thing (Called Love)
2 Magnum Force A Touch Of Funk [Mono Version]
3 The Impressions Fan The Fire
4 Walter Jackson Touching In The Dark
5 Gene Chandler Does She Have A Friend?
1 Manchild Especially For You
2 The Dells Passionate Breezes
3 Walter Jackson It's Cool
4 Paris I Choose You

Kalita are excited to announce the first ever reissue of student medical group the IgG Band’s highly sought-after 1980 soul, funk and disco grail ‘Ultra/Sound’. Originally privately released in a small run on bandmember Clifford Becker’s Infusion Records imprint, the album has since become a treasured prize of but a handful of diehard collectors and DJs as a result of both its scarcity and quality. Now, in partnership with the band, Kalita shine a light on the album for the first time in over forty years, accompanied by never-before-seen archival photos and extensive interview-based liner notes.

Formed in March 1979 out of a young group of musically talented students at Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, the IgG Band was, as leader Clifford Becker recalls, first created ‘to play music to please ourselves and friends, and as an outlet to the ever pending and growing pressure of our medical education’. However, by 1980 the IgG Band had developed enough original material that they were ready to put their music to wax, and ‘Ultra/Sound’ was recorded at Hilltop Recording Studios in Nashville, with each band member contributing their part separately when their busy medical schedules allowed.

Each song on the record was notably written mostly by only one band member – ‘IgG Theme’, ‘I Still Want You’ and ‘Daydreaming’ by Kendal Foster, ‘Another Love Gone’ and ‘When I Think of You’ by Solomon Pollard, ‘Funky Music’ by Murray Riggins and ‘Infusion’ by Kermit White. As Murray explains, ‘initially every band member had the opportunity to contribute original songs and from there we collaborated to make each song better’.

The record was released at the close of 1980, manufactured and distributed by the band themselves. The album was a local success, and the band sold out within a short space of time, with most copies sold to family, friends and Meharry College students. However, at the end of their studies at Meharry the band went their separate ways. Their educational qualifications required that they partake in internships, and these were at different hospitals in different states. As Murray divulges, ‘each of us chose our own path and to live our own separate lives. We have stayed in contact periodically over the years, but we have never been able to get together and play music because of our medical practice time constraints’. We hope therefore that this much-needed re-release of ‘Ultra/Sound’ helps to keep the IgG Band’s musical legacy alive and showcases their musical quality to the world once again.

TRACK LISTING

A1. IgG Theme
A2. I Still Want You
A3. Another Love Gone
A4. Daydreaming
B1. Funky Music
B2. Infusion
B3. When I Think Of You

Whether folk, rock, jazz, electronica or hip hop, Stroud's musical innovators are united by a love of improvisation, experimentation and collaboration. This record is the first attempt to capture the key sounds of the scene and features acts as diverse as the haunting electronica of Orbury Common, the post-punk jazz of Mermaid Chunky, the etherial cello of Simon McCorry and glitchy hip-hop of Fidel Cutstro. The record also features a track from Blancmange legend Neil Arthur in his Near Future guise as well as the first ever recorded track by Wooolheads, a collaboration between Sound Records' own Sean Roe and artist Uta Baldauf. Other acts involved are Mahon Sounds, Little Metropolis, Unicorn Ship Explosion and Phonsonic.

The record is limited to just 500 copies and is likely to become a collectors item given the interest in the project. Artwork is by locally respected artist Adam Hinks (Good on Paper) and insert sleeve notes are written by music journalist Rupert Howe

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1/ Orbury Common - Ectos Chasm
2/ Unicorn Ship Explosion - Noisy Flag Kid Guitar
3/ Simon McCorry - Pieces Of Mind
4/ Phonsonic - 4th Of June
5/ Near Future - Ideal Home
Side 2
1/ Fidel Cutstro - Coyote
2/ Mahon Sounds - Ron
3/ Mermaid Chunky ( Feat Rorshack/JSSO ) - Slabs
4/ Wooolheads - Invisible Systems
5/ Little Metropolis - Ghosts

Evan Wright’s debut full-length album Sound from out the Window is a shimmering collection of country-tinged indie psychedelia. Recorded, mixed, performed, produced by Wright, the New Jersey-born, New York-based songwriter crafts a self-contained world, both nostalgic and stressed out, a personal and deeply compelling work that continually reveals itself with each listen.

Recorded partially in Wright’s New York apartment before Covid caused him to decamp to his parents’ barn in New Jersey for quarantine, Sound from out the Window is the work of a consummate craftsman, fully in control of his sonic arsenal. “I always enjoyed recording and doing everything by myself,” says Wright. “It gives me a chance to learn something new. Every time I write and record and makes it feel like the music is completely my own.” This determination to create something truly personal led Wright to play every instrument on the record. It also led to a lot of experimentation.

“I became really obsessed with manipulating sounds using cassettes and tape,” says Wright. “I also began reamping a lot of instruments, including my voice.” The results form a nuance and strangely-textured album, with unrecognizable sounds flitting in and out of the background, like the indie western movie soundtrack of your dreams. Electronic and acoustic guitars meld with synth lines with Wright’s half-whispered croon anchoring the music throughout.

TRACK LISTING

01. People
02. IDM
03. Just A Sign
04. Turn The Other Way
05. Sound From Out The Window
06. Change
07. Morning Lights
08. On The Line
09. Ride

Reuniting on record for the first time since 2015, The Rhythm Odyssey & Dr. Dunks arrive on Phantasy with a double-barrel delivery of legitimate weirdo disco, ‘El Cid’. Comprising of Chicken Lips’ own Dean Meredith and crate-digging DJ extraordinaire, Eric Duncan, both tracks come complete with additional playing from

Andy Meecham, AKA, The Emperor Machine. Initially rolling like an eighties-era cop show theme, ‘El Cid’ gradually prises open a wormhole of rubbery machine funk, unleashing an electromagnetic weapon that seemingly triggers each and every drum machine and synth in the duo's respective studios. The resulting jam, comprising patches of wonky key work, frenetic
percussion and an anything-goes approach to FX, is a nail-biting, hip-shaking showdown between collaborative chaos and dancefloor (dis)order.

In response, the hide of ‘Fast Leather Jacket’ arrives stitched with a parallel patchwork of sonic pleasures. Cosmic and tropical in even measure, this is hard-wearing club apparel tailored with a deliciously catchy melody and guaranteed protection from musical tedium, subtly shapeshifting from is-it-balearic charms to a delightfully mixable freestyle conclusion.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A host of old guard renegades back at it and causing mayhem. A frazzled and jagged electro-disco freefall that recalls the wild days El Diablos and naive melody. So damn good!

TRACK LISTING

A. El Cid
B. Fast Leather Jacket

The Sound Of Love International 004 is a particular poignant collection of rarities, collectables and unearthed gems, pulled together by the Italian DJ and crate digger Budino. For the last two years, the pretty coastal town of Tisno in Croatia has been devoid of the (now) legendary Love International week-long celebration of music, leaving thousands of revellers and regular devotes with only the sounds of Love International to keep the spirits strong until the next time friendships are rekindled and dance resumes under the sun and the stars. Luckily, the fiesta is scheduled for a return to Tisno from 13th – 19th July 2022.

Budino, AKA Valentina Bodini, has a lifelong passion for vinyl, amassing an enviable collection of multi-genre LPs and singles via her years spent in Italy and now in Berlin. As resident DJ for Discodromo’s CockTail d’Amore parties, her enthusiasm for music and digging knows no boundaries, and her instalment into the Sound Of Love International series gives us an aural insight into her musical realm.

Musically, The Sound Of Love International #004 is a smorgasbord of sound. Opening with the glacial tones of Peter Seiler’s 1986 new-age gem ‘Serengeti’, the twelve track selection glides through proto-house, tribal ambience, industrial EBM, balearic dance and so much more. It’s a testament to the ground- breaking nature of these tracks that most of the music here was originally released some 30-40 years ago. Inclusions from Oliver Leib’s The Ambush project, Vibes Of Rhythm and Scott Edward stem from the post house & techno explosion of the early 90s, whilst the early proto-electronic experiments from the likes of Kirlian Camera, Clock DVA, Bourbonese Qualk and Pyrolator are welcomely revived for a new audience. Interestingly, a flexi-disc only release of ‘Hark’ by William Orbit & Laurie Mayer’s early 80s Torch Song project is also included here, elongated by Budino herself in the edit suite. Two brand new productions from DJ Blasy and Budino & Berko ensure that business is brought bang up to date, offering a unique and modern spin on the sounds of Budino, and her tantalising selection on this compilation.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: You might not have heard of Budinho yet, but you will after this Summer! The rising star of the new cosmic / Adriatic scene is set to take the world by storm. One of the Cocktail D'Amore crew, her impeccable curations of early 90s dance, cosmic and dancey EBM are dazzling everyone from Boiler Room to Test Pressing. Ahead of her Love International appearance in Tisno we get an absolutely beautiful compilation of frankly timeless dance music from a DJ and collector who really knows her onions.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Peter Seiler - Serengeti
A2. The Ambush - Casablanca
A3. Bourbonese Qualk - Ton Ton Macoute
B1. Pyrolator - Ein Weihnachtsmann Kommt In Die Disc
B2. Torch Song - Hark (Long Version)
B3. Kirlian Camera - Communicate (Instrumental Version)
C1. DJ Blasy - Metacognition
C2. Budino & Berko - Transoceanic
C3. Fidelfatti - Ocean
D1. Vibes Of Rhythm - Thrill Me (Trance-Paradise Mix)
D2. Clock DVA - Cypher (Glyph)
D3. Scott Edward - The Ion Engine

On August 27th 2021 The Third Sound released their fifth album ‘First Light’ on Fuzz Club Records and it is now being given a second pressing after selling out upon release the first time aorund. Dealing in a hypnotic blend of neo-psychedelia, post-punk and new wave, The Third Sound is a Berlin-based band led by the Icelandic musician Hákon Aðalsteinsson, who is the guitarist in Brian Jonestown Massacre and formerly played in the cult rock’n’roll outfit Singapore Sling. A mainstay of the European psych underground in his own right, not just through his collaborations with the likes of Anton Newcombe and Tess Parks, The Third Sound has been Hakon’s primary solo endeavor since the release of his self-titled debut on Newcombe’s A Recordings a decade ago. Arriving following 2018’s ‘All Tomorrow’s Shadows’ LP, ‘First Light’ marks an evolution into a brighter and at times uplifting sound.

Marrying moments of light and dark, the result is The Third Sound’s most dynamic full-length to date. Talking about the album, Hakon said: “This album is definitely less gloomy than the previous one, although some ghosts from the past are lurking in the background. We always try to make something new on each album and never make the same album over again, but this feels like an even bigger change than usual, especially regarding the mood. Something new is beginning although the past is not forgotten. I think the title, First Light, describes the overall feel of the record pretty well.” ‘First Light’ is the fifth full-length from The Third Sound and arrives off the back of 2018’s ‘All Tomorrow’s Shadows’, 2016’s ‘Gospels of Degeneration’, 2013’s ‘The Third Sound of Destruction and Creation’ and their 2011 self-titled debut. With Hakon Aðalsteinsson leading the group on vocals and guitar, the rest of the band is currently comprised of Robin Hughes (Guitar / Organ), Fred Sunesen (Drums) and Andreas Miranda (Bass). With a number of European tours in tow, the band have previously shared the stage with the likes of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Warlocks, Singapore Sling, Crocodiles, Clinic, Tess Parks and more.

TRACK LISTING

1) Tidal Wave
2) Your Love Is Evol
3) This Is The Only Way I Know
4) Ghosts Of Memphis
5) Dissociation
6) Hex
7) Stay For Another
8) Not Even Jesus
9) I Don't Need Anything Anymore

Roots reggae sure-shots from the Studio One archive, produced by the legendary bossman Clement “Coxsone” Dodd. The yearning, bouncing skank of The Gaylads’ Africa launched from the top, and backed with another percussive beauty in Sound Dimensions’ instrumental staple, Congo Rock on the other side.

TRACK LISTING

Africa Congo Rock

Having further honed his craft, Reuben Vaun Smith returns to Soundway Records with a sonic odyssey through lo-fi Balearic and Afro-Caribbean influenced synth.

Smith’s second album continues his exploration into improvised live instruments and programming, while venturing into new territories of music-making and genres including soca, benga and trip hop. Also sliding into the mix are organic sounds and riffs reminiscent of 2000s Villalobos sunrise scorchers such as ‘Waiworinao’, keeping the Balearic thread firmly present throughout the album.

Having learned to sail along the southern coast of Spain in the last year, Smith spent a winter locked down in Yorkshire, channeling summer memories into his music and drawing influences from his own record collection which he would play everyday in the studio. With a few local friends and his brother to jam with, the result is dreamy and lo-fi, with more guitar-led melodies, distant vocals and lush pads.

Smith’s debut album from 2020, ‘Warm Nights’, received an array of rave reviews and support from DJs including Tom Ravenscroft, Antal and Bill Brewster. One year later, Reuben Vaun Smith delivers a matured, varied sound and a glimpse into his incredible future potential.

For fans of: Greg Foat, Felbm, Hidden Spheres, Harvey Sutherland, Bonobo, St Germain

TRACK LISTING

Sun Sun
Hold Out
Deliciosa
Higher Higher
To Live By The Sea 
Blind Love
Everybody Wants To Move
Rise & Shine
Truth
El Shiggy
Disco Schiaparelli
Flee The Coop
Euphoria
Eternal Return
Sounds From
The Workshop

Whoop whoop, it’s the sound of the inimitable KRS One’s ‘Sound of da Police’ and the mind bogglingly clever ‘Hip Hop vs Rap’, reissued here for the first time ever on 7 inch vinyl, housed in an original artwork picture sleeve this is a must have for anyone in the know.

First up ‘Sound of da Police’. A song that spoke out against the long running history of the Black community experiencing police brutality, violence and racism at the hands of those that were meant to be protecting them. The hard-hitting words from KRS touch on the history of slavery and it’s manifestation into systemic racism throughout the ages since.

“Change your attitude, change your plan
There could never really be justice on stolen land”

Couple that with a rough breakbeat, chopped through the MPC, alongside choice funk samples and that legendary police siren ‘Whoop, Whoop’ and you had a certified golden era rap classic that ignited the fire in the belly of many across the globe.

On the flip, ‘Hip Hop Vs Rap’. A bumping hip hop loop lays the foundation for KRS to work his genius melding all manner of classic hip hop lines that are the perfect ammunition to cut up on the decks and results in a flow that certifies that hip hop is the culture that you live and breathe.

“Rap is something you do,
Hip-Hop is something you live!”

It’s a true, headsy b-boy gem which deserves a place in every collection.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. Sound Of Da Police (LP Version)

Side 2
1. Hip Hop Vs Rap

Swansea Sound started in the middle of lockdown. They realised that fast, loud, joyous, angry indiepop punk was the answer to being stuck indoors. Who needs introspection?

Hue Williams is reunited with Pooh Sticks partner Amelia Fletcher (ex- Talulah Gosh, Heavenly). Rob Pursey (also ex-Heavenly) and Ian Button (Wreckless Eric’s live collaborator) provide the noise. Swansea Sound are the fast, acerbic and joyous past, present and future of indie.

Four of the tracks were released as singles, all of them now impossible to obtain. ‘Corporate Indie Band’ was a limited edition cassette, ‘I Sold My Soul on eBay’ was a one-off lathe cut that got auctioned on eBay (with a £400 winning bid), ‘Indies of the World’ was a 7” inch single that briefly hit the UK physical charts, but immediately sold out and plummeted back out again. And then there was ‘Swansea Sound’: a requiem for a lost radio station; an anti-corporate lament - another limited edition cassette single.

First track Rock N Roll Void gives a three minute revision session, just in case you’ve forgotten about The Ramones, The Kinks, The Buzzcocks and the brief explosion of indie noise pollution of 1986. Some of the songs are reflexive – ‘Swansea Sound’ and ‘The Pooh Sticks’. (Who else was going to write a tribute to The Pooh Sticks?) Others are searching for hope in the digital desert – ‘Let It Happen’, ‘I’m OK When You’re Around’, ‘Pasadena’, ‘Angry Girl’. ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’ is pure pop throwaway fun. The others songs are dead catchy too, they just happen to express a sickness and a contempt for the state of things. ‘Corporate Indie Band’ is about a group who have mortgaged their creativity to a major label and sold their identities to an online marketing team of public schoolboys. Freedom of Speech takes a look at three contemporary ‘alternative’ music stars and considers how they’ve responded to BLM, the pandemic and the rise of right-wing populism. ‘Like self-serving arseholes’, is the unfortunate answer. (You won’t struggle to work out who the three ‘alternative’ stars are.)

Swansea Sound took their name from a well-loved local radio station when it was given a corporate makeover in 2020. They even used the radio station’s abandoned logo. Like the indiepunk pop songs, something modern acidic and angry has taken up residence in a familiar, borrowed frame. You can throw yourself around to Swansea Sound like it’s 1986, but if you catch the lyrics you’ll remember you’re in 2021. (Sorry about that.)

The Rum Puncheon, a notorious pub in Swansea, closed down decades ago.

TRACK LISTING

A1 Rock N Roll Void
A2 I Sold My Soul On Ebay
A3 I'm Ok When You're Around
A4 The Pooh Sticks
A5 Let It Happen
A6 Je Ne Sais Quoi
B1 Pasadena
B2 Indies Of The World
B3 Corporate Indie Band
B4 Freedom Of Speech
B5 Angry Girl
B6 Swansea Sound

'You can't understand the blues 'till you've had your heart broken, you can't understand my music 'till you've had group sex on ecstasy.'

Following up a legendary appearance at Electric Char at the end of Summer, the irrepressible DJ Harvey releases volume three of the "Mercury Rising" compilation triptych. Taking influence from a vision of Pikes' (Ibiza) in a futuristic light, we move through the iconic DJs finely tuned taste buds, taking on cosmic disco, blissful Balearic, wigged-out electronica and more as we lift ourselves out of the sunbeds and into the starry night ahead.

The vinyl picks separate tracks out of the well-sequenced and curated DJ mix CD. If COVID restrictions mean your debauched holiday excursion was put on hold till next year, then this will certainly keep you feeling fragrant and unbuttoned until then! 

TRACK LISTING

1. MODE - Lo-Fi Odyssey (Stallions Remix)
2. Georgie Red - We'll Work It Out
3. Luca Averna & Chris Coco - There Is No Planet B
4. Kraak & Smaak - Same Blood (feat. The Palms) (Tensnake Extended Remix Instrumental)
5. Peter Jacques Band - Mighty Fine
6. Mozaika - Never See You Again
7. Pino Presti Ft. Roxy Robinson - You Know Why (Disco Version)
8. Twice Of Love - 24 Hours From Culture
9. Soul Of Hex - Psychic
10. Backbeat Convention - Love And Happiness (Quartz Ddub All Over Mix)
11. Chris & Cosey - Exotika (12" Mix)
12. Tavares - I Wanna See You Soon
13. Brass Construction - Now Is Tomorrow (Anticipation)

The first release from Regulate Recordings sets out its stall in fine fashion. The tidy 7" brings together elements of funk, hip hop, party breaks and plenty more into a pair of authentic old school sounds. They come from a Manchester DJ, T2Funk, who used the extra time he had during lockdown to explore his record collection and link up with producers and turntablists to form a collective and release their own jams on 45s. 'Listen To The Sound' has a real 80s swagger with plenty of great mic work and scratching, then 'That Beat' is a more rolling bit of boom bap with big horns. 

TRACK LISTING

A1. Listen To The Sound
B1. That Beat

Throughout his career fronting Superchunk and Portastatic, Mac McCaughan has channeled more than his share of angst into a microphone, resulting in undeniable rock anthems. So how can a voice so familiar to others still seem foreign to its owner? On The Sound of Yourself, McCaughan’s second release under his own name, he explores that question fully, shooting his voice through a prism and refracting it across these songs in new and rewarding ways. In January 2021, McCaughan found himself at his home studio in Chapel Hill North Carolina staring down a clean slate after wrapping a film score and several other music projects. His thought process was simple: “Each day is blurring into the next, so what are we doing today?

How can I disrupt this? I think what resulted was a theme of subdued… ‘joy’ is the wrong word, but it’s at least comforting if not propulsive to have something open-ended to work on every day without any kind of structure or deadline or rules.” McCaughan leaned into allowing randomness and accidents to catalyze his compositions. Where a guitar riff might typically start a Superchunk song, an indistinguishable loop found on an old sampler dictates the mood on “Found Cricket,” and simply opening up his studio to the woods outside channels Another Green World on “36 and Rain.”

Instrumentals make up nearly half of The Sound of Yourself, and are integral to the album’s atmosphere. While the pop-oriented tracks hint at sounds explored on Non-Believers, McCaughan’s recent scoring work and frequent excursions with synthesizers and sequencers (see: the Moogfest commissioned POMS and his ambient project with Mary Lattimore) add a particularly crystalline spaciness akin to The Durutti Column and Bowie’s Berlin trilogy. A sloping new wave bassline grounds the catchy “Circling Around” as McCaughan rejects rumination with cleverly cyclical lyrics and a few strategically placed “whoa”s. The warbled synthetic voices emanating from the Mellotron on “Sleep Donor” are already singing isolation blues well before McCaughan frets, “I hear a footstep in the hall when there should be no one there at all…”

These could be the same ghostly sounds “softer than the light, under the door” he describes in “I Hear a Radio,” a track on which Michael Benjamin Lerner (Telekinesis) and Annie Hayden (Spent) provide shimmering vocal harmonies. For a record titled The Sound of Yourself, the irony in having many contributions from friends is not lost on McCaughan: “I’m constantly inspired by the work of my peers. I feel lucky to be able to collaborate with them despite the distances between us. Sending off a song into the ether and having it returned greatly improved and in often surprising and moving ways was one of the most satisfying aspects of making this record.” 

TRACK LISTING

1. Moss Light
2. The Sound Of Yourself
3. I Hear A Radio
4. 36 And Rain
5. Burn A Fax
6. Gen Ash
7. Circling Around
8. R Dream
9. Sleep Donor
10. Dawn Bends
11. Found Cricket

Year Of The Spider was written and recorded in Nashville with GRAMMY® Award winning Producer of the Year, Dan Auerbach, at his legendary Easy Eye Sound studio this past year, fronted by Shannon Shaw and Cody Blanchard on lead vocals. It is an endlessly vivacious, ebullient, and clever album from the kings and queen of the Bay Area garage punk scene. Fresh off of their supporting tours with the likes of The Black Keys and Greta Van Fleet, they returned to the studio with their unique vintage sound that incorporates wonderfully strange elements of doo-wop, classic R&B, garage psych and surf rock to produce this timeless gem from these perennial favourites.

TRACK LISTING

1. Do I Wanna Stay
2. All Of My Cryin'
3. Midnight Wine
4. I Need You Bad
5. Year Of The Spider
6. In The Hills, In The Pines
7. Godstone
8. Snakes Crawl
9. Mary, Don’t Go
10. Leaves Fall Again
11. Flowers Will Return
12. Crawl
13. Vanishing

Punk The Capital: Building A Sound Movement A Documentary Tracing The Birth Of Punk-rock In Washington D.C. (1976-1983) Featuring Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Void, Rites Of Spring And More, With Interviews From Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, H.R., Jello Biafra, Joe Keithley And Many Others. Includes 50+ Minutes Of Bonus Shorts With Scream, Void, The Cramps And The Slickee Boys.

When Punk Rock Erupted In Washington D.C., It Was A Mighty Convergence Of Powerful Music, Friendships And Clear Minds. This Film Is The First To Explore The Incredible Challenges That This Subculture Faced When It Took Root In The Nations Capital In The Late 1970s.

Punk The Capital Situates D.C. Punk Within The Larger Narratives Of Rock N Roll, Working As A Powerful Multi-layered Story For Both Fans And Non-fans Of Punk Rock. Featuring Musicians Such As Bad Brains, Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye And Jello Biafra, This Film Dives Deep Into The Ideas And Sounds From This Transformative Music Scene Which Continues To Be Influential Culturally And Politically Around The World.

Created By James June Schneider (co-director, Editor), Paul Bishow (co-director) And Sam Lavine (associate Producer, Co-editor), Punk The Capital Was Theatrically Released In The US Last Month And Garnered Rave Reviews From The Press And Fans Alike. Many Of The Screenings Became Special Events, With Q&As With The Directors And Pete Stahl Of Scream, Chris Stover Of Void, Nicky Thomas Of Fire Party, Curator/publisher Roger Gastman And Hudley Flipside Of Flipside Fanzine, Just To Name A Few.

Schneider States: The Final Version Of Our Film That Were Releasing Now Is Just The Intense Tip Of The Iceberg Our First Cut Was 7 Hours Long. In The End, We Wound Up Focusing On The Untold And Improbable Story Of Punk Rocks Beginnings In Washington D.C., That Happened Concurrently With Cities Across The Western World. We Took A Lot Of Our Extra Material That Otherwise Might Never Have Been Seen And Edited It Together To Make Short Films That Will Be In The Bonus Section On The DVD. One Of The Shorts Focuses On The Band Scream And Their Family Connections To D.C.s Legendary 1960s Garage Band Scene.

As We Roll The Film Out, Weve Been Blown Away By The Positive Response Not Just From Fans Of Punk And D.C. Punk Who See And Hear A Lot Of Unseen Material. Weve Also Heard From A Lot Of People Even Up To 90 Years Old Who Didnt Really Like Punk But Nonetheless Love The Film. Were Glad To See That Punk The Capital Works On A Lot Of Levels And Are Hoping That It Will Reach A Broad Audience Since The DIY Ideas Highlighted In The Film About The D.C. Punk Scene Go Well Beyond The Music.

Punk The Capital Will Be Released On DVD In The US For Record Store Day On June 12 Via Passion River And In The UK For Record Store Day On July 26 Via Wienerworld. A Portion Of All DVDs Sold Through Dischord Records Will Go To The D.C. Charity We Are Family.

As An Added Bonus, The Discs Contain 50+ Minutes Of Short Films From The Archives Of Punk The Capital:

Scream Meets The Hangmen: Featuring All Of Scream Including Dave Grohl

Void And Friends: A Portrait Of The Cult Hardcore Band From The D.C. Suburbs

The Seminal WGTB Concert: The Legendary First Punk Concert For So Many D.C. Kids, The Cramps And Total Chaos

The Slickee Boys: Extra Material On The Band Who Got D.C. Punk Off The Ground Circa 1976

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).

On a x14 trk double LP Vinyl for the first time, Golden Gate Groove: The Sound Of Philadelphia Live 1973 captures the first and only time the stars of Philadelphia International Records (P.I.R.) including The OíJays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, The Three Degrees, and Billy Paul performed in concert with the label's house band, MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother), showcasing what would become the Sound of Philadelphia -- affectionately known as T.S.O.P. The concert took place in San Francisco during the annual CBS Records convention at the Fairmont Hotel in September 1973.

Tony Joe White's posthumous album, Smoke from the Chimney, brings to life previously unknown home recordings by the legendary songwriter and musician. A pioneer of the Louisiana swamp rock sound, White's eclectic legacy has persevered through decades of influence, covers and popular culture. Starting with the album's genesis as an unforeseen trove of demos to the hands of producer Dan Auerbach and legendary session musicians, Smoke from the Chimney captures Tony Joe White's signature style in its purest form and serves as a living testimony to one of the most gifted lyricists and storytellers music has ever known.

TRACK LISTING

1. Smoke From The Chimney
2. Boot Money
3. Del Rio You're Making Me Cry
4. Listen To Your Song
5. Over You
6. Scary Stories
7. Bubba Jones
8. Someone Is Crying
9. Billy

Vinyl reissue of Future Sound of London’s seminal album, "Dead Cities". Marking 25 years since its original release this cult album is pressed on vinyl for the first time since its 1996 release.

“Herd Killing” and “We Have Explosive (Herd Killing mix)” both feature several samples from the Run DMC album Tougher Than Leather. Title track “Dead Cities” contains a vocal sample at the beginning of Laurence Fishburne from the film Deep Cover. Single “My Kingdom” features a vocal sample of “Rachael’s Song” (aka “Rachel’s Song”) by Vangelis, from the Blade Runner soundtrack .

The album charted in the UK top 40 with “My Kingdom” & “We Have Explosive” both entering the UK singles chart in the top 15.

A deadly mix of warped breakbeats, cinematic moods and adrenelin-triggering sfx and synthesis; it's world's apart from the acid house revellry of "Papua New Guinea" and a much more challenging, if rewarding and immersive experience...

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Herd Killing
Dead Cities
Her Face Forms In Summertime
We Have Explosive

Side B
Everyone In The World Is Doing Something Without Me
My Kingdom
Max
Antique Toy

Side C
Quagmire/In A State Of Permanent Abyss
Glass

Side D
Yage
Vit Drowning/Through Your Gills I Breathe
First Death In The Family

Wonderful Sound keep the Mancunian drizzle at bay this week with a gorgeous split 7" from favourites J-Walk (yes Brew!) and The Hi-Fires, who let us luxuriate in two particularly lush takes on the Balearic form. 

The A-side belongs to our good buddy J-Walk, who follows his excellent "Mediterranean Winds" LP with the breezy "Bossa For Shorty D", a grooving journey through spaced out keys and unexpected organ licks driven by Brazil's favourite rhythm. Easy on the ears, the track swells at the midpoint via plush pads and tremolo guitar twang, then serves the same tasty ingredients in ever trippier forms for the rest of its run time. 

Over on the B-side we get an absolute beauty from The Hi-Fires, taken from their long player "Return To Vega". Channeling Verocai, Astrud and Working Week, "Là Bas" slinks along with its own Brazilian flavour, Francophone lyrics and sublime sax from Gary Plummley (Collaborator with Terry Callier and his 21st century counterpart Michael Kiwanuka). 

Effortlessly, blissfully Balearic folks! 

TRACK LISTING

A. J-Walk - Bossa For Shorty D
B. The Hi-Fires - Là Bas

A fresh slew of African Head Charge lands for 2020! This 2011 LP from the massive was never available on vinyl when it was first released. Master percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah joins forces once again with dubmaster Adrian Sherwood at the controls and a whole host of guest musicians, including contributions from dancehall pioneer Jazzwad and electronics from Adamski. All the elements of a classic African Head Charge album are present: spaced out dub, tribal chants, ecstatic trance, but updated with a rugged sound system undercarriage. Arguably some of the hardest hitting AHC rhythms laid down in the studio to date. Cut as a double LP for maximum dynamics by King Kevin Metcalfe. Includes download card for full contents and double-sided poster insert containing new interview with Bonjo on the making of the record.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A new set of later recorded African Head Charge albums has just landed. Be sure to check 'em out if you're into all corners of the bass spectrum as Adrian Sherwood is one of the leaders of the pack.

TRACK LISTING

Side One
1. In "I" Head
2. The Best Way
3. Take Heed... And Smoke Up Your Collyweed

Side Two
1. Stoned Age Man
2. African Bredda
3. Mysterious Happenings

Side Three
1. This And That And The Other
2. Undulating
3. Timpanya

Side Four
1. Badman Plan
2. Dobbyn Joins The Head Charge
3. God Willing
4. Fear Of A Man God (Bonus Track)

A unique album of outtakes from the classic Songs Of Praise and In Pursuit Of Shashamane Land albums, compiled by On-U archivist Patrick Dokter from the original tapes and expertly sequenced to work as an immersive listening experience. A companion piece to the acclaimed Return Of The Crocodile set from 2016 that took the listener on a version excursion through the early years of the group. These are the dubbier and more out-there experiments mixed down whilst Adrian Sherwood was shaping the sound of the albums. Bubbling percussion lines skitter across the stereo spectrum, ghostly voices echo inside the machine and mangled guitar riffs beam down from Mars, whilst staying rooted in the tough tribal rhythms that form the bedrock of the AHC sound, this is music for the head and feet, take heed!  Mastered by King Kevin Metcalfe, comes with download card for full contents plus double-sided poster insert containing an extensive new interview with African Head Charge mainman Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah telling the story of his early life. 

TRACK LISTING

Side One
SHASHAMANE VERSIONS
1. Peace And Happiness
2. Jungle Law
3. Learned
4. One Love, One Heart (Version)
5. Pitched Fever

Side Two
DUBS OF PRAISE
6. Dervish Dub
7. Dub Some More
8. Disciplined And Dignified
9. Healing Father's Dub
10. Dub For The Spirits 

Extensive 4CD/book set exploring the punk and post-punk sound of the ‘steel city’.

Features classics, rarities, album tracks and TWELVE previously unreleased gems from The Human League, Pulp (and members thereof), Heaven 17, Thompson Twins, B.E.F., Artery, ABC, Clock DVA, Hula, The Danse Society, In The Nursery, Treebound Story and many more.

4CD + hardback book format contains over 20,000 words of artists’ sleevenotes, essays and memoirs from key players in the city’s music scene.

Curated and designed by the people who brought you Manchester – North Of England, Revolutionary Spirit – The Sound Of Liverpool, Silhouettes And Statues, Electrical Language, Scared To Get Happy, Still In A Dream and many more critically acclaimed box sets.

Journey through the music of a generation in one of the UK’s most vibrant and creative cities.

Sheffield in the 1970s…. a city in decline, its steel mills and factories closing and its vast housing estates beginning to crumble. Even the city’s two football teams were both experiencing the worst form in their long histories. An unlikely setting, then, for a musical revolution, but aren’t they always? As it transpired, in the aftermath of punk this industrial backdrop, alive with frustrated young talent and peppered with accessible and affordable rehearsal and performance spaces, became a hotbed of uniquely informed new bands that challenged both the constraints of genre and the dominance of music from London, Liverpool and Manchester.

Dreams To Fill The Vacuum charts the revival of Sheffield and its music in the latter half of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s, from The Human League to Pulp, via Aardvark, Pax and Native Records, and onto the chart successes of Heaven 17, ABC, Thompson Twins and many others. Featuring cornerstone contributions from the city’s brightest stars – Oakey, Cocker, Ware, Marsh, Hawley, Newton and co – alongside many more lesser-known legends, this is a tale of a city and its people rediscovering itself.

Packed with first-hand artist sleevenotes, insightful essays, revealing imagery and brilliant, essential music, Dreams To Fill The Vacuum offers a story in need of telling.

TRACK LISTING

DISC ONE: CD
1977-1981
1. DANCEVISION – The Human League
2. DON'T TRY TO CURE YOURSELF - They Must Be Russians
3. DREAMS TO FILL THE VACUUM – I’m So Hollow
4. MODERN MEN – The Prams
5. ALL TIME LOW - 2.3
6. METAL BOYS – Hobbies Of Today
7. TRACK NO. 5 - Mein Glas Fabrik *
8. HELP ME - Red Zoo *
9. AVOID THE SURGERY (DEMO) – I Scream Brothers
10. JUNIOR - B. Troop
11. SHE’S IN LOVE WITH MYSTERY – Thompson Twins
12. SAY AND DO - Repulsive Alien
13. TORCH – Veiled Threat
14. QUESTIONS OF GENDER - De Tian
15. UNKNOWN – Molodoy
16. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY - TV Product *
17. ELECTRIC WALTZ – Negatives
18. END OF ACT ONE - Y?
19. THE MAZE – The Toy Shop
20. A GIRLFRIEND IS… - Vena Cava
21. DROWNING – Graph
22. MEN IN THE MIRRORSHADES – Rapid Eye Movements
23. LLAMAS (LIVE AT THE WIMPY BAR) – A Major European Group
24. RAINDANCE - The Past Seven Days
25. LIVING IN CONFUSION – Pagan Bo

DISC TWO: CD
1981-1982
1. (WE DON'T NEED THIS) FASCIST GROOVE THANG (12" MIX) – Heaven 17
2. LUCIFER’S FRIEND – Vision
3. THE CLOWN – Artery
4. TWIST - New Model Soldier
5. TRAIN - Surface Mutants
6. 4 HOURS (REMIXED SINGLE VERSION) - Clock DVA
7. A BABY CALLED BILLY – British Electronic Foundation
8. WAR GAMES - Flying Alphonso Brothers *
9. ENGLISH INDUSTRIAL ESTATE – Shy Tots
10. HEAVY MEN - Disease *
11. DEITY’S LAMENT – Stunt Kites
12. SECRET SOCIETY – Mau Maus
13. MARCELLA BALL – The Naughtiest Girl Was A Monitor
14. CORPSE CREEPER - Quite Unnerving
15. PARKING BOYS - Acrobats Of Desire
16. MAN WITH A LUMINOUS HEAD (DEMO) * - The Blimp
17. SCRAMBLE FOR STYLE – The Mirror Crack’d
18. REAL LIFE – Vital
19. PSYCHOKILLER - Heroes Of The Beach
20. ALPHABET SOUP - ABC

DISC THREE: CD
1982-1984
1. EVERYBODY’S PROBLEM – Pulp
2. INTRUDER IN THE DUST – Bass Tone Trap
3. JUST A GAME - U.V. Pøp
4. DANSE/MOVE – The Danse Society
5. ISKRA - In The Nursery
6. DYING MAN, FAITHFUL PRIEST – Dachau Choir
7. TEX MIRROR H - Out Of Reach
8. NO ONE LEAVES THE) FEVER CAR – Hula
9. QUIET TYPE – Time In Motion
10. OVER – SIIIII
11. MANNEQUIN – Ipso Facto
12. WORLDS APART - Fatales *
13. BILLINGHAM’S ISLAND (DEMO)* - Tsi Tsi
14. FISH AND BREADCAKE - Fish And Breadcake
15. LATE NIGHTS (DEMO) - Harriet *
16. OUT OF THE FLESH (MIX 1) – Chakk
17. THE DISTANCE FROM KOLN – Native Europe
18. SILICON CHIP – Defective Turtles
19. PERSUASION – Vendino Pact
20. IN MY EYES (DEMO)* - Typhoon Saturday

DISC FOUR: CD
1984-1988
1. KITCHENETTE - Peter Hope And The Jonathan S. Podmore Method
2. WINDS OF CHANGE – Scala Timpani
3. YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD (FLEXI VERSION) - One Thousand Violins
4. CRAYOLA - A.C. Temple
5. UP THE HILL – Sedition
6. MESSAGE FROM A DEAD MAN – The Flight Commander
7. ZULU - The Anti Group
8. CHAINS – Chain
9. FIX THE KITCHEN - Dig Vis Drill
10. CHILDREN – Kilgore Trout
11. BOTTLE BREAST – Fishwives
12. TREEHOUSE - Mr Morality *
13. SKIN SCRAPED BACK – Workforce
14. LIKE A FOOL – Treebound Story
15. WONDERFUL LIFE – Nick Fish & The Seahorses
16. CROW BAR – The Box
17. COLORADO DEAD MAN – The Midnight Choir
18. THE WORLD DOESN'T TURN – The Junk
19. LAWNMOWER WOMAN (LIVE) - The Wacky Gardeners

‘Odyssey: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde Vol II’ is Bella Union’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed ‘Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde’.

This new compilation is a further celebration of the great British arranger, musical director, producer and songwriter Ivor Raymonde, who died at age 63 in 1990. Bella Union, the label behind both releases, is run by Ivor’s son Simon Raymonde.

Like ‘Paradise’, ‘Odyssey’ has been compiled by Simon with author, journalist and music historian Kieron Tyler. Simon explains that: “The research Kieron and I did for Paradise showed us that there was still an extremely rich seam of his music to be uncovered. A follow-up volume was increasingly inevitable.”

‘Paradise’ told the story of a British musical great for the first time. Classic Sixties hits like Billy Fury’s ‘Halfway To Paradise’, Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Want To Be With You’ (co-written by Ivor) and The Walker Brothers’ ‘Make It Easy On Yourself’ were collected. All were arranged or produced by Ivor and heard alongside just-asfantastic tracks by David Bowie, Sonny Childe, Cindy Cole, Tom Jones, Los Bravos and Helen Shapiro. ‘Odyssey’ is additional confirmation of the seemingly limitless scope of Ivor’s talents. More hits are featured: the Alan Price Set’s irresistible Top Five interpretation of Randy Newman’s ‘Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear’, Dusty Springfield’s kinetic ‘Little By Little’, Frankie Vaughan’s epic chart topper ‘Tower Of Strength’ and the aural drama of Marty Wilde And His Wildcats’ ‘Endless Sleep’.

There are also lesser-known tracks by best-sellers: Los Bravos’ Raymonde-composed soul stomper ‘Brand New Baby’, Cat Stevens’ moody ‘Blackness Of The Night’ and the extraordinary 1966 Walker Brothers’ album track ‘Where’s The Girl’, which pointed to where the solo Scott Walker would soon be heading.

Although Ivor Raymonde was a back-room figure, he made the Top 30 in early 1963 as the clandestine vocalist with The Chucks – a studio demo had been made with no intention of it ending up in record shops. Then, it was issued and a band name needed. Ivor plumped for The Chucks and ‘Loo-Be-Loo’ began rising up the charts. On Odyssey, it is at last given its context.

Going into the reasons for a follow-up to ‘Paradise’, Simon adds “I knew there was more but even a serial curator, late-night trawler like me, at some point thinks ‘the best stuff must now surely be all discovered.’ But finding tracks like Christopher Colt’s ‘Girl In The Mirror’ is like unearthing a rare Donovan track produced by Ray Davies. Probably my favourite discovery was The Martells’ ‘Time To Say Goodnight’ which Ivor produced when he worked at Decca Records. They only released one seven-inch single which sells for over £200, so it’s quite a rarity and more importantly a banger of a track.”

Instead of Ivor, the cover image of ‘Odyssey’ is of Ivor’s wife Nita.

TRACK LISTING

Dusty Springfield: Little By Little
Alan Price Set Simon: Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear
Los Bravos: Brand New Baby
The Eyes Of Blue: Don’t Ask Me To Mend Your Broken Heart
The Chants: Wearing A Smile
Susan Maughan: That Other Place
Kathy Kirby: The Way Of Love
Cat Stevens: Blackness Of The Night
Paul Slade: Odyssey
Frankie Vaughan: Tower Of Strength
The Martells: Time To Say Goodnight
The Cryin’ Shames: Please Stay
Roy Orbison: Pretty Paper
The Outlaws: Swingin’ Low
Ronnie Carroll Chain Gang 
Del Shannon: From Me To You
The Chucks: Loo-Be-Loo
Olé Jose & The Golden Leaves: Tequila 68
The Rogues: Memories Of Missy
Marty Wilde And His Wildcats: Endless Sleep
Giles, Giles & Fripp: Thursday Morning
Twinkle: Michael Hannah
Christopher Colt: Girl In The Mirror
The Stylistics: I Feel Lucky Tonight
The Walker Brothers: Where's The Girl

Following on from RW Hedges Pop debut 'The Hunters in the Snow'.. this one takes place in The American West of 1877 the year the phonograph was invented.

Constructed in RW's studio 'The Chalet' a get away full of books and fairy lights out in a field in a no man’s land. RW & Luca Nieri sat around bonfires and wrote lyrics written on big spools of paper.

As per last time Luca Nieri produces and RW Hedges directs the songwriting further towards his influences of 1930's Hollywood. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Havent Seen Her In A While
2. Deep In The Valley
3. Girl In The Story
4. Trail Of The Setting Sun
5. Old Missouri
6. My Dearest
7. Down To Venezuela
8. Sure Enough
9. Prairie Moon
10. The Westerners 

The Black Keys’ long-awaited ninth studio album, “Let’s Rock”, their first in five years, is a return to the straightforward rock of the singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney’s early days as a band. Auerbach says, “When we’re together we are The Black Keys, that’s where that real magic is, and always has been since we were sixteen.” 

“Let’s Rock” was written, tracked live, and produced by Auerbach and Carney at Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville and features backing vocals from Leisa Hans and Ashley Wilcoxson. “The record is like a homage to electric guitar,” says Carney. “We took a simple approach and trimmed all the fat like we used to.”

Rolling Stone named ‘Lo/Hi’ a “Song You Need to Know” and said, ‘the Keys have officially returned, louder than ever’ and the New York Times calls the song ‘the kind of garage-boogie stomp that the band never left behind.’ In the words of the NME, ‘It’s the soundtrack to the type of party that doesn’t exist anymore, but one you still wish you were cool enough to get the invite to.’

Formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001, The Black Keys have released eight studio albums: their debut The Big Come Up (2002), followed by Thickfreakness (2003) and Rubber Factory (2004), along with their releases on Nonesuch Records, Magic Potion (2006), Attack & Release (2008), Brothers (2010), El Camino (2011), and, most recently, Turn Blue (2014). The band has won six Grammy Awards and headlined festivals including Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Governors Ball.

Since their last album together, both Auerbach and Carney have been creative forces behind a number of wide-ranging artists:
Dan Auerbach formed the Easy Eye Sound record label, named after his Nashville studio, in 2017, with the release of his second solo album, Waiting on a Song. Since its launch, Easy Eye Sound has become home to a wide range of artists including Yola, Shannon & The Clams, Dee White, Shannon Shaw, Sonny Smith, Robert Finley, and The Gibson Brothers; it also has released the posthumous album by Leo Bud Welch as well as previously unreleased material by Link Wray.

Patrick Carney has produced and recorded new music with artists such as Calvin Johnson, Michelle Branch, Damns of the West, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Jessy Wilson, Tennis, *repeat repeat, Wild Belle, Sad Planets, Turbo Fruits, and more. He also created the theme music for the Netflix TV show BoJack Horseman with his late uncle, Ralph Carney.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Having always epitomised the fuzzy groove-led party vibe, it's no surprise that their latest is the most danceable and head-nodding instalment yet, but here it is. Bluesy, sleazy and heavy but crisp and beautifully presented. Black Keys do it again!

TRACK LISTING

1. Shine A Little Light
2. Eagle Birds
3. Lo/Hi
4. Walk Across The Water
5. Tell Me Lies
6. Every Little Thing
7. Get Yourself Together
8. Sit Around And Miss You
9. Go
10. Breaking Down
11. Under The Gun
12. Fire Walk With Me

Exploding on to WONDERFULSOUND from somewhere between the mid 90’s and the vinyl record diggers vintage soundtrack scene, The Hi-Fires drop their debut collection of musics, spreading their sonic Gris- Gris far beyond their own island life.

The origins of this project lies deep within the man responsible for pulling The Hi-Fires together, respected vibester & go to drummer Rupert Brown. His drumming career has seen him work amongst such icons as Roy Ayers and his debut production saw him guide and launch the dust bowl soul of Angelina’s Vagabond Saint back in 2017 on WONDERFULSOUND. With The Hi-Fires his take on Hip Hop is obscenely forthright but his productions and arrangements pull each track through the continents of his experiences.

“The record is set in an exotic world of “ French Kung fu “ in the 1970’s : to create the ultimate soundtrack for a low budget movie shot on location in La Havana Cuba” Rupert informs .

TRACK LISTING

1. C;est Pour Qu’un Jour
2. Honest Lies

"We are Vinyl" release this excellent new compilation, featuring some of the greatest tracks from the Philadelphia International label. Pressed on standard black, double LP vinyl.

A 16 song set, including:- Harold Melvin, MFSB, The O'Jays, Billy Paul, The Jones Girls, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees, McFadden & Whitehead, Archie Bell & The Drells, The Jacksons & more... It's a faultless collection of disco and soul from the years that mattered Allll the hits! 

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. MFSB - TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia) (3:43)
2. The O'Jays - Love Train (2:58)
3. Hardol Melvin & The Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody (7:33)
4. Archie Bell & The Drells - Don't Let Love Get You Down (4:21)
Side 2
1. The Jacksons - Show You The Way To Go (3:28)
2. McFadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (6:57)
3. The O'Jays - Back Stabbers (3:04)
4. The Three Degrees - When Will I See You Again (3:00)
Side 3
1. Billy Paul - Me & Mrs Jones (4:48)
2. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - If You Don't Know Me By Now (feat Teddy Pendergrass) (3:27)
3. Teddy Pendergrass - The Whole Town's Laughing At Me (4:27)
4. Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (4:27)
Side 4
1. The Jones Girls - Nights Over Egypt (4:35)
2. Dexter Wansel - The Sweetest Pain (5:40)
3. Jean Carn - Don't Let It Go To Your Head (4:52)
4. Archie Bell & The Drells - Let's Groove (3:03)

After Vox Populi!'s "Half Dead Ganja Music" and Frank Dommert's "Kiefermusik", we have a hand picked compilation by the Hamburg artist Maat. Maat is a solo project by Dorte Marth, who created two secretly powerful and underappreciated records in 1993. They were released on two labels (Dragnet, Dom Elchklang) run by Achim P. Li Khan, the co-founder of the Greatest Band On Eearth, H.N.A.S. Maat's musical pallette is at once, strikingly, a more dark and brooding occult version of Anima and Limpe Fuchs. One can hear classical music references much like Coil's Unnatural History, but played further, blurring the shadowy lines between sampling and virtuoso playing.

Maat's dark and glisteningly illustrated use of electronic drums, Pan-Asian arrangements, and classical styles, invent a private world where she uncovers and projects forth, a new and ancient female energy. Its almost as if she is orchestrating her pallette and shooting it through star-clusters beneath the world. Probably Typhonian Highlife's and 4th World Magazines greatest influence. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Krypt
2. She
3. Sie
4. Shaku
5. Monoton
6. Duster
7. Sphare
8. Quer
9. Tudelo
10. Vopice
11. Kurz Davor 

This is a compilation of tracks from The ON label which was active in South Africa between 1987-1992, an era following the end of the apartheid regime and defining the new sound of Young Black South Africa in the early 90s.
The late 1980s in the rainbow nation was a time when disco was mutating into what was becoming known as bubblegum: pop music aimed at the black population of South Africa. Bubblegum was a response to Western styles like disco and the fast spreading house music which originally came from the black ghettos of Chicago and New York. When the second Summer of Love took over the UK in 1988, first house, and other electronic music styles conquered South Africa as well. DIY - do it yourself - a motto that had already appeared in the punk movement, lifted the young local scene to the next level. With a minimal set up - keyboards, some drum machines and samplers it was suddenly possible to make music without having to rent expensive studios.

The Bees are probably the most sought after group, releasing only one album in 1988 and a handful singles that are now highly collectible. Themba Wawelela is a prolific South African artist/producer who is best known as 'Little Big Man'. Another star of the ON Record stable, Mafika Shabalala set himself apart from the rest with his lyrical skills, sung over the homegrown dance rhythms that soon gave rise to kwaito and later bubblegum. Whoosha released an album called “Mosquito” in 1987, which was produced by Julian Laxton, Ronnie Robot and the late Charles Sejeng who was the voice of the group. Two tracks of that album are featured on this compilation. As the only female singer on this compilation Pamela Nkutha proves that her brand of bubblegum pop is never less than utterly fresh and original.

Listen, you're all gonna love this. And I bet Soundway are thankful they got "Gumba Fire" over the finish line before this was released (more will be revealed in our End Of Year Booklet...); but don't worry, you're not about to get sick of this infectious and free-spirited music just yet. Just get stuck into another three expertly curated discs featuring five of the hottest bubblegum artists from this fruitful period. 

TRACK LISTING

1. The Bees - Mjondolo (Bus House)
2. The Bees - She's A Witch (Tikoloshi)
3. Little Big Man - Don't Do It
4. Little Big Man - Leribe
5. Mafika - Roadblock
6. Mafika - Roadblock (Taxi Mix)
7. Mafika - Sbarara
8. Mafika - Black Jack
9. Mafika - Lalavuka
10. Whoosha - Mosquito
11. Whoosha - Nopaka
12. Pamela Nkutha - Gambling
13. Pamela Nkutha - Ano Tambura (Suffering) 

The Future Sound of London's long and varied history stretches back almost 25 years and as such a vast amount of unreleased material exists in the FSOL archives. "Archived 9" brings together another 12 such tracks; in some cases these are completed but unreleased songs from that time, in others the songs have been reconstructed or enhanced and then further mixed to form the journey. This album is not just a collection of random off-cuts. It is a fully realized album, worthy of sitting alongside the rest of the band's critically acclaimed work. Did you know - The Future Sound of London were the first band to distribute their music via the internet, in 1994. Did you know - The Future Sound of London were the first band to use ISDN technology to transmit their music via the internet and also to radio stations across the world - a system that has now been adopted by the radio industry worldwide. (No I did not; but as I often say, every day's a school day here at Piccadilly Records... - ed).

TRACK LISTING

1. Ocea
2. Semi Conscious Participant
3. Silent Midnight
4. Halfer
5. Embodied
6. Super Tide
7. Without You It's Meaningless
8. Oska Traveller
9. Slow Moving World
10. Propagate
11. Photographs Of An Object
12. A Constantly Changing Mind
13. Confirmation Bias
14. These Days
15. Riverbed
16. Extruded
17. Views Of A Empty Sky

Classic singles like Billy Fury’s ‘Halfway To Paradise’, Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Want To Be With You’ and The Walker Brothers’ ‘Make It Easy On Yourself’ would not have been hits without Ivor Raymonde. As their arranger, and in the case of ‘I Only Want To Be With You’ songwriter too, he shaped the final recordings. He decided on the orchestration and backing vocals, chose the instruments and determined what was heard on the radio - and what record buyers bought.

‘Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde’ is a long-overdue celebration of Ivor Raymonde, collecting his work as an arranger, musical director, producer, singer and songwriter. The story of a British musical great is told for the first time.

Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield and The Walker Brothers are heard. So is the only vocal performance for which Ivor Raymonde received a credit on a record label. He worked with the pre-fame David Bowie and Tom Jones. He spotted the potential of Los Bravos, steering them into the charts with ‘Black Is Black’. Near-misses and obscurities made with Brit-girls Cindy Cole and Helen Shapiro, the soulful Sonny Childe and confrontational protopsychedelic London band The Flies are as fantastic as the hits. With these and more, ‘Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde’ distils the essence of the magic of Ivor Raymonde.

‘Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde’ is released by Bella Union, the label run by Ivor’s son, former Cocteau Twins member Simon Raymonde. Compiled by Simon and Kieron Tyler, it is a very personal tribute to a sadly missed father. Born in 1926, Ivor Raymonde passed away in 1990.

The previously untold story is revealed through a moving reminiscence written by Simon and in-depth liner notes and a track-by-track commentary by Kieron. Ivor Raymonde played on the ocean liner The Queen Mary in 1949. In the Fifties, British television viewers saw him in legendary comedian Tony Hancock’s ‘Hancock’s Half Hour’ but music was always going to be most important - the hits with Billy Fury and Dusty Springfield in 1961 and 1963 meant he was in demand. The 26 selections balance the wellknown with collectable rarities and tracks drawn from - until now - barely heard-of singles. Each is a gem and each shows the magic of an Ivor Raymonde recording.

‘Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde’ is issued on CD and 180g heavyweight double vinyl album with digital download code. The vinyl version is sequenced slightly differently for listening flow. Every track was originally issued as a single issued in mono for the pop market until 1968 / 1969. Keeping the integrity of the compilation in mind, all but four tracks appear in mono as they did originally. The masters used are those of the original singles.

TRACK LISTING

Halfway To Paradise - Bill Fury
I Only Want To Be With You - Dusty Springfield
He Doesn't Love Me - The Breakaways
He Knows How To Love Me - Helen Shapiro
Giving Up On Love - Sonny Childe
Black Is Black - Los Bravos
Love You Till Tuesday - David Bowie
Make It Easy On Yourself - The Walker Brothers
Mylene - Ivor Raymonde
Chahawki - Burr Bailey
Little Lonely One - Tom Jones
He's Sure The Boy I Love - Cindy Cole
Jealous Heart - Ottilie Patterson With The Ivor Raymonde Group
Your Hurtin' Kinda Love - Dusty Springfield
I Got The Feeling - Dave Berry
Now It's My Turn - Jon Gunn
I Love Her - Paul & Barry Ryan
Grotty - Ivor Raymonde And His Orchestra
Beautiful Friendship - Barbara Ruskin
Sueperman's Big Sister - Ian Dury & The Blockheads
(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone - The Flies
It's The Real Thing - The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra
Wait By The Fire - The Majority
She Sold Blackpool Rock - The Honeybus
I Found Out Too Late - Alan David
My Ship Is Coming In - The Walker Brothers

By 1965, the folk-pop nexus was at its glorious peak. That was particularly true in Britain, which saw many variations on the basic pop-meets-folk theme (in America, folk-rock had a relatively homogenised sound). • Across three CDs and 79 tracks, Gathered From Coincidence examines every aspect of the British mid-Sixties folk-pop boom, incorporating Dylan-inspired singer/songwriters with a commercial pop sensibility, the more introverted beat groups, Marianne Faithfull-inspired female chanteuses and R&B hoodlums in newly-pensive mode, all bound together by the 6 or 12-string thrum or Rickenbacker clang. • Ranging from massive chart hits to records that barely sold in double figures, Gathered From Coincidence includes the true believers, the musical dilettantes, the young wannabes, the cash-in merchants, the old guard looking to resuscitate a fading career and, of course, the earnest protest singers – and, just for good measure, we’ve also rounded up a handful of folksploitation discs from those positioning themselves for roughly three minutes as anti-protest protesters. • With a significant number of tracks making their CD debut and even a couple of previously unissued cuts, Gathered From Coincidence is a fascinating, even revelatory overview of a still largely-neglected stitch in pop’s unending tapestry.

TRACK LISTING

1. TAKE ME FOR WHAT I’M WORTH – The Searchers
2. MORNING’S CALLING - Peter & Gordon
3. COME AND STAY WITH ME – Marianne Faithfull
4. FOLLOW ME - The Tony Jackson Group
5. IT’S YOUR TURN TO CRY – Terry Kennedy & John Carter
6. REJECTED - The Fenmen
7. I LOVE HER STILL – The Poets
8. FROSTED PANES – The Kytes
9. GOLDEN LIGHTS - Twinkle
10. I WON’T BE ROUND YOU ANYMORE – The Chosen Few
11. ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE – The Factotums
12. HEY WOMAN - Kenny Bernard
13. HEY MAMA YOU’VE BEEN ON MY MIND - The Caravelles
14. DON’T GO AWAY – The Zombies
15. NOW THE SUN HAS GONE – The Beatmen
16. THINK ABOUT THE TIMES – The Times
17. PENNY ARCADE - Michael Leslie
18. BEYOND THE RISIN’ SUN – Marc Bolan
19. TILL YOU SAY YOU’LL BE MINE – Olivia Newton-John
20. GO AWAY - The Mirage Featuring Graham Nash
21. IT’S ALL LEADING UP TO SATURDAY NIGHT – The Knack *
22. YOU’VE COOLED - Five Steps Beyond
23. THERE’S JUST NO PLEASING YOU – The Epics
24. SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS – Gullivers People
25. MR. SMITH - The Foresters
26. IT’S ALL OVER NOW BABY BLUE – The Cops ‘N Robbers
* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

1. LIKE A ROLLING STONE - The Other Side
2. WELL, HOW DOES IT FEEL? – Barbara Ruskin
3. LOVERS OF THE WORLD UNITE – David & Jonathan
4. CATCH THE WIND - Donovan
5. AGE OF CORRUPTION - Alan Klein
6. BLESSED – Guy Darrell
7. THAT MAN’S GOT NO LUCK – Gary Benson
8. IT’S GOOD NEWS WEEK – Hedgehoppers Anonymous
9. BELLS - Dave Helling
10. VERY LAST DAY – The Hollies
11. SOMETIME NEVER DAY – Bill Fay
12. DON’T YOU CRY OVER ME - The Slade Brothers
13. WHEN THE SHIP COMES IN - Folk Blues Incorporated
14. WAKE UP MY MIND – The Uglys
15. PLEASE DON’T SWITCH OFF THE MOON MR. SPACEMAN - Nicholas Hammond
16. THE PROTEST SINGER - Micha
17. SQUARE PEG - The Four Pennies
18. GOTTA MAKE THEIR FUTURE BRIGHT - First Gear
19. THE BELLS OF RHYMNEY - Murray Head
20. DON’T TALK TO ME OF PROTEST - Jonathan King
21. DEJECTION (DEMO VERSION) - Five’s Company
22. THAT’S NOT MY KIND OF LOVE - Mick Softley With The Summer Suns
23. DON’T SING NO SAD SONGS FOR ME – The Sorrows
24. RATTLE OF A TOY - Tommy Yates
25. TALKIN’ DENMARK STREET – John Cassidie *
26. THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ – The Ian Campbell Folk Group
* PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

1. YOU’VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY – The Silkie
2. WAIT TILL THE SUMMER COMES ALONG – The Kinks
3. DON’T MAKE PROMISES (YOU CAN’T KEEP) - Peter Nelson
4. CHERYL’S GOING HOME – Adam Faith
5. IF YOU GOTTA GO, GO NOW – Manfred Mann
6. I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU – Davey Graham
7. NIGHT COMES DOWN - Jon-Mark
8. EARLY MORNING RAIN – The Settlers
9. SADNESS HIDES THE SUN - Greta Ann
10. THANK YOU BOY - Dana Gillespie
11. LOVE MINUS ZERO NO LIMIT – The Compromise
12. DAY MUST COME - Justin Hayward
13. THE CLOWN IN THE ALLEY - Meic Stevens
14. I’M ON YOUR SIDE - The Frugal Sound
15. LONDON TOWN - The Pretty Things
16. PICKING UP THE SUNSHINE (AKA BERT’S BLUES) - Beverley
17. CORRINA CORRINA - The Nightshift
18. LISTEN PEOPLE – Sarah Jane
19. FOUR STRONG WINDS - Chad & Jeremy
20. SO SAD (TO WATCH GOOD LOVE GO BAD) - The Greenbeats
21. DON’T THINK TWICE IT’S ALRIGHT – Heinz With The Wild Boys
22. TODAY IS THE HIGHWAY – The Ramblers
23. LOVE IS STRANGE - The Overlanders
24. SUBTERRANEAN HOMESICK BLUES – Chas McDevitt & Shirley Douglas
25. MARY ANNE – The Shadows
26. THE CARNIVAL IS OVER – The Seekers

It's the end of a busy and stressful year for Sheffield / Liverpool electronic pioneers, Black Beacon Sound. Having released a 7" every month for the whole of 2017 (or thereabouts), with each one being released digitally, with extra content (and each one featuring a remix by an undeniably talented producer), they have decided to make all of these superb remixes available on a drool-inducingly beautiful double 12" emblazoned with their eye-catching and iconic logo and sleeve design. 

It's a beautiful package in itself, but focusing on that is obviously doing an injustice to the superb work put in by all the producers to create this mindblowing excercise in cohabitational production and community-minded collaboration. 

We kick things off with the glitched hip-hop aestetics and stoner haze of the Mad Wash rework of Zen The Sharpshooters' 'Every Lil' Bit', bringing the hot-boxed haze and relaxing the muscles before The Fire Beneath The Sea's 'Error Correction' sees a pitch-bent funked-out remix, grounded with insistent shuffled hi-hats and wah'd out guitars, before the legendary Galactic Funk Milita's festival vibe is chopped into a syncopated latin stomp for a rubberlips rework. 

On the flipside, David J Boswell's haunting electro-folk goes full dubstep in the more than capable hands of the forward-facing electronic euphorics of Liverpool electronic virtuoso, Afternaut before Denham Audio bring forth a clattering industrial fractalisation of Hang Syem's 'Frontier J'. 

The following track is possibly my favourite on the compilation (but with enough material on here to keep even the most diverse of tastes more than happy, I expect yours will be different), and comes from Sheffield wunderkind, Yak. Snappy percussion and perfectly measured electronic stabs bring a disphoric syncopation to the already excellent 'Wicked Sound' by Grievous Angel. 

Onto the final side now, (the last being blank for you to admire the gorgous sky-blue marbling) and R. Lyle takes Apta's 'Tides' and breaks it down into a simmering futuristic haze of reversed reverbs and hazy throbs, before the arshaw remix of my personal favourite release of the lot, in Bemp's 'Minotaur', culminating in a psychedelic propulsive stomper, courtesy of the aforementioned Yak and YAKONA. A match made in heaven. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Black Beacon have culminated their journey in a fittingly epic and ridiculously efficacious summary of their dedication to the independent music industry with this stunning double LP. A journey in every sense of the word, and a superb flipside to their already mindblowing releases.

TRACK LISTING

1. A1. Every Lil' Bit (Mad Wash Refixture)
2. A2. Error Correction (atdhe Remix)
3. A3. Dance Floor Grinder (Rubberlips Remix)
4. B1. No Colours (Afternaut Remix)
5. B2. Frontier J (Denham Audio Remix)
6. B3. Wicked Sound (Yak Remix)
7. C1. Tides (R. Lyle Remix)
8. C2. Minotaur (Arshaw Remix)
9. C3. Viggy (YAKONA Remix)

Extensive 5CD/book set exploring the ‘second wave’ of music on Merseyside, from 1976-1988 Features classics, rarities, album tracks and previously unreleased gems from Echo And The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, OMD, The La’s, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Dead Or Alive, China Crisis, A Flock Of Seagulls, Wild Swans, Big In Japan and many more. 5CD + 56pp A5 book format contains many artists’ own sleeve-notes, previously unseen photographs and essays from key observers and participants in the city’s music scene - Bernie Connor, Mike Badger, Yorkie and Joe McKechnie. Curated and designed by the people who brought you Scared To Get Happy, Still In A Dream, Manchester – North Of England, Silhouettes And Statues and many more extensive box sets. A remarkable journey through the music of a generation inspired and enabled by punk rock to step out from behind the shadow to the Fab Four. Packed with first-hand artist sleeve-notes, insightful essays, imagery and brilliant, essential music, this is a story long in need of telling…

Liverpool in the 1970s…. The Beatles had gone, but the expectations remained. It took many years until, with the arrival of punk rock, the city’s tunesmiths were able to regroup and usher in a new generation of musical innovation which would form the backbone of the UK’s music scene throughout the 1980s. From Eric’s to the top of the charts, the city found its feet and once again became the epicentre of cool. Revolutionary Spirit charts the rise of Liverpool and its music in the latter half of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s, from Deaf School and Spitfire Boys, via Zoo Records and Probe Plus, and onto the chart successes of Frankie, OMD, the Bunnymen and many others. Featuring cornerstone contributions from the city’s brightest stars - Bill Drummond, Holly Johnson, Ian Broudie, Pete Burns, Ian McCulloch, Julian Cope, Lee Mavers and co – and many more lesser-known legends, this is the unique tale of a city trying to find itself with the world watching – and succeeding.

TRACK LISTING

DISC 1
1. WHAT A WAY TO END IT ALL – Deaf School
2. BIG IN JAPAN - Big In Japan
3. SUFFICE TO SAY – Yachts
4. THE PICTURES ON MY WALL - Echo And The Bunnymen
5. LIL’S GONE TO PARIS – Ded Byrds **
6. BREAKTHROUGH IN GREY ROOM - 0-51 **
7. TODAY'S MYSTERY IS... - The Dance Party **
8. SLEEPING GAS - The Teardrop Explodes
9. FACTION-Faction
10. TOUCH – Lori And The Chameleons
11. BLACK LEATHER - Nightmares In Wax
12. BUNKER SOLDIERS - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
13. 194 RADIO CITY – Jaqui & Jeanette
14. LONELY EVENING – Clive Langer And The Boxes
15. MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT – Glass Torpedoes
16. COULD THIS BE HEAVEN – Original Mirrors
17. HEADS I WIN – The Moondogs
18. BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY – The Planets
19. DO THE CHUD – The Chuddy Nuddies
20. BRITISH REFUGEE – Spitfire Boys
21. THE DOCTOR - Geisha Girls 22. DON'T STOP THE WORLD – Deaf School

DISC 2
1. DALEK I LOVE YOU (DESTINY) – Dalek I
2. TELECOMMUNICATION - A Flock Of Seagulls
3. WHEN I DREAM - The Teardrop Explodes
4. HIT THE MOON - Ellery Bop
5. NUCLEAR SUMMER – The Nice Men
6. HUMAN FEATURES – Black
7. TOTAL RECALL – Systems
8. TOUCH - Freeze Frame
9. SUPERMAN – Attempted Moustache
10. INTERCONTINENTAL – Afraid Of Mice
11. RESCUE – Echo And The Bunnymen
12. PIGGIE IN THE MIDDLE EIGHT – Cook The Books
13. CREATION REBEL – Windows
14. MY MOTIVE – Chinese Religion
15. TOO LATE TO FLY THE FLAG - Hambi And The Dance
16. SOLDIERS - Egypt For Now
17. DOWN AT THE ZOO - Those Naughty Lumps
18. EUTHENICS – Modern Eon
19. LAUNDERETTE – A Formal Sigh **
20. NIGHTLIFE - The Moderates **

DISC 3
1. REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT (STEREO MIX) – Wild Swans
2. AFRICAN AND WHITE – China Crisis
3. DON'T LET GO – Pink Industry
4. OBSESSIONS - Passion Polka
5. I'M THINKING OF YOU NOW – Box Of Toys
6. FLAMING SWORD – Care
7. DORIAN GRAY – The Bamboo Fringe
8. SHE'S LOCKED MY LIFE UP IN HER SUITCASE – Steve Lindsey
9. OCEANIC EXPLORERS – Ex Post Facto
10. SOME ASPECTS - Chain Of Command
11. HE'S DEAD ALRIGHT – Ambrose Reynolds
12. ART ON 45 – Royal Family And The Poor
13. THEMES FOR 'GRIND' SCENE V - Will Sergeant
14. THROUGH THE GLASS - Shiny Two Shiny
15. BIRDS FLY (WHISPER TO A SCREAM) – Icicle Works
16. A GIGANTIC RAFT IN THE PHILIPPINES - It's Immaterial
17. TOXTETH - Public Disgrace
18. PLAYING FOR TIME – Send No Flowers
19. THINGS HAVE LEARNT TO WALK THAT OUGHT TO CRAWL – The Room
20. SHE KEEPS HER SECRET - The Balcony (Mk I)
21. BURST BALLOONS - The Turquoise Swimming Pools

DISC 4
1. TWO TRIBES – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
2. REASONS TO LIVE – Mr Amir
3. EVERY DAY ANOTHER DREAM - Brenda And The Beach Balls
4. THE FIRST PICTURE OF YOU – The Lotus Eaters
5. MISTY CIRCLES – Dead Or Alive
6. ARE YOU READY FOR THAT FEELING? – Virgin Dance
7. VALLEY OF EVERGREEN - Alternative Radio
8. JIMMY'SGRIN–Margox
9. - KARDOMAH CAFÉ (2017 MIX) – The Cherry Boys
10. CONTRASTING STRANGERS – The Light
11. JEAN'S NOT HAPPENING – Pale Fountains
12. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE – The Balcony (MK II) **
13. WORKING FOR THE MAN – The High Five
14. JAMES WHERE ARE YOU NOW? – The Press Gang
15. MY WAR – Western Promise
16. DON'T CRY DARLING (DADDY HAD TO DROWN THE CAT) - Old Ma Cuxsom And The Soapchoppers
17. HAPPEN - The Rioutous Hues
18. BOMB SUTRA - Mel-O-Tones
19. HELL - Marshmallow Overcoat

DISC 5
1. ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID – Jegsy Dodd And The Sons Of Harry Cross ‎
2. GET DOWN OVER - The La's
3. HIP AND HER CHEEK ELECTRIC (DEMO) – Barbel
4. A TRICK OF FATE – Magic Carpets
5. DEVIL LAUGHING – Benny Profane
6. THE TALLEST MAN – Jactars
7. DIDN’T WE HAVE A NICE TIME? (AND ALL MY FRIENDS ARE HERE) - The Tempest
8. PRECIOUS LOVE – The Onset
9. PAT NEVIN'S EYES – The Tractors
10. DANCE - Cyclic Amp
11. WHEN YOU'RE IN - The DaVincis
12. WAY OUT - The La's
13. TANTRIC WIPEOUT – The Walking Seeds
14. BURNIN' AND LOOTIN' – Ministry Of Love
15. BIG BAD MONEY WORLD – A Game Of Soldiers
16. ONLY IN AMERICA - Exhibit B
17. SONS OF - Thomas Lang
18.COME HOLY SPIRIT- Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus 

Recorded between the chaos and bustle of a New York cinema on Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn and the windswept loneliness on the south-side of the Isle of Wight in the spring of 2017, I Can't Stand The Sound is the second album from Berlin based English/Irish songwriter Ryan O'Reilly. Produced by David Granshaw and in collaboration with Canadian, Tyler Kyte the album is an exploration in searching for meaning, the meaning in a fatal car accident, the beauty and darkness on the streets of Berlin, comprehending the American landscape at the end of 2016 and trying to filter out the noise of relentless opinions on 24 hour news TV and online.

Littered with snapshots from myriad conversations; A Grandmother's warning that ghosts are never as dangerous as humans, talking to a loved one after a terror attack, a fall from a horse, with a hangover whilst reading in the bath and the faceless people who blithely tell you to 'live your dreams' the characters and conversations restlessly change locations and perspectives.

I Can't Stand The Sound began life on the journey between New York and Tennessee in the aftermath of the American election in 2016, the long conversations, the search for conclusions and reasoning in a void of reason. Written on municipal Frisbee-golf course in East Nashville, a front porch in Hamilton, Ontario and along side the beautiful, dirty Spree in Ryan's adopted hometown of Berlin each place finds it's way into the heart of the album. In May 2017 Ryan, Tyler and Dave travelled back to New York. Joined by members of Toronto's Dwayne Gretzky and Ryan's European touring partners The O'Pears to begin recording of I Can't Stand The Sound in the Cinema/bar where the journey towards the album began six months earlier. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Don’t You Know That
2. Make It Holy
3. Never Be Afraid Of Ghosts
4. I Can’t Stand The Sound
5. People Tell You
6. The Modern World
7. Flesh & Blood
8. Conversation
9. Somethings Really Wrong
10. Till It Ends

‘The Original Sound of Burkina Faso’ follows the hugely successful ‘The Original Sound of Mali’ compilation released in March this year, also on Mr Bongo. Here we have a collection of songs that pay tribute to a truly golden age of music; touching on folk, funk, blues, highlife, disco, psyche, latin, rock and soul.

Burkina Faso may be one of the least well-known parts of West Africa but it has a deep history and musical pedigree. A few years before President Thomas Sankara changed his country’s name from Upper Volta to its current one, a new sound emerged to soundtrack a cultural revolution. Featuring music by Abdoulaye Cisse, Amadou Balake, Pierre Sandwidi & Super Volta, Tidiani Coulibaly & Dafra Star, Bozambo, Youssouf Diarra and more.

TRACK LISTING

CD:
Abdoulaye Cisse - Jeunesse Wilila _
Bozambo - Kombisse _
Pierre Sandwidi - Boy Cuisinier _
Abdoulaye Cisse - Aw Ye Douba Ke _
Tidiani Coulibaly& Dafra Star - De Nwolo _
Mangue Konde & Le Super Mande - Touba _
Amadou Balake - Whisky Et Coca-Cola _
John Oumar Nabolle - M’ba Lale _
Amadou Balake - Super Bar Konon Mousso _
Mangue Konde Et Les 5 Consuls - Pop Konde _
Tidiani Coulibaly & Dafra Star - Sie Koumgolo _
Youssouf Diarra (dit El Grand Ballake) - Djanfa Magni _
Abdoulaye Cisse & Super Volta - A Son Magni _
Amadou Balake - Wayisjelequeyele _
Amadou Balake - Aminata Du The _
Pierre Sandwidi & Super Volta - Yamb Ney Capitale _

LP 1:
Abdoulaye Cisse- Jeunesse Wilila
Abdoulaye Cisse - Tieba Lou Tounouna
Bozambo - Kombisse
Amadou Balake - Whisky Et Coca-Cola
John Oumar Nabolle_ - M’ba Lale
Pierre Sandwidi - Boy Cuisinier
Tidiani Coulibaly & Dafra Star - Sie Koumgolo

LP 2:
Amadou Balake - Super Bar Konon Mousso
Mangue Konde Et Les 5 Consuls - Pop Konde
Youssouf Diarra (dit El Grand Ballake) - Djanfa Magni
Amadou Balake - Wayisjelequeyele
Amadou Balake - Aminata Du The
Abdoulaye Cisse & Super Volta - A Son Magni

The story of Topic is synonymous with the growth of folk as a musical and social movement in Britain and these recordings demonstrate the bridge between modern music and a traditi onal art form. On this 2 CD set you will fi nd some of the most remarkable singers, songs and tunes - either drawn directly from the traditi on or inspired by it.

Tracks featured include John Tam’s, Unity, Steve Ashley’s ,Ships of Shame, Dick Gaughan’s, Both Sides the Tweed and Ewan MacColl’s, Dirty Old Town. Many of the tracks deal with social issues of the ti me and there are also re-workings of great traditi onal story songs like - Anne Briggs’ Blackwater Side, Mike Watersons’ Tamlyn, Nic Jones’ Canadee-i-o and the majesti c performances by Marti n Simpson, Shirley Collins, Davy Graham, Marti n Carthy, Eliza Carthy and The Watersons.

Topic also off ers up June Tabor and Oysterband cover version of Joy Divisions classic Love Will Tear Us Apart.

Pentangle, Andrew Cronshaw, Brass Monkey, Vin Garbutt , Johnny Handle, Bill Caddick, The Cheviot Ranters, Cilla Fisher and Arti e Tresize, Silly Sisters, Tim Van Eyken, Peter Bellamy and Oak - the list goes on - a fi lling and haunti ng introducti on to the great legacy of the folk traditi on and Topic Records

Produced by Alex Somers (Sigur Rós, Jónsi). Features members of The Drums. Sound Of Ceres = formerly Candy Claws. Features short story by Alastair Reynolds. The mysterious tale of The Twin, the second full-length from Sound of Ceres, exists in myriad permutations, too: a new album, a mesmerizing live show, videos, an Alastair Reynolds short story... and others in-between. While their 2016 debut Nostalgia for Infinity responded to the hugeness of time and space, now Sound of Ceres explore the strangeness of being just one human outcome amidst an infinitude of possibilities.

The adventure begins with one of the great works of 20th century German literature, The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. As Ryan Hover read the tale of Hans Castorp (named for one of the twins of Gemini), whose life as a shipbuilder gets sidetracked by a visit to a rest home in the Swiss Alps, new chords, melodies, and lyrical ideas seized his imagination. Elements from the novel – the snow and isolation of the mountains, echoes of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a fixation with the number seven – took on a new form as the fantastic universe of The Twin took shape. Karen Hover and Ryan gave voice to early versions of the songs, exploring the sound of words even as they teased out lyrical ideas. Rough sketches were dispatched to bandmates Derrick Bozich, Jacob Graham, and Ben Phelan, and then Ryan fashioned their instrumental contributions into new arrangements.

But just as Hans in The Magic Mountain undergoes a great transformation as from the flatlands through the narrow gauge to the Alps, The Twin underwent great changes as it began to travel – in this case, to Iceland. Ryan, Karen, and Jacob arrived at the Reykjavik studio of producer Alex Somers (Sigur Rós, Julianna Barwick) with the original mixes of what seemed like more-or-less finished songs. And then they went through a different door. Guitars andharpsichords gave way to more analog synthesizers and melodic percussion. As the music’s dynamic range grew wider, timbres chilled, and more layers of vocals were woven into the background, a new twin of The Twin emerged. Hints of ‘60s exotica, ‘70s AM radio, and even symphonic grandeur weave through layers of rippling synths and shifting rhythms. Ideas drawn from the past and future fold together, creating a sound that exists outside any particular time or trend. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Gemini Scenic,
2. Humaniora,
3. Outer Century,
4. The Trance,
5. Rhatikon Chain,
6. Io Scenic A/B,
7. The Twin,
8. Mercury's Moods,
9. Solar Mirror 9,
10. Eden V. 

We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want Records flip our collective lid with a reissue of extraterrestrial cult classic "The Sound Of The UFOs", a collaborative effort between Swiss jazz and electronic music icon Bruno Spoerri and innovative drummer extraordinaire Reto Weber, available on vinyl for the first time since 1978, housed in a 350g jacket and packed with all new liner notes.

Recorded live in Zurich in March 1978, "The Sound Of The UFOs" finds Bruno & Reto improvising with a vast array of classic and customized synths and percussions from all corners of the globe (and the galaxy!). It’s cosmic free jazz in audio gear heaven with a heavy dose of ambient, krautrock, primitive proto-techno vibes, and experimental space disco with a musique concrète mentality - anything’s possible when a jazzman and a percussionist obsessed with finding new sounds collide and explore uncharted sonic territories! This groundbreaking gem is the ideal companion piece to Bruno Spoerri’s highly coveted "Voice Of Taurus" LP.

Still very active recording, touring and collaborating  Bruno Spoerri is an award-winning mythical figure of Swiss music, whose career started in the 1950s and covers jazz, electronic music, film and tv work, and everything in between. Improvisational maestro and synthesizer mega-connoisseur, Mr. Spoerri has influenced an entire generation of producers and musicians - hell, even Jay-Z sampled him!

Essential listening for fans of electronic music, jazz, percussions, early techno, movie soundtracks, library music, cosmic oddities, ambient, sci-fi disco, synthesizers, Pierre Schaeffer, Pierre Henry, Wendy Carlos, Nino Nardini, Yello, Midori Takada, meditation, and Agent Mulder.

TRACK LISTING

A1. First Impression
A2. Swiss Encounter
A3. Destination Galaxy M81
B1. Strange Visitors
B2. Cosmic Samba
B3. Sun Spots

It's always a great day when Black Beacon Sound bring us some new records for sale, and we have a few belters this time. 'BBS008EP' comes courtesy of The Fire Beneath the sea, smashing out a heady mix of hip-hop, horn-led ska and funk. 'Hips Go Wild' kicks off with a calypso rhythm, before being quickly joined by a frantic bass lick and snappy horns, before the frantic vocal flourishes expertly ride over the top of the rapidly eclectic instrumental. It's a journey lurching from skittering vocal hip hop into a half-speed solemn redux of the original riff before coming back once again, bursting with every bit of the original energy. 

Flipside, 'I Am' showcases the brilliantly effervescent vocal athletics this talented bunch are capable of. Snappy vox, brilliantly clever lyrics and funked up to the max. There's some hugely talented turntablism going down in the breakdowns too, this one just keeps moving until the end, making it feel much more epic than it's short four minute length. A killer duo, and antoher winner for BBS. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's hard not to move your hips when this one gets going, reminiscent of old-school hip-hop, with snappy ska horns and body-shaking rolling basslines. They are many in number this bunch, but all of the skill going on makes it seem unbelievable there could be any less than 100 people at the helm (there is less than 100). Either way, it's ace.

TRACK LISTING

A. Hips Go Wild

B. I Am

The Nashville Sound was recorded at Nashville’s legendary RCA Studio A and produced by Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb, who produced ‘Something More Than Free’ and Isbell’s celebrated 2013 breakthrough album ‘Southeastern’.

‘The Nashville Sound’ features 10 new songs that address a range of subjects that include, politics and cultural privilege (“White Man’s World”) longing nostalgia (“The Last Of My Kind”), love and mortality (“If We Were Vampires”), the toxic effect of today’s pressures (“Anxiety”), the remnants of a break up (“Chaos and Clothes”) and finding hope (“Something To Love”). Songs such as “Cumberland Gap” and “Hope The Highroad” find Jason and his bandmates going back to their rock roots full force.

TRACK LISTING

1. Last Of My Kind
2. Cumberland Gap
3. Tupelo
4. White Man's World
5. If We Were Vampires
6. Anxiety
7. Molotov
8. Chaos And Clothes
9. Hope The High Road
10. Something To Love

Susana Estrada was one of the muses and main figures from the period known as 'Transition’ in Spain. No other woman represented better than her the freedom and sexual revolution which the country experienced in the 70s after the end of the dictatorship. A truly erotic Goddess, Susana was a model, singer and actress and one of the first women to perform fully-naked plays in Spain. She appeared in numerous erotic magazines and movies and her famous sexual counselling column for Play-Lady magazine caused a big commotion at the time. She reached fame with her erotic musical plays like “Historias Del Strip-Tease”, “Muñecas” (where she simulated to have sex with a robot!) or “Machos”.
As a singer, in 1980 Susana released her first 45 for the Belter label from Barcelona: “Machos” / “Acaríciame”. Produced by Josep Lobell and Manuel Gas, it contained two sexy disco tracks which paved the way for her first LP, “Amor y Libertad” (Love and Freedom), released on the Belter sub-label Sauce in 1981. Produced by Cosmic Disco pioneer Josep Llobell (Oliver’s Planet), this is a real fest of 80s Italo Disco, Munich Sound, Boogie, Funk and Modern Soul. The fabulous, minimal production of Llobell collides with the sensual vocals and moanings of Susana, singing about sexual liberation and freedom. Of course, when the album was originally released, nobody understood it. Criminally underrated for many years, “Amor y Libertad” has now become a cult item in the international Cosmic Disco scene.
But in 1980, a strange cassette by Susana called “Machos” was also released on the Belter label. It featured music and songs from the play of the same name. There, we can find “Espacial” (seven minutes of robotic funk and Space Cosmic Disco) and “Hagamos el amor” (“Let’s make love”), another sexadelic funk track much in the vein of the ones included on “Amor y Libertad”.
On this comp, you’ll find the entire “Amor y Libertad” album except the two tracks which were not in a disco / funk vein (“Ven” and “Arena y mar”), plus “Machos” ( a Celi Bee & the Buzzy Bunch cover), “Acaríciame” from the first Belter 45 and two tracks from the “Machos” cassette: “Espacial” and “Hagamos el amor”. We’ve also included a previously unreleased track courtesy of Susana: “Tócame”, recorded in 2007, in a High Energy Euro Disco vein.

Red vinyl 7" single coupling the original album version of 'The Sound Of All Things' with a remix by Russian trio Gnoomes.

Limited-edition of 274.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: One of the highlights of their album, 'The Sound Of All Things' is a slice of motorik guitar-driven synth pop, psychedelic and bracing, all remixed on the flip by Gnoomes into a dystopian re-imagining of the original. Shadowy where it was glittering, but retaining the charm and skill of the original. Great stuff.

TRACK LISTING

A. The Sound Of All Things
AA. The Sound Of All Things (Gnoomes Remix)

Malian music is arguably the most sophisticated form of African music. Now Mr Bongo, who have long been entranced by Malian culture, and, in particular, the immense hypnotic beauty of Malian music, have put together a selection of songs from across the country. Compiled by Vik Sohonie & Dave ‘Mr Bongo’ Buttle, the story of this release began in 2015 when Dave happened upon the Soul Bonanza blog. One mix in particular stood out and totally enthralled Dave - le monde a change: a tribute to mali 1970 - 1991. He already knew of Malian legends such as the Rail Band, Salif Keita, & Les Ambassadeurs du Motel de Bamako, but this mix was something else. On this album you will find well-known artists sing next to rarer discoveries. The Rail Band, who are one of the best known of all the big bands in Mali, gave us the stars Mory Kante and Salif Keita. Les Amabassedeurs du Motel de Bamako were another big act that had Idrissa Soumaoro, Kante, Man la, and for a while Salif Keita in their ranks. Sometimes Salif would play in both bands in one night, quite a feat considering the bands were fierce rivals. Asan albino Salif has had to face considerable prejudice from society, focusing on his musical career to help overcome this. A major discovery on the album has been Idrissa Soumaoro et L’Eclipse de L’Ija. L’Eclipse de l’Institut des Jeunes Aveugles was a Blind teenagers institute and their record was produced by the German association that took care of blind Malian teenagers in Bamako. It was never properly released commercially and was the first recordings by the legends of Malian music Idrissa Soumaoro, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia. Amadou & Mariam later got married and became household names. This album is a concerted global effort to showcase the most vital cornerstone of Malian culture in an attempt to preserve its reputation in the face of its current, grim reality. We hope our highlights of Mali’s rich history of musical innovation will serve as a starting point for reclaiming an image tainted by unnecessary conflict. May peace and music return to Mali soon.

TRACK LISTING

Idrissa Soumaoro Et L’Eclipse De L’Ija - Nissodia (Joie De L’op Misme)
Les
Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako - Tiecolom-Ba
Super Tentemba Jazz - Mangan 
Rail Band - Mouodilo
Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako - M’Bouram-Mousso 
Sorry Bamba - Yayoroba
Super Djata Band - Worodara
Zani Diabate Et Le Super Djata
Band - Fadingna Kouma
Les Ambassadeurs Du Motel De Bamako - Fatema
Super Djata Band De Bamako - Mali Ni Woula
Salif Keita - Mandjou
Alou Fane & Daouda
Sangare - Komagni Bela
Idrissa Soumaoro Et L’Eclipse De L’Ija - Fama Allah

Hot Milk is back with a crucially wicked box set of some of the most forward thinking and experimental reggae of the early 80’s. Inside you’ll find four studio albums from Adrian Sherwood’s On-U Sound label, including the fourth instalment of the Singers & Players series, two Creation Rebel albums and the other planetary compilation of industrial reggae experiments, Wild Paarty Sounds Vol.1.

Released in 1984 “Leaps & Bounds” by the collective known as Singers & Players features vocal contributions from Prince Far I, Congo Ashanti Roy, Mikey Dread and Bim Sherman. 1981’s “Threat To Creation” is a Creation Rebel/New Age Steppers double billing. Probably the most daring dub album to emerge from the UK, this is the nexus where reggae and post punk collide. Coming out of 1982, Creation Rebel’s “Lows & Highs” featuring vocals from Crucial Tony and Lizard Logan is the most straight ahead reggae album in the box. One for those less experimentally minded, Style Scott lays down the beats next to Eskimo Fox and Donald Campbell. Wild Paarty Sounds is where it all starts to get really weird. There must have been something in the water in 1981, this is Charles and Diana’s child the establishment didn’t want you to know about. An album for those who like reggae influenced by PiL’s Metal Box.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1: Moses - Singers & Players
2: Make A Joyful Noise - Singers & Players
3: Alla La Dreadlocks Soldier - Singers & Players
4: Autobiography (Dread Operator) - Singers & Players
5: Breaking Down The Pressure - Singers & Players
6: Dog Park - Singers & Players
7: Vegetable Matter - Singers & Players
8: Striving - Singers & Players

Disc: 2
1: Chemical Specialist - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
2: Threat To Creation - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
3: Eugenic Device - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
4: Last Sane Dream - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
5: Painstaker - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
6: Earthwire Line - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
7: Ethos Design - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
8: Final Frontier - Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers

Disc: 3
1: Independent Man (Part 1) - Creation Rebel
2: Independent Man (Part 2) - Creation Rebel
3: Rebel Party - Creation Rebel
4: A Reasoning - Creation Rebel
5: No Peace - Creation Rebel
6: Love I Can Feel - Creation Rebel
7: Rubber Skirt (Parts 1 / 2 / 3) - Creation Rebel
8: Creation Rebel - Creation Rebel
9: Creative Involvements - Creation Rebel
10: Read And Learn (B-Side Of Single) - Creation Rebel

Disc: 4
1: Woodpecker Sound - Jah Woosh
2: Bed Bound Saga - Machine Gun Hogg & Co
3: Quante Jubila - Prince Far I & Creation Rebel
4: Quit The Body - The Chicken Granny
5: Parasitic Machine - Alan Pillay
6: Dreams Are Better - London Underground
7: Asian Rebel - Suns Of Arqa
8: Demonic Forces - Alan Pillay
9: Afghani Dub - The Mothmen
10: Things That Made U.S. - Jeb Loy & The Oil Wells
11: Yipee I Aah - New Age Steppers
12: The Dice - Judy Nylon

Trip. A simple arrangement of four letters that has many associations: a trip to the seaside, a drug trip (and so a journey into the unknown), a trip is to suddenly fall.

"The Soft Bounce" is a trip album in the widest sense: containing nearly 45 minutes of carefully programmed music, it sets off into to the unknown, it contains pleasure and pain, doubt and transcendence, and it ends somewhere that is different from where you started.

Beginning with expansive synth washes and "Love To Love You Baby"-style oohs, "Delicious Light" is immediately uplifting: we’re off on a switchback journey that will pass from light through darkness and confusion and pain to transcendence and acceptance. Darkness of a sort is forged in explosive motion ("Iron Age") before passing through sunshine pop ("Creation"), first wave UK psych ("Door To Tomorrow" with its invocation of "Emily", beloved of both the Pink Floyd and the Piccadilly Line), and the blissful Balearic emotion of "Diagram Girl". This passes into the American Gothic of "Black Crow" - that traditional avian harbinger of doom - and then we’re down the rabbit hole.

“Tomorrow, Forever" begins in the sound of nothingness and slowly unfolds into beatless cloud reveries that are at once solemn and hopeful. Weightless, blown with the wind, you come down to earth with the skipping afro beat of "The Soft Bounce": a soft female voice pleads for connection, but she is almost swamped by the stinging, shocking guitar reverb. The positive moods of "Finally First" and "Triumph" put everything back together before the all-out acid assault of "Third Mynd": from life to death to rebirth, ‘you throw the sticks up in the air, and they come down in a different pattern.’

“Is it the history of human kind or a personal, individual odyssey? With guest appearances from Blaine Harrison (Mystery Jets), Euros Childs (Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci), Jane Weaver, Holly Miranda and Hannah Peel, Erol Alkan and Richard Norris have constructed an album that is both highly enjoyable and on a deeper level, perceptual and psychological. Growth is necessary, as is adaptation to change: neither are achieved easily or without some kind of sacrifice. Operating on a level that can be verbal but is more often non-verbal, music can ease that passage.” - John Savage.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: This is indeed a trip. Melodic but psychedelic rock music to get up and dance to. Anthemic choruses and stoner guitars hide behind swirling synths and softly delivered vocal harmonies before smashing into the foreground with a riotous burst of distortion and glam. Exciting and groovy, gleefully nostalgic ('Emily' he sings, I was fully expecting Barrett to walk in and tell me about how she plays), but resolutely modern. A trip through all the best bits of all the things you should like. Ace.

TRACK LISTING

01 Delicious Light
02 Iron Age
03 Creation
04 Door To Tomorrow
05 Diagram Girl
06 Black Crow
07 Tomorrow, Forever
08 The Soft Bounce
09 Finally First
10 Triumph
11 Third Mynd

The Third Sound's new album Gospels of Degeneration shows a shift in style for the group, having toned down the shimmery psychedelia in favour of something a little cleaner. That’s not to say this is a barren sounding album at all, it’s still hypnotically layered with country-kissed reverb, and retains those itching guitar riffs that will keep whispering through your mind for hours after listening.

Founded by Icelandic frontman, Hakon Aðalsteinsson - an ex-member of Singapore Sling who are often hailed as founding members of the new psych sound - The Third Sound came into being in Rome in 2010 and have since relocated to Berlin. Since forming, The Third Sound have enjoyed the support of Anton Newcombe, who released their self-titled first album, on his label A Recordings, and chose the group to support his band The Brian Jonestown Massacre on tour in Europe. He also provided the studio for recording their second album The Third Sound of Destruction and Creation which was released on Fuzz Club in 2013. Most recently they’ve shared members with Anton Newcombe and Tess Parks’ band, which led to Parks’ appearance on the single “You Are Not Here” from this new album. What began as somewhat of a solo project by Aðalsteinsson, the new album sees The Third Sound stretching its definition with deeper levels of collaboration between band members and the influence of a new character in its story, the city of Berlin.

The group’s sound has been described as “ebbing between light and dark, dream and reality, pop and experimentalism” and “ranging from hypnotic soundscapes to tweaked out and fuzzed up numbers.” In a recent premiere on Clash Music they were described as "lynchpins of the psychedelic underground."

Psychedelic Pirates formed in Manchester, UK in 2013. They had the aim to produce a new genre of music, one that had never been heard before and pose the question... what is music???

They have now achieved this with their debut album... The New Sound.

The Pirates use the latest computer technology and some incredibly talented musicians to make a symphony of psychedelic sounds. Each song explores a different a genre ensuring the listener is taken on a trip through new musical possibilities.

Their live show is an eccentric mix of Pirate cabaret and tantalising circus performance, including fire performance and ariel arts.

So far their quest has taken them around UK, Europe, Asia and Africa performing at various festivals and events.

Will you join their crew?

Performers // Josh Lisiuk - Vocals / Luke Slater - Ableton, Synthesizer, Kaoss Pads, Bazooki, Samples, Effects & VST's / Martyn Jarmin - Guitar, Bass Guitar / Happie - Percussion / Elliot Slater - Saxaphone / Anna Lowenstein - Violin / Tom Moon - Trumpet, Melodica, Accordion / John Lisiuk - Mandolin / Ben Of The Green - Didgeridoo

STAFF COMMENTS

Ryan says: Finally a new arrrtist with a new sound. Plenty of hooks without going overboard. On sail now.

The Sound And The Fury, Nerina’s fifth album, is released on her own Idaho Records. To describe the album as a departure from its four predecessors is something of an understatement. When Nerina says it’s her mid-life crisis album, she’s only half joking. When she says it isn’t her happiest collection of songs, she isn’t kidding.

The album is as tempestuous as its title suggests. It’s a bold, bluesy, Biblical storm, in turns restless, aggressive and defiant.

Sonically too there’s been a shift. Inspired by Nerina and her producer (and husband) Andy Chatterley’s collective electronic roots it’s atmosphere crackles with electronics, space is as vital as sound and textures matter as much as melodies. From the crackling, menacing electro-blues of opener This Is A Drum to spectral, reflective, electro-classical closer The Longest Memory, The Sound And The Fury is as beguiling beautiful as it is disturbingly dark.

Inspired by actual events and the emotions they evoked, The Sound And The Fury is an album of stories, from the city, from inside Nerina’s mind, from weeks spent glued to the news. It’s about love, loss and survival as much as any heartbreak album. It’s about one woman and her fears for her family, but it’s also about where the world is at right now and where it will be in the future.

TRACK LISTING

1. There Is A Drum
2. Ain’t Got Anything Left
3. Rousseau
4. If I Had A Girl
5. Boy On The Bus
6.Handle
7. Spirit Walks
8. Big White House
9. The Road
10. Blessed
11. Longest Memory

The Free Fall Band are five very young timeless pop creators bursting with melody and sublime choruses, hailing from Mataró, a village north Barcelona.

‘Elephants Never Forget’ was the band’s debut album, produced by Miqui Puig and released on LAV Records. The record sums up The Free Fall Band perfectly: echoes of The Beatles, Jonathan Richman, The Shins, The Zombies… fun and emotion in equal measure, carefully assembled arrangements and a youthful image.

2013 put them at the forefront of Spanish pop, thanks to landmark moments such as their performance at the Primavera Sound Festival and supporting Rodriguez in Barcelona. They also released their first step on El Segell del Primavera, an EP with covers of The Strokes, Violent Femmes, New Order, Booker T. & The MGs and Jonathan Richman.

And now their second album arrives. It’s called ‘The Münster Sights’ and shows the band in another level: the songs reflect a band that have been playing and growing as musicians. The album was produced by Darren Hayman (he used to play in Hefner and has a long and amazing solo career) and engineered by Giles Barrett (from London popsters Tigercats), a perfect choice for The Free Fall Band as they’ve long been fans of both musicians. As a result ‘The Münster Sights’ sounds richer and fatter than their previous efforts and contains such great numbers as ‘Fontana’ and ‘I Want To Know’.

TRACK LISTING

I Want To Know
City Of Raleigh
Fontana
Look At Me Run, Dear
Lonesome Cowboy, Solitary Peggy Sue
Oh, What An Awkward Day
By Your Window
Every Man
The Barbershop
A Friend’s Homecoming
The Münster Sights

"ARE YOU WIRED TO GET HIRED? Let’s get this straight, nobody likes to be pushed around by THE MAN. With all of the corporate involvement in the music industry these days, it’s finally time to grab those smug CEOs and thrust them onstage and see what comes out when you really stick ‘em. And nothing is more satisfying, both financially and fiscally responsible, than to let THE MAN do their thing, because they will walk all over you and you will love every minute of it. With a panicky/riveting/down-sizing guitar crunch, merging with the heavy dose of anxiety-riddled bass throb, over-worked, stress-wrenched drumming, and all slathered in “workplace harassment”-style vocals, your long-term relationship with THE MAN is one “meeting” you just can’t opt out of and still come away with your promotion intact. Resistance is futile, projections seem grim, and your mental and fidooshiary well-being depend on nothing more than your complete and utter submission to THE MAN, in all of it’s holdings and territories, as declared in their mission statement, thumbtacked to your forehead." - VictimofTime.com.

Recommended for fans of Baseball Furies, Wire, Reatards, Persuaders, Guilty Pleasures

Soundway’s second foray into South East Asia is focused on North-East Thailand, the epicentre of Molam and Luk Thung Isan music. Hypnotic phin and khaen riffs, pulsing, electrified country rhythms and heartfelt vocals punctuate another journey into the lesser known reaches of 1970s Thai music.

In this second volume of 'The Sound of Siam' the focus is firmly on the music the sounds of north-east Thailand, or Isan and attempts to show how a genre evolved and developed from essentially an acoustic tradition with specific geographic roots, to one that started to incorporate other instruments and influences that reached out to the Isan diaspora around the country.

The term molam is actually two separate words pushed together: Mo meaning ‘expert’ or ‘doctor’ and lam meaning ‘to sing’. Hence the literal translation means ‘singing expert’. Many molam records have extended intros that allow a vocalist to establish the theme of the song, as well as flex their improvisational muscles.

Luk Thung (literally ‘song of the countryside’) is a much broader, rural style that had a bigger impact nationally. Artists like Saksiam Petchompu began fusing this style with molam, a move which propelled him to national fame. You can hear the influence of western funk, as well as Thai arrangements, on the luk thung Isan (as the hybrid became known) smash Jeb Jin Jeb Jai included here.

'The Sound of Siam 2 - Molam & Luk Thung Isan from North-East Thailand 1970 - 1982’ features 19 tracks, many appearing outside of Thailand for the first time. Both CD and double LP and is accompanied with detailed liner notes written by compilers Chris Menist and Maft Sai.

TRACK LISTING

1. Angkanang Kunchai - Kid Hod Chu
2. Panom Promma - Mainaa Tam Pom Loey
3. The Petch Phin Thong Band - Bump Lam Plearn
4. Angkanang Kunchai - Teoy Salap Pamaa
5. Saksiam Petchchompu & Pornsurapon Petchseethong - Jeb Jing Jeb Jai
6. Montien Tienthong - Kor Kai
7. Onuma Singsiri - Lam Plearn Toe Lhong Tong
8. Petch Asia Band - Lam Plearn Tua Yaang
9. Banyen Sriwongsa - Ramwong Saraphan
10. Thepporn Petchubon - Pa Gun Tor
11. Thonghuad Faited - Eua Aree See Sor
12. Angkanang Kunchai - Lam Plearn Mee Mia Laew Pai
13. Banyen Sriwongsa - Lam Plearn Kon Baa Huay
14. Thepporn Petchubon - Saam Gler Tiew Krung
15. Angkanang Kunchai - Yak Si Glap Isan
16. Chanpen Sirithep - Lam Plearn Kiew Bao
17. Thepporn Petchubon - Fang Jai Viangjan
18. Yenjit Porntawi - Lam Plearn Gok Kaa Kao
19. Rome Sithammarat - Sao New Look

"Pardon us for living, but the graveyard is full." Or so goes the title of a new documentary film telling the tale of The Fleshtones. While that sentiment is a bit tongue-in-cheek, it's also true. The Fleshtones have been grinding out garage rock before garage rock was even called garage rock, and turning rock clubs like Max's Kansas City into impromptu discos for over 30 years.

While chart hits and magazine covers weren't to be their fate; a reputation as the hardest working, most sincere rock band on the planet was cultivated in the process. The result of that distinction is their new album Brooklyn Sound Solution featuring the legendary Lenny Kaye. In addition to his role as long-time guitarist for Patti Smith, Kaye also curated the seminal garage and psychedelic music compilations Nuggets. Have a problem you can't solve? The Fleshtones offer you a Brooklyn Sound Solution.

TRACK LISTING

Comin’ Home Baby
I Wish You Would
Day Tripper
Bite Of My Soul
You Give Me Nothing To Go On (Instrumental Version)
I Can’t Hide
Solution #1
Rats In My Kitchen
Back Beat #1
You Give Me Nothing To Go On
Solution #2
Lost On Xandu

Mission Of Burma's fourth LP is a departure from the pinned-needles roar of 2006's "The Obliterati". Far more spacious and dynamic, it blasts off with the anthemic, catchy "1, 2, 3, Partyy!", a classic Burma rocker on a level with "This Is Not A Photograph" or "Certain Fate". Other tracks, such as "Feed", "Forget Yourself", and "Slow Faucet", are slow, hypnotic builders. "Good Cheer" is a burst of almost uncontainable joy that literally explodes from the speakers. Of course, all the Burma trademarks are also present: the military snare drum, the melodic basslines high up on the neck, and the furiously dissonant guitarwork, refracted back into the songs via tape loops – all punctuated by the hoarse shouts of drummer Peter Prescott. This controlled chaos, this disciplined letting go, is at the heart of what they do and it remains as exhilarating and fulfilling as ever.

"A French Kiss In The Chaos" is the follow-up to the Gold selling debut album "The State Of Things".

The Smiths were the definitive British independent band of the eighties, releasing a remarkable series of singles and albums between 1983 and 1987 that were both commercially and critically successful and which laid down a marker for guitar pop-rock that remains unsurpassed. Disc 1 of "The Sound Of The Smiths" comprises 23 tracks and presents all the Smiths' single releases, reinstating singles that were scheduled though eventually unreleased ("Still Ill" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby") plus European only singles such as "Barbarism Begins At Home" and "The Headmaster Ritual". The core of disc one, however, is that matchless run of singles from their first Rough Trade 7" single "Hand In Glove" through to "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me". The second disc features a further 22 tracks including rare B-sides, tracks that were exclusive to 12" releases and selected live recordings. Among the rarities are the Troy Tate produced "Pretty Girls Make Graves" and "What's The World", a cover of a track from the fellow Manchester band James, recorded live at Barrowlands, Glasgow.

TRACKLISTING:
CD1
1 Hand In Glove
2 This Charming Man
3 What Difference Does It Make? (BBC Peel Session Version)
4 Still Ill
5 Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
6 William It Was Really Nothing
7 How Soon Is Now?
8 Nowhere Fast
9 Shakespeare's Sister
10 Barbarism Begins At Home (7" Version)
11 That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
12 The Headmaster Ritual
13 The Boy With The Thorn In His Side
14 Bigmouth Strikes Again
15 There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
16 Panic
17 Ask
18 You Just Haven't Earned It Yet Baby (World Won't Listen Version)
19 Shoplifters Of The World Unite
20 Sheila Take A Bow
21 Girlfriend in A Coma
22 I Started Something I Couldn't Finish
23 Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

CD2
1 Jeane
2 Handsome Devil (Live at Manchester Hacienda 04/02/83)
3 This Charming Man (New York Vocal),
4 Wonderful Woman
5 Back To The Old House
6 These Things Take Time
7 Girl Afraid,
8 Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
9 Stretch Out And Wait
10 Oscillate Wildly (Instrumental)
11 Meat Is Murder (Live at Oxford Apollo 18/03/85)
12 Asleep
13 Money Changes Everything
14 The Queen Is Dead,
15 Vicar In A Tutu
16 Cemetery Gates
17 Half A Person
18 Sweet And Tender Hooligan
19 Pretty Girls Make Graves (Troy Tate Version)
20 Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
21 What's The World? (Live at Barrowlands Glasgow 25/09/85)
22 London (Live at National Ballroom Kilburn London 23/10/86)

"The Hawk Is Howling", their sixth album, sees Mogwai return to a totally instrumental landscape, with many songs coming in at around the eight minute mark. A brooding and atmospheric collection, full of the band's exceptional use of dynamics and creation of hypnotic soundscapes, "The Hawk Is Howling" is, however, partly more reflective than previous releases, perhaps sharing more in common with 2001's "Rock Action". Instrumentally the band have somewhat branched out, utilising light synthesizers on tracks such as "The Sun Smells Too Loud". The album was recorded with Andy Miller at Chemikal Underground and mixed by Gareth Jones at Castle Of Doom. It's the first time the band have recorded with Andy Miller since they worked with him on their debut "Young Team". Artwork for the album is designed by Aidan Moffat.

TRACK LISTING

1. I'm Jim Morrison I'm Dead
2. Batcat
3. Daphne And The Brain
4. Local Authority
5. Sun Smells Too Loud
6. Kings Meadow
7. I Love You I'm Going To Blow Up Your School
8. Scotland's Shame
9. Thank You Space Expert
10. Precipice

Finally together on one CD are two legendary compilations: "You Can't Argue With Sucksess" which featured bands from Long Beach like Mad Society, Secret Hate and others, and "Clock-work Orange County" which has DI, Doggy Style, Even Worse and tons of others.

Debut single from this hotly tipped Irish four piece. Classy, indie pop with hints of everything from early U2 to The Killers.

After three years of being second only to Air in the advert and TV backing music stakes, the Norwegian duo now return with their follow up to the all conquering "Melody AM" of 2002. "The Understanding" seems to distil a whole host of influences and styles (70s and 80s pop and rock, electronica, easy listening etc) into a cohesive, lush and ethereal sound instantly recogniseable as their own.

Long overdue 'best of' from one of reggae's most distinctive voices. Features 70s roots tracks produced by Lee Perry, Dennis Brown, Sly & Robbie, Augustus Pablo, Prince Jammy, Niney The Observer etc. This is Sound Boy's debut LP release.

A great cross-section of psychedelic, freakbeat and garage acts from the Tuscon scene recorded between 1959 and 1968. As usual with a Dionysus release there has been a lot of thought and research to compile this wonderfully atmospheric set of tracks and there are some real gems amongst the 27 tracks on offer here.

Great guitar pop from this Reading band, Beach Boys harmonies and catchy guitar riffs.

The usual suspects on another ace San Francisco compilation. Encapsulating the heady Haight Ashbury trip are the Jefferson Airplane, It's a Beautiful Day, Tripsichord and more.

Moby Grape, It's a Beautiful Day, Jefferson Airplane, Tim Hardin and more - 'nuff said.

Not since the arrival of Snuff on the UK underground scene many moons ago has a UK band made such an impact as Capdown. Playing over 250 gigs a year, recently supporting Less Than Jake on their UK tour, opening Deconstruction 2001 and appearing at this year's Reading / Leeds festivals. This, their latest offering looks set to be one most interesting punk releases of 2001 and eclipses everything the band has done before.