THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2025 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

On the cover: Raven Chacon: The Diné/Navajo composer foregrounds unheard and silenced voices in his radical works for ensembles, electronics and noise. By Esi Eshun. Inside: Ingrid Laubrock: The New York based reedist creates settings for koans and poems as part of a unique new compositional practice. By Stewart Smith; Bastard Assignments: The radical new music ensemble get lost in the woods with their satire of the English countryside. By Robert Barry; Infinity Knives: From Tom And Jerry to sociopolitics, rapper Tariq Ravelomanana keeps it unreal. By Lucy Thraves; Cleaners From Venus: Martin Newell’s songcraft and wordplay across many DIY albums evidence a uniquely wired mind. By Mike Barnes; Lukas De Clerck: Brussels musician extends ancient pipe instruments into the present moment. By Antonio Poscic; Penelope Trappes: Australian artist voices griefs past and present. By Spenser Tomson; Ciaran Mackle: Sample manipulator twists folk song into cubist forms. By Daryl Worthington; Invisible Jukebox: Jeff Mills: Will Detroit techno’s great conceptualist be a wizard IDing The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Chal Ravens; Unlimited Editions: Robert Ridley-Shackleton’s Cardboard Club cutouts. By Spenser Tomson; The Inner Sleeve: Loraine James on Circa Survive’s On Letting Go; Global Ear: Osaka’s proto-industrialists revitalise the city’s experimental music scene. By Jere Kilpinen; Epiphanies: Golem Mecanique rewinds to a treasured VHS tape of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Accattone; Against The Grain: Mosi Reeves takes on underground hiphop’s gender imbalance. Plus 40 pages of reviews including Backxwash: Done and dusted. By Claire Biddles; Labyrinthe Des Esprits: Therapeutic settings. By Spenser Tomson; The Texas Chain Saw Massacre OST: Pleasures of the flesh. By Philip Brophy; BEAM SPLITTER x Xiu Xiu: Pan-Asian improv. By Daniel Glassman; and much, much more.

Ajay Saggar is BHAJAN BHOY. "With BHAJAN BHOY, Saggar synthesizes all of the stylistic approaches he’s explored over the years, swirling them into an intoxicating musical blend, with an earthy spirituality. Even the project’s name reflects the dual aspects of Saggar’s upbringing coming together in harmony. In Hindi, a “bhajan” is a devotional song, sung in the mandir, or temple, while “bhoy” is a Scottish and Irish derivation for a young man. There’s a searching quality to Bhajan Bhoy, as if Saggar is still hunting for transcendence with each track, whether through an expansive drone, an orchestral facility on the piano, or an electronics-augmented raga that threatens to dip into noise” (Erick Bradshaw / writer and WFMU DJ). This album presents a rich and varied set of compositions that showcase Saggar’s skills as an incredibly talented and accomplished composer and musician. With each and every Bhajan Bhoy LP, you are are carried to a higher place.

With ‘Bhoy On The Wire’, the 35 minutes laid out unfolds like a cosmic tapestry, an extraordinary exploration that shimmers and reverberates with newfound vibrancy. The songs were broadcast as part of a session on Steve Barker’s “On The Wire” radio show in April 2024. They were a gift to Steve and his team for 40 years of broadcasting. “On The Wire” is simply the greatest radio show in the world.

As Ajay explains in his own words : “In September 1984, I started a degree course at the University of Lancaster. On a wet and soggy Sunday afternoon towards the end of September, I sat in my room staring out at the grey Lancashire landscape, and decided to alleviate the boredom by seeing if there was anything to listen to on the radio. Most of the stations I tuned into were as dull as the weather outside. However, as I neared the end of the FM dial (and was about to give up hope), I chanced upon a station where I was taken by the music being played. That show was “On The Wire”, introduced by Steve Barker. From there on in, every Sunday, between 2-5pm, I tuned into Radio Lancashire to listen. Steve’s shows had an incredible and wide reaching selection of music and genres, that thrilled your ears and left you wanting more. Tied to that, his deep knowledge of the material he played helped the listener dig into the sounds even more, and also left you in admiration of this trait. In 1985, I started putting on DIY shows in Lancaster (inviting the likes of Bog-Shed, bIG fLAME, The Membranes, The Wedding Present, etc etc) and Steve was kind enough to mention the shows on-air, which helped in getting people from different parts of the county to come to the shows. At the tail-end of 1985, he invited me to the studio to come and hang out. When in 1988, the group I was in, Dandelion Adventure, released our first (demo) cassette, it was Steve, who not only played tracks off it, but invited the group to the studio for an interview. Now if you’re a young band, that is a massive thrill! And in 1990, when Dandelion Adventure did a John Peel session, I actually used “On The Wire” jingles (that Steve had put on a cassette and given to me a few years before) on the track “All the World’s A Lounge”. Since then, the show has been a mainstay for me, and so many others around the world, to get turned onto incredible sounds from around the world. And over the course of 40 years, Steve has always supported my music.

These six tracks are a 40th birthday gift to the “On The Wire” team (Steve, Michael “Fenny” Fenton (an absolutely critical part of the show), and Jim Ingham (engineer who keeps the technical side of things going)) for sharing so much amazing music, and making the world a better place. They were originally broadcast as an exclusive session in April 2024 on “On The Wire", and are here for your listening pleasure. Music like shower”. Artwork by Jake Blanchard

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1) The Milkman (Blackburn)
2) Campus Blues (Lancaster)
3) Castle Bandstand (Clitheroe)
SIDE B
1) What Lurks Behind Those Illuminations? (Blackpool)
2) Pass The Sushi Pon The Lef? Hand Side (Burnley)
3) Caribbean Club (Preston)

2024 Rewind: the Year in Underground Music

Releases of the Year: We asked our contributors to vote for their top ten records, CDs, streams and more, then added up the votes

Critics’ Reflections: our writers discuss their memorable cultural experiences of the year

Columnists’ Charts: our specialist critics delve deep into their musical niches from noise to modern composition

Archive Releases of the Year: we asked our contributors to vote for their top ten archive records, CDs, streams and more, then added up the votes

Let The Rhythm Hit Em: dream attack. By Drew Daniel

Coming Around Again: feedback with a vengeance. By Daryl Worthington

All Ears: taken aurally. By Louise Gray

Soldering On: analogue logic. By Deborah Nash

Perfect Sound Forever: compact discussions. By John Brien

YATTA: the New York based artist fuses noise, pop and improv with a spiritual sensibility. By Stephanie Phillips

Music Ex Machina: the epic history of algorithmic music is surveyed at a new exhibition in Lausanne. By Robert Barry

Bridget Hayden: the Vibracathedral Orchestra member swaps free rock for folk on a stark new album. By Lucy Thraves

Invisible Jukebox: Pat Thomas: will the pianist and improvisor have a grand time with The Wire’s mystery record selection? Tested by Seymour Wright

Global Ear: Zurich: The peripatetic noise scene resists gentrification in Switzerland’s biggest city. By Elia Brülhart

Unlimited Editions: Tape label Strategic Tape Reserve prepares to fail. By Antonio Poscic

The Inner Sleeve: Pamela Z on Robert Rauschenberg’s Talking Heads cover

Sakina Abdou: Ground and improvisation. By Stewart Smith

Oranssi Pazuzu: Mutant metal. By Derek Walmsley

Black Rain: Neo-Neuromancer. By Phil Freeman

Michael J Schumacher: Living space sounds. By Kurt Gottschalk

Epiphanies: Rafael Toral learns that music is the boss

In the review sections:

Soundcheck: Michaela Antalová, Adrian Myhr, Arashi & Takeo Moriyama, Tyler Bates, BEAM SPLITTER + Phil Minton, Conal Blake/Regan Bowering/Li Song, Nicolás Carcavilla, Alvin Curran, Greg Davis, Degradation x Iceman Junglist Kru, Diemajin, Beatrice Dillon, Tashi Dorji, eat-girls, Fievel Is Glauque, Niklas Fite & Günter Christmann, Full Of Hell & Andrew Nolan, Pascal Gaigne, Emahoy Tsegue-Maryam Gebru/Maya Dunietz, Fuubutsushi, The Haunting, Daniela Huerta, Hungry Ghosts, Jana Irmert, Kyosaku, Kendrick Lamar, Matilde Meireles, Abdullah Miniawy, Iker Munduate, NET GALA, Other Light Ensemble, Perila, Bogdan Raczynski, Raffertie, George Rayner-Law, Stonecirclesampler, The Residents, Mariam Rezaei, Crystabel Efemena Riley, Colin Self, Rojin Sharafi, Patrick Shiroishi, Patrick Shiroishi/Àlex Reviriego/Vasco Trilla, Sulla Lingua, Titi & Ale Hop, TRAINING + Ruth Goller, Toshiya Tsunoda & Taku Unami, Tungu, Usage/Efficiency/Variance/Platform/Domain, Various Tempat Angker: Horror Movie OSTs & Sound FX From Indonesia (1971–2015)

The Columns: Avant Rock by Tony Rettman; Dub & Reggae by Steve Barker; Electronics by Spenser Tomson; Hiphop & R&B by Richard Stacey; Jazz & Improv by Daniel Spicer; Modern Composition by Julian Cowley; Noise, Industrial & Beyond by Raymond Cummings; Size Matters by Byron Coley

The Boomerang: The Apostles; Don Cherry & Okay Temiz; Clannad; Patrick Cowley; Miles Davis; Bryan Ferry; Jimi Hendrix; Catherine Christer Hennix; The High Llamas; Andrew Hill Sextet Plus 10; Hypnosonics; The Jazzmen; Phil Manzanera; The Orb; Primitive Art Group; Rudimentary Peni; Throbbing Gristle; McCoy Tyner & Joe Henderson; Various Electro Throwdown: Sci-Fi Inter-Planetary Electro Attack On Planet Earth 1982–89

Print Run: Solid Foundation: An Oral History Of Reggae by David Katz; Ultra-red: A Journal Of Militant Sound Inquiry, Vol 1 edited by Dont Rhine, David Albright & Christina Sanchez Juarez; Ghost Of An Idea: Hauntology, Folk Horror And The Spectre Of Nostalgia by Williams Burns; Cardiacs: A Big Book And A Band And The Whole World Window by Aaron Tanner; Bodies Of Sound: Becoming A Feminist Ear edited by Irene Revell & Sarah Shin; Sideways Through Time: An Oral History Of Hawkwind In The 1970s: Revised & Expanded by Joe Banks; Straight Up, Without Wings, The Musical Flight Of Joe McPhee by Joe McPhee

On Location: Meredith Monk, New York, US; Mary Lattimore + Walt McClements, London, UK; Sonica 2024, Glasgow, UK; Donaueschinger Musiktage, Donaueschingen, Germany; Wooley/Vandermark/Lytton, London, UK; Out.Fest, Barreiro, Portugal; Skaņu Mežs, Riga, Latvia; Artifacts Trio, London, UK; Semibreve, Braga, Portugal; The Lappetites + Ipek Odabaşi & Ignaz Schick, Berlin, Germany; Wadada Leo Smith/Raven Chacon, New York, US; Beatrice Dillon, London, UK; Ghosted, London, UK.

On Site: Terry Adkins, Disclosure, London, UK; Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, South Korea; Scott Myles, Head In A Bell, Glasgow, UK.

On Screen: Jeremy Marre Konkombe – The Nigerian Pop Music Scene.

On the cover: Marshall Allen: The Arkestra’s legendary guiding light celebrates his century with his very first solo album. By John Morrison. Plus: Once Upon A Time In Vilnius: The journey of avant rock trailblazers IVTKYGYG embodies the tensions and creative fire of a reborn Lithuania. By Ilia Rogatchevski; Water Damage: Don’t mess with Austin, Texas’s shapeshifting drone rock network. By Miloš Hroch; Frank Chickens: Kazuko Hohki’s ninja warriors celebrate four decades of iconoclastic performance. By Claire Biddles; Invisible Jukebox: Pharmakon: Will The Wire’s mystery record collection prove a Bestial Burden for Margaret Chardiet? Tested by James Gormley.

Also inside this issue: Global Ear in Riga; Unlimited Editions Reading Group; The Inner Sleeve by Eleni Poulou; Seo; Callahan & Witscher; Kamilya Jubran; Epiphanies by David Borden; The Wire Tapper 66; pages of reviews and much more.

On the cover: Tomeka Reid: The cellist, composer, improvisor and band leader goes from strength to strength across several creative projects. By Stewart Smith. Plus: KMRU: The Kenyan sound artist finds a new mode of listening on his collaboration with Kevin Martin. By Ilia Rogatchevski; Bodies In Motion: Dance and music collide in the creative worlds of Malik Nashad Sharpe, NWAKKE and Bianca Scout. By Emily Bick and Misha Farrant; Gordan: Folk songs of the Balkans plug into noise and industrial currents in this cross-continental trio. By Abi Bliss; Tongue In The Mind: DJ and conceptualist Juliana Huxtable joins forces with Jealous Orgasm and Via App to rock the club. By Claire Biddles; Invisible Jukebox: Karl Bartos: Will the ex-Kraftwerk man have have more fun computing The Wire’s mystery record collection? Tested by Leah Kardos. Also inside this issue: Global Ear Belgrade; Unlimited Editions Notice Recordings; Unofficial Channels A Moon Age Daydream; The Inner Sleeve by Alison Cotton; Nick Dunston; Nika Son; Henry Birdsey; Sisso & Maiko; Epiphanies by Jim Staley; pages of reviews and much more.

Celebrating 10 years since his first album, Tom Williams releases his most eclectic project to date. 'Follow The Leader' represents a departure from his previous output, and is comprised of a collection of songs which comment on pre- and post-lockdown life, providing beautifully crafted snapshots of modern Britain.

Having released six studio albums to date, Tom Williams has built a passionate fanbase of discerning music lovers since his first album, Tom Williams & The Boats Too Slow ten years ago. His 2017 album All Change was voted by BBC 6 Music Recommends as one of their Top Ten Albums Of The Year, and his last album 2019s What Did You Want To Be? which was produced by Tim Rice-Oxley, was described by The Guardian as surging, vintage pop-rock and championed extensively by Jo Whiley at BBC Radio 2, Steve Lamacq and Lauren Laverne at BBC 6 Music, Huw Stephens at Radio 1, Q Magazine and Clash.

Follow The Leader signifies a departure from Williams previous output. Self-produced, the album boasts rich orchestral sounds and full band performances, mixed with claustrophobic drum machines, synthesizers and deep sub bass sounds.

Great live recording from a radio broadcast of The Fall live on Sunday 16th of June 1985 Clitheroe Castle, Lancashire. It was a free open-air concert. The set from 2 x 4 through Lay of the Land was broadcast on Steve Barker's "On the Wire," BBC Radio Lancashire. Organized by the station and Ribble Valley Borough Council. Bonus tracks on this CD version are from Sheffield 1981.

TRACK LISTING

Clitheroe 1985 -

2 X 4
Couldn’t Get Ahead
Petty Thief Lout, No Bulbs
Gut Of The Quantifier,
Spoilt Victorian Child
Barmy
Stephen Song
Lay Of The Land
Oh Brother 

Sheffield 1981 -

Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul
Leave The Capitol
C'n'C's Mithering / Hassle
Schmuck
Slags Slates Etc. 

After five years as a band, encompassing five EPs and two albums, Kent-based six-piece Tom Williams & the Boat might appear fully-formed but, with the release of their second album, ‘Teenage Blood’, they’re only just beginning to reveal their true colours.

‘Teenage Blood’ is made up of ten tracks that Tom says reflect a new sense of focus for the band. After becoming obsessed with the idols of pop-rock’s history, such as Tom Petty, Teenage Fanclub, The Band and Loaded-era Velvet Underground, Tom decided to write songs that take the traditional song structures of that genre – repeated choruses, catchy hooks – and fill them with a subversive lyricism, touched upon in the debut release.

The result is a tight, narrative set of tracks that don’t so much form a concept as a series showing the progression of doomed love affairs – moving from youthful naïveté in ‘Too Young’ into ‘There’s A Stranger’s gut-punch realisation of the death of a romance (‘the best song I’ve ever written’, says Tom) and finally the ‘rolling credits’ of ‘Emily’, a depiction of the (re)birth of a new relationship. Teenage Blood’s consistent focus and narrative drive make for a more cohesive album than Too Slow; a mixture of the black and white polarity of their debut that explores new, captivating shades of grey - the spaces in between pop and alternative music, love and hate.

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

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

STAFF COMMENTS

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

TRACK LISTING

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

Having recorded albums for labels such as XL and Planet Mu, Capitol K returns with full length number six, this time on Faith and Industry. The first track unfolds gradually in classic Capitol K style with the beat-poet driven, nostalgic rave of "Diamond Skys", the energy rises with the deconstructed bossa-nova of "Go Go Go", again influenced by the early days of Beat poetry. Things slow down a little for Steve Lamacq ROTW single "Libertania". Next up, "Acid Favela" takes the gigantic baile funk "Rambo" anthem and mixes in some acid lines and shoe-gazing riffage like only Capitol K can. "Freak" is a progressive hyper-funk freak out over a cut up 2-step rhythm. "Impression", is part two of "Freak", reflecting on a love with a sense of stillness and calm, musically revisiting K's penchant for revealing serene melodies from dictaphone tape cut ups.

A brand new EP from Southern California's explosive Red Onions. A hyper-charged blast-out of Stooges-fueled punk rock, delivered with tight rhythms, powerful riffs, tons of adrenaline, and plenty of destruction in mind.