In 2016, Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis was offered the opportunity of a lifetime: a two-day session working with the great drummer Tony Allen, who he admired intensely for his influential, multi-genre work with the likes of Fela Kuti, Sébastien Tellier and Jeff Mills.

Heading into a smoke-filled, ‘70s throwback studio in Paris, Yannis had expected them to make a nostalgic Afrobeat record. Yet something very different emerged. As the pair quickly established an intuitive telepathy, the music germinated from jams and loops, its varied touchpoints - rock, funk, jazz, dub and more - were complemented by a unique atmosphere of two cultures and creatives colliding, their expression liberated by making music in and for the moment itself.

Joined by Tony’s regular collaborators Vincent Taeger (percussion, marimba), Vincent Taurelle (keys) and Ludovic Bruni (bass, guitar) that first meeting resulted in a handful of near complete songs, which were further developed during a couple of subsequent sessions. But between scheduling issues and Covid restrictions, the recordings were never completed before Tony passed away in April 2020 at the age of 79.

Yannis felt a deep duty to complete the project, not only as a bittersweet way to honour and celebrate his friend, but also because Tony had been so eager to share these songs with the world. The result is the upcoming five-track EP, ‘Lagos Paris London’, under the Yannis & The Yaw umbrella - a project that he plans to return to in the future for further collaborations with inspiring musicians from across the globe.

‘Lagos Paris London’ EP is high-spirited, loose-grooved exuberance completed by the complex rhythms and unhurried style of the man who inspired it. It’s a communion with the past that provides an escape in the present day.

TRACK LISTING

1. Walk Through Fire
2. Rain Can't Reach Us
3. Night Green, Heavy Love
4. Under The Strikes
5. Clementine

KOKOKO! The collective renowned for its daring sound, experimentations, rolling rhythms, stabbing melodies and powerful live shows comes back with a more electronic, upbeat sound, inspired by the nights of Kinshasa – DR Congo. BUTU means “the night” in Lingala. The album’s idea is a deep and intense dive into the night of Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo, a noisy 17 million strong, chaotic and amazing city.

All year long, the night comes really fast in Kinshasa because of its geographic location, the city being situated near the equator, in the heart of Africa. At 18h and in a short 15min burning red sunset, full darkness consumes the day out rapidly. The capital, with little electricity, melts instantly into the night, its habitants becoming multiple graphic silhouettes in the front light of the numerous vehicles stuck in traffic. There is density, the senses are exacerbated, this is the moment everything becomes louder! Street vendors having become invisible or distinctable now need to be heard with shouting and drumming, distorted megaphones loops triggered by SD memory cards, phone top ups adverts, car/trucks engines roaring close and far, moto taxi’s klaxons, power generators drone sounds, it is the prelude to the night’s show.

The sound system from the clubs will soundtrack the city for the next hours, sometimes clashing with the evangelical churches, there is competition. The air feels so hot on your skin, in your throat, the fumes are strong. The overwhelming environment goes up to your head and can become suffocating. Music is the escape, a portal to an alternative reality, where you can forget, lose yourself, dance, or be someone else like the performers from the boiling art scene, let go in one only way: loud loud loud.
Makara sings to help people forget about their problems, the country’s problems for a bit, expressing frustrations through music too: my country doesn't like me ‘elingi biso te”, my sweat hurts “motoki nanga pasi”, they are scared “Bazo Banga”, you will break your head “Kidoka” The world will shake “Mokili eko ningana” but still do it well “Salaka bien”.

Taking influences from the rich Congolese music, with a natural revolted tone, and with touches of Kuduro or Kwaito, in its own electronic post junk sound and sometimes distorted way, BUTU is made for letting go, for trance, for expressing frustration and anger sometimes, losing yourself. It is busy like the streets, it is the capital’s night soundtrack, loud, energetic, surprising, driving, eccentric, intense like Kinshasa.

TRACK LISTING

1. Butu Ezo Ya
2. Bazo Banga
3. Donne Moi
4. Motema Mabe
5. Mokili
6. Mokolo Likambu
7. Kidoka
8. Motoki
9. Telema
10. Nasali Nini
11. Elingi Biso Te
12. Salaka Bien

The Joy, a five-piece acapella group from South Africa is releasing their self-titled debut album which was recorded and captured on film in one take at Paul Epworth’s Church Studios in late 2023.

In Hammarsdale in South Africa, where the Zulu tradition of a cappella singing is central to the cultural identity of its people, you’ll have to transcend the sum of your constituent parts to truly command attention. But singing together as teenage boys for the first time, Pastor (Ntokozo Bright Magcaba), Duzie (Melokuhle Mkhungo), Guduza (Sphelele Hlophe), Sthombe (Phelelani Sithole) and Marcus (Sanele Ngcobo) have no reason to pause and consider that.

In Hammarsdale, Ladysmith Black Mambazo have been worshipped for decades – their Grammy-winning success an authentication of the fact that the magic of isicathamiya music isn’t restricted to the townships where it flourished. The Joy grew up on Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but their harmonies harks back to another vocal tradition. Mbube means ‘lion’, which gives some indication of the elemental power its practitioners summon when bursting into song. This seems to be the lineage into which lead vocalist Duzie seems to be tapping when he cuts loose from the intonations of his co-travellers, as if compelled to commune with the ancestral spirits whose music he invokes.

In the right hands, these songs can open the gates of heaven, so perhaps it’s not so surprising that, for The Joy, they open up the gates to places they’d never imagined they’d see with their own eyes. First prize in a municipality-wide singing contest earns them something in the region of $1,300, which they divided in five and sent straight to their families, where it’s most needed. Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson pronounce themselves fans, the latter calling them “my favourite group” and inviting them onto her US talk show. Sessions produced by longtime champion Two Inch Punch amass millions of streams either in spite or because of the fact that they correspond to nothing else competing for your attention in the modern musical firmament. And, displaying the brotherhood that they say bonded them together from that very first session, they insist that the music speaks to them all with one voice, telling them what to do before they themselves are even aware of it.

The Joy sing about the big stuff – the power of dreams, religious faith – but actually when they address the harrowing specifics of day to day life, sometimes these are the moments that assume even greater emotional magnitude.

TRACK LISTING

1. Uhlenge
2. Amaqatha Amancane
3. Mama Ka Nomthandazo
4. Bayang'khethela
5. Mama Uleli Kanjani
6. Ngiphuphe Ngilele
7. Mashaya Kancane
8. UBaba Uthwelekanzima
9. You Complete Me
10. Amandla Ka Moya
11. Jesu

Self-described as "cowboy soul, future folk", NYC/DC artist Odetta Hartman’s sound is both traditional and modern; that modernity often featuring through the spacey and fragmented production of her partner Jack Inslee.

'Swansongs' is a dynamic and powerful reflection of love andambition, hopeful, energetic and at times chaotic but always captivating.Following her debut mini-LP '222' and 'Old Rockhounds Never Die', which saw her touring herunique performance style, part Jack White rock and roll folk blues, part electronicexperimentations, with the likes of Let's Eat Grandma, Cosmo Sheldrake and Skullcrusher, shereturns with her strongest set of songs to date - another fever dream of a record including theexperimental pop of 'Goldilocks', the dramatic string lead 'Dr. No.'

TRACK LISTING

1. Rise Above
2. Goldilocks
3. Good Socks (Happy)
4. Winter Constellations
5. Wacky
6. Mudlark
7. Mother / Child
8. Chaos / Magic
9. Dr. No
10. Shea
11. Pictured Rocks
12. Ode 222 You

arone x s t a r g a z e was recorded at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, Netherlands by Sam Jones & Ira Helfferich, and the vocals were recorded at Polyphonic Workshop in Hudson, NY, by Aron Sanchez, a longtime collaborator and bandmate in Buke and Gase.

The album is a smattering of work that Alec Bemis started writing as far back as 2016; little pieces here and there, and with the pandemic came the space and encouragement to compile this work, along with pieces from his other projects, Buke and Gase, and Mistresses.

“For me, the fact that the instrumentation is comprised of unamplified analogue one-to-one-human-powered instruments traditionally reserved for classical music, plus the occasional electronic balustrade, is theme enough for me. Lyrically, my context is all over the place as I compiled work from 2016-2021, and have had many personal ups and downs through that time.

The cover artwork, a piece by Lily Morris, felt appropriate as the songs alternately make me feel strong, sturdy, and capable, while also piled-upon with intended meaning and purpose. I’m not entirely sure I was successful at conveying what I wanted to, yet each song brings me to a very specific mind-set, or an incredibly personal moment. Since the music was completed without audience participation, in other words, since I’ve rarely performed these tunes in public, it has been impossible to separate these juxtaposed sentiments. I hope to find the overarching motif through the process of performing and adapting to it in the coming year.” Alec said about the album’s themes.

TRACK LISTING

1. Yessiri
2. Don't Say
3. Spider Practical
4. Reductions
5. Define
6. Sugar Friend
7. Carwash
8. Voicecream Abbrv.
9. It's Over

Wildly acclaimed, Grammy-winning artist Flume is releasing his surprise album; a surprise package of unheard music from the last decade ‘Arrived Anxious, Left Bored’ on vinyl on November 17th via Transgressive Records.

Arrived Anxious, Left Bored, released via Transgressive Records, is work reflective of the eclectic nature of Flume’s output over the past ten years since his 2012 self-titled debut album, which launched the iconic producer's career. Spanning from underground house to atmospheric ambient tracks, Arrived Anxious, Left Bored features collaborations with celebrated producer Emile Haynie (Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, A$AP Rocky) and Jim-E Stack (Bon Iver, HAIM, Sudan Archives), as well as his first foray into using his own vocals with “All There 1.9 [2019 Export Wav].”

Ten years on, Flume is now a global headliner with a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album and a total of four Grammy Award nominations to his name. After sharing his 2016 sophomore LP Skin, Flume went on to sell over 300,000 tickets globally across a sold-out, 59-date world tour that year, with headlining sets at Reading & Leads Festivals and the famed Alexandra Palace. In 2019, Flume’s acclaimed Hi This Is Flume mixtape earned him a second Best Dance/Electronic Album Grammy nomination and he played lineup-topping sets at festivals worldwide including Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Outside Lands, Japan’s Summersonic, Italy’s C2C and more

TRACK LISTING

1 SKY SKY 1.3 [2016 Export Wav]
2 Chalk 1.3.3 [2017 Export Wav] Feat. Jim-E Stack
3 All There 1.9 [2019 Export Wav]
4 Road To Japan [2017 Export Wav]
5 Jerry 1.6 [2017 Export Wav]
6 N1cevib3 1.3 [2015 Export Wav]
7 Arrived Anxious, Left Bored 1.4 [2020 Export Wav]
8 Habibi [2019 Export Wav] Feat. Emile Haynie
9 Miss U [2020 Export Wav]
10 No Other 1.2.2 [2021 Export Wav]

Wildly acclaimed, Grammy-winning artist Flume is releasing his surprise album; a surprise package of unheard music from the last decade ‘Things Don’t Always Go the Way You Plan’

Flume unveils ‘Things Don’t Always Go The Way You Plan’, a project of previously unheard music from the past decade. Featuring tracks with Injury Reserve, Panda Bear and Isabella Manfredi, the music traverses hip hop, pop and ambient beats, as well as production synonymous with his rise in the early 2010's. Artwork by Jonathan Zawada.

The collection is an immersive dive into the various eras of Flume with a combination of experimental and vocal material. There’s uplifting cinematic moments, “Close 1.2 [2016 Export Wav],” wonky mixtape era beats, “Nice 2 Know U 1.5.3 [2020 Export Wav],” a return to hip hop, “Counting Sheep (V2) [2018 Export Wav],” and classic song driven material, “Rhinestone 1.7.2 [2018 Export Wav].” It’s all very Flume and consistent with the eclecticism that has earned him his unique lane in electronic music and popular culture.

Ten years on, Flume is now a global headliner with a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album and a total of four Grammy Award nominations to his name. After sharing his 2016 sophomore LP Skin, Flume went on to sell over 300,000 tickets globally across a sold-out, 59-date world tour that year, with headlining sets at Reading & Leads Festivals and the famed Alexandra Palace. In 2019, Flume’s acclaimed Hi This Is Flume mixtape earned him a second Best Dance/Electronic Album Grammy nomination and he played lineup-topping sets at festivals worldwide including Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Outside Lands, Japan’s Summersonic, Italy’s C2C and more

TRACK LISTING

1 Counting Sheep (V2) [2018 Export Wav] (feat. Injury Reserve)
2 Nice 2 Know U 1.5.3 [2020 Export Wav]
3 Why 1.3 [2012 Export Wav]
4 Rhinestone 1.7.2 [2018 Export Wav] (feat. Isabella Manfredi)
5 Dream 1.2.2 [2016 Export Wav]
6 Beat 58.1.1 [2020 Export Wav]
7 Close 1.2 [2016 Export Wav]
8 One Step Closer 1.4 [2021 Export Wav] (feat. Panda Bear)
9 SPOKE 2 ALIENS FINALLY 1.3 [2020 Export Wav]
10 Things Don't Always Go The Way You Plan 1.2 [2020 Export Wav]

Growing at the Edges is sonically expansive, artfully blending genres from country to classical with the help of multifaceted co-producer Gabriel Birnbaum (Wilder Maker) and critically acclaimed string arranger Concetta Abbate. The band, alongside Lee and Birnbaum, was made up of Wilder Maker members Sean Mullins (Andy Shauf) and Nick Jost (Baroness) and features help from Jonnie Baker of Florist and Eva Goodman of Nighttime among others.

“I approached Growing at the Edges as an act of world-building. It was a place we visited often over the past 5 years collaging and sonically redecorating until it reflected the joy and the pain of being human in a universe that will always be changing. I wanted to make music that could simultaneously mourn versions of the past but still find hope in the seedlings which could, perhaps, bloom into better futures”

The album cover is a purposefully "unfinished" weaving by fiber artist Natalie Phillips.

“I had this theme for Growing at the Edges where I was thinking about the first little life forms that pop up after something natural like winter or less natural like a disaster and kind of channeling their spirit for the art and music. That got me imagining one of Natalie's beautiful weavings but in-process with stray yarn and loom still visible. Incomplete yet still beautiful. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.”

Mutual Benefit’s live shows are known for their rotating cast of wide-ranging musicians leading to inspired interpretations of the extensive catalogue on notable stages like MoMA’s sculpture garden or UK’s Green Man Festival as well as the occasional surprise park or basement show at home in Brooklyn. Throughout the years Mutual Benefit has been in Album of the Year lists among Pitchfork and Stereogum as well as Folk Musician of the Year by Village Voice in NYC.

TRACK LISTING

1. Growing At The Edges
2. Remembering A Dream
3. Beginner's Heart
4. Prefiguring
5. Untying A Knot
6. Season Of Flame
7. Wasteland Companions
8. Winter Sun, Cloudless Sky
9. Little Ways
10. Signal To Bloom

It’s been almost eight years since Alan Palomo, the auteur musician/producer behind the long-running avant-pop project Neon Indian, released a full body of music. For years before then, he’d garnered a strong and loyal fanbase and his music, while entrenched in the scenes at the time, sat apart from them, creating a movement of its own. VEGA Intl, ignited further interest in him and broadened the audience's scope, gaining more critical acclaim than previously, well received albums.

World of Hassle is a vivid piece of world-building that takes listeners into a slightly surreal pocket dimension saturated with anxiety and nostalgia, where jazz-funk and wide-shouldered Claude Montana suits never went out of style, and the Cold War chill that suffused Leonard Cohen’s I’m Your Man never lifted. World of Hassle is a Pynchonesque place, packed with characters and situations rendered in dreamily absurdist strokes—guerilla freedom fighters camped out in a Rainforest Cafe in “The Wailing Mall,” a crumbling ex-pop star in “The Return of Mickey Milan,” the Leisure Suit Larry-does-Ibiza fantasy of “Nudista Mundial ’89” (featuring Mac DeMarco), whose indelible hooks and accompanying absurdist animated video by Johnny Woods immediately propelled the song to critical accolades and broad social sharing upon its release last month.

From the intricate fictional details packed into the cover art (co-created by Palomo and designer Robert Beatty), to the lyrical collage of pop culture and political references, to the music’s early-digital sheen, the album evokes the 80s golden age of rock stars like Bryan Ferry and Sting leaving their own breakthrough projects to strike out as jazzy solo musicians. It’s parody, sure—of rock star ego trips, the mall-ification of America, and our own self-obsession, even on the brink of apocalypse—but it’s also dead serious, the sound of history repeating itself as the Doomsday Clock clicks past its Reagan-era maximum and nuclear anxiety comes back into style along with digital synthesizers and sax solos. The deeper it pulls you into its own uncanny reality, the clearer it becomes how thin the borders are between Alan Palomo’s World of Hassle and our own.

TRACK LISTING

1. The Wailing Mall
2. Meutrière (feat. Flore Benguigui)
3. La Madrileña
4. Nudista Mundial ’89 (feat. Mac DeMarco)
5. The Return Of Mickey Milan
6. Stay-At-Home DJ
7. Club People
8. Alibi For Petra
9. Nobody’s Woman
10. Is There Nightlife After Death?
11. Big Night Of Heartache
12. The Island Years
13. Trouble In Mind

First released in 2004 under the pseudonym ‘Phynix’, Primal Prayer’s 8 tracks are a wildly creative fusion of jazz, world, dance and classical influences. Sonically the album is almost without comparison, a life-affirming acknowledgement of the many paths we humans walk to enable us to open our hearts and lives to each other.

The black double vinyl includes a personal note from Romy (The xx) on the back sleeve, and it features ‘La Vita’, as sampled by Romy in her single ‘Enjoy Your Life’ earlier this year.

Primal Prayer is part of a series of reissues and special releases of Glenn-Copeland’s catalogue, including most recently Beverly Copeland and Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Previous releases include a reissue of his career-defining record Keyboard Fantasies, and a reworked version of the album including reimaginations from the likes of Bon Iver, Arca and Blood Orange, plus an anthology and live album. Both originally released in the 70’s these two out of print works have become widely sought after by collectors. Revered as modern jazz-folk masterpieces, they have been remastered and re-cut for release by Guy Davie.

Glenn-Copeland began his musical career in the 1960s, when he studied classical singing at Montreal's McGill University and performed at Expo 67. A pair of self-titled, multi-genre albums released in the early '70s showcased his powerful voice and songwriting talent. In 1986, while living in rural Ontario, Glenn-Copeland taught himself to use digital synthesis and recorded the album that would ultimately alter the entire course of his career. At the time, he self-released Keyboard Fantasies via a 200-copy cassette run, selling just a handful while the rest waited in storage. In 2015, a Japanese record collector emailed Glenn-Copeland about selling the remainder; a new generation had unearthed his art. The music spread globally, and a few years later, in his 70s, Glenn-Copeland embarked on his first European tour to share his songs with live audiences, a journey captured in Posy Dixon's 2019 documentary Keyboard Fantasies.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: A singular, unparalleled, post-millennium classic; a cauldron of influences guided by operatic vocal and lush, cinematic soundscapes. There's both a spiritual and funky element constantly battling for attention. Immersive and elegant it's a masterpiece of world fusion.

TRACK LISTING

1. La Vita
2. Back To Bachland
3. Heaven In Your Heart
4. On The Road
5. This Side Of Grace
6. Primal Prayer
7. Between The Veils
8. A Song And Many Moons
9. In The Image
10. A Little Talk

‘The Ones Ahead’ is Beverly-Glenn Copeland's first new album in 20 years. For decades, the Pennsylvania-born, Canada-based singer, songwriter, and composer has illuminated questions of human interconnectedness with his sincere, searching voice and nimble melodicism. His new album, The Ones Ahead - his first collection of new music in nearly two decades - deepens his explorations into the ways all of us must carry each other forward into the next world. The songs on The Ones Ahead draw inspiration from a wealth of traditions, from American jazz to Irish fiddle songs to West African percussion. The spirited, polyrhythmic "Africa Calling" opens The Ones Ahead, a song without lyrics that honours Glenn-Copeland's West African heritage.

The Ones Ahead dexterously weaves together poignant themes: the need for love and mutual care in the face of destruction and uncertainty, the power people have when they reach out for each other, the ways that the wisdom of past generations can guide us along the path forward. The Ones Ahead cultivates a vibrant hope for this world and what it must become to survive. A new chapter in an expansive and unique body of work, Glenn-Copeland's latest album offers flowering wisdom for the world to come, needed now more urgently than ever.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Beverly Glenn-Copeland's new LP is a beacon of hope and positivity, with deep grooves and his warming vocals mixing together seamlessly, resulting in a gloriously melodic mix of gospel, soul and traditional west african music. It's a heady and exciting listen, and one that surprises as much as it soothes.

TRACK LISTING

Africa Calling
Harbour (Song For Elizabeth)
Love Takes All
People Of The Loon
Stand Anthem
The Ones Ahead
Prince Caspian's Dream
Lakeland Angel
No Other

Long out of print debut recording from Beverly Glenn Copeland. A modern jazz-folk masterpiece originally recorded for CBC and released as a private promo only pressing, remastered and re-cut for this release by Guy Davie, featuring "Don't Despair" and "Durocher".

TRACK LISTING

Don't Despair
Untitled (Make The Answer “Yes”)
Song From Beads
Nothing Beautiful
Good Morning Blues
Durocher
Northwind
Swords Of Gold
Interval
Reflections
Don't Despair (Jazz Version)

Long out of print Second 70's recording from Beverly Glenn Copeland and widely sought after by collectors classic album - remastered and re-cut for this release by Guy Davie, featuring "Color of Anyhow" and "Erzili".

TRACK LISTING

Colour Of Anyhow
Ghost House
Complainin' Blues
Swords Of Gold
Song From Beads
Cumberland Passing
My Old Rag Or The Hysterical Virgin
Erzili

Let’s Eat Grandma, the duo composed of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists and vocalists Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth, have composed an entirely original soundtrack for a new Netflix thriller series, ‘The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself’. The 25 track score is released in full via Transgressive.

Rosa and Jenny said the following of their experience of composing their first ever score for a series: “Working on the OST for ‘The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself’ has certainly been a very informative process and a wonderful new experience which has shaped and broadened the way we write and think about music. We’re always looking for ways to move forward musically, and we think being part of a bigger project with lots of other people all working creatively in different ways has been so valuable and inspiring.”

Colm McCarthy (‘Black Mirror: Black Museum’, ‘The Girl with all the Gifts’), an executive producer and the director of the first four episodes, added: “Let’s Eat Grandma were the first track on the mood playlist that I put together for the show. Joe Barton was a big fan too and we reached out to them while still in the early stages of casting. Even though they had never done a score before it just felt like they would do something original and authentic. Something about the score coming from such young voices feels really cool in this story about the transition from childhood to adulthood. Rosa and Jenny collaborated brilliantly, giving us an amazing score. Emotional, scary, heart-pounding, epic and personal, it is strange and evocative and a huge part of the unique identity of our show. They sculpted with organic, acoustic elements and grungy electronica to make something really magical. It has the DNA of the band running through it but also feels so intrinsic to our world.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I'm a big fan of Let's Eat Grandma, and while this soundtrack has all of the beautiful pop charm of their most recent LP (still a near-constant play on my home stereo), it's interesting to hear their meticulously crafted sound pulled apart into more expansive, cinematic numbers.

TRACK LISTING

1. Half Bad
2. Mouse Feet
3. Money Spiders
4. Don't Pull The Knife Out It Will
5. Only Bleed Quicker
6. Blood Nails
7. Half Bad 2
8. Nathan's Training Theme
9. Trapped In The Washing
10. Machine
11. Annalise & Nathan
12. Romance
13. Half Bad 3
14. Rhythmic Creatures
15. Rhythmic Creatures 2
16. Wanted You To Share It
17. Funeral
18. Kicking Up Dust
19. Jessica's Gift Giving
20. Mercury's Theme
21. Mouse Feet In Paris
22. Nathan & Marcus
23. Kiss & Push
24. Speech Is Silver, Silence Is
25. Golden
26. Magical Recreations Of
27. Murders In The Kitchen
28. Skin Shimmers
29. End Credits

My Soft Machine is a deeply personal body of work; a narration of Parks’ experiences as she navigates her 20’s and the growth intertwined. Explained ever-articulately in her own words below...

“The world/our view of it is peppered by the biggest things we experience - our traumas, upbringing, vulnerabilities almost like visual snow. This record is life through my lens, through my body - the mid 20s anxiety, the substance abuse of friends around me, the viscera of being in love for the first time, navigating PTSD and grief and self sabotage and joy, moving through worlds with wonder and sensitivity - what it’s like to be trapped in this particular body. There is a quote from a Joanna Hogg film called the Souvenir, it’s an A24 semi-autobiographical film with Tilda Swinton - it recounts a young film student falling in love with an older, charismatic man as a young film student then being drawn into his addiction - in an early scene he’s explaining why people watch films - “we don’t want to see life as it is played out we want to see life as it is experienced in this soft machine.” So there we have it, the record is called....My Soft Machine.” - Arlo Parks

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: The superb Arlo Parks returns following her 2021 Mercury prize win, with a hugely personal and beautifully evocative selection of downbeat synth gems and woozy, wistful R&B. Parks has proved once again that both her songwriting and production talents are endless.

TRACK LISTING

Bruiseless
Impurities
Devotion
Blades
Purple Phase
Weightless
Pegasus Ft. Phoebe Bridgers
Dog Rose
Puppy
I'm Sorry
Room (red Wings)
Ghost

Okumu released his first solo record Knopperz in 2021; an instrumental concept album based on pianist Duval Timothy’s 2017 album Sen AmIt was friend and mentor Lexxx who sparked the soul searching that kicked off his next record after he told Okumu that he was trying to explain who Okumu was but struggled to summarise his vast catalogue.

“There are all these ways into these aspects of who I am and I felt like he was saying, it would be so cool if you could find out how to say who you are in a comprehensive way”. Okumu took on that challenge and in response devised his sophomore release I Came From Love, a tapestry of Black experience that explores ancestry, the legacy of slavery, what it means to exist in an unjust society, and Okumu’s own family history.  

The album writing and demoing process began in January 2021 at Lexxx’s East Sussex studio The Barn, while early recordings were completed at Okumu’s studio with Tom Skinner on drums, and Nick Ramm on keys, and Aviram Barath on synths. On I Came From Love, Okumu calls on a star-studded array of guests, including Eska, Kwabs, Wesley Joseph, Robert Stillman, Anthony Joseph, Byron Wallen, Raven Bush, and Grace Jones.

Rather than release solely under his name, Okumu has chosen the moniker ‘Dave Okumu & the 7 Generations’, which Okumu sees as “my actual ancestors, the ancestors of others, my musical ancestors, and my descendants”. Sonically the album hits a kaleidoscopic frenzy of notes, rocketing through bass heavy rhythms, neo soul-tinged cries and frenetic spoken word passages.

The album is a body of work presented in chapters; “You Survived So I Might Live” [tracks 1-4], “The Intolerable Suffering Of (The) Other” [5-8], “Seduced By Babylon” (9-11), and “Cave Of Origins” (12-14).

TRACK LISTING

Two Things
7 Generations
Blood Ah Go Run Streets
My Negritude
The Cost
Prison
Black Firework
Scenes
Amnesia
Get Out
The Struggle
Eyes On Me
Abaka
A Paradise

'episode' is the debut solo album from Ben Gregory. An album expansive in scope that explores the singer's own relationship with close family, personal identity and mental health. Produced by Ben with Blaine Harrisson of the Mystery Jets, the album juxtaposes expansive pieces such as 'Blue Sea Blue' which is by turns Nine Inch Nails, King Crimson and The 1975 and intimate moments such as 'Mother's Son' which applies modern production styles to the intimacy of Elliot Smith's raw confessionals, all centred by the unique vocals, devotion to melody and prodigious musicality of this most special of artists. Following the dissolvement of his prior group Blaenavon and his experiences of being sectioned, this is an album of real candour, bravery and also optimism from an artist refreshed and hopeful.

TRACK LISTING

Storm Of Conversation
Blue Sea Blue
((fall Away 'til Morn..))
Manifest*
Deathbed Hangover
Mother's Son
Smoke
God Bless You

The trailblazing South African musician Moonchild Sanelly - real name Sanelisiwe Twisha - signed to Transgressive Records in 2020, kicking off with diverse mini-LP Nüdes. Now, she returns to the international label with her genre-crossing second album Phases. Forming a sonic foundation that veers between Amapiano, Gqom, grime, pop, house and R&B while showcasing her vocal talents on more downtempo songs, Phases 19-tracks document the varying chapters of a toxic relationship and subsequent freedom. A double album, the first side is a journey through the relationship with production reflecting those different moods and aspects of her personality; the second side, meanwhile, leads into a clubbier amapiano space. Collaboration has always been core to Moonchild’s alternate world.

Since her 2015-released award-winning first album Rabulpha! put her on the global map, she has collaborated with local favourites Maphorisa, Sho Madjozi and Thandiswa Mazwai. In the years that followed, she caught the attention of a host of international superstars, leading to high-profile collaborations with artists including Wizkid, Beyonce (featuring on “My Power”) and Gorillaz (on “With Love To An Ex”). Phases is a highly collaborative record, too, with production and guest features from Sad Night Dynamite (their track “Demon” is already a huge hit), Wesley Joseph, Xavier Thomas (Débruit), TOKiMONSTA, Holly and Aramboa.

The album’s title takes on a multitude of meanings: via the range of genres covered across its runtime, the different sounds and styles that it encompasses and the personal journey that Sanelisiwe Twisha has taken to get to this point. But, for Moonchild Sanelly, it’s more literal than that: “I think that, with this album, I’ve managed to piece all the different parts of me together, because I’m known for different things in different parts of the world. I think you get to know me better with Phases - all the different sides of me.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Undumpable
2. Demon (Moonchild Sanelly And Sad Night Dynamite)
3. Cute (Ft. Trillary Banks)
4. April Fool’s Day
5. Strip Club (Ft. Ghetts)
6. Let It Rip
7. Over You
8. Money Tree
9. Favourite Regret
10. Too Late
11. ULi (Ft. Blxckie)
12. Covivi
13. Soyenza (Ft. Sir Trill)
14. Yebo Teacher (Extended Version)
15. Chicken
16. Jiva Juluka
17. Bad Bitch Budget
18. Jump
19. Bird So Bad

The Waeve - composed of Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall – release their eponymous debut album on Transgressive Records. Produced by The Waeve and James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Florence & The Machine, Foals, Haim) and recorded in London earlier this year, ‘The Waeve’ is a collection of 10 new tracks from songwriters Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall. Joining creative forces in The WAEVE gave the duo the opportunity to push past their instrumental comfort zones. Many tracks feature Graham on saxophone, one of the first instruments he played as a young musician back in the 80s. First single ‘Can I Call You’ starts as a ballad then morphs into a krautrock-style motorik number with a sprawling Coxon guitar solo. ‘All Along’ features Graham on cittern, a medieval folk lute. Rose plays piano and an ARP 2000 modular synth. The heavy weather all over ‘The Waeve’ recalls the blustery folk rock of Sandy Denny or John & Beverly Martyn, while tracks such as ‘Kill Me Again‘ and ‘Over and Over’ recall the 70s rock of Kevin Ayers or Van der Graaf Generator, almost industrial in places.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Featuring the both brilliant Rose Elinor Dougall and Graham Coxon, The Waeve was always going to be an interesting project. As it turns out, they manage to pull together influence from all over the psychedelic and rock spectrum, even folk in parts without it sounding fractured or jarring. A beautifully vibrant and enjoyably surprising listen.

TRACK LISTING

1. Can I Call You
2. Kill Me Again
3. Over And Over
4. Sleepwalking
5. Drowning
6. Someone Up There
7. All Along
8. Undine
9. Alone And Free
10. You’re All I Want To Know

Transgressive Records present ‘One’, a remotely recorded orchestral suite which combines classical and current production methods. The album was especially composed for the S t a r g a z e ensemble by Tyondai Braxton (Battles), Nik Colk Void (Factory Floor / Carter Tutti Void), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Arone Dyer (Buke+Gase) and Aart Strootman (S t a r g a z e).

S t a r g a z e was founded in Berlin and Amsterdam as a musical collective devoted to crossing the borders of classical and modern music. They are helmed by Merle Scheske, Emanuel Florakis, and conductor André de Ridder, who has worked with Damon Albarn, Max Richter, These New Puritans, Mouse On Mars and Efterklang.

Since its inception in 2012, S t a r g a z e have worked with Terry Riley, Steve Reich, John Cale, Bill Frisell, Nils Frahm, Poliça, Julia Holter, Villagers, Matthew Herbert, Soap&Skin, Iceage, The National, Bon Iver and Anna Calvi. They have performed works by Mica Levi, Boards Of Canada, Bryce Dessner, Fugazi, and Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth, and also performed for Boiler Room.

With S t a r g a z e’s members scattered across the globe, ‘One’ is the outcome of solutions to Covidrelated travel restrictions, which prevented the age-old tradition of an orchestra recording together in the same room. Designed so that the individual musicians could be recorded separately, across whichever home or local studio they could access, this cloud-based approach to production can be commonplace in other genres but is still new to the classical world.

TRACK LISTING

Metaphor
Voicecream
Vacancy
Recollection Pulse #3
Descend

“Stay Close To Music”, the new studio album from Mykki Blanco, is unlike anything they have released before. Adventurous and expansive, it shatters any previously held assumptions about Mykki’s artistry, leaving them free to define their sound for themselves.

Throughout their evolution, poet, artist, musician Mykki Blanco has continuously blurred genres - pulling rave, trap, grunge and punk influences into a swirling pool of experimental hip hop that celebrated queer and trans experiences.

Ultimately Mykki concluded they wanted to create their own sonic universe from scratch. To facilitate this, they collaborated with producer and multi-instrumentalist FaltyDL, who allowed them to envision new soundscapes built from lush, live instrumentation.

The songs spun together through numerous jam sessions, with writing taking place in Lisbon, Paris, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. By 2019, Mykki realized that they were working on two different records concurrently. The first became 2021’s lauded mini-album Broken Hearts & Beauty Sleep and now Mykki readies the second collection of the sessions via Stay Close To Music.

“I wanted to see what it would be like to go back and be a musician from another time where you had to start every ingredient raw from scratch. That process, ideology and that way of making has not only changed me as a musician, it has creatively changed me as a person.”

“Stay Close To Music” features contributions from from Michael Stripe, Saul Williams, ANOHNI, Dianna Gordon, Devendra Banhart, Jónsi and more.

Mykki Blanco is an artist revered for their fearless ability to evolve, placing their creative exploration at the forefront of their career. With “Stay Close To Music”, Mykki Blanco is leveling up. By stepping into unchartered territory untethered and free, they have fulfilled their ambitions and created a rich, complex and accomplished sound that belongs entirely to them and which only solidifies their status as one of the world’s most innovative musical pioneers.

TRACK LISTING

01 - Pink Diamond Bezel
02 - Steps (feat. Saul Williams And MNEK)
03 - French Lessons (feat. ANOHNI And Kelsey Lu)
04 - Ketamine (feat. Slug Christ)
05 - Your Love Was A Gift (feat. Diana Gordon)
06 - Family Ties (feat. Michael Stipe)
07 - Your Feminism Is Not My Feminism (feat. Ah-Mer-Ah-Su)
08 - Lucky
09 - Interlude
10 - Trust A Little Bit
11 - You Will Find It (feat. Devendra Banhart)
12 - Carry On (feat. Jónsi)
13 - French Lessons [Single Version] (feat. Kelsey Lu)

Alvvays never intended to take five years to finish their third album, the nervy joyride that is the compulsively lovable Blue Rev. In fact, the band began writing and cutting its first bits soon after releasing 2017’s Antisocialites, that stunning sophomore record that confirmed the Toronto quintet’s status atop a new generation of winning and whip-smart indie rock.

Global lockdowns notwithstanding, circumstances both ordinary and entirely unpredictable stunted those sessions. Alvvays toured more than expected, a surefire interruption for a band that doesn’t write on the road. A watchful thief then broke into singer Molly Rankin’s apartment and swiped a recorder full of demos, one day before a basement flood nearly ruined all the band’s gear. They subsequently lost a rhythm section and, due to border closures, couldn’t rehearse for months with their masterful new one, drummer Sheridan Riley and bassist Abbey Blackwell.

At least the five-year wait was worthwhile: Blue Rev doesn’t simply reassert what’s always been great about Alvvays but instead reimagines it. They have, in part and sum, never been better. There are 14 songs on Blue Rev, making it not only the longest Alvvays album but also the most harmonically rich and lyrically provocative.

There are newly aggressive moments here—the gleeful and snarling guitar solo at the heart of opener “Pharmacist,” or the explosive cacophony near the middle of “Many Mirrors.” And there are some purely beautiful spans, too—the church- organ fantasia of “Fourth Figure,” or the blue-skies bridge of “Belinda Says.” But the power and magic of Blue Rev stems from Alvvays’ ability to bridge ostensible binaries, to fuse elements that seem antithetical in single songs—cynicism and empathy, anger and play, clatter and melody, the soft and the steely. The luminous poser kiss-off of “Velveteen,” the lovelorn confusion of “Tile by Tile,” the panicked but somehow reassuring rush of “After the Earthquake”.

The songs of Blue Rev thrive on immediacy and intricacy, so good on first listen that the subsequent spins where you hear all the details are an inevitability.

This perfectly dovetailed sound stems from an unorthodox—and, for Alvvays, wholly surprising—recording process, unlike anything they’ve ever done. Alvvays are fans of fastidious demos, making maps of new tunes so complete they might as well have topographical contour lines.

But in October 2021, when they arrived at a Los Angeles studio with fellow Canadian Shawn Everett, he urged them to forget the careful planning they’d done and just play the stuff, straight to tape. On the second day, they ripped through Blue Rev front-to-back twice, pausing only 15 seconds between songs and only 30 minutes between full album takes. And then, as Everett has done on recent albums by The War on Drugs and Kacey Musgraves, he spent an obsessive amount of time alongside Alvvays filling in the cracks, roughing up the surfaces, and mixing the results. This hybridized approach allowed the band to harness each song’s absolute core, then grace it with texture and depth. Notice the way, for instance, that “Tom Verlaine” bursts into a jittery jangle; then marvel at the drums and drum machines ricocheting off one another, the harmonies that crisscross, and the stacks of guitar that rise between riff and hiss, subtle but essential layers that reveal themselves in time.

Every element of Alvvays leveled up in the long interim between albums: Riley is a classic dynamo of a drummer, with the power of a rock deity and the finesse of a jazz pedigree. Their roommate, in-demand bassist Blackwell, finds the center of a song and entrenches it. Keyboardist Kerri MacLellan joined Rankin and guitarist Alec O’Hanley to write more this time, reinforcing the band’s collective quest to break patterns heard on their first two albums.

The results are beyond question: Blue Rev has more twists and surprises than Alvvays’ cumulative past, and the band seems to revel in these taken chances. This record is fun and often funny, from the hilarious reply-guy bash of “Very Online Guy” to the parodic grind of “Pomeranian Spinster.”

Alvvays’ self-titled debut, released when much of the band was still in its early 20s, offered speculation about a distant future—marriage, professionalism, interplanetary citizenship. Antisocialites wrestled with the woes of the now, especially the anxieties of inching toward adulthood. Named for the sugary alcoholic beverage Rankin and MacLellan used to drink as teens on rural Cape Breton, Blue Rev looks both back at that country past and forward at an uncertain world, reckoning with what we lose whenever we make a choice about what we want to become.

The spinster with her Pomeranians or Belinda with her babies? The kid fleeing Bristol by train or the loyalist stunned to see old friends return? “How do I gauge whether this is stasis or change?” Rankin sings during the first verse of the plangent and infectious “Easy on Your Own?” In that moment, she pulls the ties tight between past, present, and future to ask hard questions about who we’re going to become, and how. Sure, it arrives a few years later than expected, but the answer for Alvvays is actually simple: They’ve changed gradually, growing on Blue Rev into one of their generation’s most complete and riveting rock bands.

STAFF COMMENTS

Liam says: Isn't it good to have Alvvays back ey? Fourteen tracks of dreamy shoegaze-infused jangle-pop goodness, Alvvays' 'Blue Rev' further cements the Canadian outfit as modern indie darlings and deservedly so!

TRACK LISTING

1 Pharmacist (2:04)
2 Easy On Your Own? (2:55)
3 After The Earthquake (3:05)
4 Tom Verlaine (3:26)
5 Pressed (2:10)
6 Many Mirrors (2:59)
7 Very Online Guy (2:22)
8 Velveteen (3:10)
9 Tile By Tile (2:58)
10 Pomeranian Spinster (3:25)
11 Belinda Says (2:45)
12 Bored In Bristol (3:00)
13 Lottery Noises (3:18)
14 Fourth Figure (1:20)

'Pre Pleasure' is the breath-taking third album from Australian singer-songwriter, Julia Jacklin. Co-produced with Marcus Paquin (The Weather Station, The National), 'Pre Pleasure' sees Jacklin as her most authentic self, delivering the most intimate, raw and devastating ten songs of her career to date. An uncompromising and masterful lyricist, always willing to mine the depths of her own life experience, and singular in translating it into deeply personal, timeless songs. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Lydia Wears A Cross
2. Love, Try Not To Let Go
3. Ignore Tenderness
4. I Was Neon
5. Too In Love To Die
6. Less Of A Stranger
7. Moviegoers
8. Magic
9. Be Careful With Yourself
10. End Of A Friendship

Wildly acclaimed, Grammy-winning artist Flume returns with a new album, Palaces, out 20th May on Transgressive Records.

Palaces began to take shape when Flume returned to his native Australia after struggling to write music in Los Angeles at the beginning of the pandemic. Settling in a coastal town in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Flume quickly found the inspiration he needed through reconnecting with the nature around him—the rolling hills, walking around barefoot, the green colour the sky turns before a big storm, growing and eating his own vegetables, the smell of rain. He and his neighbour and long-time collaborator, the visual artist Jonathan Zawada, became fascinated by the local wildlife, in particular the birds, collecting field recordings that ultimately worked their way in to the album. As Flume continued to forge a strong connection to his surroundings, the album he wanted to make started to form, eventually adopting a title to properly highlight the luxury and magic of the natural world. Palaces is his most confident, mature and uncompromising work to date, a true testament to nurturing the relationships that make us whole and bring us peace.

The album features a host of vocalists and collaborators, its cast list spanning new and household names from around the world—breakout U.S. star Caroline Polachek, British polymath-icon Damon Albarn, Spain’s Vergen Maria, France’s Oklouand fellow Australian Kučka, who returns following her standout turn on Skin.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Though there are moments of blissful synthy contemplation (closer 'Palaces' with Damon Albarn for example), most of the LP comes off like a more experimental version of Flume's 2016 outing, 'Skin'. It's richly textured, cleverly produced and swimming with moments of pure euphoric bliss.

TRACK LISTING

1. Highest Building (feat. Oklou)
2. Say Nothing (feat. MAY-A)
3. DHLC
4. ESCAPE (feat. Kučka) – With QUIET BISON
5. I Can’t Tell (LAUREL)
6. Get U
7. Jasper’s Song
8. Only Fans (feat. Virgen Maria)
9. Hollow (feat. Emma Louise)
10. Love Light
11. Sirens (feat. Caroline Polachek)
12. Go
13. Palaces (feat. Damon Albarn)

Deluxe CD Bonus Tracks
14. Miss U
15. Jasper’s Song (version 1)

Let’s Eat Grandma released their second album, I’m All Ears, in 2018. It came out to a blaze of critical glory, thrilled fans who’d been with them since I, Gemini, and won them interested new listeners as they widened their musical scope. They won Album of the Year at the Q Awards along with many end of year list placements, toured relentlessly, played a life-changing set at Coachella, and then… they disappeared.

​​Two Ribbons tells the story of the last three years from both Jenny and Rosa’s points of view. As a body of work, it is astonishing: a dazzling, heart-breaking, life-affirming and mortality-facing record that reveals their growing artistry and ability to parse intense feeling into lyrics so memorable you’d scribble them on your backpack. The band has been through a lot in the last three years, and Two Ribbons is the artefact that signals some kind of progression out of distressing times; a story of loss, change, and of survival; a proof of life.

Such was the intensity of Jenny and Rosa’s bond that when they promoted their first album, they positioned themselves as twins. Friends since early childhood, they had graduated into a teenage friendship that was unbreakable and practically telepathic. Those intense and all-consuming friendships are subject to the same ebbs and flows as any other, and as they grew older the two began to find themselves as individuals, tastes differing here, reactions jarring there. There was a time when both felt a little trapped, and needed to fight to create the space to express themselves as individuals within their relationship.

And so the partnership began to fray. Two Ribbons can be heard as a series of letters between the two of them, taking the place of conversations as they try to make sense of the rift in their relationships. It’s a cathartic blood-letting and a devastating realisation about the fickleness of life. Though it is still very much a Let’s Eat Grandma album, for the first time there are Rosa’s songs and Jenny’s songs.

Both Rosa and Jenny found themselves more involved in the production of this album, experimenting with new sounds and diverse instrumentations within the studio, collaborating with David Wrench, also the primary producer of I’m All Ears. On this record Rosa in particular threw herself into the behind the scenes work and driving her own sonic agenda, whilst Jenny sought to synthesise new influences to forge new spaces artistically for the group.

The backdrop to Two Ribbons is two women navigating their way through a lot, for the first time without the tiller of each other to guide them. The songs they wrote and eventually brought to each other are little pockets of light in the darkness, signals in the night to show each other how they were feeling and what they had lost.

Two Ribbons is an album that treads a fine line expressing the most intimate feelings of, whilst making space for, the different perspectives of two women; an album that says this is not the beginning or the end but part of a never-ending circle. It’s cyclical in nature; there is sadness, and pain, and joy, and hope – and knows that no matter what detours we take, we are all connected.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I've definitely got a bit of a thing for synths, this much I know. I've also historically loved all sorts of synth music but particularly 80's tinged pop, I loved the Kristen Kontrol LP some years ago, Christine & The Queens AND Georgia, and 'Two Ribbons' has echoes of all the above while retaining the weird avant-pop moments that made their first couple LP's such a different prospect. Big, bold melody-focused anthems.

TRACK LISTING

Happy New Year
Levitation
Watching You Go
Hall Of MirrorsInsect Loop
Half Light
Sunday
In The Cemetery
Strange Conversations
Two Ribbons

Weaving in and out of R&B, 80’s synth pop, jazz and indie, NYC-based collective Michelle is refreshingly predominated by queer and POC members, showcasing a transformative era in pop music. The album announcement and new track follow a string of celebrated singles as well as their 2018 debut album Heatwave, which came together in just two-weeks and received praise from NME, The fader and more.

TRACK LISTING

Mess U Made
Expiration Date
Pose
Syncopate
No Signal (feat. Isa Reyes)
Talking To Myself
50/50
Looking Glass
End Of The World
Fire Escape
Hazards
Layla In The Rocket
Spaced Out, Phased Out
My Friends

First official release in nearly five years from the rapper, poet, and trailblazer Mykki Blanco, since their debut full-length "Mykki." Features special guests Blood Orange (Dev Hynes), Big Freedia, Kari Faux and is produced by FaltyDL.

Opening with the groovy yet ethereal "Trust A Little Bit" - seared with soulful auto-tune and huge harmonies - we move into the anthemic boom-slap of "Summer Ride" which has vintage Outkast vibes beamed via a hologram of Justin Timberlake. It's clear that Blanco's hear is in big tunes that fill the room.

Elsewhere we get drank-fueled, slo-mo RnB, cut with trap beats and rich with FaltyDL's glassy, refracted production aesthetic. Somehow perfectly bridging the gap between pop and RnB's hooky ephemera, gritty street rap and the overwhelming stimulus of bass music and future beats. There's some quirky, idiosyncratic skits that tie tracks together that really, you're only gonna dig if you follow the artist's whole social profile (that's followers grandad - Ed) but they do provide some light yet beautifully timed, and sometimes comedic relief between the attitude-riddled songs that pepper the album.

Includes the 6Music A-listed single "Free Ride" co-produced with Hudson Mohawke.

TRACK LISTING

1. Trust A Little Bit (God Colony Version)
2. Free Ride
3. Summer Fling (feat. Kari Faux)
4. It’s Not My Choice (feat. Blood Orange)
5. Fuck Your Choices
6. Love Me (feat. Jamila Woods And Jay Cue)
7. Want From Me (feat. Bruno Ribeiro)
8. Patriarchy Ain’t The End Of Me
9. That’s Folks (feat. Big Freedia)

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows, the new studio album from Damon Albarn, is released by his new label home Transgressive Records.

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows was originally intended as an orchestral piece inspired by the landscapes of Iceland. This last year has seen Albarn return to the music in lockdown and develop the work to 11 tracks which further explore themes of fragility, loss, emergence and rebirth. The result is a panoramic collection of songs with Albarn as storyteller. The album title is taken from a John Clare poem Love and Memory.

Albarn says “I have been on my own dark journey while making this record and it led me to believe that a pure source might still exist.”

*send an email with Damon NPN in the subject for NPN option.

TRACK LISTING

The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows
The Cormorant
Royal Morning Blue
Combustion
Daft Wader
Darkness To Light
Esja
The Tower Of Montevideo
Giraffe Trumpet Sea
Polaris
Particles

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2021 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY JULY 17TH 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 JULY 17TH).

Released in 1980 on Beverly Glenn-Copeland's own label and featuring his long-time collaborator Doug Riley At Last! took it's name because it took so long for Glenn to get back in the studio and release new music (his previous recordings were in 1970)! The ultra-rare EP reveals Glenn in deep funk, soul and rock modes. Part of an ongoing reissue campaign celebrating the diverse output of this legendary musician and transgender activist. Pressed on black vinyl. Beverly Glenn-Copeland -At Last! 

TRACK LISTING

1. Montreal Main (The Buddha In The Palm) 2. Onward And Upward 3. Where There's Love 4. Journeyman

35th anniversary reissue of legendary Canadian/American singer, composer and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s beloved seminal work.

An ahead-of-it’s-time synth exploration which somehow combines the essence of new-age minimalism, early Detroit techno and the warmth of traditional songwriting.

His third album, Keyboard Fantasies was originally self-released on cassette in 1986. Initially over-looked by mainstream media, it caught the ear of a Japanese collector who contacted the artist in 2015 and asked for copies to sell. These sold out instantly and led to more copies being distributed… and multiple offers from record labels.

Features stunning alternative cover artwork + liner notes by Robyn.

Only the second time the album has been repressed (and previous repress was very limited), LP edition is housed in a gatefold sleeve with spot gloss to the cover, with printed inner sleeve, 180g black vinyl + download code.

First time the album has been available on CD. This format is a digi-sleeve with spot gloss to the cover + 8-page booklet.

TRACK LISTING

1. Ever New
2. Winter Astral
3. Let Us Dance
4. Slow Dance
5. Old Melody
6. Sunset Village

Highly anticipated record from New York's beloved act The Antlers, their first new music in seven music Perhaps what distinguishes Green to Gold from the rest of The Antlers’ canon is its arrival at a kind of quiet normalcy after a number of rather anxious records. Conceived and written almost entirely in the morning hours, Green to Gold is the easily their most luminous record to date. Following 2014’s Familiars, it looked unsure as to whether there would even be another Antlers album, after the onset of singer and primary songwriter Peter Silberman’s auditory problems.

Affecting his left ear, it was a condition that left him struggling to cope with commonplace noises. He was subsequently diagnosed with lesions on one of his vocal cords, requiring surgery for their removal and vocal therapy to retrain his voice to sing. Following a relocation to upstate New York and the 10th anniversary tour of 2009's 'Hospice', Silberman was rejuvenated and rediscovered the impulse to create new Antlers music. Of Silberman’s unique vocals, The Guardian wrote “His multi-octave voice is as intense as Jeff Buckley’s or Anohni’s, but it’s vulnerable without being precious or cloying” The first LP pressing is on ltd edition gold vinyl (represses will revert to black vinyl) September 2021 tour TBA, including two shows at EartH, London plus shows in Manchester and Edinburgh

TRACK LISTING

1. Strawflower
2. Wheels Roll Home
3. Solstice
4. Stubborn Man
5. Just One Sec
6. It Is What It Is
7. Volunteer
8. Green To Gold
9. Porchlight
10. Equinox

Highly anticipated debut from 2020 breakthrough artist, London-based musician and poet Arlo Parks Speaking about her LP, Arlo says "My album is a series of vignettes and intimate portraits surrounding my adolescence and the people that shaped it. It is rooted in storytelling and nostalgia - I want it to feel both universal and hyper specific." 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: As a debut album, ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ is about as perfect as you're going to get. The breadth of talent and refined groove present throughout is astounding, and perfectly measured. A beautifully soulful and comfortingly modern endeavour.

TRACK LISTING

1. Collapsed In Sunbeams
2. Hurt
3. Too Good
4. Hope
5. Caroline
6. Black Dog
7. Green Eyes
8. Just Go
9. For Violet
10. Eugene
11. Bluish
12. Portra 400

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

Full length live recording from Le Guess Who? Festival 2018 in Utrecht, released physically for the first time here.

Containing unreleased songs and unique versions of his catalogue, this is a special record from an important artist only just starting to receive the recognition he deserves.

After a hiatus of live performance that lasted decades, you can hear the joy on tape of an artist realising how much his music has connected with a new generation in real time, supported by an intergenerational band.

Pressed on 180g crystal clear vinyl, includes download code.

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


First physical release of this EP, set to position Moonchild Sanelly as one of the year's greatest breakout artists, with her electrifying music and unique style ready to take on a global audience.

The EP features empowering anthem "Thunda Thighs," which arrived alongside clips of the song's TikTok challenge, as well as singles "Where De Dee Kat", and "Bashiri". Nüdes is packed with Moonchild's quintessential infectious energy and sure to keep you dancing for the entire EP.

Pressed on 180g moon blue vinyl, includes download code.

Marika Hackman returns with ‘Covers’, a darkly beautiful, self-produced new album which showcases a more vulnerable side. During the extended lockdown period of the last few months, Marika felt that creating a covers record was a way of exploring new sound ideas and expressing herself without having the pressure of the blank page. She recorded and produced Covers between home and her parents’ house, then got David Wrench to mix it.

TRACK LISTING

You Never Wash Up After Yourself
Phantom Limb
Playground Love
Realiti
Jupiter 4
Pink Light
Between The Bars
Temporary Loan
In Undertow
All Night

Lupin is the sound of an arrival. Across eight tracks of subverted, expansive pop, Jake Luppen’s solo debut is all sharp edges, a fractured self-portrait pieced together through left-of-center, pop maximalism.

Although Luppen rose to prominence as a vocalist and guitarist in St. Paul’s beloved indie outfit Hippo Campus, the songs on Lupin feel like meeting him for the first time. He puts it succinctly: “With this record I wanted to get to the point, and say how things were, as opposed to dancing around them.”

Written mainly in breaks during a sprawl of 112 shows for Hippo Campus’ Bambi from 2018-2019, Lupin was an unexpected path to confidence. It also offered an escape from the grind of endless touring and a way for Luppen to process major and stressful life events directly through songwriting.

Inspired as much by Charli XCX’s Pop 2 as it is Tears for Fears, ‘80s new wave, and Prince, the genre-bending record holds true to a desire to make ‘80s music filtered through modern technology. Featuring synth and programming contributions from Jim-E Stack and Buddy Ross, Lupin weaves together fragmented drum loops, swooning falsetto, tangles of synths, and sharp guitar-lines, the final product is an off-kilter pop-sheen, one Luppen said was guided more by intuition and feeling than anything else.

Working alongside producer BJ Burton (Bon Iver, Charli XCX, Banks), the two spent intensive sessions collecting material, coalescing as many layers felt true to serve the songs

TRACK LISTING

1. Harbor
2. Vampire
3. Murderer
4. KO-Kid
5. Lazy
6. May
7. Gloomy
8. NZ

Sons of Mali. Groundbreaking Artists. Refugees. Virtuosos. Survivors. Rock Stars. Unforgettable and undeniable, Songhot Blues represent the future of African rock n’ roll and today they release their third album, "Optimisme", out on Transgressive.

Arguably one of the most successful and exciting bands to emerge from Africa in recent years, they open this set with "Badala", Songhoy for “We Don’t Give a Fuck”. Talking about the track, Aliou from the band said:

When you go out to clubs in Soho, London or New York, you hear hard rock music that can make people move. We wanted to make a rock club crowd get involved with Songhoy Blues. It’s about Songhoy Blues reaching even further than before. We want to see people jumping on a Songhoy Blues track, like they were at a concert. Matt Sweeney said something important the day before we went into the studio. He said ‘We need to make a real Songhoy Blues album. Songhoy Blues stage energy is crazy. Why don’t you put that energy straight in the song?’ That’s what we did.

This 11-song, multilingual album marks a real musical breakthrough. Musically harder, steeped in deep traditions of classic Malian music and desert blues and fused with an urgent and super-charged sound of now, the album was produced by Matt Sweeney of beloved indie rockers Chavez, who’s worked with a host of celebrated artists including Johnny Cash, Run the Jewels, El-P, Cat Power and Will Oldham, and recorded & mixed by Daniel Schlett (The War on Drugs, Modest Mouse, Ghostface Killah) in Brooklyn, NY.

TRACK LISTING

1. Badala
2. Assadja
3. Fey Fey
4. Gabi
5. Barre
6. Pour Toi
7. Bon Bon
8. Worry
9. Korfo
10. Dournia
11. Kouma

Throughout a fifty year recording career, legendary singer, composer and transgender activist Beverly Glenn-Copeland's music has defied categorisation and genre, its only consistency being the extraordinary fusion of vision, technology, spirituality and place.

Now in his mid-70’s, Glenn-Copeland was born into a musical family and studied the classical piano repertoire from ‘cradlehood,’ listening to his father playing the piano four to five hours a day. He moved from his home-town of Philadelphia to study classical music at McGill University, Montreal in 1961 (focussing on the European song repertoire) before he suddenly felt called to write music that would weave influences from the myriad musical cultures he had come to love.

Newly signed to Transgressive, this career spanning collection of songs includes three previously unreleased tracks; ‘River Dreams’, written last year and released with the album announcement, the live versions of ‘Deep River’+ ‘Colour Of Anyhow’, in addition to studio tracks from his acclaimed masterpiece Keyboard Fantasies + more.

TRACK LISTING

LP & 7" Tracklisting
LP
A1. La Vita
A2. Ever New
A3. Colour Of Anyhow (CBC Q Live Version)
A4. Deep River (Live At Le Guess Who?)
B1. Don't Despair
B2. Durocher
B3. River Dreams
B4. This Side Of Grace
B5. Sunset Village

7”
A1. In The Image
B2. Montreal Main (The Buddha In The Palm)

CD Tracklisting
1. La Vita
2. Ever New
3. Colour Of Anyhow (CBC Q Live Version)
4. Deep River (Live At Le Guess Who?)
5. Don't Despair
6. Durocher
7. River Dreams
8. This Side Of Grace
9. Sunset Village
10. In The Image
11. A Little Talk
12. Montreal Main (The Buddha In The Palm)
13. Erzili

Michelle are a musical collective hailing from New York City.

Weaving in and out of R&B, 80’s synth pop, jazz and indie, Michelle is refreshingly predominated by queer and POC members, showcasing a transformative era in pop music.

Written and recorded in a bedroom over the span of two weeks, their debut album “Heatwave” captures a compilation of sentimental moments – snapshots of youth in a New York summer, all immediately recognizable to those who’ve lived them (and those that have wished to).

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A
1. GET OFF UR PHONE (MICHELLE, Isa Reyes)*
2. AWAY
3. STUCK ON U
4. THE BOTTOM
5. SUMMER

SIDE B
6. IDEAL
7. LOVE UR NAME
8. MANGO
9. KIP
10. 2.25

Love Record Stores Edition available from 9am on Saturday June 20th.
Limited to one per person.

Purple vinyl.

The self-titled debut from Canadian solo artist Boniface is a catalogue of their most formative coming-of-age experiences, each moment captured in diary-like detail and set against a magnificently sprawling backdrop. Throughout the album, the musician/producer otherwise known as Micah Visser reflects on falling in love and facing heartbreak whilst struggling with identity, never failing to find an ineffable beauty within all the pain. The result is a body of work both bracingly honest and powerfully exhilarating—an emotional journey that Visser encapsulates as “taking little detours and exploring the times when everything feels perfect.”

Growing up in Winnipeg, Visser wrote the songs for the album at home throughout their late teens and early twenties, after shifts at the local coffee shop and lost nights in the city. This intimacy has been preserved on Boniface, with the songs largely recorded in the room they were written, with Visser’s brother Joey and longtime collaborator Micheal Dunn also on hand. The trio eventually travelled to London to finish up work with producer/engineer Neil Comber (Charli XCX, M.I.A., Glass Animals) who helped bring Boniface’s lavish arrangements to full and dazzling life.

While the catharsis documented on Boniface is undeniably raw, Visser points to a certain touchstone behind the making of their full-length debut: a mission of gently encouraging others to embrace total vulnerability. “There’s so much negativity in the world, and it’s easy to get caught in that cycle of being closed off and negative too—and then projecting that onto other people, and just continuing the cycle,” says Visser. “I’ve found that in my personal life, pushing myself to be more open helps other people to open up as well, so then it becomes a cycle of positivity instead. And I know that it’s really scary to do that, but hopefully opening up in my music will help people to feel safe. I’d love for people to hear these songs and feel inspired, like they can do anything they want with their lives.”

The bonus CD features the non-album single and live favourite "Phantom Limbs" and all of the b-sides to date, at times reflecting a more intimate portrait of this most special album. Also included is their stripped down cover of Chromatics "The Page" and the single mixes for "Keeping Up" and new single "Oh My God"

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Boniface excels in the sort of lush synth textures and perfectly produced electroacoustic juxtaposition I really enjoy, from more upbeat 'hands in the air' moments to grooving, road trip momentum. This self-titled LP is a great debut full-length outing, and an exciting sign of things to come.

TRACK LISTING

Waking Up In Suburbia
I Will Not Return As A Tourist
Keeping Up
Dear Megan
Oh My God
Fumbling
Your List
Ghosts
Wake Me Back Up
It’s A Joke
Stay Home
Making Peace With Suburbia

Bonus CD:
Phantom Limbs
Again & Again
For Love (demo)
The Page
Keeping Up (Single Version)
Oh My God (Single Version)

Everything That Makes You Happy was recorded at Manchester’s Eve Studios, and was produced by Catherine Marks (Foals, St Vincent, Wolf Alice). It is an incredible collection of uplifting songs, born from the darkest time. The release of Everything That Makes You Happy has been shaped by Gregory’s battles with mental health, which he discussed earlier this year in an open letter to fans. He again speaks directly to fans to announce the album: “Everything That Makes You Happy. I couldn’t be prouder for you all to hear this album: an optimistic response to a difficult time. It made sense with the record’s impending release to touch base with you again and explain what’s been happening in our world.”

TRACK LISTING

Catatonic Skinbag
Back This Year
The Song’s Never Gonna Be The Same
Skin Scream
Fucking Up My Friends
All Your Vanity
Never Stop Stirring
Quiet In Your Heart
Alone In Love
Everything That Makes You Happy

Julien Chang is a 19-year-old singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, Maryland. Julien studied classical and jazz throughout high school but decided to start making his own music after exploring other genres and principles. Having taken a job at his local grocery store at 17, he began building a studio in his parents basement, adding new elements with each paycheck.

The result is album ‘Jules’, released via Transgressive Records (Flume, SOPHIE, Let’s Eat Grandma).

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A stunning debut from on of the future's bright lights in whatever this beautiful but impossible-to-categorise maelstrom of woozy pop melodies and warm synthy grooves is. Brilliantly dynamic, varied but cohesive, 'Jules' is an absolute triumph and veers between perfectly realised genres with ease.

TRACK LISTING

Deep Green
Of The Past
Two Voices
Moving Parts
Candy Cane Rainbow
Dogologue
Memory Loss
Somerville (Demo)
Butterflies From Monaco
A Day Or Two

KOKOKO! are a group formed in Kinshasa, DRC - comprising local musicians, artists, dancers and inventors alongside producer Débruit. The band introduced themselves with the video ‘We are KOKOKO!’ which highlighted the explosive new alternative scene in Kinshasa and was covered by TIME Magazine, i-D and more. The film was also featured at TEDGlobal. This was followed with EPs Tokoliana, Tongos’a - and Liboso, their debut for Transgressive (Foals, Flume, Sophie, Songhoy Blues) and single Malembe.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Treading a fine line between dance music and the more acoustic percussive nature of afrobeat, Kokoko! are just as comfortable being played at home or to a packed dancefloor in a basement somewhere. A masterclass in electronic fusion.

TRACK LISTING

1. Likolo
2. Azo Toke
3. Buka Dansa
4. Identité
5. Malembe
6. L.O.V.E.
7. Tongos'a
8. Zala Mayele
9. Singa
10. Kitoko
11. Tokoliana

Mutual Benefit covers Vashti Bunyan's classic album

A Track By Track Re-Composition of Fugazi's 'In On The Killtaker' by this respected orchestral collective, best known for their soundtracks and numerous collaborations.

The second full-length album from Julia Jacklin, Crushing embodies every possible meaning of its title word. It’s an album formed from sheer intensity of feeling, an in-the-moment narrative of heartbreak and infatuation. And with her storytelling centered on bodies and crossed boundaries and smothering closeness, Crushing reveals how our physical experience of the world shapes and sometimes distorts our inner lives. The follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2016 debut Don’t Let the Kids Win, Crushing finds Jacklin continually acknowledging what’s expected of her, then gracefully rejecting those expectations. As a result, the album invites self-examination and a possible shift in the listener’s way of getting around the world—an effect that has everything to do with Jacklin’s openness about her own experience.

Discussing the record, Jacklin offered the following;

I really like this album, I worked hard on it and I really like listening to it. That's not usually how I feel after making something. I've finally come to accept that right now for me, making records is about capturing a time; who I am at that time, what I need to say in the best way I can say it, with minimal studio frills to cover it up. So I'm really happy to announce this one and ready for whatever things get thrown my way because of it. The cover was hard to figure out, seemed like I couldn't think of what kind of image would represent the music in the right way. Hard deadlines always make me more creative surprisingly. I was on tour in the states with my best bud Nick Mckk who takes a lot of my photos, he took my first album cover. We pulled off the highway in Pennsylvania and found a town called Krumsville. There was an antique store with a very friendly owner who let us run free inside. I got the jumper made the day before in NYC, same day I decided on the album name. I think it works.

Produced by Burke Reid (Courtney Barnett, Liam Finn) and recorded at The Grove Studios, Crushing sets Jacklin’s understated defiance against a raw yet luminous sonic backdrop. “In all the songs, you can hear every sound from every instrument; you can hear my throat and hear me breathing,” she says. “It was really important to me that you can hear everything for the whole record, without any studio tricks getting in the way.”

On the album-opening lead single “Body” - released last month - Jacklin proves the power of that approach, turning out a mesmerizing vocal performance even as she slips into the slightest murmur. A starkly composed portrait of a breakup, the song bears an often-bracing intimacy, a sense that you’re right in the room with Jacklin as she lays her heart out. And as “Body” wanders and drifts, Jacklin establishes Crushing as an album that exists entirely on its own time, a work that’s willfully unhurried.

And whilst a moving and complex listen, Crushing unfolds with an ease that echoes Jacklin’s newfound self-reliance as an artist. “With the first album I was so nervous and didn’t quite see myself as a musician yet, but after touring for two years, I’ve come to feel like I deserve to be in that space,” she says. Throughout Crushing, that sense of confidence manifests in one of the most essential elements of the album: the captivating strength of Jacklin’s lyrics. Not only proof of her ingenuity and artistic generosity, Jacklin’s uncompromising specificity and infinitely unpredictable turns of phrase ultimately spring from a certain self-possession in the songwriting process.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's no surprise that 'Crushing' shares a producer with the most recent Courtney Barnett opus, with it's infectious hooks and Jacklin's singular vocal talent shining through in a rich, sumptuous sea of satisfyingly crunchy guitar and thick percussion. All of this merely highlights Jacklin's unmistakable ear for melody and perfectly constructed melodic indie-rock. This is an absolute winner, and an undoubtable career high.

TRACK LISTING

1. Body
2. Head Alone
3. Pressure To Party
4. Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You
5. When The Family Flies In
6. Convention
7. Good Guy
8. You Were Right
9. Turn Me Down
10. Comfort

‘Live At The Roundhouse’ is an electric performance of ten years’ worth of songs; recorded without overdubs, it pays homage to the past whilst pointing propitiously to the group’s future. The album also features a bonus studio cut; the much requested and never released 3-verse rendition of Johnny’s ‘Detectorists’ theme.

Live At The Roundhouse’ is 24 tracks long and pulled from a decade’s worth of music. Fans will hear renditions of songs from Johnny’s “Masterclass” (4/5 The Independent) debut album ‘A Larum’, sophomore ‘Been Listening’, an album “radical in its honesty” (8/10 Drowned in Sound), ‘Country Mile’, “an extremely clever and nuanced record” (Mojo) and his most recent effort, ‘Sillion’, which explored the idea of man’s endeavour to connect with the earth while separated from it; “Another exploratory and remarkably high-caliber LP” (AllMusic 4.5/5). The album also features a bonus studio cut; the much requested and never released 3-verse rendition of Johnny’s ‘Detectorists’ theme. Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit are without a doubt one of the most consistently exhilarating live bands around, inspiring an undying devotion among fans and peers who will cherish ‘Live At The Roundhouse’ for its gritty and impassioned renditions of now-classic songs. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: One of the most entrancing talents around, Johnny Flynn mixes brimming psychedelic grooves with shimmering folky acousticry, running through grooves into a cascade of rhythm, and their live show is a perfect encapsulation of this stunning musicianship and unmistakable energy.

TRACK LISTING

Disc: 1
1. Raising The Dead
2. Lost And Found
3. In The Deepest
4. The Night My Piano Upped And Died
5. Barleycorn
6. Howl
7. Murmuration
8. Brown Trout Blues
9. Country Mile
10. Hard Road
11. Wandering Aengus
12. Jefferson's Torch
13. The Landlord
14. Cold Bread

Disc: 2
1. The Wrote And The Writ
2. The Water
3. Tickle Me Pink
4. Introducing The Band
5. The Box
6. Heart Sunk Hank
7. Detectorists
8. Fol-De-Rol
9. Eyeless In Holloway
10. Detectorists (Full Studio Version)

Mutual Benefit, the songwriting outlet for multi-instrumentalist and producer Jordan Lee,announces a new album Thunder Follows The Light via Transgressive Records.

Following his last outing, 2016’s acclaimed Skip A Sinking Stone, Lee marks his return with a patient and prismatic collection of songs accrued over the past two years.

Lee — who grew up in Ohio and is currently based in New York — has crafted pop experiments for almost a decade, blending orchestral instrumentation and ambient electronic sounds. His new album features an array of friends and many returning collaborators.

He has also confirmed an all-too-rare solo UK show - playing London’s The Lexington this week (May 24th).

Commenting on New History, one of the two first tracks to be taken from the album, which features vocals from Johanne Swanson (of Yohuna), he says:

“I think people in power benefit greatly from a general lack of historic memory in the US. I’ve been wondering if the first step to imagining a more just world is to study our history better, not just the linear revisionist one that is oft-repeated but all the unsung champions of equal rights as well as the acts of unthinkable cruelty that humans are also capable of.”

New History is the album’s truest folk song, with twangy harmonica and slide guitar. Its inspiration came to him while spending time in the economically depressed area of Ohio where his parents grew up.

The other song shared today, Storm Cellar Heart, is an ode to taking shelter and the fraught impulse to hide from the loudness of the outside world. It’s more of a long question than an answer: “Is it storms that help make the heart grow?”

Says Lee: “Writing this provided a reminder that while moments of recharging are important, I didn’t want to get too entrenched in escapism instead of the messiness of living.”

It was whilst sitting through a huge storm in rural New England that Jordan found himself becoming transfixed by the time in between the lightning and thunder – “The silence thick with inevitability”, he notes, before continuing that, “While I was writing the record, everywhere I looked, I saw massive societal strain on both people and the environment, and began to wonder if this is the lightning before some thunderous change. If we are living in that in-between time.”

TRACK LISTING

1 Written In Lightning
2 New History
3 Storm Cellar Heart
4 Shedding Skin
5 Come To Pass
6 Waves, Breaking
7 No Dominion
8 Mountain's Shadow
9 Nightingale
10 Thunder Follows

Gengahr present their highly-anticipated new album ‘Where Wildness Grows’, out on Transgressive Records.

Having released their much acclaimed debut ‘A Dream Outside’ in June 2015, the band spent a soul-searching two years writing and recording its follow up, a process which saw them reject multiple recordings and eventually return to the drawing board, re-group and head back to the studio with a clarity and conviction to deliver an album which sees them taking a bold and ambitious artistic stride.

The album was recorded in London during summer 2017 by acclaimed producer Neil Comber (Glass Animals, M.I.A, Songhoy Blues) and features guest vocals from Ellie Rowsell of Wolf Alice.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Despite sounding like someone who's just been punched in the stomach whilst eating a burrito, Gengahr pull together an entirely melodic but ruthlessly dynamic suite of dreamlike panned melodies and the chugging undercurrent of a beautifully varied by undeniably solid backline. Brilliantly written and evocative dancefloor syndie (I just made that up, it's synthy indie, obviously).

The Moonlandingz - the band born from a semi fictional concept album by Sheffield electronic analogue weirdos the Eccentronic Research Council and fronted by Fat White Familys legendary frontman, Lias Saoudi, release an extended deluxe version of the overwhelmingly critically acclaimed debut album ‘Interplanetary Class Classics’.

The deluxe includes a single version of album closer ‘This Cities Undone’ featuring guest vocals from Yoko Ono and Human League’s Phil Oakey, alongside a Confidence Man remix, new cut ‘Dirty Red Rose’ from the band’s recent ‘Cities Undone’ EP and lots more previously unheard bonus material.

Praise for ‘Interplanetary Class Classics’:

“A rip-roaring busman’s holiday” - Q (****); “Top-drawer psycho-disco for malcontent and the disillusioned” - Mojo (****); “A grotesque yet groovy melting of minds” - Uncut (****); “Straddle the elusive line between the ridiculous and sublime” - Loud & Quiet (8/10); “Brilliant” - NME (4/5); “There will be more considered and crafted albums released this year, but few that are so much fun.” - The Guardian (4/5); “Their debut packs a far mightier punch than the output of almost any other contemporary group with whom they may share certain influences” - The Line of Best Fit (8/10)

TRACK LISTING

Vessels
Sweet Saturn Mine
Black Hanz
I.D.S
The Strangle Of Anna
Theme For Valhalla Dale
The Rabies Are Back
Neuf Du Pape
Glory Hole
Lufthansa Man
This Cities Undone
Theme From Valhalla Dale (Long Version)
Sweet Saturn Mine (Johnny Rocket Vs Philip Oakey Version)
Anti Vernacular Pipsqueak (EMS Synthi AKS Experiment 1)
Drop It Fauntleroy
Exorcise Your Mammary Eyes (Interlude)
Dirty Red Rose
Blow Football With J. Carpenter
Lay Yer Head Down On The Road
Dawson's Vinegar Nape (Interlude)
Psych Ersatz
The Irresistible Toad Chorus (EMS Synthi A Experiment #2)
The Man In Me Lyfe Suite (Parts 1, 2 & 3)
The Cement Garden (Interlude)
Neuf Du Pape (The E.R.C Blue Nun De-Mix)
Sweet Saturn Mine (Richard Norris Remix)
Psych Ersatz (The E.R.C - Rasper Four Eyes De-Mix)
This Cities Undone (Confidence Man Cool Party Remix)
Sweet Saturn Mine (Sean Lennon De-Mix)
The Strangle Of Anna (Demo)
Glory Hole (Demo)

The second album from Alvvays, Antisocialites, is set for release on Transgressive Records. Across ten tracks and thirty-three minutes, the Toronto-based group dive back into the deep end of reckless romance and altered dates.

To write Antisocialites, Rankin traveled to Toronto Island, working in an abandoned schoolroom by day and sleeping a few feet from shore at night. “I carried a small PA on the ferry in a wheelbarrow,” she recalls. “Every morning I would listen to my favourite records on the beach, then I'd write melodies and record demos in the classroom.”

TRACK LISTING

1 In Undertow
2 Dreams Tonite
3 Plimsoll Punks
4 Your Type
5 Not My Baby
6 Hey
7 Lollipop (Ode To Jim)
8 Already Gone
9 Saved By A Waif
10 Forget About Life

This week sees Songhoy Blues return with a brand new album, "Resistance" released on the aptly titled Transgressive Records. It’s a bold, inspiring, outward-looking record that perfectly reflects the position the band have found themselves in following the massive success of their breakthrough debut, "Music In Exile", released in 2015.
The album was recorded in the autumn of 2016 at The Pool studio in London with producer Neil Comber (MIA, Django Django, Crystal Fighters, Declan McKenna) and in keeping with their spirit of collaboration which saw them previously work with Nick Zinner, Julian Casablancas and Damon Albarn, "Resistance" features additional synths by Lxury and vocal contributions from the likes of Iggy Pop, Elf Kid and Stealing Sheep. Beyond this, the album features beautiful string parts (Hometown) and in one particularly surprising, moving instance (One Colour), a children’s choir.

TRACK LISTING

1 Voter
2 Bamako
3 Sahara (feat. Iggy Pop)
4 Yersi Yadda
5 Hometown
6 Badji
7 Dabari
8 Ici Bas
9 Ir Ma Sobay
10 Mali Nord (feat. Elf Kid)
11 Alhakou
12 One Colour

Recorded with Grammy-winning producer Jim Abbiss (Arctic Monkeys, Adele, Björk) ‘That’s Your Lot’ marks a certain milestone for the band - a sumptuous, thrilling and brave collection of songs written throughout their teenage years and now fully realised.

Intensely personal, yet exploring the universal experiences of friendship, sadness, hope, love held and lost and all the confusions of youth - a body of work to help define a generation.

TRACK LISTING

Take Care
Let’s Pray
Orthodox Man
My Bark Is Your Bite
Lonely Side
Let Me See What Happens Next
Alice Come Home
Ode To Joe
I Will Be The World
Prague ‘99
Swan,
Thats Your Lot

They began as a fictional band from a fictional town featured on the Eccentronic Research Council’s 2015 concept album Johnny Rocket, Narcissist And Music Machine… I’m Your Biggest Fan. Now The Moonlandingz have lurched, sticky and bleeding, into the real world and are releasing the first great album of 2017.

Interplanetary Class Classics, released on Transgressive Records, is a feast of swirling juddering synths, wailing guitars, motorik stomp and extraordinary songwriting. The Moonlandingz have proven themselves to be one of the best live bands in the UK (“Magnificent, cosmic and batshit!” said The Quietus. “Feral antics and louche anarchy!” said The Guardian) and now they’ve produced an album of proper weird catchy glorious filthy pop.

The Moonlandingz is Eccentronic Research Council’s Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer in cahoots with Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi (aka frontman Johnny Rocket) and Saul Adamczewski. They recorded the album with Sean Lennon at his studio in upstate New York. Also on the record: Randy Jones the Cowboy from The Village People, Rebecca Taylor from Slow Club, drummer Ross Orton, bassist Mairead O’Connor, Phil Oakey and YOKO fucking ONO, who sings and yowls on epic closer This Cities Undone.

STAFF COMMENTS

Darryl says: From being featured on Eccentronic Research Council’s ‘Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine... I’m Your Biggest Fan’ 2015 album as a fictional band from the fictional South Yorkshire district of Valhalla Dale, the Moonlandingz have now stepped out into the real world. Comprising of Eccentronic Research Council’s Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer along with Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi and Saul Adamczewski, the Moonlandingz have delivered a fantastic piece of wacked-out scuzzy electronic pop. With fizzing synths, pummelling free-style percussion, and filthy grooves these anarchic motorik stompers bring to mind a mix of Can, the Cramps’ horror-rock, and Iggy Pop from the year 3000. Recorded with Sean Lennon in upstate New York and featuring a whole hosts of unlikely guests; Randy Jones (the cowboy from the Village People), Phil Oakey and Yoko Ono amongst many others, ‘Interplanetary Class Classics’ is a surreal and wonderful trip to a sinister futuristic kosmische-dancefloor.

TRACK LISTING

1. Vessels
2. Sweet Saturn Mine
3. Black Hanz
4. I.D.S.
5. The Strangle Of Anna (feat Rebecca Taylor Of Slow Club)
6. Theme From Valhalladale
7. The Rabies Are Back
8. Neuf De Pape
9. Glory Hole (feat Randy Jones From Village People)
10. Lufthanza Man
11. The Cities Undone (feat Yoko Ono & Friends)

Julia Jacklin releases her highly anticipated debut album, ‘Don’t Let The Kids Win’, on Transgressive Records.

Hailing from the Australian Blue Mountains, Julia Jacklin’s music courses with the aching current of alt-country and indie-folk, augmented by her undeniable calling cards: her rich, distinctive voice and her playful, observational wit.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Sadly sung vocals are placed delicately atop swooning country instrumentals and jazzy slide guitars, elsewhere stripped back to the bare bones of Jacklin's soulful voice over a softly picked acoustic guitar backdrop. Heartfelt and touching to the end, and a great sign of what's to come.

TRACK LISTING

Pool Party
Leadlight
Coming Of Age
Elizabeth
Motherland
Small Talk
L.A. Dream
Sweet Step
Same Airport
Hay Plain
Don’t Let The Kids Win

In 2012, with only one single (‘Sleepless’) and one remix (Hermitude’s ‘Hyperparadise’) to his name, a young beatmaker called Flume was given an afternoon slot at Splendour In The Grass. Flash forward four years and Flume is back - this time as a multi-platinum selling, ARIA award-winning, sought-after collaborator (Lorde, Disclosure, Chet Faker, Vince Staples) and internationally recognised producer.

A master of crafting complex, intelligent, original productions, 2016 sees Flume return to the spotlight with the muchanticipated ‘Skin’ album, via Transgressive Records.

‘Skin’ features such global superstars as Beck, Vic Mensa and the UK’s own AlunaGeorge.

Lead track ‘Never Be Like You’ (featuring Kai) roared to the top of the Australian singles charts and has gone on to become a genuine global hit.

Transgressive Records are proud to announce that Berlin’s instrumental collective s t a r g a z e have signed to the label, anointing their partnership with the stunning EP ‘Deerhoof Chamber Variations’.

‘Deerhoof Chamber Variations’ is devised as a continuous piece of instrumental music, based on 9 1/2 songs which drummer and composer Greg Saunier originally wrote for his acclaimed band Deerhoof.

Different from most other band and orchestra / classical collaborations Greg himself arranged and recomposed the material for a classical chamber ensemble, using exactly the same notes as in the originals while rearranging the songs structurally, in a kind of miniaturizing and abstracting way.

s t a r g a z e adapted this new composition to their particular line-up and the musicians’ personal skills, as Greg Saunier produced the album in Berlin in the freezing winter days of December 2015. The intimacy is evident - favouring the dry sound of the Beatles and George Martin’s approach to recording classical ensembles, rather than the lush approach favoured today.

The 19 minute piece of music is the latest in a series of collaborations for s t a r g a z e, who have previously worked with Julia Holter, Owen Pallett, Nils Frahm and Matthew Herbert.

North London’s Gengahr are pleased to announce their debut album A Dream Outside with new single ‘Heroine’ - their most immediate track to date and another glimpse at what their debut is set to offer.

Picking up where 2014 left off, Gengahr marked out their intentions for 2015 with an opening slot on Alt-J’s European tour and the release of the gloriously spellbinding ‘She’s A Witch’, which received acclaim from the likes of The Sunday Times, Independent, DIY and NME whilst being added to playlists on 6Music (C-list), Radio 1 (INMWT), Amazing Radio (A-list) and XFM (evening list).

For fans of Circa Waves, Foals, Mystery Jets and Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Fuzzy, friendly, exuberant psych-pop, crammed with top tunes. Definitely ones to watch! Includes the 6 Music favourite 'She's A Witch'.

TRACK LISTING

Dizzy Ghosts
She's A Witch
Heroine
Bathed In Light
Where I Lie
Dark Star
Embers
Powder
Fill My Gums With Blood
Lonely As A Shark
Trampoline 

Songhoy Blues release their debut Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) produced album, ‘Music In Exile’, released on Transgressive Records.

All those old ‘world music’ prejudices have no place here. Songhoy Blues are four talented, hungry, sharp and outward-looking young men from a part of the world that has had more than its share and pain and conflict in recent years but has given far more than its share of music and joy to the world in return over the past four decades. That place may seem strange, alien and ‘exotic’ to some but deep down, Songhoy Blues are a familiar proposition: four young men, guitar, drums, bass and vocals, driving rhythms, big hearts and a story to tell.

For fans of Tinariwen, Fatoumata Diawara, Spoek Mathambo, Africa Express.

TRACK LISTING

Soubour
Irganda
Al Hassidi Terei
Jolie
Desert Melodie
Mali
Sekou Oumarou
Nick
Al Tchere Bele
Wayei
Petit Metier

Comprised of Molly Rankin (lead vocals / guitar), Kerri Maclellan (keys / vocals), Alec O’Hanley (guitar), Brian Murphy (bass) and Phil MacIsaac (drums), Alvvays take the template laid out by the likes of Scottish stalwarts Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines and Belle & Sebastian and fuse it with a strong sense of self and a unique personality.

Each shimmering track on their debut full-length frames Rankin’s melancholic melodies and unwavering voice with meticulous arrangements and needlepoint guitars.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Massive, jangle-pop heaven. Big songs, cool guitars. Love it!

Theme Park are pleased to announce details of their forthcoming autumn release. The Two Hours EP opens with the original title track – a sonic electronic exploration into the heartfelt emotions of singer Miles Haughton which is fast becoming a clear live favorite which often brings their packed out shows to a euphoric climax.

The 10” EP will also feature three brilliant covers of Jessie Ware’s Wildest Moments, The National’s ‘Bloodbuz Ohio’ and Hot Chip’s ‘Ready For The Floor’. New remixes of Two Hours will also be available from Mad Decent’s hot new act Dawn Golden & Rosy Cross and Scandinavian band Museum of Belles Artes along with the earlier remixes from RAC and Populette.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Two Hours (single Mix)
A2. Wildest Moments
B1. Bloodbuz Ohio
B2. Ready For The Floor

Debut album from singer songwriter Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. Produced by Chris Taylor (Grizzly Bear) with the help of Kyp Malone (TV on the Radio). In Kyp's own words 'Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is my favourite songwriter right now... His songs are given flesh and blood in a way that most rock music now doesn't allow time for...'. Contains singles "Buriedfed" and "Woodfriend".

"The Spinning Top", Coxon's seventh studio LP to date, is also his finest yet whether the folky blues shuffle of "Sorrow's Army", menacing thrashes of "Dead Bees", or eight-minute daydream opus, and perhaps album centrepiece, "In The Morning". Comprising 15 original new songs, the album was produced by Stephen Street and featuring collaborators such as Danny Thompson and Robyn Hitchcock. Graham's most intimate and beguiling work to date, "The Spinning Top" ploughs depths, textures and lyrical furrows that few of his contemporaries are still able to muster, especially this far down the line. Conversely, this is the sound of a man rejuvenated and refocused, ready for yet another flourish in an-already compulsive and vital career.

When Jeremy Warmsley released his critically acclaimed debut album in 2006, he soon became the unofficial troubadour of the underground. Heralded in equal measure for his literary lyrical excursions, his sonic inventiveness and his captivating live performances he became an undoubted cult figure. Fast-forward to Autumn 2008 and Warmsley's second album "How We Became" is ready for release: rather than abandoning the qualities that made him stand out from the Brit indie pack, Warmsley has instead married them with finely crafted pop-songwriting and created a body of work that allows his cult status to infiltrate the consciousness of the mainstream, whilst maintaining his commitment to making music that challenges convention.

Following from their sold out limited 7" debut on Transgressive and their buzz laden trip to SXSW, Ox... present their first widely available release. Formed by "Fred Les" of Les Incompetents fame, the band have already amassed a die-hard fan base.

Following on from their critically acclaimed debut album, "Voices Of Animals And Men", Young Knives release their hotly anticipated follow up. A muscular clatter of pulsing guitars, head-spinning percussive thuds and harmonic, brotherly vocals provide the backbone to a rich throng of giddy, excited ideas and ageless, wry lyrical themes.

"Boy With A Coin", the first single to be taken from forthcoming album "The Shepherd's Dog", is darkly playful, tumbling under its cascading melody and backwards guitar textures. A worthy example of the highest standard of songwriting displayed on the rest of the album and marks a departure in style from Beam's previous work, without betraying his blissful Americana roots.

Compiled from his long sold-out collectors-item EP's from the past twelve months, comes the debut album from Jeremy Warmsley – "The Art Of Fiction".

Re-release of their long-deleted debut single.

Produced by Gareth Jones (Interpol, Wire, The Futureheads, Nick Cave), the explosive dynamics of "Children" provide a further teaser of the sounds of the debut album that will follow in August.

Ladyfuzz were fully formed in London in early 2005 when Austrian front woman Liz Neumayr was joined by guitarist Matt Lord and drummer Ben Esser. "Bouncy Ball" is a taste of what to expect from their forthcoming debut album "Kerfuffle".

"Tendency" is the second release for Battle on Transgressive Records, following the single "Demons", which sold out its 1500-only limited pressing in half a day, and the first fruits from sessions for their 'Debut Album of the Year' contender, recorded with Gareth Jones (Wire, The Futureheads, Nick Cave, Interpol and Einsturzende Neubauten) who has seamlessly managed to accommodate the epic scope of Battle's songwriting with their edgy and experimental tendencies, creating a track that you feel you've known your whole life, yet feel compelled to listen to repeatedly.