From the ashes of Moss Icon, Universal Order of Armageddon blasted out of Annapolis, MD in a fiery maelstrom of punishing riffs, syncopated breakbeats, and terrifying shrieks. Compiled here are the complete Gravity, Vermin Scum, and Kill Rock Stars recordings, remixed and remastered from the original session tapes, and housed in a deluxe gatefold jacket with a chunky 24-page book packed with photos, notes, and iconography from their 1993-’94 run. Armageddon IS now.

TRACK LISTING

1. Visible Distance
2. Switch Is Down
3. Stepping Softly Into
4. Clear Set
5. Benedict
6. No Longer Stranger
7. Symptom
8. Flux
9. Desperate Motion
10. Longer, Stranger
11. The Entire Vast Situation
12. Painfully Obvious
13. Four Measure Start
14. City
15. Mud
16. Close To Far Away
17. Fence Song
18. Four Measure Start(Live On WFMU)
19. Mud(Live On WFMU)
20. No Longer Stranger(Live On WFMU)
21. Close To Far Away(Live On WFMU)
22. Symptom(Live On WFMU)
23. Painfully Obvious(Live On WFMU)
24. City (Live On WFMU)

On side A, Adam Stegemann presents a stunning new mix of a timeless classic. Stegemann’s No Control Mix is a nine and half minute sing-along party starter and end of night club burner. A Brooklyn based producer, key player and disco DJ since 2006, Stegemann was coaxed out of semi-retirement in 2019 spurned largely by the purchase of a used Ensoniq Mirage sampler. He is currently producing under aliases Video Burnout and My Left Speaker among others yet to be revealed.

Universal Cave brings up the B side with two dubby, downtempo, disco groovers perfect for when any ray of light feels too bright and the walls are starting to move. Up All Night is dedicated to Philadelphia’s legendary Making Time parties, and Too Much is a nightlife testimonial for the ages.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Self Control (Adam Stegemann’s No Control Mix)
B1. Up All Night (Universal Cave’s Making Time Edit)
B2. Too Much (Universal Cave Edit)

Sinead was born in Dublin in 1966, and was discovered by Paul Byrne, drummer of U2 proteges In Tua Nua, while singing wedding covers in the city. After cowriting the first In Tua Nua single, she left school to focus on music, studying voice and piano at the Dublin College of Music before relocating to London in 1985.

Released in September 1994, Universal Mother was described by Sinead as "the first attempt to try to expose what was really underneath a lot of the anger of the other records". The album features sparse, striking but delicate arrangements on intense and honest songs. Standout moments include the singles 'Thank You For Hearing Me' and 'Fire On Babylon', along with contributions from Germaine Greer (opening track 'Germaine'), and Sinead's son Jake Reynolds ('Am I A Human?'), plus a cover of Nirvana's 'All Apologies'.

TRACK LISTING

Germaine
Fire On Babylon
John I Love You
My Darling Child
Am I A Human?
Red Football
All Apologies
A Perfect Indian
Scorn Not His Simplicity
All Babies
In This Heart
Tiny Grief Song
"Famine"
Thank You For Hearing Me

King Sporty is something of a chameleonic artists, not that many people know. He started out int he 70s making reggae and soul 7"s, then moved into disco, boogie, hip-hop and electro 12"s during the 80s, and then when house music hit in the 90s he evolved once more. This new drop from Emotional Rescue takes a tune from that late era. 'Computer Music' is four to the floor with electro influences and a lazy break that pull you in deep. Far-sighted chords bring a serene sense of cosmic majesty while a filtered vocal adds space age vibes. A dub is included as well as the Universal Cave Discomix by the Philadelphia DJ and production crew. A retro-future EP indeed

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: King Sporty did an amazing job of traversing disco, hip-hop, house, electro and cosmic camps. "Computer Age" definitely lands in the electro category, but retains all the soul and human touches that would become familiar with this pivotal producer.

TRACK LISTING

Computer Age (Club Mix)
Computer Age (Dub Mix)
Computer Age (Universal Cave Discomix)

Recorded in various basements and professional studios around Chicago between 1980 and 1984, the Apart Demos documents 12 intimate and stripped-down sketches, demos and unreleased tracks by Andre Gibson and the Universal Togetherness Band as they pivoted to solo careers. From heartfelt tributes to lovers adorned by a silky Fender Rhodes to disco party-starters about spiritual gratitude, Andre Gibson universally lets us into his heart and brings it all together in the end.

TRACK LISTING

1. All My Pals
2. Thankful For You
3. Love Changes Life’s Changes
4. Bring Me Home
5. Call Me
6. Valentine Lover
7. Don’t It Feel Good
8. I Wanna Take You Away
9. Stuck On A Thrill
10. Say I Will (Ft. Dawn Brooks)
11. Breakaway
12. I’m Falling

Silky Steps hustles towards the scene trailblazed by Nile Rodgers, and currently held by the likes of Jungle, L'imperatrice and Parcels. The 5-piece hailing from Estonia's summer capital Pernau have their own concoction of neo-soul, nu-disco and pop-funk to offer, though. At the helm, a combo of male-female lead vocals sing about the X-rated side of life. Plentiful synths and suave basslines get all the right juices flowing. All the while a musical guest will pop in here and there to provide a sax solo, sing a ref or throw down a little rap.

The latter is especially true for their upcoming LP "Universal Language," as 2023 sees the group step up their game in a big way. Their 2nd single "Fly, Goodbye" took off as the title suggests and got its first BBC 6 airplay on the revered Cerys Matthews show. Robert Linna of Lexsoul Dancemachine lent his falsetto to the latter track, while MC Roki raps on "Falling For You" and Rahel collabs on the title-track. In total, there are 10 tracks on the album that's put out digitally and on vinyl via Funk Embassy Records - the Estonian imprint that recently won Record label of the Year at the local music industry awards.

TRACK LISTING

1. Music
2. Treasure
3. Haven
4. Falling For You (feat. MC Roki)
5. Interlude
6. Alone Together
7. Boytoy
8. I Like It, I Love It
9. Universal Language (feat. Rahel)
10. Fly, Goodbye (feat. Robert Linna)

Acid Jazz presents a very special collaboration with Flying Dutchman – the first new music from the iconic US label since the ’70s. Billy Valentine is one of the great soul voices working in America (‘the secret weapon of almost every songwriter in L.A.’) – with a history as deep and varied as the Young-Hold Trio, the original touring company of ‘The Wiz’, in collaboration with his brother as ‘The Valentine Brothers’, right up to credits that include Swedish House Mafia.

Collaborator Bob Thiele Jr. is the son of legendary producer and Flying Dutchman founder Bob Thiele (John Coltrane, Gil Scott-Heron and many others), and an acclaimed producer and songwriter in his own right. Having worked together for over three decades, his vision was to produce a Billy Valentine record to reflect our times.

Conceived in the summer of 2020, it is a response to the throes of a global pandemic and the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. More than a covers album, this record uncovers the works of the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Gil Scott-Heron, and Pharaoh Sanders in a new setting. Recorded at EastWest Studios (formally the historic United Western Recorders), produced and mixed by Dave Way, and featuring a stella cast of session musicians, the album is as sonically stunning as it is moving.

TRACK LISTING

1. We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue
2. Home Is Where The Hatred Is
3. My People… Hold On
4. You Haven’t Done Nothin’
5. The Creator Has A Master Plan
6. Sign Of The Times
7. Wade In The Water
8. The World Is A Ghetto 

Curated by in-demand Nashville pedal steel maverick and Third Man recording artist Luke Schneider, the eleventh volume of Tompkins Square’s venerable Imaginational Anthem acoustic guitar series features exclusive tracks by legend BJ Cole, as well as leading exponents on the instrument including Susan Alcorn, Luke himself, and British expat /Nashville hotshot Spencer Cullum among others. Nashville native and Merge recording artist William Tyler has written a beautiful detailed history of the pedal steel for the package (CD & LP versions only).

TRACK LISTING

1. BJ Cole - Ely Revisited
2. Jonny Lam - Rainbow Across The Valley
3. Rocco DeLuca - Many Singing Softly
4. Luke Schneider - Yosemite
5.Spencer Cullum - An Ode To Dungeness
6. Barry Walker, Jr. - I Will Tread Upon The Lion And The Cobra
7. Susan Alcorn - Gilmore Blue
8. Maggie Bjorklund - Lysglimt
9. Will Van Horn - Attwater

Ethan P. Flynn presents the ‘Universal Deluge’ EP.

Plunging into the darker side of experimental pop, Flynn combines electronics with stripped-back acoustics, underpinned by his well-recognised idiosyncratic voice; a style which has seen Ethan work with the likes of FKA Twigs, David Byrne and Black Country, New Road, and pinned “as great as Bowie, I’m just waiting for the world to see it… he’s a legend in the making” by slowthai.

TRACK LISTING

Father Of Nine
Distraught
Vegas Residency
Spoils
Cheerleader
The Universal Deluge
Enough Is Enough

From its embryonic, conceptual stages - well before any music materialized - the mere idea of "Raising Sand" held infinite fascination for both its creators and those around them. As word spread of an impending musical collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, imaginations ran wild. Two artists, each at the pinnacle of their respective pantheons, Robert and Alison have seemingly little in common. But just below the surface, an elemental understanding flowed between them, waiting to be tapped. Mutual admirers for some time, Plant and Krauss first performed together at a concert celebrating the music of Leadbelly. That great man's sound - spry and playful, yet marked by an undercurrent of torment and loss - is a keyhole into the sound world unlocked on "Raising Sand". After their initial collaboration proved promising, Plant and Krauss brought producer T Bone Burnett into the fold to help them investigate a more sustained, full-scale project. Charged with selecting both supporting musicians and material that would illuminate the connection between these two unique artists, Burnett succeeded wondrously. Built on a shared core of modal blues and country soul, filtered through alternating layers of unadorned tenderness and thick, shifting textures, the sounds on "Raising Sand" extend well beyond anyone's expectations.

TRACK LISTING

1 Rich Woman 4:05
2 Killing The Blues 4:17
3 Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us 3:25
4 Polly Come Home 5:39
5 Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) 3:34
6 Through The Morning, Through The Night 4:03
7 Please Read The Letter 5:55
8 Trampled Rose 5:34
9 Fortune Teller 4:32
10 Stick With Me Baby 2:51
11 Nothin' 5:35
12 Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson 4:02
13 Your Long Journey 3:55

The Specials who enjoyed a triumphant 2019 with the release of the critically acclaimed “Encore”, their first ever number 1 album, coming 40 years after they exploded onto the music scene and launched the 2 Tone movement, make a very timely return with the release of their brand new album “Protest Songs – 1924 -2012”. Released on August 27th through their new label Island Records, the album features twelve singular takes on specially chosen protest songs across an almost 100-year span and shows The Specials still care, are still protesting and are still pissed off!

The Specials emerged in the late 1970s as the multiracial flagship of the 2 Tone movement, and sang of racism, unemployment and injustice making a very clear political statement every time they stepped on stage. It's fitting, then, that in 2021, at a time when the world is riven with social, racial and political unrest, that the Specials have made this album of Protest Songs and are once again reflecting the society we live in and taking a stand against all forms of injustice. A typically unpredictable collection of unique takes from folk to post-punk, righteous uplift to biting satire, and from Kingston to Alabama, the album is a powerful reminder that there are no fixed rules to what makes a protest song. All that’s required is the combination of something that needs to be said with music that needs to be heard. “People have been using music as a vehicle for protest since time immemorial,” says bass-player Horace Panter. “Injustice is timeless.”

In February 2020, Horace, Terry, Lynval and co-producer Nikolaj Torp Larsen gathered to begin work on a reggae record, the follow up to Encore. Then Covid hit and plans were put on hold. During the first lockdown and following the murder of George Floyd and the waves of protest that grew around the world, Terry suggested that they make a different kind of record as a response to recent events.

The trio started by picking some personal favourites. The Mothers of Invention’s Trouble Every Day (Horace), Leonard Cohen’s Everybody Knows (Terry) while Lynval was keen to sing Bob Marley’s classic rebel song Get Up, Stand Up. Other favourites included Talking Heads’ Listening Wind and “Trouble Every Day” which was about the Watts riots in 1965. Spending months combing YouTube and books for songs they had never heard before, they discovered or rediscovered Big Bill Broonzy’s angry 1938 blues Black, Brown and White and the Staple Singers’ stirring Freedom Highway, written for the marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. The Dixie Jubilee Singers first recorded the spiritual Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around in 1924 but it was the civil rights movement that tweaked the lyrics and made it an anthem. Soldiers Who Want to Be Heroes is another example of a song that found its true calling after the fact. Written by the poet Rod McKuen in 1963, it was rerecorded three years later, during the dog days of the Vietnam war.

Folk singer Malvina Reynolds, best known for Little Boxes, provides two spiky odes to the contributions of ordinary people: I Live in a City and I Don’t Mind Failing in This World: And because the Specials have always had a taste for black comedy, they’ve chosen two songs by bluesman Jerry McCain (My Next Door Neighbor) and Wild Thing writer Chip Taylor (Fuck All the Perfect People). “Terry said, ‘I’ve found this song, listen to this,’” Horace remembers. “We all sat there open-mouthed.”

The album was recorded in a studio in West London in May of this year with regular bandmates Nikolaj Torp Larsen on keyboards, Kenrick Rowe on drums and Steve Cradock on guitar. Hannah Hu, a young singer from Bradford, fronts Listening Wind and sings back-up on Freedom Highway and Everybody Knows.

The Specials remain one of the most electrifying, influential and important bands of all time and this new record and the success of Encore proves that they are every bit as relevant and vital as they were in 1979.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: As far as ska bands go, there is very little doubt that The Specials are one of the most legendary around, and this excellent collection sees them revisit a number of protest songs written throughout the years in their own inimitable style. Unsurprisingly well done, and full of the sort of playful groove The Specials do so well.

Hailed upon its release last year as "vital and comfortable taking new chances” (Rolling Stone) and “cheery, resilient, forever looking forward” (The New Yorker), Paul McCartney’s McCartney III is now literally moving into the future in the form of McCartney III Imagined.

Personally curated by Paul, McCartney III Imagined features an A-List assortment of friends, fans and brand new acquaintances, each covering and/or reimagining their favorite McCartney III moments in their own signature styles. The result is a kaleidoscopic reinterpretation of an album Rolling Stone accurately tagged “an inspiration to us all”—one that serves as an extension of the instantly beloved McCartney III while standing on its own as brilliant and adventurous milestone in the McCartney discography.

The first offering from McCartney III Imagined comes from American singer/rapper/songwriter Dominic Fike, whose cover of “The Kiss of Venus” transmutes the tender acoustic ballad into a retro-futuristic R&B tour de force. “The Kiss of Venus (Dominic Fike version)” is available digitally

Further III-imaginations will be forthcoming from Damon Albarn, Beck, Blood Orange, Phoebe Bridgers, Josh Homme, Khraungbin, 3D RDN of Massive Attack, Ed O’Brien (EOB), Anderson .Paak, St. Vincent and more.

Originally released December 18, 2020, McCartney III is the third in a trilogy of home-made and self-titled albums that began with Paul's 1970 solo debut McCartney, and continued in 1980 with McCartney II. All three albums were written, performed and produced by Paul in varying states of isolation, all showcasing his unique creativity and inspired spontaneity. Recorded in “Rockdown," McCartney III topped album charts across the world, scoring Paul his first UK#1 album in 31 years – increasing his lead as the UK’s most successful chart act of all time.

McCartney III Imagined continues the tradition of the biggest and most diverse names in music covering Paul’s songs — an ever-expanding lineup that ranges from more recent versions by Billie Eilish, Harry Styles, Dave Grohl, Coldplay and The Cure, to interpretations over the years from the likes of U2, Guns N’ Roses, Earth Wind & Fire, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and so many more. McCartney III Imagined is a testament of Paul’s enduring and unmatched influence, a legacy that stretches from “Yesterday” being the most covered song in contemporary musical history to the inspiration his current work continues to hold for generations of artists and fans.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I have to say, I never expected to see Idris Elba listed on the tracklist for a Paul McCartney release, but here we are. A selection of the leading lights in the music (and TV) industry rework a number of tunes from the brilliant 'McCartney III' to great effect. A wonderful companion to the original and a worthwhile listen regardless.

TRACK LISTING

1. Find My Way (feat. Beck)
2. The Kiss Of Venus (Dominic Fike)
3. Pretty Boys (feat. Khruangbin)
4. Women And Wives (St. Vincent Remix)
5. Deep Down (Blood Orange Remix)
6. Seize The Day (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
7. Slidin’ (EOB Remix)
8. Long Tailed Winter Bird (Damon Albarn Remix)
9. Lavatory Lil (Josh Homme)
10. When Winter Comes (Anderson .Paak Remix)
11. Deep Deep Feeling (3D RDN Remix)
12. Long Tailed Winter Bird (Idris Elba Remix)*

Today Lana Del Rey releases her new song and visual ‘Chemtrails Over The Country Club’. The song is co-written by Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff, with the visual being directed by BRTHR.

Following the success of her 2019 GRAMMY®-nominated album Norman Fucking Rockwell, Lana has announced that March 19th, 2021 is the official release date for her highly anticipated seventh studio album Chemtrails Over The Country Club.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Lana's 7th album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club brings all of the latent melodicism and swooning pop of her previous outings but with a more melancholic leaning, resulting in a hugely enjoyable distillation of pop with more esoteric production elements.

TRACK LISTING

1. White Dress
2. Chemtrails Over The Country Club
3. Tulsa Jesus Freak
4. Let Me Love You Like A Woman
5. Wild At Heart
6. Dark But Just A Game
7. Not All Who Wander Are Lost
8. Yosemite
9. Breaking Up Slowly
10. Dance Till We Die
11. For Free

McCartney III was recorded in early 2020 in Sussex, England at McCartney's home while in lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Describing the process of recording the album, McCartney said: "Each day I’d start recording with the instrument I wrote the song on and then gradually layer it all up; it was a lot of fun. It was about making music for yourself rather than making music that has to do a job. So, I just did stuff I fancied doing. I had no idea this would end up as an album." Like previous McCartney albums, the instrumental work is recorded by McCartney himself. He similarly performed most of the instruments on his 2005 album Chaos and Creation in the Backyard and on his 2007 album Memory Almost Full. 

Building on the sample-based approach of their classic albums "Since I Left You" and "Wildflower", but stepping boldly into new terrain, "We Will Always Love You" is the new full length masterpiece from The Avalanches. Check the cover for a photo of Ann Druyan (Director of the Voyager Golden Record Project), her cosmic love story with Carl Sagan inspiring this body of work.

An exploration of the vibrational relationship between light, sound and spirit, We Will Always Love You doubles as “an exploration of the human voice” and a spiritual reckoning via the big questions “who are we really? What happens when we die?’”. So says Robbie Chater, who alongside bandmate Tony DiBlasi and collaborator Andrew Szekeres has moved beyond the party-up exuberance of The Avalanches’s youthful music to a tender, reflective sound infused with hard-earned life wisdom.

If there’s a single spark for We Will Always Love You it’s the story of the love affair between Ann Druyan and Carl Sagan: “science communicators” whose writings and TV programs brought the ever-deepening mysteries of astronomy and astrophysics to the mass audience. Chater was profoundly moved by the fact that the couple’s romance was captured and carried into space, thanks to the Voyager Interstellar Message Project. Druyan served as Creative Director in charge of curating the Golden Record: earthling music and assorted terrestrial sounds gathered for the contemplation of any alien civilisations that might be out there and be advanced enough to construct a playback system.

Originally, Druyan was set to be a presence on We Will Always Love You: a studio was booked to record her telling her own story. That never transpired, but Druyan “gave us permission to use her photo on the album cover,” says Chater. “We photographed it off a static-y television set and ran it through a spectograph to make the cover image. So that was a beautiful way that Ann could still be part of the record. We turned her into sound and back again”

Sampling remains at the core of The Avalanches sound, but alongside all of the sample ghosts, We Will Always Love You features an array of living guests who contribute vocals and lyrics: Blood Orange, Rivers Cuomo, Pink Siifu, Jamie xx, CLYPSO, Denzel Curry, Tricky, Neneh Cherry, Sampa the Great, Sananda Maitreya and Vashti Bunyan and many more exciting collaborations to be revealed over the coming months. The Avalanches’s music has always dripped with melody, but because of this expanded role for guest singers and writers, We Will Always Love You is their most song-oriented album yet.

“For us, to make the same record again, no matter how well executed, wouldn’t have been satisfying," says Chater. "We were looking to do something that would open up possibilities for the future. Take a bit of a left turn that frees us up to do whatever we want to next.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Inspired by love, humanity, space and at least 6,000 sample-able records, 'We Will Always Love You' sees The Avalanches return in record time for a third album The album dips into hip hop, disco, house and electronica with all the warmth, wit and wanderlust we've come to expect from the Aussies.

TRACK LISTING

01. Ghost Story (feat. Orono)
02. Song For Barbara Payton
03. We Will Always Love You (feat. Blood Orange)
04. The Divine Chord (feat. MGMT & Johnny Marr)
05. Solitary Ceremonies
06. Interstellar Love (feat. Leon Bridges)
07. Ghost Story Pt. 2 (feat. Orono & Leon Bridges)
08. Reflecting Light (feat. Sananda Maitreya & Vashti Bunyan)
09. Carrier Waves
10. Oh The Sunn! (feat. Perry Farrell)
11. We Go On (feat. Cola Boyy & Mick Jones)
12. Star Song.IMG
13. Until Daylight Comes (feat. Tricky)
14. Wherever You Go (feat. Jamie Xx, Neneh Cherry & CLYPSO)
15. Music Makes Me High
16. Pink Champagne
17. Take Care In Your Dreaming (feat. Denzel Curry, Tricky & Sampa The Great)
18. Overcome
19. Gold Sky (feat. Kurt Vile)
20. Always Black (feat. Pink Siifu)
21. Dial D For Devotion (feat. Karen O)
22. Running Red Lights (feat. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu)
23. Born To Lose
24. Music Is The Light (feat. Cornelius & Kelly Moran)
25. Weightless

Sixth studio album by the American rock band. 'Imploding the Mirage' was recorded in various locations, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Park City, Utah, and produced by Canadian producer Shawn Everett, and Jonathan Rado of the band Foxygen. It features contributions from Lindsey Buckingham ('Caution'), k.d. lang ('Lightning Fields'), Weyes Blood ('My God'), Adam Granduciel from The War on Drugs, Blake Mills and Lucius.

East London-born music legend and all round boundary-breaking innovator, Dizzee Rascal's new release marks the genesis of a new era for Dizzee and is the first album wholly written, recorded and produced in the UK in over a decade. ‘E3 AF’ is a 10-track layered, purposeful statement of intent, rooted in Dizzee’s inedible ties to both east London and Black British music’s legacy. His sound is sharper, stronger and more self-assured than ever, and it is obvious that he has poured the creative energy of the past few years into ‘E3 AF’ as a body of work. First single, L.L.L.L (Love Life Live Large), features Tottenham born MC Chip and kicks open the door with the force of a steel toe capped boot. Chip, adds another thwack of bravado to the rumbling, Dizzee-produced beat. ‘E3 AF’ confirms Dizzee’s status as an artist still very much in his prime, sonically it draws on the infectious pace of grime and resolutely forward-thinking UK rap. From one song to the next, you are taken on a journey through Black British musical excellence. Ice-cold UK drill drips on Smoke Boys-featuring ‘Act Like You Know’ (produced by MK the Plug) and Eastside pulses with pure grime courtesy of Chubby Dreadz and Platinum 45. Self-produced opener ‘God Knows’ (featuring P Money) and high-octane ‘You Don’t Know’ pull from dubstep, grime and drum ‘n’ bass while threatening to wreak havoc with your speakers. By the time Alicai Harley’s warm up vocals float over sunny syths on the deeply personal ‘Energies + Powers’ (produced by Steel Banglez), the album practically radiates heat. ‘E3 AF’ is set to confirm Dizzee Rascal’s status as the master at the top of his game.

TRACK LISTING

God Knows (feat P Money)
That's Too Much (feat Frisco & D Double E)
LLLL (Love Life Live Large) (feat Chip)
Body Loose
You Don't Know
Energies & Powers (feat Banglez & Alicai Harley)
Eastside (feat Ghetts & Kano)
Act Like U Know (feat Smoke Boys)
Don't Be Dumb (feat Ocean Wisdom)
Be Incredible (feat Rob Jones TV)

In a tumultuous 2020, the re-emergence of Doves with new music has provided a shaft of light in an otherwise brooding sky, finally landing their fifth album, The Universal Want, after an eleven-year artistic break.

The equally ecstatic and relieved response from fans and critics to the first track to emerge, Carousels, during the final, confusing throws of the UK and Europe’s strict COVID-19 lockdown in June, proved how desperately their idiosyncratic sense of euphoric melancholy was, and is, needed. Catching many off-guard, Doves unleashed a track of unfathomable depth, unfurling rich and unpredictable pockets of sound, twisted round a sample of the great Tony Allen at his very best.

“This place is wild at heart and weird on top, you just couldn’t make it up,” said Jimi Goodwin, surveying the world through his window while a global pandemic was taking root in late-March 2020. Paraphrasing Laura Dern’s character, Lula Pace Fortune in the 1990, David Lynch film Wild At Heart, Goodwin hits on the Lynchian-obsessions shared by all three Doves. Himself, Andy (drums/vocals) and Jez Williams (guitars/programming/vocals) would often find themselves hosting impromptu post-rave, home screenings in the early 1990s.

By quoting the film, the lead singer and bassist of the twice Mercury-nominated band also, accidentally, expresses what everyone else was feeling at the time of disorientation, fear and hope. Doves have a longstanding habit of doing just that.

First emerging in 1998 with the release of their debut, vinyl-only Cedar EP, Doves’ first album, Lost Souls (2000), received both press and award-panel praise, before Number One follow-up, The Last Broadcast (2002) provided the trio with a major breakthrough, offering with the hit singles, There Goes The Fear and Pounding. Straight-to-Number One follow up, Some Cities (2005) and the difficult birth of the much-loved Kingdom of Rust (2009) appeared to complete a perfect legacy if the hiatus the band called in 2010 lasted longer than anyone hoped. It certainly lasted longer than the band had expected. “It’s bizarre how quickly life just passes,” says Goodwin, reflecting on the years that turned into a decade.

The story of The Universal Want, the title itself and other tracks such as Prisoners giving an impression of the band’s disdain towards the consumerist illusion, starts in a rented house in England’s Peak District during secret, unintended writing sessions in 2017. Joining the dots, band historians note that it came a full year before announcing their live return and 18 months before they appeared together publicly. That they were a creative force once more was a near impossible secret to keep, as they worked between studios in the North West and the Midlands.

Andy Williams describes the excitement of the sessions, saying: “There were times when we felt an indescribable buzz. It was a breeze compared to ‘Kingdom Of Rust’, with one of the nicest things being just hanging out. We were never that far apart; I’d call Jimi every month. We’re too closely tied to have lost contact; I’d miss them.”

Refusing once more to fall into predictable, guitar-bass-drums, ‘plug in and play’ dynamics, The Universal Want’s overwhelming sense of intrigue owes everything to Doves’ three decades experience at the wheel of their band (a lifespan going back to their time as dance band, Sub Sub), and an autobiographical trip through the sounds of their own lives. From seaside amusements (Carousels) and the remembered heat of acid house (Universal Want) to the aimless summer days of youth (Forest House), each song sets a new reel running to show fragments of their lives and, in turn, those of their listeners. Shadows of Bowie, rare 70’s soul, Detroit House and Afrobeat are cast subtly across the shapeshifting album.

Cycle Of Hurt’s, disembodied mantra of ‘it’s a trap’, finds the band once more concerned with finding freedom in a cynical, aspirational age. A band that respects creativity itself, allowing the process to meander, it wasn’t, and isn’t their intention to write a manifesto rallying against vapid consumer culture. “When it comes to themes,” says Jez “we always find a very collaborative way forward. It’s all quite subconscious. It’s only when you look back that you can see the threads linking the songs.” 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's been plenty long enough since a new Doves album, and this one hits all of the high notes we'd expect. Superb melodies, brilliant songwriting and a crystal clear narrative throughout. It's a brilliant return after eleven years, and one we've been sorely needing.

TRACK LISTING

1. Carousels
2. I Will Not Hide
3. Broken Eyes
4. For Tomorrow
5. Cathedrals Of The Mind
6. Prisoners
7. Cycle Of Hurt
8. Mother Silver Lake
9. Universal Want
10. Forest House

Drummer/producer Makaya McCraven’s epic 2018 album Universal Beings was a breakthrough release – both for Makaya as an artist and also for an entire class of “new jazz” artists who in recent years have been making waves from Chicago to New York to London and Los Angeles. Featuring an all-star cast of genreredefining players (incl. Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Tomeka Reid, Joel Ross, Brandee Younger, Jeff Parker…) recorded in the four aforementioned cities, the music of Universal Beings was composed in collective improvisational sessions before being post-produced by McCraven into twenty-two lyrical instrumental pieces of “organic beat music.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: If you missed this the first time around then you’re in luck, the Universal Beings re-release is here to save the day. Filled to the brim with beautiful jazz and featuring lots of inspirational names in the New Jazz era such as Nubya Garcia & Shabaka Hutchings and many more talented contributors. Delve into the four sections to guide you away to different parts of the world and float away on a jazzy-cloud.

TRACK LISTING

New York Side:
A1. A Queen's Intro
A2. Holy Land
A3. Young Genius
A4. Black Lion
A5. Tall Tales
A6. Mantra

Chicago Side:
B1. Pharaoh's Intro
B2. Atlantic Black
B3. Inner Flight
B4. Wise Man, Wiser Woman
B5. Prosperity's Fear

London Side:
C1. Flipped Out
C2. Voila
C3. Suite Haus
C4. The Newbies Lift Off
C5. The Royal Outro

Los Angeles Side:
D1. The Count Off
D2. Butterss's
D3. Turtle Tricks
D4. The Fifth Monk 

"Invisible Starlight" is a ripping tune by an unknown midwestern funk outfit with a driving backbeat and soaring horns. It sounds like Ohio to us, but we can't be sure. What is certain however, is that these gents rocked the local bowling alleys, social clubs and loungespots wherever they went. Label bosses Universal Cave touch down on the A-side with their primo 45 edit, hitting us with a relentless groove of fat bass, bright horns and irrepressible rhythm guitar - so damned phonky y'all. Meanwhile on the flip, The Beat Broker rounds out the original with his signature style and an impeccable ear. The Kind Dub's sun drenched delay and reinforced drums ensure that Invisible Starlight will shine over any dancefloor!

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Here we have a hot 7" of the rawest, roughest disco funk, expertly retweeked for modern jocks. There's looped licks on the A-side from the UC crew, while Beat Broker gets dubby-in-the-disco over on the flip...

TRACK LISTING

A1. Invisible Starlight (Universal Cave Edit)
B1. Invisible Starlight (The Beat Broker Kind Dub)

Recorded at Maze Studios, Atlanta across the summer of 2016 where the band decamped for a month, it was produced by the legendary Ben H Allen III (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective, Deerhunter) who struck up quite the creative partnership with ringleader Ben Romans-Hopscraft. You could be forgiven for branding ‘Universal High’ a rebirth.

In places almost unrecognizable from the dub-charged psychedelic indie of their debut, the new sound swells from the southern streets in which it came to life, caked in the Seventies soul of The Isley Brothers, Curtis Mayfield and Shuggie Otis.

Ben Romans-Hopcraft says, “’Universal High’ represents many things to us as a band. It signifies change, both musically and mentally whilst also revisiting influences that confounded our interest in music in the first place. What I think is noticeable is the direct nature of the songs and its influences. Being surrounded by soul music, classic pop songs and music with any form of groove all my life, these influences began to speak for themselves within these new songs we were writing”.

Since the first album Bens evolved into something of an auteur, with numerous collaborations under his belt as both a producer, recurrently alongside new regular comrade Sean Lennon, as well as numerous teamings with Fat White Family’s Saul Aamczeski as part of both Warmduscher and Insecure Men.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Brilliantly effervescent pop songs, imbued with soul and flecks of funk. It's a smooth ride throughout, but brilliantly listenable and most importantly, thoroughly enjoyable.

The joke of Licensed to Ill's cover - that the Beasties could crash their jet into the side of a mountain and keep on tickin' - serves as a good metaphor for a career that even some of their 1986 admirers thought might be over after the one-time-only shock of this full-length debut. That thousands of funk-junkie wannabes have since failed at re-creating its groove, breaking-the-law vibe, and ear-splitting mix of rock and rap is an even better joke. And funniest of all is the record itself, which packs dexterous boasts, aural puns, and lots and lots of yelling into a disc that can still be listened to with as much pleasure as it gave in '86.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Rhymin’ & Stealin'
A2. The New Style
A3. She’s Crafty
A4. Posse In Effect
A5. Slow Ride
A6. Girls
A7. Fight For Your Right
B1. No Sleep Till Brooklyn
B2. Paul Revere
B3. Hold It Now, Hit It
B4. Brass Monkey
B5. Slow And Low
B6. Time To Get Ill

Previous album 'Evergreen' has sold 250k adjusted units worldwide

New album includes Tove Lo feature and co-write with Lorde. Following Huw Stephens (sitting in for Annie Mac) Radio 1 premiere, and additional pick up across Radio 1, 6 Music, Beats & Radio X.

As one of the most iconic and influential albums in music history ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’ still sounds as powerful and unique as ever, 37 years since the original release.

The Sex Pistols defined a generation and captured a feeling within the nation that simply no one else could of. The band created a truly distinctive sound and ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols’ impact and influence still strongly resonates with musicians, artists and people to this day.

This release has used the original master tapes from the 1977 recording sessions thought to be lost for many years. Now thankfully rediscovered, the tapes have been remastered, for the very first time, by Tim Young under direction from original producer Chris Thomas.

Sex Pistols - NMTB is now released on 180g heavyweight vinyl as part of the Back To Black series. 

“Different things are happening in my life now, so there is no doubt that it will be a very different album.” - Mark Kozelek

‘Universal Themes’ includes ‘The Possum’, a nineminute track featuring Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley about dead possums and hanging out with Godflesh.

Guitars and vocals by Mark Kozelek. Percussion by Steve Shelley.

Recorded in San Francisco, 2014 / 2015. Additional recording in Hoboken, 2015.

TRACK LISTING

The Possum
Birds Of Flims
With A Sort Of Grace I Walked To The Bathroom To Cry
Garden Of Lavender
Cry Me A River 
Williamsburg Sleeve
Tattoo Blues
Ali/Spinks 2
Little Rascals
This Is My First Day And I’m Indian And I Work At A Gas Station

Warp Records are pleased to announce the release of ‘Universal Everything & You’, a 20 minute piece by Simon Pyke (Freeform), built upon the soundtrack to the exhibition Universal Everything & You, which has been running at the Science Museum, London.

Designed by Matt Pyke of Universal Everything, the release consists of a deluxe one sided, screen-printed heavyweight 180g vinyl pressing featuring one of four randomly available prints depicting images taken from the exhibition.

Simon Pyke is a Brighton based musician and sound artist. He’s previously released music through Warp and Skam records and toured extensively with electronic musicians including Autechre. Pyke has worked on a range of commercial projects including rebrands for SkyTv, MTV, and S4C Wales, and audio for the launch of the 2012 Olympics logo and MTV music video awards.

Universal Everything are a UK based digital art and design collective who work with a global network of designers, artists, musicians, producers and programmers. Past artworks have been exhibited at MOMA New York, V&A London, Central Academy Of Fine Arts Beijing, Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture Moscow, and La Gaite Lyrique Paris.

Warp have a long relationship with Simon and Matt Pyke, having first released Simon’s music as Freeform 17 years ago (‘Prowl’). Through designing this sleeve, Matt was introduced to Warp and subsequently The Designers Republic, for whom he went on to work. During this time, and since launching Universal Everything, he has designed many Warp record sleeves, plus the Warp.net and original Bleep.com websites.

Limited to 100 copies, exclusively available to independent retailers.

“Muscle Shoals”, which debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, is the beautiful and unique film which tells the story of FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios. Located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, they are the birthplace of some of rock 'n' roll's and soul’s most iconic songs. Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alicia Keys, Paul Simon, and many more recorded at the studios, and they're all represented on the soundtrack by some of their most recognizable hits as well as a never before heard track from Alicia Keys. This collection embodies the magical spirit of the area and legacy it forged. It's the perfect companion to the film and a wonderful window into Muscle Shoals.

TRACK LISTING

1. Arthur Alexander - You Better Move On
2. Jimmy Hughes - Steal Away
3. Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman
4. Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
5. Etta James - Tell Mama
6. Clarence Carter - Patches
7. Wilson Pickett - Hey Jude
8. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
9. The Staple Singers - I'll Take You There
10. Jimmy Cliff - Sitting In Limbo
11. Traffic - (Sometimes I Feel So) Uninspired
12. Paul Simon - Kodachrome
13. Alicia Keys - Pressing On

During the time between their first and second albums, Soft Machine toured with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and even briefly employed future Police guitarist Andy Summers as a replacement for Daevid Allen. Bassist and songwriter Kevin Ayers left the band and was replaced by Hugh Hopper, a move that put to rest the psychedelic pop era of Soft Machine: from here on out, the band would be heavily influenced by jazz. "Volume Two" is as much a transitional release for Soft Machine as their debut album, as it represents the band at a period just before they developed their mature style.

Tracklisting
1. Pataphysical Introduction, Pt. I
2. A Concise British Alphabet, Pt. 1
3. Hibou Anemone And Bear
4. A Concise British Alphabet, Pt. II
5. Hulloder
6. Dada Was Here
7. Thank You Pierrot Lunaire
8. Have You Ever Bean Grean?
9. Pataphysical Introduction, Pt. II
10. Out Of Tunes
11. As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still
12. Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
13. Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging
14. Pig
15. Orange Skin Food
16. A Door Opens And Closes
17. 10:30 Returns To The Bedroom

After issuing six albums in 39 months, nearly two a year, Stevie Wonder signed a new contract with Motown that let him determine his own release schedule. And then he went into the studio for two years to create the final masterpiece of his classic 70s album series. Released as a double LP with bonus four track EP and songbook in 1976, the album features Wonder's mix of love songs, socio-political offerings and uplifting gems, covering jazz-funk, soul and disco. It includes the singles "I Wish" and "Sir Duke", plus anthems like "Another Star", "As" and "Isn't She Lovely". A triple Grammy winner in the year of its release, "Songs In The Key Of Life" has gone on to be seen as the pinnacle of Stevie's career. Essential.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting
Disc: 1
1. Love's In Need Of Love Today
2. Have A Talk With God
3. Village Ghetto Land
4. Contusion
5. Sir Duke
6. I Wish
7. Knocks Me Off My Feet
8. Pastime Paradise
9. Summer Soft
10. Ordinary Pain

Disc: 2
1. Isn't She Lovely
2. Joy Inside My Tears
3. Black Man
4. Ngiculela (Es Una Historia)
5. If It's Magic
6. As
7. Another Star
8. Saturn
9. Ebony Eyes
10. All Day Sucker
11. Easy Goin' Evening

Vinyl Tracklisting
Record 1
1. Love's In Need Of Love Today
2. Have A Talk With God
3. Village Ghetto Land
4. Contusion
5. Sir Duke
6. I Wish
7. Knocks Me Off My Feet
8. Pastime Paradise
9. Summer Soft
10. Ordinary Pain

Records 2
1. Isn't She Lovely
2. Joy Inside My Tears
3. Black Man
4. Ngiculela (Es Una Historia)
5. If It's Magic
6. As
7. Another Star

7"
1. Saturn
2. Ebony Eyes
3. All Day Sucker
4. Easy Goin' Evening

Like other albums to follow, Stevie wrote the vast majority of the material on "Music Of My Mind". Compared to his studio work of three years prior, this music feels worlds away in many senses. That which was grand, conventional and bounteous is replaced with a feel that is at once personal, progressive and downscaled. Performing almost entirely solo, Stevie ties overdubs of keyboards, drums, harmonica and his delectable singing into well-woven audio tapestries that make his head an attractive place to spend time in. It's been said of Stevie that 'The man is his own instrument' - these recordings burst with this truth.

"Here, My Dear" is a wrenching yet beautifully rendered chronicle of the end of Gaye's first marriage to Anna Gordy Gaye. Released in December 1978, the suite was attacked by critics as indulgent and irrelevant, a misstep in a musical career noted for breakthroughs and artistic bravery. With mixed reviews and no hit singles, the album was not a big seller and failed commercially. Yet in the decades since "Here, My Dear" has become recognized as a masterpiece of romantic anguish. It's also one of Marvin's most influential recordings. Hear it in today's young soul singers and in hip hop's confessional raps. Listen to the many producers who obsess over every note. This is a Marvin gem waiting for you to rediscover it.

Often cited as among the finest female vocalists in rock music, Linda Thompson first achieved renown as one half of the British husband/wife duo Richard & Linda Thompson who were responsible for a series of acclaimed albums from 1974 until their personal and professional separation in 1982. A wide-ranging, confident work, Linda's latest solo release is "Versatile Heart". The music draws from the sort of classic folk-rock that Thompson helped invent, namely traditional British Isles balladry, rockabilly, and contemporary art song.

This is the first time these session recordings, from between 1987 and 1990, have been made officially available, and given that Lee Mavers turned up, played on them, allowed them to be broadcast and didn't go round telling everyone not to listen to their radios, we can assume that the mystical Scouser was actually happy with these versions! He's only done one LP so you may aswell bag this too, because, well: it's brilliant! Ironically, the only duffer is a rather clangy, rigid "There She Goes", but everything else probably surpasses the album versions. You also get the superb "Calling All", a huge song which was going to give the debut album its title, until it was mysteriously dropped at the eleventh hour. Basically, if you love The La's then you need this CD. Is right!

"Frances The Mute" is the second and already widely acclaimed album from the bio-epic Mars Volta. "Frances" relays a story, inspired by a diary that their late band mate, Jeremy Ward, found in the backseat of a car and the similarity of the anonymous author's life to his own. The album includes guest appearances from old friends, Flea and John Frusciante from The Chili Peppers on trumpet and guitar.

"De-Loused In The Comatorium" is an iridescent, fearless, brain-busting hour of music, a fictionalized celebration of lead singer Cedric Zavala's close friend Julio Venegas' life. Based on a story written by Cedric, it is a concept album in which the hero tries to commit suicide by overdosing on morphine. Instead of dying, he falls into a coma for a week, and experiences fantastic adventures in his dreams, elemental battles between the good and bad aspects of his conscience. At the end, he emerges from the coma, but chooses to die. A genre defying album from two ex-members of At The Drive In, encompassing hardcore, prog, free jazz and psychedelic elements.

At last, 12 years after his death, a proper retrospective of France's greatest export! His recording career spanned four decades, taking in everything from jazz to rock to reggae, but it's probably for his orchestral easy listening and low-slung cinematic funk that he's best loved round thse Northern Quarter parts. Everyone from Air to David Holmes and Andy Votel are hugely influenced by his sound. If all you know is "Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus", then prepare to have your life enriched with the delights of "Bonnie & Clyde", "Requiem Pour Un C", "Ballade De Melody Nelson" etc. 23 tracks in all, on both vinyl and CD.

More cool jazz coming from Scandanavia. Silje Nergaard takes the styles of singers like Astrid Gilberto, Hoagy Carmichael and Stina Nordenstam and blends it with a jazz trio. Then gives it a modern edge with added brass for colour and a very contemporary production feel.

New album from Cleveland's Mushroomhead. Blending sonics and attitude borrowed from metal, techno / industrial and rap, with their thundering tribal drums, big, snarling guitars, vocals and samples, with keyboards filling in all the cracks.

As the title suggests, this is a compilation of some of the finer moments of his solo career so far.

Latest installment of this jazz dance series will have you groovin' in no time!! It's got loads of ace upbeat jazz - funk - Latin fusion tracks - too many tasty ones to mention! No fillers, all killers, as they say...