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The Specials

Protest Songs 1924 - 2012

    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.

    Paul McCartney

    McCartney III Imagined

      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)*

      Lana Del Rey

      Chemtrails Over The Country Club

        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

        Paul McCartney

        McCartney III

          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. 

          The Avalanches

          We Will Always Love You

            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

            Dizzee Rascal

            EF A3

              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)

              The Killers

              Imploding The Mirage

                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.

                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

                Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

                Raising Sand - 2022 Vinyl Repress

                  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

                  Sex Pistols

                  Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols - Back To Black Vinyl Edition

                    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. 

                    The Soft Machine

                    Volume 2 - Remastered Edition

                      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

                      The La's

                      BBC In Session

                        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!

                        Silje Nergaard

                        At First Light

                          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.

                          Mushroomhead

                          XX

                            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.

                            Julian Cope

                            The Collection

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


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