Teeming with melodic epiphanies and layered sounds, Squid’s second album O Monolith is a musical evocation of environment, domesticity and self-made folklore. Like its predecessor, 2021’s critically acclaimed, UK number 4 album Bright Green Field, it is dense and tricksy – but also more warm and characterful, with a meandering, questioning nature.

Expansive, evocative and hugely varied, O Monolith retains Squid’s restless, enigmatic spirit, but it still holds surprises for those familiar with Bright Green Field. It’s a reflection of the outsized progression of a band always looking to the future. Like its namesake, O Monolith is vast and strange; alive with endless possible interpretations of its inner mysteries.

TRACK LISTING

1. Swing (In A Dream)
2. Devil’s Den
3. Siphon Song
4. Undergrowth
5. The Blades
6. After The Flash
7. Green Light
8. If You Had Seen The Bull’s Swimming Attempts You Would Have Stayed Away

Kelela’s next chapter, RAVEN, promises a sonically beautiful and lustrous experience. On RAVEN, Kelela emerges from the tides of her higher self’s oceanic orbit to explore autonomy, belonging and self-renewal as healing across the fifteen-track LP. “Washed Away” and “Happy Ending” have already both been regaled with critical acclaim: Pitchfork called “Washed Away” a “showcase for her swooping soprano” and “Happy Ending” also demonstrative of her “breathy, decorous vocals.” 

“I started this process from the feeling of isolation and alienation I’ve always had as a black femme in dance music, despite its black origins. RAVEN is my first breath taken in the dark, an affirmation of black femme perspective in the midst of systemic erasure and the sound of our vulnerability turned to power,” Kelela says about the project.

Skillfully straddling the frequencies of R&B and Dance music, Kelela has established herself as an artistic interpolator of music, art and fashion. Her early works Cut 4 Me (2013) and Hallucinogen (2015) were momentous examples of her singular spirit, and cemented her artistry as a leading force in the alternative, underground R&B and electronic worlds. She has since collaborated with fellow visionary artists like Solange, Gorillaz, Andrew Thomas Huang and Danny Brown. Thoughtfully intermixing elegance, futurism, divinity and sensuality, Kelela’s unique perspective has carved a lane that demonstrates style as both a component of art, and art in and of itself.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Washed Away
A2. Happy Ending
A3. Let It Go
A4. On The Run
B1. Missed Call
B2. Closure
B3. Contact
B4. Fooley
C1. Holier
C2. Raven
C3. Bruises
C4. Sorbet
D1. Divorce
D2. Enough For Love
D3. Far Away

MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning shows how Dom Maker and Kai Campos have grown over the past decade, and demonstrates the two sides of Mount Kimbie’s aesthetic coin - each side produced entirely by either member. Dom’s side, Die Cuts, is colourful and melody-led, thriving on the spark of collaboration; Kai’s, City Planning, is tactile and unpredictable, the product of a deeply personal aesthetic voyage. The two sides complement each other through their contrasts. But in other ways they’re not so different. Both artists present a unique vision which stands apart from their peers; neither side could have been made by anyone but Mount Kimbie.

Die Cuts, produced by Dom, was inspired by his move to LA half a decade ago, around the same time as the band’s old friend and collaborator James Blake. The pair began doing production sessions with a series of increasingly big names from the world of rap and hip-hop, including Jay-Z, Travis Scott, ASAP Rocky, SZA, and Rosalia, among many others. Dom’s collaborative work is going from strength to strength, hitting a recent high with his and James’ headturning work on Slowthai’s ‘Feel Away’.

Die Cuts is a reflection of this nascent community and Dom’s producerly vision. Skipping between hip-hop, RnB, and electronic pop, the album combines high class songcraft with a delicate leftfield touch, and showcases a cast of vocalists including longtime friends James Blake and Slowthai, alongside new collaborators Danny Brown, Reggie, Nomi, Keiyaa, Wiki, Liv.e, Kucka and Choker.

Kai’s side began after the duo’s finest record yet, 2017’s Love What Survives, led to a period of extensive touring. Back home, he was hungry for a change of pace. He found it in DJing, which offered a new kind of performance - unplannable, unpredictable, and thrilling. He has since become a seasoned DJ, clocking in at the finest festivals (Field Day, Dekmantel, Melt) and clubs (Printworks, Fabric, Sub Club, Concrete) and recording numerous mixes, including a slick DJ-Kicks mix in 2018. Following this, he embarked on a project of "intense listening and thinking about listening,” immersing himself in new sounds and music-making approaches.

The outcome of this creative journey is City Planning. Wild, warped and loopy, the album twists avant-garde signifiers from on and off the dancefloor into a deft and refined statement. Its sleek beats and stuttering arpeggios are caked with scuzz and personality, making for an album that’s warm and inviting even at its most confrontational.

They also share the news that for the first time ever, acclaimed photographers/directors and longtime collaborators, Tyrone Lebon & Frank Lebon are working together with Mount Kimbie alongside legendary US visual artist and sculptor Tom Shannon to create a multi-format creative campaign.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's really interesting to see the two musical parts of Mount Kimbie laid out like this, and as well as both sides being equally as brilliant in their own right, perfectly illustrates the individual influences on their overall sound.

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklist:
Dom Maker - Die Cuts
A1. Dvd (feat. Choker)
A2. In Your Eyes (feat. Slowthai & Danny Brown)
A3. F1 Racer (feat. Kučka)
A4. Heat On, Lips On
A5. End Of The Road (feat. Reggie)
A6. Somehow She’s Still Here (feat. James Blake)
B1. Kissing (feat. Slowthai)
B2. Say That (feat. Nomi)
B3. Need U Tonight
B4. If And When (feat. Wiki)
B5. Tender Hearts Meet The Sky (feat. Keiyaa)
B6. A Deities Encore (feat. Liv.e)

Kai Campos - City Planning
A1. Q
A2. Quartz
A3. Transit Map (Flattened)
A4. Satellite 7
A5. Satellite 9
A6. Satellite 6 (Corrupted)
B1. Zone 3 (City Limits)
B2. Zone 2 (Last Connection)
B3. Zone 1 (24 Hours)
B4. Industry
B5. Human Voices

CD / Digital Tracklist:
Dom Maker - Die Cuts
1. Dvd (feat. Choker)
2. In Your Eyes (feat. Slowthai & Danny Brown)
3. F1 Racer (feat. Kučka)
4. Heat On, Lips On
5. End Of The Road (feat. Reggie)
6. Somehow She’s Still Here (feat. James Blake)
7. Kissing (feat. Slowthai)
8. Say That (feat. Nomi)
9. Need U Tonight
10. If And When (feat. Wiki)
11. Tender Hearts Meet The Sky (feat. Keiyaa)
12. A Deities Encore (feat. Liv.e)

Kai Campos - City Planning
1. Q
2. Quartz
3. Transit Map (Flattened)
4. Satellite 7
5. Satellite 9
6. Satellite 6 (Corrupted)
7. Zone 3 (City Limits)
8. Zone 2 (Last Connection)
9. Zone 1 (24 Hours)
10. Industry
11. Human Voices

Four remixes of tracks from LoneLady's "Former Things" Featuring reworks by The Other Two (Stephen Morris of New Order), DJ Stingray, DMX Krew, and LoneLady herself.

Speaking in-depth about the remix EP, LoneLady explains: 'As a huge fan of all things Stephen Morris, I was beyond delighted when he was up for doing a remix of "(There Is) No Logic’" The result is an ecstatic merging of LoneLady and New Order - with amazing attention to detail and driving propulsion so recognisably and brilliantly Stephen-esque - he’s created an irresistible, swaggering banger! It's a dream come true!'

'DMX Krew’s remix of Fear Colours has got the playfulness ramped right up with some cheeky but soulful nods…It has shades of a late night at the studio with Wendy & Lisa, the champagne corks and Linn Drums-a-popping, and I love it!'

'Working with Bill (Skibbe) again was a joy and we had lots of fun with this. I had dug out a couple of old-school hip-hop samples and reworked a section of "(There Is) No Logic". Me and Bill then went to town creating choppy sections and textures, adding tons of percussion, congas and a wild guitar solo. I was re-reading a favourite book at the time - Wide Sargasso Sea and the vivid colours and tropical atmosphere definitely infused the mix. Enjoy the journey - Manchester meets Jamaica via Michigan!'

'The genesis of the Former Things album was early electro / techno, and DJ Stingray’s Vigilance Mix provides the perfect conclusion to the EP, coming full circle with "Threats" receiving the authentic Detroit techno treatment. Revelling in dystopian shadows, brute beats and an ambience of shivery fear - just how I like to end a party.'

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Amazing to see LoneLady really cement her underground electronic credentials by personally selecting and working with this roster of remixers. I always knew she was a massive dance / club music lover and this EP proves it!

TRACK LISTING

A1. (There Is) No Logic (The Other Two Remix)
A2. Fear Colours (DMX Krew Remix)
B1. (There Is) No Logic (LoneLady Sargasso ReWerk)
B2. Threats (DJ Stingray 313 Vigilance Mix)

Daniel Rossen, the lead vocalist and instrumentalist of era-epitomizing act Grizzly Bear, announces his first-ever solo LP, You Belong There, via Warp Records. 

The landscape surrounding You Belong There is Daniel Rossen’s sophisticated and visceral consideration of what comes after the restless enthusiasm and public fanfare of your youth. It's a riveting 10-song reintroduction to a voice that sounds both entirely familiar and fully re-energized by the act of unfettered expression and newfound self-sovereignty. These songs explore the personally uncharted territory of adulthood, including the troubles left behind and the possibilities that wait ahead.

For nearly two decades, Rossen had been a crucial component of Grizzly Bear, whose shared harmonies and interlaced textures reimagined music of the early aughts. He is also a founding member of the acclaimed folk and electronica outfit Department of Eagles. Rossen left the close-knit nest of Brooklyn many years ago, first for an isolated patch of land in upstate New York and then for Santa Fe, where he slowly built the world that is You Belong There largely in his high desert home. Rossen bought himself an upright bass (one of his instruments as a kid), along with the cello and performed almost all of the parts on the album himself, with Chris Bear of Grizzly Bear contributing as a rare guest on “Tangle.” Best known as a guitarist, Rossen took up woodwinds, too, buying several cheap student models and learning just enough to understand the rudiments.

You Belong There follows Rossen’s 2012 EP, Silent Hour/Golden Mile, critically acclaimed and rated an 8.0 by Pitchfork, who called it a “majestic song cycle full of fingerpicked notes that babble like tributaries.”

TRACK LISTING

A1. It's A Passage
A2. Shadow In The Frame
A3. You Belong There
A4. Unpeopled Space
A5. Celia
B1. Tangle
B2. I'll Wait For Your Visit
B3. Keeper And Kin
B4. The Last One
B5. Repeat The Pattern

If the album’s title conjures tranquil melodies evoking some misty pastoral idyll, that impression isn't immediately dispelled by the dark rock ambience of opener “Resolution Square”. That is abruptly followed, however, by a series of dystopian dreams strewn across a bed of staccato post punk-funk with more in common with The Fall, Gang Of Four and punk cacophony than Vivaldi. There isn’t necessarily a single coherent centre to the album, either musically or thematically, both subject matter and genre co-opted and discarded with abandon, but there is an obvious dig at cold corporate capitalism in “G.S.K.”, inspired by the monolithic slab that is GlaxoSmithKline’s HQ in Brentford and “Global Groove”, a swipe at the detachment of newscast war voyeurism. Alongside these Bright Green Fields presents clipped portraits of modern life’s grinding banality, but it really needs to be experienced as a whole to appreciate its exquisitely crafted and well targeted power. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I can't think of a single band that sound like Squid. Four or five maybe, but no other single band could sound this varied, this coherently i'm sure of it. Meandering math-rock, snarling post-punk and arrythmic indie business coalesce into a wildly inventive and completely unique whole. Staggeringly brilliant.

TRACK LISTING

1. Resolution Square
2. G.S.K.
3. Narrator Ft. Martha Skye Murphy
4. Boy Racers
5. Paddling
6. Documentary Filmmaker
7. 2010
8. The Flyover
9. Peel St.
10. Global Groove
11. Pamphlets

"absent origin" is the latest album by multi-disciplinary artist Mira Calix released via Warp Records.

After periods when many things break down, new things need to be made from fragments. absent origin uses the process of collage to make sense of such fragments. Burrowed deep in rolling hills of books and magazines of her source material, Mira Calix’s studio took shape of a Scandi-Noir detectives office but in place of suspect is Calix herself cut and pasted into the artworks that circle this album. Immersing herself into the history of collage, she researched the various processes applied by artists, as well as the medium's history in relation to the 20th century and political upheaval.

Every song on the album was created by applying a different collage process relating to a different visual artist, spanning the history of collage to contemporaries of the practice. The sonic materials are subjected to a myriad of processes; layered, synthesised, constructed and assembled into electronic melodies, textures and complex, frisky dance rhythms that are constantly shifting in surprising ways. absent origin employs collage to make sense of the current moment of displaced voices, disjunction and political unrest.

On mark of resistance the collage works of Hannah Wilke have been used as inspiration; Wilke’s work is known for exploring feminist issues and aesthetics which is a fitting source of power and solidarity for the first female signee to Warp. The shredding and recreating continues on silence is silver where Matisse’s later works are referenced and on GARGLE (command V) Hannah Höch’s pioneering collage form techniques can be heard as Calix draws our attention back to the present chaos of politics and media. Syncopated and manipulated voices of rap, poetry and found sound jitter through like Jenga, fractions fractured factions and GARGLE. Although an album of sonic splinters, the consistent form is a stance on changing society for the better through art - an ethos she shares with her muses.

Calix’s recording sessions are from all over the world are the many fragments we hear across the record; from India to Tasmania, Jordan to Belgium, China to Uganda, her former home of South Africa, to her current home in Britain. Slicing into these are further recordings of vocalists, percussionists, choirs, orchestras, quartets and soloists, never appearing in the form in which they were originally intended. The record is a polyphony of predominantly diverse female voices held together by pulsating baselines, haunting electronic sounds and orchestrated melodies and with them, we travel.

As we travel, we glimpse artifacts, as if from the train window; a familiar voice, an image we once knew, but by the time we are able to focus it is long gone. The album fizzes with a political energy and the interconnectedness of everything. At this moment in time, there is an impossibility of separating one thing from another; the effect is strange and not exactly reassuring. Collage suggests infinite possibilities and each track here is a singularly unique compositional combine, a dizzying hall of mirrors with its own unlikely harmony, it’s own distinctive rhythm. On absent origin, collage becomes the tool to make sense of a present that is often anything but.

*Please note that the strike-through and lower casing are deliberate in the album title and track names*

TRACK LISTING

01. A Mark Of Resistance
02. There Is Always A Girl With A Secret
03. Silence Is Silver
04. Bower Of Bliss
05. Wooddrifts
06. Nkosezane - For My Daddy
07. Like Jenga (only It Reaches All The Way To The Sky And It’s Made Of Knives)
08. Doggerland (between The Acts)
09. Fundamental Things
10. Fractions Fractured Factions
11. I’m In Love With The End
12. Surrender
13. GARGLE (command V)
14. Dishàng Shuãng (edit)
15. Transport Me
16. An Infinite Thrum (archipelago)
17. The Abandoned Colony Collapsed My World

Warp Records reissue Squarepusher’s debut album "Feed Me Weird Things", virtually 25 years to the day from its original release in ‘96. First released on the now inactive Rephlex label, the album has not been available on streaming platforms until now and has been out of print for more than a decade. This complete edition has been remastered from the original DATs and features two extra tracks which were first released on the B-side of the “Squarepusher Plays… EP” and later featured on the original Japanese release of this album. The edition also includes a 16 page booklet with personal photographs, ephemera and candid notes from Tom Jenkinson, throwing light on the early days of his career.

The release follows “Be Up A Hello”, Squarepusher’s 2020 album that was filled with buoyant, dancefloor driven tracks which featured some of the same analogue and digital hardware that was used on “Feed Me Weird Things”. “Be Up A Hello” was also driven by the same hedonistic energy which is perfectly encapsulated in this pioneering album, the first tracks of which he recorded when he was only 19 years old.

Musically, “Feed Me Weird Things” is more expansive than the electronic sub-genres it was hemmed into at the time, as it was the first release where Tom Jenkinson highlighted his virtuosic bass playing. Like much of his output after, it also showcases disarmingly intricate melodic composition like on “Squarepusher Theme” and extraordinarily complex rhythmic sequences i.e. on “Tundra” whilst retaining an impressive cadence.

The album was a key release for Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) and Grant Wilson-Claridge’s Rephlex label and has gone on to be regarded as one of Squarepusher’s best. As well as a close friendship there was perhaps a bit of healthy competition between Squarepusher and Aphex Twin at the time (!Hangable Auto Bulb” was released in ‘95 and is cited as an influence). However, strong jazz influences and accomplished bass playing set Tom apart from his contemporaries. Richard curated the track list for “Feed Me Weird Things” from tapes that Tom had given him and the record includes sleeve notes written by him too, the only time he has done so for another artist.

“The Squarepusher is someone who wonders what the holes of a flute sound like without the flute. Sound like sound never sounded before, Richard Rodgers and Julie Andrews gave us the Sound of music, John Cage and Simon and Garfunkel gave us the Sound of silence and now the Squarepusher gives us the SOUND of SOUND.” - PRichard.D.Jams (taken from the original ‘Feed Me Weird Things’ sleevenotes)

TRACK LISTING

01 Squarepusher Theme
02 Tundra
03 The Swifty
04 Dimotane Co
05 Smedleys Melody
06 Windscale 2
07 North Circular
08 Goodnight Jade
09 Theme From Ernest Borgnine
10 U.F.O.'s Over Leytonstone
11 Kodack
12 Future Gibbon
13 Theme From Goodbye Renaldo
14 Deep Fried Pizza

Lorenzo Senni returns with a new album on Warp Records. Nearly 4 years since his well-acclaimed ‘Persona’ EP, the Milan-based multi-disciplinary artist, makes his first move with the momentous single DISCIPLINE OF ENTHUSIASM. In keeping with his distinctive pointillistic style and no drum beat etiquette, this is the next part in Senni’s process, accelerating and expanding his idea of Rave Voyeurism.

TRACK LISTING

A1.  Discipline Of Enthusiasm
A2.  XBreakingEdgeX
A3.  Move In Silence (Only Speak When It’s Time To Say Checkmate)
A4.  Canone Infinito 
B1.  Dance Tonight Revolution Tomorrow
B2.  The Power Of Failing
B3.  Wasting Time Writing Lorenzo Senni Songs
B4.  THINK BIG

With great anticipation, Kelela's debut album emerges as an epic portrait of an artist spanning the past and future of R&B. In her hands, however, the genre knows no boundaries and so Take Me Apart exists as an absolutely singular and fearless addition to a canon of recent classics. From her very earliest work, honesty and vulnerability have been cornerstones of Kelela's art - even when clad in the armor of the avant-garde electronics she so deftly inhabits - and Take Me Apart sees her double down on both the emotional intensity and resonance of her message as well as the sonic seeking she is renowned for.

On 2015's acclaimed Hallucinogen EP, Kelela swept listeners along in the rush of ecstasy and the melancholic vapor trail of a hopeful, but ultimately doomed liaison. Hallucinogen would prove to be a turning point, and The New York Times would name it's single, "Rewind", one of the "25 Songs That Tell Us Where Music Is Going". The EP's oversized impact would ignite a period of kinetic worldwide live shows culminating in Kelela crisscrossing the globe on tour with The xx. In parallel with this, 2016 and early 2017 would see Kelela grace a handful of crucial records as a feature vocalist - from longtime ally Solange's majestic A Seat At The Table, to Danny Brown's immense Atrocity Exhibitionand most recently, the star-studded Humanz from Gorillaz. These appearances would be tantalizing signs leading the way to Take Me Apart.

Amplifying the ideas explored on Hallucinogen, here Kelela treats relationships and their effects like a Matryoshka doll, unveiling layer after layer to find herself at the center. Expressing an honest vision of how we navigate dissolving ties with each other and yet remain sanguine for the next chance at love, the emotional ricochet is traced across the album's narrative. Take Me Apart stands not only as an intensely personal chronicle, but also a defiant and turbulent statement direct from Kelela; "Despite it being a personal record, the politics of my identity informs how it sounds and how I choose to articulate my vulnerability and strength. I am a black woman, a second-generation Ethiopian-American, who grew up in the 'burbs listening to R&B, Jazz and Björk. All of it comes out in one way or another."

TRACK LISTING

1. Frontline
2. Waitin
3. Take Me Apart
4. Enough
5. Jupiter
6. Better
7. LMK
8. Truth Or Dare
9. S.O.S.
10. Blue Light
11. Onanon
12. Turn To Dust
13. Bluff
14. Altadena

One of the world’s most celebrated alternative bands return with the bold and breathtaking follow-up to their international breakthrough record.

Grizzly Bear will follow their US Top 10 and UK Top 25 breakthrough record ‘Veckatimest’ with ‘Shields’, a bold yet textured masterpiece.

The album comes as a result of the band writing and recording in a more cohesive way than ever before, delivering anthemic singles (‘Yet Again’, ‘Speak In Rounds’) and stunning orchestral climaxes (‘Sun In Your Eyes’) across the space of its ten tracks.

Asked which tunes on ‘Shields’ belong to which songwriter, every member balks and explains that, for the first time, these are actually full-band numbers. Both in process and product, this is Grizzly Bear as they’ve never been. The words come matched by a sound that is more passionate than proper, a quality earned by spending less time on the perfect take than on the proper feeling. “This has a different energy behind it,” concludes Ed Droste (vocals). “‘Veckatimest’ was a little more of a polite album; the desire to keep the vocals smooth might have kept a little distance between us and the audience. This one feels a bit more rough and exposed, so that on ‘Shields’, everything speaks for itself.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: The ornately wrought ironwork of "Veckatimest" was always going to be a very tough act to follow, but, in my humble opinion, Grizzly Bear have quietly surpassed it with "Shields". The rhythmic twists and turns are still there, as are the intricately crafted, angular song structures and Ed Drost’s aching vocal harmonies; but if in its predecessor’s overreaching ambition emotion and overall direction were occasionally lost, with "Shields" the expression has been honed, and to an exquisite degree. Grizzly Bear are the sum of divergent parts and that’s reflected in their complex, hard to pin down sound – if you need references (and they are loose) then, maybe Jeff Buckley’s muscular anguish and the melodic end of Animal Collective might serve. Best not to take my word for it though, investigate them for yourself; there’s a very, very good chance you’ll find it worth the effort.

TRACK LISTING

1. Sleeping Ute
2. Speak In Rounds
3. Adelma
4. Yet Again
5. The Hunt
6. A Simple Answer
7. What's Wrong
8. Gun-shy
9. Half Gate
10. Sun In Your Eyes