Can You Hear Me Dreaming? is KUČKA’s second album for LUCKYME®. Her decade-plus of experience in the studio shines through on 12 tracks of laser-cut electronic production and irresistible pop songwriting. Slipping out of autobiographical mode and into other people’s stories, she explores the far reaches of her “cartoon brain”, riffing on a personal moodboard of everything from surreal creatures and rainy cityscapes to tattoos and “cute-ugly” pottery.

KUČKA is the solo project of electronic producer and songwriter Laura Jane Lowther. A Los Angeles transplant from Western Australia, with roots in the northwest of England, KUČKA is a self-powered producer, songwriter and vocalist who has collaborated with artists as varied as Flume, SOPHIE, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Mount Kimbie and Vince Staples since her electrifying debut EP in 2012.

TRACK LISTING

1. Wasting Time (til The End Of The World)
2. Heaven
3. Can’t Help It
4. Cry Cry Cry
5. Heavyweight
6. Communal Reverie Ft PESH
7. Mountain
8. One More Night Ft Flume
9. Wedding
10. Messed Up
11. Gross Body Ft PESH
12. Not There

London-born-and-raised DJ and producer Parris has announced his new EP Passionfruit, via his own co-founded label can you feel the sun. Following his stand-out 2021 album Soaked In Indigo Moonlight, described as a “masterful” take on the pop genre (Crack Magazine), Passionfruit continues Parris’ affinity for polyrhythms and bouncing synths, but diving deeper into his love for clubbing and UK soundsystems, the result is a heady house compilation.

Each track on the EP is in contention with the one before it, a counterpoint to a sonic argument; melodic bubbly pop against heavy drum and bass, morning rays of sunlight against dark and swampy rhythms. Where the title track “Passionfruit” was described by Parris as imagining the “early morning of a set with the sunrise coming through the shutters”, the very next track “Slipping, Falling, Crawling” is much like the title suggests: a sludgy, percussion-heavy track which has fun with creating melody from the beat itself, stripped back and raw intent.

“Why Can’t Rabbits Wear Cowboy Boots” and “Underwater Fantasy” are almost alternate universe club classics. “WCRWCB” takes a club-formed structure, and uses it to explore the limits polyrhythms, layering chaotically over eachother, and building through the first half of the track, until it peaks with the introduction of an explosive bassline. “Underwater Fantasy” on the surface is the straightest-sounding track to come from Parris, but the disco-style vocals fight with the beat, pushing and pulling at eachother.

Parris (aka Dwayne Parris-Robinson) has dedicated himself to club culture from an early age, never missing a week at FWD>> (the club night where a generation of bass and techno DJs made their names), and was constantly tuning into Rinse FM. Immersing himself into the distinct sound of London built the foundations of the productions we hear today, with grime and drum & bass bubbling alongside slick pop references.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Tricksy, playful tech-house vibes here from Parris who recalls a bit of Madteo, Sotofett and Julio Bashmore as he injects bucket loads of fun into the dancefloor.

TRACK LISTING

Why Cant Rabbits Wear Cowboy Boots
Underwater Fantasy
Passionfruit
Slipping Falling Crawling

Stix Records, a sub-label of Favorite Recordings, presents the 3rd release from its new Mellow Reggae Series project. Following two stunning covers of Bobby Caldwell and Player alongside label mates Ethel Lindsey, Mato is now taking over the famous hit by Sylvia Striplin, this time inviting his longtime friend and singing partner, Lady Gatica.

Produced by Roy Ayers in the early 80s , “You Can’t Turn Me Away” is one of Sylvia Striplin's sweetest moments of slow, smoochy soul music. So good it had to be covered by Erykah Badu, now we see Lady Gatica take on this mighty record with unbelievably dreamy results.

Almost perfect for a 'mellow reggae' retake, Mato adds lilting guitar, balmy keys and a palm tree elegance that'll have you endlessly rocking in the hammock as the afternoon turns into evening.

Limited copies. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Paul says: Love this mellow reggae twist on the Sylvia Striplin / Erykah Badu jam! Just in time for beer garden season!

TRACK LISTING

A. You Can’t Turn Me Away (Mato Reggae Mix)
B. You Can’t Turn Me Away (Mato Dub Version)

The Wedding Present’s third single originally released in 1986.

Company card inner, re-printed copy of original promo poster. Pressed on transparent blue vinyl.

Sleeve is a copy of original 12” release.

This Boy Can Wait is the unedited 12” version.

TRACK LISTING

You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends
This Boy Can Wait

To hear the quintessential synthesized sounds of "El Hombre Orquesta" aka Ricardo Suntaxi is analogous to studying the detailed schematics of your favorite electronic contraption. For the initiated, it's a peek under the proverbial hood, an invitation into the engine of a sound and color that has played a part in powering and defining a treasure trove of modern Latin American sound-system music.

TRACK LISTING

1. Baile De San Juan
2. Que Siga La Farra

Bogotá's La Pambelé steps into the ring for their debut release on Names You Can Trust, and with it, they've joined a storied history in Colombia's prized salsa tradition. This new generation of talented musicians have come out for the 1st round with fire, grit and determination. Brass, keys, percussion and lyrics blast at you from all angles, evocative of the way the orchestra's namesake, the legendary Palenque boxer, used his flashing fists within the squared circle.

Featuring a full album of original compositions that have been faithfully recorded and mixed under the guidance of Mario Galeano Toro (Frente Cumbiero) and Daniel Michel (La Boa) at Mambo Negro Records, the approach is a return to the roots of salsa dura that continues to thrive in Colombia's deep musical training grounds. The promising future of the genre shines in the capable hands of La Pambelé and its players, and this introduction is sure to help vault the group from up-and-comer to title contender status.

TRACK LISTING

1. Descarga
2. El Avispao
3. Quiebracanto
4. Traigo El Bongó
5. Eleguá
6. Tu Bravura

Dippin' Records introduces two tropical-boogie heaters, straight outta Rio de Janeiro by the Brazilian Multi-Instrumentalist/Producer Fabio Santanna off of his new album 'ASA'. Following up on his most recent collaborations with JKriv and Joutro Mundo, Fabio modernizes the MPB vibes of João Donato, Marcos Valle, Ed Motta for the current dance music lovers. “You Can Do It” delivers uplifting funk with a catchy hook while the flip side “Swing Malandragem” carries a floor friendly jam with the South American percussion and samba feels that transport you to the sizzling summer heat of Rio. Flyest modern Brazilian disco-boogie you'll find in the market!

TRACK LISTING

A1. You Can Do It
B1. Swing Malandragem

Kalita are proud to announce the first ever official reissue of the holy grail of disco 12” singles, Vance and Suzzanne’s ‘I Can’t Get Along Without You’. A record that deserves its space on the shelf of every collector, DJ and dance music connoisseur, and with original copies now regularly fetching triple figures, it’s time to share this masterpiece with the world once more. In addition, here Kalita accompany the release with a never-before-seen press photo and interview-based liner notes. 

Originally privately released in 1980 on Vanton Records, this is the first time that both the record and the label’s story has been told. The product of two members of Crown Heights Affair (Richard Vance Turner and Eleton Johns), the label was established as a way to protect both their musical freedom and copyright that they would have lost had they signed to a major label. With Vanton, they sought to create a sound that combined Eleton’s love for Philadelphia with Richard’s love for New York-based productions. 

Vance & Suzzanne consisted of Richard and his childhood friend and fellow band member Suzzanne Slaughter, who was a background singer for many bands in New York including Sister Sledge. The result of a late night writing session between Richard and Eleton and recorded to tape the following day, the record was finished in just twenty-four hours. Yet it’s legacy lives on as one of the most sought-after disco singles in existence. 

Two thousand copies of ‘I Can’t Get Along Without You’ were originally pressed to test the market, with the initial plan being to re-record it again at a later date with additional strings. However, the record received such great acclaim by DJs such as Larry Levan that the idea of a re-recording was put on ice. 

Sadly, due to academic and familial commitments of both Richard and Eleton, only one other single was ever released on Vanton Records in 1985. However, we hope that this definitive reissue helps to celebrate one of the best disco records ever put to wax. 

TRACK LISTING

1. I Can’t Get Along Without You 
2. I Can’t Get Along Without You (Inst.)  

Following on from the Primal Scream frontman’s brilliantly-received previous release for Ace, ‘Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down’, Bobby Gillespie brings us another slice of the music that soundtracks his life. And in this case, it’s his touring life. Drawing on the experience of ‘the way that the noise and clamour of the road can tire you out, wear you down and frazzle your nerves to shattered fragments of jangled exhaustion’, these are the records Bobby turns to for solace, for comfort, for empathy and for resourcefulness.

The compilation features an introduction from the man himself, talking us through his personal choices as though he’s sitting cross-legged on the carpet going through records with you in his lounge. Also long-time cohort of the band, Kris Needs has written extensive liner-notes, serving up an intensive track by track insight and analysis.

Titled after and kicking off with the Willie Nelson track of the same name, ‘I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone’ leads us through a darker and deeper exploration than its predecessor, featuring Nick Cave’s funereal version of ‘By The Time I Get To Phoenix’ and Ry Cooder’s sparse and beautiful reworking of ‘Dark End Of The Street’. And we get there via such greats as Bob Dylan, JJ Cale, Donnie Fritts, Crazy Horse, Lee Hazlewood, Al Green, Thin Lizzy and so many more.

In Bobby’s own words: ‘These songs are soul savers to soothe frayed and battered nerves and to ease and settle the heart. They work on me like medicine every time. I would like to share this wonderful music that has given me strength, joy and inspiration over the years with you the listener, so that you too might get the same feelings of protection and inspiration that I do whenever I listen to these songs. We're all travellers on some kind of road through this life, and we all need respite from time-to-time - the music on this compilation is soul food of the highest order - I hope you enjoy it.’. 

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Read any interview with Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie over the years, and you can't fail to notice what a ridiculously knowledgeable fan of musical history he is. It's there in the multitude of styles his band have always explored, and it's there in his previous compilation for Ace, ‘Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down’. Guess what? This second outing is even better!

TRACK LISTING

Vinyl Tracklisting
Side One
1. I Still Can't Believe You're Gone – Willie Nelson
2. Love Sick - Bob Dylan
3. We Had It All - Donnie Fritts
4. Magnolia - J.J. Cale
5. In The Rain - The Dramatics *
Side Two
1. By The Time I Get To Phoenix – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
2. I Don't Want To Talk About It - Crazy Horse
3. Dark End Of The Street - Ry Cooder
4. Kind Woman - Percy Sledge
5. Wait And See - Lee Hazlewood
Side Three
1. Strong As Death (Sweet As Love) - Al Green
2. Shades Of A Blue Orphanage - Thin Lizzy
3. Heart Like A Wheel - Kate & Anna Mcgarrigle
4. When My Mind's Gone - Mott The Hoople
Side Four
1. I'll Be Long Gone - Boz Scaggs
2. The Coldest Days Of My Life Pt 1 – The Chi-Lites
3. Roll Um Easy - Little Feat
4. Brokedown Palace - Grateful Dead
5. I Feel Like Going Home - Charlie Rich

* Exclusive Vinyl Track
 

After almost two years of extensive research "Can You Feel It?" compilation series is here. The majority of the artists originate from the United States, however Tramp records are extremely proud to present a couple of German bands too. The one quality these tunes all share is that they, once again, will make you get up, get down, and get ready for some more highly underrated Modern Soul, Disco and Boogie that you can feel!

Obscure but brilliant Modern Soul, Disco and Boogie grooves of which all songs have not been compiled anywhere else. Enjoy your guided tour back into the late 1970s and 80s Disco era.

TRACK LISTING

1. Matter Of Taste - Step By Step
2. Vantage Point - All Night
3. Kim McCrae - I'm Feeling It Too
4. Frankie Staton - Bi-Centennial - 1976 (feat. Speckled Rainbow)
5. Kathy Lowery - Super Dude
6. Royal Touch - What Am I Gonna Do Baby
7. Synod - You Shake Them Things
8. Pat Carpenter - Love You Use To Be So Easy
9. Swankk - If It Takes All Night
10. Ocean Orchestra - Skinflint
11. Street Life 80 - Steps On A Cloud
12. Jackie Berns - I Still Love You
13. Tory Wynter - Real True Voices
14. Chatham - I'll Be Good To You
15. Sool - Stepping Out Of Line
16. Dalton Reed - Giving On Into Love
17. Panama Gold - Gettin' Lucky
18. Ditto Memo - Upside Down
19. Ditto Memo - Feel The Heat

Names You Can Trust continues its years-long revival work with one of Panama's most gifted and legendary soul artists, Ralph Weeks, returning the singer to the studio for another brand new recording that highlights the now 80-year old's still silky vocals and masterful songwriting. Up for the challenge with their own studio savoir-faire is a most fitting and genuine purveyor of modern day soul themselves, Ben Pirani and The Means of Production, whose output on Palmetto Street Recording and Colemine Records has already achieved high praise and collectible status in just a few years. The mission, record two unreleased home studio demos that were penned and tracked in the early 1980's and recently excavated from Ralph's extensive archive of personal songs. These original compositions were faithfully given the full treatment and arrangement they never received, but always deserved. The A-Side, "Nobody Loves Me (Like You Do)", a quintessential Ralph testimonial of love, now shines alive and energized against the backdrop of a funky Latin soul dancer. The B-Side, "Got To Keep On Trying" is one of Ralph's many unpublished monster ballads, a deep and heartfelt tear jerker reminiscent of his classic hits from yesteryear. Now, forty plus years later, both songs can finally be released into the world, and ultimately serve as another testament to Ralph's prolific yet private musical career and legacy.

TRACK LISTING

1. Nobody Loves Me (Like You Do) [feat. Ben Pirani & The Means Of Production]
2. Got To Keep On Trying (feat. Ben Pirani & The Means Of Production)

The insanely rare Georgia rarity 'You Can Tell Me Goodbye' by Bernetia Miller was recorded in Phil Walden's studio (Capricorn Records) in Macon, Georgia. Bernetia remembers a many takes and hard work before they were happy with the record. The Soul Groovers toured extensively, they even had their own little tour bus. The Reissue is taken from the master tapes which Bernetia has held onto for all these years.

TRACK LISTING

1. You Can Tell Me Goodbye
2. I've Gotta Keep On Loving You

Madison’s latest project, I Hope You Can Forgive Me, represents an evolution in her career as she finds ways to improvise and self-produce in the midst of an ever changing global pandemic landscape. I Hope You Can Forgive Me builds upon that next step sonically while exploring themes of love, self preservation, fear, and conjuring. What comes out of this work and Madison’s career thus far is a commitment to leave - leave fear and doubt behind in order to make space for what is next to come, all with a sense of style, fun, and invitation to dance through it

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: McFerrin presents a beautifully manicured selection of new soul ballads, musically edging towards the glimmering guitars and shimmering percussion of Chic but with her stunning athletic vocals bringing things into funky R&B territory.

TRACK LISTING

1. Deep Sea
2. Fleeting Melodies
3. Testify
4. Run
5. God Herself
6. OMW
7. (Pease Don’t) Leave Me Now
8. Stay Away (From Me)
9. Utah
10. Goodnight

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2023 EXCLUSIVE, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

This is Honey Bane's first vinyl release in 40 years. Music's biggest rebel turned her back on the scene in 1983, after a string of successful punk/new wave singles. Violence Grows is Bane's 1978 debut, which she wrote at just 14 years old. She recorded it under her band, Fatal Microbes. The single has been reissued, with digitally remastered audio and pressed on limited edition, "bruised" black and blue 12 inch vinyl. This is the first ever coloured vinyl in Bane's catalogue of work.

Dedicated 21st Century polymath Kay Logan continues to expand her soundworld in every direction at once with her Helena Celle alias. A maximalist internal landscape of broken Jungle patterns, distorted synths and heavily warped instrumentation bent out of cognisance, If You Can’t Handle You At Your Worst, Then I Don’t Deserve Me At My Best is Logan’s most danceable, most fun and most gloriously congealed record to date.

Conceived in part as a response to her 2016 debut release If I Can’t Handle Me At My Best, You Don’t Deserve You At Your Worst, 2023’s update employs similar principles (degrading technology, the joy of chance, an outsider’s gaze onto the dance floor, an embracing of the occult) to delirious effect. If “I Can’t Handle” was lo fi and fragile in its technoid recasting of dance music, here Logan’s confidence allows a frantic playfulness that retains the spontaneity of all her output. It’s the work of a creative spirit revelling in the possibilities of sound, rhythm, texture and pattern. Helena Celle’s music opens up psychic space in front of the listener and invites them in. In this world, sounds and tropes once recognisable are rendered fractal, spectral and continually melting in and out of recognition. Simply put, Helena Celle might be detouring Drum & Bass, Techno and Breakbeat with a prankster’s grin but the result is pure ecstasy crushed into a part of the listener’s consciousness hitherto untroubled.

Opener I Did It My Way pokes fun at Sinatra but the message is clear, Helena Celle has no regrets. Sounding like a Jungle track shorn of a MC and deep fried in greasy acid, it uses cassette compression effects to push the sound far beyond the red. A breakbeat suffers multiple lashings of noise solos, heavily filtered synths and white noise blowing a crazy gale across the stereo pan. Ennobled Reception Of The Excellector (My Face When Mix) approximates French House perhaps or 90s dance chart music as performed by a rotting homunculus gurgling down the phone. It’s really that fun and carefree. Real Time... takes a stab at a kind of Techno EBM Cold Wave with no desire to sound like any of it, with waves of tape hiss rising up from some dark shore to wash over proceedings. Fellow sound artist and musician Jennifer Walton guests on the last track on Side A, an epic, fuzzed out Noise and rhythm excursion into cyber breakdown. Snow-Filled Chalice Of My Magonian Exile (titles of the year so far, right?) builds into a wall of beats, pads, manic, haywire synth patterns and a world-ending, distorted riff that points to an appreciation of Metal. The track posits all of reality as one massive computer game played by gods and this is the track played at the Game Over screen. A pixelated, fantastical club track that would simply eviscerate any club it was played in.

The whole of Side B is given over to a 20 minute epic, Original Besttrack (Abe’s Oddysee Extended Mix). A cohesive summation of the previous 4 tracks but stretched out, it recalls Aphex Twin’s furthest out tracks albeit boiled underwater, every element blown out so that even the ambient passages scramble brains and re-wire expectations. The restless, overwhelming music is glazed with a patina of hiss that renders the whole almost meditative: over the 20 minutes there is so much information to digest your brain starts plugging in directly to the music, settling in and accepting the mania as it comes. At the other end you’re wondering how you coped without it.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Though Helena Celle's musical output is undeniably made for a certain subset of electronic music appreciators, this new project sees Kay Logan's pieces get hefty reworks, morphing the intimidating scattered electronic shards into lo-fi techno, rolling industrial and fractured experimental house.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Did It My Way
2. Ennobled Reception Of The Excellector (My Face When Mix)
3. Real Time (Five Track Pentangle Edgelord Mix)
4. Snow-Filled Chalice Of My Magonian Exile (ft Jennifer Walton)
5. Original Besttrack (Abe's Oddysee Extended Mix)

Two more classic tunes from the Deptford Northern Soul Club Records dancefloor. Remastered for maximum effect.

Shawn Robinson’s ‘My Dear Heart’ was originally released on Minit in 1966. Original copies go for around £250 plus. Filled with positively glowing soul sounds underpinned by gorgeous vibes and a heady beat. Big at Wigan back in the day, a favourite of Richard Searling.

The flipside, from 1967, is from the inimitable Bessie Banks, the hit maker of ‘Go Now’ fame. Originally released on the Verve imprint. Fired up by choppy guitar and a heavy cross mix of vibes and horns, it’s a chugger with some essential breaks for added impact.

A triumphant anthem. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Shawn Robinson - ‘My Dear Heart’
2. Bessie Banks - 'I Can’t Make It (Without You Baby)'

You Can Can is an echoed affirmation, an album which traces song forms around silence, field recordings, and degraded analog memories. This is folk music transmogrified and mutated, as if recorded and reconstructed in Pierre Schaffer’s GRM studio.

Not your typical Mariposa folk duo, the group is comprised of Toronto avant-music scene stalwarts, vocalist Felicity Williams (Bernice, Bahamas) and bricolage artist and synthesist Andrew Zukerman (Fleshtone Aura, Badge Epoch). The album feels like a somnambulant conversation, fragmented and half-remembered with Williams’ vocals traveling through a landscape of field recordings and Zukerman’s saturated concrète topographies. It is an electro-acoustic assemblage, both analog and digital, comprised of air, electricity, minerals, wood, and water. Although the album nods towards traditional forms of folk and musique concrète (if at this point it can be called a traditional form), it is outwardly and inwardly contemporary; non-linear, citational, opaque, and sui generis. In a way it feels like a sonic index of the narrative experiments found on the infamous Language school-related publisher The Figures, in the work of Lyn Hejinian, Clark Coolidge, and Lydia Davis. In the musical continuum, the album picks up where Linda Perhacs left off in the early 70’s—explored by Gastr Del Sol in the ‘90s—a convergence of rural acoustic idioms and urban avant-electronics. This is country music for the discerning cosmopolitan citizen of the 21st Century.

RIYL: Luc Ferrari, Brannten Schnüre, William Basinski, Oval, Eric Chenaux, Emmanuelle Parrenin.

About "Everything In Time and Failure Figures", Felicity Williams says:

'Everything In Time is indebted to the language of Brazilian author Clarice Lispector (as translated by Alison Entrekin). Drawing on insights from psychoanalysis, we trace the roots of melancholy to render them available to consciousness; words from the ghostly realm of the transpersonal filter through dreams and shine a beam of light onto a lone trillium in a forest at night. Other influences include the experience of not knowing, of being subject to a gestation outside of one’s control. This is an ode to the power of naming to obliterate, to set free.

Failure Figures is a meditation on the radical contingency of reality and the vicissitudes of the will. With Slavoj Zizek as my guide (think: “Hegel for dummies” - I’m the dummy in this scenario), I wander through the valley of the shadow of death, and take heart. The last verse refers to an experience I had recording at a studio in Brussels. I was singing in French, with which I have some fluency, and the producer was complaining to the artist whose song it was that my delivery was not convincing. Thinking I was out of ear shot, he said in French, “c’est comme elle n'est pas là”; I was pronouncing the words correctly, but I failed to express anything. So what or whom is responsible for conveying meaning, if not the form of the word itself? And if the connection between meaning and form is broken, how do we fix it?

Gratitude to Thom Gill (guitar) and Daniel Fortin (bass) who joined us on the recording of Failure Figures. Thanks as well to my old roommate Christopher Willes, who unwittingly left behind his hand bells deep in the hall closet. We unearthed them by accident, and the bells became an important sound element. Thanks to other past roomies Robin Dann and Claire Harvie, whose childhood piano and guitar respectively still reside with us, and were used in the recording. Field recordings were made in Toronto, Canada and Celestún, Mexico in 2020.'

TRACK LISTING

Everything In Time
Lustrous Swarm
Can Can
Big Trouble
Papyri Papaver
Strobe Streusel
Failure Figures
Favorite Umbellifers
Infinity Of Loose Ends

Two major soul sides, one from the Twinight catalogue, one from Capsoul. Velma Perkins is the sister of guitarist, songwriter and producer Al Perkins (whose Atco 45, ‘Nothing Is Impossible’, was a big Northern sound). A successful songwriter in her own right under her married name Vee Allen, ‘Yes, My Goodness, Yes’ was the flipside of her only Twinight single, her 1970 debut 45 ,‘I’ll Always Love You’.

With more than a touch of Diana-era Supremes, it’s a gorgeous uptempo groove with typical Twinight horns and a funky guitar that could well be Al himself lending a hand. It’s a super rare 45 that never seems to come up for sale these days. Cut with Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum and Durr’s debut single for Capsoul, ‘You Can’t Blame Me’.

Signed to the label by DJ and singer Bill Moss (his ‘Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother’ on Pama is a corker) as The Revelations, the band changed name and cut two 45s before disappearing. A super soulful funky mid-tempo tune that lets all five (even though there are just four names in their chosen name) vocalists lay down a super plush soundtrack. Punctuated with strings, it’s a magnificent full-on sound that goes for over £30 on seven inch.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Velma Perkins - Yes, My Goodness Yes
B1. Hawkins Johnson, Tatum & Durr - You Can't Blame Me

Over eighteen boundless albums as experimental as they are pop, Deerhoof has continuously quested for radical sounds and daring storytelling. 2020’s Future Teenage Cave Artists explored fairytale visions of post-apocalypse, welding intrinsic melodies with absurdist digital recording methods. Its sequel Love-Lore, a live covers medley, channeled futurist mid-century artists Parliament, Sun Ra and Stockhausen, to name a handful into a patchwork love letter to the anti-authoritarian expressions that inspire the band.

Galvanized by the challenge of unifying many styles of music, Deerhoof landed on their next record’s concept: baroque gone DIY. Actually, You Can is a genre-abundant record that uses technicolor vibrancy and arpeggiated muscularity to offer a vital shock from capitalism’s purgatorial hold. “In the United States now, to be a moral person means to be a criminal, whether it has to do with a general strike or forming a union or Black Lives Matter protests,” clarifies Saunier of the album’s countercultural embrace of liberation. “If you follow the rules, you’re guilty. That’s the spirit we were trying to express: an angelic prison bust, a glamorous prison bust.” It’s a condemnation of America’s mundanity, replacing violence with the heartfelt power of mutualism.

With state lines and oceans separating band members, Deerhoof not only reinvented their sonic and thematic credo, but also their recording process. Deerhoof’s players are not strangers to home-recording their individual parts, and have long embraced composing via file trading. But 2020’s halt to touring kicked off their longest separation from playing together, foregrounding new priorities. As the group’s combined demos became increasingly layered, bassist and vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki put her foot down, insisting the new album should replicate concert energy. Visualizing the quartet on huge stages with past tourmates Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers, Saunier fugue-arranged his bandmates’ complex demos into songs to make an audience smile and dance. He sought out far-traveling delays, heavy playing, and unique panning to evoke the power of outdoor music. Matsuzaki scrutinized spots that would betray the conceit, eliminating anything that took away from the sound of onstage grandeur. “We spent so much time imagining playing together in the process of recording, it’s almost like a false memory of us playing this music together,” Saunier marvels.

For Deerhoof’s members to continually uncover new corners of their own talent requires deep wells of gratitude, not only for each others’ creativity but for the freedom their career affords. But by embracing each other’s art with curiosity, Deerhoof authors a musical alphabet that continues to astound and inspire, a unique lexicon expanding limitlessly with each album. For new listeners and decades-long devotees, Deerhoof’s electrifying, generous approach to collaborative worldbuilding on Actually, You Can is an emboldening call to support our communities with renewed strength, infinite love, and the resilience to keep exploring.

TRACK LISTING

1. Be Unbarred, O Ye Gates Of Hell
2. Department Of Corrections
3. We Grew, And We Are Astonished
4. Scarcity Is Manufactured
5. Ancient Mysteries, Described
6. Plant Thief
7. Our Philosophy Is Fiction
8. Epic Love Poem
9. Divine Comedy

AVAILABLE ONLINE ON SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27TH FROM 8AM.

LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

A crazy 22-track collection containing some of the biggest dance craze hits from the Philadelphia label that got the world dancing in the early 1960sIncludes tracks by Cameo Parkway’s biggest stars: Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Dee Dee Sharp, The Orlons and The Dovells as well as R&B greats Don Covay and The Turbans. Twelve Top 40 hits including three number 1 chart toppers!Chubby Checker’s original hit version of “The Twist,” which has the distinction of being the only single of the rock era to reach number 1 twice in two consecutive years, is included. Features an essay by acclaimed rock & roll and R&B historian John Broven. Mastered from the original master tapes from ABKCO’s Cameo Parkway archive
Bespoke printed inner bags including extensive liner notes and period photos.

Quantrells’ only single release from 1972 goes for two to three hundred pounds if you can find a copy on the Chicago-based Yambo label. A deep soul smoocher with a glorious vocal with enormous brass stabs, it’s like a roughed up version of The Jackson 5. Backed with Promise’s ‘I’m Not Ready For Love’; one of two singles from the mid ‘70s by this all-girl teenage four piece on the New Directions label. Built with a driving bass and the girls’ gorgeous vocals dropping into party mode over a funky guitar break midway through, it’s a classic ice breaker. Copies go for around £100.

STAFF COMMENTS

Matt says: Deptford Northern Soul Club continue to attack the market value of this elite scene by repressing some of the most memorable and must-have records at an everyman's price. I've always championed such behaviour and I'll be honest, it was one of the things that always left a sour taste in my mouth about the Northern scene. It's nice to hear these tracks on vinyl without having to worry about auctioning off your liver.

TRACK LISTING

Quantrells - Can’t Let You Break My Heart
Promise - I’m Not Ready For Love

THIS IS A RECORD STORE DAY 2021 EXCLUSIVE AND WILL BE AVAILABLE INSTORE ON SATURDAY JULY 17TH ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS, LIMITED TO ONE PER PERSON.

IF THERE ARE ANY REMAINING COPIES THEY WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT 6PM ON THE SAME DAY (SATURDAY JULY 17TH).

Unreleased track(s)

Composed as a disco soundtrack for condemned night clubs and empty venues, "I Can See You Outside" is the latest single from Dubstar, a further collaboration with Stephen Hague, who produced their earliest hits.

Recorded at the end of the UK's first COVID-19 lockdown, it forms a companion piece with their previous single “Hygiene Strip”. While the previous song, “Hygiene Strip”, revealed an ordinary human predicament set “I Can See You Outside” is a defiant expression of optimism, and the resolution to transcend an existential threat. The EP features brand new extended and dub remixes which add variety and depth to this otherwise quite radio-friendly of hits. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
1. I Can See You Outside
2. I Can See You Outside (Dub Mix)

Side B

1. I Can See You Outside (Extended)

'Happening Right Now' feature in Shindig (March 2021) Legendary New York author and musician joins Andalusian troubadours for a startling record of gospel, rhythm and futuristic punk folk blues. A powerful statement of love and protest Get ready for an adult dose of Old Testament gospel, smoldering songs of freedom, salvation, and lots of love - hollering and deep country crooning, twisted blues, plantation tunings, African percussion, and outer-space spirituals - this is a new breed of rhythm and roots music, a sonic manifesto for these crazy times!

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: A brilliantly energetic and varied coalition of clashing folk-punk, frenetic distorted 12-bar and galloping Americana. It's an intoxicating and rich juxtaposition of chaos and beauty, and a must-listen for anyone who likes the more esoteric ends of any of the above.

Two classic cuts from the President catalogue.

Doris Willingham ‘You Can’t Do That’ - A big Northern floorfiller from a renowned soul backing singer who cut her own material later as Doris Duke. Her only release under the Willingham name, originally out on the super cool UK Jay Boy imprint in 1968 (the label’s debut release - BOY1).

Produced by Bernard Purdie (Funky Donkey label) who was at the controls for a number of super rare Northern sides. An early gem from the artist who ended up working with the legendary Swamp Dogg (Jerry Williams) charting with the ballad ‘To the Other Woman (I’m The Other Woman)’.

Pat Hervey With The Tiaras ‘I Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind’ - An anthemic, handclap-friendly gem that goes for anywhere between £50 to £100. Released on the UK President label from 1966.

Blue-eyed Canadian soul backed by black Canadian harmony group The Tiaras (not to be confused with the LA harmony outfit). A slow burner that ramps up the horns and strings behind some funky guitar chops and Hervey’s euphoric vocal, her one-off stab at the soul charts guaranteeing obscurity and legendary status.

TRACK LISTING

Doris Willingham - You Can’t Do That
Pat Hervey With The Tiaras - Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind

Countdown Records (via Acid Jazz) are proud to announce the release of the label’s first 7” single in over 30 years. And what could be more apt than the single that never was by label favourites Makin’ Time?

Produced by The Truth and 9 Below Zero’s Dennis Greaves and Mick Lister, this was to have been the West Midland group’s debut single for Countdown.

Featuring the group’s original members, it remained unreleased when that line-up changed and Countdown’s parent label Stiff decided in a change of direction, aiming the group at the pop charts.

Featuring two highlights of their early live set - the Fay Hallam composed ‘Honey’ and ‘Take What You Can Get’, written by Martin Blunt.

The 7” comes in an exclusive Countdown sleeve so make sure to get your copy now.

TRACK LISTING

Honey (Original Version)
Take What You Can Get (Original Version)

Previously Unreleased Disco-Soul-Funk Album With Mixes By Kenny Dope. The Gatefold LP Includes Extensive Liner Notes And A Download Card to WAV Files Of The Full Album. CD Contains Instrumentals And Kenny Dope Extended Remixes. Tucked in the back corner of a linen closet in Macon, Georgia since 1979 sat a box that very few people knew existed. Lost and presumed forgotten, this box contained reel-to-reel tapes of the lost album by the band that issued the lauded Black Gold as The Mighty Chevelles in 1977. By 1979, while transitioning to the name Music Makers Band, the band entered Capricorn Studios and recorded this previously-unreleased disco funk opus, finally issued as You Can Be as part of the Now-Again Reserve series. Nearly all songs have been remixed from the original multi-track masters by Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez. Georgia funk and soul historian Brian Poust details the band and album’s story in detailed liner notes in an oversized booklet.

TRACK LISTING

A1. That Look In Your Eyes
A2. You Can Be
A3. Lady In My Dream
A4. Let Me Start Lovin’ You

B1. That’s The Way
B2. Shake Your Booty
B3. That True Love Of Mine
B4. We’re The Band…. 

The album is accompanied by a selection of some of the band’s favourite demo recordings made between 1988 and 1994.

The long awaited and eagerly anticipated new album by BOB captures the band at their peak and includes some of their best material ever committed to vinyl and CD. A 12-track vinyl record is available in coloured and black vinyl and includes digital download of all 28 tracks contained on the double CD version. ‘You Can Stop That For A Start’ is an exclusive album of previously unheard material written and recorded by BOB over a five day period in 1992. The almost legendary archive of unreleased professional and demo recordings by BOB is a rich one, and this release showcases some of the band’s best work.

All the recordings in the set have been newly mixed by songwriters Simon Armstrong and Richard Blackborow, and come packaged in artwork conceived by the band and accompanied by period images and new sleeve notes. 

Potted BOB History:
BOB’s initial line-up was Richard Blackborow (vocals, keyboards, guitar), Simon Armstrong (guitar, vocals).
Jem Morris (bass guitar), joined the duo in 1986 and, augmented with a drum machine, they recorded the band’s first release, a flexi disc, released in 1986 on their own House Of Teeth label, and containing three short songs: “Prune (Your Tree)”, “Groove” and “Brian Wilson’s Bed”. The band gave a copy to John Peel in a fortuitous encounter in the Rough Trade record shop, and he played it many times.
The drum machine was replaced by drummer Gary Connors in 1987, and this line-up recorded 1987’s What a Performance single and the first of three John Peel sessions. The band were now able to take to the UK’s motorway network in their newly acquired ‘vintage’ Transit van, and begin a series of tours that eventually saw them play hundreds of gigs the length of the country and beyond.

Early in 1988, Gary Connors was replaced by former Jamie Wednesday drummer Dean Leggett, and the band recorded their second single, Kirsty, a session for BBC Radio One’s Simon Mayo, and their second John Peel session. Both singles received heavy play by John Peel. The two singles were brought together with the earlier flexi disc as the compilation LP Swag Sack, which was their final release on the Sombrero label. All later records were on their own House Of Teeth label.

In 1989, the band released a single Convenience, which charted well in the NME and Melody Maker indie charts and, more importantly, reached no.31 in John Peel’s Festive Fifty at the end of the year. This was followed by a limited edition/fan club release containing three songs: “Esmerelda Brooklyn”, “I Don’t Know” and “Sink”. After their third and final John Peel session, Morris was replaced by ex-Caretaker Race bassist Stephen ‘Henry’ Hersom, and this final line-up recorded the Stride Up EP in 1990, an LP Leave The Straight Life Behind, the single Tired in 1991, and one last 12”, the Nothing For Something EP in 1992.
BOB became one of the victims of the demise of Rough Trade’s distribution arm, which limited sales of the album and forced the band to tour for an extended period to recoup the album’s costs. A feeling of disillusionment with the ‘business’ side of the music caused a drop in morale, and despite having produced a large body of unreleased work, they disbanded early in 1995.

In February 2014, “Leave the Straight Life Behind” was re-released by British independent label 3 Loop Music as a 2CD expanded edition which included the remastered album plus a bonus CD of all the John Peel and BBC sessions, as well as extra tracks.

In 2015, “The Singles and EPs” was released by 3 Loop Music as a 2CD compilation of remastered tracks from Swag Sack and all vinyl Sombrero and House of Teeth releases.

In 2019, the band announced six final concerts in England and Germany featuring Blackborow, Armstrong, and Leggett with newly recruited old friend Arthur Tapp on bass. A limited edition 7” of Convenience with an unreleased B-side from 1992 was released on Optic Nerve. The single reached number 18 on the official UK vinyl sales chart.

BOB on the new album You Can Stop That For A Start:
“The tracks that make up You Can Stop That For A Start were recorded over a five day period in our final years, as the hectic touring schedule that had kept us financially viable began to tail off. What funds the band could glean from occasional publishing deals were spent on studio time, with the hope of creating work that would eventually attract more substantial financial investment. As this never materialised, the songs have largely remained unheard since the early nineties. 

TRACK LISTING

TRACKLIST LP
SIDE ONE
01 Telepathy
02 Say You’re Alone
03 That’s What Tomorrow Brings
04 Round
05 Now
06 Sundown

SIDE TWO
01 Plastic
02 She’s Something Like Me
03 Green Pepper Feast
04 Queen Of Sheba
05 Plastered In Paris
06 Don’t Kid

TRACKLIST 2CD
CD1
01 Telepathy
02 Say You’re Alone
03 That’s What Tomorrow Brings
04 Round
05 Now
06 Sundown
07 Plastic
08 She’s Something Like Me
09 Green Pepper Feast
10 Queen Of Sheba
11 Plastered In Paris
12 Don’t Kid
13 I Must Need Some Sleep

CD2
01 Long May We Increase
02 Too Far Down
03 STP
04 When The Saints
05 Helvetia
06 On Your Side
07 Buy Me A Barstool
08 There She Was
09 Shoot
10 207
11 Jehovah
12 Hanging On
13 Thunderfeet
14 Turn That Racket Down
15 Before A Fall

Night Moves’ new album, ‘Can You Really Find Me’, pulsates and glows with the same sublime energy that radiated from breakout single ‘Carl Sagan’ in 2016, however in the intervening years, John Pelant and Micky Alfano have grown up.

The songwriting, while still steeped in super-catchy, velvety riffs and pure pop glaze, feels more sophisticated and modern. Since the pair met in high school, awestruck by such ear-candy wizards as Brian Wilson, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, they set off to craft their version of what sophisticated, emotional modern pop music can and should sound like.

2016’s ‘Pennied Days’ was a breakthrough and set a new bar for the members of Night Moves. After spending the subsequent two years on ‘Can You Really Find Me’, they’ve scaled new heights, where the sounds are still just as sweet but now smarter, more evocative and perfectly designed for a summer release.

‘Can You Really Find Me’ was produced by Jim Eno (founding member and drummer of Spoon) out of Public Hi-Fi Studios in Austin, TX and recorded with live band members Mark Hanson and Chuck Murlowski.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Night Moves expertly craft a brilliantly emotive and drippingly filmic selection of 80's inspired ballads and rhythmically fluid disco-tinged pop anthems on 'Can You Really Find Me'. Any of these pieces could easily be a slow-motion montage soundtrack, dynamic but with a hint of latent morosity, these are modern and eminently enjoyable anthems, and another reason to pay attention to Night Moves.

TRACK LISTING

Mexico
Recollections
Keep Me In Mind
Strands Align
Waiting For The
Symphony
Ribboned Skies
Coconut Grove
Saving The Dark
Angelina
Can You Really Find Me

"Juan Pablo: The Philosopher" has been one of our favourite releases here at Piccadilly in recent years, so we were utterly buzzing to hear word of a new LP from the mighty Ezra Collective. Soon enough the London five-piece furnished us with a promo CD, and it's been on the Piccadilly player ever since. Continuing the genre-bending journey they began on "Juan Pablo", "You Can't Steal My Joy" sees the ensemble apply their incredible musicianship to elements of Afrobeat, hip-hop, grime and dub, wrapping their diverse influences into their fearless, fun and contemporary take on jazz. If you needed any further evidence of their top tier credentials, they recently broke off from a sold out, mosh-pit-filled UK tour to play at Quincy Jones' birthday party - nuff respect. This is the jazz sound of 2019 folks - get joyful.

STAFF COMMENTS

Millie says: Contemporary Jazz 5-piece Ezra Collective have encapsulated joy in record form, and you can feel the happiness radiating through the tracks here, especially “Chris And Jane” and “Quest For Coin”. My record of the year by far, Afro-beat meets Jazz meets Hip Hop makes for a glorious combination to put you in an upbeat mood.

TRACK LISTING

DISC 1
SIDE A
1. Space Is The Place (Reprise)
2. Why You Mad?
3. Red Whine
4. Quest For Coin

SIDE B
1. Reason In Disguise Feat. Jorja Smith
2. What Am I To Do? Feat. Loyle Carner
3. Chris And Jane

DISC 2
SIDE C
1. People Saved
2. Philosopher II

SIDE D
1. São Paulo
2. King Of The Jungle
3. You Can't Steal My Joy
4. Shakara Feat. KOKOROKO

• Soul Asylum’s debut album.
• Produced by Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü).
• First time on vinyl since original pressing
• Reissue co-produced by Twin/Tone co-founder Peter Jesperson and Grammy®-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski. Soul Asylum first hit the Minneapolis music scene in early 1981.

Originally produced by Bob Mould, this reissue is co-produced by Twin/Tone Records co-founder and Replacements manager, Peter Jesperson and Grammy®-winner and Omnivore Recordings, Cheryl Pawelski. This fresh vinyl pressing of Soul Asylum’s debut, Say What You Will . . . Everything Can Happen is the first since it’s original 1984 Twin/Tone release and has been restored and mastered by Grammy®-award winning engineer, Michael Graves at Osiris Studio and cut by Chris Muth at Taloowa.

Ooooohhh Weeeeee! This tasty 12" contains two of the hottest disco and soul cuts ever produced, available as an official single for the first time in aaaages. After spending the late seventies lending her stunning vocals to Aquarium Dream and Ladies Of The Eighties, Sylvia was snapped up by Roy Ayers for his Uno Melodic label, cutting the killer 1981 LP from which these tracks are taken. A-side cut "Give Me Your Love" is a feel good disco groover for the more discerning dancefloors out there, Sylvia's glorious vocals floating freely over a sumptuous uptempo Roy Ayers track alive with bubbling bass, syncopated drums and funked up clav. Sampled by Armand Van Helden, Deepdown and Madd Rapper, this is as classic as they come. The flipside sees the tempo drop, the lights dim and the mood get sexier than Valentine's night in Martin's boudoir... "You Can't Turn Me Away" is deep downtempo business, boasting squelching bass, dreamy keys and a top notch soul breakbeat. Roy Ayers is at the height of his powers her and Syvia more than does the track justice, serving up a stunner that's been sampled plenty of times since ("Get Money"!). Though Striplin never attained mainstream success, her sweet voice is instantly recognized by devout fans of jazzy R&B and those who made up England’s ‘rare groove’ scene of the early 80’s and 90’s.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: As the youth say, I have no words. Roy Ayers musical prowess paired with Sylvia Striplin's stunning vocal is a wonderful thing, and this official 12" puts their two best collaborations together for all the Deejays and dancers. Disco heat on the A-side, rare groove on the B - buy on sight.

TRACK LISTING

1. You Can't Turn Me Away
2. Give Me Your Love

Oakland band Rays return with their second album, You Can Get There From Here, their first release since their eponymous Trouble In Mind debut in 2016. You Can Get There From Here represents a turning point for the band, angling their scrappy, post-punk fury into a more refined & melodic pop sensibility, drawing inspiration from UK DIY pop & punk like Dolly Mixture, Cleaners From Venus & Television Personalities. Songs like "Fallen Stars" & "The Garden" temper their sonic crunch ever so slightly, relying more on the harmonic wallop of a solid hook than the sheer volume of guitars.

This is urgent, chiming guitar pop that clangs with a sonorous melancholy & a ramshackle grace. Rays can still lay it down with the rest of 'em; tunes like "Subway" & "Work of Art" shuffle & stumble forward, skirting chaos in a flurry of strums, recalling antipodean groups like UV Race or Dick Diver who cull inspiration from idiosyncratic UK greats like Mark E. Smith or Robyn Hitchcock. The new album finds the core group of Stanley Martinez, Eva Hannan, Troy Hewitt & Alexa Pantalone augmented by new member & keyboardist Britta Leijonflycht, whose synth flourishes add melodic embellishments, sonic heft or psychedelic swirl where needed. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Fallen Stars
2. The Garden
3. The Big One
4. To The Fire
5. Veterans
6. Yesterday’s Faces
7. Around The Town
8. Anti-Hand Man
9. Subway
10. Work Of Art
11. Ray Johnson
12. Before Sunrise 

Super limited, super illicit, mega heavy dub-wise soundsystem weapon here from DJ Madd. Landing slap bang in the middle of halt-time d'n'b and future dub, "Can't Test You" is the kinda secret bomb that'll send carnival crowds into uproar. Hoover subs ensure the subs are given an adequate workout while the tight flurries of hyper breaks tease ever-closer to erupting into jump up without ever breaking the seal.

Highly recommended!

TRACK LISTING

A. Can't Test You

Formed in the mid 80s wreckage of American punk and hardcore, Laughing Hyenas were comprised of staples of the Detroit punk scene, including John Brannon (Negative Approach) and Larissa Strickland (L Seven) along with the locked-in rhythm section of Kevin Strickland and Jim Kimball. Groundbreaking, game-changing and some of the scariest records to come out of Detroit...or anywhere.

Taking the name from a Mark Twain line, the Laughing Hyenas went back into Smart Studios with Butch Vig to record their debut full-length You Can’t Pray A Lie. The Hyenas further elaborated on the template that Merry Go Round set. Kevin, Jim and Larissa lay down deceptively simple hillbilly voodoo blues that at the same time is so rhythmically complex you’re never quite sure what’s going on. Brannon’s vocals are as frenzied and intense as ever. With the balance and everything just right on YCPAL, our dear Hyenas recorded and released one of the milestone/cornerstone albums of the 1980s American underground music scene.

TRACK LISTING

1. Love’s My Only Crime
2. Seven Come Eleven
3. Black Eyed Susan
4. Lullaby And Goodnight
5. Sister
6. Desolate Son
7. Dedications To The One I Love
8. New Gospel

Officially now a duo, Merrill Garbus is joined by long-time collaborator Nate Brenner. Their new album, I can feel you creep into my private life, tackles race, politics, intersectional feminism and environmental prophecies head on. But in the billows of intense subject matter, the album is their most immediate and upbeat yet – this is Tune-Yards’ music to dance to.

The follow-up to 2014’s acclaimed album, Nikki Nack, much of I can feel you creep into my private life was recorded at John Vanderslice’s new Tiny Telephone studio in their hometown of Oakland, CA. To help finish this stunning record, they enlisted mixer Mikaelin “Blue” Bluespruce (Solange, Skepta, Kendrick Lamar) and mastered it in Harlem, NY with Dave Kutch (Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper).

TRACK LISTING

1. Heart Attack
2. Coast To Coast
3. ABC 123
4. Now As Then
5. Honesty
6. Colonizer
7. Look At Your Hands
8. Home
9. Hammer
10. Who Are You
11. Private Life
12. Free

Ever since they wrote ‘Light Upon The Lake’ as Chicago froze around them during winter 2014, Whitney have tried to make the kind of songs they’d be jealous of if someone else got there first.

‘You’ve Got A Woman’, released on the B-side of Dutch duo Lion’s 1975 psych-pop 7” ‘But I Do’, is precisely one of those songs. “As soon as I heard it, I wished I’d written the vocal melody; it’s so catchy and powerful,” says singing drummer Julien Ehrlich. Whitney’s version is rich, instantaneous and deep in groove. Much like Whitney’s singles ‘No Woman’ and ‘Golden Days’ from last year’s debut, ‘You’ve Got A Woman’ is brushed with longing, nostalgia and serves to slow down time.

Unlike Lion, Whitney made it their A-side. Flip the 12” and you’ll find Dolly Parton’s ‘Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can)’, a short, tearful love song hewn from piano, brass, guitar and Julien’s falsetto.

Things have exploded for Whitney in a year and time on the road meant that even Chicago feels different now - relationships have changed, friendships have drifted but they can still retreat into their songs, snapshots of changing seasons that will always be comforting.

The first new recordings from Whitney since their breakthrough debut album ‘Light Upon The Lake’.

Ooooohhh Weeeeee! This small 7" slab contains two of the hottest disco and soul cuts ever produced, available for the first time in aaaages on the smaller format. After spending the late seventies lending her stunning vocals to Aquarium Dream and Ladies Of The Eighties, Sylvia was snapped up by Roy Ayers for his Uno Melodic label, cutting the killer 1981 LP from which these tracks are taken. A-side cut "Give Me Your Love" is a feel good disco groover for the more discerning dancefloors out there, Sylvia's glorious vocals floating freely over a sumptuous uptempo Roy Ayers track alive with bubbling bass, syncopated drums and funked up clav. Sampled by Armand Van Helden, Deepdown and Madd Rapper, this is as classic as they come. The flipside sees the tempo drops, the lights dim and the mood get sexier than Valentine's night in Martin's boudoir... "You Can't Turn Me Away" is deep downtempo business, boasting squelching bass, dreamy keys and a top notch soul breakbeat. Roy Ayers is at the height of his powers her and Syvia more than does the track justice, serving up a stunner that's been sampled plenty of times since ("Get Money"!). Though Striplin never attained mainstream success, her sweet voice is instantly recognized by devout fans of jazzy R&B and those who made up England’s ‘rare groove’ scene of the early 80’s and 90’s.

HELENA CELLE is the synth work and multi-dimensional audio practise of Glasgow-based musician Kay Logan. A 21st century polymath, Logan’s interests lie in the power relationships inherent in technology, how to harness aleatoric practise in a discipline that is often rigid and in exploring the interface between computer science (Logan is also a computer programmer) and sound. Originally recorded in 2014, "If I Can't Handle.." is the first step on the wander, a deliriously sun-burnt foray into abstract techno and a very personal take on an electronic music language that remains obscure to outsiders but here rendered a unique form of emotional communication.

While Logan’s interests are powered by academic exploration, what’s most striking about Helena Celle’s approach to electronic music is how effortlessly she deconstructs it, makes it personal: the results are emotive without being explicit, raw and engaging, a true outsider music. The taking apart of norms can be heard on the squelched solo on "I'm Done With 666", governed by the love of noise, the wave is eviscerated, smothering the track in a glorious disregard for convention. The crashing, ultra-compressed chords that flatten opener "Streaming Music for Biometrics" re-wire the listener to appreciate chance, to break the loop. Recorded exclusively using a faltering MC303, live in a room straight to consumer dictaphones, the breadth of texture and depth of ideas on these tracks is truly astonishing. "Miming Swinging Baseball Bat" manages to submerge a bass-line straight into the tape heads, grounding a celestial synth arpeggio that flutters overhead.

Informed by limit yet sounding limitless, If I Can't Handle Me... evokes a personal space, a rewired take on electronic music, convention seen through the prism of anti-tradition, a wonderfully careless disregard for electronic music dogma before Logan's next phase as Helena Celle. After several releases under various other pseudonyms (Rick Ross, Larks) Helena Celle sees Logan focusing her ideas into a coherent whole, questioning the hegemony of neo-liberal ideas and their intersection with capital, culture and social practises, how these ideas inform the music we make, the choices we buy. Indeed, while Logan's current practise is moving further into the field of an open-source musical programming language, developing a truly democratic music practise set adrift from capital, here Logan's intent is to make sense of the nonsense we take for granted.

Sorrow Cow are a band from between Liverpool and Manchester.

Manchester-based six-piece Table are led by songwriter David O'Dowda, who combs together different strands of modern folk music to create something new and wonderful on this, their first seven-inch titled "Songs You Can Sing". The two tracks on this single are sumptuous delights, airy and ornate while being oddly familiar. Marshalled by David, Table waltz through quietly elegant folk-pop with minimal guitar, stately piano and low-key vocals on what sounds like an endearingly sweet single, despite the deceptively barbed tale woven throughout. If "Songs You Can Sing" is beguilingly understated, then "Most" is multi-layered and bursting with ideas where electronic and organic sounds collide. It's a many hued delight which pulls together disparate elements and twists them into a myriad shapes, blurring excitedly before sweeping to a beautiful climax. Music that reaches into you and pulls out your soul, personal and frankly as dangerous as it is fragile. Imagine East River Pipe covering a Richard Hawley penned lullaby and you'll have a good idea of what to expect.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: I can't really think what to say about this, other than I really like it! Two slices of cleverly constructed folkiness which despite the addition of electronics, maintains a real warmth and charm. Lovely stuff!

Philadelphia's The Capitol Years return with this new single on new label SOE. "You Can Stay There" is wonderful sunkissed pop that has similar shimmering pop dynamics to The Shins: Melodic, intricate guitars, vocal harmonies, and dreamy vocals. Over on the flip, "1000 Guns" employs the same melodic guitar work, over a lolloping drum beat again topped with gorgeous dreamy vocals. Reminiscent of Piccadilly favourites Ambulance LTD. Lovely stuff!

Finn is German singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and fashion designer, Patrick Zimmer who splits his time between Hamburg and London, where he recently found a new home with cinematic music label Erased Tapes – a conceptualist with the voice of Leonard Cohen on helium. Born in 1977, yet combining influences that span decades, Finn had to wander through a playground of electronica and low-fi recordings to get here. His third album "The Best Low-Priced Heartbreakers You Can Own" shows a surprisingly mature and cohesive collection of haunting and mesmerizing songs as a result from his consequential musical progression. Finn lived, recorded and produced the album over the course of seven months in the catacombs of an old 14th century church underneath the streets of St. Pauli. With this release, Patrick Zimmer prescribed himself a concept album.

Nelson have been hailed as 'the best French band to join the music scene in over 10 years'. Their music can be described as a cross between Joy Division, The Rapture, and Animal Collective. They promise explosive performances where aggressive guitars compete with delicate electronic sounds.

The word legendary gets bandied around with increasing frequency, but in house music circles that aren't many more worthy of that particular epithet than Larry Heard. The man's forays onto vinyl are ever more occasional since his well-documented withdrawals from the scene, so when an Alleviated 12" comes along it's a big deal in our book. "You Rock Me" conveys all the classic Heard sounds with its gentle tempo, careful textures and understated, old school vocals from Mr Chris. "The Sun Can't Compare" is instantly different, drawing on Mr Fingers acid for a faster and wholly electronic backing with those ageless drum sounds. Originally released back in October 2006, this 12" is one of the most requested records we've had in eons - back again for 2024 they don't get much more timeless than this.

TRACK LISTING

A. You Rock Me
B. The Sun Can't Compare

Brand new album from Bono and the boys, back to playing straight forward rock songs.