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Kalahari Surfers

Censorship Is Killing Music (Gross National Products 1981-1989)

South African Warrick Sony is a ground breaking composer who was behind the Kalahari Surfers project which now gets a vital spotlight courtesy of Emotional Rescue. This compilation shows how effortlessly eclectic his sound was - from jive rhythms to jazz, tabla to political speeches and much more in between. A Hindu pacifist who was once conscripted into the South African Defense Force, he founded this group as a way out getting his ides out there, calling on other musicians as and when he needed them. It was the first radical white anti-apartheid pop in South Africa and as this vital collection shows it explored polyrhythms, slow motorik, dub sound collage and even a goofy cover of Nancy Sinatra.

TRACK LISTING

Side 1
1. "Free State Fence"
2. "Crossed Cheques"
3. "Running Out Of Time"
4. "Beat About The Bush"
5. "Ten Dirty Fingers"
6. "Hillbrow 2"

Side 2
1. "Don't Dance"
2. "Beatle Love Song"
3. "I Wonder Why"
4. "Song For Magnus"
5. "Messer Im Kopf"
6. "Telephone"
7. "Perpetual Emotion"

The National

Laugh Track

    The surprise companion to The National's April release First Two Pages of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is the band's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If Frankenstein represented a rebuilding of trust between group members after 20+ years together, the vibrant, exploratory Laugh Track is both the product of that faith and a new statement of intent. Reveling in the license to radically upend its creative process, The National honed most of this material in live performances on tour, and captured those invigorated versions in impromptu sessions at producer Tucker Martine’s Portland studio. Two nights later in Vancouver, the nearly eight-minute album closer “Smoke Detector” was recorded during soundcheck, completing a body of work bristling with spontaneity and vintage rock energy that makes a perfect complement to the songs found on its more introspective predecessor.

    STAFF COMMENTS

    Laura says: Released as a companion album to ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, ‘Laugh Track’ was written during the same sessions but feels more dynamic, largely due to Bryan reverting to ‘real’ rather than programmed drums. After all, it’s his fluid, scatter-shot drumming that has always been the perfect foil for Matt’s melancholy. This LP sounds much more like The National we love and closing track “Smoke Detector” possibly hints at the future direction of their evolution.

    TRACK LISTING

    Alphabet City
    Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces)
    Weird Goodbyes Feat. Bon Iver
    Turn Off The House
    Dreaming
    Laugh Track Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
    Space Invader
    Hornets
    Coat On A Hook
    Tour Manager
    Crumble Feat. Rosanne Cash
    Smoke Detector

    Tricky

    Maxinquaye - Reincarnated Edition

      Tricky’s groundbreaking and peerless 1995 debut-album ‘Maxinquaye’ is being reissued in triple-LP, single-LP, double-CD and digital formats.

      ‘Maxinquaye (Reincarnated)’ contains rarities and brand new versions of tracks many of which have not been officially released before – The single-LP contains the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studio. The super deluxe triple-LP set and double-CD contains six new “Reincarnated” versions of tracks recorded by Tricky in 2022, previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with a full live band in the autumn of 1995 as well ‘Black Steel’ performed live at Glastonbury that same year and it concludes with some rough monitor mixes. The digital version also includes all the remixes from the original single releases plus eight remixes originally unreleased including one from Leftfield.

      All versions of ‘Maxinquaye (Reincarnated)’ come with brand new artwork containing a rare image of his late mother, of whom the album is named after. The image was recently discovered by Tricky’s cousin and is the only one that exists of him and her together.

      With creative control on the project, Tricky started reworking tracks from the original album in 2022 which have never before been released and allow ‘Maxinquaye (Reincarnated)’ to be a natural evolution of the original release. “If you’re an artist or a musician and you look back at your old stuff,” he reasons, “if you don’t think it’s dated then you’re either stood still or you’re satisfied with what you’ve done.”

      “I hadn’t listened to it for years! And ‘Aftermath’ was the obvious one [track] to start with because that was my first release without any label. So it was like, ‘Okay, I’m not going to cover this.’ It’s almost like I just thought about that song and then ‘Aftermath Reincarnated’ – just how it should have sounded to me now. So I redid it as it should sound now. It’s not a cover, it’s a reminder.”

      ‘Maxinquaye’ remains one of the most groundbreaking records in British music history. Upon its released in 1995, it was met with resounding critical acclaim receiving near perfect scores from music critics across the board – Melody Maker deemed it “gripping, original, sublime”, NMEsaid the record was “… unprecedented, spellbinding and revealed something new with every listen”, Q Magazine“… Tricky proves himself to be more challenging and eclectic than his peers”, Pitchfork “An unrepeatable record so unbelievably wrong it could only be right”… even David Bowie took it upon himself to write a letter to Tricky in the August of 1995 proclaiming “I’ve loved Maxinquaye for some time”. In more recent times The New York Times and Guardian have respectively said of it “… [an] album-length masterpiece” and “Time has not dimmed the impact of this extraordinary record”.

      In its year of release, NME, Melody Maker and The Wire all named it their album of the year and it was nominated for a Mercury Prize(losing out to Portishead’s ‘Dummy’). It continues to be sited for its impact on music being a mainstay of “Greatest Albums Of All Time” lists such as NME’s 2013 list of the 500 greatest albums, Uncut Magazine’s 2016 200 Greatest Albums, Q Magazine’s 100 Greatest British albums, Mojo’s 100 Modern Classics, Rolling Stone’s ‘Essential Recordings of the 90s’ to name but a few.

      Format Descriptions:
      2CD version
      Celebrating Maxinquaye as it approaches its 30th Anniversary (2024) the Reincarnated 2CD package is a welcome reappraisal of this seminal album containing the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios, 6 new reincarnated versions of tracks recorded by Tricky in 2022, previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with full live band in 1995 along with rough monitor mixes and a previously unreleased remix from Leftfield.

      3LP version – Black 140g vinyl
      Celebrating Maxinquaye as it approaches its 30th Anniversary (2024) the Reincarnated 3LP package is a welcome reappraisal of this seminal album containing the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios, 6 new reincarnated versions of tracks recorded by Tricky in 2022, previously unreleased BBC session tracks recorded with full live band in 1995 along with rough monitor mixes.

      1LP – Black 140g vinyl
      Celebrating Maxinquaye as it approaches its 30th Anniversary (2024) the Reincarnated 1LP package is a welcome reappraisal of this seminal album containing the original album remastered at Abbey Road Studios.



      TRACK LISTING

      3LP
      LP1 - Side A
      Overcome (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Ponderosa (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Black Steel (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Hell Is Round The Corner (Abbey Road Remaster)
      LP1 - Side B
      Pumpkin (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Aftermath (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Abbaon Fat Tracks (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Brand New You're Retro (Abbey Road Remaster)
      LP2 - Side C
      Suffocated Love (Abbey Road Remaster)
      You Don't (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Strugglin' (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Feed Me (Abbey Road Remaster)
      LP2 - Side D
      Strugglin' (Reincarnated)
      Aftermath (Reincarnated)
      Ponderosa (Reincarnated)
      Hell Is Round The Corner (Reincarnated)
      Pumpkin (Reincarnated)
      Little Aftermath
      LP3 - Side E
      Hell Is Round The Corner (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Strugglin' (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Ponderosa (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Pumpkin (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Black Steel (Live At Glastonbury, 1995)
      LP3 - Side F
      She Devil (Rough Monitor Mix)
      Just For The Hate Of It (Rough Monitor Mix)
      Overcome (Acapella - Rough Monitor Mix)
      Black Steel (Rough Monitor Mix)

      1LP
      Side A
      Overcome (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Ponderosa (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Black Steel (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Hell Is Round The Corner (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Pumpkin (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Aftermath (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Side B
      Abbaon Fat Tracks (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Brand New You're Retro (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Suffocated Love (Abbey Road Remaster)
      You Don't (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Strugglin' (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Feed Me (Abbey Road Remaster)

      2CD
      CD1
      Overcome (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Ponderosa (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Black Steel (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Hell Is Round The Corner (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Pumpkin (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Aftermath (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Abbaon Fat Tracks (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Brand New You're Retro (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Suffocated Love (Abbey Road Remaster)
      You Don't (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Strugglin' (Abbey Road Remaster)
      Feed Me (Abbey Road Remaster)
      CD2
      Strugglin' (Reincarnated)
      Aftermath (Reincarnated)
      Ponderosa (Reincarnated)
      Hell Is Round The Corner (Reincarnated)
      Pumpkin (Reincarnated)
      Little Aftermath
      Hell Is Round The Corner (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Strugglin' (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Ponderosa (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Pumpkin (1995 BBC Radio Session)
      Black Steel (Live At Glastonbury, 1995)
      She Devil (Rough Monitor Mix)
      Just For The Hate Of It (Rough Monitor Mix)
      Overcome (Acapella - Rough Monitor Mix)
      Black Steel (Rough Monitor Mix)
      Brand New You're Retro (Leftfield Remix)

      Songs: Ohia

      Songs: Ohia - National Album Day 2023 Edition

        In a 1997 debut album release, singer/ guitarist Jason Molina unfolds the beginning chapter of the influential and essential discography of Songs: Ohia. The self-titled album sometimes referred to as 'The Black Album', was recorded on an 8-track over the span of one afternoon, was the start of Molina's ideal "first draft" sound that opened the fourth wall into the haunted world-building the album creates for the listener. The sound flickers between undiscovered folk tradition, circular lyrical patterns, and love seesawing between the emotional weight of fear and exhilaration. Repressed on colour for the first time in ages!

        Songs: Ohia

        Axxess & Ace - National Album Day 2023 Edition

          Axxess and Ace stood to be Songs: Ohia's third album release in 1999, Jason Molina is assisted by Geof Comings (Party Girls), Michael Krassner (The Lofty Pillars, Boxhead Ensemble, Edith Frost Band), Joe Ferguson (Pinetop Seven), Dave Pavkovic (Boxhead Ensemble), Julie Liu (Rex) and Edith Frost. This album was recorded by Krassner at his Truckstop Studios in Chicago. 'Axxess and Ace' flickers between Liu's aching violin and Molina's intensely personal lyrics quilting the worries and anxieties of the idea of imperfections. It is direct, in the way that love songs can be, recorded almost entirely live and first take. The finished product is full of spontaneity and surprise for the listener to enjoy time and time again. Repressed on colour for the first time in ages!

          Dinosaur Jr.

          Where You Been - National Album Day 2023 Edition

            Formed in 1984, Dinosaur Jr carved a singular path through the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s, issuing a number of highly influential albums in the process before finding a home with Sire Records. ‘Where You Been’, their fifth record, emerged in 1993, at the height of enthusiasm for grunge and the alternative American rock scene the band had long been part of.

            Produced by a new line-up of the group (longtime drummer Murph and new bassist Mike Johnson completing the three-piece), the album became the band’s most successful up to that point, reaching #50 in the US (where it sold over a quarter of a million copies) and #10 in the UK album charts, and spawning the hit single ‘Start Choppin’.

            Released to unanimously positive reviews, and containing many tracks that would become staples and fan favourites, ‘Where You Been’ continued Dinosaur Jr’s global ascent, being issued simultaneously across the US, Europe, Australasia, Asia and South America.


            TRACK LISTING

            Side A:
            1. Out There
            2. Start Choppin’
            3. What Else Is New
            4. On The Way
            5. Not The Same
            Side B:
            1. Get Me
            2. Drawerings
            3. Hide
            4. Goin’ Home
            5. I Ain’t Sayin

            Idlewild

            Captain - National Album Day 2023 Edition

              The six-track release is the band in their early raw form. Their sound developed over their illustrious 25-year career, but ‘Captain’ is a reflection of a band who, at the time, were disrupting a thriving indie scene with a unique edgier, more angular sound. Their live reputation preceded them, never failing to impress the fast-expanding fanbase. 'Captain' was recorded in October 1997 and was initially released on Deceptive Records in January 1998. The band signed to EMI shortly before the release of 'Captain'.

              TRACK LISTING

              Side One
              1. Self Healer
              2. Annihilate Now!
              3. Captain
              Side Two
              1. Last Night I Missed All The Fireworks
              2. Satan Polaroid
              3. You Just Have To Be Who You Are

              Catatonia

              International Velvet - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                International Velvet is the second album by Welsh band Catatonia. It was the band's breakthrough, reaching number 1 in the UK Albums Chart.

                TRACK LISTING

                Side One
                1. Mulder And Scully
                2. Game On
                3. I Am The Mob
                4. Road Rage
                5. Johnny Come Lately
                6. Goldfish And Paracetamol
                Side Two
                1. International Velvet
                2. Why I Can’t Stand One Night Stands
                3. Part Of The Furniture
                4. Don’t Need The Sunshine
                5. Strange Glue
                6. My Selfish Gene

                Garbage

                Version 2.0 - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                  Described by TIME Magazine as “gloomy and sexual yet lively and introspective”, Garbage’s second studio album Version 2.0, released in 1998, was heralded as a bold progression from their self-titled debut album and went on to sell over four million copies worldwide, matching the success of its predecessor. Formed in 1993 comprising of members Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, Butch Vig and Shirley Manson, Garbage have gone onto sell over 17 million albums worldwide over a 30 year career.

                  This 2LP Gatefold Vinyl comes as an exclusive for National Album Day 2023, and is the first time the record has been pressed on Transparent Blue colored vinyl.


                  Fatboy Slim

                  You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                    You've Come a Long Way, Baby is the second album by Fatboy Slim. It was first released on 19 October 1998 in the United Kingdom on Skint Record and a day later in the United States by Astralwerks.

                    You've Come a Long Way, Baby proved to be Cook's global breakthrough album, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number 34 on the US Billboard 200. Praised by critics for its sound and style, the album brought international attention to Cook, earning him a Brit Award in 1999, and was later certified four times platinum by the BPI and platinum by the RIAA. Four singles were released from the album: "The Rockafeller Skank", "Gangster Trippin", "Praise You", and "Right Here Right Now", all of which peaked within the top ten on the UK Singles Chart. "Build It Up – Tear It Down" was also released as a promotional single.

                    The album has now been remastered at half speed into the best available audio quality possible. 


                    TRACK LISTING

                    SIDE A
                    1. Right Here Right Now
                    2. Rockafeller Skank
                    3. Fucking In Heaven
                    SIDE B
                    1. Gangster Trippin
                    2. Build It Up Tear It Down
                    3. Kalifornia
                    SIDE C
                    1. Soul Surfing
                    2. You’re Not From Brighton
                    3. Praise You
                    SIDE D
                    1. Love Island
                    2. Acid 8000

                    Bob Dylan

                    Time Out Of Mind - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                      Time Out of Mind is the thirtieth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, originally released on September 30, 1997, through Columbia Records. For many fans and critics, the album marked Dylan's artistic comeback after he appeared to struggle with his musical identity throughout the 1980s; he had not released any original material since Under the Red Sky in 1990. Time Out of Mind is hailed as one of Dylan's best albums, and it went on to win three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in 1998.

                      TRACK LISTING

                      Side A
                      1. Love Sick
                      2. Dirt Road Blues
                      3. Standing In The Doorway
                      4. Million Miles
                      Side B
                      1. Tryin' To Get To Heaven
                      2. 'Til I Fell In Love With You
                      3. Not Dark Yet
                      Side C
                      1. Cold Irons Bound
                      2. Make You Feel My Love
                      3. Can't Wait
                      Side D
                      1. Highlands

                      Nas

                      It Was Written - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                        It Was Written is the second studio album by American rapper Nas, originally released on July 2, 1996, by Columbia Records. After the modest commercial success of his debut album Illmatic (1994), Nas pursued a more polished, mainstream sound for It Was Written. Produced largely by Trackmasters, it departed from the debut's raw, underground aesthetic and embraced mafioso and gangsta themes. The recording also marked the first appearance of Nas's short-lived supergroup The Firm, featuring the rappers Foxy Brown, AZ, and Cormega.

                        TRACK LISTING

                        Side A
                        1. Album Intro
                        2. The Message
                        3. Street Dreams
                        4. I Gave You Power
                        Side B
                        1. Watch Dem Niggas
                        2. Take It In Blood
                        3. The Set Up
                        Side C
                        1. Black Girl Lost
                        2. Suspect
                        3. Shootouts
                        4. Nas Is Coming
                        Side D
                        1. Affirmative Action
                        2. Live Nigga Rap
                        3. If I Ruled The World (Imagine That)
                        4. Silent Murder

                        Teenage Fanclub

                        Bandwagonesque - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                          Bandwagonesque is the third album by Scottish alternative rock band Teenage Fanclub, originally released in November 1991 on Creation Records. The album gave the band substantial US success when the single "Star Sign" reached number four on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, becoming their biggest hit in that country, with "What You Do to Me" and "The Concept" also becoming top 20 hits. Bandwagonesque was voted 'album of the year' for 1991 by American music magazine Spin, famously beating Nirvana's landmark album Nevermind.

                          TRACK LISTING

                          Side A
                          1. The Concept
                          2. Satan
                          3. December
                          4. What You Do To Me
                          5. I Don't Know
                          6. Star Sign
                          Side B
                          1. Metal Baby
                          8. Pet Rock
                          9. Sidewinder
                          10. Alcoholiday
                          11. Guiding Star
                          12. Is This Music?

                          Gabrielle

                          Rise - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                            Released in 1999, ‘Rise’ is the third studio album by Singer/Songwriter Gabrielle.

                            Having achieved major commercial success, the pop-soul classic spent three weeks at Number 1 on the UK Albums Chart, and is certified 4x platinum.

                            This release comes as a Limited Edition Yellow Vinyl. 

                            TRACK LISTING

                            Side A
                            Sunshine
                            Rise
                            When A Woman
                            Tell Me What You Dream
                            5 O'Clock
                            Should I Stay
                            Side B
                            Over You
                            Falling
                            If You Love Me
                            Independence Day
                            Gonna Get Better
                            Out Of Reach

                            James

                            Gold Mother - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                              2023 sees 40 years of James. As part of the celebration UMR is reissuing the band’s breakthrough album, Gold Mother on 2LP gold vinyl. Combining the 1990 and 1991 versions of the album it includes the iconic anthem Sit Down as well as How Was It For You, Come Home (Flood Mix) and Lose Control.

                              TRACK LISTING

                              Side A
                              Come Home (Flood Mix)
                              Lose Control
                              Government Walls
                              Side B
                              God Only Knows
                              You Can't Tell How Much Suffering (On A Face That's Always Smiling)
                              How Was It For You
                              Sit Down
                              Side C
                              Walking The Ghost
                              Gold Mother
                              Top Of The World
                              Side D
                              Come Home
                              Crescendo
                              Hang On

                              Neneh Cherry

                              Man - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                Departing from rap and dance, Cherry’s third album ‘Man’, released in 1996, instead can be described as a collection of alternative rock anthems. The Swedish singer released the duet ‘7 Seconds’ with Youssou N’Dour, which topped the charts internationally. This release comes as a limited edition 140-gram Yellow vinyl.

                                TRACK LISTING

                                Side A
                                Woman
                                Feel It
                                Hornbeam
                                Trouble Man
                                Golden Ring
                                Side B
                                7 Seconds
                                Kootchi
                                Beastiality
                                Carry Me
                                Together Now
                                Everything

                                Siouxsie & The Banshees

                                The Rapture - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                  Siouxsie & The Banshees final album ‘The Rapture’ includes the title track as well as ‘Fall from Grace’ and ‘Not Forgotten’ which were produced by the band in 1993. The release comes as a limited edition 140-gram turquoise transparent vinyl. 

                                  TRACK LISTING

                                  Side A
                                  O Baby
                                  Tearing Apart
                                  Stargazer
                                  Fall From Grace
                                  Side B
                                  Not Forgotten
                                  Sick Child
                                  The Lonely One
                                  Falling Down
                                  Side C
                                  The Rapture
                                  Side D
                                  Forever
                                  The Double Life
                                  Love Out Me
                                  Stereophoni

                                  Various Artists

                                  The Virgin Suicides (Music From The Motion Picture) - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                    This soundtrack features music from Todd Rundgren, Boston, Heart, Sloan, The Hollies, Al Green, Gilbert O'Sullivan, 10cc, Styx, and two tracks by Air, which includes a previously recorded material, and an original composition, especially for the film. Sofia Coppola wanted to convey the theme of adolescence in the suburbs in the soundtrack.

                                    TRACK LISTING

                                    Side One
                                    1. Heart - Magic Man
                                    2. Todd Rundgren - Hello It's Me
                                    3. Sloan – Everything You’ve Done Wrong
                                    4. AIR – Ce Matin Le
                                    5. The Hollies – The Air That I Breathe
                                    6. Al Green – How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
                                    Side Two
                                    1. Gilbert O’Sullivan – Alone Again (Naturally)
                                    2. 10cc – I’m Not In Love
                                    3. Todd Rundgren – A Dream Goes On Forever
                                    4. Heart – Crazy On You
                                    5. AIR – Playground Love (Vibraphone Version)
                                    6. Styx – Come Sail Away 

                                    Various Artists

                                    V4 Visions: Of Love & Androids - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                      In the midst of the UK house rave-olution of the early-’90s, London’s V4 Visions imprint documented the confluence of street soul, deep house, swingbeat, and jungle sounds emanating from the clubs and pirate radio signals. Over the course of half a decade, V4’s unparalleled 12” output referenced every significant Black British music scene; from lovers rock to jazz-funk, sound system reggae to hip hop, new jack swing to garage, from artists Ashaye, Julie Stapleton, Maureen Mason, Rohan Delano, The Wades, and Endangered Species. This 18-track double LP is the first critical overview of the label, with extensive notes by Simon Reynolds, era-defining photographs, and fresh remasters, all housed in a glorious foil-stamped gatefold tip-on sleeve. Is this a dream?

                                      TRACK LISTING

                                      1. Maureen Mason I'm Believing (In Love Again)
                                      2. Ashaye What's This World Coming To
                                      3. Julie Stapleton Just Dreaming
                                      4. Ashaye Dreaming (Original Mix)
                                      5. Julie Stapleton (Feat. Ashaye) All The Way (Guitar Mix)
                                      6. Maureen Mason If This Is A Dream
                                      7. The Wades Get Off That (Poison)
                                      8. Ashaye Come Go With Me
                                      9. Julie Stapleton Where's Your Love Gone (Remix)
                                      10. Rohan Delano The Way I Love You
                                      11. Ashaye Dreaming (Jungle Mix)
                                      12. Endangered Species Just A Memory (Vocal Mix)
                                      13. Endangered Species Endangered Species
                                      14. Insight (Feat. Ashaye) Fantasy (Insight Mix)
                                      15. Ashaye Nowhere To Run (Instrumental South Side Mix)
                                      16. Insight Paradise (Para Dub)
                                      17. Jungle Biznizz Joy In The Jungle
                                      18. Rohan Delano Inflight

                                      Babybird

                                      Ugly Beautiful - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                        The classic (anti) Britpop album issued on vinyl for the first time since its original 1996 release. Contains 4 UK top 40 singles: Candy Girl, Goodnight, Cornershop and the massive top 3 hit and radio favourite, You’re Gorgeous. 

                                        TRACK LISTING

                                        A1. Goodnight
                                        A2. Candy Girl
                                        A3. Jesus Is My Girlfriend
                                        A4. I Didn't Want To Wake You Up
                                        B1. Dead Bird Sings
                                        B2. Atomic Soda
                                        B3. You're Gorgeous
                                        B4. Bad Shave 2
                                        C1. Cornershop
                                        C2. King Bing
                                        C3. You & Me
                                        D1. 45 & Fat
                                        D2. Too Handsome To Be Homeless
                                        D3. July
                                        D4. Baby Bird

                                        Duster

                                        Stratosphere - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                          Best listened to from inside the womb, Duster’s 1998’s debut Stratosphere simultaneously capped off and reinvented the slow core’s first wave. A four track dreamscape that will wake the neighbors and then lull them back to sleep. Hazy, arpeggiated guitars layer over a deliberate drummer with no real place to be, as semi-inaudible vocals warn of millennial malaise and subtly encourage the listener to “rock out, rock out, rock out, rock out.”

                                          TRACK LISTING

                                          SIDE A
                                          1 Moon Age
                                          2 Heading For The Door
                                          3 Gold Dust
                                          4 Topical Solution
                                          5 Docking The Pod
                                          6 The Landing
                                          7 Constellations
                                          8 The Queen Of Hearts
                                          SIDE B
                                          9 Two Way Radio
                                          10 Inside Out
                                          11 Stratosphere
                                          12 Reed To Hillsborough
                                          13 Shadows Of Planes
                                          14 Earth Moon Transit
                                          15 The Twins/Romantica
                                          16 Sideria

                                          Robert Miles

                                          Dreamland - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                            Dreamland is the debut studio album by Robert Miles. Originally released on 7 June 1996 to critical acclaim. The US version of the album which the NAD release replicates features the single “One and One” with Maria Nayler on vocals.

                                            TRACK LISTING

                                            Side A
                                            1. Children
                                            2. Fable
                                            3. Fantasya
                                            Side B
                                            1. Landscape
                                            2. In My Dreams
                                            Side C
                                            1. Princess Of Light
                                            2. Fable (Dream Version)
                                            3. In The Dawn
                                            Side D
                                            1. One & One (Club Version) Feat. Maria Nayler
                                            2. Children (Original Version)
                                            3. Red Zone

                                            808 State

                                            Ex:el - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                              Originally released in 1991, ex:el was the third studio album by 808 State, and the last to feature founding member Martin Price. The album contains guest vocals from Bernard Sumner of New Order in the single ‘Spanish Heart’, and Björk with ‘Qmart’ and ‘Ooops’, paving the way for early concepts of modern electronic music. The release comes as a limited-edition 140-gram blue vinyl.

                                              TRACK LISTING

                                              Side A
                                              San Francisco
                                              Spanish Heart
                                              Leo Leo
                                              Side B
                                              Qmart
                                              Nephatiti
                                              Lift
                                              Side C
                                              Ooops
                                              Empire
                                              In Yer Face
                                              Side D
                                              Cübik
                                              Lambrusco Cowboy
                                              Techno Bell
                                              Olympic

                                              James

                                              Laid - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                Originally released in 1993, this Brian Eno produced album would include the worldwide hit, Laid that became the “theme” to the American Pie series of films. It also included the tracks Sometimes and Say Something. Issued on trans red 2LP vinyl.

                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                Side A
                                                Out To Get You
                                                Sometimes (Lester Piggott)
                                                Dream Thrum
                                                Side B
                                                One Of The Three
                                                Say Something
                                                Five-O
                                                Side C
                                                P.S.
                                                Everybody Knows
                                                Knuckle Too Far
                                                Side D
                                                Low Low Low
                                                Laid
                                                Lullaby
                                                Skindiving

                                                R.E.M.

                                                Automatic For The People - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                  Released in 1992, Automatic For the People is the eighth studio album from R.E.M. The reflective album, featuring the singles ‘Drive’, ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ’Man On The Moon’, reflects a soothing melancholy through the acoustic arrangement. Selling over 18 million copies worldwide, this release comes as a limited edition 140-gram Solid Yellow vinyl.

                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                  Side A
                                                  Drive
                                                  Try Not To Breathe
                                                  The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
                                                  Everybody Hurts
                                                  New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
                                                  Sweetness Follows
                                                  Side B
                                                  Monty Got A Raw Deal
                                                  Ignoreland
                                                  Star Me Kitten
                                                  Man On The Moon
                                                  Nightswimming
                                                  Find The River

                                                  Stereophonics

                                                  Performance & Cocktails - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                    Performance and Cocktails, released in 1999, includes “T Shirt Sun Tan,” the acoustic “She Takes Her Clothes Off,” and “Pick a Part That’s New.”. The name of the band’s second studio album comes from lyrics in the first featured song ‘Roll Up and Shine’, and is being released as a limited edition 140-gram Orange vinyl.

                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                    Side A
                                                    Roll Up And Shine
                                                    The Bartender And The Thief
                                                    Hurry Up And Wait
                                                    Pick A Part That's New
                                                    Just Looking
                                                    Half The Lies You Tell Ain't True
                                                    I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio
                                                    Side B
                                                    T-Shirt Sun Tan
                                                    Is Yesterday, Tomorrow, Today?
                                                    A Minute Longer
                                                    She Takes Her Clothes Off
                                                    Plastic California
                                                    I Stopped To Fill My Car Up

                                                    Various Artists

                                                    Help - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                      To mark the 30th anniversary of War Child and celebrate National Album Day’s theme of the 90’s, War Child Records are reissuing the iconic 1995 charity album HELP on red and black smoke vinyl limited to 2,000 copies exclusively for National Album Day. Originally mastered by Brian Eno with artwork by John Squire and featuring images from the original recording sessions shot by Lawrence Watson at Abbey Road Studios.

                                                      The album is the perfect snapshot of a golden time for British music in the 90’s with indie and underground acts taking over the mainstream. The 1995 album features tracks from Oasis and Friends, The Boo Radleys, The Stone Roses, Radiohead, Orbital, Portishead, Massive Attack, Suede, The Charlatans vs. The Chemical Brothers, Stereo MCs, Sinéad O’Connor, The Levellers, Manic Street Preachers, Terrorvision, The One World Orchestra (Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty), Planet 4 Folk Quartet (Andrew Weatherall and David Harrow), Terry Hall and Salad, Neneh Cherry and Trout, Blur and The Smokin’ Mojo Filters (Paul McCartney, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher).

                                                      The HELP album was recorded in a single day and released less than a week later, in a time before WeTransfer, iPhone and email. It raised over £1.25 million enabling War Child to bring emergency support to thousands of children in the Bosnian conflict. No charity album before or since has managed to achieve what HELP achieved and attract such a credible and stellar line-up to create such a relevant, respected and cool album – described by Q magazine as “the best charity album ever made.”

                                                      The HELP album is a phenomenal achievement made possible by an exceptional collaborative spirit. At a time when the charts were dominated by the infamous race for number one between Blur and Oasis, even they were willing to come together to support War Child – “We’ll put aside our differences for the cause – and it’s the only time you’ll see the two of us agreeing on anything” Noel Gallagher said at the time in an interview.

                                                      At the time the situation in Bosnia was drastically deteriorating. Hundreds of thousands had lost their lives, and the fighting had displaced millions from their homes. War Child looked to the music industry to raise much needed emergency funds to help support as many children as possible. A music industry collective led by Go! Discs Tony Crean, The Stone Roses and Manic Street Preachers publicist Terri Hall, Black Grape publicist Anton Brookes and legendary music PR Rob Partridge took immediate action opening their contact books and pulling together an unbelievable line-up of artists and support from the music industry.

                                                      The album included several pivotal and poignant moments. Radiohead’s Lucky was a preview of what would eventually become OK Computer, the Manic Street Preachers first studio track since the disappearance of Richey Edwards, Oasis and Friends just weeks before releasing What’s The Story Morning Glory and the one-off creation of the supergroup The Smokin’ Mojo Filters – made up of Paul McCartney, Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller.

                                                      In November 1995 – and a more than fitting tribute for its impact – Tony Blair attended the Q Awards to present a specially created award to the album saying, “At a time when there was a danger of the West turning its back on the war in Bosnia, it helped put it back in the headlines and reactivate public interest. It helped us be aware of our responsibilities to other people."

                                                      The original ambition had been to try and raise £200,000 – but the album went on to make over six times that amount, enabling War Child to support thousands of children affected by the war in Bosnia. Today, the challenge is bigger than ever. Across the world, 1 in 6 children are affected by armed conflict. All proceeds from this release will go directly to War Child to fund their mission to protect, educate and stand up for the right of children living through conflict.


                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                      Side A
                                                      1. Oasis And Friends – "Fade Away"
                                                      2. The Boo Radleys – "Oh Brother"
                                                      3. The Stone Roses – "Love Spreads"
                                                      4. Radiohead – "Lucky"
                                                      5. Orbital – "Adnan"
                                                      Side B
                                                      6. Portishead – "Mourning Air"
                                                      7. Massive Attack – "Fake The Aroma" (alternate Version Of "Karmacoma")
                                                      8. Suede – "Shipbuilding"
                                                      9. The Charlatans Vs. The Chemical Brothers – "Time For Livin'"
                                                      10. Stereo MCs – "Sweetest Truth (Show No Fear)"
                                                      Side C
                                                      11. Sinéad O'Connor – "Ode To Billie Joe"
                                                      12. The Levellers – "Searchlights"
                                                      13. Manic Street Preachers – "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head"
                                                      14. Terrorvision – "Tom Petty Loves Veruca Salt"
                                                      15. The One World Orchestra Featuring The Massed Pipes And Drums Of The Children's Free Revolutionary Volunteer Guards (aka The KLF) – "The Magnificent"
                                                      Side D
                                                      16. Planet 4 Folk Quartet – "Message To Crommie"
                                                      17. Terry Hall And Salad – "Dream A Little Dream Of Me"
                                                      18. Neneh Cherry And Trout – "1, 2, 3, 4, 5 "
                                                      19. Blur – "Eine Kleine Lift Musik"
                                                      20. The Smokin' Mojo Filters – "Come Together"

                                                      Jeff Buckley

                                                      Grace - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                        Grace is the only studio album by American singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, originally released on August 23, 1994, by Columbia Records. Featuring Buckley’s definitive cover of Hallelujah and frequently cited by critics as one of the greatest albums of all time.

                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                        Side A
                                                        1. Mojo Pin
                                                        2. Grace
                                                        3. Last Goodbye
                                                        4. Lilac Wine
                                                        5. So Real
                                                        Side B
                                                        1. Hallelujah
                                                        2. Lover, You Should've Come Over
                                                        3. Corpus Christi Carol
                                                        4. Eternal Life
                                                        5. Dream Brother

                                                        Wu-Tang Clan

                                                        Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                          Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is the debut studio album by the American hiphop group Wu-Tang Clan, originally released on November 9, 1993.

                                                          The gritty, distinctive sound of Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) created a blueprint for hardcore hip-hop during the 1990s, and helped return New York City hip-hop to national prominence. Its sound also became greatly influential in modern hip-hop production, while the group members' explicit, humorous, and free-associative lyrics have served as a template for many subsequent rap records. Serving as a landmark release in the era of hip-hop known as the East Coast Renaissance, its influence helped lead the way for several other East Coast rappers, including Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and Jay-Z.

                                                          Despite its raw, underground sound the album received positive reviews from most music critics, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) has since been widely regarded as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, as well as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. In 2020, the album was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2022, the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                          Side A
                                                          1. Bring Da Ruckus
                                                          2. Shame On A Nigga
                                                          3. Clan In Da Front
                                                          4. Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber
                                                          5. Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission
                                                          6. Protect Ya Neck / Intermission
                                                          Side B
                                                          1. Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'
                                                          8. Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit
                                                          9. C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)
                                                          10. Method Man
                                                          11. Tearz
                                                          12. Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II

                                                          Paul Weller

                                                          Wild Wood - National Album Day 2023 Edition

                                                            Wild Wood is the second studio album by Paul Weller. Originally released in 1993 the album hit the #2 spot in the UK album chart. The album contains 3 top 20 hits in Wild Wood, Sunflower and The Weaver. The release marks the 30th Anniversary of the album and comes as a limited edition 140-gram coloured vinyl.

                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                            Side 1
                                                            Sunflower
                                                            Can You Heal Us (Holy Man)
                                                            Wild Wood
                                                            Instrumental (Part 1)
                                                            All The Pictures On The Wall
                                                            Has My Fire Really Gone Out
                                                            Country
                                                            Side 2
                                                            5th Season
                                                            The Weaver
                                                            Instrumental (Part 2)
                                                            Foot Of The Mountain
                                                            Shadow Of The Sun
                                                            Holy Man (Reprise)
                                                            Moon On Your Pyjamas

                                                            The National

                                                            First Two Pages Of Frankenstein

                                                              Anchored by evocative melodies and an enthralling lyrical narrative, First Two Pages of Frankenstein signals a thrilling new chapter in the band’s beloved discography. The 11-song album was produced by The National at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York and features guest appearances by Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.

                                                              The follow-up to 2019’s top five hit album I Am Easy To Find, First Two Pages of Frankenstein was initially stalled while lead singer Matt Berninger navigated “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all, and that period lasted for over a year. Even though we’d always been anxious and argued quite a lot whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.” Instead, The National “managed to come back together and approach everything from a different angle, and because of that we arrived at what feels like a new era for the band,” according to guitarist/pianist Bryce Dessner, whose bandmates also include his brother Aaron (guitar/piano/bass) as well as brothers Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).

                                                              First Two Pages of Frankenstein channels the group’s revitalized chemistry into a body of work that beautifully balances elegant musicality with the National’s more idiosyncratic impulses. Tracks such as “Grease in Your Hair” and “Ice Machines” were road-tested in 2022 before they were recorded, allowing the band to hone the material in real time (another song, “Weird Goodbyes” featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, was released as a standalone track last August). “To me the power of this record has to do with the intentionality and structure of the music meeting with a lot of accidental magic,” says Aaron Dessner.

                                                              Swift duets with Berninger on the luminous “The Alcott,” continuing her recent string of collaborations with members of The National on her chart-topping albums folklore and evermore and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine project. The song finds Berninger and Swift inhabiting the roles of a couple attempting to resurrect a troubled relationship, forging a finely drawn story nearly novelistic in scope. “It’s about two people with a long history returning to a place and trying to relive a certain moment in time,” says Berninger. “It’s got the feeling of a last-ditch effort to hold onto the relationship, but there’s a hint of something positive where you can see the beginnings of a reconnection.”

                                                              STAFF COMMENTS

                                                              Liam says: Succeeding on from the beautiful yet gut-punching 'I Am Easy To Find', 'First Two Pages Of Frankenstein' is another exquisite slice of moving and expansive indie from Berninger and co. Boasting huge guest spots from Taylor Swift, Sufjan Stevens and Phoebe Bridgers, this record further cements The National as the generational talent we've always known them to be!

                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                              Once Upon A Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
                                                              Eucalyptus
                                                              New Order T-Shirt
                                                              This Isn't Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
                                                              Tropic Morning News
                                                              Alien
                                                              The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
                                                              Grease In Your Hair
                                                              Ice Machines
                                                              Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
                                                              Send For Me 

                                                              The The

                                                              Soul Mining - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                Originally released in 1983, ‘Soul Mining’ is the debut major label album by post punk outfit, The The, fronted by Matt Johnson. Including the singles “Uncertain Smile”, “Perfect”, and the iconic “This Is The Day”, the album, which is Gold certified in the UK, has been long out of print on vinyl, except as part of a limited run 30th anniversary 2 LP boxset reissue in 2014. Featuring a host of talented musicians, including JG Thirwell (aka Foetus, Manorexia and Steroid Maximus), Zeke Manyika (Orange Juice), electronic DIY pioneer Thomas Leer and Jools Holland, Matt Johnson set out with a clear vision in mind - to produce an album that felt cinematic; a record of width, depth and texture and one which avoided the mundane line-up of two guitars, bass and drums. Lauded with critical acclaim (“Soul Mining is a brilliant and very idiosyncratic album” – The Guardian ; "Like shaving lotion applied to cleanse a wound, Johnson’s songs are attractively scented and sting like hell” – Melody Maker) the music and lyrics of ‘Soul Mining’ are as fresh and relevant today as they were almost 40 years ago.

                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                SIDE A 
                                                                1 I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow (All Of My Life)
                                                                2 This Is The Day
                                                                3 The Sinking Feeling 
                                                                4 Uncertain Smile
                                                                SIDE B
                                                                1 The Twilight Hour
                                                                2 Soul Mining
                                                                3 Giant

                                                                The Clash

                                                                The Clash - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                  The Clash is the eponymous debut studio album one of Britain’s most iconic bands, The Clash. Originally released on 8 April 1977, this album is regularly cited as one of the greatest Rock and Roll albums of all time, including tracks like White Riot, Janie Jones & Police & Thieves.

                                                                  Issued for National Album Day 2022 on 180g PINK vinyl.

                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                  SIDE A 
                                                                  1 Janie Jones 
                                                                  2 Remote Control 
                                                                  3 I'm So Bored With The U.S.A. 
                                                                  4 White Riot 
                                                                  5 Hate & War 
                                                                  6 What's My Name 
                                                                  7 Deny
                                                                  8 London's Burning
                                                                  SIDE B
                                                                  1 Career Opportunities
                                                                  2 Cheat
                                                                  3 Protex Blue
                                                                  4 Police & Thieves
                                                                  5 48 Hours
                                                                  6 Garageland

                                                                  Travis

                                                                  Good Feeling - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                    Travis’s 1997 debut Good Feeling returns to vinyl with a special ‘Fan Thank You’ sleeve. Originally produced by Steve Lillywhite, who teased out the anthemic hooks of the group’s debut single, All I Want To Do Is Rock, and helped them craft their Top 20 breakthrough hit, More Than Us, the LP also includes the singles Happy and Tied To The 90s.

                                                                    The National

                                                                    The National - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                      The National’s self-titled debut album marks the start point for one of the best bands of a generation.

                                                                      Released in 2001, ‘The National’ landed two years after they formed and came during a time when they were having to juggle band life with full-time jobs.

                                                                      And while nods to the alt. rock artists that inspired them (Pavement, Silver Jews) can be heard, so too are the beginnings of something all their own - Matt Berninger’s stunning and unexpected lyrics being pinned to melodies that stop you in your tracks.

                                                                      For National Album Day 2022, the band reissue the album on white vinyl.

                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                      Beautiful Head
                                                                      Cold Girl Fever
                                                                      The Perfect Song
                                                                      American Mary
                                                                      Son
                                                                      Pay For Me
                                                                      Bitters & Absolut
                                                                      John’s Star
                                                                      Watching You Well
                                                                      Theory Of The Crows
                                                                      29 Years
                                                                      Anna Freud

                                                                      Jamiroquai

                                                                      Emergency On Planet Earth - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                        Emergency on Planet Earth'' is the debut studio album by English funk and acid jazz band Jamiroquai. Originally released on 14th June 1993 it reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and sold over 1,200,000 copies worldwide. This release which marks 30 years since the release of first single ‘When You Gonna Learn’, is pressed on heavyweight transparent vinyl and presented in a gatefold sleeve with spot gloss embellishments, printed inner sleeves and 12'' insert featuring Jay Kay’s 2013 and 2017 liner notes. 

                                                                        Finley Quaye

                                                                        Maverick A Strike - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                          Maverick a Strike is the debut studio album by Scottish musician Finley Quaye. Originally released on 6 August 1997. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and spawned five singles: "Sunday Shining", "Even After All", "It's Great When We're Together", "Your Love Gets Sweeter", and "Ultra Stimulation“.

                                                                          The album has been certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.

                                                                          Numbered sleeves, limited run of 2000.

                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                          SIDE A 
                                                                          1 Ultra Stimulation 
                                                                          2 It's Great When We're Together 
                                                                          3 Sunday Shining 
                                                                          4 Even After All 
                                                                          5 Ride On And Turn The People On 
                                                                          6 The Way Of The Explosive 
                                                                          7 Your Love Gets Sweeter
                                                                          SIDE B
                                                                          1 Supreme I Preme
                                                                          2 Sweet And Loving Man
                                                                          3 Red Rolled And Seen
                                                                          4 Falling
                                                                          5 I Need A Lover
                                                                          6 Maverick A Strike

                                                                          The Staves

                                                                          Dead & Born & Grown - National Album Day 2022 Edition

                                                                            Revered indie trio The Staves' debut album 'Dead & Born & Grown' is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on the 12th November 2022. To celebrate 10 years of their debut album the band will be re-pressing Dead & Born & Grown on recycled colour vinyl.

                                                                            The album was produced with Glyn and Ethan Johns, who have worked with a plethora of huge artists from past and present between them, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, as well as the likes of The Vaccines, Kings of Leon and Kaiser Chiefs. The Staves are three sisters from Watford who share vocal duties in addition to some contributions on guitar and ukelele.

                                                                            This special-edition recycled vinyl is made from 100% PVC recycled material, using waste material and clippings from previous pressings and are re-used. The result is that each vinyl is unique with its own colour combination therefore the colour you receive will be randomized.


                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                            Wisely & Slow
                                                                            Gone Tomorrow
                                                                            The Motherlode
                                                                            Pay Us No Mind
                                                                            Facing West
                                                                            In The Long Run
                                                                            Dead & Born & Grown
                                                                            Winter Trees
                                                                            Tongue Behind My Teeth
                                                                            Mexico
                                                                            Snow
                                                                            Eagle Song

                                                                            Carroll Thompson

                                                                            Hopelessly In Love - National Album Day 2021 Edition

                                                                              Affectionately dubbed ‘Queen of Lovers Rock’, Carroll Thompson first took the UK’s music scene by storm in 1980 when her classic single, ‘Simply In Love’ propelled her into country’s reggae chart, where it remained in the Top 10 for over four months.

                                                                              The achievement was repeated the following year with the breathtakingly beautiful follow-up, ‘Hopelessly In Love’, the immense popularity of which spawned the multi-talented performer’s best-selling debut long-player of the same name.

                                                                              Reportedly selling in excess of a million albums worldwide, the 10-track album included the aforementioned hits alongside additional new original works that have since become widely regarded as classics of the genre.

                                                                              Recently voted by readers of Mojo magazine as the greatest lovers rock album of all time, the “Hopelessly In Love” LP also demonstrated the breadth of Carroll’s talent, with the singer not only performing and penning all of the material, but also coproducing the entire set.

                                                                              To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Trojan Records proudly make this seminal long-player available once more. Remastered and re-presented in its original sleeve, the vinyl version has been pressed on high quality 180g colour vinyl, while the CD and digital collections include 5 bonus tracks, all of which have been unavailable on any format since the early Eighties.

                                                                              With both physical versions further augmented by newly written sleeve notes and rare imagery from Carroll herself, “Hopelessly In Love” finally receives the deluxe treatment its status and profound influence has long since deserved.


                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                              Vinyl:
                                                                              LP
                                                                              Side A
                                                                              1. Yesterday
                                                                              2. I’m So Sorry
                                                                              3. No, You Don’t Know
                                                                              4. Sing Me A Love Song
                                                                              5. Mr. Cool
                                                                              Side B
                                                                              1. Merry-Go- Round
                                                                              2. Simply In Love
                                                                              3. When We Are As One
                                                                              4. What Colour?
                                                                              5. Hopelessly In Love

                                                                              CD
                                                                              1. Yesterday
                                                                              2. I’m So Sorry
                                                                              3. No, You Don’t Know
                                                                              4. Sing Me A Love Song
                                                                              5. Mr Cool
                                                                              6. Merry-Go-Round
                                                                              7. Simply In Love
                                                                              8. When We Are As One
                                                                              9. What Colour
                                                                              10. Hopelessly In Love (LP Mix)
                                                                              11. You Are The One I Love (12” Mix)
                                                                              12. Your Love (12” Mix)
                                                                              13. Make It With You – Carroll Thompson & Sugar Minott (12” Mix)
                                                                              14. Make It With You Version – The Black Roots Players (12” Mix)
                                                                              15. Hopelessly In Love (12” Mix)

                                                                              Eva Cassidy

                                                                              Live At Blues Alley - National Album Day 2021 Edition

                                                                                Proper new mastering from original files for this classic album that was released 25 years ago.

                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                Cheek To Cheek (2021 Master)
                                                                                Stormy Monday (2021 Master)
                                                                                Bridge Over Troubled Water (2021 Master)
                                                                                Fine And Mellow (2021 Master)
                                                                                People Get Ready (2021 Master)
                                                                                Blue Skies (2021 Master)
                                                                                Tall Trees In Georgia (2021 Master)
                                                                                Fields Of Gold (2021 Master)
                                                                                Autumn Leaves (2021 Master)
                                                                                Honeysuckle Rose (2021 Master)
                                                                                Take Me To The River (2021 Master)
                                                                                What A Wonderful World (2021 Master)
                                                                                Oh, Had I A Golden Thread (2021 Master)

                                                                                Róisín Murphy

                                                                                Róisín Machine - National Album Day 2021 Edition

                                                                                  Re-press of 2020’s hugely successful and critically acclaimed LP “Róisín Machine” in limited edition 2LP gatefold splatter vinyl for National Album Day 2021 release by Skint Records.

                                                                                  2020’s Róisín Machine” was Murphy’s first full-length project since 2015’s Mercury Nominated “Hairless Toys” and 2016’s equally revered “Take Her Up to Monto” and perhaps her best yet if the adulatory reviews are anything to go by. The likes of Guardian and the Independent garlanded the record with Album of the Week sobriquets, while Metro, The Arts Desk, Daily Star and NME gave it a full 5 stars and everyone from Uncut to Classic Pop to Evening Standard giving breathless 4-star reviews. “Roisin Machine” was universally recognized as one of the albums of the year, further cemented by 6 (SIX!) consecutive A-list records at BBC6 and slots at Sunday Brunch and – most hallowed of all – Graham Norton where she performed “Murphy’s Law” on the premiere episode of his 28th season.


                                                                                  TRACK LISTING

                                                                                  LP 1
                                                                                  Side A:
                                                                                  Simulation
                                                                                  Kingdom Of Ends
                                                                                  Side B:
                                                                                  Something More
                                                                                  Shellfish Mademoiselle
                                                                                  Incapable

                                                                                  LP2
                                                                                  Side C:
                                                                                  We Got Together
                                                                                  Murphy’s Law
                                                                                  Game Changer
                                                                                  Side D:
                                                                                  Narcissus
                                                                                  Jealousy

                                                                                  Lykke Li

                                                                                  Wounded Rhymes - National Album Day 2021 Edition

                                                                                    LA-based, vocalist, producer, and songwriter Lykke Li announces the 10th Anniversary Deluxe Reissue of her seminal album Wounded Rhymes. The critically acclaimed album was produced by Bjorn Yttling and named one of the Best Albums of 2011 by The New York Times, Pitchfork, Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Clash, Paste, SPIN, and more. The album yielded singles “I Follow Rivers,” “Get Some,” “Sadness is a Blessing,” and “Youth Knows No Pain.”

                                                                                    Releasing 15th October 2021, ahead of National Album Day in the UK on 16th October celebrating women in music, the album will be reissued on 2LP 180g black vinyl. The first LP will feature the original album, along with a bonus LP featuring unreleased demo versions of “Youth Knows No Pain,” “Jerome,” “I Follow Rivers” and remixes by The Magician and Tyler, The Creator. The vinyl release features the original artwork on the sleeve, & an o card wrapping the release with the brand new anniversary artwork.


                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                    Side A
                                                                                    1 - Youth Knows No Pain
                                                                                    2 - I Follow Rivers
                                                                                    3 - Love Out Of Lust
                                                                                    4 - Unrequited Love
                                                                                    5 - Get Some

                                                                                    Side B
                                                                                    1 - Rich Kids Blues
                                                                                    2 - Sadness Is A Blessing
                                                                                    3 - I Know Places
                                                                                    4 - Jerome
                                                                                    5 - Silent My Song

                                                                                    Side C
                                                                                    1 - Youth Knows No Pain (The Lost Sessions)
                                                                                    2 - Jerome (The Lost Sessions)
                                                                                    3 - I Follow Rivers (The Lost Sessions)

                                                                                    Side D
                                                                                    1 - I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)
                                                                                    2 - I Follow Rivers (Tyler, The Creator Remix)

                                                                                    Omara Portuondo

                                                                                    Omara Portuondo (Buena Vista Social Club Presents) - National Album Day 2021 Edition

                                                                                    Omara Portuondo, the leading lady of the Buena Vista Social Club, is one of Cuba’s most celebrated voices.

                                                                                    The album ‘Buena Vista Social Club Presents Omara Portuondo’ was released in 2000 in the wake of the phenomenal reception of the original Buena Vista Social Club album, and was remastered from the analogue tapes for its 2019 LP reissue. Omara is backed by a dream band formed of many of the original Buena Vista Social Club members including Ibrahim Ferrer (vocals), Rubén González (piano), Compay Segundo (guitar) and Orlando ‘Cachaito’ Lopez (bass).

                                                                                    To celebrate the “Women In Music” theme of this year’s National Album Day, this classic album will be pressed on limited edition purple colour vinyl.

                                                                                    “The kind of record that forces you to stop worrying and enjoy life to the fullest.. an exquisite trip to the heart of Afro-Cuba.” – Rolling Stone

                                                                                    “This album adds yet another magical chapter to the Buena Vista legend.” - Uncut.


                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                    Side A:
                                                                                    1. ¿Dónde Estabas Tú?
                                                                                    2. La Sitiera
                                                                                    3. He Perdido Contigo
                                                                                    4. Mariposita De Primavera
                                                                                    5. Canta Lo Sentimental
                                                                                    6. Ella Y Yo
                                                                                    Side B:
                                                                                    7. No Me Vayas A Engañar
                                                                                    8. No Me Llores Más
                                                                                    9. Veinte Años
                                                                                    10. El Hombre Que Yo Amé (The Man I Love)
                                                                                    11. Siempre En Mi Corazón

                                                                                    Various Artists

                                                                                    Different Frequencies - National Album Day 2021 Edition

                                                                                    “Different Frequencies” is a compilation album, pressed on transparent blue vinyl and released on National Album Day 2021. With each track a standout record in its own right, this compilation album showcases a new generation of exciting artists at the start of their journeys.

                                                                                    The album features Different Recordings artists such as Greentea Peng, p-rallel, NAYANA IZ, Kojaque and many more, with genres ranging from UK rap & R&B to more experimental and newly-established hybrids of grime and bass.

                                                                                    Whilst some of the lyrics may contain tongue-in-cheek themes, the artists presented here have a serious and ambitious intention, establishing their identity in this post-everything landscape. It's inventive, playful, riddled with attitude and smart, snappy and wily all at once. The south of a youth in full flow! Recommended. 


                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                    1. NAYANA IZ - TNT
                                                                                    2. Kojaque - Shmelly
                                                                                    3. Scuti - Skoowup
                                                                                    4. Deema - WISH I HAD TO
                                                                                    5. P-rallel & Lauren Faith -
                                                                                    6. Blue Denim Jeans
                                                                                    7. Greentea Peng - Ghost Town
                                                                                    8. Ishi Vu - A.S.I.S.O.A. 1000
                                                                                    9. Modern Modern Life -
                                                                                    10. London Wants You There

                                                                                    Blanketman

                                                                                    National Trust

                                                                                      With just a handful of singles under their belts, the Manchester band have already found support from the likes of Clash, DIY, Dork, The Forty-Five, The Line of Best Fit, NME and So Young, along with a Next Wave slot from Jack Saunders on BBC Radio 1, New Names feature from Annie Mac, a Ones To Watch pick from Huw Stephens, a track of the week from Shaun Keaveny @ BBC 6 Music whilst further support from Steve Lamacq, Tom Robinson and Marc Riley, plays from Matt Wilkinson on Beats 1, as well as playlist spots at NME Radio and Amazing Radio.

                                                                                      Back in March 2020, the band’s debut single “Taking You With Me” marked the arrival of a band full of ideas, and cut a boundless, energetically pop edge that saw them likened to early Blur. Follow-up “Beach Body” dialed up the urgency and distilled a swift insistence, on top of which vocalist Adam Hopper masterminded a trove of indelible melodies, dedicated to the ailing Brit-abroad. The band wrapped up 2020 with “Harold”, which brought with it a thumping, wonky and rowdy execution and then saw in the new year with "Leave The South". On the back of 12 months that has seen much made about the divide between the north and south of England, "Leave The South" seeks not to pit the regions against one another, and instead offers a far more nuanced look at the way the grass can always appear greener on the other side. It also acts as something of a love-letter of absent friends and an admission that nothing is perfect. National Trust looks at themes of feeling trapped and anxious, but also the hopes held toward eventual liberation from that feeling.

                                                                                      Lead vocalist and guitarist Adam Hopper elaborates:
                                                                                      "The song harks back to five years ago when I was living in Reading while at uni. While not a bad place, I found my final year tough and was becoming disillusioned with what I was doing and where I was. I was in a rut mentally and my friends had stayed up north and I found myself feeling increasingly isolated and skint. I managed to convince myself that moving back up North would solve all my problems like it was some kind of utopia and started blaming where I was for said problems. I laugh at that now and that’s what the song is about. Although the water really does taste better up North..."

                                                                                      Recent years have seen the band spearheading a burgeoning scene in Manchester as they gigged extensively throughout the city, performing their original brand of restless post-punk and cerebral indie-pop – all served with a sharper, more sardonic pop edge than many of their more po-faced peers. So sharp in fact that Steve Hanley, of The Fall and Brix Smith & Extricated, has performed live on stage with them a number of times already.



                                                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                      Barry says: Is there no end to the wonderfully talented indie bands coming from around our fair shores? 'National Trust' sees Blanketman forging their own path adjacent to well known indie greats, via the jagged hooks and militant percussion of post-punk. It's a more upbeat take on the rigidity of the genre, with bright and airy hooks perfectly tempering the distorted guitars and satisfying droll vox.

                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                      Beach Body
                                                                                      Leave The South
                                                                                      Harold
                                                                                      Dogs Die In Hot Cars
                                                                                      Blue Funk
                                                                                      National Trust
                                                                                      The Tie

                                                                                      The National

                                                                                      Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers - 2021 Reissue

                                                                                        The National’s second album, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003) proved a leap forward from 2001’s eponymous debut, showing a band adept at delivering warm embraces and gut punches in equal measure.

                                                                                        With word of mouth now spreading on the band, critics proved equally enthusiastic... Pitchfork in their glowing review called it a “Gorgeous train wreck” that “Lives up to its blunt title (with) Matt Berninger’s self-effacing barbs matched by the band’s equally potent hooks,” while Uncut also became early champions saying the album was “A genuine treasure... Livid as a bruise, this is brave, desperate, beautiful music.”

                                                                                        No longer a secret among those that know, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers is an important record in The National’s discography with this new remaster showing that it’s more than standing the test of time.

                                                                                        Having been remastered at Abbey Road Studios, the 2021 represses stay faithful to their original artwork while their stunning new masters help make these much-loved records sound as vital as ever, further emphasising the early signs of the sound that would go on to make them one of the fi nest and most beloved alternative bands of their generation.

                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                        1. / A1. Cardinal Song
                                                                                        2. / A2. Slipping Husband
                                                                                        3. / A3. 90-Mile Water Wall
                                                                                        4. / A4. It Never Happened
                                                                                        5. / A5. Murder Me Rachael
                                                                                        6. / B1. Thirsty
                                                                                        7. / B2. Available
                                                                                        8. / B3. Sugar Wife
                                                                                        9. / B4. Trophy Wife
                                                                                        10. / B5. Fashion Coat
                                                                                        11. / B6. Patterns Of Fairytales
                                                                                        12. / B7. Lucky You

                                                                                        The National

                                                                                        The National - 2021 Reissue

                                                                                          Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, The National’s self-titled debut album of sozzled Americana is a thing of beauty, laden with heavy hints that this was a special band in the making.

                                                                                          Their first release, The National arrived two years after The National formed, a time when they were juggling bandlife with needing to hold down full-time jobs. And while nods to the alt. rock artists that inspired them (Pavement, Silver Jews) can be heard, so too are the beginnings of something all their own – Matt Berninger’s stunning and unexpected lyrics being pinned to melodies that stop you in your tracks.

                                                                                          The National marks the start point for one of the best bands of their generation with its new master helping elevate it to new levels. A great primer to a great band.

                                                                                          Having been remastered at Abbey Road Studios, the 2021 represses stay faithful to their original artwork while their stunning new masters help make these much-loved records sound as vital as ever, further emphasising the early signs of the sound that would go on to make them one of the fi nest and most beloved alternative bands of their generation.

                                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                                          1. / A1. Beautiful Head
                                                                                          2. / A2. Cold Girl Fever
                                                                                          3. / A3. The Perfect Song
                                                                                          4. / A4. American Mary
                                                                                          5. / A5. Son
                                                                                          6. / A6. Pay For Me
                                                                                          7. / B1. Bitters & Absolut
                                                                                          8. / B2. John’s Star
                                                                                          9. / B3. Watching You Well
                                                                                          10. / B4. Theory Of The Crows
                                                                                          11. / B5. 29 Years
                                                                                          12. / B6. Anna Freud

                                                                                          The National

                                                                                          Cherry Tree EP - 2021 Reissue

                                                                                            Released a year before The National broke through with their third album Alligator, 2004’s Cherry Tree EP is a thrilling record which - thanks to its collection of delicate ballads and anthemic crowd-pleasers - sums up what they do best in under 30 minutes. Now a firm fan-favourite, among Cherry Tree’s seven tracks are now National classics ‘About Today’ and ‘All The Wine’, plus a thrilling live version of ‘Murder Me Rachael’ that reminds of the band’s fearsome early live performances. Cherry Tree can be seen as the record that marks the moment when The National had truly found themselves, a bridge from what went before to a band ready to conquer the World.

                                                                                            Having been remastered at Abbey Road Studios, the 2021 represses stay faithful to their original artwork while their stunning new masters help make these much-loved records sound as vital as ever, further emphasising the early signs of the sound that would go on to make them one of the fi nest and most beloved alternative bands of their generation.

                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                            1. / A1. Wasp Nest
                                                                                            2. / A2. All The Wine
                                                                                            3. / A3. All Dolled-Up In Straps
                                                                                            4. / A4. Cherry Tree
                                                                                            5. / B1. About Today
                                                                                            6. / B2. Murder Me Rachael (Live)
                                                                                            7. / B3. Reasonable Man (I Don’t Mind)

                                                                                            Lonnie Holley

                                                                                            National Freedom

                                                                                              This 5-song collaboration between artist Lonnie Holley and the late visionary producer Richard Swift is a tribute to urgent, raw, American art - from Howlin’ Wolf to Captain Beefheart, from Cecil Taylor to Bo Diddley. The songs pulse with anger, hope, energy and a bit of swagger. You can hear sweat and tears through the speaker. Swift left us two years ago today but his spirit buzzes through these songs. During a West Coast tour with Deerhunter in late summer 2013, Holley was put in touch with Swift by a friend who suggested using a day off on tour to record at Swift’s National Freedom Studio in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Now rather legendary, Swift was in a breakout moment as a producer having recently worked with artists like The Shins, Foxygen and Damien Jurado. Holley’s essential debut album, Just Before Music, had come out the year prior.

                                                                                              The cosmic connection between Holley and Swift was immediate. They put down five songs in their day together: all conjured in the studio and one-of-a-kind. At the end of that day in 2013, Swift - always up until the wee hours - made a late-night call to the friend who had set up the session. He was effusive about the experience - thrilled to have found a kindred spirit in Lonnie Holley and thankful to spend a day crafting unclassifiable, extemporaneous and soulful music.

                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                              Crystal Doorknob
                                                                                              In It Too Deep
                                                                                              Like Hell Broke Away
                                                                                              Do T Rocker
                                                                                              So Many Rivers (The First Time)

                                                                                              Foals

                                                                                              Collected Reworks - National Album Day Edition

                                                                                                From their early days hosting parties in Oxford through to the huge success of their two-part ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’ album, Foals have consistently explored their interest in dance and electronica. Now the band chart the most essential remixes from their career so far as they share the new remix package ‘Collected Reworks Vol 1’.

                                                                                                The tracks featured on ‘Collected Reworks’, are a compilation from an eclectic range of artists who have uncovered new angles to Foals’ discography. It includes one of their earliest remixes, from Ewan Pearson who blends Balearic bliss into ‘Olympic Airways’, as well as Solumun’s huge version of ‘Late Night’, which has been viewed over 50 million times at YouTube. Another standout moment is Hot Chip’s inventive interpretation of ‘My Number’.

                                                                                                ‘Collected Reworks Vol. 1’ has been launched with Hot Since 82’s brand new remix of ‘Into The Surf’. The tech house producer / DJ behind ‘Buggin’’ and ‘Restless’ subverts the track from its original desolate beauty into something fresh and invigorating. The relentless driving beat maximises its energy throughout its eight minute duration, while its progressive leanings are given some unexpected throwback flavour with ‘80s style sax. 

                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                Vol. 1
                                                                                                1. My Number (Hot Chip Remix)
                                                                                                2. Mountain At My Gates (Alex Metric Remix)
                                                                                                3. Into The Surf (Hot Since 82 Remix)
                                                                                                4. The Runner (RÜFÜS DU SOL Remix)
                                                                                                5. In Degrees (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
                                                                                                6. Mountain At My Gates (SebastiAn Remix)
                                                                                                7. Late Night (Solomun Remix)

                                                                                                Vol. 2
                                                                                                1. Inhaler (Tom Vek's Wheezemix)
                                                                                                2. What Went Down (Haxan Cloak Remix)
                                                                                                3. Wash Off (KUU Remix)
                                                                                                4. Hummer (Surkin Remix)
                                                                                                5. Mountain At My Gates (Jono Ma Jagwar Ma Mix)
                                                                                                6. What Went Down (Bandwidth Remix)
                                                                                                7. Miami (Lissvik Remix)
                                                                                                8. Night Swimmers (Mura Masa Edit)

                                                                                                Vol. 3
                                                                                                1. My Number (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix) [Extended]
                                                                                                2. Give It All (Lindstrom) [Remix]
                                                                                                3. Dreaming Of (Joe Corti Remix)
                                                                                                4. Balloons (Kieran Hebden Version)
                                                                                                5. Tron (Kieran Hebden Version)
                                                                                                6. Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix)
                                                                                                7. Late Night (Koreless Purple Cowboy Remix)

                                                                                                The Wedding Present

                                                                                                Bizarro - National Album Day Edition

                                                                                                  A 'National Album Day' release - Pressed on standard Black LP Vinyl. 

                                                                                                  'Bizarro' was the second Wedding Present album, originally released in 1989. The band's first album on a major label, 'Bizarro' saw The Wedding Present toughening up rather than selling out. Toying with extremes of tempo and mood, the result was a vibrant hybrid of astringency and the band's quintessential pop euphoria.

                                                                                                  The Stone Roses

                                                                                                  The Stone Roses - National Album Day Edition

                                                                                                    Ultra limited release for National Album Day.

                                                                                                    Pressed on Clear LP Vinyl.

                                                                                                    Surely this album needs no introduction or explanation?! But just in case you don’t know, this is arguably one of the best debut albums of all time, from one of the most influential bands of their generation! And if that’s not enough to tempt you, then I don’t know what is. 

                                                                                                    Prefab Sprout

                                                                                                    Steve McQueen - National Album Day Edition

                                                                                                      A 'National Album Day' release - Pressed on Clear LP Vinyl. 

                                                                                                      Alternative pop rock band Prefab Sprout formed in 1978 in Newcastle and rose to fame during the 1980s. Frontman Paddy McAloon is regularly hailed as one of the great songwriters of his generation. 'Steve McQueen' is their second album and was originally released in 1985. Smart, sophisticated and timelessly stylish, 'Steve McQueen' is somewhat of a classic, a shimmering indie / jazz-pop masterpiece sparked by Paddy McAloon's witty and inventive songwriting. One for fans of the Smiths, Everything But The Girl etc.

                                                                                                      Paul Simon

                                                                                                      Graceland - National Album Day Edition

                                                                                                        A 'National Album Day' release - Pressed on Clear LP Vinyl.

                                                                                                        With Graceland, Paul Simon hit on the idea of combining his always perceptive songwriting with the little-heard mbaqanga music of South Africa, creating a fascinating hybrid that re-enchanted his old audience and earned him a new one. It is true that the South African angle (including its controversial aspect during the apartheid days) was a powerful marketing tool and that the catchy music succeeded in presenting listeners with that magical combination: something they'd never heard before that nevertheless sounded familiar.

                                                                                                        As eclectic as any record Simon had made, it also delved into zydeco and conjunto-flavored rock & roll while marking a surprising new lyrical approach (presaged on some songs on Hearts and Bones); for the most part, Simon abandoned a linear, narrative approach to his words, instead drawing highly poetic, abstract, and satiric portraits of modern life, often charged by striking images and turns of phrase torn from the headlines or overheard in contemporary speech. An enormously successful record, Graceland became the standard against which subsequent musical experiments by major artists were measured and continues to provide rewards to its listeners and remains a pivotal listening experience for writers, artists and fans. 


                                                                                                        Fifth Album by the Bill Wells project feat. words by Aidan Moffat A masterclass in nuance, interpretation and the purifying power of the human voice, Standards Vol. V represents another captivating chapter in the career of a singular figure in contemporary music. For his fifth album as the mischievously named National Jazz Trio Of Scotland, the prolific jazz outsider Bill Wells posits yet another collaborator in the diffuse light cast by his tender chord shifts and understated arrangements. The voice on Standards Vol. V is that of Black, whose other musical activities include the band Babe, Francois And The Atlas Mountains, Rozi Plain and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                        I Know Where I'm Going (1:59)
                                                                                                        Sigh No More Ladies (2:35)
                                                                                                        Vox II (3:33)
                                                                                                        Sunrise, Sunset (4:42)
                                                                                                        Set Firee To Silver Light (0:51)
                                                                                                        So Much Power (3:18)
                                                                                                        Gradual Inclination (3:30)
                                                                                                        The King Tailors (2:15)
                                                                                                        Of Thee I Sing (4:46)
                                                                                                        Gradual Inclination (reprise) (1:10)
                                                                                                        A Quiet Goodbye (2:28)

                                                                                                        I Am Easy To Find is the band’s eighth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s GRAMMY®-award winning release Sleep Well Beast. A companion short film with the same name will also be released with music by The National and inspired by the album. The film was directed by Academy Award-nominated director Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners), and starring Academy Award Winner Alicia Vikander. Mills, along with the band, is credited as co-producer of the album, which was mostly recorded at Long Pond, Hudson Valley, NY with additional sessions in Paris, Berlin, Cincinnati, Austin, Dublin, Brooklyn and more far flung locations. The album features vocal contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle and more.

                                                                                                        I Am Easy to Find is a 24-minute film by Mills starring Alicia Vikander, and a 68-minute album by the National. The former is not the video for the latter; the latter is not the soundtrack to the former. The two projects are, as Mills calls them, “Playfully hostile siblings that love to steal from each other”—they share music and words and DNA and impulses and a vision about what it means to be human in 2019, but don’t necessarily need one another. The movie was composed like a piece of music; the music was assembled like a film, by a film director. The frontman and natural focal point was deliberately and dramatically sidestaged in favour of a variety of female voices, nearly all of whom have long been in the group’s orbit. It is unlike anything either artist has ever attempted and also totally in line with how they’ve created for much of their careers.

                                                                                                        As the album’s opening track, ‘You Had Your Soul With You,’ unfurls, it’s so far, so National: a digitally manipulated guitar line, skittering drums, Berninger’s familiar baritone, mounting tension. Then around the 2:15 mark, the true nature of I Am Easy To Find announces itself: The racket subsides, strings swell, and the voice of long-time David Bowie bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey booms out—not as background vocals, not as a hook, but to take over the song. Elsewhere it’s Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, or Sharon Van Etten, or Mina Tindle or Kate Stables of This Is the Kit, or varying combinations of them. The Brooklyn Youth Choir, whom Bryce Dessner had worked with before. There are choral arrangements and strings on nearly every track, largely put together by Bryce in Paris—not a negation of the band’s dramatic tendencies, but a redistribution of them.

                                                                                                        “Yes, there are a lot of women singing on this, but it wasn't because, ‘Oh, let's have more women's voices,’ says Berninger. “It was more, ‘Let's have more of a fabric of people's identities.’ It would have been better to have had other male singers, but my ego wouldn't let that happen.”

                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                        1. You Had Your Soul With You
                                                                                                        2. Quiet Light
                                                                                                        3. Roman Holiday
                                                                                                        4. Oblivions
                                                                                                        5. The Pull Of You
                                                                                                        6. Hey Rosey
                                                                                                        7. I Am Easy To Find
                                                                                                        8. Her Father In The Pool
                                                                                                        9. Where Is Her Head
                                                                                                        10. Not In Kansas
                                                                                                        11. So Far So Fast
                                                                                                        12. Dust Swirls In Strange Light
                                                                                                        13. Hairpin Turns
                                                                                                        14. Rylan
                                                                                                        15. Underwater
                                                                                                        16. Light Years

                                                                                                        Side 5 On Deluxe Triple – Contains 22 Minutes Of Music From The I Am Easy To Find Original Film Score – EXCLUSIVE To This Format.
                                                                                                        Side 6 On 3LP - Etching.

                                                                                                        Beth Gibbons And The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

                                                                                                        Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs)

                                                                                                        Domino is extremely proud to present Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) performed by Beth Gibbons and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki. 

                                                                                                        The performance took place at The National Opera Grand Theatre in Warsaw on November 29th 2014, and was part of an evening of programming that also featured Jonny Greenwood's (Radiohead) 48 Responses To Polymorphia and the world premiere of Bryce Dessner's (The National) Réponse Lutosławski.

                                                                                                        Following an invitation to collaborate at the concert, Beth Gibbons undertook an intense preparation process, including tackling the challenge of learning the original text (and the emotional weight it carries) without speaking the mother language. Typical to Beth though - the elusive yet iconic frontwoman of one of the most important British bands of the last two decades - the challenge was met and exceeded. Her performance alongside the maestro Penderecki has been hailed as triumphant, as you can see and hear on this release.

                                                                                                        The film, was produced by the National Audiovisual Institute, Poland and directed by Michał Merczyński.

                                                                                                        STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                        Barry says: There's no denying that Beth Gibbons is one of the most cherished and highly recognisable vocal talents of the past several decades, but hearing her in this context is nothing less than astounding. The latent sadness inherent in Gorecki's 3rd symphony is only enhanced by Gibbons' stunning vocal range and perfect delivery. Astounding.

                                                                                                        TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                        I. Lento - Sostenuto Tranquillo Ma Cantabile
                                                                                                        II. Lento E Largo - Tranquillissimo
                                                                                                        III. Lento - Cantabile-semplice

                                                                                                        The National

                                                                                                        Boxer Live In Brussels

                                                                                                          Previously unreleased live version of the bands Boxer album performed in full - recorded at Forest National, Brussels, Belgium, 09 November 2017

                                                                                                          TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                          Fake Empire (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Mistaken For Strangers (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Brainy (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Squalor Victoria (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Green Gloves (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Slow Show (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Apartment Story (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Start A War (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Guest Room (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Racing Like A Pro (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Ada (Live In Brussels)
                                                                                                          Gospel (Live In Brussels)

                                                                                                          National Jazz Trio Of Scotland

                                                                                                          Standards Vol IV

                                                                                                            "It's kind of a double bluff calling it the National Jazz Trio Of Scotland," says Bill Wells of a group that is famously neither a jazz band or a trio. "I was trying to be kind of perverse about it, calling it jazz and then deliberately not having anything that actually related to jazz."

                                                                                                            On their latest album, Standards Vol. IV, the National Jazz Trio continue their engagement with classic and outsider pop traditions. In addition to the ten Bill Wells originals and a new version of the Aidan Moffat collaboration 'Far From You', Standards Vol. IV features a cover of Richard Youngs' "Summer's Edge" from the latters's 2005 masterpiece Summer Wanderer.

                                                                                                            Recorded earlier this year at Gus' Dungeon Studio in Cardiff by Stephen Black (aka Sweet Baboo) - House Arrest sees Euros' flair for melody and gift for story telling undiminshed on this his thirteenth album. ''All the characters in the songs are imprisoned by their thoughts and circumstances '' says Euros ''I'm probably in there somewhere but hopefully not too close to the surface''. . Euros sees inspiration far and wide on House Arrest, tackling subjects such as cannibals dining at an all you can eat restaurant (Crystal and Misty), a man throwing himself into coma to escape everyday drudgery (Happy Coma), a songwriter who's stuck in a jar whilst trying to write a song about life in a Jar (Life in a Jar), a celebrity looking back on his life whilst taking a shower (Shower) directions to a whist drive (Whist Drive) and a man who falls in love with a kitchen implement (My Colander). House Arrest is a solo album in every sense of the word, with Euros doing all the singing as well as playing all the instruments.

                                                                                                            "I think around 12 or so keyboards were used in the end. Mostly brought in carboot sales and charity shops over the years. One was found in a skip. They'd been hanging round the house for a long time, it was good to put them to use."

                                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                            1) My Colander
                                                                                                            2) Life In A Jar
                                                                                                            3) Monocle Guy
                                                                                                            4) Happy Coma
                                                                                                            5) Crystal And Misty
                                                                                                            6) Check Out Charlie
                                                                                                            7) Whist Drive
                                                                                                            8) Muzzle Puzzle
                                                                                                            9) Shower
                                                                                                            10) Turning Strange
                                                                                                            1) Here We Are

                                                                                                            The National return with their much anticipated seventh album, produced by Aaron Dessner, with additional production by Matt Berninger and Bryce Dessner. The album was mixed by Peter Katis and recorded at Aaron’s Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, NY.

                                                                                                            While in some ways it’s typically National-sounding, they’ve definitely added some new elements to their sound. Opening track “Nobody Else Will Be There” is a stripped back ballad with melancholic piano, and Matt’s distinct vocals, but the electronics pulsing away in the background are a sign of what’s to come with the album.

                                                                                                            All the usual elements are there, intricate guitars, delicate piano keys, scatter-shot drums and of course Matt’s mumbling/crooning baritone, but a new layer of electronics bubbling away in the mix adds a new dimension to their sound.

                                                                                                            As with the last couple of albums, it features mostly fairly downtempo ballads but they do ramp things up from time to time: “Day I Die”, “They System Only Dreams In Total” and the big rock-out track of the album, “Turtleneck”. It’s taken a few listens to get into it, but as a fan I’m certainly not disappointed.

                                                                                                            TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                            A1. Nobody Else Will Be There
                                                                                                            A2. Day I Die
                                                                                                            A3. Walk It Back
                                                                                                            B1. The System Only Dreams
                                                                                                            In Total Darkness
                                                                                                            B2. Born To Beg
                                                                                                            B3. Turtleneck
                                                                                                            C1. Empire Line
                                                                                                            C2. I’ll Still Destroy You
                                                                                                            C3. Guilty Party
                                                                                                            D1. Carin At The Liquor Store
                                                                                                            D2. Dark Side Of The Gym
                                                                                                            D3. Sleep Well Beast

                                                                                                            Euros Childs

                                                                                                            Sweetheart

                                                                                                              Here Euros talks us through the making of his new album. A track will be included on Uncut's covermounted cd in time for the release.

                                                                                                              Back in April my parents very kindly agreed to go on holiday for a week so that I could take over their house in Pembrokeshire to record my eleventh album 'Sweetheart'. My biggest concern with recording in a house was of getting complaints from the neighbours. So on the afternoon before the sessions began I called round all the nearby houses in the village to warn them of what was in store and to let them know we'd be finishing around eight every evening. They were very understanding.

                                                                                                              Whilst I was appeasing the neighbours, Stuart Kidd (drums) was travelling down from Glasgow, Marco Rea (guitar) from Clydebank, Rhydian Jones (bass) from Cardiff and Iwan Morgan (engineering) from London. By early Sunday evening everybody had convened at the house and we watched a bit of a Rambo film. We were ready.

                                                                                                              The sessions were pretty layed back. There wasn't the same sense of clocking in and out that you get when recording in a proper studio, and as we were all staying in the house there was no travelling to be done. It was just a case of waking up, having breakfast and starting to record. It also helped that the house overlooks the coast – so in stressful moments you could gaze out the window at the Irish sea. I tend to get quite nervous when I'm recording so I did a lot of gazing out the window.

                                                                                                              With the exception of Laura J Martin's flute and Stuart and Marco's backing vocals, everything was recorded live, including my vocal. It felt good to be singing live with a band again on record. I hadn't done that for a while. Sometimes when you're overdubbing vocals it can bring with it a sense of reconstruction, of trying to recapture a mood. But when you're singing live with a band the feel is captured there and then. You can move with the band and feed off everybody's energy.

                                                                                                              Recording in the house also meant I could play the piano that the songs had been written on. I've been writing on the same piano for nearly twenty years and although it's featured on two of my solo piano albums 'Ends' and 'Eilaaig', it's never featured on an album with a band. To my ears hearing the songs played on that piano gives the album a more homely feel. The session flew by. We started on Monday morning and finished on the Friday afternoon. Eleven songs recorded in five days. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't at times hard work, it was a lot of music to record in five days. But I think the fact that it was recorded so quickly gives the record a fresh and spontaneous feel.

                                                                                                              By Saturday morning everybody had packed up and left and all that was left to do was to tidy up the house ready for my parents return. Once everything was back in its place it was as if nothing had ever happened.

                                                                                                              And in case you're wondering - no, we didn't get any complaints from the neighbours.

                                                                                                              New album from the ever prolific Euros Childs following on from his Summer Special album last year on his own National Elf label. This isn't a million miles away from its pop predecessor – it has its fair share of sing-a-long-choruses – but this time the subject matter is much darker. On this one the former Gorky's Zygotic Mynci frontman tackles such topics as: second home ownership (Second Home Blues), serial killer envy (Brides In The Bath), depressed cosmetic saleswomen (Avon Lady) the commodification of the self through the medium of advertising (Ooh La Oona), depressed singer songwriters (Holiday From Myself) Kidnapping (Daddy's Girl) and cyber sex (Good Time Baby). Naturally. Each song is a short story , told though the voice of a different character.

                                                                                                              The album was recorded in Bristol at Toybox studios with Stephen Black aka Sweet Baboo on bass & brass, Laura J Martin on flute, Stuart Kidd on drums and Marco Rea on guitar, a line up that had never played before going into the studio so the backing tracks were recorded live.

                                                                                                              Euros sites the following influences on this album, but does not promise they will be evident listening to the record. Randy Newman, John Prine, Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais, Godley and Creme/ 10CC (well alright), Judee Sill, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, The Roches, Barbara Woodhouse and Bert Jansch.

                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                              1) Tete A Tete
                                                                                                              2) Second Home Blues
                                                                                                              3) Avon Lady
                                                                                                              4) Ooh La Oona
                                                                                                              5) Brides In The Bath
                                                                                                              6) Give The Girl A Hand/ The Peanut Vendor
                                                                                                              7) Holiday From Myself
                                                                                                              8) Tina Said
                                                                                                              9) Daddy's Girl
                                                                                                              10) Good Time Baby (talk To Me)
                                                                                                              11) Trick Of The Mind

                                                                                                              * First ever anthology
                                                                                                              * Remastered from original sources
                                                                                                              * 2xLP housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket with 20-pg book, and download card full full anthology
                                                                                                              * Vinyl cut by John Golden and pressed at RTI
                                                                                                              * CD housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket with 48-pg book
                                                                                                              * Scholarly liner notes by Punk In Africa director Keith Jones
                                                                                                              * Unseen photos, flyers, and band ephemera

                                                                                                              The South Africa of the late 1970s was neither the right place nor time to launch a mixed-race punk band. Yet, following the student-inspired Soweto Uprising of 1976, it was also exactly the right conditions to foster a band like National Wake, one formed in an underground commune, and one whose very name exists in protest at the divisive, racist apartheid regime. Never before collected together, Light In The Attic is set to release National Wake’s full body of work as Walk In Africa 1979-81.

                                                                                                              Featured heavily in the Punk In Africa documentary, National Wake played punk, reggae and tropical funk, equally at home in the city’s rock underground and the township nightclub circuit. Ivan Kadey started the band with two brothers, Gary and Punka Khoza. The three were from different worlds –while Ivan was an outsider, a Jewish orphan born in the traditional Johannesburg immigrant neighborhood, Gary, Punka and their family were forcibly moved to the troubled township of Soweto under the apartheid regime. Later joined by guitarist Steve Moni, the whole band grew up against a backdrop of township unrest, social upheaval and suburban tedium that characterized apartheid-era South Africa.

                                                                                                              National Wake released just one album, in 1981. It sold approximately 700 copies before being withdrawn under government pressure. The band subsequently disintegrated, but their influence could be traced in the racially mixed post-punk underground centered around Rockey Street in Johannesburg throughout the 1980s, their legacy transmitted through fanzines and underground cassette trading.

                                                                                                              Sadly, Gary and Punka Khoza both passed away in their 40s. Kadey now works as an architect in Los Angeles, but his attention eventually turned back to the band as their legacy grew in the digital era, with the emergence of specialized music websites and Punk In Africa leading to their rediscovery. Czech State Radio memorably described the band as “perhaps the most dissident music scene of the 20th century: a multi-racial punk band in a fascist police state.”

                                                                                                              In 2011, Kadey re-released the band’s self-titled album, but spoke about having more than 20 tracks that had never seen the light of day –until now. “All of these recordings put together they speak of the whole evolution of the band,” he has said. “From a sort of naive, almost belief that we could miraculously change everything to realizing what a struggle it was, and what the country was going through and what it would go through.”

                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                              1. International News
                                                                                                              2. It's All Right
                                                                                                              3. Walk In Africa
                                                                                                              4. Time And Place
                                                                                                              5. Corner House Stone
                                                                                                              6. Mercenaries
                                                                                                              7. Wake Of The Nation
                                                                                                              8. Supaman
                                                                                                              9. Speed It Up
                                                                                                              10. Beat Up The Lights
                                                                                                              11. Black Punk Rockers
                                                                                                              12. Stratocaster
                                                                                                              13. Everybody
                                                                                                              14. Vatsiketeni

                                                                                                              Just for the record, The National Jazz Trio of Scotland don't play jazz, nor are they a trio. And while their status as national ambassadors is not exactly official, acclaimed pianist Bill Wells has however worked with many of the key players in the Scottish indie scene from the likes of Isobel Campbell and Future Pilot AKA to the magnificent collaboration with former Arab Strap vocalist Aidan Moffat "Everything's Getting Older" on Chemikal Underground recently.

                                                                                                              Indeed a host of Glasgow's finest have contributed to the new NJTOS album Standards Volume Two with Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub responsible for additional studio work and lending his voice to Winter Breaks And Back To Spring. Belle & Sebastian's Chris Geddes and Stevie Jackson also helped with recordings But what sets the National Jazz Trio of Scotland apart is the vocal performances by Lorna Gilfedder, Aby Vulliamy and Kate Sugden, with the songs walking a fine emotional line between melancholy and optimism. Though the majority of the songs on Standards Volume Two are written and composed entirely by Bill Wells, there are 2 covers including a version of the traditional Scottish folk song Mary of Argyle and a delightful cover of the Moondog tune My Tiny Butterfly with Gilfedder, Vulliamy and Sugden singing in a round to great effect.

                                                                                                              This is the sixth studio album for the Brooklyn band, and follows 2010’s High Violet, which was No 2 in our Albums of The Year, that year.

                                                                                                              In an interview with UK’s Uncut Magazine, front man Matt Berninger described the songs as more “immediate and visceral” than their previous work. Trouble Will Find Me possesses a directness, a coherency and an approachability that suggests The National are at their most confident.

                                                                                                              After a 22-month tour following the release of High Violet the band returned home. Regardless of plans to wait to record new music for another year or two, guitarist Aaron Dessner began working on sketches of new songs that the other members were too inspired by to not fully realise. Matt confesses, “For the past ten years we’d been chasing something, wanting to prove something. And this chase was about trying to disprove our own insecurities. After touring High Violet, I think we felt like we’d finally gotten there. Now we could relax—not in terms of our own expectations but we didn’t have to prove our identity any longer.” The results are simultaneously breakthrough and oddly familiar, the culmination of an artistic journey that has led The National both to a new crest and, somehow, back to their beginnings—when, says Aaron, “our ideas would immediately click with each other. It’s free-wheeling again. The songs on one level are our most complex, and on another they’re our most simple and human. It just feels like we’ve embraced the chemistry we have.” The album was recorded at Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY. Trouble Will Find Me was self-produced and mixed by Craig Silvey with additional mixing from Peter Katis and Marcus Paquin.

                                                                                                              STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                              Laura says: With every album The National have pushed on and made a more ambitious album, constantly upping the ante with bigger arrangements and a bigger sound. So how on earth were the going to follow High Violet?
                                                                                                              Well, it seems they’ve finally come to terms with who and where they are as a band and made an album that reflects that. The Dressner brothers intricate arrangements are still there, as are the distinctive scatter-shot drum patterns (described perfectly by film director DA Pennebaker as “like rain falling through the leaves of a tree”) and of course Matt Berninger’s rich baritone rolls effortlessly over it all, but “Trouble Will Find Me” is a more relaxed, streamlined collection, and this stripping back gives the songs room to breathe and emphasises just how good they are at what they do. There may be less angst here than in the past, but the romanticism and melancholy are still there and for me, once again they've come up with one of the best albums of the year.

                                                                                                              TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                              1. I Should Live In Salt
                                                                                                              2. Demons
                                                                                                              3. Don't Swallow The Cap
                                                                                                              4. Fireproof
                                                                                                              5. Sea Of Love
                                                                                                              6. Heavenfaced
                                                                                                              7. This Is The Last Time
                                                                                                              8. Graceless
                                                                                                              9. Slipped
                                                                                                              10. I Need My Girl
                                                                                                              11. Humiliation
                                                                                                              12. Pink Rabbits
                                                                                                              13. Hard To Find

                                                                                                              The National

                                                                                                              High Violet - Expanded Edition

                                                                                                                The album opens with the slow drums and mournful vocals of “Terrible Love” but from the start there’s a simmering intensity that builds and eventually explodes into crashing cymbals, pummelling drums, distorted guitars and layered vocals. A dramatic entrance to The National’s fifth album. But it’s not all this heavy, as with their previous releases it’s an album of mood swings. Where “Terrible Love” was explosive, second track “Sorrow” is mournful and melodic.
                                                                                                                And while the album changes mood and tempo, at times warm and intimate at others dramatic, propelled by off beat drum rhythms, there’s always a palpable intensity. I read recently that they find it hard to finish songs, with one or other band member frequently rejecting material. Whether the atmosphere created here is the cause or result of this I don’t know, but either way it works perfectly. Despite Matt’s melancholy, there’s something really uplifting about this collection of beautifully crafted mini epics.

                                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                High Violet
                                                                                                                Terrible Love
                                                                                                                Sorrow
                                                                                                                Anyone’s Ghost
                                                                                                                Little Faith
                                                                                                                Afraid Of Everyone
                                                                                                                Bloodbuzz Ohio
                                                                                                                Lemonworld
                                                                                                                Runaway
                                                                                                                Conversation 16
                                                                                                                England
                                                                                                                Vanderlyle Crybaby
                                                                                                                Geeks

                                                                                                                Bonus Disc

                                                                                                                Terrible Love (Alternate Version)
                                                                                                                Wake Up Your Saints
                                                                                                                You Were A Kindness
                                                                                                                Walk Off
                                                                                                                Sin-Eaters
                                                                                                                Bloodbuzz Ohio (Live On The Current)
                                                                                                                Anyone’s Ghost (Live At BAM)
                                                                                                                England (Live At BAM)

                                                                                                                The album opens with the slow drums and mournful vocals of “Terrible Love” but from the start there’s a simmering intensity that builds and eventually explodes into crashing cymbals, pummelling drums, distorted guitars and layered vocals.
                                                                                                                A dramatic entrance to The National’s fifth album. But it’s not all this heavy, as with their previous releases it’s an album of mood swings. Where “Terrible Love” was explosive, second track “Sorrow” is mournful and melodic.
                                                                                                                And while the album changes mood and tempo, at times warm and intimate at others dramatic, propelled by off beat drum rhythms, there’s always a palpable intensity. I read recently that they find it hard to finish songs, with one or other band member frequently rejecting material. Whether the atmosphere created here is the cause or result of this I don’t know, but either way it works perfectly. Despite Matt’s melancholy, there’s something really uplifting about this collection of beautifully crafted mini epics.


                                                                                                                STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                Martin says: A bona fide classic, and possibly the summit of The National's already majestic canon. Moody, introspective and deeply involving, "High Violet" manages to be both clever and inventive and at the same time focused in it's somewhat bleak expression. A work of troubled genius whose (very) high points, "Afraid of Everyone", "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and the sublime "Conversation 16" would grace pretty much any album, ever. It is really that good.

                                                                                                                TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                1. Terrible Love
                                                                                                                2. Sorrow
                                                                                                                3. Anyone’s Ghost
                                                                                                                4. Little Faith
                                                                                                                5. Afraid Of Everyone
                                                                                                                6. Bloodbuzz Ohio
                                                                                                                7. Lemonworld
                                                                                                                8. Runaway
                                                                                                                9. Conversation 16
                                                                                                                10. England
                                                                                                                11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

                                                                                                                Efterklang & The Danish National Chamber Orchestra

                                                                                                                Performing Parades

                                                                                                                  "Performing Parades" is a limited edition album featuring Efterklang performing their 2007 album Parades in full, accompanied by The Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Mojo magazine enjoyed the show so much, they gave it a glowing full page live review! The concert was recorded in their hometown of Copenhagen in September 2008, and will be performed again at the Barbican in London on October 28th, this time with The Britten Sinfonia. Mojo described the Copenhagen concert as 'uplifting, celebratory and gloriously ridiculous, like an alternate national anthem for a new northern utopia of untrammelled happiness'. The stunning live recordings will be issued as a limited edition deluxe CD+DVD package and a limited edition 2LP+DVD in a lush gatefold sleeve, with brilliant design to match the quality of "Parades" and "Under Giant Trees". These special editions are surefire future collectors' items. The live audio recording is packaged with a 55-minute concert film on DVD. The DVD includes plenty of extras, including a behind the scenes documentary of the preparations for the event, and all six videos made for tracks from "Parades", including lead single "Mirador", which has racked up over one million (1,000,000!) views on Youtube.

                                                                                                                  The National

                                                                                                                  Boxer

                                                                                                                    The National's 2005 album "Alligator" saw them fulfil the promise shown on their previous two albums, and set the bar impossibly high for their follow up.

                                                                                                                    However, with "Boxer" they've created something quite stunning, in fact the opening three tracks, "Fake Empire", "Mistaken For Strangers" and "Brainy" are possibly their best songs ever. A taut rhythm section is present throughout, and complements the languid vocals and lush string arrangements perfectly. Although the strings and Matt Berninger's distinctive drawl create a solemn mood, there are plenty of upbeat moments here too, creating a rich anthemic album with just the right amount of melancholy.

                                                                                                                    TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                    1. Fake Empire
                                                                                                                    2. Mistaken For Strangers
                                                                                                                    3. Brainy
                                                                                                                    4. Squalor Victoria
                                                                                                                    5. Green Gloves
                                                                                                                    6. Slow Show
                                                                                                                    7. Apartment Story
                                                                                                                    8. Start A War
                                                                                                                    9. Guest Room
                                                                                                                    10. Racing Like A Pro
                                                                                                                    11. Ada
                                                                                                                    12. Gospel

                                                                                                                    The National

                                                                                                                    Alligator

                                                                                                                      These five Cincinnati friends recorded two albums and a mini album for Brassland before signing to Beggars Banquet. Their last effort, "Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers", was touted as one of the year's best by Rolling Stone and other magazines.

                                                                                                                      The National contains two pairs of brothers - Aaron Dessner (guitars, bass) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (guitar, bass), Bryan Devendorf (drums) and singer Matt Berninger. Matt's potent baritone intones about matters fraught and funny and sad; about record collections, missing persons and medium-sized American hearts. The songs are intense, and emotive but generally quite restrained, but on one or two tracks, this intensity spills out into a superbly abrasive blast of emotion, before ebbing back into mellowness. Wonderful!

                                                                                                                      STAFF COMMENTS

                                                                                                                      Laura says: An absolutely awesome album - one of my albums of the year in 2005 when it was originally released. Although it's perhaps a little less 'polished' than "High Violet" it still has that same compelling, claustrophic intensity too it.

                                                                                                                      TRACK LISTING

                                                                                                                      1. Secret Meeting
                                                                                                                      2. Karen
                                                                                                                      3. Lit Up
                                                                                                                      4. Looking For Astronauts
                                                                                                                      5. Daughters Of The Soho Riots
                                                                                                                      6. Baby, We'll Be Fine
                                                                                                                      7. Friend Of Mine
                                                                                                                      8. Val Jester
                                                                                                                      9. All The Wine
                                                                                                                      10. Abel
                                                                                                                      11. Geese Of Beverly Road
                                                                                                                      12. City Middle
                                                                                                                      13. Mr. November


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