Ooof today really got away from me. Guess that week off made me totally forget how this thing works. Well, Happy New Year, hope you all had a great holiday season. A lot of this list came in over the last week or two. Probably gonna be a bit light on new releases for the next few weeks, but restocks will be pouring in….
OH… and we’re doing something we rarely do… WE ARE HIRING! At least one, maybe two part time positions. Weekend availability is a must! Drop a resume off at the store along with your top ten albums of all time and this year.
Current operations…..
– in-store shopping/pick ups – 11 – 6 pm Monday – Friday, 11 am – 5 pm Saturday
(if you don’t want to come into the store for a pick up, call and/or use the back door)
– We will be wearing masks, if you want to, great! If not, that’s also fine, but please be respectful of other people’s space and decisions.
– Sanitize your hands (we’ll have some)
…..picks of the week…..
Pharoah Sanders: Karma (Impulse) LP
Pharoah Sanders possesses one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz. Harmonically rich and heavy with overtones, Sanders’ sound can be as raw and abrasive as it is possible for a saxophonist to produce. Yet, Sanders is highly regarded to the point of reverence by a great many jazz fans. Although he made his name with expressionistic, nearly anarchic free jazz in John Coltrane’s late ensembles of the mid-’60s, Sanders’ later music is guided by more graceful concerns. The hallmarks of Sanders’ playing at that time were naked aggression and unrestrained passion. In the years after Coltrane’s death, however, Sanders explored other, somewhat gentler and perhaps more cerebral avenues – without, it should be added, sacrificing any of the intensity that defined his work as an apprentice to Coltrane. Sanders made his first record as a leader in 1964. After Coltrane’s death in 1967, Sanders worked briefly with his widow, Alice Coltrane. From the late ’60s, he worked primarily as a leader of his own ensembles. In the decades after his first recordings with Coltrane, Sanders developed into a more well-rounded artist, capable of playing convincingly in a variety of contexts, from free to mainstream. 1969’s spiritually-themed Karma served as his third album as a leader and finds the tenor saxophonist leading a top flight group comprised of Leon Thomas (vocals), Lonnie Liston Smith (piano), Reggie Workman (bass), Billy Hart (drums) and Julius Watkins (French horn). The two accessible free-jazz tracks – 32-minute “The Creator Has A Master Plan” and 5-minute “Colors” – are diverse and dynamic excursions which leave the listener wanting more. This all-analog 180g vinyl LP reissue was mastered from the original analog tapes by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound, pressed at QRP, and comes housed in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket.
File Under: Jazz, Ian’s Picks, Kris’s Picks
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Scientist: Introducing Scientist (Superior Viaduct) LP
Hopeton Brown, better known as Scientist, has been a pioneering figure in the world of dub for nearly 40 years. His early love of electronics proved fruitful when (still a teenager) he was hired at King Tubby’s studio in Kingston. Brown quickly ascended the ranks and became heir to Tubby’s throne, producing imaginative and technically impressive mixes that solidified his forward-looking nickname. Introducing Scientist – The Best Dub Album in the World, his 1980 debut LP, lives up to its boastful title. Recorded with Sly & Robbie at Channel One Studio and mixed at King Tubby’s, the album features hypnotic basslines, reverb-drenched keyboards, and fluid, start-stop rhythms. Opening track “Steppers,” with its well-balanced phrasing and organic contours, shows Scientist’s mastery of the studio-as-instrument concept. On “Scientific,” the effects-laden guitars are stretched to their outer limit to create magnificent, spaced-out textures and muted tension. Introducing Scientist displays the talents of a man obsessed with every element of production, drawing out the very best of the dub form.
File Under: Reggae, Jaime’s Picks
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…..new arrivals…..
Alien Nosejob: Stained Glass (Total Punk) LP
Much loved, relentless rocker, Jake Robertson is back yet again with the next instalment of his ridiculously productive solo project, Alien Nosejob. Jake’s got a brand-new bag of tricks and I ain’t gonna beat around the bush; it sounds like AC/DC! Stained Glass may be his finest and most stylistically suited work to date. Ironically, and to quote his own sarcastic lyrics from the album’s second track, he definitely fits this shoe. Not only does Jake have the high-pitched pipes while many others don’t (obviously a vital part in this sound), but the guitar chops to pull off the sweet, sustained lead breaks of this particular style. And he does so in great fashion as you’ll be made immediately aware from the scorching solo on album opener, “Beatles vs, Stones”. Trust Jake to write a song with that title! But alas! it’s not all Bon Scott’s and Angus Young’s. Some Rikk Agnew guitar lines shine through on album closer, “Mouldy Dough”. “Shuffle Boogie” marks Jake’s first ever stab at the shuffle backbeat – which he says is him knicking from Rose Tattoo what they knicked from AC/DC – but it also kinda sounds like a sped up Jean Genie or some lost Bowie boog. “RNR Rubbish Bin” stomps its way through five minutes of electrified solo’s and witty lyrics. Even Brian Johnston makes an appearance on the Ausmuteants sequel, “Coastal Living 2”; about growing up on the NSW Central Coast. The bulk (backing tracks) of Stained Glass were recorded by Mix Master Mikey (Young), over a Friday / Saturday in October last year – but by the sounds of it they spent just as much time eating Guzmen y Gomez, talking shit and hanging out as they did recording. Jake took the beds for the eight tracks home, tucked their sheets in tightly and the record was complete before years end. Some may think it’s a touch too much, some might shoot him down in flames, but I say this rock ’n’ roll singer’s got rhythm.
File Under: Punk
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Donald Byrd: Live: Cookin’ With Blue Note at Montreux July 5, 1973 (Blue Note) LP
In July 1973, Blue Note Records headed to Montreux, Switzerland to showcase several of the label’s stars at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Produced by Blue Note President George Butler, live albums all titled Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux followed from vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, organist Ronnie Foster, flutist Bobbi Humphrey, and vocalist Marlena Shaw, but one of the performances by trumpeter Donald Byrd remained unreleased in the Blue Note vaults, until now! That summer, Byrd was fresh off the release of his hit crossover fusion album Black Byrd, the first of his innovative and incredibly successful studio collaborations with producer Larry Mizell. But in a live setting the band had a rawer, harder edge, as this searing set attests. Byrd led a 10-piece band that included Larry Mizell on synthesizers, Fonce Mizell on trumpet and vocals, Allan Barneson tenor saxophone and flute, Nathan Davis on soprano and tenor saxophone, Kevin Toney on electric piano, Barney Perry on electric guitar, Henry Franklin on electric bass, Keith Killgo on drums, and Ray Armando on congas and percussion. The set list includes Larry Mizell’s tune “Black Byrd” along with otherwise unrecorded Byrd originals like “The East,” “Kwame,” and “Poco-Mania,” as well as an excellent cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You’ve Got It Bad Girl.” Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux is released on what would have been the legendary trumpeter’s 90th birthday – December 9, 2022. The vinyl release is all-analog and mastered by Kevin Gray.
File Under: Jazz
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Childese: Minor Eden (Not Not Fun) CS
The music of St. Petersburg keyboard fantasist Vova Kolbin aka Childese fuses reverie and melancholy in a wobbly mirage of memory, tape hiss, field recordings, and cosmic church organ: welcome to Minor Eden. Inspired by a particularly idyllic childhood summer spent in a dilapidated country house with his fisherman father, the album feels dazed and suffused with longing and wonder, nostalgic for early mornings out on the lake, dawn light streaking the sky. Kolbin describes his process as a form of magical realism, at the threshold of new age and hypnagogia, shaping sound like a funhouse mirror. This is devotional music in its truest sense, in thrall to times enshrined and things past, to golden ages and paradises lost, the hourglass of youth forever spilling softly in a dream half-remembered.
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Cosmic Putrefaction: Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones (Profound Lore) LP
On Crepuscular Dirge For The Blessed Ones, sole mastermind Gabriele Garmaglia continues the Cosmic Putrefaction narrative begun on previous album The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers, wherein the only survivor from an apocalyptic annihilation of a dying planet walks towards its withered horizons. In this next chapter, this character ultimately finds an even more sorrowful truth at the end of his journey, one that shows the empyrean fall of man throughout the metaphysical world and the gods which inhabit it. On Crepuscular Dirge For The Blessed Ones, Gramaglia establishes even more his own vision of death metal, this time enriching his multifaceted sound with widened atmospheres and a patina of omnipresent melancholy suggested by distant arpeggios, e-bow guitars and sometimes even synths organically blended with the relentless, ferocious riffs always present in this new effort. To cap off this layered effort, Gramaglia this time relied on drummer Giulio Galati (Nero di Marte, Hideous Divinity) to deliver an extremely powerful and dynamic performance behind the kit. Cosmic Putrefaction was formed in 2018 as the death metal sonic incarnation of multi-instrumentalist Gramaglia (also behind The Clearing Path and part of Turris Eburnea and Vertebra Atlantis), who summoned the aforementioned musical entity to re-arrange and complete the unreleased album of his first band Oaken/Throne, which was begun in 2012 but left uncompleted due to the combo disbanding. This became 2019’s At The Threshold Of The Greatest Chasm, which absorbed six-and-a-half tracks taken from the aforementioned unreleased Oaken/Throne album. He later refined his formula through second album The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers, which expanded the death metal roots and multifaceted range of influences Gramaglia has developed throughout the years.
File Under: Metal
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Doltz: Asa (Muzan Editions) CS
Shun Watanabe aka Doltz is well known for his masterful deep techno productions, with work out from Oslated, Circular Limited, and Annulled Music. However, his attention in ambient sound design has always been apparent, drawing us in to swirling and expansive sonic regions as his expertly-crafted rhythms propel us onward. In Asa, his first strictly ambient work, he goes further, directing the listener’s attention to the shifting, crystalline structures and pulsing loops that ebb and flow through each track, inviting us to stay with each sound, each moment, even as it slowly disappears. Pure candy for your ears and mind.
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Drowse: Wane Into It (Flenser) LP
In 2019, Drowse’s Kyle Bates set out to produce a self-recorded new album. Marked by moving across state lines, long-distance relationships, and deaths in the family, the following years proved to be metamorphic. Now, three years later, he’s emerged with Wane Into It, continuing a distinctly Pacific Northwestern tradition of self-recording indie experimentalists (Grouper, The Microphones, Unwound’s Leaves Turn Inside You). One of the most impactful moments came during the looming passing of a family member. With death expected, the choice was made to conduct a bizarre “living-wake” gathering—with the soon-to-be-deceased in attendance. Shortly after, Bates found himself disturbed, preoccupied with the abstraction of memory. The experience led him to reassess the tool one uses to curate our selective memories: the internet. The internet, which creeped into even more aspects of life during the pandemic, serves as our self-made digital link to the past. Its uncaring presence layered over humbling thoughts of death and his own childhood memories of the Oregon Coast as he worked on Wane Into It; life’s hyperreal texture sank into the recordings as he felt his body age and wane. Big sounds were captured in bedrooms, hallways, practice spaces, forests, and on highways throughout West Coast—vibraphones chime over black metal guitars, a mellotron drones under degraded samples, violins splinter against granular field recordings. In the process of documenting these aural moments Bates completed an MFA at Mills College, coloring the album with shades of avant-electronic and minimalist composition (Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley, Maryanne Amacher, Sarah Davachi etc…). To realize this scope Drowse collaborated with Madeline Johnston (Midwife), Alex Kent (Sprain), Lula Asplund, a chamber ensemble and more. Bates’s songwriting and production have never been more lucid; sounds flicker as he sings with fragile intensity. The record, Drowse’s third for The Flenser, impressionistically distills loss, distance, mystery, prescription drugs, the preservation of memory via recording, and ambient anxiety through its titular act: to Wane Into It, to disappear awaiting the next moon phase, water returning to sea before reemerging as a wave.
File Under: Electronic, Shoegaze
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Embalm: Prelude to Obscurity (20 Buck Spin) LP
ON LIMITED EDITION BLOOD RED VINYL!!! An underground brutal death metal demo grail finally unearthed after twenty-five years rotting, 20 Buck Spin presents Prelude To Obscurity! Hailing from Wisconsin in the shadow of the Milwaukee Metal Fest, Embalm formed in 1995 while in high school in the era of Ablated Records, Frozen Dawn CD compilations and IllNoiz Death Fest to name a few. Embalm created truly memorable grooves of mid-paced, catchy, and brutal-as-hell Midwest death metal, also including the customary influence of Swedish death metal and even touches of Dissection-style harmony, setting this demo apart from any forced retro nostalgia. Despite staying local, Embalm was a part of a larger network and held their own supporting bands like Rotted, Internal Bleeding and Incantation. While this collection focuses on the masterwork and tragic final demo aptly titled Prelude To Obscurity, sicko freaks will be treated to the literally impossible to obtain first Demo ’95 as well, showing the most evil and grim basement necro recordings that, while primitive and cruel, still hold minimalistic memory of true underground demo cassette culture. Also included in a rare find are the two final live tracks that sadly never made it to the studio, written after Prelude and showing the band’s insane dual vocal / multi-lingual genius for darkness, slam and tortured leads. Painstakingly remastered from original DAT and cassette tapes by Arthur Rizk, the collection includes a massive time capsule booklet of flyers, ephemera, zine reviews, and live photos from the bygone glory days of true brutal death metal! A guidepost for any new band looking for a glimpse of time tested ‘brutal stuff’. A first time co-release between two modern underground titans, 20 Buck Spin and Hospital Productions.
File Under: Metal
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Endurance: Verb (Muzan Editions) CS
From the ambient label [Muzan Editions], which is based in Osaka, the 2022 work by the ambient artist “Endurance” who hosts the label. Sounds like liquids and papers rubbing against each other, trees colliding, etc. Sound recordings and synthesizer drones and modular arpeggios create a unique atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re watching a scene from a movie. ~ drone work. Each song has a different scene and is rich in variations, so you can listen to it until the end.◎◎◎Includes DL code [H Takahashi]
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Frunk29: The Fifth Season (Not Not Fun) CS
Moscow multi-instrumentalist Marat Shainsky aka Frunk29’s newest opus of bedroom Balearica birthed in a room with a view: trees, rolling hills, and a mountainous, majestic landfill (“It looks like Fujiyama in winter – or how I imagine it”). Stirred by a muse he describes as “magical and foggy,” he began crafting soft-focus fusions of 4th world electronica and sunrise shoegaze with synthesizers, 5-string bass, and a thrifted Phil Pro electric guitar. The Fifth Season floats between warm and wavy, hang gliding above windswept fields and glittering harbors. It’s music of vistas both seen and felt, looming in the distance and hidden in the heart.
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Eric Ghost: Secret Sauce (Jazz Room) LP
Eric Ghost is well named as he is indeed a mystery man. A contemporary (and best friend) of 1960’s Funky Jazzman Jeremy Steig his self published Private Press albums are much coveted and difficult to obtain and command high prices. This Psychedelic Jazz masterpiece was recorded in 1975 and features Dave Valentin bassist Lincoln Goines in his studio debut as well as Jim McGilveray who went on to record with Paul Horn and The Cult. If you’re a fan of The Blues Project “Flute Thing”, Paul Horn’s more esoteric offerings or indeed the aforementioned Jeremy Steig then this album is for you. The music is intense and demands your attention, it’s both Funky and Spiritual from the first note of “Orangeland” to the last notes of the Eastern influenced “Bizarre Bazaar”. Eric was involved with the Counter Culture from his time in Morocco in the early 1960’s (while serving in the US Army, kind of like a Hip Elvis) until shortly after this album was recorded when under his real name, Richard Barth Sanders he was convicted of LSD Manufacture (he invented the blotting paper method of LSD distribution so could be entitled to say he was the world’s first Acid Jazzer) and sentenced to 7 years in a Federal Prison. The album is re-issued with the original cover artwork with the correct track order for the first time.
File Under: Jazz
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J.I.D.: The Forever Story (Interscope) LP
JID’s highly anticipated sophomore album, The Forever Story, presents his reality: a more personal look into his familial life and stories of growing up the last of seven and a student athlete in East Atlanta. JID’s nimble, head-nodding lyricism and lightning-fast flow is presented throughout the album with immersive storytelling and thoughtful guest features – all spotlighting his rightful place in rap as one of the greatest in the making.
File Under: Hip Hop
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June of 44: Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival (Broken Clover) LP
“Revisionist: Adaptations & Future Histories in the Time of Love and Survival, June of 44’s first release in 21 years, might be the most bipolar document you encounter in 2020. The record features at least two or three BRILLIANT re-workings of Anahata-era offerings; these tracks are some of the best stuff we have heard from June of 44 in a long time. Here, the band unleashes its rivers of sound in truly enviable fashion, aestheticizing meditativeness in a way they did like few other post-rock bands of the ‘90s…”—Spectrum Culture
File Under: Indie Rock
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Kris Keogh: Processed Harp Works Vol. 3 (Muzan Editions) CS
In the remote, far north of Australia, 1000km via dirt road thom the nearest city, Kris Keogh has spent the last decade composing otherworldly audio dreamscapes, nocturnes for the galaxies above. Without the light pollution of the city, Arnhem Land’s night skies glitter and glimmer in parallel with his heavily processed sound worlds. Intersecting contemporary classical, glitched electronics and ambient music, Processed Harp Works, Volume 3 is exactly as described – Kris’ intimately recorded harp playing transformed, using self-designed software patches, into grand, glistening audio starscapes. This is music full of contrasts – the acoustic tones of the harp are engulfed by heavy digital processing, while extremely quiet recordings (in which you can hear breathing and fingertips brushing strings) are layered into dense, epic walls of sound. It is this sense of bold juxtaposition that also allows this album to work as both an ambient background for the casual listener, or an intense sound experience for those willing to climb in and really pay attention. PHW, Volume 3 is the third album in a continuing series, the previous volumes were released on Australian experimental labels New Weird Australia and Provenance Records in 2011 and 2017. The move to renowned Japanese label Muzan Editions sees a broader international release for the new volume, with digital and cassette versions.
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Linkwood: Stereo (Athens of the North) LP
Linkwood returns to AOTN in 2022 with Stereo, the follow up and part two, to his killer and hyper focussed LP Mono, which turned heads in 2021. All recorded live at the AOTN studio, he’s kept the essence of the first LP which worked so well, but moved it on in a much deeper direction. Fusing many of his influences, Boogie, Detroit and early 80’s synth joints to name a few, stereo has its own identity and showcases Linkwoods ability to write and produce on the fly but maintain that warm, fuzzy and intricate sound we all love him for.
File Under: Jazz, Electronic, Library
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Thelonious Monk: Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1 (Blue Note) LP
Thelonious Monk was a little-known figure on the New York City bebop scene when Blue Note founder Alfred Lion discovered and fell in love with the pianist’s utterly unique music and offered Monk his first opportunity to record as a leader. Over four sessions recorded in 1947 and 1948, Blue Note documented Monk in trio, quartet, quintet, and sextet settings performing his singular compositions including “‘Round Midnight,” “Ruby My Dear,” “Epistrophy,” “Well You Needn’t,” and “Thelonious,” and released the 10″ LP Genius of Modern Music. In 1956, Blue Note transitioned to the 12″ LP and began the fabled 1500 Series which included the expanded Genius of Modern Music, Volume One (BLP 1510) featuring one of Reid Miles’ earliest cover designs for the label.
File Under: Jazz
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MonoLogue: Senza Titolo (Muzan Editions) CS
This is the latest work released by Italian acoustic artist MonoLogue, who has been released by Grisaille and Falt in the past, on the ambient label Muzan in Osaka in June 2022. Includes 5 dreamy ambient songs with synths and guitar.
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Nakayama Munetoshi: Court (Muzan Editions) CS
A 2022 work by Osaka-based ambient artist “Nakayama Munetoshi” from the ambient label [Muzan Editions], which is based in Osaka. This work, which was produced in the studio using a modular synth, Buchla Easel, and Yamaha DX7, is a minimal ambient sound that has many rhythmic phrases that overlap polyrhythmically and give a microscopic perspective to life and phenomena ◎◎◎◎DL code Attached. [H Takahashi]
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Nadja: Labyrinthine (Muzan Editions) CS
Labyrinthine explores themes of identity and loss, monstrosity and regret, extreme aesceticism, the differences between labyrinthes and mazes, taking inspiration from Haruki Murakami’s “Killing Commendatore”, Ursula K. LeGuin’s “The Tombs of Atuan”, and Victor Pelevin’s reinterpretation of the story of the minotaur and Ariadne, “The Helmet of Horror”. Four extended tracks of atmospheric doom sludge, each with a different guest vocalist: Alan Dubin (Gnaw, Khanate), Rachel Davies (Esben & The Witch), Lane Shi Otayonii (Elizabeth Colour Wheel), & Dylan Walker (Full of Hell).
File Under: Electronic, Noise, Tapes
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Yukari Okamura: Theory (Muzan Editions) CS
A 2022 work by Japanese writer Yukari Okamura, who is also a DJ and producer, from the Osaka-based ambient label [Muzan Editions]. A work composed of 4 songs, 3 minimal deep techno songs with bass and 1 ambient drone song. DL code included [H Takahashi]
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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OVRSCN: Dirac Sea (Muzan Editions) CS
A 2022 work by the project “OVRSCN” by Australian ambient artist “Marcus Miller” from the ambient label [Muzan Editions], which is based in Osaka. “OVRSCN”, which has released two works from the same label and also from [Constellation Tatsu] in the United States, has a dusty and rough texture like a wind blowing in the wilderness, giving you a strange sense of security. Drone ◎ DL code included. [H Takahashi]
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Elin Piel: Satsuma Sunday (Muzan Editions) CS
Born from an intense and tumultuous time in her life, Elin Piel’s Satsuma Sunday is infused with raw emotion that crunches, crackles, and seethes through each track, giving them a life and personality of their own. Recorded on battery of synthesizers, entirely in single takes, with no post-processing, the album feels immediate, surprising, and unmistakable in its expressiveness, while at the same time never losing an overall cohesion and persistence that reminds us of the life and experiences that exist behind the sounds. Textured landscapes that reward repeated and careful listening
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Iggy Pop: Every Loser (Atlantic) LP
As indicated by the pinned db meters of lead single “Frenzy,” Every Loser harkens back to Iggy Pop’s primordial roots while maintaining an undeniably modern lyrical point viewpoint and sonic palette. Every Loser is an exemplary album of primal rock ‘n’ roll – a master class in the art of lashing out with unequalled intensity and unflappable wit. The result is 11 songs by the man who refused to go gently into that good night on his previous album, 2019’s somber and contemplative Free, and is once again charging fearlessly at life itself on Every Loser. “I’m the guy with no shirt who rocks; Andrew [Watt] and Gold Tooth get that, and we made a record together the old-fashioned way,” Iggy said. “The players are guys I’ve known since they were kids and the music will beat the shit out of you.” “Iggy Pop is a fucking icon,” adds Watt. “A true original. The guy invented the stage dive..I still can’t believe he let me make a record with him. I am honored. It doesn’t get cooler. This album was created to be played as loud as your stereo will go…turn it up and hold on…” The cover of Every Loser is an original piece of art created by world renowned contemporary fine artist Raymond Pettibon. Pettibon burst onto the scene in the late 70s and designed iconic album covers for artists such as Sonic Youth and Black Flag. His signature motifs are pulled from literature, art history, philosophy, religion, politics, sports, and alternative youth culture.
File Under: Rock
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Don Rendell/Ian Carr: Dusk Fire (Jazzman) LP
Here are the first ever official individual reissues of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet. The five albums; 1965’s Shades Of Blues, 1966’s Dusk Fire, 1968’s Phase III, 1969’s Change Is, and 1969’s Live, have reached almost mythical status in the collector’s world. Regarded as holy grail artifacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second-hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000. Jazzman Records located and acquired the original analog master tapes from the Universal vaults and created masters at Abbey Road Studios to produce audiophile quality 180 gram pressings replete with replica artwork — shape, design, and even paper stock. No stone has been left unturned to deliver this absolute labor of love to the highest possible standard. Inside is a link to a printable online pdf which contains never before seen photographs, interviews with the remaining living band members and liner notes from BBC Radio 3 presenter, and award-winning jazz writer Alyn Shipton. The band played together for seven years and during this fruitful time they made a plethora of deeply melodic, post-bop British jazz compositions that later on took influences from Indo and more spiritually guided jazz. Produced by the influential Denis Preston and recorded at his Lansdowne Studios in London, the band was primarily made up of saxophonist Don Rendell, trumpeter/composer Ian Carr, and pianist/composer Michael Garrick. This is UK jazz at its absolute finest and is a treasure not to be missed. Original replica flipback color sleeves; 180 gram vinyl, mastered from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, London; poly-lined and printed individual inner sleeves; contains link to online PDF with printable liner notes.
File Under: Jazz
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Don Rendell/Ian Carr: Shades of Blue (Jazzman) LP
Here are the first ever official individual reissues of all five of the iconic Lansdowne recording sessions by the legendary UK jazz combo, the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet. The five albums; 1965’s Shades Of Blues, 1966’s Dusk Fire, 1968’s Phase III, 1969’s Change Is, and 1969’s Live, have reached almost mythical status in the collector’s world. Regarded as holy grail artifacts for even the seasoned aficionado, the collective second-hand market value comes to an astonishing £6000. Jazzman Records located and acquired the original analog master tapes from the Universal vaults and created masters at Abbey Road Studios to produce audiophile quality 180 gram pressings replete with replica artwork — shape, design, and even paper stock. No stone has been left unturned to deliver this absolute labor of love to the highest possible standard. Inside is a link to a printable online pdf which contains never before seen photographs, interviews with the remaining living band members and liner notes from BBC Radio 3 presenter, and award-winning jazz writer Alyn Shipton. The band played together for seven years and during this fruitful time they made a plethora of deeply melodic, post-bop British jazz compositions that later on took influences from Indo and more spiritually guided jazz. Produced by the influential Denis Preston and recorded at his Lansdowne Studios in London, the band was primarily made up of saxophonist Don Rendell, trumpeter/composer Ian Carr, and pianist/composer Michael Garrick. This is UK jazz at its absolute finest and is a treasure not to be missed. Original replica flipback color sleeves; 180 gram vinyl, mastered from the original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios, London; poly-lined and printed individual inner sleeves; contains link to online PDF with printable liner notes.
File Under: Jazz
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Gunter Schienz: Current (Muzan Editions) CS
A 2022 production by German modular player “Günter Schlienz” from the Osaka-based ambient label [Muzan Editions]. Günter Schlienz, a virtuoso of modular ambient who has created numerous masterpieces from the US [Moon Glyph], [Sacred Phrases], [Constellation Tatsu], etc., has created this work with modular synths, synthesizers, tape machines, electric organs, A quiet, relaxing dream-like world recorded by field recordings, etc. Even if you concentrate on following the sound with headphones or listen to it in a space as BGM vaguely ◎◎◎◎Includes DL code. [H Takahashi]
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Strychnos: A Mother’s Curse (Dark Descent) LP
Danish extreme metal veterans Strychnos reveal their long-awaited debut A Mother’s Curse on Colorado Springs’ Dark Descent Records… Formed in 1997 by Martin Leth Andersen (also of Undergang fame), Strychnos might just be the Danish underground’s best kept secret. A Mother’s Curse is the product of a craft perfected over twenty-five years of toil, a true celebration of extreme metal mastery that surpasses all genre limitations. “We are proud to finally present eight tracks of pitch-black death metal tragedy as it was always intended to be: dark, atmospheric, brutal, and tragic!” exclaims Andersen. The intricately sculpted compositions shift seamlessly between moods of terror, hope, and tragedy, building a momentous atmosphere rarely achieved in this day and age. Add to this the inventive riffing and bone-shattering vocals of the highest order and the result is A Mother’s Curse. The truly complete work is wrapped in stunning cover by the inimitable Daniel Corcuera: “The chilling motif is based on Danish sculptor Niels Hansen Jacobsen’s statue Death And The Mother from 1892, depicting a young woman in the moment of ultimate tragedy. Jacobsen was inspired by the ending of The Tale Of A Mother, a story written in 1847 by famous author Hans Christian Andersen: ‘And Death walked with her child into the unknown land.’ ”
File Under: Metal
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Tengger: Earthling (Centripetal Force) LP
Centripetal Force (North America), Cardinal Fuzz (UK), and Ramble Records (Australia) are excited to announce the vinyl edition of TENGGER’s Earthing. Previously available digitally. TENGGER is a traveling musical family, made up of Pan-Asian couple, ITTA (from South Korea) and MARQIDO (from Japan), who create their brand of psychedelic New-Age drone magic through the use of voice, harmonium, toy instruments (played by Itta), as well as synths and electronics (played by Marqido). The duo originally started out with the moniker “10” but, since the birth of their son RAAI (who joins them on tour dancing, singing, and playing synths and toy Instruments), they have called themselves Tengger (meaning ‘unlimited expanse of sky’ in Mongolian) to mark the expansion of the family. The name also means ‘huge sea’ in Hungarian. Travel, as spiritual experience in real environments and the sound between the space and the audience have been central themes of their works. The family’s yearly pilgrimages inform every aspect of their art. Earthing is Tengger’s seventh studio album. It was recorded during the pandemic distanced stretch of 2021 in their home studio, a space they have named Studio Kyurt. The family’s homestead is located in the Korean highlands. They received inspiration for Earthing through their frequent walks around their home. They climbed mountains, gazed at waterfalls, and hiked to the ocean, observing and absorbing the natural world along the way. It was only then that they received a message through nature, “There is nothing divided and we are connected all in the life circulation.” The family took the message to heart and recorded Earthing in nature itself, paying respect to the idea of being in the now and being present. Earthing’ was initially released digitally by Tengger themselves in early 2022. It was immediately met with praise and positive energy. Previous releases from Tengger have been on labels such as Guruguru Brain, Sunrise Ocean Bender, and Beyond Beyond is Beyond. Edition of 300 copies.
File Under: Psych
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Tokio Ono: Individuals (Not Not Fun) CS
Yokohama multi-instrumentalist Tokio Ono’s debut is a collection of 13 confinement compositions woven from field recordings, percussion, various keys, samples, and a sense of being far away. He characterizes it as a type of “island music” – isolated but introspective, fueled by fleeting dreams of “the space between.” Like some surrogate 4th world travel brochure, Individuals spans a 50-minute map of emerald atolls, shimmering bays, and fog-shrouded isles, equal parts dislocated and devotional. Shuffling rhythms tip-toe, shape-shift, and spiral through tropical temples and whispering villages, attuned to innerspace horizons forever unfolding and indivisible: “Differences don’t separate, but bound all things and people in one individuality.”
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Upupayama: The Golden Pond (Centripetal Force) LP
Upupayāma is the musical persona of Alessio Ferrari, an Italian multi-instrumentalist and songwriter who lives in a small mountain village above the city of Parma. Upupayāma’s music is rooted strongly in Eastern and Western folk traditions, an approach that Ferrari blends with his own modern sensibilities and style. In addition to playing guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums, Ferrari himself also incorporates a number of other instruments into his sound, including sitar, erhu, flute, and a variety of percussion instruments. For Ferrari, Upupayāma’s 2020 debut was all about the journey. The album served a series of musical vignettes that visited and weaved its way through a succession magical settings. The Golden Pond, conversely, is all about location. Inspired by his frequent visits to a small lake near his mountain home, Ferrari intentionally focused on the details of the place he inhabited, a practice he decided would translate well with his approach to writing music. This is something Ferrari feels is best exemplified with the album’s opening companion pieces, “Cuckoos from the House of Golden Tin” and “Entering the Time of Wilderness.” The Golden Pond also continues Ferrari’s practice of using “invented language” in his lyrics. Ferrari wants his voice to be heard as if it were an additional instrument, a tool that does not convey specific messages. His goal is to allow the listener to assign personal meaning to the music. He says, “I want my incorporating invented language is a way of breaking down the barriers that are sometimes created by language, by having to define something at all costs. Ferrari adds, “I think one of my unconscious dreams is not to have to define anything, but just to be carried away by our feelings.”
File Under: Psych
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Johnny Walker: Advent (Jazz Room) LP
Recorded when Johnny Walker was touring Worldwide with Veteran Jazz Star Lionel Hampton in 1982 and originally released on his own Private Press label: Walk On Productions. This neglected underground classic LP has been off the radar since then except for the appearance of “Dipping” on the Kev Beadle – Private Collection (Independent Jazz Sounds From The Seventies And Eighties) compilation on BBE Records. Almost unknown and unjustly negected, it’s a funk drenched jazz journey with some crunchy fat beats laid down by the excellent rhythm section complementing Johnny Walkers cool horn stylings. Reminiscent of the albums of that early Jazz Dance era by Tom Browne and Rahmlee but with less of a commercial edge and wholly instrumental this is Funky Jazz that has not dated and sounds like it was fresh out of the studio in 2022. Funk all the way on “Dipping” and “Dirkie” while “Arrival” is one for the Jazz Dancers.
File Under: Jazz
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Work, Money, Death: The Space in Which…. (ATA) LP
Originally released in February of 2021, Work Money Death’s “The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises” is now available on Cassette for the first time. A transcendental journey that takes in meditative musical mantras, sprawling tenor sax improvisation and mesmeric percussion, the new album byWork Money Death(the group that backed ATA artist Tony Burkill on his 2017 debut record of the same name) seeks to reinterpret the sound of artists such as Pharoah Sanders & Alice Coltrane over two tracks: the brooding tension of A-Side”Dusk”and the sanguine & uplifting”Dawn”on the B-Side.Titled “The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises”, this new LP was conceived and recorded by Tony Burkill and Bassist Neil Innes during the spring/summer of 2020. A stalwart of the Leeds music scene for the best part of 3 decades, Tony Burkill had maintained a low profile nationally, choosing to favour continued study and development on the instrument over attainment of success or recognition within the music industry. With his debut release on ATA in 2017 he impressed audiences with his powerful and gutsy approach to improvisation. Also featuring on the record are Drummer Sam Hobbs (The Electric Doctor M and Producer of Matthew Bourne’s Moogmemory), Bassist Neil Innes (The Sorcerers, The Lewis Express), Pianist Adam Fairhall (Nat Birchall) and Percussionist Pete Williams (The Sorcerers, The Lewis Express). Originally conceived as a large scale group performance of a single extended piece “The space in which the uncontrollable unknown resides, can be the place from which creation arises”was written by Tony and Neil through a series of extended improvisations similar to the extended meditation sessions that both musicians practice. These sessions enabled a state of flow through which Tony’s compositional approach to improvisation yielded meaningful melodic fragments that would be returned to and developed in a way similar to someone returning to the mantra.
File Under: Jazz
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Work, Money, Death: Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction (ATA) LP
Taking a short sabbatical from their journey into the spiritual stratosphere and beyond, Work Money Death landed on terra firma just long enough to record a follow up to the critically acclaimed “The Space In Which The Uncontrollable Unknown Resides Can Be The Place From Which Creation Arises”. The new album “Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction” explores many of the meditative motifs that mould this unique group in their quest for the perfect sound and space. Those who are familiar with Work Money Death will know their output is as much an adventure for the listener as it was for the musicians. “Thought, Action, Reaction, Interactions” is a salute to the now sadly deceased master of the spiritual sound Pharoah Sanders, and in particular the spontaneity of his recording process. Each of the four tracks on “Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction” were recorded in one take with no rehearsal and while the players may have known where they were starting off none of them were sure where they would end. As much as it is entertainment, and have no doubt this LP is an unctuous, spirit-smoothing joy from beginning to end, this is an experiment of making music in the moment. Spontaneous and spiritual in its truest sense, “Thought, Action, Reaction, Interaction” is a work of innovation and unsurpassed beauty. “At Once Familiar” is a rising salute to the day, meditative, moving and fierce. An introduction to Burkill’s emotive style, at once sweeping and succinct. It fills a room, and your head, with a very real sound, rich in texture and spirit. “Freedom As A Heartfelt Song” is buoyant with harp, the spirit of the Yorkshire Pharoah is never more to the fore. Visceral sax rides over and uplifting backing, symbiotic and pinioned with power and beauty. Think Sun Ra horns meets Don Ellis brass. “Song Of Healing” drifts on a river of music, guided through the rapids with a heartbeat bass line. This is temple sombre, with Eastern flavours and an overarching calm. A communion of sound, a master class in the understatement and power of the slow note, deceptively light. “Same As Before” is spoken word playing foil to the call and response of the brass, dancing alongside and against each other. Spiritual vibrations cement ethereal forms to substantive sounds. A prayer to change.” As with the previous Work, Money, Death release (which was recorded in difficult conditions due to the Covid pandemic) the aim was to recreate a situation, in this case the impromptu and unrehearsed recording sessions of Sanders in the late 60’s and early 70’s, everything recorded in one take, creating a body of work that is a strong nod to a certain time and ethos but not a pastiche of it.
File Under: Jazz
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Mary Yalex: Ohra (Muzan Editions) CS
This is the latest work released by German Erfurt ambient writer Mary Yalex on the Osaka ambient label Muzan in June 2022. Contains 10 dreamy ambient songs spun with analog equipment. Just as hymns and certain types of hardcore have something in common, if you look closely at various things, you will somehow understand that the front and back of things are literally always in a back-to-back (= close) positional relationship. This work also seeks to be defined more comprehensively by repeating the coexistence and division of X and Y step by step. It can be said that it is the kind of art that gives you an experience rather than a story. First of all, I want you to forget to breathe and just be blown away by the majestic drone and the mysterious analog synth arpeggio. The exhilarating feeling of taking out the brain and washing it in a clear stream is completely different from the mint tablets sold at convenience stores.
File Under: Electronic, Tapes
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Yes: Fragile (Rhino) LP
Clear vinyl! Yes are widely acknowledged as the godfathers of progressive rock, and have been at the top of the genre for decades. In 1971, they released their fourth album, Fragile, which deservedly garnered widespread critical acclaim, and the Top 20 smash “Roundabout” boosted sales to multiplatinum. This album also noteworthy as it was the debut of Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and the first time that Roger Dean’s instantly recognizable artwork graced the cover of a Yes album. The album is a perennial seller, and tracks such as “Heart of the Sunrise” and “Long Distance Runaround” are permanent fixtures in the band’s live show.
File Under: Prog, Rock
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Young Gun Silver Fox: AM Waves (Legere) LP
Young Gun Silver Fox are the captains of AM Waves, setting sail towards an isle where melodies soak the shoreline and grooves sway like palm trees. Their route traces a natural progression fromWest End Coast, an album that cast Andy Platts (Young Gun) and Shawn Lee (Silver Fox) as musical virtuosos of SoCal-infused pop. AM Waves does more than duplicate the perfection of West End Coast. It improves it. Recorded at The Shop in London and Roffey Hall in the English countryside, AM Waves burnishes the blend between the duo’s modern aesthetic and their sumptuously crafted homage to ’70s-styled pop, rock, and soul. “This music hits a certain spot for me personally that nothing else quite does,” says Shawn, who produced the album amidst his projects for Saint Etienne, Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra, and several other acts. “It’s real high-caliber music. It’s easy and breezy to listen to but it’s really hard to make. Every aspect is A game.”
File Under: Yacht Rock
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Various: Greasy Mike – Shipwrecked on a Tropical Island (Jazzman) LP
More in the new series from Jazzman featuring the lowest of the lowball schlock n’ roll 45s never known to exist. After many years in hiding, notoriously shady Super Spiv of the record world Greasy Mike has finally opened up his vinyl dungeon, and Jazzman Records were first to raid it! They have left no box untouched, no crate unrummaged, no pile unpilfered! Just the greasiest and grimiest, the most shocking and sordid 45s have made it onto Jazzman’s selections. On this occasion Greasy Mike reminisces about the time he was shipwrecked and washed up all alone on a remote island in the South Pacific. But, ever the resourceful, Mike did not despair! Grooving to the beat in the tropical heat, his desert island discs kept him cruising while coconut moonshine kept him boozing. Dig this, swashbucklers! Features Alfredo Martinez, Phyllis Branch, Jack Medell, Harvey Anderson, Maria Elena, Robert Mersey, Ty & Ed, Blue Bells, Coral & the South Seas, Vitin Aviles y Su Orquesta, Dariel Kay, Hank Levine, Hector Cari & the Dancing Strings, Davy Jones & the Dolphins, Jim Solley & the Lubocs, and Rick & Trisha.
File Under: Exotica
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Various: Greasy Mike’s Middle Eastern Harem (Jazzman) LP
More in the new series from Jazzman featuring the lowest of the lowball schlock n’ roll 45s never known to exist! After many years in hiding, notoriously shady Super Spiv of the record world Greasy Mike has finally opened up his vinyl dungeon, and we were first to raid it! We have left no box untouched, no crate unrummaged, no pile unpilfered! Just the greasiest and grimiest, the most shocking and sordid 45s have made it onto our selections. Watch out for more!!! In this adventure Greasy Mike finds himself lost in the wilderness; hot, thirsty and alone under the unforgiving desert sun. He’s been days without food and water; the heat of the day stifling almost beyond endurance, the cold of night a trial of torment. Survival seems impossible – or does it? Staggering across the sandy plains, the eerie yet unmistakable sound of a snake charmer’s reed curiously winds its way into his ears. Instinctively he turns his head towards the sound – and lo! An oasis just ahead! Music, laughter – and belly dancers!!!
File Under: Exotica
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Various: If I Had a Pair of Wings Vol. 2 (Death is Not the End) LP/CS
The second volume in a two-part collection of Jamaican doo wop from the late 1950s through to the early 1960 represents a period in which sound systems began to dominate the island, and were starting to step up their rivalry by beginning to record heir own platters rather than rely on imports to gain the competitive edge. With the uniquely Jamaican ska craze yet to fully catch hold, these tracks are largely imitative of the sounds that had been reaching the island from American shores, albeit peppered with hints of what was to come ~ some of the future stars of ska, rocksteady and reggae are starting to cut their teeth here on these records, providing a unique view into the fledgling industry at a time of creative flux.
File Under: Soul, Doo Wop, Jamaica, Tapes
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Various: Pure Wicked Tune: Rare Groove Blues Dances & House Parties, 1985-1992 (Death is Not the End) CS
Pure Wicked Tune is a mixtape-style collection of extracts & cut-ups, taken from DIY cassette recordings featuring rare groove and “soul blues” soundsystems playing at early morning house parties and blues dances – mostly in South & East London – between the mid 1980s & early 90s. Sounds like Funkadelic, Touch of Class, Latest Edition, JB Crew, Manhattan, 5th Avenue (and the many more featured on this tape) originally began to form in the mid-1980s. With lovers rock dwindling, and the reggae scene becoming dominated by harder digital-style dancehall, these sounds provided a tight but loyal crowd with a potent alternative – playing a mixture of killer rare soul, funk and boogie records in an inimitably reggae soundsystem style, complete with toasting, sirens and effects aplenty. They were most well-known for playing at house parties and blues dances, typically in small flats or warehouses, with timing of such events generally running from the early morning hours until late the next afternoon. Though the popularity of the sounds faded following the dance music explosion of the early 1990s, there has been continued demand for revival sessions ever since. Whilst the influence of key British reggae & dancehall soundsystems on subsequent UK sounds like hardcore & jungle is relatively well documented, a similar line can just as easily be drawn from these sounds and the aforementioned styles’ tendency toward sampling popular rare groove cuts, particularly well evidenced in the work of Tom & Jerry, 4hero, Reinforced & LTJ Bukem among others. This represents the first outing in a series of collections exploring the sounds of UK soundsystem culture, via extracts from archival DIY cassette recordings of blues parties, dances & clashes made between the late 70s and early 90s. Often duplicated and shared widely, these ruff and ready “sound tapes” provided keen ears with music that wasn’t otherwise readily available on the airwaves or in the record shops, and would go on to leave a deeply-rooted but too often overlooked influence on the UK’s musical landscape.
File Under: Funk, Hip Hop, Tapes
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Various: River of Revenge: Brazilian Country Music 1929 – 1961 Vol 1 (Death is Not the End) CS
Death Is Not The End present the first volume in a survey of a form of Brazilian country music known as música caipira (“hillbilly music”) – a stripped-back forerunner to música sertaneja, the Brazilian equivalent to US country & western which in it’s contemporary form has come to dominate the domestic music industry in recent decades. This collection covers some of the earliest recordings made by the pioneering folklorist Cornélio Pires at the end of the 1920s, through to records from the 30s, 40s & 50s and the beginning of the 60s. Somewhat rooted in Portuguese troubadour folk traditions, música caipira is typically performed by a duo singing in parallel thirds and sixths, drawing upon a Portuguese-Brazilian style known as moda de viola – with the viola being the viola caipira, a Brazilian-style ten-string guitar that is the core instrument of the music. Born out of the “outback”-style region in north-eastern Brazil, these songs tell stories of pain, love, loss & betrayal – often backed by homemade guitars using invented tunings. Away from the polished pop country & western-stylings of the sertaneja, these recordings could be viewed as the Brazilian equivalent to the roots music of the American dustbowl or Appalachia.
File Under: Brazil, Folk, Tapes
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…..restocks…..
Oren Ambarchi: Shebang (Drag City) LP
Amyl & The Sniffers: Comfort to Me (ATO) LP
Bitchin Bajas: Bajascillators (Drag City) LP
Bowery Electric: Beat (Kranky) LP
Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher (Dead Oceans) LP
Michael Chapman: Wrecked Again (Light in the Attic) LP
Childish Gambino: Awaken, My Love (Glassnote) LP
Contortions: Buy (Superior Viaduct) LP
Daeva: Through Sheer Will (20 Buck Spin) LP
Departure Chandelier: Antichrist Rise to Power (Nuclear War Now) LP
Dream Unending: Song of Salvation (20 Buck Spin) LP
Feist: Let It Die (Arts & Crafts) LP
Jackson C. Frank: s/t (Antarctic Starts Here) LP
Fugazi: Red Medicine (Dischord) LP
Fugazi: Repeater (Dischord) LP
Fugazi: s/t (Dischord) LP
Fugazi: Steady Diet of Nothing (Dischord) LP
Galaxie 500: This is Our Music (20/20/20) LP
Galaxie 500: Today (20/20/20) LP
Hulder: De Oproeping Van Middeleeuwse Duisternis (20 Buck Spin) LP
Hulder: Godslastering: Hymns of a Forlorn Peasantry (20 Buck Spin) LP
Magnolia Electric Co.: What Comes After the Blues (Secretly Canadian) LP
Mogwai: Happy Songs for Happy People (PIAS) LP
Oh Sees: A Weird Exits (Castle Face) LP
Oh Sees: Floating Coffin (Castle Face) LP
Oh Sees: Hounds of Foggy Notion (Castle Face) LP
Oh Sees: Orc (Castle Face) LP
Om: Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain) LP
Tom Petty: Full Moon Fever (Universal) LP
Purple Mountains: s/t (Drag City) LP
Arthur Russell: Calling Out of Context (Audika) LP
Arthur Russell: World of Echo (Audika) LP
Songs: Ohia: Ghost Tropic (Secretly Canadian) LP
Terminal Nation / Kruelty: The Ruination of Imperialism (20 Buck Spin) LP
Harold Vick: Don’t Look Back (Pure Pleasure) LP
War On Drugs: A Deeper Understanding (Atlantic) LP
Wipers: Is This Real? (Jackpot) LP
Wipers: Over the Edge (Jackpot) LP
Worm: Bluenothing (20 Buck Spin) LP
Various: Tisheh o Risheh (Pharaway) LP