Rock & Indie 261 Items

In one sense, it's easy for artists-songwriters, specifically-to express their feelings in their work. After all, that's what the lyrics are for! But it's much harder to convey emotional energy in how you play, slash at the guitar, and the structure of the music itself. That's precisely why Girl and Girl's Sub Pop debut, Call A Doctor, feels like such a vital, electrifying shock to the senses. Not since the early work of Car Seat Headrest or Conor Oberst's widescreen emotional brutality as Bright Eyes has indie rock managed to come across as this intimate and grandiose, as the Australian quartet led by Kai James lay a lifetime's worth of woes-mental health, the human race's planned obsolescence if you've been living on this cursed rock you know what we're getting at-across a canvas of indie rock that feels both timeless and in-the-moment. An audacious and aggressively tuneful blast of a record, Call A Doctor is an unforgettable first bow from Girl and Girl, whose origins lie in James and guitarist Jayden Williams jamming in his mother's garage in the afternoon after school. One afternoon, James' Aunty Liss headed down to their practice space after walking her dog and asked if she could sit in on drums. "It sounded really great," James recalls. "We begged her to stay, and she said, 'I'll stay until you find another drummer.' We wore her down, and she eventually became a permanent member." After bassist Fraser Bell joined to round things out, Girl and Girl hit the road and began to make a name for themselves beyond the Australian bush, eventually signing to Sub Pop off the strength of word of mouth. Call A Doctor came together quickly soon after, largely recorded in marathon sessions in a two-story industrial complex over the course of two weeks. "That added to the intensity of the album," James says about the frenzied creative process overseen by producer Burke Reid. "I can hear the stress in the record, which is good because that's what it's about-being tense, tied up, and in your own head." Call A Doctor's eleven songs-spanning sweeping guitar epics and wry acoustic shuffles to spiky punk maneuvers and the type of raw, adoringly unvarnished indie-pop associated with legendary PacNW label K Records-are literally plucked from James' personal history, as he reworked older recordings with newer lyrics reflecting his past struggles as well as new anxieties that emerged prior to the album's recording. "I've struggled with mental health for a lot of my life," he explains, "and I went through a particularly difficult patch when we were making the album; the band had started to get some attention, and I felt an enormous amount of pressure to live up to it." "This record is about an individual who's too far in their head, trying to get out," James continues while discussing Call A Doctor's overall outlook-specifically the snapshot it offers of its creator. But even though this record deals with uneasy topics we all know well from within ourselves, it's important to emphasize how teeming with life Girl and Girl's music is. There's a brazen, bold sense of humor to this stuff, an undeniable brightness to the darkness that makes it impossible not to be drawn in as a listener. Feeling down never sounded so goddamn good.

180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
GATEFOLD SLEEVE WITH LINER NOTES
LEGENDARY LEIDEN CONCERT AVAILABLE IN IT’S ENTIRELY
REMASTERED AUDIO
BLACK VINYL

In the past 7 years Guppy has evolved from their In the Garage EP origins, releasing 2 albums - In Heat and their most recent album Big Man Says Slappydoo. Joined in the last 2 years by their newest member Kabir Kumar (Sun Kin) on lead guitar and backing vocals, the band has expanded their musicality, moving beyond their garage punk origins into the realms of power pop, disco, country, and surf rock. With this latest evolution of Guppy comes their most ambitious record yet Something is Happening… Guppy again teamed up with Slappydoo producer Sarah Tudzin (Illuminati Hotties / boygenius) for their third album ‘Something is Happening…,’ recorded at Elliott Smith’s old studio New Monkey in Van Nuys. The songs on this album are Guppy’s most collaborative e ort yet made up of equal contributions from all four members. The result is a sonic hero’s journey venturing from ambient wistfulness, to post punk irreverence, to sincere indie crooning, to playful garage rock, and returning back again to the beginning, but this time you’re changed. The themes of Something is Happening speak to a feeling of overall hopelessness born from the realization that the system is not here to protect us and an accompanying emergence of hope as we invest in and lean on our communities. Guppy rejects nihilism, relishes in absurdism, and ultimately agrees with poet Khalil Gibran that “the deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain”. The album is made up of observations about absurd speci cs that either want to kill us or celebrate us and sometimes Guppy can’t di erentiate between the two: “Why does it smell like scrambled eggs when I’m driving on the freeway? What’s the di erence between love and hate when I feel it in my body?”

Horse Jumper of Love thrive on patient and pummeling songs.Since 2013, the Boston trio of singer-guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos,bassist John Margaris, and drummer James Doran haveslowly stretched the fringes of indie rock across five full-lengthLPs. Their music unwinds with gutting emotional intensity thanksto Giannopoulos' impressionistic lyrics and how the arrangementsviolently lurch from delicate to bludgeoning. Disaster Trick, theband's new album out August 16 via Run For Cover, is their mostdirect and uncompromising LP yet. Its 11 songs tackle self-destructivenessand healing with jolting lucidity.Where the band's last LP 2023's Heartbreak Rules excelled withquiet, bare-bones songwriting, Disaster Trick cranks up the volumeand boasts some of the most expansive arrangements of theband's catalog. Recorded at Asheville, North Carolina's Drop ofSun Studios with producer Alex Farrar, the recordings soar withsearing guitars and a thunderous rhythm section. "I tried the quietthing on the last album and I realized there's definitely two parts ofme: I like really heavy music, and I like really gentle music," saysGiannopoulos. "The two albums I was listening to the most, whilewe were in the studio were the Leonard Cohen's Songs From aRoom and Hum's Downward is Heavenward."Disaster Trick is a dark record but it's never dour. There's a glimmerof hope and humor throughout these 11 songs, written with thegrace that only time and growing up can bring. As he sings on"Death Spiral," "I know it sounds dramatic / But I must describe /The way that it felt." There's catharsis when it's needed most. "Thisalbum is a reflection on destructive behavior from a lens of moreclarity," says Giannopoulos. "A lot of the songs came out of thispoint where things in my life were going well but I couldn't accept it.I was being a brat. Disaster Trick is me cleaning up my act a bit andreflecting on it."

Horse Jumper of Love thrive on patient and pummeling songs.Since 2013, the Boston trio of singer-guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos,bassist John Margaris, and drummer James Doran haveslowly stretched the fringes of indie rock across five full-lengthLPs. Their music unwinds with gutting emotional intensity thanksto Giannopoulos' impressionistic lyrics and how the arrangementsviolently lurch from delicate to bludgeoning. Disaster Trick, theband's new album out August 16 via Run For Cover, is their mostdirect and uncompromising LP yet. Its 11 songs tackle self-destructivenessand healing with jolting lucidity.Where the band's last LP 2023's Heartbreak Rules excelled withquiet, bare-bones songwriting, Disaster Trick cranks up the volumeand boasts some of the most expansive arrangements of theband's catalog. Recorded at Asheville, North Carolina's Drop ofSun Studios with producer Alex Farrar, the recordings soar withsearing guitars and a thunderous rhythm section. "I tried the quietthing on the last album and I realized there's definitely two parts ofme: I like really heavy music, and I like really gentle music," saysGiannopoulos. "The two albums I was listening to the most, whilewe were in the studio were the Leonard Cohen's Songs From aRoom and Hum's Downward is Heavenward."Disaster Trick is a dark record but it's never dour. There's a glimmerof hope and humor throughout these 11 songs, written with thegrace that only time and growing up can bring. As he sings on"Death Spiral," "I know it sounds dramatic / But I must describe /The way that it felt." There's catharsis when it's needed most. "Thisalbum is a reflection on destructive behavior from a lens of moreclarity," says Giannopoulos. "A lot of the songs came out of thispoint where things in my life were going well but I couldn't accept it.I was being a brat. Disaster Trick is me cleaning up my act a bit andreflecting on it."

Theme: collaboration. Or how to remain creative in the modern world. Nanocluster started as a bespoke one off pop up gig that turned into an album series. Built around Colin Newman from acclaimed UK post-punk band Wire and his partner in life and sound Malka Spigel from Minimal Compact with various guests, they define collaboration. Colin met Malka when he produced her band in 1985.The collaboration started there. They became a couple and created their own projects like the instrumental electronic duo Immersion in 1994 and Githead in 2004 - spaces where they both 'feel really comfortable.' Growing out of Immersion, Nanocluster was birthed as a series of one-off gigs at the Rosehill in their new hometown of Brighton in 2017 with an added cast of influential and cutting edge musicians. These were not ad hoc jams. The songs had been written and rehearsed prior to each performance. This adventure led to a debut album, Nanocluster Vol 1, released in 2021 with Stereolab singer/guitarist Laetitia Sadier, German post-rock duo Tarwater, electronic musician Ulrich Schnauss and experimental artist Robin Rimbaud (Scanner). Released again as double 10 inch with each collaboration taking up each disc, the new album Nanocluster Vol 2 has further developed this idea with a stark beauty that sounds like a future pop with sleek lines and unexpected great melodies. Disc one is built around Thor Harris, the charismatic percussion player from Swans and many other projects, who they met and performed with at South By South West in Austin, Texas in 2023. Thor adds ideas, his tuned percussion instruments, clarinet and trumpet to the sessions. Disc two is built around Cubzoa (Jack Wolter from the band Penelope Isles) who brings his musical craft, beguiling voice, guitar and much more. Meanwhile Matt Schulz from Holy Fuck plays drums across both combinations helping the resulting music become a third entity. What results is a true collaboration that, enhanced via Immersion's production, merges its elements to develop a new har...

Debut full-length album from Long Island natives back in print! Anthemic & melodic punk rock from line-up that features members of: Latterman, Small Arms Dealer, Capital, Get Bent & Jonesin'. Artwork by: Lubrano. 10th pressing! Limited to 435 Black vinyl.

Special 12” shaped picture discs of the iconic US power metal band, JAG PANZER! Mastered for vinyl by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, RIOT V, RUNNING WILD, PAGAN ALTAR, RIOT CITY), each 12” shaped picture disc comes in a clear PVC sleeve with insert and they’re hand-numbered. Side A: BlackSide B: Future Shock

Special 12” shaped picture discs of the iconic US power metal band, JAG PANZER! Mastered for vinyl by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, RIOT V, RUNNING WILD, PAGAN ALTAR, RIOT CITY), each 12” shaped picture disc comes in a clear PVC sleeve with insert and they’re hand-numbered. Side A: Iron EagleSide B: The Moors

Special 12” shaped picture discs of the iconic US power metal band, JAG PANZER! Mastered for vinyl by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, RIOT V, RUNNING WILD, PAGAN ALTAR, RIOT CITY), each 12” shaped picture disc comes in a clear PVC sleeve with insert and they’re hand-numbered. Black 12” Shaped Picture Disc: Side A: Black, Side B: Future ShockIron Eagle 12” Shaped Picture Disc: Side A: Iron Eagle, Side B: The MoorsKing At A Price 12” Shaped Picture isc: Side A: King At A Price, Side B: Fate’s TriumphTake To The Sky 12” Shaped Picture Disc: Side A: Take To The Sky, Side B: Unworthy

Special 12” shaped picture discs of the iconic US power metal band, JAG PANZER! Mastered for vinyl by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, RIOT V, RUNNING WILD, PAGAN ALTAR, RIOT CITY), each 12” shaped picture disc comes in a clear PVC sleeve with insert and they’re hand-numbered. Side A: King At A PriceSide B: Fate’s Triumph

Special 12” shaped picture discs of the iconic US power metal band, JAG PANZER! Mastered for vinyl by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, RIOT V, RUNNING WILD, PAGAN ALTAR, RIOT CITY), each 12” shaped picture disc comes in a clear PVC sleeve with insert and they’re hand-numbered. Side A: Take To The SkySide B: Unworthy

The short but intense initial phase of Jumbo’s career, marked by the release of three albums in 1972/1973, revealed their distinctive approach to Italian progressive rock and rapid artistic growth.

“Vietato ai minori di 18 anni?”, released in 1973, represents the peak of this era, showing the band’s evolution from an English beat-related beginning to a more mature and meaningful work for Italian prog fans.

The album stands out for its investigation of controversial and taboo themes, such as physical and psychological discomfort, prostitution and alcoholism. Alvaro Fella, with his lively interpretation and touching lyrics, gives the songs an intense and captivating edge.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of this masterpiece’s release, Jumbo were invited to the prestigious Prog and Frogs festival, where they performed the entire album live, enriching the experience with interesting explanatory introductions for each track. During the show, Jumbo amazed the audience, displaying the same drive and passion as they used to fifty years ago.

Nothing Makes Sense Without It, the seminal sophomore LP by Kind of Like Spitting, is finalyl getting the deluxe reissue that it deserves.. The group's second album, originally released in 2000, is a heartbreakingly tender effort, with songwriter Ben Barnett's signature, sullen voice aching across twelve slow-burners. Now, 24 years after its original vinyl pressing, the album has been reissued as a deluxe 2xLP featuring an entire extra LP of demos and unreleased tracks. Whether you're replacing your worn out original pressing or just discovering Nothing Makes Sense Without It, this reissue is a must have for both longtime die-hards or any fan of the music of Kind of Like Spitting's northwest indie contemporaries like Death Cab For Cutie, Pedro The Lion and Elliott Smith.

1x Demon Mask 1x Comic #2 1x Comic #3 Enemy Of God: 2LP Gatefold 4p Booklet (Remaster) 2CD Digipak Remaster + WOA 2005 Hordes Of Chaos: 1LP Gatefold Remaster + Bonus Tracks 2CD Digipak Remaster + Bonus Tracks + Remix Album

You may ask yourself what lies beyond the cumbia? What psychedelic permeations reveal themselves in the breaks of the modern day tropical wave? La Banda Chuska's debut single on Names You Can Trust provides a glimpse into the broad benchmarks of this new noise and language, channeling and surfing through a barrel of rip-roaring guitar licks to create something decidedly distinct and du jour at the same time. Just imagine if the B-52s got trapped in some sort of demented Pacific-Peruvian time warp and were forced to shred their way back into existence, bongos in tow. Come along for this excellent adventure and experience for yourself, the tropical waviness of La Banda Chuska's colorful crush.

Following the release of their universally acclaimed, Mercury and Ivor Novello Award Nominated fourth studio album "False Lankum", which collected Album Of The Year honours from UNCUT magazine, The Guardian, Loud & Quiet, The Quietus, as well as very high rankings from MOJO, NPR, DIY, Crack, Songlines, Music OMH, The Line Of Best Fit, Louder Than War, The Skinny and numerous other media worldwide. Rough Trade Records are excited to announce the release of "Live in Dublin" by Lankum. Recorded across three sold out nights at Dublin"s Vicar Street, the album features Lankum performing songs from across their catalogue including "The Rocky Road to Dublin", which up until now has never been officially released.

North Carolina, USA alt-indie rockers fourth album & some of their finest to date. Late Bloomer has long been known for meshing considered pop songwriting with “loud, confrontational force.” But on Another One Again, the band’s fourth record, the band channels the frenetic energy of longtime influences like The Replacements and Guided By Voices into a more calculated direction. The result is an enormous leap forward for the band, one which lands somewhere between the DIY punk rock they grew up on, the fuzzy alt-rock of Superdrag, Sugar, Dinosaur Jr, mixed with the subdued harmony of The Weakerthans - often in the same song. The final record in a loose trilogy that began with 2014’s acclaimed Things Change and continued with Waiting (2018), Another One Again sees the band tackling familiar themes like forgiveness, depression, and religion, and the dissolution of friendships, illustrated by earworms like the enormous opener “Self Control” and the power pop banger “Birthday.”

It's a year later and everything has gone from bad to worse.

Machiavellian Art and Riot Season Records present "Population Control". A Sonic Examination of the Mechanisms of Control.

An intense exploration of societal and self-imposed controls, encapsulated in a dynamic contrast between Side A's visceral anger and the introspective ambiance of Side B. This duality mirrors the contrasting themes of external control versus internal reflection.

"Population Control" extends beyond its predecessor, "Indoctrination Sounds," in both musical depth and thematic scope. The album confronts a broad spectrum of modern-day addictions - not just to substances, but to technology, social media, and the relentless 24-hour news cycle. These themes manifest across tracks like "A Slow Death," "Population Control (1) + (2)," "Fear of the Outside World," and "Crisis," each exploring the resulting isolation, paranoia, fear, and hopelessness. "Seaside Holiday," a critique of environmental negligence, specifically highlighting the issue of untreated sewage being dumped into Britain's waterways by private companies.

They’re back! This time the Finnish seers Mahti venture even deeper into the unknown on their third release Musiikki 3, assisted by the creativity of English musicians Richard Dawson and Sally Pilkington.

Limited Mirage Blue/green Marble Colored Vinyl LP With Download Code. Non-returnable.

The music reaches for space and roots at the same time bringing forth Mr. Dawson's earthy guitars and angelic voice while Ms. Pilkington weaves ethereal layerings with her synths and joins occasionally the choir.

Hannu Saha conjures ancient Karelian spirits with his kantele while Muumu, Lehtibabba and Mätky mesmerize the listener with their unique mix of electro, rock and noise.

The end result is an album full of Musiikki unlike you've never heard before!

“These ancient musicians played their ‘mahti’… and the sound they produced was called ‘musiikki’”

Hannu Saha - string kanteles ,Tomi Leppänen - sequencer/drum brain/synthesizers , Jussi Lehtisalo - noise/vocals, Teemu Elo - guitar/synthesizers, Richard Dawson - guitar/vocals , Sally Pilkington - keyboards/vocals

The punk movement also came fully clothed. Mal-One’s new single talks about the fashion side of Punk that ran parallel to the music. These clothes were supplied from Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwoods emporium situated at 430 King’s Road, the epicentre of the Punk Movement itself. The clothes were not cheap and you needed deep pockets to buy them. But you also needed an attitude to wear them, as many factions were not so appreciative of them, especially the ‘Teddy Boys’. You had to run the gauntlet of the King’s Road on a Saturday from Sloane Square to the Worlds End. A tricky mile, in which you always had to keep your eyes open from enemy attack.

The clothes were pieces of art and deserve their time in the spotlight and perhaps even in song. Hope you appreciate the gesture.

Respect to that.

Presenting 3+5, the long-awaited eighth album from Tokyo-based noise-rockers Melt-Banana on their own A-Zap label!

The album showcases the duo’s visionary musical approach and extraordinary abilities as performers: Yasuko Onuki’s giddy, hyperactive vocalizing and Ichiro Agata’s glitchy, cyberpunk guitar, delivered at dizzying speed, bathed in aggressive electronic sounds. Their aesthetic approach is exultantly experimental, fusing diverse genres imbued with chaotic energy. As on their previous works, the music on 3+5 is unpredictable, always filled with surprises and excitement.

3+5 synthesizes elements of a variety of extreme musics, hyper-pop, classic punk, vintage metal, and noise. It partakes of Japanese culture overall, especially the subcultures of gaming, anime and underground music.

Melt-Banana seek to offer possibilities to musicians who won’t start a band if they can’t find a drummer, young women afraid to express themselves in their own unfiltered and unique voices, bedroom musicians and egg punks seeking to blend electronic noise with live instrumentation. 3+5 provides a fresh experience and perhaps inspiration for all.

While Melt-Banana hasn’t explicitly explained the meaning behind the album’s title, 3+5, prime numbers symbolize mathematical integrity and independence, which could represent the band’s uniqueness and freedom. Why “3+5” and not “1 + 7”? One is left to ponder.

Obscure psychedelic gospel act Methuselah had its roots in Scunthorpe ‘Beat’ group the Dimples, which became Gospel Garden, whose only 45 infused Northern Soul with psycheleanings. Regrouping as Methuselah, the group signed to Elektra for this sole religious rock concept LP, their sound deceptively American, with vocal harmonies evidencing bluegrass influences; guitarist Les Nicol is never short of excellent. Certain members would later form Amazing Blondel, but Matthew, Mark, Luke And John has a unique flavour, and our edition includes two rare bonus tracks. This slice of obscure psyche must be heard to be believed!

Blue Smoke Vinyl. To celebrate Minus the Bear's 10th anniversary, Suicide Squeeze willissue the band's earliest recordings on vinyl. "Highly RenedPirates," is Minus the Bear's rst proper album. Originally releasedin 2002, this edition is being remastered from the original tapes, forvinyl, by the legendary Bernie Grundman, the Hollywood-basedlegend behind many of the industry's landmark recordings. Theinitial pressing will be limited to 2000 copies: 1000 black(180gram), and 1000 `translucent' blue vinyl; each copy comes witha download coupon. A real chance to hear where this soundstarted...