Rock & Indie 397 Items

Since forming in the cradle of Europe Athens, back in 2012, dark synth duo Selofan have paved their own perditious way, reinventing the modern Darkwave scene throughout the continent and worldwide with their prolific creativity and work ethic over the past decade.In the ever-evolving landscape of the underground music scene, few bands have made an impact quite like Selofan, has carved a niche for themselves within t...

Formed by high school buddies Andreas Gregor and David Rout, Techniques Berlin started in 1984 experimenting with synthesizers, drum machines and guitars. In the early stages, the band was heavily influenced by UK new romantic acts The Human League, Visage, Yazoo, OMD and Depeche Mode, as well as rising Canadian synth-pop bands Rational Youth, Men Without Hats and Trans-X. It took them a few years to master their electronic toys and create a unique blend of addictive electro-pop melodies and beautifully crafted alternative beats. In the late 80s, Techniques Berlin played live on a regular basis and their 3 self-released tapes received frequent local airplay in Canada. Despite their moderate success, the band failed to secure a record deal. Eventually both members had developed a strong interest in the burgeoning electro-industrial scene. Dave and Andreas founded !Bang Elektronika and were working with Digital Poodle as live drummers. Both of these projects were soon picked up by record labels. Techniques Berlin played their last show in November of 1991 at the University of Toronto, debuting the last track they had recorded, fittingly called ‘Time Fades to Nothing’. Or so they thought… The proliferation of Internet radio and streaming music platforms introduced the band to a new generation of fans, enabling Techniques Berlin to stage a remarkable comeback. Within the next years they released the compilation “Suburban Playgrounds and Concrete Beaches” (Fabrika Records), recorded a new album “Breathing” (Nadanna) in 2018 and offered a series of shows in Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City and Leipzig. “The Language of Machines” compiles a selection of original recordings between 1985 and 1991, including some favourite tunes like ‘Dancing to the Fall of the Berlin Wall’, ‘Metropolis’, ‘Watching You’ and a few unreleased tracks/versions. Limited edition of 500 copies on double vinyl with gatefold sleeve.

Not God is the new album from Chicago's beloved two-headed monster,Finom (fka Ohmme). You can ask them to go into more detail about theboring reasons why they changed their name, but for now, the answer is goingto be polite refusal. No.Co-fronted by Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart, Finom's influences runvast and varied, and they put a premium on change. Produced by Jeff Tweedyin the Wilco Loft, Not God is a marvel of growth, a progression from the rootsof this collaborative band whose history can be traced back to its improvisedconception. This is owed in no small part to their hometown of Chicago, thelife raft to so many persisters in musical adventurosity. That energy combinedwith Finom's dramatic vocal and musical gifts puts them in the peripheries ofthe legacies cemented by The Roches, Roxy Music, the B52s, Kate Bush, CateLe Bon, and Wilco.Cunningham and Stewart are brilliant harmonizers, but harmony doesn'tequate to a utopia. In Finom's maws harmony can also be a fight, holding theline until the volcano erupts. This realistic depiction of a creative relationshipjolts throughout the songs of Not God, and brings the whole damn thing to life.Finom are more than one person with more than one dream. But still, theygrow together, harnessed by their shared love of pop songwriting, control,chaos, and being generally freaky-deaky. Freaky in that way that is only reallyfun when you're doing it with a friend. As the globe spins and advancementsadvance, it can feel essential to return to relationships that make us feelwhole, that generate energy of strength and relief. Which puts double theweight on the reality that Sima and Macie continue to pledge allegiance toeach other, at the base of the volcano, in the front seat of the car as it pulls offthe highway.

As mui zyu, Hong Kong British artist Eva Liu searches for a portal, wandering between nothing and everything in her pursuit of peace. On her second full-length album nothing or something to die for she looks outward, embracing the chaos with each tentative step. mui zyu's debut album Rotten Bun for an Eggless Century saw her explore her heritage, as she dived inward to find acceptance and healing. Now, instead of searching for answers from the inside, Liu raises her head to look at the world around her. As she attempts to understand the complexities and significance of human existence, she observes apathy alongside overwhelming chaos; the technological advancements of connection with the lack of meaningful bonds and the frustrations of upholding standards set by others. nothing or something to die for tries to decipher these juxtaposing truths, holding both the weight of those trying to destroy the world with the utter futility of it all. Working with co-producer and fellow Dama Scout band member Luciano Rossi, the sonic world of nothing or something to die for encapsulates both the fleeting tranquility of serenity and the dissonance in chasing it. After all, our reality can change in an instant. Like the psychedelic tones of Ryuichi Sakamoto's Thousand Knives, the urgent techno-pop of Miharu Koshis Parallelisme or the eerie wanderings of Angelo Badalamenti's work for Twin Peaks, nothing or something to die for expertly toes the line between disorder and clarity

The follow-up to Kee Avil's acclaimed 2022 debut Crease: "A stunning debut" (The Quietus); "A whiplash style of uninhibited exploration" (The Wire); "Kee Avil's debut is a force" (Foxy Digitalis); "A work of Frankensteinian wonder" (Electronic Sound); "A tightly coiled, finely wrought vision of avant-pop" (Exclaim); "A debut of fiendish creativity" (Bandcamp Album Of The Day / Albums Of The Year) Kee Avil's music is both adventurous and intimate, intellectually challenging and emotionally resonant. The Montréal guitarist and producer's 2022 debut LP Crease garnered plaudits from outlets like The Wire, The Quietus, Mojo and Foxy Digitalis, picking up a Canadian Juno Award nomination and Bandcamp Album Of The Day and Albums Of The Year along the way. Its intricate construction, unnerving atmospheres, and knife-edge take on avant-pop prompted comparisons to early PJ Harvey, This Heat, and Gazelle Twin. A remix EP with work by claire rousay, Ami Dang, Cecile Believe, and Pelada brought collaborative perspectives to four Crease tracks, offering new pathways within those songs. With Spine, Kee Avil strips back her heavily textured compositions, opening up a much rawer sound. She calls it folk… and while traditionalists might scoff, this is urgent music that reflects the precarity of modern life, as well as the jarring mixture of electronic and real-world interactions that have become the fabric of our day-to-day experiences. There's a hypnotic post-punk somnambulance to it all, using the repetition and fracturing of melodic phrases interwoven with delicate electronics to create curious and persistent hooks. While not a concept album, themes of time's passage, remembrance, and decay crop up across multiple tracks. Each track intentionally only has four elements - guitar, electronics, and two other instruments, with Kee's voice and guitar pushed to the front. Within this minimalist framework, the juxtaposition of beauty and discomfort that is key to the Kee Avil sound stands out in skin-prickling relief. "We're shaped by many versions of ourselves," says Avil. "I was looking back at these versions of myself and what could have been, what didn't end up being and what did end up being, and going back like that through time. Seeing the future, the past." Spine was written in Kee Avil's home studio after a lapse in writing while touring Crease and working on other projects. She is a well-known and respected member of the Montréal experimental scene, and formerly ran Concrete Sound Studio with Zach Scholes, who continues to work with her as a producer on Spine. Compared to the three years that went into making her debut, Spine emerged in a matter of months - a process that may also be a factor in its intensity and sharpness: "This record was much harder, like it was really discovering everything from scratch." In her desire to not simply replicate or extend the sound of Crease, she felt she had to rip up the rule book, write in a different way, and pare back songs against her usual instincts. Sometimes, when we work against our ingrained habits, we get to the core of who we really are. Spine is an exercise in that process. Without over-intellectualizing or being didactic, it hits immediately and emotionally, especially if you are a person who has spent much time in the process of self-examination. Kee's voice hisses, whispers, and chants; her guitar bends and rings; electronics skitter and crackle; violin creaks like a door in the wind. There is something so evocative about the atmospheres she creates that it's easy to overlay one's own feelings onto her work, but to do that wholly would be to overlook one of the most important things about Spine: Kee Avil's clear and thoughtful vision. This isn't just the next step forward in her artistic trajectory; it's a stunner of a record that stands on its own, a bracing and thrilling listen that has much to reveal about the contradictions inherent in being human. - jj skolnik

A few copies arrived with a seamsplit Cover. We're therefore selling it on a reduced price.

On Friday, October 13th, AySay's second album "köy" will be released. With its pop-infused productions and elements of Anatolian psych rock, the album creates a universe where Danish, Turkish, and Kurdish seamlessly intertwine, and folk songs are given new life."köy" translates to "village" in Turkish, and with this single word, AySay's new album encapsulates an exploration of identity, belonging, and communities."köy" references three things.1. In January 2022, AySay traveled to a small village in southern Turkey. They were accompanied by the Turkish folk musician Ozan Demir, and this trip sowed the first seeds for the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut album "Su Akar."2. Luna Ersahin's father was born in a small Kurdish village, a "köy," in Çorum, Turkey, and migrated to Denmark at the age of 10. Thus, the village and the journey from it represent the foundation of Luna's existence. With an image of the village on the back of the vinyl as a window to the past, it serves as a tribute to the community she longs for but can never have.3. Lastly, "köy" in a broader sense is a symbol of community. It refers to the quiet communities that exist within one's home, village, city, or country - provided you have one. The album explores different forms of communities, such as those formed through a shared mother tongue, or the sense of togetherness shared with people who live their lives without ever speaking their mother tongue. This could include communities based on family, friends, gender, sexuality, and one's livelihood."köy" is a collection of original songs mixed with a few folk songs that have been given new Danish lyrics. Electronic productions and traditional instruments come together in a hopeful musical abundance, demonstrating that language, identity, and community are complex concepts.

To celebrate 40 years of Mucchio Selvaggio, the split-tape of two of the most seminal bands of European hardcore punk returns for the first time on Italian vinyl, LP. Decline/negazione, a musical combo that has become legend and has defined the aesthetics and sound of a genre. Graphics of the new edition by DeeMo. Remastered audio. Inner slave with reproduction of the original tape materials and 1985 European tour flyer. 27 minutes of hardcore punk that made history.