Folk 149 Items

Aspidistrafly, the Singaporean duo comprising April Lee and producer Ricks Ang, return with Altar of Dreams, their first studio album in a decade.

While their last album A Little Fable introduced the world to their bucolic and wispy brand of folk songwriting, Altar of Dreams sees the duo – also the founders of Kitchen. Label – harness their experiences over the past decade to create a wholly new and inspired vision. In this new and third album, they drew upon a rich palette of shapes, sounds and movement: straddling between the visionary photography of Serge Lutens and Dora Maar, 80s Japanese ambient pop, musique concrète and the mournful strings of Béla Bartók.

The world in which Aspidistrafly once inhabited was foggy and awash in faded memory. A feeling of being suspended in time felt inescapable with each listen. In Altar of Dreams, the fog is clearing up. At nine songs under 35 minutes, the album possesses all the defining hallmarks of Aspidistrafly – poetic lyricism, cosmic introspection, lush strings, surrealism, tenderness and texture. But what was once seemingly inscrutable has now been explored with astounding clarity, the duo maneuvering through a space-time continuum with delicate leaps.

‘How To Find A Marblewing’, the opening track, is a heady sound collage of early internet sounds, film, anime, and chopped-and-screwed 90s J-pop. It’s a presence deeply embedded throughout the record, a method Lee describes as “a form of environmental/tape treatment”.

The compositions glimmer with sincerity, addressing all at once destruction, mystery, uncertainty, hopes and dreams. The resulting music is backed by an opulence only possible with a line-up of guest musicians. ‘The Voice of Flowers’ is stirring in its balance of flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano, bolstered by a string quartet. Kitchen. Label artist haruka nakamura features on the track alongside Kyo Ichinose (who arranged the strings for the album) and wind instrumentalist Araki Shin.

‘Interlude: Chrysalises and Larvae’ takes the heavy path downward, adopting its name from the 1973 surrealist odyssey The Hourglass Sanatorium. It leads into ‘Companion to Owls’, a gothic pop paean to mortality inspired by the Book of Job.

Before the namesake centrepiece of the album, another interlude arrives in ‘A Ceremonial Ode’, both of which were stirred by a series of regal Shiseido ads from the 1980s starring model Sayoko Yamaguchi. ‘Altar of Dreams’ is haunted by the lucid dreams that once provided escapism for Lee. Its tranquility belies a simmering tension, just as how a lucid dream would offer control in the face of the unknown. “In one of them, I was floating in a vast darkness safe and secure, and then I fell into a turbulent mirage where I willingly allowed myself to be swept away further and further from reality, hoping that I would never wake up,” she says. “Needless to say I did, and ended up writing this song on one of these dead nights.”

If the title track replicates the feeling of falling deep into that spiral, ‘Silk and Satins’ is a direct analysis of the phenomenon. Warped frequencies collide with nature and television sound effects – the latter sourced from 80s Singaporean horror series Mystery – within an inter-dimensional music world. The track was made with featured artist Sugai KEN, whose own work is an endless scroll of intoxicating found sounds.

‘Quintessence’, the sweeping closing track, distills all the elements scattered across the album into a coda that beautifully refuses to resolve. At first an exercise in guitar looping, the song was then written without a beginning and end in mind. “I’d like to think of it as poetry that’s sung,” says Lee.

In Altar of Dreams, Aspidistrafly are renewed and hopeful. They’ve emerged from a decade spent reframing the world they see through vivid dreams and memories. Now, it’s all yours to experience.

Clear Vinyl Edition.
Cover as new with a dented corner.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with a dented corner.
Small light scuff on side C.
Records are close to NM.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with a dented corner.
Record with just a few paper scuffs.

Japanese pressing.
Record has some hairlines and a few superficial scratches.
Ships in a brand new plain sleeve.

Record has some hairlines and a few superficial scratches.
Cover with seam split at the upper edge.
Includes booklet and obi.

Original US pressing.

Deep Purple Vinyl Edition.
Records are slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Cover as new with faintly worn corners.
Includes original inner sleeves.

US AMEX Vinyl. Original inner sleeve. With hype sticker and promo stamp.

Limited Red Vinyl Edition
Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Record is slightly warped but still enjoyable.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with faintly worn corners.
Includes original insert.
Records are slightly warped but still enjoyable.
Label side A off center, doesn't affect play.

Limited Blue Vinyl Edition.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.
Includes OBI.

Small light scuff on side A.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.
Record with just a few paper scuffs.
Includes OBI.

Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Record with just a few paper scuffs.
Includes OBI.

Indie Retail Vinyl Exclusive! 100 copies of limited edition - milky clear vinyl. It's no coincidence that Cold Spaghetti, the title of André Ethier's latest solo LP, is sure to recall Fresh Pepper, the seven-piece group he co-helmed with Joseph Shabason to produce a lone, self-titled 2022 album. Not only does the supporting cast of musicians on the current recording overlap with the aforementioned band's personnel, there's a key thematic link between the two projects, despite the fact that they contrast each other sharply in most other regards.

Indie Retail Vinyl Exclusive! 100 copies of limited edition - milky clear vinyl. It's no coincidence that Cold Spaghetti, the title of André Ethier's latest solo LP, is sure to recall Fresh Pepper, the seven-piece group he co-helmed with Joseph Shabason to produce a lone, self-titled 2022 album. Not only does the supporting cast of musicians on the current recording overlap with the aforementioned band's personnel, there's a key thematic link between the two projects, despite the fact that they contrast each other sharply in most other regards.

The iconic, game changing Modern Sounds in Country And Western albums, combined into a single release for CD in the 2000s, will be restored and released individually, as originally intended. The significance of these records cannot be overlooked. They are proof that great country music is malleable, and open to interpretation.

Volume 1 quickly became one of the best-selling albums recorded by a Black musician of the time, as well as one of the best-selling country albums. It topped the Billboard Pop Album Chart of a month, and spawned four hit singles, including “I Can’t Stop Loving” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, and the Adult Contemporary Charts, was nominated for Record Of The Year, and won the GRAMMY for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards in 1963. “You Don’t Know Me” met with similar success. Ray Charles remains the first and only Black performer to earn a GRAMMY Award and a #1 Billboard Pop Chart Hit with a country and western song as he did with “l Can’t Stop Loving You.”

Volume 2 followed its predecessor by just six months, and is widely regarded as just as strong, if not stronger than the first - the second made with the confidence that this formula or country & soul works. With three hit singles on both the R&B and Pop charts, including the #1 hit You Are My Sunshine, both volumes changed the course of popular music and remain a testament to the genius of Ray Charles.

The iconic, game changing Modern Sounds in Country And Western albums, combined into a single release for CD in the 2000s, will be restored and released individually, as originally intended. The significance of these records cannot be overlooked. They are proof that great country music is malleable, and open to interpretation.

Volume 1 quickly became one of the best-selling albums recorded by a Black musician of the time, as well as one of the best-selling country albums. It topped the Billboard Pop Album Chart of a month, and spawned four hit singles, including “I Can’t Stop Loving” which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B, and the Adult Contemporary Charts, was nominated for Record Of The Year, and won the GRAMMY for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards in 1963. “You Don’t Know Me” met with similar success. Ray Charles remains the first and only Black performer to earn a GRAMMY Award and a #1 Billboard Pop Chart Hit with a country and western song as he did with “l Can’t Stop Loving You.”

Volume 2 followed its predecessor by just six months, and is widely regarded as just as strong, if not stronger than the first - the second made with the confidence that this formula or country & soul works. With three hit singles on both the R&B and Pop charts, including the #1 hit You Are My Sunshine, both volumes changed the course of popular music and remain a testament to the genius of Ray Charles.

Transparent Blue and green vinyl.
Still shrink wrapped but opened.
Cover as new with slightly dented corners.
Records are close to VG+

1962 Mono Repress! Cover with completely open top and bottom spine. Vinyl with many scuffs and hairlines

US reissue.

Original Nigerian pressing. There's a James Brown Cover on here! Cover has some discolourations and wear, close to VG.

Close to VG+

The Buffalo sacrifice is a significant ritual among the Bahnar people, an ethnic group residing in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It symbolizes a connection to ancestral spirits and the natural world. Prior to the sacrifice, the community gathers to prepare offerings and adorn the buffalo with symbolic decorations. The ceremony typically involves prayers, chants, and dances led by village elders. The sacrifice is performed with reverence and gratitude, honoring the buffalo's sacrifice for the well-being of the community. It's believed to ensure fertility, protection, and prosperity for the village. The ritual underscores the Bahnar people's deep-rooted spiritual beliefs and their harmonious relationship with nature. After the sacrifice, the buffalo's meat is shared among the villagers in a communal feast, fostering unity and solidarity within the community. This tradition serves as a cultural cornerstone, preserving the Bahnar's heritage and spiritual practices for generations. Recorded in the village of Plei Hven (Vietnam) in 2019 by Vincenzo Della Ratta, this unique album offers a deep immersion in this ancestral ceremony.

‘Ash Grey And The Gull Glides On’ is the new album by Scottish composers Andrew Wasylyk and Tommy Perman.The pair have orbited each others worlds for a number of years through audio-visual collaborations spanning record releases, films and sound installations.

Wasylyk’s cinematic compositions have been nominated for the Scottish Album of the Year Award and been awarded BBC Radio 6 Music’s Gideon Coe’s Album of the Year. He has collaborated with former National Poet for Scotland, Liz Lochhead, and written soundtracks for Radio 4. Perman’s work as a musician and DJ has taken him across the world, with numerous record releases under his own name and with experimental group/arts collective Found, alongside visual works at the Sydney Opera House and National Museum of Scotland.

‘Ash Grey And The Gull Glides On’ is the pair’s first collaborative album as a duo.The record is rooted in Perman's ambient-acid-house grooves and multi-textural percussion built from sampling the knocks, clangs and creaks of Wasylyk’s upright piano.These are woven through a palette of drum machines, rolling transcendental piano motifs, fluttering synthesisers, saxophones swells and hymnal choral vocals.

As a true Brazilian music aficionado, Skinshape was naturally captivated by Pedro Mizutani's charm. So, when Pedro visited Europe in the summer of 2023, Skinshape invited him to its London studio. Together, magic effortlessly unfolded. Pedro sets the rhythm, while Skinshape sets the grain. With Skinshape weaving in basslines and other arrangements around Mizutani's mesmerizing guitar playing, the collaboration was a breeze. The two musicians understood each other in the blink of an eye. Together, they crafted a true homage to bossa nova. Without overshadowing Mizutani's style, Skinshape brought out his full musicality. It was a seamless symbiosis. The duo created a one-of-a-kind work. In the spirit of the Afrobeats movement, one could even describe it as "bossa-pop," maintaining the essence of the genre while incorporating British aesthetic elements under Skinshape's discerning ear. A sprinkling of shimmering bells here, kicks dipped in reverb there, and jazzy basslines for that extra touch of groove. As for Pedro Mizutani, he excelled in delicacy as always and did not lose altitude, soaring to even greater heights.

Presenting the third thematic volume on the “Aquapelagos" series - a collection of split LPs where selected artists offer their own take into water surrounded cultures and communities. After the initial release of the Anthology compilation Aquapelago in 2022 (Discrepant ,Crep91) and the split LP Atlantico by Lagoss & Banha da Cobra (Keroxen, Krxn027) as well as the direct collaboration LP Índico by Mike Cooper & Pierre Bastien we proudly introduce an the third volume in the series in the shape of no other than two inspiring artists, Vica Pacheco and Pak Yan Lau. Two different sound journeys inspired by the majestic and peaceful Pacific Ocean, the vastest, largest and deepest ocean of our planet. Vica Pacheco’s composition takes a calm meditation approach where water flutes and synths brush shoulders to cre-ate a ever expanding mind journey whereas Pak Yan Lau’s ambitions Neo classical piece, The Ocean in Us, talks about that grand overwhelming feeling, that vast space deep under, on the bottom of the Pacific. Both compositions were recorded and created with the particular wet acoustics of the Tank in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in mind. From Philip Hayward and Matt Hill’s liner notes: ‘’The Pacific is a complex space, comprising a third of the Earth’s surface. A cascade of islands runs along its eastern flank, down from the Kamchatka peninsula, through Japan, Taiwan, The Philippines, Melanesia and on to Australasia. In its watery heart the islands of Micronesia and Polynesia stretch across huge distances, north-east to the Hawaiian archipelago, south east to Rapa Nui and south west to Aotearoa and Chatham island. Closer to the shores of the Amer-icas lie Tierra del Fuego, the Galapagos Islands, Haida Gwaii and the Aleutians. This is a space that resists easy char-acterisation. The Pacific laps the shores of Japan and Chile, the beaches of Australia’s East Coast and the cold, damp coasts of British Colombia and Alaska alike. Indeed, the space is so vast that it is a world in itself and one rarely navi-gated in its entirety. In this manner, strands of genres and the songs that reflect them are components in an intricate mesh of associations.‘’ Philip Hayward and Matt Hill, April 2022

Take a trip to Paradise Pop. 10 with beloved singer-songwriter and producer, Christian Lee Hutson. Following his 2022 release Quitters - produced by longtime collaborators Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst - he enlisted the help of Bridgers once again to produce. The album title is based on a real-life small town where Hutson spent a portion of his childhood. He takes listeners on a journey of autobiographical fiction with his signature wit and sharp storytelling. There are retable themes of love and the limbo of life in his narration across an elevated indie rock sound. In addition to Bridgers assist, Hutson"s partner Maya Hawke contributed vocals and co-wrote several songs.

Take a trip to Paradise Pop. 10 with beloved singer-songwriter and producer, Christian Lee Hutson. Following his 2022 release Quitters - produced by longtime collaborators Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst - he enlisted the help of Bridgers once again to produce. The album title is based on a real-life small town where Hutson spent a portion of his childhood. He takes listeners on a journey of autobiographical fiction with his signature wit and sharp storytelling. There are retable themes of love and the limbo of life in his narration across an elevated indie rock sound. In addition to Bridgers assist, Hutson"s partner Maya Hawke contributed vocals and co-wrote several songs.

JP’s historic restoration carpentry has continued to be a baseline for his relationship to music; the yin to his yang, the Burt to his Ernie, the Dolly to his Porter. It was through this concurrent line of work that he met another twice-initialed singer with a penchant for old Americana music, obscure film, and overly elaborate ethnic meal preparations: one JD McPherson. The two became fast friends and would eventually, through many twists, turns, false starts, and biblically-proportionate plagues, enter a modest studio in Nashville to record Harris’ latest album.

Over the course of nine months in 2023, they recorded a sometimes lush, sometimes sparse, and sometimes jarring country album of Harris’ originals, loudly and violently squelching any attempt to pigeon-hole a song into any subgenre of country music. Only albums by Lee Hazelwood and an obscure folk album Waylon Jennings made when his hair was still short were allowed to be mentioned in reference. Featuring the guest vocals of Erin Rae, The Watson Twins, Shovels & Rope, and producer JD McPherson himself, the record is equal parts satire, reflection, and apology to those that would listen.

In a musical landscape of period-correct reproduction, “outlaw” internet posturing, and flavor-of-the-month variants on country, “JP Harris Is A Trash Fire” burns bright as a dumpster in a Walmart parking lot on a moonless night; some will fear it, some will gravitate to its acrid warmth, and most will have no idea what to make of the situation. Harris has been steadily elbowing the definitive boundaries of “country music” wider with every album, both sonically and lyrically, and his latest piece of self described “Avant-Country” is no exception.

Etran de L'Aïr the STARS OF THE AIR, the longest running wedding band inAGADEZ, capital of Tuareg guitar, return with a new album of sun-schlazeddesert sound! Their first album, No.1, brought their music to critics and fans.Their second album, Agadez, sent them into the international touring circuit.And now they're back with 100% SAHARA GUITAR, ready to take on theworld, with those swinging melodies, like a sandstorm blowing in fromacross the sea.Etran de L'Aïr are 100% SAHARA, and that goes same for the band, all sonsof AGADEZ, including brothers Moussa, Abdoulaye, and Abdourahamane,and their dear friend, the youngest of the group, Alghabid. All the brotherswrite and play guitar, swapping out instruments while Alghabid keeps theFOUR ON THE FLOOR.In 100% SAHARA GUITAR, Etran de L'Aïr are back to claim the throne, withtheir first studio album! And what a sound it is. Recorded in sunny studios onthe WEST COAST, the brothers take that old Agadez sound to new levels,adding even more guitars into the mix, weaving layers of reverb-ladenmelodies and shimmering harmonies into a tapestry of sound. How muchguitar can they fit into one record? The answer is 100%.