Folk 54 Items

Cover has a cut-out.

Here's a vinyl reissue of a notable 1986 cassette release. Musically this is a slightly mind boggling delivery of psychedelic lo-fi/basement folk.

Featuring current/former members of Light The Fuse And Run, Wow, Owls!, Weak Teeth and Jesuscentric, Best Practices is a return to the fundamentals of punk rock. On the band's Tiny Engines debut, The EP LP, the quartet lets loose a whirlwind of (garage power pop) punk fury. Recorded with Will Killingsworth (Orchid, Ampere) at Dead Air Studios, Best Practices pummel their way through 9 songs in 12 glorious minutes. The band comes close to careening off the edge at points but never seem to overtake themselves. Chock full of razor sharp hooks Best Practices lays down a furious gauntlet that is as catchy as it is exhausting. All your left with as The EP LP fires towards the finish line is the feeling that you just want to do it all over again.

Noah Sterba is one of Omaha’s underground music heroes, literally performing most of his songs and poetry into dented Radio Shack microphones in the subterranean basements of tornado alley for the last decade. Beside releasing several solo cassettes on Unread Records, he was a founding member of short-lived critical darlings Yuppies, lo-fi local legends The Prairies (which also featured David Nance), and The Subtropics (whose posthumous double cassette is seeing vinyl reissue in 2017), and has been an important member of Simon Joyner’s Ghosts since 2011. He is also involved in a multimedia art/publishing collaboration called Slowed Soul with fellow local Omaha artist and musician Jeff Sedrel.

In a time when so much music is fueled by self-congratulatory irony, The 13-Bar Blues is refreshing for its unapologetic sincerity. The album distills folk, blues, punk rock and country influences and merges them with poetry, allowing Sterba to graciously tear up his hat in the face of those who have come before him as he claws through America’s gnarly 21st century landscape with his tongue, pen, busted guitar, and wide open eyes.

The release is available for the first time on vinyl and cut from original masters.

Combine a single-malt voice, an acoustic guitar, songs from the heart and a touch of magic, and you have the music of Mari Mana. Her music possesses that nostalgic familiarity and that fresh wonder at the same time. Her performance is a unique and enchanting expression of wise melancholy and a poetic love for life.
Mari Mana was born and raised in Berlin. She wrote her first songs in the year 2000, and since 2008 has taken her performances to various concerts and festivals worldwide.
With arrangements consisting of strings, bass, drums and electronic elements, arranged and produced together with Mo Stern, we present Mari Mana’s music for the first time on vinyl.
The songs 'Floating' and 'Find Me' are influenced by Soul, Folk and Electronic Music, and feature various international musicians, including
Alex Trebo (ITA), Timo Lassy (FIN), Marlene Schuen (ITA), Lee Caspi (ISR) and Natasha Jaffe (USA).

"Charlotte's Amigo is unhinged, but I mean that in the nicest possible way. The cowpunk-tinged hardrockabilly trio is open-hearted, joyous and wickedly funny, yet its superbly crafted melodic rock 'n' roll rides a streak of giddy mania." Creative Loafing Amigo is a rock and roll band. This might sound quaint or even a little passé but its an entirely apt and appropriate description. Amigo is a guitar, a bass, a drum set and buckets full of songs and its members share a proud and unrepentant belief in rock & rolls divine promise and power to shake audience and band alike to their core. The Charlotte, NC-based trio, comprised of guitarist Slade Baird, bassist Thomas Alverson and drummer Adam Phillips, has been putting rubber to road in senses both theoretical and literal since their inception in 2012, developing their keen sense of harmony and interplay, honing their songwriting chops and developing an absolutely white-hot live show which has become the main vehicle for their brand of rock and roll evangelism.

Self-labeled "dream-fi folk from the Cajun prairies," Renée released her first two songs in 2020 - "Out Loud" and "Until Tomorrow", which Gorilla vs. Bear described as "an effortless, inspired union of the haunting folk music that Reed was raised on and a lilting, lost '60s French-pop gem." Renée's statement on "Fast One" and her album: "This album is a collection of songs about toxic relationships, seeing ghosts, ancestral baggage and blessings, and daydreaming about love. It is about certain feelings and experiences I've had over my life coming to fruition in the past three years. It was all made on a four track recorder at home, in a place and in a way I feel most natural, and I believe that quality comes through in the sound." She has drawn comparisons to Jessica Pratt, Mazzy Star, and Cate le Bon. Renée's music has a mysterious quality with a strong melodic undertow.

Limited to 100 copies-

sferic mark 5 years of operations with a special deep dive into ancient/modern Mediteranean culture by Giovanni Napolano, usually known for crankier industro-dancehall output as Nplgnn (Reel Torque, Youth) as well as programming the wonderful MBE label (Beatrice Dillon, Conor Thomas, Evol) - a proper Riyl Jay Glass Dubs, Christos Chondropoulos, Alan Lomax, DJ Screw, Coda Lunga.

Unfolding along two sprawling 15 min sides, Napolano stitches threads of chopped & screwed folksong with a discrete dub strategy, seamlessly leading the mind down labyrinthine ginnels of his imagination in a sort of uchronic regression session where the ghosts of the past inform the present. In the process it humbly speaks to Naples’ position at the frontier of the current migrant crisis, and necessarily takes a standpoint against Italy’s resurgent, nationalist fascism, revealing the beauty and energy of its indigenous mixture of peoples, rather than erecting borders between them.

Taking his native Naples as a locus of Mediteranean culture, Napolano plunges the port city’s palimpsest of energies embedded by successive waves of Greek, Northern African & Eastern migration to discover an underlying, rhizomic connection and commonality linked by dub and hip hop as a contemporary iteration of folk music.

Under its titular, mythical metaphor for the fall of Babylon, and usage in Rastafari culture, ‘Le Macerie Di Babilonia’ imaginatively examines a sense of self via a historic lens, drawing on Napolano’s upbringing in the chaotic port city and his autodidactic research into the rich mosaic of Napolitan heritage, to model how a folk class solidarity and shared character, with its own rules and rituals, has emerged from its syncretic milieu.

Variously a treatise on provenance; an impressionistic tale of the European north meets a global south; a dub-abstracted, allegoric, ethnomusicological collage; ‘Le Macerie Di Babilonia’ is a fascinating and immersive listen that presents its maker’s dilated world view at its most mesmerising.

* Printed Photographic Inner Sleeves * Mastered in Seattle by Mell Dettmer * Layout and Design by Nathan Womack * Liner Notes by Dave Segal and A.G. * 2nd installment of the DigginEast series

A diligent and savvy crate-digger, Nathan Womack possesses an unerring ear for tantalizing snippets of songs, inevitably getting you jonesing for more of the nutrient-rich morsels he excavated on trips to mainland China, Hong Kong and Thailand. Like a world-class tease, the record’s evanescent efflorescences of aural excitement leave you gasping in admiration. Womack has done the heavy lifting in the field, mining raw materials that thwack with the impact of a KPM Records LP, except here they’re emanating from the Far East recordings and radio ephemera instead of a workaday English studio full of clock-watching musicians. Sourced from various record stores and random haunts in foreign climes, the tracks on Lagu Loops, according to Womack, are “essentially an Easter egg hunt for locals there or people who happen to notice [and are] curious enough to dig in.” Those blessed with a hunger for cleverly recontextualized sonic delights will have their appetites thoroughly sated. -Dave Segal

Djiguia is an Ode to Life. It is a calm breathing, a sigh, a rage to live, a reflection. a resistance as much as a letting go...It is the word, the silences and the cries of what Strange o'clock carries and defends.This new Strange o'clock album is intended to be even more distinctive and diversified, while keeping this African'Blues touch well known to the duo.Imbued with blues, rock, jazz, psyche, Tuareg and Mandinka music. this album is a real journey without borders or space-time...

A retro-futuristic journey from folk to free exploring the shores of the Mediterranean, claiming its power as a living core, never as a deadly border. The TransMegaCobla fuses traditional Mediterranean culture –from bulería to kopanitsa, from gnaoua to sardana– with contemporary culture to create a fictional but deeply human and festive universe. Resurrecting the Phoenician language, the octet seeks common roots to fuse and remake them with contemporary molds such as rock, punk, free jazz and conducted improvisation. A timeless orchestra ready to invent, with real elements, a science-fiction Mediterranean in a parallel reality.

Debuting on Electric Cowbell Records, comes the first full-length release from Tokyo’s “of Tropique!” A marvelous album full of wonderful and eclectic tropical-infused instrumental tunes. Teppei Kondo’s spirited vintage clarinet often takes centerstage, propelled by a pulsating rhythm section that includes guest spots from guitarist Rolando Bruno and percussionist Mutsumi Kobayashi from Japan’s premier neo-Cumbia group, Minyo Crusaders. The sound of the album is impossible to describe in words, it is lovely throughout, and has a playful, exotic vibe that echoes old cartoon and spaghetti Western soundtracks with a particular Afro-Caribbean flair. “Buster Goes West” is a fearless album filled with lots of turns and twists and a special magic like an imagined voyage through tropical islands where each shoreline reveals a zany new discovery that will leave you wonderstruck. Comes in clear resealable poly bag with Obi strip.

The latest album "Concert for Modern Times," originally released in October 2022, is now available in long-awaited analog LP to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Ren Takada's solo debut!! This work was recorded live by an eight-piece band in the auditorium of the Jiyuugakuen Myonichikan, one of the national important cultural property. "The modernism of the building brought out the literary nature of Ren Takada. You can hear the tranquil concerto that sprouted deep within the famous performer." - Haruomi Hosono

Four new tracks from Philadelphia's Eyes of the Amaryllis recorded in 2021-2022. Following up their debut album Sift released on Horn of Plenty in 2022, the group continues in the same path with their intimate, earthly and very much homespun music. The sublime title track almost resembles a folky Dadamah while some of the other songs are somewhat looser compositions. Eyes of the Amaryllis consists of Goda Trakumaite, Esther Scanlund, Jesse Dewlow and Jim Strong. 45rpm, mastered by Lasse Marhaug. Edition of 200 copies.

Turkish underground rock misfit Erbatur Çavusoglu's first solo album is finally here: an intimate collection of previously unreleased songs and new versions, with fresh arrangements by Big Daddy Mugglestone. The result is like Iron & Wine being fronted by a Taksim Square street poet, or a Turkish Crazy Horse.

Erbatur's wavering falsetto delivers heartfelt and tender songwriting, accentuated by an eclectic band of old and new Berlin friends. A must for fans of Indie Americana and Turkish Psychedelic Folk, this is a warm and haunting departure from his previous work with Zardanadam, deeply personal but with open arms.
Supported by Initiative Musik gGmbH with project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media

The illustrious, London-based duo Kit Sebastian, aka Kit Martin and Merve Erdem, return with a limited edition 7” single. It features ’L’addio’, a breakbeat driven, sultry ballad, and ‘Hayat’, a hazy, psychedelic scorcher that delves into the band’s Turkish and Azerbaijan influences.

‘L’addio’ saw the band perfecting their production and orchestration, with strings, horns and double bass, and an Italian synth found in a French dump. The music was greatly influenced by Italian soundtracks and Italian female singers, such as Mina or Rita Pavone. The track announces itself with a break that is guaranteed to get samplers twitching. The tone of the melody and lyrics is heartfelt and aching. It has a beautiful, intimate sadness like the closing scenes to a love affair, and it exquisitely rides over the slow, psych-funk-dramatic backing track. The lyrics are inspired by a flat opposite Merve's window that's occupied by drug addicts, with many guests coming in and out every night. Merve elaborated “Being both neighbours and strangers, and with the boredom of a post-tour everyday domestic life and a pinch of urban voyeurism, it was hard not to wonder what was happening in that flat. The words imagine an addict before her/his golden shot as if it's a love relationship between them that comes to an end.”

Having spent much of 2022 touring and writing, ‘Hayat’ was the first original composition the band recorded since their October 2021 album, ‘Melodi’. Here we see them weaving a psychedelic tapestry of Mugham melodies, organ-driven grooves, and jazz-pop harmonies in classic Kit Sebastian fashion. Recorded to Fostex 1/4” tape, the essence of the production is perfectly balanced between being brand new and retro, which is a feat very hard to pull off.

‘Hayat’ is sung in Turkish and the title translates as ‘Life’ in English. The song examines our desire to find one's place in the world and the provisionality of existence. Merve's searching lyrics ask “Where are you? Where is the universe?”. Her vocal delivery perfectly reflects the lyrical focus, its texture is probing and ethereal, almost as if sung from looking above us.

This record is a jewel for followers of the more obscure sounds of the 1960’s and 1970’s. In Catalonia, at the end of Franco’s dictatorship, a group far-out singers and musicians experimented with genres such as folk-rock, rhythm&blues, garage rock, psychedelia or Catalan rumba. Their names were Pau Riba, Sisa, Ia & Batiste, Toti Soler, Gato Pérez, Guillermina Motta and many others, who were responsible for the creation of masterpieces such as Dioptria, Galeta Galàctica, Chichonera’s Cat or the Miniatura EP. Now, Barcelona’s power-pop mainstay Ricky Gil teams up with high-energy rockers Biscuit to recreate the repertoire of those pioneers. Together they have unearthed a dozen nuggets and have recorded a powerful, intense and fully enjoyable album, featuring the collaboration of some of the surviving original artists.

8-Track available on Pink, Yellow, Blue or White (Randomly selected). Due to limited capacity the full track-list is not included on the 8-Track Definitive collection of Nancy's rare singles, demos and previously unreleased cuts. Includes 3 previously unreleased tracks, plus 3 tracks making their vinyl debut. Deep booklet includes new Q&As with Nancy & Don Randi (The Wrecking Crew) - both conducted by Grammy®-nominated co-producer Hunter Lea Plus never-before-seen photos from Nancy Sinatra’s personal archive. Features audio freshly remastered from the original analog tapes by Grammy®-nominated engineer John Baldwin. Vinyl pressed at RTI. Double LP housed in a gatefold jacket with 24-page book Light in the Attic continues to celebrate the influential career of singer, actress, activist, and icon *Nancy Sinatra* with a captivating new collection, Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos & Rarities 1965-1978. Exploring the lesser-known gems from Sinatra’s rich catalog through 25 B-sides, rare singles, covers, demos, and previously-unreleased recordings, Keep Walkin’ was remastered by the *Grammy®-nominated engineer John Baldwin* and available in a variety of formats, including vinyl, CD, 8-track, and digital. The 2LP set, pressed at Record Technology, Inc. (rti), is presented in an expanded gatefold jacket and accompanied by a 24-page booklet featuring an array of photos from the artist’s personal collection, as well as a new in-depth Q&A with Sinatra, conducted by the reissue’s Grammy®-nominated co-producer, Hunter Lea. The booklet also contains a fascinating interview with keyboardist Don Randi (The Wrecking Crew), who recently spoke to Lea about his hit-filled career and his 50 years of work with Nancy. Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos & Rarities 1965-1978 serves as a companion to the widely-acclaimed 2021 career-spanning retrospective, Start Walkin’ 1965-1976, and marks the latest release in LITA’s ongoing Nancy Sinatra Archival Series, a partnership with the legendary artist, which honors her musical legacy through lovingly curated reissues (including her 1966 debut, Boots and the 1968 classic, Nancy & Lee), limited-edition merch, and other special releases. In 1965, 25-year-old Nancy Sinatra scored her first No.1 hit with “These Boots are Made for Walkin’,” a bold anthem for female empowerment. Brazen, sassy, and utterly infectious, it was a reintroduction of sorts for the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra, who had been struggling to find a spotlight of her own amid a changing musical landscape. Suddenly, audiences who had initially brushed off Sinatra as too demure or out-of-touch were paying attention. Written and produced by Oklahoma-born songsmith Lee Hazlewood (with swaggering instrumentals, courtesy of Billy Strange and The Wrecking Crew), the song launched the singer’s career, as well as one of music’s most unlikely, yet compelling, creative partnerships. Over the next decade, Sinatra continued to notch multiple hits on both sides of the Atlantic, including “Sugar Town,” “How Does That Grab You, Darlin?,” and a haunting rendition of the Sonny Bono-penned “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).” The singer also paired up with Hazlewood for a series of popular duets (“Summer Wine,” “Jackson,”* and *“Some Velvet Morning”) and collaborative albums. In between best-selling LPs like Boots (1966), How Does That Grab You (1966), and Nancy & Lee (1968), Sinatra performed the theme song to the 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice, and collaborated with her father on the global chart-topper, “Somethin’ Stupid.” While these career landmarks are well-documented in the annals of pop culture history, however, much of Sinatra’s catalog remains sorely overlooked. As Keep Walkin’ co-producer Hunter Lea explains, “With the changing taste of the record-buying public in the late 1960s and the counterculture taking over, artists like Nancy Sinatra weren’t in the mainstream as they once were.” Despite that fact, “[Sinatra] kept working, recording, and performing at a voracious pace.” Lea continues, “This compilation is a celebration of some of the many glorious recordings that may have been overlooked, forgotten, or never even released at the time. The obscurity of some of these recordings doesn’t mask the genius, brilliance, and effort that went into them; on the contrary, it’s incredible to learn that some of the lost gems are just as rich as the national treasures.” Among the highlights is the spritely opener “The City Never Sleeps at Night,” which served as the B-Side to “These Boots Were Made for Walkin’.” Overshadowed by the colossal success of its A-side, it’s no surprise that the cinematic tune never had its proper due. Yet, Lea reveals, Hazlewood initially intended to make it the focus single. Another long-lost B-side is “The Last of the Secret Agents?,” which was paired with the Top 10 hit, “How Does That Grab You, Darlin’?” The playful song, written by Hazlewood, served as the theme to the 1966 comedy of the same name, in which Sinatra co-starred alongside Marty Allen and Steve Rossi. Keep Walkin’ also features several choice A-sides that were never included on albums and were overlooked for one reason or another. Among them is 1966’s “In Our Time,” a rebellious anthem for ‘60s youth, which references drug culture and women’s liberation, among other topics. Speaking to the Hazlewood-penned track, Sinatra recalls, “That was a fun song. Lee was starting to do his ‘anti’ stuff. He was cynical and it showed in his writing at some point.” But, despite the themes of the song, Nancy laments that she was never embraced by the counterculture. “[drugs] knocked me out of the picture completely. I was so far removed from the hip people in those days. I think they probably made fun of my stuff.” Another stylistic departure for both artists is “Love Eyes,” a bluesy, soulful single from 1966. The song, Nancy shares, is “one of my favorites. I think what helped Lee’s writing at that point was the bigger sound.… I really love it. I think it holds up to this day.” She adds that her dreamy vocal performance was inspired by early female R&B stars like Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. The collection also features several outstanding covers, including a previously-unreleased rendition of the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil classic, “I Just Can’t Help Believing” (a hit for both B.J. Thomas and Elvis Presley). This 1978 recording, reimagined as a duet, marked one of Sinatra’s brief reunions with Hazlewood, following his abrupt move to Sweden not long after 1972’s Nancy & Lee Again. Another choice track finds Nancy interpreting Neil Diamond’s “Glory Road.” Released as a single in 1971, it features one of the singer’s most cherished vocal performances. “After I worked on my voice and improved as a performer and as a singer, I embraced Neil Diamond. Anything I did by Neil Diamond, to me, is my best work.” Nancy also looks back fondly on her moving rendition of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine," released in 1973 as the B-side to “Sugar Me.” The recording (which features particularly lush orchestral arrangements by Billy Strange) reunited Nancy with another close collaborator, Jimmy Bowen, who produced the singer in the early ‘60s and later introduced her to Hazlewood. “I love Jimmy,” she declares. “The records we did early on…had a depth to them that I appreciated. He heard me and saw me in a different light; he saw me as a much more serious performer, which I appreciated.” Listeners will also be delighted to hear a pair of previously-unreleased demos: “Something Pretty” (the 1968 country hit, made famous by Wynn Stewart) and the theme to the 1965 Richard Rogers/Stephen Sondheim musical, Do I Hear a Waltz?, both of which were intended for a self-described “disco” record. Despite the two catchy takes featured on Keep Walkin’, Sinatra calls the shelved album “A disaster. I called it the disco fiasco!” Offering additional insight into Sinatra’s career is music director, songwriter, and keyboardist, Don Randi. A member of the hallowed *Wrecking Crew* collective, Randi was one of the most prolific session musicians of the ‘60s and ‘70s with hundreds of credits to his name, including The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” Linda Ronstadt’s “Different Drum,” and “These Boots are Made For Walkin’” – his first recording with Sinatra. For the next fifty years, he would be a fixture at her sessions and live shows. He also appears on nearly every track in this collection. Speaking to Lea, Randi delves deep into his time with Sinatra, with a palpable admiration for the singer. *“She was easy to work with,”* he shares. “She was always wonderful to musicians; nobody even comes close.” The keyboardist, who met Sinatra through Hazlewood, also recalls the magic of that partnership. “I always liked working with Nancy & Lee. They had something very special that they could get out of each other. It was a good team.” He continues, “Sinatra stood up for herself [around Lee]…He could be so cantankerous…but that’s Lee…. [Nancy] saw through it. She was so lovely and helpful to him a number of times when he really needed someone to talk to.” That said, Randi also appreciates the power of Sinatra’s solo performances. “I never thought she really needed [Hazlewood},”* he reveals. “I thought her shows were just as well with everybody else; they were excellent.” After stepping back from the industry in the ‘70s to focus on her young family, Sinatra returned to the spotlight in the mid-90s, releasing a string of new albums, including the star-studded Nancy Sinatra, which paired the artist with some of her biggest fans, including Morrissey, U2, Calexico, and Sonic Youth. Since then, Nancy’s legacy has only continued to grow. In more recent years, her impact has been recognized by the likes of Pitchfork, NPR, and Rolling Stone, while in 2020, “Boots” was inducted into the Grammy® Hall of Fame*. Today, Sinatra remains a force in the industry, as new generations discover her influential catalog, which boasts nearly 20 studio albums and dozens of charting singles.