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Acclaimed saxophonist, producer and composer Yasuaki Shimizu will release Kiren, his unreleased album from 1984, on the Palto Flats record label on February 25, 2022. Liner notes by music historian Chee Shimizu, and credits in both Japanese and English.

By the early 1980s Yasuaki Shimizu had established himself on the Japanese new wave scene, producing many important experimental pop records and releasing several albums as the bandleader of Mariah. Following the release of his widely regarded solo classic Kakashi, from 1982, and the otherworldly Utakata No Hibi, by Mariah in 1983, he went into the studio the following year with frequent collaborators, producer Aki Ikuta and Morio Watanabe (bassist of Mariah), to record a mystifying collection of experimental dance music. Utilizing cutting-edge technology and studio trickery, Kiren showcases Shimizu's trademark playfulness, marrying richly layered production techniques to off-kilter, sometimes traditional sounding rhythms and melodies. Portending his work with the Saxophonettes as well as forecasting trends in techno, new wave, and futuristic rhythmic music, this formerly lost album represents an important period of Shimizu's artistic expression, an artist at his peak, while successfully exploring the intersections of fusion, synthpop, new wave, and jazz.

As Chee Shimizu (no relation) writes in the liner notes, Kiren, and his concurrent release Latin were “born out of a free environment of collaboration that existed between Yasuaki and Aki Ikuta ... (exemplifying) his most energetic works.” In listening to Kiren, we might share with Yasuaki Shimizu the joy and excitement of experimentalism and movement that went into the making of this album, now released for the first time many years later.

CD comes in a soft case, instead of the original crystal case.
All booklets included.

"The contributions Black women have made to the growth of rock & roll cannot be overstated, from the genre’s beginnings to the present day. Embracing this legacy, world renowned poet jessica Care moore and prolific performer Steffanie Christi’an have joined forces to form We Are Scorpio, an explosive new project blending rock & roll with poetry. A leading voice of her generation, moore has performed on stages across the globe, written acclaimed books and plays, and recorded her poetry with artists like Common, Nas, Jeezy, Karriem Riggins, Jeff Mills, Roy Ayers, Jose James, and more. Her latest foray into music is We Are Scorpio, a unique take on modern rock sparked by chemistry with fellow Detroit native Christi’an and encapsulating an undeniable Black femme punk energy. Joining a long line of Detroit artists who spoke truth with force across genre and gendered borders, the duo is now unveiling its self-titled debut album. With unapologetic vocals and rapid-fire poetics occupying the same space as head-banging guitar riffs, the collection features appearances by talented artists like Talib Kweli, Sada Baby, Divinity Roxx, Niko Is, and Militia Vox. Expansive but intimate, We Are Scorpio delves into parts unknown with fiery purpose."

When Von Spar made their ciritcally acclaimed entrance in the pop circuit in 2003 (e.g. coverstory in Spex Magazine) they were regarded as the German answer to the Post-Punk/No-Wave-renaissance. But their debut was more a clever parody about eighties-style-hipster-bands. Three years later and wiser the supergroup (with members of Urlaub in Polen, Oliver Twist, Aggro Cologne) returns with an uncompromising album that gets ahead of all expectations and will surprise their audience and critics who will be shocked. This is not a band following the latest trend. Detached from the usual style issues Von Spar have exorsized the Zeitgeist and overtaken the discourse. There is no scheme. Anything goes. Their new musical language is inspired by seventies Krautrock taking lines of flight to Fluxus art, Minimal Music and early TripHop. Apart from ringtone-compatible hits Von Spar reanimate the classical album-format. The two 20-minute long songs combine the spirit of exploration from Can and Kraftwerk with the conceptual aesthetics of Steve Reich and John Cage and techniques of dark, psychedelic multi-layering by Neurosis and Bohren & Der Club of Gore. All references are permantly ruptured, adopted and newly interweaved. With two new members the five-headed pack recorded in the legendary Electric Avenue Studio, Hamburg, with producer Tobias Levin (Tocotronic, Blumfeld, Kante). Their new labelbase Tomlab offers the congenial platform for this unusual journey. The new album of Von Spar reclaims music as a truthful place for concentration and collective energy from which newness enters the world.

This is their sixth album.

CD comes in a soft case, instead of the original crystal case.
All booklets included.

"20 Years Of Dreaming And Scheming is 17 unreleased songs from all across the Red Scare expanded universe. We've got some new faces, some Red Scare regulars, some beloved alumni, some guest artists, and even some inactive bands that reformed to give us a new track. Because it's our 20th birthday, we're doing a buncha parties and PR around the milestone, but most importantly, we have these 17 songs. Assembling this has been a labor of love and a heartfelt paean to the punks. We love y'all, and these songs are for you. Sure, there's a couple stinkers in the bunch, but most of them are RAD, and you can only hear these tunes right here. Dreamin' and schemin' indeed!"

Cheap Price Compilation CD of rare, unreleased, forthcoming, and brilliant tracks from the Agitated Label,and friends.. Like a massive bag of pick and mix to have a party with.. features Straight Arrows, Kelley Stoltz, Carlton Melton, oldboy, Headland, Laurel Canyon, Catatonic Suns, Last of Easy Riders, Icarus Line, Blamers, and much more besides.. 500 CD ...cheap...and tasty.. some tracks first time on CD, some exclusive to this release.. its fun! But whats that?..its not just a single CD label comp, its been double bagged with a extra CD, put together as a collection of “Radio Shows” by good friends of Agitated, The Hawk and Kbcd radio!!! Heres what they had to say about Disc 2!!!! “cd2: The Agitated Radio Show on Kbcd Radio - The Hawk presents a chemical hit of underground medicine all the way from Nixon County... "a repeat of CD1?" you may unreasonably ask - no, friends, it most certainly isn't.” Only 500/.. grab it on RSD 24..

Expo 70, held in Osaka, was a pivotal event for the Japanese people and their relationship with the rest of the world, demonstrating both the nation’s ongoing economic recovery from World War Two and the creative spirit of Japanese society and its artists. A series of performances, billed as “Night Events” were held at the Expo; the most radical of these was "Beam Penetration and Mad Computer, plus the Minimal Sound of Motorcycles”, but its anti-establishment feel and general madness took the Expo organizers by surprise and it was cancelled after only one night, despite being scheduled for a longer run. An air of myth developed around the event, but a recording of the event has been discovered and this release is the result. This release comprises a CD, a 10-inch record with fold-out sleeve and large obi, plus fascinating notes in Japanese and English by Kenichi Yasuda, an expert on Japanese rock music, and Koji Kawasaki, a renowned researcher of Japanese electronic music, as well as rare photos.

Expo 70, held in Osaka, was a pivotal event for the Japanese people and their relationship with the rest of the world, demonstrating both the nation’s ongoing economic recovery from World War Two and the creative spirit of Japanese society and its artists. A series of performances, billed as “Night Events” were held at the Expo; the most radical of these was "Beam Penetration and Mad Computer, plus the Minimal Sound of Motorcycles”, but its anti-establishment feel and general madness took the Expo organizers by surprise and it was cancelled after only one night, despite being scheduled for a longer run. An air of myth developed around the event, but a recording of the event has been discovered and this release is the result. This release comprises a CD, a 10-inch record with fold-out sleeve and large obi, plus fascinating notes in Japanese and English by Kenichi Yasuda, an expert on Japanese rock music, and Koji Kawasaki, a renowned researcher of Japanese electronic music, as well as rare photos. *Special Edition includes a Cd-r of a interview program with the producers of "Beam Penetration" in 1970. At the end of the program, the Flower Travellin' Band appeared with motorcycles and performed in the studio. Also includes insert with English translation of the interview.

Trailer Bride's 1996 self-titled record is a long-lost relic of the blooming Chapel Hill, North Carolina music scene of the '90s. Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf and other indie rock darlings were leading the town's indie rock movement while Southern Culture on the Skids were pushing the alt-country genre forward. Then comes Trailer Bride who combined both of those worlds with a gothic, lo-fi sound that centers around Melissa Swingle's atmospheric vocals and cryptic lyrics. Swingle started Trailer Bride following the demise of her band Pussy Teeth and would later go on to form the indie rock duo The Moaners with Laura King (Bat Fangs, Speed Stick), but the dark, southern sound that defines Trailer Bride's debut record provides a mystifying listening experience a quarter-century later. No Depression said it best in their 1997 review: "They're impossible to describe, but whatever you wanna call it, they sound really good." The album is available for the first time ever on vinyl for Record Store Day Black Friday 2022. This 25th anniversary edition is pressed on cloudy orange vinyl and remastered for vinyl. Limited to 1,500 copies worldwide.

Hole Erth, Chaz Bear's eighth full-length studio record as Toro y Moi, is the genre shapeshifter's most unexpected and bold move to date, with Bear diving headlong into rap-rock, Soundcloud rap and Y2K emo. The album blitzes anthemic pop-punk next to autotuned, melancholic rap - two genres that inform one another now more than ever before _ and packs in the most features ever on a Toro y Moi album. A sense of nostalgia sneaks its way into almost every Toro y Moi release, but angst is an emotion that Bear has never intentionally explored the way he does here. Tracks like "Tuesday'' channel a specific, yet forever-relatable sense of adolescent unease. A distorted guitar riff leads into a repeating chorus that conjures misunderstood teenagers singing aloud, maybe too loud, while riding bikes through American suburbs. This foreboding can also be heard on "HOV," though not without poking some fun with lines like "Romance is so cold / My advice? To bring a coat." Bear has the energy, but is acutely aware that his energy isn't forever. At a time when the internet is blending multiple genres into one at an increasingly rapid pace, Bear accomplishes the rare feat of keeping up with the contemporary alternative listener. Constantly changing, evolving and experimenting is the heart of Toro y Moi, and on Hole Erth Bear challenges but also reclaims himself, embracing the myriad sounds and eras that formed him, while crashing new worlds together.

Fear Inoculum is the long awaited new album from TOOL, and the band’s first new album in 13 years. The album will be available digitally, and in a special Limited Edition physical package that includes a CD in a tri-fold Soft Pack Video Brochure featuring a 4” HD rechargeable screen with exclusive video footage, a USB charging cable, a 2 watt speaker and a 36 page insert book and MP3 download card.

Tool members include drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, bassist Justin Chancellor and vocalist Maynard James Keenan.

CD comes in a soft case, instead of the original crystal case. All booklets included.

Record has scuffs and hairlines.

CD comes in a soft case, instead of the original crystal case. All booklets included.

with booklet

From the ballad Talk No More to the lightness of Smile, an invitation to smile through a declaration of love, the tracks in the album are wonderful snapshots that strike a chord. The title track talks about the desire of a father for his children to explore the opportunities that life offers with enthusiasm, The Hole crystalizes an inner moment of crisis and in Back To The Sun, written during the worst moment of the Pandemic, the loss of loved ones is the central theme. Coexisting with sounds from the previous decades, the 90’s pop scene strongly influences the album. From the new wave in Telematic Love to Me, Myselfie & I which ironizes on one of our most frequent daily habits, to the punk theme in Syd & Nancy and Drum Machine, which is “an encounter between the traditional British scene and Rancid”

10 new songs with Tiger Lou. You will instantly hear that it"s Tiger Lou on Rasmus Kellerman vocals, the driven drums of Pontus Levahn and the charismatic typical Tiger Lou electric guitars. Tiger Lou fans, you get what you want!

CD comes in a soft case, instead of the original crystal case. All booklets included.