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London-based post-punk quartet Desperate Journalist return for a fifth studio album of sardonic, wry humour in au...

Wollongong (Australia) trio 'Miners' create a heady form of driving guitar music and showcase it on their most melodic and varied release yet, sophomore album To a Healthy Future on Earth. From the shoegaze sounds of their first release, the Pala EP in 2015, to the more noisy and punk oriented sounds of their self titled album in 2021, Miners second album roams more expansively than the previous. To a Healthy Future on Earth contains 10 songs weathered and brushed by elements of shoegaze, indie slacker pop, emo, country rock, and found sound. Melodies confidently swing and twist in a hazy blanket of fecund noise, evoking the dynamic of an Unwound or Swervedriver and local artists Sandpit and Love of Diagrams. The electric tension and release of the album is beautifully preserved by Mikey Young's master, and elevated by vocals from MFV's Maggie Fletcher, all aiding to lift this gem into daylight where it can refract and dazzle. This album will be released on October 18th, 2024 as a joint release with Kitty Records in Australia.

A rock'n'roll sensation from the word go, Danish-Brazilian The Courettes are back with their fourth and best album to date: "The Soul Of_ The Fabulous Courettes". And this time, they're bigger, wider and deeper than ever before as they add more to the blistering ramalama that's seen them cause pandemonium across the venues, festivals and airwaves of the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. Hitting the sweet spot that straddles garage rock, girl groups, doo-wop harmonies, heartache and all points in between, here The Courettes build on the momentum of predecessor 'Back In Mono' with a collection of songs that opens up their sonic scope while confronting dark, emotional matter to reveal 'The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes'."We didn't want to do Back In Mono 2'," stresses drummer Martin Couri.Having evolved with each album release, "The Soul Of_ The Fabulous Courettes" draws inspiration from many of the duo's numerous idols that have only previously been hinted at."We wanted to show our love of the Spector Wall Of Sound and Motown," reveals Flavia. "It was a clear mission and we've absolutely nailed it."From the glorious opening beats and stabbing fuzz honks of 'You Woo Me' to the closing emotional tugs of 'For Your Love' via 'SHAKE!''s fuzzed-up urgency and 'California''s celebratory warmth, The Courettes have broadened their sound with an increased musical instrumentation and overall sophistication that's evident in both their sound and songwriting. And crucially, they've achieved this without sacrificing any of the rock'n'roll grit that's been scraped from Flavia's guitar strings and Martin's battered and pummelled drums. And aiding them in their quest for sonic perfection are a few guest musicians and back-room wizards playing some very specific roles.While the music has opened up to include acoustic and 12-string guitars, bass, E-bows, castanets and timpani, so have the kind of emotions that might not ordinarily be associated with The Courettes.The Soul Of_ The Fabulous Courettes is an album aime...

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.

TimeFold is the new album by Trees Speak. This release sees the group expanding their musical horizons once more, from vast intergalactic landscapes to imaginary 1920s silent movie soundtracks, seamlessly blended with hypnotic motoric krautrock driving rhythms, angular post-punk, Stranger Things-esque synthesizer motifs, ambient sound sculptures and more to create a truly unique sound.Trees Speak are based in Tucson, Arizona, comprised around the duo Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz. Their music is heavily influenced by the cosmic magic of the natural desert landscapes of Arizona, creating a unique and captivating sound that is both experimental and innovative.

Love Rudiments is a meditation by Ty Segall on his first love: the drums. Known popularly as a singing guitar player, he generally starts the recording of his songs by laying down a drum track. Love Rudiments kicks off with drums and percussion then adds a few other percussive and production aspects. It travels a great journey in this configuration. However, Love Rudiments wasn"t written or performed to present as some kind of solo drums album - it"s just another music album, with vibes (figurative as well as literal), feels, a theme and a through-line.Never one to shy away from a challenge, Ty"s made an instrumental album of percussive music that rides the wild surf of a waxing-then-waning love affair - from the first blinding look, to the eventual recognition, that look back at love"s rudiments, viewed from beyond and outside that seemingly infinite sensation.And why not? Drums are a melody instrument too. Ty plays them with precision and sensitivity, delving deep into the textures of timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, percussion and e-drums, all of them occupying space within the luxe stereo spread of the drum kit. In the process, a psychological space is opened - a private emotional location where only two can meet.Love Rudiments reembodies the passion and compulsion that drives all of Ty Segall"s music in a suite of moments played on orchestral batterie to explore the most delicate passages of human interaction - playing on the bones of love.

Outstanding show in Chicago in front of the cameras of Jbtv. Remembered as a surreal one more than anything, with crowdsurfers all over the place and Thom jumping about on stage (and even falling over on it during 'Inside My Head').

The thirteen songs on youbet’s debut hit like relentless bursts of color. Musically adventurous and lyrically intimate, writer Nick Llobet’s vocals lilt, hiss and command attention. His vision is fully formed on Compare & Despair, driven by equal parts humor and melancholy. Its bright, shocking cover art depicts a cast of psychotropic cartoon characters, each representing a different song.

Raised in Davie, Florida, by his Cuban immigrant father and first-generation Italian American mother who divorced, Llobet sensed chaos lurking around every corner. youbet’s sound captures that disorder, a backwards world where the adults act like children and kids are on their own to maintain any semblance of order. Compare & Despair sounds like returning to your hometown to rewrite the narrative of your youth with attitude and a confetti cannon.

Recently arriving in New York, Llobet discovered music as a creative and therapeutic outlet. He began writing obsessively. “It’s my way of getting lost,” says Llobet. Depositing what he made on a Bandcamp page, the result was an assortment of disparate ingredients: the sound of his laugh tape-sped to surreality, a birthday song about carnitas for his step mother, fuzzed-out rockers that snuff out before they seem to begin. And then there were these beautiful, complete compositions that recalled the ingenious simplicity of Big Star or Elliott Smith.

His page caught the attention of Ava Luna drummer and engineer Julian Fader (Frankie Cosmos, Mr. Twin Sister), who shared it with collaborator Katie Von Schleicher. Katie contacted Llobet, offering to help him produce and release a full-length album. A core group was formed of Llobet, Von Schleicher, Fader and Adam Brisbin (Sam Evian, Molly Sarlé), all of whom contributed over the next year to Compare & Despair.

youbet makes the music of idealized youth and time-bombed mirth. With a pure aim of freedom, but forever hindered by encroaching adult reality, Compare & Despair thrives in creative conflict. A stunning debut of intent, youbet sets loose a hyperactive imagination that rides the rainbow into a black hole.

Brand new reissue of the Nightstalker legendary debut album Side FX in new coloured vinyls !! Nightstalker’s debut album, recorded in 1993 and released in 1994, captures the raw, rebellious energy of the era, blending gritty, Motörhead-inspired heaviness with infectious grooves. Emerging from Greece during the height of grunge and alternative music, the band delivers a sound that’s unapologetically rough and driven by a heavy, rhythmic pulse. Their music channeled the raw power of ‘90s rock while Nightstalker carved out their own space with their hypnotic riffs, groovy basslines, and a dark, rebellious spirit. A bold first step, this album sets the tone for Nightstalker’s journey.

Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad musical genre that emerged in 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians moved away from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, adopting instead a broader, more experimental approach that included a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-rock influences.

Here we go again with two other enthralling volume in the series. The Postcards saga continues, discovering lesser known - but no less significant - names from the post-punk, new wave and d.i.y. scenes around the UK and the US. Groups whose recording career was minimal and stopped, in 90% of cases, at the first and only 45 rpm (which is the cream of the crop here). Number 4 brings together five seven-inches, here presented in their entirety, released between 1979 and 1981 by cultish british bands. Original covers, labels and credits are fully reproduced on the back of the cover.

Volume 5 is deliberately an anglo-american issue. It covers the period comprised between 1980 and 1983 and features three american and two english bands. Original covers, labels and credits are fully reproduced on the back of the cover.

Two more fundamental pieces of the movement history.

Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad musical genre that emerged in 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians moved away from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, adopting instead a broader, more experimental approach that included a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-rock influences.

Here we go again with two other enthralling volume in the series. The Postcards saga continues, discovering lesser known - but no less significant - names from the post-punk, new wave and d.i.y. scenes around the UK and the US. Groups whose recording career was minimal and stopped, in 90% of cases, at the first and only 45 rpm (which is the cream of the crop here). Number 4 brings together five seven-inches, here presented in their entirety, released between 1979 and 1981 by cultish british bands. Original covers, labels and credits are fully reproduced on the back of the cover.

Volume 5 is deliberately an anglo-american issue. It covers the period comprised between 1980 and 1983 and features three american and two english bands. Original covers, labels and credits are fully reproduced on the back of the cover.

Two more fundamental pieces of the movement history.

Although he began his career as an artist as a producer, working on the hit ‘Le Code’ in 2017 with Ichon, Myth Syzer and Bonnie Banane, Muddy Monk's work today is far removed from hip-hop and closer to a mutant form of synthetic and romantic variety, sung in French. His debut album, Longue Ride, is a collection of songs about adventure, love, violence and the quest for a good life - themes which, for the young man, are all about overcoming his anxieties. So many subjects that he treats with a mechanical and desperate lyricism often close to that of another fan of powerful two-wheelers whose label was called Les Disques Motors: we're talking about the legendary Christophe.

Oráculo Records proudly presents the vinyl debut of one of the most promising contemporary Italian post-punk acts. The Bolognese duo delivers a fresh take on what this movement should embrace today. Their approach combines elements of krautrock with some dub influences and grunge clichés, resulting in an advanced proposal that invites repeated listening.. Presented in a One-off truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid Black vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).

"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!"

Brooklyn alternative metal band A Deer A Horse will release their new album, Texas Math, via Rookie Records. Texas Math will be A Deer A Horse"s second full-length LP and the first featuring their new lineup. In addition to longtime members Angela Phillips (vocals and bass guitar) and Dylan Teggart (drums), this album introduces Marissa Mazzotta (lead guitar) and Ripley Shultz (guitar and backing vocals).Following their 2022 LP Grind, Texas Math captures the band as they reflect inward musically and lyrically, blending a wide range of influences, including metal, punk, industrial, and stoner rock. As bass player Angela Phillips steps into her role as the sole lead singer, she explores lyrical themes such as suicide, hallucination, isolation, denial, and religious indoctrination.

Peace, love and rage. Woodstock '99 took place in Rome, New York, from July 22 to July 25, 1999, and went down as one of the craziest events in recent music history. The festival was marred by difficult environmental conditions, overpriced food and water, poor sanitation, sexual harassment, rioting, looting, vandalism, arson, violence, leading to media attention and controversy that vastly overshadowed coverage of the musical performances. In honor of its 25-year anniversary, let's listen to some of the incendiary tracks of the time, namely those of Korn, The Offspring, Kid Rock, Limp Bizkit, Metallica, Rage Against The Machine, Creed, Sevendust, Godsmack and Megadeth.

Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. The 1994 concert was scheduled for the weekend of August 13–14, with a third day (Friday, August 12) added later. The event took place on Winston Farm, just west of Saugerties, New York, about 110 km northeast of the 1969 festival site near Bethel. In honor of its 30-year anniversary, relive the festival that revived the original event, complete with mud, mayhem and, of course, rock and roll, guaranteed by Aerosmith, Nine Inch Nails, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Bob Dylan, Sheryl Crow, Joe Cocker and Metallica.

Solventis add the roughness of an electric guitar and powerful synths to their folk sounds to weave sensitive and solar music. After a first European tour in Spring 2024, the band will release their album Alcyon with Subsound Records next autumn. Solventis is: Sol (Sophie Peyre) : composition, writing, vocals, electric guitars - Melody Morana : backing vocals, keyboards & acoustic guitars (live) A word about the album Alcyon : I wrote Alcyon following very clear visions of memories I didn't live through in this life, but which are undeniably part of me. Some songs speak directly of this experience, while others express the emotions that run through me and speak of what I'm experiencing here. Our sound has evolved for this album, with the addition of an electric guitar and synth to our usual folk music. I wanted it to be more immersive, more textured and raw on some of the songs, to better represent the intensity of certain feelings.

The Silver Abduction release their debut self-titled album. Following on from two singles, Quarter To Two and Castle Rock, the album is released on August 30th. The Silver Abduction is a collaboration between singer Allison Brice (The 18th Day Of May, Lake Ruth) and musician/producer Andy Dragazis (Blue States). The Silver Abduction's history dates back to 2006. Instantly taken by Brice's haunting voice a musical friendship blossomed - with Brice's sweet, haunting melodies and Dragazis's dense and lush orchestration.

To date The Silver Abduction have had radio play from John Kennedy on Radio X, BBC Radio Wales, RTE 2XM, Amazing Radio amongst others. They have press reviews confirmed for Mojo and four star review in Shindig.

Lynyrd Skynyrd are more than just a Rock band. Hailing from the swamps of Florida their music is a gritty mix of Rock, Blues and Country, washed down with a liberal slug of bourbon. In one form or another Skynyrd have existed for almost half a century. 'Sweet Home Alabama', 'Call me The Breeze', 'Woman Of Mine' and the immortal 'Free Bird' are among the most famous rock songs ever recorded. This LP contains live songs, recorded in 1973. A: 1. I Ain't the One2. Call Me The Breeze3. Sweet Home Alabama4. Workin' For MCAB: 5. Woman Of Mine6. Freebird

Rediscover MR. T EXPERIENCE Miracle of Shame EP, originally released in 2000 during a transitional period for the band. Following the departure of long-time bassist Joel Reader, the band continued to evolve with producer Kevin Army, maintaining their indie rock essence. This remastered edition, expertly revived by Justin Perkins of Mystery Room Mastering and featuring refreshed artwork by Chris Appelgren, brings back the classic tracks that, as noted by All Music's MacKenzie Wilson, "echo the vibes of Pavement's Stephen Malkmus and Sebadoh's Lou Barlow. Highlights include the purist "Leave the Thinking to the Smart People," the jaunty "Stephanies of the World Unite," and the wry tribute "Mr. Ramones." Laid-back and free-spirited, Miracle of Shame is a timeless gem of indie rock.

After four studio albums and one compilation, the Hungarian megastars Omega were still much of an insider tip in the West. However, sales figures were noticeably rising, though far from going through the roof. In addition, the band had evolved, becoming more professional, both in their live performance and in their appearance. Those in charge at Bacillus/Bellaphon definitely meant to hold on to Omega, so in 1976 the contract with the quintet was extended till 1980. And the band, to...

Gatefold white vinyl LP!A rock'n'roll sensation from the word go, Danish-Brazilian The Courettes are back with their fourth and best album to date: "The Soul Of_ The Fabulous Courettes". And this time, they're bigger, wider and deeper than ever before as they add more to the blistering ramalama that's seen them cause pandemonium across the venues, festivals and airwaves of the UK, Europe, USA and Japan. Hitting the sweet spot that straddles garage rock, girl groups, doo-wop harmonies, heartache and all points in between, here The Courettes build on the momentum of predecessor 'Back In Mono' with a collection of songs that opens up their sonic scope while confronting dark, emotional matter to reveal 'The Soul Of The Fabulous Courettes'."We didn't want to do Back In Mono 2'," stresses drummer Martin Couri.Having evolved with each album release, "The Soul Of_ The Fabulous Courettes" draws inspiration from many of the duo's numerous idols that have only previously been hinted at."We wanted to show our love of the Spector Wall Of Sound and Motown," reveals Flavia. "It was a clear mission and we've absolutely nailed it."From the glorious opening beats and stabbing fuzz honks of 'You Woo Me' to the closing emotional tugs of 'For Your Love' via 'SHAKE!''s fuzzed-up urgency and 'California''s celebratory warmth, The Courettes have broadened their sound with an increased musical instrumentation and overall sophistication that's evident in both their sound and songwriting. And crucially, they've achieved this without sacrificing any of the rock'n'roll grit that's been scraped from Flavia's guitar strings and Martin's battered and pummelled drums. And aiding them in their quest for sonic perfection are a few guest musicians and back-room wizards playing some very specific roles.While the music has opened up to include acoustic and 12-string guitars, bass, E-bows, castanets and timpani, so have the kind of emotions that might not ordinarily be associated with The Courettes.The Soul Of_ The Fabulous...

Sassyhiya want to take you somewhere. The journey starts in Kathy and Helen’s flat in South London. Sit down, close your eyes, and immerse yourself... You are on your way to a musical rainforest a long way from Camberwell. Explore your new surroundings, and you will find beautiful pop blooms like Let’s See What We Can Find, as bright and vibrant as The Sundays, thrusting their colourful faces up from the forest floor. You’ll find tangles of sharp-edged guitar, as if Swiss she-punks Kleenex had been left to evolve here in the rich fertile soil (I Had A Thought). You’ll find dark pools full of lyrical complexity, deceptively deep and immersive, with shimmering reflections of The Go-Betweens (Perennial). And you’ll come across delicate love songs, creeping up the trunks and branches of the bass and drums, displaying their fragile beauty (Thank You And Goodbye). And what’s that exotic striped animal prowling through the undergrowth? Actually, it’s Crayon Potato, Sassyhiya’s pet cat, the other resident of their flat in South London, taking up her role as the feline star of a lilting, singalong anthem written in her honour.

That’s what is so great about this album. You are somehow, simultaneously, exploring the most exotic forest in the world while also sitting in a flat in an ordinary, familiar English street with Sassyhiya and their cat. This album transports you without pretending the real world doesn’t exist: it doesn’t get all mystical on you (Take You Somewhere is as unlike Enya as anything you’ve heard). Sometimes you might be reminded of Girls At Our Best, and then Delta 5. You might even, on occasion, think of Echo and the Bunnymen.

The album opens with their single, Boat Called Predator: an appropriate start, inviting you to embark: insistent, almost ominous, but with a siren call of a chorus that means you can’t go back. The first single, Kristen Stewart, is here too: a bold love song to a queer icon, affirming Sassyhiya’s status as the queens (and kings) of a thriving indiepop scene. It’s joyous and it’s life-affirming. There are other love songs here too, like the jokey, wonkily flirtatious Puppet Museum. The album ends with You Can Give It (But You Can’t Take It) - a proper anthem of defiance, gently but insistently taking down the bullies and reactionaries who trample over beauty and diversity: the kind of people you might, unfortunately, bump into as you make your way back onto the streets of South London.

Sassyhiya (pronounced “Sassy Hiya”) were formed when Helen and Kathy, real-life partners and co-songwriters, joined up with Pablo and Neil (drums and guitar). Helen had previously been in Boys Forever and Basic Plumbing, collaborating with much-missed Veronica Falls musician Patrick Doyle. She and Kathy then formed Barry, a stripped-down queercore outfit, with Bart McDonagh (The Male Gays) and Mark Amura (My Executive Dysfunction). Sassyhiya feels like a culmination of all these elements, hitting the sweet spot between post-punk and indie pop. They know their way around a melody but still keep it wonky, with influences ranging from the Breeders and Broadcast to Dolly Parton.

The Wild Classical Music Ensemble is a Belgian experimental rock band formed in 2007 by artists with mental disability within the social-artistic non-profit organisation Wit.h in Kortrijk. Their unique sound is a blend of punk/rock riffs, fanatical rhythms and soaring flutes and fiery synths, over which gravitate multiple, multilingual voices that scratch harshly as much as they comfort. There's something very Belgian about this harshness and noisiness. We often think of compadre Arno, from the TC Matic era.During the Covid crisis, the disabled members of the Wild Classical Music Ensemble were undoubtedly subjected more than others to the harsh conditions of confinement, alone in their rooms. Damien Magnette was still able to visit them with sound equipment. This was one of their all-too-few windows onto the world. Forbidden to meet, let alone play together, the members of Wild were nevertheless able to compose songs in tandem with Damien. The tracks were then sent to musician friends - Fabrice Gilbert, Ava Carrère, Wim Opbrouck, Shht, Arthur Satàn, Nathan Roche and Julien ZLDR - who added their artistic touch. Jean Lamoot and Carl Roosens joined the adventure, one as mixer, the other as video director.It's a result of the conditions under which it was created, this is the band's most highly-produced album, and perhaps its most accessible: frankly rock, with a great deal of freedom in production, and sometimes with a certain pop allure. Jean Lamoot's contribution to the mix had a lot to do with it. In addition, the forced slowdown allowed us to devote much more time and attention to writing the lyrics.Leader Damien Magnette says: "For over a year, we were all confined. But what about when you're a mentally handicapped person? Well, it's very different from you and me... We have the right to choose, the luxury of deciding for ourselves what rules we want to follow or not. We have free will. They don't. This series of confined songs is dedicated to all the people who have gone through this...

Cynic's vinyl reissues including bonus material to be released via Svart Records in February 2025

American progressive metal band Cynic's 2010 EP Re-Traced available on 12" vinyl for the first time ever, including a memorial tribute track to the late Sean Malone.

Cynic was formed in Miami, Florida by Paul Masvidal in 1987, incorporating elements of progressive rock, alternative, and metal. Their debut album Focus was released in 1993, after which they disbanded in 1994. The comeback in 2006 resulted in the sophomore album Traced in Air (2008), of which the four first songs on Re-Traced are re-interpretations of. Svart Records in co-operation with Cynic now proudly present Re-Traced reborn on a 12" vinyl, including three alternative versions of the songs and liner notes by Martin Popoff.

Paul Masvidal comments the reissue: “Seeing Re-Traced pressed on a legit 12” vinyl is an exciting first, especially with the inclusion of bonus tracks like Sean Malone’s beautiful, never-before-released bass rendition of Wheels Within Wheels and his magical performance on Integral, which I initially released digitally as a memorial tribute to him. The electronic renditions of Traced in Air tracks like Space, Evolutionary and King take the songs into entirely new realms. It’s also synchronistic that I’m now playing these songs in my solo acoustic ambient shows, finally bringing them into a live format. Altogether, it feels quite special to see these two records reborn.”

"Fans of Traced in Air and Cynic in general should buy this. It’s not even a question of whether or not this is worth your time and money. The sheer talent of this band turns me into a blithering fanboy and this EP just gets me excited for more new Cynic." -Angry Metal Guy, 2010

A sense of destiny hangs over Sentir Que No Sabes, Mabe Fratti’s fourth solo-credited album released in a five year span. Her work has always possessed a finely tuned sense of drama capable of expressing a range of emotional states, and across this new album, she conveys the struggle to process various relationships or situations–and the actions that come next. Sentir Que No Sabes is urgent and clear, poppy, generous and approachable, while showcasing a considerable emotional hinterland. It is also, as Fratti is quick to mention, “groovy.”

Written and recorded with her partner, multi-instrumentalist, and co-composer Héctor Tosta (I.La Católica, Titanic), Sentir Que No Sabes is the result of an intense, detail-oriented process. Fueled by a new confidence gained in their collaborative project, Titanic, and its critically acclaimed 2023 LP, Vidrio, the two hunkered down in the familiarity of their studio (aka Tinho Studios) to bash out the initial sonic coordinates of her new record. “We talked and talked, and discussed ways of playing and recording, until things became inevitable,” Fratti explains. “We recorded a bunch of demos at our home studio and that meant we had a lot of time to re-edit and experiment. We really dug in. We were super focused on detail.” Tosta also took up the controls as producer and arranger-in-chief for all additional instruments. The album was later completed at Willem Twee Studios in Den Bosch in the Netherlands, and Pedro y el Lobo Studios and Soy Sauce Studios, in Mexico City.

For the final studio recordings, the pair were joined by drummer Gibran Andrade and trumpetist Jacob Wick to fill out and expand on Tosta’s percussion and brass arrangements. This small group of friends were able to work quickly and openly, and without fear: a testament to the exhaustive groundwork put in at Tinho Studios.

Sentir Que No Sabes is a record full to the brim with a modern pop sensibility, invoked by the sort of magpie spirit that ensnares anything it can find, repositioning sounds for the here and now. The keys and melody on the melancholy “Pantalla azul” (“Blue screen error”) transport us back to the glossy mid-1980s.

The lyrics, for their part, have a stop-start quality to them, and hint at the small, incremental emotional taxes we pay through just living our lives. They circle around the music like birds waiting to swoop. There is something of the spiritual in all of Fratti’s work that expresses itself in a form of yearning: she looks to new horizons while personal dramas find themselves internalized, contextualized, and then dealt with through metaphor.

So what to make of Sentir Que No Sabes? High gloss Pastoralism? The sound of a city-bound, post-post modern soulscape? No matter the emotions evoked, it's the work of an artist coming into their own, and creating a benchmark record.