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Sacred Skin is back! Their sophomore album Born in Fire hits turntables everywhere September 2024. Pre-order now to reserve your copy! This latest effort builds off the band’s full-length debut (2022’s The Decline of Pleasure) and takes their sound to a completely new level. Painting a blackened, dystopian vision of life in modern-day Los Angeles, Born in Fire is a movie soundtrack inspired by a forgotten era. Anthemic pop music steeped in romanticism and melancholy and drenched in layers upon layers of new wave nostalgia. For fans of ’80s soundtracks, Tangerine Dream, INXS, Depeche Mode, and New Order.

Midnight Mannequin Records is proud to present this deluxe pressing of Born in Fire on 2xLP colored vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket, complete with OBI strip.

Lukas de Clerck brings us the ancient greek instrument, the aulos, of which his new interpretation of long form expression is coaxed forth on this tremendous recording.Lukas de Clerck explores a niche of archaeological research in music; the aulos is a historical Greek instrument that Lukas analyzed and reinterpreted by a luthier in modern times_navigating this impression as an artwork or living sculptural object, as there is an absence of historical partitions or written information about how to recreate technique on the instrument. Lukas de Clerck has interpreted information from the rare archaeological resources and visual art of the classical Greek period to recreate both playing technique and possible sound timbres with the instrument. With his contemporary approach to drone, post-minimalist music, and contemporary folk, we find a deeply satisfying and compelling, even playful set of songs, timbral exercises and compositions.An important document of new music meets contemporary archaemusicological research via Stephen O'Malley of SUNN O)))'s label Ideologic Organ._The telescopic aulos is speculative: might it have existed? It takes on features from the historical aulos, a double-reed instrument of which we know how it looked but little about what music was played on it or how it would have really sounded. It's an instrument without the limitations of canon or manual, providing creative freedom and awakening curiosity.The new instrument featured on this album is ancient and futuristic at once. The aulos has no tone holes; instead, each of the two tubes consists of three parts that can slide into each other. In this sense, the metal pipes bear a certain resemblance to the principle of a trombone. However, since both hands are already in use to hold both tubes, the sliding has to be done by way of gravity and the help of a «phorbeia», a leather mask which helps keep the reeds in place. The aulos's material is metal (instead of wood), which gives it a certain electronic allure and intensity, as well...

After a near decade spent in obscurity, Peter Cat Recording Co. or PCRC, emerged from the toxic winter smog of Delhi to enter the global Krishna consciousness with the release of 2019's "Bismillah", the culmination of years of refining their unique vision of 21st century pop music. Seeking a transcultural sound, centered around the song writing of Suryakant Sawhney, PCRC's music mines ideas from both time and space, across centuries and continents, extracting and transforming them into modern hymns and timeless folk, something you could perhaps imagine hearing in the holo-deck of a ship from Star Trek. As the name suggests, Peter Cat Recording Co. is less a band and more of a self-sufficient factory of music and art. With 3 potent song writers in Suryakant, Dhruv & Kartik, the group is building a legacy informed and echoing the spirit of groups like The Velvet Underground and The Beatles. The next chapter of this entity began with the announcement of their new album, "BETA", a name inspired by the birth of Karan Singh's son. PCRC is Suryakant Sawhney on vocals and guitars, Karan Singh on drums, Dhruv Bhola on bass and samples, Rohit Gupta on keys, horns and woodwind, and Kartik Sundareshan on guitars, horns and woodwind.

Hayden Thorpe hat sein drittes Soloalbum für den 27.September angekündigt. "Ness" ist inspiriert von Orford Ness in Suffolk, einem ehemaligen Militärstandort für die Entwicklung von Waffen während beider Weltkriege und des Kalten Krieges. Das 1993 vom National Trust erworbene und der Verwilderung überlassene Gebiet ist bis heute ein Ort des Paradoxen, des Geheimnisses und der ständigen Entwicklung. Thorpe's "Ness" ist eine Ode an Orford Ness, an den physischen Ort und an das Buch, das ihn inspiriert hat. Mit Wort und Bild haben der britische Bestseller-Autor Robert Macfarlane und Stanley Donwood darin einen kleinen modernen Mythos geschaffen. Teils Novelle, teils Prosagedicht, teils Mysterienspiel - in "Ness" vereinen sich ihre Fähigkeiten zu einer verblüffenden, beunruhigenden Wirkung und Thorpe erweckt die Lieder darin zum Leben.

With their third full-length, Washington, D.C.’s Bad Moves have expanded their founding artistic identity — a candy-coated guitar-pop shell surrounding a bitter lyrical core — by refracting their ideas through a new set of musical forms that weaponize repetition. On the new Wearing Out the Refrain, recorded once again with producer Joe Reinhart (Hop Along, Algernon Cadwallader), Bad Moves propose that the flip side of the delirious harmony of the basement show singalong is the volatile, accusatory antiphony of a community divided by strain, shouting the same desperate hook back and forth at one another.

Bad Moves’ tag-team vocals, which forgo centering anyone one member, also let the traditionally confessional “I” become the “we” of a community, or generation. Witness the ambitious climate change metaphor of “Eviction Party,” which understands the union of sugary pop and genuine angst embodied by 1960s girl-group songcraft, and uses it to expand a personal story to planetary scale. “It’s my eviction, I’ll cry if I want to” Bad Moves shouts, channeling the dawning millennial midlife crisis. The personal may be political, but what if both feel weighed down and trapped in circular, inescapable ruts?

Strawberry Pink Vinyl.Chinese American Bear is a C-pop duo,currently based in Seattle, who create eclecticbilingual (English/Chinese) ear candy.Composed of married couple Bryce Barsten andAnne Tong, the pair make music that blendsChinese mando-pop and the Western indie popcanon, writing songs that flit between Englishand Mandarin, capturing a spirit of cross-culturaljoy and longing, that is often poignant whilenever losing its sense of fun.They've been described as if The Flaming Lips,Dusty Springfield, and The Beach Boys had ababy with Care Bear. The album is full ofcomedy, groove, quirk, and cuteness withmelodically rich instrumentation, bits ofpsychedelia, doses of funk, and a lot of lyricsabout filling up your belly with food. The duoexplain: "Wah!!! isn't really about anything inparticular. We like that. We like to write whatmakes us smile on any particular day."

MJ Lenderman is a songwriter born and raised inAsheville, North Carolina. The anatomy of an MJrecord might go something like this: warped pedalsteels and skuzzed out guitar; crackin" a cold onewith some buds; a voice reminiscent of the high lonesome warble of a choirboy. Songs snake theirway from a lo-fi home recording to somethingglossier made withn longtime friends at Asheville"sDrop of Sun studios, but the recording settingdoesn"t seem to matter much - at its core, aLenderman song rings true.Manning Fireworks is a remarkable developmentin MJ Lenderman"s story as an incredibly incisivesinger-songwriter, whose propensity for humoralways points to some uneasy, disorienting darkness.The punchlines are still here, as are the rusted-wireguitar solos that have made Lenderman a favoritefor indie rock fans looking for an ernerging guitarhero. There"s a new sincerity, too, as LendermanIets listeners clearly see the world through hiswarped lens.

MJ Lenderman is a songwriter born and raised inAsheville, North Carolina. The anatomy of an MJrecord might go something like this: warped pedalsteels and skuzzed out guitar; crackin" a cold onewith some buds; a voice reminiscent of the high lonesome warble of a choirboy. Songs snake theirway from a lo-fi home recording to somethingglossier made withn longtime friends at Asheville"sDrop of Sun studios, but the recording settingdoesn"t seem to matter much - at its core, aLenderman song rings true.Manning Fireworks is a remarkable developmentin MJ Lenderman"s story as an incredibly incisivesinger-songwriter, whose propensity for humoralways points to some uneasy, disorienting darkness.The punchlines are still here, as are the rusted-wireguitar solos that have made Lenderman a favoritefor indie rock fans looking for an ernerging guitarhero. There"s a new sincerity, too, as LendermanIets listeners clearly see the world through hiswarped lens.

Lutalo's highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy,the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer'sdebut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storiedSonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (SnailMail, Protomartyr, L'Rain), The Academy feels like watchingthe best underground film you've seen in years; establishingLutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock.Lutalo describes The Academy as their "first chapter" - atime capsule of the lessons they've learned in their20-something years of life. "This record is exactly that: a`record' of my early life," they say of their debut album, outvia Winspear. "The experiences, thoughts and feelings I washolding at those times and am currently processing. To me,this is the first big stamp of my existence I'm sharing."While Lutalo's 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introducedthem as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy isbigger and bolder without compromising Lutalo's invitingsense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veteranslike Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greatslike Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academy'sgrander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenalinerush of "Ocean Swallows Him Whole," or the anti-war jangleof album closer "The Bed." Their lyrics are often deeplyintuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit withweighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finessefor lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone-while onlyjust beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.

Meadow Green Vinyl.Lutalo's highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy,the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer'sdebut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storiedSonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (SnailMail, Protomartyr, L'Rain), The Academy feels like watchingthe best underground film you've seen in years; establishingLutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock.Lutalo describes The Academy as their "first chapter" - atime capsule of the lessons they've learned in their20-something years of life. "This record is exactly that: a`record' of my early life," they say of their debut album, outvia Winspear. "The experiences, thoughts and feelings I washolding at those times and am currently processing. To me,this is the first big stamp of my existence I'm sharing."While Lutalo's 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introducedthem as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy isbigger and bolder without compromising Lutalo's invitingsense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veteranslike Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greatslike Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academy'sgrander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenalinerush of "Ocean Swallows Him Whole," or the anti-war jangleof album closer "The Bed." Their lyrics are often deeplyintuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit withweighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finessefor lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone-while onlyjust beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.

Lutalo's highly visceral folk goes electric on The Academy,the Vermont multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer'sdebut LP. Recorded in January 2024 at the storiedSonic Ranch and self-produced along with Jake Aron (SnailMail, Protomartyr, L'Rain), The Academy feels like watchingthe best underground film you've seen in years; establishingLutalo as a singular voice of this generation of indie rock.Lutalo describes The Academy as their "first chapter" - atime capsule of the lessons they've learned in their20-something years of life. "This record is exactly that: a`record' of my early life," they say of their debut album, outvia Winspear. "The experiences, thoughts and feelings I washolding at those times and am currently processing. To me,this is the first big stamp of my existence I'm sharing."While Lutalo's 2022 EP Once Now, Then Again introducedthem as a lo-fi acoustic guitar wunderkind, The Academy isbigger and bolder without compromising Lutalo's invitingsense of emotional intimacy, inspired by alt-rock veteranslike Thom Yorke and Rob Crow as well as electronic greatslike Aphex Twin and Bowery Electric. The Academy'sgrander arrangements are heard in the biting adrenalinerush of "Ocean Swallows Him Whole," or the anti-war jangleof album closer "The Bed." Their lyrics are often deeplyintuitive, flowing as a stream of consciousness, albeit withweighty meanings. With their unique baritone and finessefor lyrical world building, Lutalo cuts to the bone-while onlyjust beginning to reveal the depth of their artistry and vision.

Opaque Blue Vinyl. Crime In Australia follows 2022's The Real Work, the firstParty Dozen record that (some) people were actuallywaiting for; the one that Nick Cave sang on; the one thathad a track that billy woods jumped on for a rework; theone that took them to the USA, Europe (twice), Japan,China and New Zealand; the one that saw Party Dozenhook up with a cool US label (Temporary Residence Ltd.);the one that made Bandcamp, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan and a whole swathe of Australian radio stationsdeclare it their Album of the Day/Week/Epoch; and theone that made KEXP invite the band in for a live session,and made Sub Pop add to their hallowed Singles Club.The Real Work was not the first Party Dozen record, butit was in many ways where Party Dozen really started toput it all together. Crime In Australia continues to build ontheir arc, and elevates their ascent with a slew of newsongs that are simultaneously more focused and moreferal than anything they've ever done. And there are noguests on this one.

Crime In Australia follows 2022's The Real Work, the firstParty Dozen record that (some) people were actuallywaiting for; the one that Nick Cave sang on; the one thathad a track that billy woods jumped on for a rework; theone that took them to the USA, Europe (twice), Japan,China and New Zealand; the one that saw Party Dozenhook up with a cool US label (Temporary Residence Ltd.);the one that made Bandcamp, Stereogum, BrooklynVegan and a whole swathe of Australian radio stationsdeclare it their Album of the Day/Week/Epoch; and theone that made KEXP invite the band in for a live session,and made Sub Pop add to their hallowed Singles Club.The Real Work was not the first Party Dozen record, butit was in many ways where Party Dozen really started toput it all together. Crime In Australia continues to build ontheir arc, and elevates their ascent with a slew of newsongs that are simultaneously more focused and moreferal than anything they've ever done. And there are noguests on this one.

Most of the writing of Naima Bock's second album, Below A Massive Dark Land, was a solitary affair. It may not sound like it - it's made up of strong, purposeful arrangements with a huge host of musicians, filled with cradling space and warm light. This will also come as a surprise to anyone who has seen Naima perform in the time since the release of her 2022 debut Giant Palm, which was undoubtedly a communal experience. But there's power in the solitary, too. Giant Palm was arranged with collaborator Joel Burton, but going this one alone in search of something that was truly hers, Naima found she was capable of more. "After me and Joel stopped working together", she remembers, "it was an impossibility to even fathom doing arrangements myself but then I started learning violin and it was possible". Finding that she could go it alone was incredibly powerful for Naima: "I think I needed it, to be able to feel proud of something". Beyond the writing process, however, the record is not a stark, stripped back affair. Below_ still has the majesty that made Giant Palm so remarkable. Having tugged the first record down from the skies and spreading it across the earth, Naima finds a newfound vocal power and confidence born from hundreds of hours on stage, and the music sounds fuller, more tangible, and no less enveloping. This can be heard on the album's lead singles: "Kaley" feels fresh and surprising in its rug-pull choppiness but is distinctly Naima in its swinging, jubilant choruses. The accompanying "Further Away" takes a different tack, drawing you in with its simplicity. Finally, the hazy, luxurious beauty of "Feed My Release" draws on the sepia-toned traditions of The Roches, John Prine and Loudon Wainwright III and imbues them with the kind of stark confessional songwriting of Mount Eerie. These are ambitious, rich arrangements that reach deeper and darker lyrically than Giant Palm. Below a Massive Dark Land was predominantly produced by Jack Osborne (Bingo Fury) and Joe Jones, and recorded at The Crypt in north London, with additional production and arrangement by Oliver Hamilton (caroline, Shovel Dance Collective) and Naima herself. Six of the tracks on Below_ were mixed by Jason Agel, with the remainder done by Osborne and Jones. The album was mastered by Kevin Tuffy.

Dummy ist eine Rockband aus Los Angeles, bestehend aus Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O'Dell und Joe Trainor. Ihr Debütalbum "Mandatory Enjoyment" (Trouble in Mind) erschien Ende 2021 und erntete Lob von Pitchfork, Stereogum und vielen anderen. Die Band tourte zwei Jahre lang, um das Album zu unterstützen, und es ist diese transformative Erfahrung, die durch "Free Energy", den berauschenden Nachfolger von "Mandatory Enjoyment", pulsiert. Die kreativ rastlose Band Dummy (Ewell: Schlagzeug, Synthesizer, Bass; Maatman: Gesang, Synthesizer, Orgel; O'Dell: Gesang, Gitarre, Orgel; Trainor: Gitarre, Bass, Synthesizer) wollte für ihr nächstes Album härter, tanzbarer und psychedelischer werden. Das bedeutete, dass sie die experimentellen Möglichkeiten elektronischer Texturen auf die elementaren Qualitäten des Rocks anwenden wollten, d.h. mehr Gesangsschleifen, Sampling, verrücktere Rhythmen und verspielte Synthesizer - aber sie wollten die Samples von Trainors Gitarre einsetzen, Maatman mutiger singen lassen, mit kalten mechanischen Elementen auf warme und funkelnde Weise experimentieren und sich stärker an traditionelle, aber immer noch großartige Formen von Rockgitarrenexperimenten wie Feedback anlehnen. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das die Fähigkeit der Musik feiert, den Körper zu bewegen, sei es durch eine zähneknirschende Wand aus MBV-eskem Lärm, einen klebrigen Pop-Refrain oder eine fröhliche Drum-Machine - oder, wenn man Dummy ist, vielleicht alles im selben Song. Popmusik war schon immer ein wichtiger Bestandteil von Dummys Sound und manifestiert sich auf unterschiedliche Weise in "Free Energy“: Die sprudelnde Synthesizer-Sequenz, die mit einem Korg EM1 gemacht wurde und in "Nullspace" auftaucht, der aufgedrehte Drone-Pop, der von Dunedin Sound Bands der zweiten und dritten Welle wie Look Blue Go Purple und Dadamah inspiriert ist, und der motorische Beat, der "Nine Clean Nails" antreibt. „Nine Clean Nails" ist vielleicht der selbstbewussteste Popsong, den Dummy je aufgenommen hat, und ein Beispiel für das Gleichgewicht zwischen der Intensität der Live-Performance und den elektronischen Ergänzungen auf "Free Energy". Die tänzerischen rhythmischen Elemente wurden aus einem von Ewell aufgenommenen Drumloop erzeugt, während die Bridge mit den Call-and-Response-Gitarren von O'Dell und dem ausdrucksstarken Gesang von Maatman an die Feelies erinnert. "Free Energy" enthält außerdem Gastauftritte des Saxophonisten und elektroakustischen Künstlers Cole Pulice (Moon Glyph) aus Oakland, der Saxophon und Bläsersynthesizer beisteuert, sowie Jen Powers vom Powers / Rolin Duo (Astral Editions, Feeding Tube Records)

Dummy ist eine Rockband aus Los Angeles, bestehend aus Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O'Dell und Joe Trainor. Ihr Debütalbum "Mandatory Enjoyment" (Trouble in Mind) erschien Ende 2021 und erntete Lob von Pitchfork, Stereogum und vielen anderen. Die Band tourte zwei Jahre lang, um das Album zu unterstützen, und es ist diese transformative Erfahrung, die durch "Free Energy", den berauschenden Nachfolger von "Mandatory Enjoyment", pulsiert. Die kreativ rastlose Band Dummy (Ewell: Schlagzeug, Synthesizer, Bass; Maatman: Gesang, Synthesizer, Orgel; O'Dell: Gesang, Gitarre, Orgel; Trainor: Gitarre, Bass, Synthesizer) wollte für ihr nächstes Album härter, tanzbarer und psychedelischer werden. Das bedeutete, dass sie die experimentellen Möglichkeiten elektronischer Texturen auf die elementaren Qualitäten des Rocks anwenden wollten, d.h. mehr Gesangsschleifen, Sampling, verrücktere Rhythmen und verspielte Synthesizer - aber sie wollten die Samples von Trainors Gitarre einsetzen, Maatman mutiger singen lassen, mit kalten mechanischen Elementen auf warme und funkelnde Weise experimentieren und sich stärker an traditionelle, aber immer noch großartige Formen von Rockgitarrenexperimenten wie Feedback anlehnen. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das die Fähigkeit der Musik feiert, den Körper zu bewegen, sei es durch eine zähneknirschende Wand aus MBV-eskem Lärm, einen klebrigen Pop-Refrain oder eine fröhliche Drum-Machine - oder, wenn man Dummy ist, vielleicht alles im selben Song. Popmusik war schon immer ein wichtiger Bestandteil von Dummys Sound und manifestiert sich auf unterschiedliche Weise in "Free Energy“: Die sprudelnde Synthesizer-Sequenz, die mit einem Korg EM1 gemacht wurde und in "Nullspace" auftaucht, der aufgedrehte Drone-Pop, der von Dunedin Sound Bands der zweiten und dritten Welle wie Look Blue Go Purple und Dadamah inspiriert ist, und der motorische Beat, der "Nine Clean Nails" antreibt. „Nine Clean Nails" ist vielleicht der selbstbewussteste Popsong, den Dummy je aufgenommen hat, und ein Beispiel für das Gleichgewicht zwischen der Intensität der Live-Performance und den elektronischen Ergänzungen auf "Free Energy". Die tänzerischen rhythmischen Elemente wurden aus einem von Ewell aufgenommenen Drumloop erzeugt, während die Bridge mit den Call-and-Response-Gitarren von O'Dell und dem ausdrucksstarken Gesang von Maatman an die Feelies erinnert. "Free Energy" enthält außerdem Gastauftritte des Saxophonisten und elektroakustischen Künstlers Cole Pulice (Moon Glyph) aus Oakland, der Saxophon und Bläsersynthesizer beisteuert, sowie Jen Powers vom Powers / Rolin Duo (Astral Editions, Feeding Tube Records)

Dummy ist eine Rockband aus Los Angeles, bestehend aus Alex Ewell, Emma Maatman, Nathan O'Dell und Joe Trainor. Ihr Debütalbum "Mandatory Enjoyment" (Trouble in Mind) erschien Ende 2021 und erntete Lob von Pitchfork, Stereogum und vielen anderen. Die Band tourte zwei Jahre lang, um das Album zu unterstützen, und es ist diese transformative Erfahrung, die durch "Free Energy", den berauschenden Nachfolger von "Mandatory Enjoyment", pulsiert. Die kreativ rastlose Band Dummy (Ewell: Schlagzeug, Synthesizer, Bass; Maatman: Gesang, Synthesizer, Orgel; O'Dell: Gesang, Gitarre, Orgel; Trainor: Gitarre, Bass, Synthesizer) wollte für ihr nächstes Album härter, tanzbarer und psychedelischer werden. Das bedeutete, dass sie die experimentellen Möglichkeiten elektronischer Texturen auf die elementaren Qualitäten des Rocks anwenden wollten, d.h. mehr Gesangsschleifen, Sampling, verrücktere Rhythmen und verspielte Synthesizer - aber sie wollten die Samples von Trainors Gitarre einsetzen, Maatman mutiger singen lassen, mit kalten mechanischen Elementen auf warme und funkelnde Weise experimentieren und sich stärker an traditionelle, aber immer noch großartige Formen von Rockgitarrenexperimenten wie Feedback anlehnen. Das Ergebnis ist ein Album, das die Fähigkeit der Musik feiert, den Körper zu bewegen, sei es durch eine zähneknirschende Wand aus MBV-eskem Lärm, einen klebrigen Pop-Refrain oder eine fröhliche Drum-Machine - oder, wenn man Dummy ist, vielleicht alles im selben Song. Popmusik war schon immer ein wichtiger Bestandteil von Dummys Sound und manifestiert sich auf unterschiedliche Weise in "Free Energy“: Die sprudelnde Synthesizer-Sequenz, die mit einem Korg EM1 gemacht wurde und in "Nullspace" auftaucht, der aufgedrehte Drone-Pop, der von Dunedin Sound Bands der zweiten und dritten Welle wie Look Blue Go Purple und Dadamah inspiriert ist, und der motorische Beat, der "Nine Clean Nails" antreibt. „Nine Clean Nails" ist vielleicht der selbstbewussteste Popsong, den Dummy je aufgenommen hat, und ein Beispiel für das Gleichgewicht zwischen der Intensität der Live-Performance und den elektronischen Ergänzungen auf "Free Energy". Die tänzerischen rhythmischen Elemente wurden aus einem von Ewell aufgenommenen Drumloop erzeugt, während die Bridge mit den Call-and-Response-Gitarren von O'Dell und dem ausdrucksstarken Gesang von Maatman an die Feelies erinnert. "Free Energy" enthält außerdem Gastauftritte des Saxophonisten und elektroakustischen Künstlers Cole Pulice (Moon Glyph) aus Oakland, der Saxophon und Bläsersynthesizer beisteuert, sowie Jen Powers vom Powers / Rolin Duo (Astral Editions, Feeding Tube Records)

Allegra Krieger’s "Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine", her second full-length album with Double Double Whammy, is a collection of 12 songs that pick at the fragile membrane between life and death.

Krieger’s previous album, "I Keep My Feet on the Fragile Plane", hewed more closely to the domestic spaces of city and mind. Rolling Stone regarded the album as “ten songs of heady philosophical meanderings packed with emotional dynamite,” and likened her “finely phrased lyrics” to those of “Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, [and] David Berman.” Krieger’s existential meditations remain on "Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine", however her meandering melodies have taken on a stronger sense of direction. She narrates candidly and assertively; the full-band arrangements never overpower, only offer a robust platform on which Krieger’s voice reaches new heights.

The full band brings a heightened sense of drama to the album’s arrangements, which contrasts the quieter approach of Krieger’s previous LP. There are noisy interludes, jazz-inflected discursions, impactful stops and starts, and occasional spaces for Krieger to stretch out her impressive vocal range (most prominently at the dazzling climax of album stand out “Came”). In "Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine", Krieger invites us to a place where transfiguration is not only possible but actively happening. From this place, the beautiful and the banal and the terrible are all laid out before us. And Krieger asks us not to look away. Instead, she invites us to stare down the beautiful and terrible in the world, and to realize that sometimes the only way out is through.

Since May 2017, the band founded by Texan Chase Wilborn and Frankfurt's Julian Lapp has been gracing the stages that define the rock world. Their perfect blend of melodicstadium rock and alternative music has been steadily winning over a growing fanbase.Their first demo EP, All You Ever Needed, attracted a lot of attention. The debut album Headed South was internationally released on April 29, 2022, via RockAttack Records and received excellent reviews. In 2023, LOSING GRAVITY covered a lot of highway miles, touring Germany with MOLLY HATCHET, supporting well-known acts such as KISSIN DYNAMITE, THUNDERMOTHER, THE SWEET, and BONFIRE, and headlining a substantial number of shows.Spring 2024 was dedicated entirely to songwriting and recording their second album!Once again, they headed to Basement Studios in Hesse with Markus Teske, where the new album AL...

Refusing to be categorized easily, and playing uniquely original music unlike anything else, the band Totsuzen Danball is truly the one and only. Their 4th album "Fubi," was recorded in 1991, almost the same time they released 3rd album "Yokushi Onryoku" which known as one masterpiece in the band's career. P-vine proudly presents the lost gems on vinyl format for the first time. This release stands as the band's sole contribution to Alchemy Records, which is operated by Jojo Hiroshige from Hijokaidan. Though the album features a minimal three tracks, including the epic "Around the Lost World" clocking in at 17 minutes and 29 seconds, the distinct world they create defies description, truly embodying the essence of Totsuzen Danbooru. With front artwork boasting an overwhelming impact that transcends mere comprehension, this LP-sized release is a must-have.

Glen Check made its debut in 2011 and won the Best Dance/Electronic Music Award at the Korean Popular Music Awards, also known as the Korean Grammy Awards, for two consecutive years. In 2012 and 2013, they performed at Japan's Summer Sonic Festival, as well as festivals worldwide including France's Nuits sonores and the USA's Sxsw. They have also enjoyed enduring popularity in Japan, culminating in a successful solo concert at Tokyo's Shibuya WWW in 2015. Their latest release, coming approximately nine years after their previous album, draws inspiration from a wide range of genres spanning from the 1980s to the present, including electronica, rock, and R&B. Based on their experiences growing up in France and the USA, the album was crafted with influences from diverse musical backgrounds. This LP is a limited edition white vinyl, featuring the bonus track "Acid Test (2024 Remix)".

Pekka Laine and The Enchanted's second album out on Svart Records in September

"In a dream I heard music with a strange bubbling sound. People were dancing to it in a surreal, cavernous space. What is this, I asked. One of the dancers stopped and answered. It's an underwater disco. In the morning, I grabbed my guitar and tried to recall what I had heard. Those foggy fragments became Malibu Beach”.

Helsinki 4th of June 2024, Pekka Laine

For Pekka Laine, the twang of an electric guitar is not a warm blanket of nostalgia. Instead, the echoing sound usually associated with surf and retro instrumentals is a ticket to the imaginary.

On this sonic journey, Laine is joined by The Enchanted, his powerhouse live band that has taken both festival and club stages by storm. Pekka Laine and his trusty space-age guitar take the listener to a place where a futuristic and humid disco sound, perfect with obese beats and robotic vocals, reigns supreme. Trippy vocoder vocals and Moog wizardry are provided by Antti Vuorenmaa, the synth sensei associated with several leading Finnish indie bands and a trusted member of the extended Enchanted family.

Pekka Laine's second album Pekka Laine & The Enchanted in Slumberland will be released on 27th of September 2024 digitally, CD and in three different vinyl versions: on a classic black vinyl, wonderful transparent green vinyl and limited edition of 100 white/green/orange marble vinyls hand-crafted by Pekka Laine himself at the Helsingin Levypuristamo. The limited edition is available only on the Svart Records online store.

Pekka Laine and The Enchanted's second album out on Svart Records in September

"In a dream I heard music with a strange bubbling sound. People were dancing to it in a surreal, cavernous space. What is this, I asked. One of the dancers stopped and answered. It's an underwater disco. In the morning, I grabbed my guitar and tried to recall what I had heard. Those foggy fragments became Malibu Beach”.

Helsinki 4th of June 2024, Pekka Laine

For Pekka Laine, the twang of an electric guitar is not a warm blanket of nostalgia. Instead, the echoing sound usually associated with surf and retro instrumentals is a ticket to the imaginary.

On this sonic journey, Laine is joined by The Enchanted, his powerhouse live band that has taken both festival and club stages by storm. Pekka Laine and his trusty space-age guitar take the listener to a place where a futuristic and humid disco sound, perfect with obese beats and robotic vocals, reigns supreme. Trippy vocoder vocals and Moog wizardry are provided by Antti Vuorenmaa, the synth sensei associated with several leading Finnish indie bands and a trusted member of the extended Enchanted family.

Pekka Laine's second album Pekka Laine & The Enchanted in Slumberland will be released on 27th of September 2024 digitally, CD and in three different vinyl versions: on a classic black vinyl, wonderful transparent green vinyl and limited edition of 100 white/green/orange marble vinyls hand-crafted by Pekka Laine himself at the Helsingin Levypuristamo. The limited edition is available only on the Svart Records online store.

Thurston Moore's forthcoming album is his ninth solo recordi...

Thurston Moore's forthcoming album is his ninth solo recording...

Mermaid Chunky. It's all in a name, sometimes. The danceable, costumed, curiosity rich duo of artists Freya Tate and Moina Moin are as imaginative as they profess. Or, to get more to the point, as we all need them to be.Freya and Moina are two visual artists and musicians from Stroud and South London, places where they importantly found communities (Stroud's SVA and the capital's Total Refreshment Centre) of like minded people just as willing to chase down an idea to its possibly illogical conclusion. And it is in the collective and the idea of participation that Mermaid Chunky really clicks. This is a party, a collective dance, made all the better with more: people, ideas, layers, kick drums, recorders, saxophones, frogs.To wit, the album's first track and first single, "Céilí," named after a traditional Scottish or Irish social gathering and dance, which builds from a simple recorder line into a swelling, warm burst of major chord dance music. Goosebumps or check your pulse.Further down the rabbit hole, "Chaperone" is almost boardwalk electro, like Fischerspooner on a ferris wheel; "Frogsporn" and "Nature Girl" are mucky, trippy dirges filled with stalactites of synth and squelch; "Tiny Gymnast" is a kaleidoscopic waltz into the night. Hold onto your seats, ladies and gentlemen.You might be wondering how we, DFA Records, all the way over in cynical Brooklyn, entered the picture. There was a day a few years ago, sun shining in full Springtime splendor, when James heard something while waiting for a coffee down the street from the office. It sounded simple yet deceptively complex: a dance track, but one where the one - that anchoring first beat in a measure - could be heard a thousand different ways. Frustrated and interested, he Shazamd the song, playing at the shop from an episode of Zakia's Questing show on NTS, and brought it back to the office, where we all listened to it about fifty times. (The song was "Friends," from Mermaid Chunky's VEST EP, released in 2020. It led to an invitation to open fo...

Thurston Moore's forthcoming album is his ninth solo rec...

Jade Hairpins waste no time fulfilling their second album's titular demand. From itsharmony-drenched opening note to its baroque-anthemic conclusion, Get Me the GoodStuff is positively loaded with musical ideas, an absurdist buffet of sound andaesthetic that comes with one hell of a floorshow as the Hairpins stack thoseideas higher and higher, almost daring them to crash to the floor. Instead, thoseelements_punksploitation, power pop, baggy, funk, and Italo disco are just sometouchstones_are not only held aloft, they defy gravity and convention.These pyrotechnics are, in true Jade Hairpins fashion, something of a sleight ofhand. While the music swaggers and gallops, Get Me the Good Stuff grapples withanxiety and self-doubt, obfuscating pain and alienation with sparkling wit and somestraight-up ravers. Get Me the Good Stuff opens with one of those, "Let It Be Me," inwhich Jonah Falco shouts lyrics about being alone with one's shortcomings againstguitars, synths, and harmonized vocals that are on the verge of closing in. The songis just over 90 seconds long, hitting with the gnarled-barb ferocity of punk and thegleeful insanity of theatrical art rock.It is, in other words, overwhelming. Or it would be if Jade Hairpins_Jonah Falcoand Mike Haliechuk_weren't remarkably nimble in their ability to bring unity tosounds by placing them in competition against each other. When those sounds areadjacent, like the glam and disco that saturate "Drifting Superstition," the thrill ofthose universes colliding in the heat of an absolutely filthy clavichord line turns itslyrics, about the habit of solving personal problems by ignoring them, into a winner'santhem on the order of Bowie or Hot Chocolate.Get Me the Good Stuff arcs towards unequivocal joy as Falco, Jade Hairpins' primarylyricist, breaks these cycles and attempts to run away with his dreams. The arc isroughly analogous to how the album came to fruition. Four years removed fromHarmony Avenue, an album of material that pr...

Aesthetically, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat hates to tread water. At the same time, the Baltimore-based two-piece of vocalist Ed Schrader and bassist Devlin Rice won’t force their songs to fit a preconceived style. “The next album’s always gotta be different from the last one. We’re different people from record to record. So, writing authentically to ourselves will always bring our work to a place that we haven’t been to yet,” Rice said. Schrader added, “We’re terrified of turning into Ac/dc. We never want to be married to one scene or time or sound. We want to be the Boba Fett of bands! Constantly altering the way in which we make records has been pretty key in that process.”

For Orchestra Hits, the band’s latest, that alteration was welcoming longtime musical comrade Dylan Going into the fold as a co-writer and co-producer. A songwriter in his own right, a guitar sideman for Esmb on their last two tours, and a collaborator with Rice in the noise riffage band Mandate, Going had both a unique vision and an intimate familiarity with the Esmb vibe.

“Dylan came to every show we’ve ever played in New York—no matter how weird it was,” Schrader said. “He’d be standing there ready to move an amp or feed us barbecued cactus after the gig and toss on some Golden Girls so we could decompress. It felt like family as soon as we began working, but I honestly had no idea how damn good he was at tossing out these hooks.”

According to Schrader, the songs “just poured out of us” over the course of a highly caffeinated three-day weekend in a tiny room in Devlin’s house while his cat, Sandy Goose, screamed continually. “It was like three kids hiding from the world to get into some lovely mischief,” they said. The lack of external pressure in the process gives Orchestra Hits an almost paradoxical vibe. For all of the album’s layers, that mix live and sequenced instruments, it never loses the raw energy of a small handful of friends in the same room plugging in, cranking up, and playing until they pass out.

Lyrically, the album finds Schrader, now 45, meditating on experiences in their youth to make sense of the present moment. “We are not into the garden,” Schrader wails on the relentless “Roman Candle,” a song about the sad debacle of Woodstock ’99, and a direct response to Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” a utopian ode to hippie idealism. A 19-year-old Schrader, having snuck into Woodstock ’99 through a hole in the fence, was there the night members of the crowd used candles intended for a vigil for victims of the Columbine High School massacre to set fires all over the grounds. Even before the fires, Schrader remembered feeling disconnected from the music, the nostalgic cash grab, and the meatheads in the crowd. After watching a press tower collapse, they boarded a random

shuttle bus and were dropped off near a Denny’s. “It was a far cry from the Garden of Eden,” Schrader said. “That experience defined what I didn’t want to be a part of, and yet America is more like Woodstock ’99 than ever.”

With percolating synthesizer arpeggios, and climbing bass grooves, “idks” is the album’s dance-floor slapper. “’idks’ is a funny one,” Schrader said. “We already had a pretty satisfying suite of songs when Dylan was packing up to head back to New York, but he missed the train because of a freak snowstorm. Realizing he’d be stuck in town another day, he says to me, ‘Here’s this other weird thing I have.’ It was ‘IDKS.’ The hooks were so good I felt like Homer Simpson at a free donut convention. I just dove right in, and we cranked that baby out in like 20 minutes.”

Lyrically, “idks” is a letter from the true self to public-facing self. “It’s an angry song,” Schrader said. “Because the public-facing self is always looking for an easy escape, but it forces the true self into a cage. I honestly thought my lyrics were corny and was about to change them, but Dylan was digging it just the way it was. So that’s what you hear.”

With the soaring “Daylight Commander,” the band went against all of their musty-basement-bred instincts. “I went full High School Musical with the vocals,” Schrader said. “At first it felt almost embarrassing, but I remember reading somewhere that Bowie recommended always floating a little bit above your comfort zone, and that’s what we did here.” The song is part exercise in absurdity and part pop Trojan horse. “If ever we had a ‘Shiny Happy People’ moment, I guess this is it,” Schrader said.

Fire Red Vinyl.As one would expect of any historic city, the houses in Decatur,GA are old, and while many have been renovated to suit theneeds of the 21st century family, the one Lunar Vacation callshome has not. The porch is quaint and crumbly, the roof leaks,and there is a single bathroom shared by the band's fivemembers who insist that this is not, actually, a bad thing. "I usedto be so protective of the songs when I gave them over to theband," lyricist/vocalist/guitarist Gep Repasky says. "There's somuch trust involved, but this house helped us grow as bestfriends, as musicians, as a band."That newfound sense of trust is apparent on EverythingMatters, Everything's Fire, whose title, taken from theconcluding track "You Shouldn't Be," is a thesis statement.While Lunar Vacation's last album, 2021's Inside Every Fig is aDead Wasp, happily bathed in the waters of indie pop, theirlatest effort is exploratory, a product of many hours sharedexperimenting in a living room together. Inspired by prolificshapeshifters like Yo La Tengo and Björk, Everything Matters,Everything's Fire adopts an ethos that every idea has thepotential to be a good one."Our last album was super produced, manicured," guitarist/vocalist Maggie Geeslin says. "This one's organic. Weembraced mistakes; it made the work even better." In otherwords: everything matters, everything's fire.

WE ARE WINTER'S BLUE AND RADIANT CHILDREN (WAWBARC) is the new quartet of Mat Ball(BIG|BRAVE), Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion),and Jonathan Downs and Patch (both Ada). On "NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" they presentsix modal lullabies drenched in seared distortion, slathered across striding electronic pulses.Ball and Menuck began creating music in and for the bleakest moments of Montréal winters:"We're honoring that idea of winter, when you come inside and your house is warm, a placethat only exists because of how cold it is outside," says Menuck. They later recruited Downsand Patch to flesh out their initial ideas. Menuck met them in 2015 when recording Ada'sfinal album at Montréal's Hotel2Tango _ where they reconvened to make this record."NO MORE APOCALYPSE FATHER" is an album about witnessing bleakness from a place ofsafety. Carrying newfound descriptive depth, thanks to the quartet's open-ended songsfreeing him from writing in meter, Menuck likens his lyrics to photorealism. On opener `Ratsand Roses' he sings of an unnamed city struck by an unknown cataclysm, but the details arelocal: specifically, his neighbors inadvertently poisoning birds when tackling a rat infestation.It's backed by blown out synths and guitars reaching a soaring crescendo. "Seeing thingsfrom a distance and not being able to intervene happens a lot on the record," Menuckexplains. "If you're a feeling and thinking person, that's just part of the human condition.We watch horror unfolding from afar, unable to do anything concrete to change it."A powerless witness, able to describe but not intervene. `Dangling Blanket From A Balcony(White Phosphorous)' references Michael Jackson holding his child over a hotel balcony in2002_the bizarre media spectacle still lodged in Menuck's psyche. This and the album'sclosing track also elegize white phosphorous, a technology of war designed to light upbattlefields but capable of inflicting horrific burns on those it touches...

Spirit Mother’s forthcoming album “Trails” brings the energy of the band’s visceral, all-in live performances while expanding on the sensibilities of their debut album “Cadets.” It is the undeniable next chapter in the band’s creative process. The darker tonality, heavier, fuzz-fueled riffs, and relentless rhythm section accompanies prolific structure and arrangement. The violin summons a brooding, atmospheric pedestal for the remaining power trio to wield with fervor. Lance’s haunting vocals and stark lyricism intersperse the instrumentals with a melody that is as dynamic as it is accessible. It is the culmination of road worn years in pursuit of the art, and the moment-to-moment adrenaline of studio exploration. The album was aged, captured, delivered by Spirit Mother, and brought to the broader public by Heavy Psych Sounds Records.

With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length "Fever Dream" has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching "Fever Dream" digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear.Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the "Fever Dream". Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan)

With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length "Fever Dream" has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching "Fever Dream" digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear.Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the "Fever Dream". Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan)

With their third album on Heavy Psych Sounds Records, Alunah have wasted no time in a post-pandemic haze since their last release, balancing being on the European festival circuit alongside touring the UK. However, in a Birmingham rehearsal room away from the outside world, everyday life and online noise, their latest full length "Fever Dream" has been quietly brewing waiting to see the light of day. Forged from a period of extensive jamming and soul searching "Fever Dream" digs into the core of what makes Alunah tick, being in a room together making the music they want to hear.Recorded during the winter of 2024, the atmosphere of the historic Foel Studio allows groove to flow alongside riff, heft and melody in equal measure. The brooding progressive majesty of the title track, the eastern soundscape of "Sacred Grooves" and the doom and roll of "Far From Reality" each highlight the album's ability to surprise and deliver in equal measure throughout the emotive journey of its nine tracks. Let yourself fall deep into the "Fever Dream". Produced by Chris Fielding (Electric Wizard, Conan)