Rock & Indie 358 Items

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.

CD Digisleeve, 16 page booklet. "Viva Tu", Manu Chao's new album. Includes " Viva Tu ", "Sao Paulo Motoboy " and collaborations such as "Heaven's Bad Day" with Willie Nelson & "Tu Te Vas" with Laeti.

For years, Manu Chao has been travelling the world to meet his fans in unusual venues, villages and small festivals. Elusive, but always accessible to those who cross his path, Manu now presents his new studio album 'Viva Tu', a collection of songs written at the heart of daily lives and struggles, and a fresh take on the state of the world, singing sunny, universal songs in Spanish, French, English and Portuguese, painting an unforgiving picture of social imbalances.
The lead song 'Viva Tu', a heartfelt rumba dedicated to the daily life heroes, has already made its mark. The second single, 'São Paulo Motoboy', is a colorful, sunny ode to the two-wheeled delivery people venturing the Latin American metropoles every day.
The album, to be released September 20th, also features some memorable collaborations, including 'Heaven's Bad Day' with country legend Willie Nelson and 'Tu Te Vas' with rising French rapper Laeti.
Available now in preorder (CD/Vinyls/Digital).

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?

JD McPherson has created something unique and amazing with his latest album, Nite Owls. His first album release since 2018’s critically acclaimed Christmas classic, SOCKS. Over the past 5+ years, McPherson has stayed consistently busy writing new songs while at the same time touring with Alison Krauss and Robert Plant. Being a touring musician offers the chance to see the sights, tour the town and pick up some inspiration from the local record shop. With Nite Owls, JD wanted to try something new and different. He wanted to take the inspiration from multiple decades and styles and incorporate them into his own sound. “The initial idea for the record was: It’s like if The late-60s Ventures were the session band on the first New Order record.” Says, McPherson. Idea achieved. Nite Owls delivers the signature sounds of vintage garage-rock while also seamlessly bridging the sounds of Bowie and Alan Vega. Songs such as “Sunshine Getaway”, “The Rock and Roll Girls” and “I Can’t Go Anywhere with You” sound like Chuck Berry is jamming with Buddy Holly. While song’s like, “Nite Owls” and “Don’t Travel Through the Night Alone” give a nod to the Factory sound from the UK. The throwback sound of the lone instrumental track “The Phantom Lover of New Rochelle” would make Dick Dale ride and Link Wray rumble. With Nite Owls, McPherson takes inspiration from multiple genres of the past and combines them together to evolve a sound that is all his own.

Second full-length album by folk metal band Theigns & Thralls finally on vinyl! 'The Keep & The Spire' draws inspiration from a variety of sources including ancient poetry, historical novels, and current events, reflecting the band's penchant for compelling narratives and vivid imagery. The album features a series of tracks forming 'The Maldon Suite', a novelty in the band's discography, unified by Anglo-Saxon and Viking themes. For fans of Skyclad, Waylander, and Cruachan, Theigns and Thralls' 'The Keep & The Spire' offers a compelling addition to their playlists. Drawing parallels with Korpiklaani and Alestorm, the album promises to resonate with those who appreciate a blend of folk-inspired melodies, metal vigor, and sea shanty influences. 01.Overture02.A Single Beam03.Fight And Lay Your Bones04.The Battle of Maldon05.Aftermath06.Pagan Song07.The Harrowing08.The Seeker09.Now My Life Is Done10.The Grape And The Grain11.Interrogativa Cantilena12.The Mermaid Tavern

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."

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

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

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

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.

Deluxe Anniversary Edition. Jade Green Swirl Vinyl. LP+7". - Deluxe Anniversary Edition of LP celebratiing 10 years since it's initial release- Enclosed in hardcover photobook with 96 pages of photos from the era with liner notes from each member of Modern Baseball- Includes exclusive 7" with.It's been ten whole years of us listening to Modern Baseballl'siconic record You're Gonna Miss It All, and to celebrateRun For Cover has teamed with the band to deliver a deluxeanniversary edition worthy of it's legacy. This version ofthe band's second album is a collector's delight - two discsenclosed in a heavyweight, hardcover 12" x 12" book with96 pages of photos from longtime collaborator Jess Flynn.Each member of Modern Baseball also contributed notes toprovide context to the countless photos taken while touring,recording, skateboarding, napping, swimming and a whole lotmore.This deluxe edition also includes two never-before releaseddemos of "Rock Bottom" and "Pothole" pressed on an exclusive7". These early, intimate versions show how the ideasbehind these two favorite tracks progressed into the finaltakes that made it onto You're Gonna Miss It All.Modern Baseball was formed in 2011 by friends and guitaristsJacob Ewald and Brendan Lukens, who were soon joinedby Ian Farmer on bass and Sean Huber on drums.The bandself-released their first EP The Nameless Ranger in 2011while still in high school. Shortly after the members relocatedto Philadelphia to attend college and quickly gained a strongfollowing in the Philadelphia music community, teaming upwith locals Marietta to release the Couples Therapy split inthe spring of 2012. Modern Baseball released their debutfull-length Sports later that year on Lame-O Records, whichthey self-recorded and produced. After spending the summerof 2013 touring heavily across the US, the band headed intoStudio A in Philadelphia to self-record You're Going to Miss ItAll. Mixed by Jonathan Low at Minor Street Recordings an...

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...