Latest new releases on vinyl record, CD and cassette tape

You may well go mad listening to this compilation of forty one-point-eight-second-long locked grooves, but some of the biggest names in electronica and DJ culture are involved, including Four Tet, Arca, Blood Orange and Floating Points. Plus the proceeds go to ACLU and Liberty UK - two organisations fighting inequality.

‘Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai (Original Motion Picture Score)’ was the first film score by RZA. The Wu-Tang Clan man mixes funky beats, well-chosen samples and dark, foreboding hip-hop here. This is the LP’s first release outside of Japan, the country where it was exclusively released in 1999. 'Ghost Dog' features, of course, other members of Wu-Tang Clan.

Atlanta, Georgia punk/garage-rock band The Coathangers originally released their self-titled debut album back in 2007. Their lack of experience with their instruments at the time made for a raw, energetic and charismatic punk-rock record. ‘The Coathangers (Deluxe Edition)’ features bonus tracks from their EPs 'Hard Candy' and 'Never Wanted You'. 

American guitarist Robbie Basho was influenced by Indian and European classical music, emulating the playing style of a sarod on a twelve-string guitar using open tunings and then blending that sound with US folk and blues. He was a contemporary of virtuoso guitarists John Fahey and Leo Kottke. ‘Song of the Avatars: The Lost Master Tapes’ is a five-CD collection of recently=discovered lost works recorded between 1965 and 1985. Basho passed away in 1986.

Established by British electronic musician Mike Paradinas (a.k.a. μ-Ziq) in 1995, Planet Mu marks its twenty-fifth anniversary with a self-defined ‘mid-price CD’. Consisting of fifteen tracks showcasing where the label’s at in 2020, 'PlanetMµ25' includes music from artists such as RP Boo, Ital Tek and Ripatti.

Aphelion Editions showcases this latest solo work from Owen Chambers of the Liquid Library label, under the moniker Carnivorous Plants. Massive distortion is the name of the game on ‘Blackberries’, but amid the maelstrom of clarinet, vox and guitar there’s moments of calm and beauty.

An expression of the creativity and solidarity of underground music networks across Britain and Europe, Aphelion Editions presents the first two instalments of a prospective compilation series. ‘Selected Aphelion Works Vol. I & II’ - a sly nod to Richard D. James, there - sees the Bristol-based cassette and CD-R label assemble nearly two-dozen cuts of electronic music ranging from ambient to abrasive noise via all manner of sticky, broken beats. 

Raising money for Crisis’ Home for All Campaign - £2 from every one of these beautiful red LPs goes to the effort - the Memphis Industries label has got the crown jewels of its roster including Field Music, Jesca Hoop and The Go! Team to record a series of festive originals and covers on this compilation ‘Lost Christmas’.

Featuring backing contributions from members of a vast galaxy of other bands - Durand Jones & The Indications, The Dap-Kings, that sort of thing - ‘A Joyful Sound’ is the second LP from Kelly Finnigan. Taking a festive, collaborative approach to funky R&B, it’s intended to be similar to Phil Spector’s Christmas albums. 

‘Tim Melina Theo Bobby’ is the twenty-fourth and final studio album from Tim Kinsella’s long-running experimental rockers Joan Of Arc. Just as you’d expect from a band whose music has always effectively mediated its members’ divergent interests at any given point in time, this record doesn’t sound like anything they’ve done before - but weirdly, it also sounds like everything they’ve done before, all at once.

Released in 2020, ‘The Neon’ became the highest-charting album for Vince Clarke’s Erasure in over a quarter of a century. 'The Neon's new companion EP ‘Fallen Angel’ gathers up six remixes of tracks from the LP, with modern pop queen Georgia and Bright Light Bright Light among those roped in here. Plus, there’s an extended mix of ‘Nerves Of Steel’ from Clarke himself.

Originally self-released in 2019, ‘L'Inventaire Des Disparitions’ is a set of strange, abstracted songs from French musician Alice Dourlen under the name Chicaloyoh. In a career that’s seen her release countless albums and cassettes in the space of only a decade, this represents some of Dourlen’s most personal work yet, creating soundscapes from guitar, percussion and keyboards that provide a space for contemplation. Shades of Keeley Forsyth and Tom Waits to this one.

Simon Green aka Bonobo has become one of the most sought-after DJs and producers in the last decade or so. It all pretty much started with his critically-acclaimed 2010 opus 'Black Sands'. The album's success was down to its blending lush, emotional instrumentation with influences from bass-heavy UK electronic music. For this tenth anniversary reissue Green has taken a new cover shot ... which tries to recapture the original.

'Primitive Plus' was the debut from rapper Edan. At the time of release (2002, if you are asking) this album was viewed as something of a left-field rap masterpiece, one that embraced the sounds and culture of the previous two decades of hip-hop but brought in a nu-school flow and eerie electronic production. People thought it would point forward to a kind of future that I guess never really happened - certainly only two further Edan albums followed, so 'Primitive Plus' is something of a special release. 

The Motorcycle Boy were an indie pop band who formed in Edinburgh in 1987. The band was made up from former members of The Shop Assistants and Meat Whiplash. Their only album, 'Scarlet', was shelved by their label, Chrysalis, and the band split. Fortunately Forgotten Astronaut have got it down from the shelf and released it, some 32 years after it was recorded. Includes their indie chart hit, 'Big Rock Candy Mountain'.

John Hiatt's 2003 LP ‘Beneath This Gruff Exterior’ was his first LP for the New West label and the first which credited his backing band The Goners front-and-centre. A consistent and polished collection of well-written rock, it contains all of the key characteristics of Hiatt’s work - bluesy rock I guess?

Big Crown Vaults Vol. 1 by Lee Fields & The Expressions features tracks that were recorded during the sessions for 2017’s Special Night and 2019’s It Rains Love but ultimately weren’t included. You’ll find out from listening to this album that it must have been a very difficult decision to leave any of these songs off the two records.

Jad Fair's long-running outsider-indie band Half Japanese return with their nineteenth studio LP 'Crazy Hearts'. In the past the band has included Don Flemming and Mo Tucker, but this time out Fair is backed this time by John Sluggett, Giles Vincent Rieder, Mick Hobbs and Jason Willett as he traverses through the world of celebrity, perils and savage beasts. Nice and grungy - Dinosaur Jr., Guided By Voices, that sort of vibe.

'A Private Road' is the fifth EP by Laura Groves, a singer-songwriter from Shipley, West Yorkshire who made her only album to date under the name Blue Roses. The EP is a soundtrack to Groves’ journeying in her adopted home of London, inspired by her life's experiences and shot through with 80s-style production reminiscent of Suzanne Vega.

Classically-trained percussionist S. Carey is now relatively well-known as a solo artist, but before he released his debut solo album 'All We Grow' in 2010 he was recognisable as the percussionist and backing vocalist in the Bon Iver live band. 'All We Grow' exists in a similar world to much of Justin Vernon’s work due to its fragile, beautiful melodies and lush harmonies, but there are nods to Mark Hollis and percussive elements that call to mind Steve Reich. 

Domino marks the tenth anniversary of These New Puritans’ stunning second album ‘Hidden’ with an expanded reissue. ‘Hidden [MMXX]’ features a second disc of unreleased tracks and live recordings from the time, plus a live film. A decade on, the album is an enduring testament to Jack and George Barnett’s singular vision, a visceral collection of futurist chamber-pop that’s both menacing and beautiful. Influenced everything from Night Slugs to David Bowie, did this.

2020's plethora of exciting live albums continues with 'Thirty Year Itch', a recording of punk poppets The Wildhearts from their 2019 tour, one in which leader Ginger was reunited with bass player Danny McCormack. It captures the power of the band in a live setting and importantly doesn't forget to include the noise emanating from the crowd. It's the first proper Wildhearts live album (though there have been bootlegs) and one to perhaps listen to on a Friday night when contemplating another Zoom quiz.  

A second album in 2020 alone for Sun River’s Martin Rude and Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt. Following the release of ‘The Discipline of Assent’ an album which was stitched together from first-takes and improvs, ‘The Dichotomy of Control’, recorded in July at Skøtt’s bandmate Jonas Munk’s studio, is perhaps more planned but is a no less funky take on spiritualised soul-jazz.

Leipzig seven-piece Flying Moon In Space (the moon doesn't fly though? Also, technically everything is in space ... whatever) play music driven by a motorik Krautrock pulse and imbued with techno/psych-pop influences. Their self-titled debut LP takes its cues from the likes of Can, Neu! and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, although the band's experimental nature means that they create an enveloping, pulsating world of swirling sound here.

During the first Coronavirus lockdown the British experimental guitarist Jon Attwood - a.k.a. yellow6 - kept a kind of aural diary of new sonic sketches. Here, he releases a handful of the things he recorded back then under the title ‘merry6mas 2020’. While not specifically related to the festive season, these ambient, economical and soulful pieces seem apt for the end of a year like no other.

An outgrowth of Raed Yassin and Paed Conca’s Praed project exploring Egyptian Shaabi music, Praed Orchestra! commenced in late 2018. Praed Orchestra interpolated the group’s existing material with new music in an improvised manner and with an expanded cast of musicians. ‘Live In Sharjah’ is a triple-LP box set commemorating these performances. 

Hunee has had a reputation for being one of Europe’s most impeccable selectors for a while now. With 'Hunchin’ All Night', he’s letting you in on a few of his secret weapons and most beloved jams. It covers plenty of four-to-the-floor dancefloor styles - Afro-disco, hi-life, techno and deep house - and features tracks by the likes of Larry Heard, Villa Abo, Don Laka etc. Also contains a cheeky Hunee edit of Trance Fusion’s ‘Mappa Mundi’.

While Dean Blunt has been more than prolific since the split of Hype Williams in 2012, Inga Copeland has taken things a little slower. The Smoke is her second LP as Lolina, and it finds Copeland at both her most playful and her most obtuse. She amps up the lackadaisical, detached elements of her sound so that they hover on the edge of musicality, but there is something about the way Copeland constructs her music that makes it uniquely gripping.

The Rush Hour label presents two highly sought-after gems from South Africa’s fertile late-Eighties house music scene, both of which come courtesy of Chicco. On the A-side, ‘Shigomase’ is an Afrobeat-inspired track whose controversial lyrics caught the attention of South Africa’s oppressive censorship regime, while the flip-side jam ‘Koshana’ is a slice of neon electro-house with a pop sensibility.

The second album on the Future Times label for Model Home, the joint project of hip-hop artist NAPPYNAPPA and producer Pat Cain. Created in league with Dolo Percussion, 'SE' is emblematic of the sound NAPPYNAPPA and Cain have created together over the last couple of years, one of rap spliced with experimental sonics. 

'Blue Box Sessions' sees Second Circle explore the early works of theatre, film and music producer (and the owner of now-closed Temple Records) Can Oral under his Khan moniker. This four-track 12” EP contains material recorded with analogue equipment to a DAT recorder with not an overdub in sight. Dinky, slightly fourth world Balearic house here - think D. Tiffany and Young Marco.

More sleepy psychedelic jams from Amsterdam-based duo Spill Gold, who release seven-track mini-album titled ‘Highway Hypnosis’ on Knekelhuis. There’s a distinctly autumnal feel to the band’s palette throughout 'Highway Hypnosis', a record equally capable of evoking light as well as darkness. Pop structures underpin kosmische influences. 

Fatima Yamaha is one of several aliases used by Dutch musician and producer Bas Bron. ‘Spontaneous Order’ was recorded over a five year period following his 2015 album ‘Imaginary Lines’. The album's sound is based in the worlds of P-Funk, Detroit techno and Chicago House, but there are a few curveballs along the way too.

Fatima Yamaha, despite being marketed as a young female of Turkish and Japanese heritage, is an alias of Dutch producer Bas Bron. No comment. Anyway, ‘Day We Met’ is taken from his album ‘Spontaneous Order’, a record which sees him twist P-funk and the famed house sounds of Chicago and Detroit. This EP features four remixes by electro heads like Legowelt and DMX Krew - each of them take the song further away from conventional structure.

Belgian producer Roméo Poirier makes his debut for Manchester-based sferic records with Hotel Nota, an album that acutely evokes the sensation of long, relaxed beach-based holidays. As if he’s closed his eyes and translated his memories onto record, Poirier’s textured, collage-based approach works beautifully. 

An exciting new work of minimalist wonder from Kali Malone, with additional contributions from Ellen Arkbro. The Sacrificial Code stretches across nearly two hours, and it's all about the organs. These majestic instruments are played with an austere drone purity, and are recorded in such a way as to give them a very particular texture. Out on iDEAL Recordings.

Released on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex imprint in 1998, the debut album from Leila divided opinion at the time of release - perhaps because it was made by a woman, and the IDM scene in the late-90s was very male-dominated. Painstakingly remastered by Rashad Becker, the immersive and intricate ‘Like Weather’ gets the reappraisal it’s long deserved. Just like the first thousand copies of the OG pressing, this edition of 'Like Weather' includes a bonus 7”.

The debut LP release from Japanese label Nakid, producer Mark Fell and percussionist Will Guthrie collaborate on ‘Infoldings’. This is a record consisting of unstable and fluid compositions of electronic music that explore the rhythmical constructions of Indonesian and Southern Indian musical traditions. It's also moderately jokes how similar the cover of this album is to 'File Under UK Metaplasm', the record that Fell's son Rian Treanor put out just weeks before 'Infoldings'.

Well hopefully by now you've picked up the stunning trilogy of EPs Netherfield Works, Springhead Works and Nunroyd Works by Craven Faults so you should be impressed enough to get this, the first full length missive from the reclusive producer. The vibe with all these releases seems to be West Yorkshire kosmische  - a kind of rugged, rural take on the synth explorations that emerged out of 1970s Germany.

‘Hark!’ sees US multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird embracing the Christmas spirit with an album of festive songs. The varied LP brings together seasonal originals and covers including John Cale’s ‘Andalucia’ and ‘Souvenirs’ by John Prine. It also includes his childhood favourite ‘Mille Cherubini in Coro’, a tune famously belted out by Luciano Pavarotti once.

'Szabodelico' is the sixth album by Causa Sui, the Danish psych-rockers led by Jonas Munk. With each release the band look to progress their sound, and this one is no exception. It took form through some loose, high-spirited jams before Munk mixed and added a few - but not too many - overdubs to make the final album. 

The title doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and Gerald Tenderfly might not be a name you are familiar with, but this 7" is going to be of interest to anyone who likes the best bits of IDM and dubstep. There is something of the Pye Corner Audio/Boards of Canada dreamlike wooze here, but 'BRKN03' also comes shot through with heavy bass and acid house moves. Four bonus tracks on the download too. 

Both influential figures in the Detroit techno and house scenes, Gerald Mitchell (of Los Hermanos and Underground Resistance) and singer Billy Love join forces as Celebrity BBQ Sauce Band. Their debut album on Moodymann's esteemed Mahogani Music label sees them wrangle jazz fusion/funk sounds and cast them against electronic backdrops.

Russian composer DJ Kassir is obsessed about confusion and weirdness in everyday life - and being a Moscow-dweller he's probably in the best place to monitor this. He uses such inspiration to create collages and sonic tomfoolery to document the post-reality that seems to be the norm for Earth over the last few years. 'Brown White' collects collaborative works that span 2017-2019 for the first time on vinyl.  

Synth experimentation and dub rhythms here from Sabaturin in the form of 'Kenemglev'. Despite having never met and only communicating via the internet, it's a remarkably seamless record that moves easily between Autechre-lite electronica to sparse, glitchy dub. Full marks to Simon Crab who designed the gorgeous, almost fractal-looking cover. Out on Holuzam. 

Pere Ubu-member-turned-aeroplane-pilot-turned-solo-musician Allen Ravenstine releases his third LP under his own name. ‘Electron Music / Shore Leave’ is intended to be heard as two separate EPs (one per side of vinyl) and consists of compounds of digital and analogue synths, acoustics and field recordings. It’s a brilliant insight into one of British alternative music’s most influential yet underrated figures.

Formed in 1980, Spanish industrial group Esplendor Geométrico are celebrating their forthieth anniversary at the time of writing. 'Años Nos Iluminan (Years Enlighten Us)' is a new album that charts their career and shows how they have grown as a band over time, perfecting their mesmerising industrial trance, noise, vocals and sound collages. The CD version of 'Años Nos Iluminan (Years Enlighten Us)' includes eight extra tracks.

'To See The Lights' was the second album by Gene, released in 1996. Although this is a compilation album, it is still regarded as a necessary piece in the band’s catalogue. It features some of their earliest recordings along with B-sides, live tracks and covers of the Bacharach & David song 'I Say A Little Prayer' and The Beatles’ 'Don't Let Me Down'.

'Libertine' was the final album by Britpop collective Gene. The band were most well-known for taking on the sound previously championed by the Smiths, and although they painstakingly removed some elements of originality and passion from the template Gene have arguably aged much better due to boasting a singer who hasn't become a kind of musical Jim Davidson in the intervening years. This is a 2xLP reissue on Demon. 

'Drawn To The Deep End' was the second studio album by Gene. It was originally released in 1997. The record contained the singles 'Fighting Fit', 'Speak To Me Someone' and 'Where Are They Now'. 'Drawn To The Deep End' is a charge of raw Britpop emotion delivered in Martin Rossiter’s Morrissey-esque vocal stylings.

'Revelations' was the third album by Gene, originally released in 1999. Fronted by Martin Rossiter and aided by guitarist Steve Mason, the band were influenced by the likes of The Smiths, The Clash, The Jam and The Faces. It opens with the relatively poppy single 'As Good As It Gets' and also includes the single 'Fill Her Up'. Reissue LP on Demon. 

Washington D.C. power-pop outfit Bad Moves deliver their second studio album Untenable. Spearheaded by the exceptional lead single ‘Party With The Kids Who Wanna Party With You’, the quartet widen their embrace and building in traces of Nineties alternative rock and alt-folk to their sound. 

Pure X are a trio from Austin, Texas who play melodic indie rock with a somewhat stoned delivery. 'Rare Ecstasy 2009 - 2019' compiles an overview of the band’s output, including some rare cuts, from the last ten years.  Following a six-year silence from the band, this compilation arrives in the same year as their self-titled comeback LP.

There he is. A man alone at the piano. Sir Nick Cave. Just like every other musician, Sir Nick couldn't tour during the Covid mess - but unlike every other musician, Cave donned his blackest suit and streamed himself playing without an audience in a big, empty room at Alexandra Palace. The results were, of course, breathtaking - Cave gave a sombre performance which straddled output from his entire career. And now you can own it, under the name of 'Idiot Prayer - Nick Cave Alone At Alexandra Palace', on double-LP or double-CD.

With ‘Pop Ambient 2021’, the Kompakt label marks twenty-one years of its 'Pop Ambient' compilation series, curated by the imprint’s founder Wolfgang Voigt in the name of creating perfect soundtracks for the post-clubbing comedown hours. As ever, it contains a list of established favourites and newcomers, including Yui Onodera, Blank Gloss, Thore Pfeiffer and many more. 

Enigmatic Canadian country singer Orville Peck follows his 2019 debut LP ’Pony’ with an EP ‘Show Pony’. There are guest appearances here from none other than Shania Twain, as well as Duncan Hay Jennings of Canadian indie rock band FRIGS. The record also features a cover of Bobby Gentry’s 1969 song ‘Fancy’.

Motorpsycho have been going for pretty much forever, releasing a slew of psych-rock of various different shades. 'Behind the Sun', their 2014 LP, was another concept album that went from heavy Led Zeppelin riffing to gentle ballads that recall the Laurel Canyon folkies of the '60s and '70s. Truly, Motorpsycho are an entire genre to themselves. Re-issue on Rune Grammofon. 

The fourth studio album from Californian alternative rockers The Neighbourhood, ‘Chip Chrome & The Mono-Tones’ expands the group’s trademark moody, low-tempo rock to embrace a number of different influences. Notably, there are some synthesisers and other electronics on this thing - lesser-heard tones in the band's discography prior to now. It’s easily Jesse Rutherford and the guys’ most ambitious album to date.

Congolese-Belgian DJ Melika Ngombe Kolongo - a.k.a. Nkisi - presents the first of a new series of releases known as ‘Initiation’. The three-track 'INT001' continues Nkisi’s experiments in fusing pan-African percussion to hard-edged techno and industrial tones. The results are bracing, reminiscent of both L.I.E.S. Records and Serpente.

After the global pandemic prematurely ended Big Thief’s tour the band's singer, songwriter and guitarist Adrianne Lenker decided to make some new music. 'songs and instrumentals' is two separate albums being released as a double-LP and double-CD. The 'songs' bit features - guess what - eleven new songs, whilst 'instrumentals' features - that's right - two instrumental pieces. Both records were written and recorded in April 2020, the early days of lockdown, and both exhibit the incredible balance of strength and fragility that has seen Lenker proclaimed as something of a modern-day Leonard Cohen.

With Lamentations, William Basinski has created a work of great depth and beauty. He leaves his usual subjects of death and decay behind here, but not unlike his 2002 classic Disintegration Loops, there’s an arc of grief over the album. The songs are shaped from tape loops of Basinski’s own archival material dating back to 1979.

Reflecting on a rich, industrious career that stretches back to the mid-Eighties, American singer-songwriter Anton Barbeau presents one of his most personal albums ever in the shape of ‘Manbird’. Beginning with his childhood in Sacramento to his life now in Berlin, lyrical themes of escaping your hometown and the pull of the familiar are set to gently psychedelic folk-pop.

A Romance With Violence is the fourth album by Denver, Colorado black metal band Wayfarer. It sees the band fine-tuning their unique sound to create a deep and thoughtful work - which may sound very un-metal - but don’t worry, the riffs are plentiful and really bloody forceful. On Profound Lore.

‘Face The Facts’ is the result of a collaboration between producer and DJ Nick Moore - better known as Linkwood - and Scottish artist Other Lands. Recorded just before the first Coronavirus lockdown and conducted in an improvised spirit, the record features the intricate guitar work of Other Lands laid over Linkwood’s blends of post-punk, house and electronica.

Gorgeous, classic modern house tune from Floating Points unleashed on vinyl at last. Gotta love those electric synth squiggles and haunting keyboard pads - pure electro-jazz. 'Marilyn' comes backed with 'Farukx', which is seven minutes of summery electronic vibes and stellar strings. It's winter at the time of writing, but there're enough off-kilter summer sounds here to keep us warm.

Following the success of their ‘Ghosts & Galaxies’ EP which dropped early in 2020, dubstep outfit Two Rangers make their debut on DEEP MEDi MUSIK with another self-titled four-track 12”. ‘Two Rangers’ is an exercise in outre dubstep, full of twitchy beats and alien soundscapes yet still packing those earth-shaking half-times we've long loved Mala's label for.

The third and final instalment of Death Is Not The End’s series of cassette compilations documenting the doo-wop and R&B records coming out of Jamaica in the late Fifties/early Sixties. ‘If I Had A Pair Of Wings: Jamaican Doo Wop, Vol. 3’ provides a snapshot of the island’s burgeoning scene at the time, one where artists transformed U.S. singles into proto-reggae diamonds.

‘Occulto’ represents a dive into the archives of Italian film soundtrack composer Giuliano Sorgini. Drawn from a range of low-budget horror movies made in the 1970s, these atmospheric DIY scores, performed and recorded entirely by Sorgini at his Cat & Fox Studio in Rome, show the invention that often comes from necessity and restraint. Proper wiccan giallo-synth and library-funk, this.

A first-ever release on vinyl for M.I.A. (The Complete Anthology), a full career retrospective of influential punk act Germs. Originally released in 1993 on CD only, Porterhouse Records replicates the compilation in its entirety, right down to the original liner notes, making for a fitting tribute to this influential first-wave punk outfit. 

'Salute To The Sun' is the 8th album by trumpeter, composer and Gondwana Records boss Matthew Halsall. He has a new band behind him on this one made up from some of Manchester’s best young jazz musicians, although Halsall's long-time aide Gavin Barras features again on bass. The album balances playfulness and earthiness, inspired by ambient field recordings of jungles and rainforests - represented here by various percussion instruments.

Here we have a reissue of Bruno Nicolai’s music for ‘Geminus’, an Italian television mini-series originally broadcast in 1969. On his diverse and eclectic score, Nicolai pulled together influences from contemporaneous pop to experimental/progressive rock styles. Features extensive liner notes from film critics Francesco Cesari and Roberto Curti.

Although he sounds like the sort of bloke who might have sold you a dodgy used car, Fat Tony is a Houston based regular in the rap game with appearances on ASAP Rock mixtapes and on Vice TV. His latest is an eclectic, ambitious work where a scan through the list of influences sees Kenny Rodgers rubbing shoulders with Outkast rubbing shoulders with Scritti Politti. How can this not be interesting? 

‘Ecstasy Rhymes’ is the first proper album from Kentucky-via-Oslo outfit The High Water Marks in over a decade. Associated with the Elephant 6 collective - lead singer Hilarie Sidney was one of its co-founders - The High Water Marks' latest record is laden with infectious, quirky pop hooks and warm, lavish arrangements.

The Acid Lands is a piece of music featuring the words of William Burroughs, taken from his novels The Western Lands and Junkie. It was originally performed by Opening Performance Orchestra, Martina Potucková and narrator Pavel Z in 2014 to celebrate what would have been Burrough’s 100th birthday. This studio version was recorded in 2019 which featured Iggy Pop as narrator and Bill Laswell on bass. The record also features a Bill Laswell remix.

Some classic psych-folk here that has existed largely under the radar since the late ‘60s. Trees released two albums in their lifetime - The Garden of Jane Delanwey in 1969 and On The Shore in 1971. They are being reissued as one box set, Trees (50th Anniversary Edition), and include two discs of BBC sessions, outtakes and alternate mixes. Includes book with new liner notes by founding member David Costa and folk-loving comedian Stewart Lee. 

I mean seriously ... wash your mouths out. Inserting swear words where there really is no need for them are Kings of the Fucking Sea, a group which includes members of The Little Killers and Immortal Lee Country Killers but not the actual The Killers. Sort-of-live album 'In Concert' - it was recorded straight to Tascam, but it's unclear if the band did so 'In Concert' or just 'Played At The Same Time To No Audience' - is described as MC5 and Black Sabbath having a baby together ... which is a nice thought. There are 500 fucking copies of 'In Concert' with a bonus fucking poster for the first fucking 200. 

Awww that's a really lovely print of a tree. Gorgeous sleeve aside, Tambourinen is the project of Grant Beyschau - the man in The Myrrors. 'Wooden Flower' was previously released on limited-run cassette, but it now hits vinyl courtesy of Wakefield's Cardinal Fuzz. The album is a swirl of kosmische, Krautrock and deep bubbling grooves written, recorded, played and (we hope) personally delivered to Norman Records by the man himself.  

The third album of psychedelic, heartfelt folk from American singer-songwriter Buck Curran. Recorded in northern Italy at the start of 2020 as that part of the world was being laid low with the Coronavirus, ‘No Love Is Sorrow’ is rendered both acoustically and electrically. Loss and isolation are the predominant themes, but 'No Love Is Sorrow' is also shot through with hope. 

Brooklyn-based independent label Captured Tracks breaks into the world of compilations with the aim of exhuming forgotten or obscure music from the Seventies to the Nineties that has informed the label’s aesthetic. ‘Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987’ explores the DIY rock scenes of small cities and towns across the States during the mid-Eighties. Golden-age college rock fans, assemble!

Paul Weller’s 2010 studio album ‘Wake Up The Nation’ is remastered for its tenth anniversary. Featuring guest spots from My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields and - together for the first time since 1982 - Weller's former Jam bandmate Bruce Foxton, the record was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize. Here 'Wake Up The Nation' finally gets a mixdown that the Modfather himself is satisfied with.

Workaround is the debut album by Beatrice Dillon. She has taken her love of the UK club scene, mixed it with afro-carriebean influences and samples from guest musicians such as Kuljit Bhamra on tabla, Jonny Lam from Pharoah Sanders Band playing pedal steel guitar, Laurel Halo and Batu at synth & vocals and samples respectively along with Kadialy Kouyaté playing kora and Lucy Railton on cello. It makes for a refreshingly innovative blend of rhythm and sound.

Hauling themselves out of a downward spiral caused by burnout after their rapid initial success, Peterborough-based indie act The Wytches self-release their third studio album, Three Mile Ditch. Studded amid the loud, hard-edged rock tracks are signs of the more classic songwriting that have always influenced the group, from Dylan to Chilton. 

Micko & The Mellotronics is a new vehicle for the unique, quick-witting lyrical stylings of Micko Westmoreland, known for recordings under his own name and also as The Bowling Green. This off-beat punk collection '½ Dove - ½ Pigeon' features several guest appearances, not least from The Specials’ bassist Horace Panter. 

Cicatriz (scar en Espanol) is the debut album by British / Chilean musician Kamixlo. He’s been making waves with his bass-heavy dance tracks over a few EPs, but now expresses himself in the album format, influenced by all sorts from Japanese wrestling to Limp Bizkit. Features guest spots from Felix Lee and Swedish producer Woesum.

Thief is a 1981 crime drama starring James Caan. It was the directorial debut of Michael Mann who went on to make such classics as Heat, Manhunter and Collateral. Electronic pioneers Tangerine Dream composed and performed the score, which started a bit of trend for electronic music being used to score films. It was also the first of over twenty scores composed by the German band.

The final word for Amy Winehouse fans, 'The Collection' is a 5xCD box set gathering up the late, great singer's entire official recorded output. Featuring the studio albums 'Frank' and 'Back To Black' plus posthumous compilation 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures', there’s also a live album recorded at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire in 2007 and a disc of remixes from artists such as Hot Chip.

Released in 2015 to overwhelming critical praise, Ted Geoghegan’s horror film 'We Are Still Here' was deeply emotionally affecting in no small part due to Wojciech Golczewski’s masterful soundtrack, essaying the grief and torments of the central couple. That score, which moves between moody ambient music and grinding industrial drone, is now presented on vinyl here.

The hard-rockin' Clutch started releasing newly recorded versions of their own songs digitally via Weathermaker Music. 'The Weathermaker Vault Series Vol. 1' is the first physical release, featuring ten tracks - two of which are previously unreleased. There’s a version of 'Passive Restraints' with guest vocals from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe, a version of 'Algo Ha Cambiado' by Argentinian punk legend Nolberto Napolitano and the band’s hard-rocking version of 'Fortunate Son', which was originally recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

As someone who was occasionally taught by nuns, I can confirm they are anything but casual. Noise rockers Casual Nun hail from London but their origins lie in Greece, for three of them, and California for the other one. Resort For Dead Desires sees them mixing psychedelics and speed, it would seem, in the form of both music and recreational drugs. On Hominid Sounds.  

The original version of Dark Days appeared on the 2016 album Sunlit Youth by Los Angeles indie rockers Local Natives. The new version of the song features the vocals of Amelia Meath, one half of North Carolinian electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso who also wrote a new additional verse for the song. 7" on Loma Vista.

Five remixes from Paul Weller’s recent fifteenth studio album ‘On Sunset’ make up this EP. The artists re-working the songs here were given the stamp of approval by The Modfather himself - they include The Coral’s James Skelly (under the moniker Skeleton Key), Senegalese drummer Seckou Keita and singers Le SuperHomard, Jane Weaver and Gwenno.

Chart-topping banjo-botherers Mumford & Sons release a six-track EP on 12” vinyl documenting the mammoth world tour behind their fourth studio album ‘Delta’, an LP which was released back in 2018. Contains a rousing rendition of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ - by, obviously, The Beatles - taped in London, where that sort of thing tends to happen.

Most bands follow the well worn trajectory of starting off all guitary and ending up adding dance and electronica influences into their work. Not Doves. They emerged out of Sub Sub who had an enormous dance hit in 1994 with Aint No Love. Doves were (and are) a totally different beast writing big emotional indie-rock that like their previous incarnation was remarkably successful. The Last Broadcast was their second LP from 2002.

Doves were of course once Sub Sub who had an enormous hit with *that* song 'Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use)' but in a twist in the usual guitar band picks up synths career pattern put down their 303s and picked up guitars to become a decent big league emotional rock act as Doves. 'Lost Souls' is their debut album. Originally released in the year 2000.

The album that incontrovertibly transformed Bob Marley & The Wailers to international superstardom, 1977’s 'Exodus' gets a half-speed remastered reissue on vinyl. Housing several of Marley’s most famous moments - the entire second side, essentially, are signature songs, in addition to the mesmerising title track - it’s devoted to spirituality and politics. 

The final album released in his lifetime, 1980’s 'Uprising' directly spoke to Bob Marley’s Rastafarian beliefs in nearly every song, culminating in the beautiful acoustic closer ‘Redemption Song’. A poignant and spiritual experience which saw Marley backed once more by his Wailers, the LP is now remastered with half-speed cutting techniques for reissue on vinyl. 

Arguably the most famous Studio Ghibli movie of all, 2001’s Spirited Away is regarded as a masterpiece in every aspect. No less striking is its soundtrack, composed by the studio’s regular collaborator Joe Hisaishi and performed by the New Japan Philharmonic. It’s presented here over three sides of vinyl (side D is blank) and packaged in a gatefold sleeve with an OBI strip. 

The soundtrack to Studio Ghibli's wonderful adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones's 'Howl's Moving Castle'. Who else but Joe Hisaishi could capture the magic and the whimsy of an actual moving castle? Of course, as with most of their films, there's more to it than that, director Hayao Miyazaki has said this film was partly influenced by his opposition to the 2003 Iraq war.  

Classic Studio Ghibli animation Spirited Away was originally released in 2001 and was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, who seems to be responsible for the famed animation studio’s best films. The image album was conceived by Joe Hisaishi using the director's notes. It features the vocal talents of U-MI, Sizzle Ohtaka, Tsunehiko Kamijo, Mosieur Kamayatsu and RIKKI. Japanese import LP with OBI strip.

Much like concept art, image albums, or in this case an 'Image Symphonic Suite', help provide some extra colour to a production. This one is for Studio Ghibli's 'Howl's Moving Castle', one of their strangest and most endearing works, whose cast features a scarecrow and a very nice dog. As you might expect Joe Hisaishi is on soundtrack duties, his compositions as key to the film's magical mood as any other component.