Into The Light scores those countless ever-changing landscapes Anderson can’t or won’t let go of.
After last year’s highly impressive debut, London/Bristol fuzzmongers The Fireworks return with a four song EP that shows their sound evolving.
Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler was an innovator beyond his contemporaries, though his earliest known session with bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray most clearly defined his futuristic sonic path.
This is particularly true on the the the brilliant B-side “Summertime,” which any fan of female-fronted noise-pop will spin over and over again.
London’s Cosines return with four songs that show the group growing at an exponential rate.
“An Italian shoegaze band with a cinematic sensibility to their art, and a barrel of creative ideas and visions to elevate your listening experience far above the typical ‘gaze band.”
“Listening to them is like stepping out of time and being suspended in golden sunshine, eyes closed against the dazzling brightness and feeling comforted by the beauty of this music.”
Thought to be just a rumor for nearly fifty years, some digging into the Columbia vaults has uncovered the legendary sessions for Betty Davis’ unreleased first album, produced by then-husband Miles Davis and featuring musicians from his and Jimi Hendrix’s bands, alongside some earlier recordings made with her previous beau, Hugh Masekela.
“All Move fans should own these, as well as any fan of late 60s English psychedelic pop with baroque flourishes, so jump on these while they’re still available.”
In January of 1980, a relatively unknown post-punk quartet from Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK (a town just 24 miles northwest of Greater London) called Funboy Five released their debut – and only – 7”, “Life After Death” b/w “Compulsive Eater.”
U.K. musician/songwriter/artistic collaborator Barry Snaith flies high with his new electro-rock single “Bold Ego Fledgling” featuring Ang Kerfoot on vocals.
Brett Sullivan and cohorts of anti-folk/punk band American Anymen deliver an explosive, expletive-filled politico-socio-economic rant on “Selectively Stupid”.
Influenced by the theatrics and atypical dynamics of Kate Bush, My Unwinding State feels like a set of compositions just dying for choreography.
“You can look at C87 as a sequel of sorts, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original C86. Neil Taylor once again does the honors, contributing extensive liner notes on top of a substantial booklet featuring illustrations of original record sleeves, flyers, and so forth. There are more than 70 tracks here, ranging from well-known artists to obscuro musicians making their debut on CD. None of the tracks here have been available on any of Cherry Red’s recent compilations either. So you can view these three disks as a treasure trove of period music.”
Steve Kilbey of The Church and Frank Kearns of Cactus World News collaborate on a captivating, atmospheric dream-folk/electronic album.
Unlike NYC roots-rocker Mark’s previous seven with longtime backing mates The Van Dorens, Stowaways veers from the group’s signature barroom blues and country-rock style.
A Temporary Human Existence_ is an album that occasionally struggles and fails to find its footing, but it also shows a band with a lot more to show and an identity that will only solidify with further releases.
Veteran Stereolab keyboardist, Morgane Lhote, turns more toward the light on her sophomore single as Hologram Teen.
Nancy, France’s Slit Plasters return with a brief blast of their signature psychotic fury on a limited one-song flexidisc.
“It’s this filtered brightness and pain that make this music so compelling. Emily’s beautiful voice trembles with feeling, though she keeps the listener at a distance. It’s like watching life through dirty lenses, you squint to see everything, but reality is only partially revealed. It’s this mystery I like so well and what makes Emily stand apart from her contemporaries.”
Given its occasional schizophrenic nature, it’s possible this could have worked better as a long-ish EP, but the album nevertheless remains the product of a lot of forward trajectory from a still young band.
A shocking amount of ideas and themes are tackled over the course of a very short EP that undoubtedly leave the listener with even more questions about Native Ground then before.
Joys and Horrors is the natural and perfect continuation of the themes and moods first put forth by Joy Division in the late ’70s.
Eric Anders is a singer/songwriter from the Bay Area, who has been releasing consistently compelling and ethereal music since the turn of the century.
Like its predecessor, II is a short but sweet mash-up of classic genres that oozes confidence and flair.
Long before “Walk Like an Egyptian” soared to number one in the late ’80s, The Bangles were a group of girls playing melodic garage rock as part of LA’s Paisley Underground movement.
‘Together’ finds The Explorers Club continuing to reign as today’s Beach Boys.
Inspired by a new rhythm section, guitarist/founder Kawabata Makoto takes Acid Mothers Temple into the loudest, heaviest parts of the universe for what could possibly be their best album to date.
One can think of The Notekillers as the precursors to the type of noise rock prominent in the ’90s on labels such as Amphetamine Reptile as well as instrumental power trios of that era such as Don Caballero.
“Do the words enchanting, delightful, magical, and incandescent mean something to you when you think of music? If not, the one listen to this record will fill the bill for you. This Leicester UK five piece fronted by singer Robyn Gibson have created a 60s pastiche of elegant and timeless songs you won’t soon forget.
“Every Little Thing is a very human reflection on the ebbs and flows of our relationships. It also spurs the questions naturally asked when certain life milestones are reached.”
“The album is majestic, cinematic, and epic from a sonic perspective, yet it seems to wing by effortlessly, transporting the listener to another dimension.”
In 2010, Michael Gira resurrected Swans after fourteen years of inactivity with My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky, which blended the gospel overtones of 1987’s Children of God with his more recent work in Angels of Light.
Named for a 1972 Isaac Asimov novel, this Seattle trio’s second album dabbles in plenty of that decade’s music styles – most notably its soul/R&B, funk, and disco – even more than on their 2014 self-titled debut.
With the exception of singer Dan Greene’s drowsy, deliberate drawl, this New Haven, CT foursome’s fifth full-length sounds almost unrecognizable from 2010 double LP Apple Mountain’s spooky, lo-fi campfire folk.
Los Angeles, CA’s Dr. Boogie turn to ’70s hard rock for inspiration…and succeed!
Lecce, Italy’s Bistouries debut with two sides that heavily nod to the melodic jangle of late ’70s UK power pop.
L.A.‘s Thin Wrist Recordings has released the best album of 2016. The band is 75 Dollar Bill. The album is Wood/Metal/Plastic/Pattern/Rhythm/Rock.
Back in 2000, Ice-T and Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs, Dr. Octagon) joined forces with Marc Live, Black Silver and producer Pimp Rex for a mindbending hip-hop album that, somehow, barely blipped on the radar.
In 1979, Martin Bramah finally tired of Mark E. Smith’s antics and left The Fall to form his own band.
Modern Maze is a fantastic new record from an artist currently in the processing of evolving and reinvigorating himself, and it is nothing short of captivating.
Spain serves up another brooding masterwork on Carolina.
Tyler returns to widen his expansive scope of Americana with Modern Country.
“He is definitely from the eccentric school of psychedelic pop that crosses genres into gothic and synth pop with creepy overtones. Think Legendary Pink Dots, and you’re getting warmer.”
Trust us, you’ve never heard anything like Maarja Nuut.
