Explore the Duster universe on the far superior 45RPM format. This deluxe triple 7” box contains Duster’s first single—1997’s “Transmission Flux” (including “Stars Will Fall” & “Orbitron”), 1998’s Apex, Trance-Like (featuring “Four Hours”), plus Stratosphere’s painfully absent “Echo, Bravo” and the lost 2002 outtake “What You’re Doing To Me.” Housed in replica sleeves and placed in a sturdy two-piece box, “Moods, Modes” also contains a Duster-branded hanky for those who like to accessorize.
3×7″ box set that includes transmission, flux (7″), apex, trance-like (7″), and the first ever 7″ pressing of echo, bravo b/w what you’re doing to me.
With a career spanning over 40 years, musician, artist and activist John Mellencamp is releasing his 25th full-length studio album “Orpheus Descending” via Republic Records. It was recorded at his own Belmont Mall Studio and produced by Mellencamp. The album is one of the most personal to date for the outspoken artist as he continues to show that he’s one of the best songwriters of his generation, focusing on social issues with standout songs “Hey God” and “The Eyes of Portland.”
John is in his Bob Dylan, cherished-American-treasure moment now, and could coast on that if he wanted. But he doesn’t want to do that. This latest record is a masterpiece, of songwriting, performances, and searing, poetic, and blunt messages. It’s raw and powerful, and musically a return to the Appalachian sound of records like “The Lonesome Jubilee” and “Big Daddy”. His voice is deeper and thinner than it was for those records, but the gravelly sound of his singing gives the songs, especially “The Eyes of Portland” and “Hey God,” a perfect weight.
Announced on Friday, the record was previewed with “Hey God,” a thoughtful and reflective bit of social commentary from Mellencamp, a musical and cultural icon whose long established a willingness to take a stand on the things that matter — in this case, the gun debate:
On June 2nd, John Mellencamp will release a new album titled “Orpheus Descending”. under exclusive license to RepublicRecords, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. “Orpheus Descending” comes on the heels of Mellencamp’s November. 2022 reissue of his classic 1985 album, “Scarecrow”,
“Four Kinds of Horses” is the fifth song to be released from the Peter Gabriel’s forthcoming album “i/o”. This is the Bright-Side Mix by Mark ‘Spike’ Stent. Released on the full moon, 5th May 2023. Written by Peter Gabriel and produced by Peter and Richard Russell,
“Four Kinds of Horses” was recorded at Real World Studios in Wiltshire, The Beehive and Copper House in London. “Four Kinds of Horses” actually began on Richard Russell’s project ‘Everything Is Recorded’.
He’s a friend (and founder of XL Records) and he asked me to pop in to his studio. I came up with some chords, melodies and words on top of a groove he was working on. We tried a few things that didn’t altogether work and so it laid dormant for quite a while. Then I started playing around with it again and changed the mood and the groove and something else began to emerge with a better chorus.” There were a number of things that triggered ideas for the song as it developed, including the Buddhist parable of the Four Kinds of Horses, which describes different ways a student can approach their spiritual practice. There is also a focus on “the interesting overlap of religion and peace on the one hand and violence and terrorism on the other. There was also a wonderful film by Hany Abu-Assad called ‘Paradise Now’ which shows two young men who end up being trained to become terrorists and it’s a real insight into where the head goes.” As well as Russell, who set things in motion, “Four Kinds of Horses” also features Brian Eno on synths which “sounded like electric worms to me,” says Gabriel. “As soon as I heard one I thought they would make a great three dimensional wall paper of sound and asked Brian to create eleven more.” John Metcalfe again provides string arrangements, “beautiful work and as the song progresses, the strings play a key role” and backing vocals from Peter’s daughter Melanie, “another lovely moment for a dad.” Continuing the theme of working with a different artist for each song release, this month’s track is accompanied by a cover image featuring the work of Cornelia Parker.
This month we have a fascinating artist, Cornelia Parker, who does some extraordinary work. When we were originally looking at the Art from Us project, I’d seen some of her stuff with exploding rooms and had been fascinated by that, so I’m really happy that she agreed to work with us on this. The photogravure technique of William Henry Fox Talbot was an inspiration for her in this piece, and some of the other glass-based images in the series. I fell in love with this particular work – it’s called ‘Snap.’ Just like the previous full moon releases, “Four Kinds of Horses” will come with differing mix approaches from Mark ‘Spike’ Stent (Bright-Side Mix), here, plus Tchad Blake (Dark-Side Mix) and Hans-Martin Buff’s Atmos mix (In-Side Mix). As well as new music, Peter Gabriel is about to embark on a tour with dates in the UK, Europe and North America
“The Black Album/Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols” is a 2004 double album released by American alternative band, The Dandy Warhols. The two-disc set was released on their own Beat the World Records label. Initially, the album was only available to purchase through the band’s website. It is now available to own via other sources.
Late January in Portland, 1996. The Dandy Warhols are hammering out the most deranged psych pop of their career in hopes of blowing the lids off their newfound suitors from Capitol Records, completely unaware that one of Oregon’s biggest natural disasters was raging outside their studio walls. The notorious Willamette Valley flood of ’96 chalked up over $500 million in property damage in the Pacific Northwest, but fell short of The Dandys’ studio space by 2 blocks. Courtney, Peter, Zia and Eric escaped the carnage without a scratch, the perfect metaphor for the band’s 3-decade-spanning journey.
They survived the major label buzz, an international hit single, “the documentary”, the rise and fall of brit pop, and a post-Napster music industry. What’s a little water gonna do? Riding off the debut hype of 1995’s Dandys Rule Ok, this new batch of songs saw a band spinning into an unknown. Bigger budgets meant bigger expectations
Disc one marks the first, official release of the band’s 1996 demo album (The Black Album) which was described as “lost”. The album, recorded before ...”The Dandy Warhols Come Down“, was rejected by Capitol Records and dismissed by the band themselves. Three songs that were included on the original recording of the album are not included on this release, namely: “Traci Lords”, “Alien” and “You Get High”.
The second disc “Come On Feel The Dandy Warhols” is the first compilation album released by the band. It contains B-sides, covers, and previously unreleased material. The cover of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Ohio” used “droning synthesizers” to produce an “alt/psychedelia sound.
Originaly released April 20th, 2004
Produced by Courtney Taylor-Taylor
VOCALS/GUITARS/KEYS: Courtney Taylor-Taylor KEYBOARDS/BASS: Zia McCabe GUITARS: Peter Holmstrom DRUMS: Eric Hedford
All songs written by Courtney Taylor-Taylor except 7 by Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Zia McCabe
An album hugely in demand and sounding absolutely fantastic at thirty years old! We’re delighted to bring you a special archive pressing of The Boo Radleys’ “Giant Steps“. NME’s 1993 Album Of The Year, named in the Top 20 of Pitchfork’s The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time and lauded as one of 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, The Boo Radleys’ classic album, “Giant Steps” will be reissued, on special remastered vinyl almost 30 years to the day since its original release.
“Giant Steps” is the third studio album by the Boo Radleys, released in 1993. The title is inspired by John Coltrane’s album of the same name, and the record features an assortment of influences — their previous shoegazing sound backed by pop, reggae, noise pop and orchestral sounds.
The band’s genre-ambiguous and widely-acclaimed masterpiece will become available to fans old and new.
The Boo Radleys’ songwriter/guitarist, Martin Carr, named his band’s 1993 album after John Coltrane’s 1959 LP, but “Giant Steps” also is a winking acknowledgment of another kind: He’s the first to know that the Liverpool quartet has taken a huge leap forward. Although they hardly renounce the thunderous swirl and delicate suspension of 1992’s “Everything’s Alright Forever“, the Boo Radleys treat that candied rush as an absorbed language, with Carr choosing to pursue a grand vision that unifies psychedelia, British guitar-pop, jazz, and dub.
Part of the appeal of “Giant Steps” is that the Boo Radleys’ enthusiasm leads them to attempt fusions that would scare away other bands: Witness “Lazarus,” which begins with an elastic reggae beat before becoming consumed by sheets of guitars, wispy harmonies, and stabs of brass. “Lazarus” is essentially “Giant Steps” in microcosm, but the album gains strength through its own untrammeled ambition. At the dawn of britpop, the Boo Radleys chose expanding consciousness over provincial patriotism, and the results are still majestic.
“Do you know this band…The Sonics?” The answer to this question varies, depending on who you ask. Many folks will give you a shake and a shrug. But if you ask a fan of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Garage, Punk, Psychobilly, Proto-punk, etc., the response will often be a resounding “YES!”.
In BOOM, filmmaker Jordan Albertsen sets out to discover the true story of how an early-1960s Tacoma, Washington-based band became “the most important band you’ve never heard of”, and experienced popularity fifty years after their initial heyday. BOOMreveals how five Tacoma teens – Larry Parypa, Andy Parypa, Rob Lind, Bobby Bennett and Jerry Roslie – formed The Sonics in 1963. Inspired by the sound of popular northwest U.S. bands such as The Wailers and The Kingsmen, and working with local producer/record label owner Buck Ormsby, The Sonics enjoyed regional hits with songs like “The Witch” and “Psycho”.
Making use of archival footage and photos, and band member interviews, Jordan Albertsen creates a strong narrative in this film. Driven in part by wanting to forge a greater connection with his father (who was a fan of The Sonics), and by his intrigue over the band’s unlikely international success, Albertsen takes his audience on a trip that is equal parts history and mystery.
The filmmaker uses the tried-and-true rock documentary method of recounting the history of a band by having members tell their story on camera. While this documentary style is common, the story moves along well, with members of the band weighing in on various aspects and details of The Sonics’ early days. Interviews are interspersed with the requisite early-1960s clips and photos, in addition to commentary from younger artists such as Kurt Bloch of Young Fresh Fellows and Fastbacks, Mike McCready of The Presidents of the United States of America, and Heart’s Nancy Wilson. The history and the testimonials from younger musicians give weight and context to how The Sonics’ efforts and regional success inspired the next generation of northwest bands.
Without giving too much away, Albertsen continues the story of The Sonics in the twenty-first century, investigating their seemingly improbable popularity overseas, as well as their reintroduction to the music scene, in America and beyond.
With BOOM, Jordan Albertsen has created a piece of filmmaking that works on a number of levels, appealing to a variety of audiences. Besides being writer-director-producer-editor, Albertsen also narrates this film in an accessible, everyman style. He engages the viewer immediately, in ways similar to the documentarian Michael Moore. Between The Sonics’ history and their present-day doings, BOOMmoves along naturally, bringing the audience along with interest, every step of the way. An interesting film with a bit of a twist on the “rock doc” format, BOOMis a fine addition to the genre.
It’s new music day, it’s a beautiful day, Because my new album is out today!! soak it all in! Although my feelings are like the tides, always ebbing and flowing and never the same, in this moment I just feel calm and v, v happy. Often I’d be full of dread & anxiety on release days but not today. “Year of the Black Water Rabbit” is the culmination of the last two years in my little corner of the world. In that time there’s been lowest lows,
I said goodbye to my Dad and told him I loved him for the last time (he replied ‘thank you’ as always but I know he did love me back) and there’s also been such elation.. I married Johnny and the sun shone down on us all day long. Anyway, all those thoughts and feelings plus loads more themes like moving out to the wilds of Wiltshire, the gruelling winter, blissful summer, getting older (only a teeny bit, I’ve frozen at 28), family, friends, vegetables, birds bickering right now outside the window.
I want to send a massive thank you to my biggest supporters, the gorgeous Dan Bell who has patiently listened, aided and built up these songs with me from start to finish. Such a talented man! I missed working with a larger pool of musicians at times but it was amazing to focus this way also, perfect for this album as it’s such a personal one, and to ease into my new home studio gently. Everything you hear on this record is played by me and Dan.
Listen out for the voice of our bestie Nicky Francis on ‘Branded’ and hone in on ‘Our Love’, a beautiful ditty written by Alex Mattinson as a gift to us when we had to postpone out first wedding date due to lockdown. It’s a beautiful song that I just had to record and share with you!
Westerman — the London-born, Athens-based pop maverick — returns with his new album, “An Inbuilt Fault”.
The album’s nine songs took shape throughout the depths of the pandemic, and soundtrack Westerman’s reckoning with two years of intense isolation, loneliness, heartbreak, and dread. Through it all, the album is visceral and live-sounding, full of the sound of breath and the idiosyncratic gestures of acoustic instruments. It creates a spatial feeling, sounding like musicians assembled in a room, passing evolving ideas back and forth. Co-produced with producer and percussionist James Krivchenia (Big Thief), “An Inbuilt Fault” musically references everything from Talk Talk’s delightfully strange and ethereal brand of pop, David Byrne’s bag of rhythmic tricks, Cat Stevens’ fireside warmth and much more.
“An Inbuilt Fault” follows Westerman’s acclaimed 2020 debut “Your Hero Is Not Dead”, a graceful and self-reflective project which earned him a spot as one of the most talked about new artists of the year thanks to profiles from Pitchfork (‘Rising’), Stereogum (‘Artist To Watch’), and Rolling Stone (‘Artist You Need To Know’).
“Take” taken from the new album, “An Inbuilt Fault”, out May 5th as a joint venture between Partisan Records and Play It Again Sam.
“Crispy Crunchy Nothing” puts to rest any notion Madeline had about finding the end. Burnout, dead-end jobs, bike theft, stress dreams, heartbreak — Packs move forward through them all one line, one lick, one beat at a time, equal parts Alex G’s whimsy and Helvetia’s thunderous dynamics. Sticking together songs written in Toronto, Ottawa and Mexico City (while Madeline completed a papier-mâché residency), “Crispy Crunchy Nothing” revisits the fuzzy alt-rock of 2021 debut “Take the Cake” and adds some folksy twang to the mix for an album that explores the tension between independence and isolation, between living life to the fullest and feeling like you’re wasting your time.
Madeline reunited with bandmates Dexter Nash (lead guitar), Noah O’Neil (bass) and Shane Hooper (drums, backup vocals) for a weeklong recording retreat at a cabin on Lac Sarrazin in rural Quebec that they dubbed the Trout House, where the quartet bashed out all of the album’s 14 tracks and where the sauna doubled as nightly ritual and recording booth.
After spending 18 months fleshing out demos over a Google Drive folder, uncertain of the band’s IRL future, the week was propelled by the kinetic energy of old friends reuniting in person, making sense of the smorgasbord of gear they crammed into the cabin.
And while the specter of death looms over “Crispy Crunchy Nothing” and its brisk, folk-rock vignettes of loneliness, yearning and confusion, so too does Madeline’s sense of humour. It’s bone-dry, tucked within her drawling vocals, and buried beneath guitars that alternately sneer and twang. But it’s there, the album’s beating heart — a sense of purpose and unflinching resolve evident even in its title, taken from Madeline’s description of biting into a moldy apple.
Manchester, England’s Mandy, Indiana have shared a new song called “Peach Fuzz” from their forthcoming debut LP, “I’ve Seen a Way”.
Mandy, Indiana recorded “I’ve Seen a Way” in “caves, crypts, and shopping malls,” seeking off-beat locations with novel acoustics to achiever their sound. “These locations offered something acoustically, but would traditionally be thought of as having the ‘wrong’ characteristics for producing a ‘good’ recording,” said guitarist/producer Scott Fair. “These spaces imprint on the sound: It’s not about a lack of access to more traditional recording spaces — it’s about us capturing things happening in a specific place at that moment.”
“Peach Fuzz” is the third offering from “I’ve Seen a Way”, following the tracks “Injury Detail” and “Pinking Shears.” The album— out May 19th via Fire Talk—follows Mandy, Indiana’s 2021 … EP.
The Fat Angel Sings 