01.02.09
resident new releases february 2nd 2009
Albums of the Week : Soporus – 24,110 (Burnt Toast)
Single of the Week : Big Ned – Bad Angel (Optimo Music)
Gig of the Week : James Blackshaw / Hamilton Yarns / Caroline Weeks @ Westhill Hall – Sat 7th Feb
This Week’s Instores : Emmy The Great – Monday 2nd Feb @ 6pm www.myspace.com/emmythegreat
The Rifles – Wednesday 4th Feb @ 6pm www.myspace.com/therifles
You can just turn up to either / both – no tickets are required.
Hello fellow freezing earthlings! Hope you’re wrapped up warm & cosy & ready for another week’s installment of fine musical offerings – it’s a jam packed week. First up we have the gorgeously sparse & completely enveloping album from the ambient drone ensemble Soporus – if Stars of the Lid, Fennesz or Gas excite you, then definitely check this beauty out………….the multi-instrumental whizz-kid Andrew Bird tones down his flambouyant side a little on this joyous & intricate record – yet another highly acclaimed triumph & definitely one for fans of Rufus Wainwright, Cass McCombs or The Shins……..the new release on Warp comes from Mark Pritchard, one of the true veterans of electronic music, who returns under the moniker of Harmonic 313 – fans of Flying Lotus, Lukid & the deeper side of dubstep should embrace this one & it comes highly recommended…….we’ve got some early copies of the fab Sky Larkin album (& if you get in quick, you’ll get a signed copy from when the lovely band popped in for their instore this week & you’ll also get a free poster & badge)………..we’re all loving the surprise that is the Spider & The Flies album (the side project of the Horrors’ Spider Webb & Tomethy Furse) – it draws from the likes of Delia Derbyshire & the BBC Radiophonic workshop & delivers glorious sci-fi sounding electro-phonic beats……….fans of last year’s astonishing Jacaszek album should definitely check out the new release from labelmate Elegi - it’s a chilling & brooding meeting of classical & dark ambient drone & textures………the inspirational guitarist James Blackshaw (see gig of the week) hooks up with the lutenist / composer Jozef Van Wissem & together, as Brethren Of The Free Spirit, they’ve made a brilliant baroque-blues extravaganza………..Francoiz Breut delivers another fine album of sultry, seductive pop………Ane Brun, one of the finest voices in the contemporary folk scene, finally has her new album released outside of her native Norway……….The Cardigans’ Nina Persson expands her musical palette with A Camp & picks up rave press along the way……..there are a couple of great releases on the Raster Noton label which we sold out of straight away (but there are more due in later in the week if you’d like to reserve one) : Alva Noto gives us the very special Xerox Vol.2 & Atom TM (aka Senor Coconut – but don’t hold that against him!) dazzles with his playful electronic experimentation……….we’ve had a nice delivery of new releases from Ace Records on cd & vinyl………..the Motown Boxset Volume 11A (covering the 1st half of 1971) finally makes it to us……..Brighton’s own Sideshow (aka Fink doing modern dub) & The Qemists (Rage Against The Machine meets The Prodigy) get their albums released this week, as do Jimi Tenor, The View, Mike Bones, Baikonour, Dakota Suite, Duke Special, Enablers, Stranger Son Of WB, Weave! & more. The Fleet Foxes debut also gets reissued, now as a double pack to incorporate both the album & the ‘Sun Giant’ ep (yes, we think it’s a bit cheeky too) & our stock of The Rifles‘ new album finally turned up last week. For a full rundown of this week’s bumper set of new releases, click on the link.