19.08.07
new releases august 20th 2007
It may well be the wettest summer ever but the musical releases have been going through a pretty serious drought………until now that is! This week sees the start of a serious flurry of top quality releases. We begin with our pick of the week : M.I.A.’s very exciting 2nd album which absorbs a huge range of ‘world’ beats & noises & mixes them all up in her very unique & totally brilliant musical soup……………..the critically adored crooner Richard Hawley, returns with his 5th album which received a 5/5 review in the much revered Observer Music Monthly – quite an achievement after the unbelievable success of Coles Corner………….the artist formerly known as Manitoba, Caribou, delivers a surprising & gorgeous summery 60s pop inspired treat…………the Liars release their 4th album & they’ve decided to make it all a lot more straightforward this time round & have even written real songs & everything for their most pop album to date – but it really works……………….Rilo Kiley, headed up by the wonderful Jenny Lewis, are back with a gloriously decadent sounding album that should finally see them gain the recognition they deserve………..A.C.Newman’s epic & multi-layered outfit The New Pornographers come up trumps again with ‘Challengers’………..the ridiculously prolific Machinefabriek teams up with Aaron Martin for some sparse but lush cello workings & reworkings…………..there’s a new album from shop favourites Epic45 whose latest release on Make Mine Music is a real beauty (fans of Maps, Hood or Helios – take note)…………..the Reykjavik band Seabear make beautiful sun-kissed indie pop & their album’s a winner…………..our fave local label Fat Cat put out the 3rd album from Songs of a Green Pheasant which shows the band making a real leap forward with an album that is richly atmospheric & sweetly melodic – we love it…………..Susanna leaves her magical orchestra behind but produces an enchanting & magical album all by herself………..all this & so much more including singles from Brighton’s fabulous Foals, Resident favourites Tunng release the first single from their new album, Operator Please re-release the inspired ‘Ping Pong’ song, there’s a very limited 7″ release from Liz Green whose name has been bantered around favourably in the nu-folk circles & the rest is listed on the attachment so please check it out…………
For a full new releases listing,click here: new releases august 20th 2007
11.08.07
new releases august 13th 2007
Well, finally, the release drought is over & this week we even had to fight over the album of the week as there were a number of contenders. In the end, the insanity & genius of the aussie crew Architecture in Helsinki won the most of us over, so they win the top spot & the yellow highlight! It truly is a spectacularly nuts album that I for one have fallen in love with……………Prinzhorn Dance School came a very close 2nd with their debut of brilliantly simple & raw post-punk styled songs which you can check out live this week at the instore (see above)……the gorgeous new release from Bella Union comes from Beach House whose hazy, otherworldly loveliness is a real treat……..if any of you saw the Nightingales the other week then you may have caught the support act Christy & Emily who release their rather lovely & catchy set of songs this week…….Asobi Seksu are back with their 2nd album to catch us up with the American release schedule & the sweet girly vocals, swirls of melody & shoegazy guitars are all in tact………Fog has become a full on band proper (with some help from some stellar guests) & has gone rock so this album might come as a bit of a surprise to you (it did to me) but I’m reliably informed by Matt here that it’s a real grower & is worth sticking with………the ever impressive increasingly successful Kompakt label release their Kompakt Total 8 compilation comprised entirely of exclusive new tracks from their roster…..Julian Cope is still protesting about things but his melodic post-punk songs are of top quality……….there are 2 great releases on the Tigersushi label from post-punk-garage-rockers My Sister Klaus & the Dirty Space Disco compilation…………the timeless classic Liege & Lief from Fairport Convention gets the long-overdue deluxe edition treatment, so it’s now fully remastered & comes with a bonus disc of outtakes & bbc sessions…………..all this & a whole listing attached of other aural delights.
To check out the full listing of new releases, click here: new releases august 13th 2007
05.08.07
staff picks for august 2007
just thought we’d let you know about some great albums we’ve been listening to recently…for our August recommendations please click here: staff picks august 6th 2007
new releases august 6th 2007
A fair few albums vying for your attention this week; the much revered Resident album of the week goes to O’Death on the consistently ace City Slang label. The deal here is five guys, a banjo, a fiddle and a drum set littered with gas cans, chains & broken cymbals making a unique and wonderfully raw sound. Part southern gothic spiritual, part moonshine fuelled hoedown. These recordings, now presented with new mixes done by the band, are a timeless addition to the canon of weird old America….Kate Nash, one of the big names to emerge in 2007, releases her debut effort….hotly tipped since his performance both at this year’s Great Escape Festival, Patrick Watson finally releases his debut, and it doesn’t disappoint….The Coral make an accomplished return with their 4th album. This one, unlike previous efforts, is less Beefheart and more Bacharach….New York’s Tiny Masters Of Today release their debut; what they lack in age they more than make up for in pure pre-teen punk energy delivering, in the words of NME, 10,000 volts of teenie-punk shock….Tiny Vipers delivers her 1st full length album on Sub Pop, highly recommended for fans of Joanna Newsom, Nina Nastasia or Cat Power…. another debut album this week from Port O’Brien, apparently M.Ward’s favourite new band…talking of M.Ward did we mention we have limited import copies of his debut album Duet For Guitars #2, originally released in 1999, now with 3 bonus tracks?….Mountain Party spent the better part of 2006 crafting this record while on a dietary fast and the results are totally original and stunning….Irish chap Eugene McGuinness delivers his debut. A uniquely eccentric young songwriter, his craft is one of wrapping polysyllabic tongue-twisters around skittering percussion and deftly strummed acoustic guitar lines to great effect…the newest installment in the critically acclaimed, mojo award winning & absolutely essential motown boxset series returns with volume 7 (1967)….the Megaphone label release an album of previously unheard live recordings from 1962 by Karen Dalton which clearly demonstrate why she is finally being hailed as such an important folk figure…. On the dance/electronica side of things a couple of things to mention! First off a mixtape from Girl Talk from the US; but this ain’t no ordinary no mixtape no siree! This is a super mashup of epic proportions utilizing more than 150 samples and slicing fragments of 80s pop, dirty south rap, booty bass and grunge into one hulking hyper-mix designed to make you dance….Shitmat, king of mashcore, makes a return on the Planet Mu label with his uncompromising breakcore sound….The absolutely huge drum & bass album from Pendulum “Hold Your Colour” makes it’s return this week as it comes repackaged complete with bonus tracks and new packaging. If you missed it first time round, don’t sleep on it, it’s a classic!.. on the soul side the 7th volume of the astonishing Complete Motown Singles box sets is finally here. This time it’s 1967 & it’s probably the finest yet.
Other albums out this week worth a mention include Chow Chow, Turbo Fruits, John Fahey, Marmoset, Voice Of The Seven Woods, Devotchka, Lamps, Wolfmangler and plenty more where that lot came from.
For the full list including all the reissues, click here: new releases august 6th 2007