Review: Not to be confused with our own homegrown horror-punk legends, this preceding The Damned were a short-lived Dutch glam rock studio-only project, who's one release of note is this long out of print Morning Bird 7", accompanied by the proto-disco groove of B-side 'Theta'. Available on wax for the first time in 50 years, this slept on neon-tinted holy grail of glam originally came courtesy of iconic producer Miki Dallon (The Sorrows, Boys Blue, Shakane, New York Dolls) for his Young Blood International label in 1974.
Take Me For A Little While(limited coloured vinyl 7" (indie exclusive) (comes in different coloured vinyl, we cannot guarantee which colour you will receive))
Review: After leaving his native California for Chicago, Rudy De Anda dimmed down his beachy, psych-rock roots and dipped into some unknown waters, yielding enchanting results. His latest album, which was recorded in Austin, Texas, is romantically familiar and novelly soulful Latin pop that's a pure joy to behold. The b-side here - '83' - is a key number from that album. It has a subtle, cool groove perfect for sparking up a fat cigar and putting your feet up for the day. Given that De Anda is on such top form in this chapter of his life, it's no surprise he's done justice and then some to with his cover of Royal Jester's version of 'Take Me For A Little While'. The two tracks fit seamlessly together and beg repeat listens.
Review: "The final episode of this soap-opera of a band will be released in the form of a 7 inch on 24.01.2025." If this is your first encounter with De Nooit Moede, then welcome to the wake of the best group you sadly only cottoned onto when they were posting about their final release on Instagram. The Brussels seven piece's swan song certainly fits the bill for funeral soundtrack, with RIP's garage-punk-wave washing through your mind with equal parts melancholy and swagger. Four tracks run from the staccato-step of 'Doopsel', which opens the scoring and sets the mood perfectly, through the more melodic 'Sluiswachter', blissfully downtrodden 'Fake Niet', and motoring 'Alledaagse Nachten'. Each is as infectiously groovy as the next, and cooler than pretty much everything else you will have been listening to this week/month/year. More Flemish attitude, please.
Review: On Aurelia, shoegaze duo Deary show their evolution since their 2023 debut, embracing a more collaborative approach that results in a richer, more cohesive sound. The EP's six tracks, including singles like 'The Moth' and 'Selene', reveal a newfound maturity in both production and songwriting. With Slowdive's Simon Scott lending his drumming talents and mastering expertise, the record blends influences from classic styled shoegaze bands mixing with the duo's distinct dream-pop sensibilities. Tracks like 'The Drift' bristle with urgency, while 'Dream Of Me' dips into trip-hop, evoking Portishead. Lyrically, Aurelia explores themes of transformation, reflecting the band's personal and artistic growth, making it a striking follow-up to their debut.
Review: Enjoy The Silence, Depeche Mode's standout single from Violator, marked a significant moment in the band's career, becoming their most successful UK single since 'Master & Servant' in 1984. 'Enjoy The Silence' captured both critical and public acclaim, peaking at number six in the UK charts and achieving top spots in Denmark and Spain, as well as reaching number eight in the US. The 12" version is beloved by fans with the myriad of great remixes the song provided. This new yellow vinyl version helps meet the demand of an always desirable dance record. The single's success earned Depeche Mode their first Brit Award for Best Single of 1990. This newfound positivity extended to the subsequent reception of Violator, solidifying 'Enjoy The Silence' as an iconic track in Depeche Mode's discography. The song continues to be celebrated for its brooding, tender qualities, and its ability to resonate with audiences globally as well as the iconic video.
Batman (Gary The Tall v Exotic Gardens Reversion) (4:11)
Review: Emotional Rescue takes another trip into the twisted world of post-punk dubs, electronics and oddities here at the hands of DJ, collector and radio host Gary The Tall. The original comes from German duo and new wave innovators Die Radierer whose pop-reggae jam 'Batman' is irresistibly catchy with its low-slung beats and lazy, sun-kissed melodies. It appeared on 1983's In Hollywood and was recorded at their home studio on a Tascam 4-track cassette recorder. Gary The Tall's remix finds him teaming up with Aaron Coyles under his new alias of Exotic Gardens and the results are loopy and dubbed out to perfection.
Review: Not since Wet Leg has a duo appeared on the UK indie scene with such hype. Disgusting Sisters have had a dream start playing Reading and Leeds, Left of the Dial, Pitchfork Paris and The Great Escape First 50 before even releasing their debut single. 'Killing It' comes out via The Speedy Wunderground 7" single series. The series has been a launch pad for the likes of Black Country, New Road, Squid and Black Midi, who have all gone on to great things. We can expect nothing less for Anglo-French sibling duo Disgusting Sisters - they will be a much bigger band within a few months of this single being released. And this irreverent, funny single will become a collector's item.
Review: If indie-rock did fantasy football then this is a championship-winning supergroup that hipsters would have wet dreams about. Minnesota slowcore sorts Low joined forces with Aussie meditative atypical post-rock group Dirty Three for a one-off EP. That's Dirty Three of Warren Ellis fame (the beardy Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds band member). There were tight parameters to encourage experimentation: The EP, originally released in 2001, was part of the Fishtank sessions where artists handpicked by the Konkurrent label make a record in Amsterdam in only two days.
The gamble seemingly paid off. It's remarkable that they sound as if they've been living out of each other's pockets for years, with seamless musical understanding, despite the short amount of time they were given. There's tear-jerking tenderness in hearing Mimi Parker's voice on the opening track, 'I Hear Goodnight'. Parker founded Low along with her husband Alan Spearhawk, but sadly passed away in 2022. Meanwhile, other highlights include a superb slow-motion cover of Neil Young's 'Down By The River', which doesn't feel too constrained by the original and showcases the group's experimental tendencies. The vocal take here makes you wish for an entire album of them performing Neil Young covers. Elsewhere, 'When I Called Upon Your Seed' is an Americana masterpiece with gorgeous droning instrumentals freckled with guitar plucking and long-held vocal notes.
Something that appears to have made this session a success is the uncomplicatedness of the recording, which stays away from adding too many lines of instrumentation, and gives the spotlight to the individual talent of people who can truly play. The rewards are countless, but it would be amiss to not note Warren Ellis' violin performance throughout the record. That alone is enough to make you wish you persevered and kept up with those violin lessons as a kid. Enough listens to this, though, and perhaps you'll think it's not too late to go back. Truly inspiring stuff.
Review: Chrystabell and David Lynch's album Cellophane Memories emerges from a visionary encounter Lynch had, translating light and voice into a collection of ethereal tracks. This collaboration dives into fairytale forests, mountain peaks, and crepuscular highways, creating an atmospheric journey through landscapes of loneliness and romance. The album is a sonorous exploration of these sublime settings, enveloping listeners in a supernatural experience of colors, weather, and breath. The songs present a fluidity of time, where characters are sketched in the ephemeral moments of daily dramas. Chrystabell's vocals emerge, dissolve, and loop, creating layers of harmony and history, evoking both the presence and absence within each note. Lynch's orchestral arrangements, along with late composer Angelo Badalamenti's contributions, weave together strings, guitar glissandi, and reverb, crafting melodies that suspend time and capture the essence of a first kiss. Cellophane Memories invites listeners to ponder the nature of mystery, without providing definitive answers. The album's music embodies the transient beauty of departures and returns, landscapes and atmospheres and the intricate dance of time and memory. It radiates a distant light from within its darkness, offering a profound listening experience. This vinyl release is a great package to experience the enduring and enigmatic creative partnership between Chrystabell and David Lynch.
Review: Karl D'Silva's debut album, Love Is A Flame In The Dark, is an evocative exploration of sound that challenges conventional boundaries. Over two years of recording, D'Silva has created a compelling landscape where industrial grit meets tender melodies. Self-recorded in Rotherham and meticulously mixed in Leeds by Ross Halden, this album stands as a testament to D'Silva's ability to craft a distinctive pop language rooted in a post-industrial ethos. The album resonates with a sense of urgency and raw emotional depth. Drawing from influences as varied as Cabaret Voltaire and Nine Inch Nails, D'Silva's music is a fusion of inventive sound design and earnestness. Tracks like 'Wild Kiss' showcase thunderous percussion intertwined with D'Silva's commanding voice, while 'Flowers Start To Cry' marries aggressive drum programming with a haunting falsetto, evoking comparisons to Nine Inch Nails' visceral production style but with a unique, personal twist. Throughout Love Is A Flame In The Dark, D'Silva's versatility is evident. 'On The Outside' offers a soundscape of synths and saxophone, echoing the adventurous spirit of late 60s Free Jazz. 'Entropy' stands out with its expansive synth pop, while 'Nowhere Left To Run' weaves a narrative of light emerging from darkness with its midi-string orchestration. D'Silva's voice, a soulful rasp from his early medical history, imbues the music with a fearless yet tender quality. This album captures a journey from darkness into light, reflecting D'Silva's profound connection to his craft and the emotional weight of his experiences.
Review: Virginia-raised singer Lucy Dacus' profile has been overshadowed by the gargantuan success of Boygenius bandmate Phoebe Bridgers, but this sounds like the album that's going to change all that overnight. The single 'Ankle' is a case in point: the string-laden number is a hypnotic, emotionally charged epic full of temperature-raising double-entendres. Elsewhere, on the tender ballad 'Limerence', Dacus sounds timeless, like we're in the company of a songwriter who's going to be around doing this music making thing for the rest of her life. An extraordinary talent.
Review: Following the announcement in October 2020 that the OG line up of seminal homegrown punks The Damned featuring Dave Vanian (vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (bass), and Rat Scabies (drums), would reunite for their first batch of reunion shows in over four decades, the pandemic quickly disagreed and forced the members to push back their run until November 2022. AD 2022: Live In Manchester delivers the group's iconic set at Manchester's O2 Apollo made up of 21 classic cuts from their 1977 debut full-length Damned Damned Damned and its same-year sophomore follow up Music For Pleasure (the only two projects all four original members performed on).
Review: AD 2022: Live In Manchester is the long overdue live album from seminal homegrown punk legends The Damned, who announced plans in 2020 to undertake a reunion tour with the original line up of Dave Vanian (vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (bass), and Rat Scabies (drums), but naturally had to put things on hold due to the pandemic. Finally making good on their promise and reuniting for the first time in over four decades to descend upon Manchester's O2 Apollo in November 2022 for an immense set of 21 tracks taken from the band's first two (and only) albums to ever feature the classic OG line up; Damned Damned Damned and Music For Pleasure, both initially released in 1977, feast your ears on a true fly-on-the-wall experience if you were one of the many miserable millions to not experience such an iconic rarity in person that night.
Review: Dana & Alden are an acid jazz duo consisting of a TikTok comedian and an organic farmer, blends personal muses with musical innovation in this vibrant collection. Coyote You're My Star is their second release together. The album starts off with the title track, 'Coyote, You're My Star', which starts as a charming ode to love before evolving into a passionate anthem. This theme of celebration continues with 'You Can Do Anything', a motivating piece that exudes creativity and resolve. The track 'Ivan's Theme' offers a cinematic shift, reminiscent of classic soundtrack motifs. Mid-album, Dana & Alden deliver standout tracks like 'Garden Famil,' featuring Melanie Charles, which pays tribute to nature's healing role, and 'Bourdain,' a poignant homage to Anthony Bourdain. 'Maria' stands out with a great groove, while 'PB' acts as a transitional interlude. The final tracks, including 'Chocobanano' and 'Popular Front', present dynamic and thought-provoking fare. Closing with 'Return of the Coyote', the album revisits its central themes, expanding the emotional and sonic landscape. Coyote, You're My Star is a unique trip that masterfully intertwines the old and the new.
Review: The allure of The Dandy Warhols' iconic album, Dandy Warhols Come Down, was real back when it was originally released on 15 July 1997 to great acclaim from fans. Now you can relive those golden days with the album as it is reissued on striking yellow vinyl for 2024. Courtney Taylor-Taylor's unique vocals and the band's captivating melodies still make for a great sonic journey that merges alternative rock with dreamy soundscapes and plenty of catchy hooks, hypnotic grooves and carefree vibes as well as elements of alt rock, power pop and garage punk.
Nothing Lifestyle Of A Tortured Artist For Sale (3:46)
Grunge Betty (3:33)
Prelude: Its A Fast Driving Rave Up With The Dandy Warhols Sixteen Minutes (1:18)
Its A Fast-Driving Rave-Up With The Dandy Warhols (7:37)
Sixteen Minutes (11:08)
Finale: Its A Fast-Driving Rave-Up With The Dandy Warhols Sixteen Minutes (1:33)
Review: Dandys Rule OK by The Dandy Warhols is a raw, energetic debut that reflects the band's knack for blending satire with serious rock sensibilities. Released in 1995, the album is a mix of slacker ethos and psychedelic influences, with nods to British guitar rock. From the cheeky 'The Dandy Warhols T.V. Theme Song' to the shoegaze-infused 'Ride,' the album showcases the band's ability to craft songs that are both irreverent and impactful. Tracks like '(Tony, This Song Is Called) Lou Weed' cleverly parody Lou Reed, while 'Best Friend' and 'Not Your Bottle' merge 60s psychedelia with 90s alternative rock vibes. 'The Coffee And Tea Wrecks' stands out with its semi-Eastern tuning and a guitar solo reminiscent of 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' The album's emotional core lies in 'Just Try,' with its confessional tone reminiscent of John Lennon, followed by the powerful 'Nothing (Lifestyle of a Tortured Artist For Sale),' which channels the intensity of My Bloody Valentine. The closing track, 'It's A Fast-Driving Rave-Up With The Dandy Warhols,' is a 16-minute homage to 'Sister Ray' that encapsulates the band's love for excess and disregard for limitations. Now, nearly 30 years later, the album's reissue reminds us of its enduring influence and the Dandy Warhols' early brilliance.
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