Review: Bjork and Rosalia team up for the limited marble vinyl edition 12" double-sider, 'Oral', now coming packed with a stunning remix by Olof Dreijer from The Knife. The record is described by its releasers OLI as not just a single release but a "call to arms", with 100% of the profits being funnelled directly to AEGIS, the Icelandic charity dedicated to eradicating intensive fish farming in the country. 'Oral' itself is now a staple of the latest incarnation of Bjork's ever-mutant career, consummating her and Rosalia's recent rapport; a sabre-wielding, purblind aesthetic - befitting also of another of Bjork's collaborative contemporaries, Arca - fits seamlessly with the elegiac reggaeton of the song. Dreijer's remix is rabid and wonky by comparison, its draggy, morphemic rhythms belying Bjork and Rosalia's equally wetted vocals, producing a wacky litany of faunal electronics and whizzing FX.
Yeah X 3 (Sonic Boom & Panda Bear Reset remix instrumental)
Yeah X 3 (The Vendetta Suite Reason To Drift mix)
Yeah X 3 (The Vendetta Suite Reason To live mix)
Review: Yeah X 3, the latest single from David Holmes and Raven Violet's album Blind On A Galloping Horse, diverges from the overtly political themes of the record, instead offering a personal revelation. Featuring remixes by Panda Bear and Sonic Boom, as well as The Vendetta Suite's Gary Irwin, the single showcases diverse experimental approaches. For the A-side, the remixes are atmospheric and heady, creating a euphoric feeling with your head in the clouds. The second remix being the more beat forward version. For the B-side, massive amounts of sound heavily affected the remixes processing. The first being more of an ambient version while the last version is more straightforward and radio friendly. If you like the original song, then these versions will sit alongside them very well.
Review: Gemma Rogers was recently witnessed adding her disticntrively raw vocal tunes to a new track by prog house heroes Fluke, but this new four tracker is very much her own thing, with elements of punk, new wave and synthpop colliding head on across four new tracks. Her lyrical talent is clearly considerable, and versatile too, veering from the envigoratingly angry ('Never Have I Ever', kicking back againsty the noramlisation of sexual violence against women) to the impressionistic ('DKU', which re-imagines the Grim Reaper as a stressed out single mum to be). The most beautiful and poetic moment, though, is the title track, which borrows a little of early New Order's grim grandeur and bears the vaguest smear of the Sex Pistols' 'God Save The Queen' in its melody, but this 12" from Ode to records - a new offshoot of esteemed punk stable Holy Dotage - really runs the emotional gamut. Class sounds, for those who like it fierce.
Review: Happenstance can be a fortuitous element. A union-funded single discovered in a dusty store, a long disbanded band found, leads to unreleased post punk dubs in a box of unreleased demos.
Formed during the mid-80s in the downbeat town of Walsall, their music is a blend of disparate influences from 50's crooners, blues and reggae to Killing Joke and The Bunnymen; Ron's Neighbours were out of step with the perfect pop of the C86 indie generation.
Their only single - "To The Fight" - a split 7" was supported by the Trade Union Resource Centre, while many gigs were benefits for striking miners, leading to a loyal local following.
Engineered by Ozzy Osbourne's brother Tony, tracks were recorded at an 8 track bedroom / home studio, while a terraced house served as rehearsal space. Here Ron Next Door was born. When a tape recorder was left running it captured the long-suffering neighbour for posterity. His outburst gave the band and song, its name.
Experimenting with drum machines, the resultant jam track, here in its "Alternative Mix", languished unheard until now. Ron's 'Black Country' tones lead to driving bass / percussion against crashing Stratocasters and repeating, refrained vox - a post punk dub turned symphony.
The B side, Sitting On Top of the World, is an indie anthem, becoming their theme, a blend of grandiose and banal that characterised their songs.
When People Are Occupied Resistance Is Justified (10:21)
It's Over, If We Run Out Of Love (5:04)
Emotionally Clear (4:04)
Hope Is The Last Thing To Die (4:50)
You Will Know Me By The Smell Of Onions (4:38)
Necessary Genius (3:42)
Yeah X 3 (4:47)
I Laugh Myself To Sleep (4:13)
Too Muchroom (3:47)
Agitprop 13 (6:50)
Stop Apologising (5:37)
Tyranny Of The Talentless (5:46)
Love In The Upside Down (4:39)
Blind On A Galloping Horse (5:32)
Review: David Holmes' first solo album since 2008's The Holy Pictures, Blind On A Galloping Horse now comes to Heavenly Recordings. A politically-charged LP full of sonic interrogations of political disaster and turmoil, Holmes here joins the cast of artists using their art to provide solace to music fans suffering at the hands of the Uncertainocene. With updated versions of the previously released singles 'Hope Is The Last Thing To Die' and 'It's Over If We Run Out Of Love', as well as a recording of an unreleased song by Holmes' late friend Andrew Weatherall, we're reminded of conflict, migration and othering, as all manner of voices combine to form a diverse but unified whole against a backdrop of leftfield post-punk - be they the spoken word accounts from Afghan and Ukrainian refugees now welcomed as residents in Belfast, or the French and Irish observers of the UK's turmoil of recent years.
Review: Considered to be Australia's first and most influential punk band and the country's answer to 'Kick Out The Jams' hitmakers MC5 and The Stooges, Radio Birdman have bucked the trend and shown that it's not quantity but quality that matters. Living Eyes, recorded in 1978 in Rockfield Studios in Wales, is the band's second studio album, the last recorded by the band before they split and easily one of the best punk records you can get. They've reformed since but released only more album since then and that was released in 2006. Ultimately, it's the brief first era truly that's built their reputation. And while a lot of groups remix and remaster records even though they've had an official master previously, this remix version of Radio Birdman was born out of the band wanting to finish the job properly. The first release in 1981 came when the band weren't together so they didn't get an official master until 1994 when they put out a CD. For the first time, the 1994 version is available on vinyl and it's the ultimate way to hear Radio Birdman.
Review: Lesser Matters is an overlooked gem of Swedish indie-pop. Sweden's rich musical heritage spans various genres and eras, producing globally recognised names like The Cardigans, The Hives and Stina Nordenstam. However, beyond these well-known acts lies a treasure trove of lesser-known gems, including the innovative Wintergatan, the indiepop-to-electropop evolution of Red Sleeping Beauty, and the enchanting dream pop trio, The Radio Dept. Their name originates from a converted petrol station. Founded by Johan Duncanson and joined by Martin Larsson and later Daniel Tjader, the band has seen various line-up changes but consistently produced music that resonates deeply with listeners. Their debut album, blends lo-fi scuzzy guitars, shoegaze, and New Order-esque electropop, creating a sound that, while reminiscent of 1980s post-punk, remains distinctly their own. Tracks like 'Keen On Boys' and 'Why Won't You Talk About It?' exhibit their knack for combining subtle touches with heavenly melodies, while songs like 'Where Damage Isn't Already Done' demonstrate their ability to craft high-energy, emotionally charged music. The album seamlessly incorporates ambient sounds, creating an intimate and atmospheric listening experience.
Review: "In Rainbows", Radiohead's seventh album, finally gets a physical release! It's one thing downloading this landmark album, but to actually hold this is something special. Not only do you get increased sound quality, but you also get the amazing artwork from Stanley Donwood. This album includes "Nude", a live favourite for many years that was originally written during the "OK Computer" sessions. More minimal that their "Kid A" period, "In Rainbows" does something that very few albums have done - its sound is distinct from previous Radiohead albums, but is still clearly Radiohead. Hail to the kings, they are back on top form.
Review: Twenty years ago it sounded like an oddly poignant evocation of pre-millennial tension. Two decades later it stands as an eerily prescient glimpe into the technological alienation and dislocation of of a new era. Yet more importantly, OK Computer is no more or less than a sparkling, dramatic and moving collection of songs that haven't lost any of their impact in the interim. The sound of a band stubbornly refusing to follow up the stadium-strafing stylings of its predecessor The Bends - and instead bursting headlong into experimentation and wild creativity -is portrayed in still more vivid colours by the alarmingly strong collection of out-takes and B-sides collected herein, Yet there's no getting away from the chill and spark that marked out OK Computer from everything surrounding it in the post-Britpop malaise, and continues to do so in the pre-Brexit counterpart.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor Rich Man Poor Man Beggar Man Thief (4:38)
True Love Waits (5:08)
Review: A quarter century old now, yet these art-rock giants and eternal malcontents seem as restless in their muse and motion as ever - still chronicling an increasingly complicated and strenuous age yet doing it with finesse, grace and innovation. The urgent, invigorating strains of single 'Burn the Witch' were no anomaly, and 'A Moon Shaped Pool' shows them shaking off the more insular tendencies of their last opus 'King Of Limbs' to engage and electrify in a way that they haven't truly managed for years - radiant, celestial ambience shares space here with impressive ire and emotional engagement, with these peerless experimentalists delivering a record that transcends both their own work and the vast majority of the musical landscape they survey.
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