New releases last four weeks: Leftfield

Review: Container is a long-running project from Ren Schofield but he has hasn't released anything since back in 2021 when he delighted techno heads with his Creamer EP. His manic sound has recently taken him to some sold out shows around the world and now comes Tacker, a new album that fuses rock with electronic stylings on Alter. Nirvana's 'Oh, The Guilt', Mindflayer's album 'It's Always 1999', and the Rah Bras song 'Sooop Toe Pump Girls' have all been given as points of inspiration for this most brain-fizzing, hardcore collision of worlds.

Review: Brothers in sounds (and lineage) Mark and Clive Ives deal with two of the biggest issues impacting music right now on one incredible record.WOO have a reputation for taking parts of archived sounds and formulating new things from those segments, and in this case the work is born from excerpts of four-track tape recordings made in the late-1980s. They then began reflecting on the "imminent nature of humanoid robots", and starting to create Xylophonics/Robot X. From artificial intelligence to reuse and sample politics and economics, these themes seem to guide the sounds themselves, which feel strangely nostalgic and futuristic, a vision of tomorrow that is inseprtable from the humans that made it - their understanding of the unfolding machine age through weird distorted jazz tech, deconstructed dub and psychedelic electronica. So, remembering all this is a reconfigured version of stuff made almost 35 years ago is truly mind-blowing.

Review: Woman by Monica Lassen & The Sounds is a rare and beautiful album that has finally been reissued on vinyl in 2024. Originally released in 1970, the album is a mix of easy listening and jazz-funk with a distinctly cinematic feel. The lack of vocals gives the music a dreamy and evocative quality, perfect for soundtracking your own mental movies. If you're a fan of either easy listening or jazz-funk, or if you're just looking for something new and different, we highly recommend checking out this rare piece of Japanese music. It's a truly unique and special album that deserves a place in any music lover's collection.

Notes: Inside our brand new issue:

Still House Plants: London's post-post-punk trio use deconstructed songform to tap emotions others cannot reach. By Frances Morgan

FUJI|||||||||||TA: Pulling out the stops with homemade pipe organs. By Antonio Poscic

Cheer-Accident: Thymme Jones's motley crew of Chicago outsiders flip the conventions of the rock band. By Peter Margasak

Lolina: One half of influential duo Hype Williams explores a comic book dystopia in new project Unrecognisable. By Claire Biddles

NikNak: The British musician turns the tables on sound art. By Tayyab Amin

Invisible Jukebox: Kristin Hersh: Will the songwriter and author find her muse in The Wire's mystery record selection? Tested by Emily Pothast

Unlimited Editions: Tripalium Corp

Unofficial Channels: Billdifferen

Ana Lua Caiano: Portuguese tradition made anew by the musician and audiovisual artist. By Shane Woolman

BBBBBBB: The Japanese trio present their scum manifesto. By James Hadfield

Fatboi Sharif: The Garden State Gargoyle raps a dance of the macabre. By Joseph Stannard

Angelica Sanchez: A set of monster jams from the East Coast pianist. By Stewart Smith

The Inner Sleeve: Lee Gamble on Various Artists' Decay Product

Epiphanies: Jlin maximises her creative potential with Philip Glass

Soundcheck: [Ahmed], Ancine, Andrea & Mud, Maria Bertel Et Nina Garcia, Alan Braufman, Anthony Braxton, Kyle Bruckman, Natalia Cappa, John Carpenter/Cody Carpenter/Daniel Davies, Cheer-Accident, Clarissa Connelly, Anastasia Coope, Viv Corringham, Alison Cotton, Couch Slut, Richie Culver, Elkhorn & Mike Gangloff, Phil Geraldi, Carlos Giffoni, Allen Ginsberg, Allen Ginsberg & Youth, Grackles, groundsound, Liz Helman, Julia Holter, Jack O'The Clock, Goran Kajfes Tropiques, Kowloon Spider Temples, Sean Ono Lennon, Magic Tuber String Band, DJ Marcelle, Melvins, Monopoly Child Nightlife, Monopoly Child, Star Searchers, NOUT, Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet, Organum Electronics, OU, Pye Corner Audio, Quiet Husband, Mikel Rouse, Bianca Scout, sinono, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Ches Smith, Kavain Wayne Space & XT, Guido Spannochi, Malini Sridharan, Luke Stewart Silt Trio, Sunburned Hand Of The Man, Thollem, Thollem & Ka, Thollem/Terry Riley/Nels Cline, tilt, Toadliquor, Alan Tomlinson & Lawrence Casserley, Alan Tomlinson Trio, Kamasi Washington, Larry Wish, Cody Yantis, Zombi, Various Resist Colonial Power By Any Means Necessary

The Boomerang: Amon Duul, As One, Cranes, Curve, Brian Eno, Brian Eno/Holger Czukay/J Peter Schwalm, NRG Ensemble, Pharoah Sanders, Linda Smith, Twelve Cubic Feet, Vile Cherubs, Mars Williams & Hamid Drake, Mars Williams/Darin Gray/Chris Corsano, Bernie Worrell, Bernie Worrell/Cindy Blackman Santana/John King, Various Aceh Punx Compilation, Various Groucho Marxist Record Co.Operative, Various Noise Of Cologne 3, Various Punk KS, Various Trouble Brews: A Belfast Punk Compilation

Print Run: Basta Now: Women, Trans & Non-binary In Experimental Music by Fanny Chiarello; Dream Machines: Electronic Music In Britain From Doctor Who To Acid House by Matthew Collin; Ears To The Ground: Adventures In Field Recording And Electronic Music by Ben Murphy; Ain't It Fun: Peter Laughner & Proto-Punk In The Secret City by Aaron Lange; 20 000 Words: Interviews With Antoine Le Bousse by Sylvain Darrifourcq; Switched On: The Dawn Of Electronic Sound By Latin American Women edited by Luis Alvarado & Alejandra Cardenas; The Future Of Songwriting by Kristin Hersh; Elizabethan Tape Loops by Drew Mulholland; The Notebooks Of Sonny Rollins by Sonny Rollins with Sam VH Reese (Editor)

On Screen: Neo Sora Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus

On Location: Andre 3000, San Francisco, US; Fred Frith & Susana Santos Silva, London, UK; FLEA Presents Random Gear Festival + Rashad Becker + Joanne Robertson + Callahan & Witscher + Nick Malkin, London, UK; Cassie Kinoshi with seed. + NikNak + London Contemporary Orchestra, London, UK; Fortuna 2024, Tokyo, Japan; Charlemagne Palestine, Amsterdam, Netherlands; On An Endless Road: It? Noe And The Women Composers Of Her Time, London, UK; Ustad Noor Bakhsh, London, UK; Glamorous Pharmacy, Shenzhen, China; ML Buch + Astrid Sonne, London, UK; Life After Death, London, UK; Brighde Chaimbeul, London, UK

On Site: Pan Daijing Mute, Munich, Germany; Ginsberg In London, London, UK

Review: British band Archive unveils their soundtrack for the new French film Voleuses (Thieves) on NetFlix under the English title of Wingwomen, in the UK. The soundtrack offers a unique blend of electronic, avant-garde, post-rock and progressive rock and draws from diverse musical influences throughout, with the the London-based ensemble delivering an immersive landscape that mirrors the story of Carole and Alex, two adept thieves battling for liberation in the film. This one comes on audiophile vinyl and is a great accompaniment to the move itself.

Review: An iconic soundtrack to a classic blaxploitation flick, JJ Johnson and Martha Reeves & The Sweet Things turned a collective head when they simultaneously composed their core themes for Willie Dynamite, directed by obscure director Gilbert Moses. This ineluctable screen treat stars Roscoe Orman and Diana Sands in a quintessential portrayal of early '70s New York pimping, with the central character's foibles giving rise to a latent conscience when he comes into contact with a young social worker. As is often the case with the blaxploitation genre, Willie Dynamite begins with the lead character cruising down the streets of New York in some kind of fancy car, and 'tracked by the central theme: the theme of Reeves' 'Willie D' is clear as day, lyrically portraying D's hustle as 'magic', "never treating two girls the same", "it's no different from any other industry". 'Keep On Movin' On' contrasts this with a note of modesty, signaling the movie's inevitable tonal shift; nor should you miss the B-side instrumentals 'Willie Chase' and 'Parade Strut'.

Review: Los Angeles-based ASHRR are back with a new cut which comes from their forthcoming Sunshine Low album which they have re-interpreted as their ASHRR Soundsystem alter ego, while System Olympia also steps up with a remix on this fine new package from 20/20 Vision. In the hands of the latter, 'What's Been Turning You' is a remix with plenty of hi-fidelity cosmic details over mid-tempo deep nu-disco drums. The version from ASHRR is a chugging and Italo-tinged classic with loose-limbed and jumbled drum funk and plenty of bright, shiny arps. A great collection then.

Review: Well Curated is a series of releases and parties that - in its own words - "reflects the ethnomusicology of the last 50 years of music" - and aims to reach into all genres, merging classic styles and breaking down barriers. Steve Spacek occupies the A-side with the breezy broken beat and soul-in-space of 'Alone In Da Sun', while Lukid's 'Hair Of The Dog' is a more intense counterpart, with wobbling sub-bass and swirling, surging atmospherics hovering above.

Notes: Following "Vintage Music T-shirt Scrap", The long-awaited third instalment of the scrap series is Jazz!

Focusing on jazz, focusing on original vintage posters, From flyers to booklets, calendars, and magazines of performances at the time!

There are many jazz record jacket books in the world, but this is the first poster book in the world.

Ide started by searching for materials for his autobiographical book "Rolling On The Road". Ninety percent of the items in the collection were collected intensively by Ide over a period of about a year and a half. "

Binding: 376 pages / A5 format

Review: Formed in the post-punk era of Manchester in 1978, The Durutti Column, led by guitarist Vini Reilly, has remained an enigmatic and influential force in the history of post-punk. Their 1989 release, aptly titled Vini Reilly, is a testament to Reilly's eclecticism and sonic experimentation. The album spans a vast musical landscape, encompassing elements of post-punk, rock, acoustic, avant-garde, jazz, classical, folk, pop, and electronica.The album's 35th anniversary reissue box set includes many great additions that allows listeners to appreciate the enduring impact of his artistry, as he continues to inspire and challenge music enthusiasts worldwide. Includes new essay by Durutti Column/Factory Records expert James Nice, liner notes by band member Bruce Mitchell, liner notes from Anthony Wilson, interview extracts with Vini Reilly and restored images and outtake images.

Review: The KVB's forthcoming album Tremors, marks a significant return for the coldwave duo. Described as 'dystopian pop,' the album promises a fusion of industrial-tainted synths with post-punk percussive patterns, capturing the warped energy of their live performances. Lead single 'Labyrinths' offers a visceral experience, with sloping bass-lines and imposing production delivering unbridled aggression reminiscent of the band's early releases. The album represents a culmination of the duo's evolution, blending emotive impact and pop hooks within a uniquely shadowy atmosphere. As pioneers in atmosphere mastery. A cinematic journey through themes of loss, resistance and inevitable change, making it their most complete album to date.

Review: What does it mean To Belong? Cynthia Bernard aka. Marine Eyes only begins to scratch the surface of this question on her latest ambient record (yet leaps a great deal forward in wrestling with it nonetheless), following up her prior effort 'Chamomile' with a distinctly beauteous fortnight of forenoon drones, all of which spur the realization that "belonging is everywhere and nowhere". Belonging is indeed a kind of ephemeral longing of being than can only ever be partly grasped, attained. Through its looping washes of warmed, brackish, padded backwash - not to mention its many bass-undergirded angel choirs - the likes of 'Timeshifting', 'Bridges' and 'Mended Own' stand out as such revelatory highlights, all contributing to an incredible album of sonic diaristic reflection, in which every sound sticks out clearly yet plays its proper part in a humble, rose-smelling gestalt.

Review: The limited 7" edition of Marine Eyes' latest full-length ambient record 'To Belong' hears a distilling of the original fourteen-track record down to just four selections. Though every track on the digital version of the album works in its own right, the choice on offer here - 'Hushed', 'Of The West', 'Bluest' and 'Call & Answer' - are particularly deserving of the study on wax. Something static, nigh time-crystalline is achieved on the B2, with its held root note evincing something of the quality of an infinite dream; the A1 recalls some mix of DJ Healer, Malibu or David Motion with its three note tenor-pad lilt; the A2 gets at the best of both worlds, sounding like a paradisiacal bathhouse vision set in slow motion; the B1 is the tensest, opting for a moodier key, but its reversed guitar taps and sustained choir-synth working in a no less lachrymose aesthetic.

Review: Mount Kimbie demonstrate their expansive ability to metamorphose over time, with the Sunset Violent being their first record (the follow up to 2022's MK 3.5: Die Cuts I City Planning) to document their efforts as a quartet, as opposed to the simple duo project of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos. Now with composer Andrea Balency-Bearn and Marc Pell (Good Sad Happy Bad), the project brings an ever-so-slightly more conceptual slant to the mix, with the album centring thematically on the UFO sightings of the Yucca Valley, California, and the interplay between the literal desert in that part of the world, and the figurative desert of London (where the album was completed). As ever, the likes of 'Fishbrain' and 'Boxing' deliver indie-electronic buildups, as driving as they are infectious, mixed with the distinctly sepia-textured moods and performative tastes of London's finest (King Krule among them).

Review: Few bands have sidestepped expectations as cannily as Mount Kimbie. Initially a duo but now expanded into a quartet, the British band has previously excelled in mixing, matching and fusing a wide range of experimental and left of centre electronic music influences. On The Sunset Violet, their first full-length as a quartet, they've shifted sonically once more, leaning into their indie-rock influences on a set recorded in California. The latter aspect - and the impact of being surrounded by sunshine and desert - is reflected in the warmth and haziness of the sound, which draws on the layered vocals and guitars of vintage shoegaze while also reaching for more familiar aspects of the band's previous experimental electronic sounds (for proof, check the ghostly musical vision that is King Krule collaboration 'Boxing').