Review: Ghost Box present the CD edition of their latest record by freakish scene-dazzlers Beautify Junkyards, Nova. Despite the record's immediate imagism bringing together news clipping collage, and connotations of scrapheaps and salvaging indicated by the band's name, the sound of the record is anything but adjacent to these themes. The six-piece psychedelia/acid folk band command a wide foundry of instruments, smoothening any rough edge into a shared, sonically doughy dream, beautifying a well-sifted haul of believably, formerly scrapped instruments into a pristine assemblage. Though it builds on motifs heard in 60s and 70s film soundtracks, echoing spaghetti Westerns and early sci-fi, the record's best moments are its seemingly impossible electronica syntheses, such as the unassailed critical mass of trickling drum machine, spring reverb, tonal murmur and near-atonal noise reached on 'Raridade De Contrastes'.
Review: Following the triumphant success of their 50th Anniversary celebration, BLUE OYSTER CULT is gearing up for the release of the eagerly anticipated "50th Anniversary Live - Second Night." This electrifying performance, which includes the band's second album "Tyranny and Mutation" performed back-to-back is is a spectacular follow-up to the band's historic three-night stint at Sony Hall in NYC.
In September 2022, BLUE OYSTER CULT enthralled fans with a unique trilogy of sold-out shows, each dedicated to one of their first three albums. Founding member Albert Bouchard made a special appearance on all three nights, adding a nostalgic touch to the historic milestone.
For nearly three hours each night, the band delivered a spellbinding set, weaving through the entirety of their classic initial trilogy of albums and treating fans to a mix of fan favorites, deep cuts, and classic hits.
Review: Boris's Amplifier Worship, first released in 1998 and now reissued by Third Man Records, stands as a monumental testament to the band's uncompromising vision of heavy music. This album showcases their ability to push metal to its extreme boundaries, blending doom-drone, psych-sludge, and unrelenting noise. It's an intense, chaotic, and visceral experience, not for the faint of heart. The remastered version brings new life to this brutal classic, housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket and pressed at Third Man Pressing for a high-quality vinyl experience. Boris's signature sonic landscapes are rich with mythic weight, as tracks shift from slow, crushing doom to explosive bursts of sound. The group's bullish experimentation, combined with their powerful live performances, has earned them a devoted fanbase worldwide. This reissue is essentialia timeless blueprint for Boris's expansive future.
Please Call To Book (Le'ts Write A song Project) (4:41)
Review: As the title suggests, Broadcast have collected all their demo recordings made between 2000 and 2006 and compiled them onto a single 14-track record. But that's not the main piece of news: sadly, this one marks the end of releasing from the band, tying the bow on an game-changing career to say the least. Many of these tender tidbits were worked into finished productions appearing on Haha Sound, Tender Buttons and The Future Crayon; it's an impressive flex to be able to flaunt your one-offs and pack them onto a single recorded finale. What's more, the connotations aroused by form - demos - as well as the sonic content of these gems plays nicely up to Broadcast's now well-established aesthetic, which is one for the ages, to be sure. The album also includes two songs discovered by James after bandmate Trish's passing: 'Come Back To Me' and 'Please Call To Book' which was her response to Broadcast's 2006 'Let's Write A Song' project, where fans were asked to submit lyrics on a postcard which would then be worked into a finished song.
Please Call To Book (Le'ts Write A song Project) (4:41)
Review: Broadcast's Collected Demos collections span era-defining moments that dot the band's career. One of several new demo compilations to mark the band's sad closing knell, Distant Call is one such record, and comprises fourteen demos that were worked into finished productions appearing on Haha Sound, Tender Buttons and The Future Crayon. Though most of these are tenderer versions of these songs of yore, two cuts here - 'Come Back To Me' and 'Please Call To Book' - are formerly unheard originals, both of whose songwriting is credited to the band's own Trish Keenan, discovered shortly after her passing in 2011. Full of dusty deuteragonies and gothic, tape-hued waltzes, this is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime, stripped back snapshot of the band's cutting room floor.
Review: Discodelic comes correct again with a new 7" that features a pair of rather lesser-known and brilliantly obscure Latin psych-rock gems. Conjunto Raza' 'African Dream' is all crackly and immediately nostalgic because of it, with noodle acoustic guitar sounds making way for a more upbeat and driving 60s garage rock sound but all in loveable lo-fi. Add in a red-hot vocal and you have a flame cut full of funk. On the reverse, The Scepters 'Message' is another well-aged jam that brings rawness and emotion in equal measure.
Review: Julian Cope's My Nation Underground is an album ready for rediscovery and it now gets reissued as a faithful replica of the original 1988 Mercury Records UK release and pressed on high-quality 180g vinyl. Following the success of Saint Julian, Cope surprised fans by changing his band lineup and blending funk with Krautrock with veteran producer Ron Fair at the helm. The album includes three singles, mostly notably 'Charlotte Anne' which was a minor US hit. The opener, '5 O'Clock World', is a cover of a 1965 Vogues song and is upbeat and poppy, while the seven-minute title track uniquely combines go-go beats with post-punk elements.
Review: Acid casualty, the guy who slashed his own chest with a broken microphone in a shocking on-stage act of self-mutilation. Recluse. Genius. Julian Cope has been called many things by public and press alike, often unfairly and without much to really back up the red-top headlines. Dig deeper, and we find someone who has been woefully misunderstood and - to be honest - was ahead of their times, or maybe just out of sync with the time-space continuum we're familiar with. Saint Julian, his third solo album, is a record that has less of the outright experimentation of Cope's exploits up to that point, and would spawn what remains his best-selling single of all time - 'World Shut Your Mouth' (also the title of his first LP). In this instance, the sound is resolutely mainstream without being cheesy and sticks a flag in the ground for high energy rock & roll with high concept parts. Enough to garner positive reviews across the board when it first landed.
Review: DR Hooker's 1972 debut album, The Truth, is a masterpiece of hippy psychedelia and evangelical Christianity. Hooker's transformation from a substance-abusing hippy to a Bible basher is reflected in the lyrics, with tracks like 'Forge Your Own Chains' highlighting his battle with addiction and the album's eclectic mix of smooth balladry, rock standards, and experimental sound effects makes it a fascinating listen. Privately pressed with just 99 copies originally, this album is one of the rarest records of all time. Hooker assembled a group of local musicians for recording sessions at Dynamic Recording Studios in New Haven, Connecticut. The musicians' remarkable performances, including a ferocious piano solo on 'Fall In Love,' add to the album's allure. The Truth remains accessible to new audiences. This 2024 reissue on cobalt blue vinyl captures the album's mystique and enduring appeal.
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