Bis Aufs Messer Weekly News 02 July 2022
Hi. Welcome to another newsletter for July. Lots of cool stuff arrived like the ESA SAARINEN - Filosofia LP, OUTLAW ORDER - Dragging Down The Enforcer LP (red vinyl) re issue, GMM WITH ALEXANDER ROBOTNICK – Don't Ask Me Why / Love Supreme 12“, KALI MALONE – Living Torch LP, JEROME - LP2 LP, MARS - Rehearsal Tapes and Alt-Takes NYC 1976-1978 3LP, MESSA - Close DLP, NORMIL HAWAIIANS - Dark World LP, NICO – The Drama Of Exile LP, THEOREME - Les Artisans LP, VINTAGE CROP - Kibitzer LP, THE PLASTIK BEATNIKS - All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For LP restock, CATERINA BARBIERI - Spirit Exit DLP, PRINCESS DIANA OF WALES - s/t LP, MIDORI TAKADA & SHOMYO OF KOYA SAN - You Who Are Leaving To Nirvana LP, MIDORI TAKADA - Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter LP and some more …
Til then thank you for all your orders & support.
Robert & Norman
mailorder@bisaufmesser.com
www.adagio830-records.bandcamp.com
7“
FANG - Enjoy The View / Yukon Fang 7“ (improved - Improved Sequence brings back to life an essential weirdo hc-punk ripper from Berkeley legends Fang. This is where it all started in 1981 when Fang guitarist Tom Flynn and bass player Brian Beattie released this incredible 7" documenting the 'experimental' in yr face sound they soon refined on 'Landshark'. Remastered by Brian Pyle and featuring the original artwork this is as good as it gets and we dare say... a classic!) 7.00
KAPUTT - Movement Now / Another War Talk 7“ (upset the - Those masses are on the move again! Sterilised in step, rusted in thought and white behind the eyes, they march and bark and bite without acceleration, digging in their heels on a tired old spot. They’re not running, and they’ll never run for you, so if you’re not satisfied in trusting the stagnant, break the rot and tailor the world to your own speed! Kaputt’s new EP ‘Movement Now/Another War Talk’, by throwing onus on a society of lethargy, uses velocity, both conceptually and in instrumentation, as a solution for the unifying phrase “I WANT MORE”. Glasgow post-punk six-piece Kaputt aren’t strangers to directing their explosive energy and maximalist vibrancy in name of allegory and critique. Their 2019 debut album on Upset the Rhythm ‘Carnage Hall’ confidently deconstructed themes of surveillance, paranoia, and cultural identity through a sonic lens of high-tempo, bright, danceable pop hooks and technical, polyphonic rhythms which border on the bombast of Zeuhl. New EP ‘Movement Now/Another War Talk’ continues the synthesis of animation and discontent with an ethos that exemplifies post-punk’s most original and guiding purpose: casting aside the rigid, signifying fashions of modern performative genre tropes and instead combining a vast fluidity of influence, tone and style to create something as unique and personal as it is counter-cultural. The result is a release that responds to the apathy of our current situation with a positive thesis, breathing life into the lived-in, bursting through every vessel, leaving nothing unturned. ) 8.00
LP
ANCIENT PLASTIX - s/t LP (maple death - In a perennial maze, paths and dreams carefully designed through repetition, a puzzle through which one has to find a way. Liverpool’s producer and composer Ancient Plastix’ self titled debut and first release for Maple Death presents immaculate soundscapes with a surgical and sharp sense of rhythm and pace, a gentle mechanical heart that carries the album through infinity and beyond. Paul Rafferty, the mind behind Ancient Plastix, recorded ‘S/T’ alone, in the summer of 2019 using just a Tascam 414, a cheap Yamaha synthesiser and a small collection of guitar pedals, working spontaneously and linearly, seeking to conjure the similar feelings of adventure & discovery that he experienced when using the 414 as a teenager in the 90s. Without the burden of screen squashed waveforms interfering, the neo-ambient compositions took on an independent analog life, picking up grain and density, sounds gently undulating as if they were breathing machines, freewheeling arrangements that contain instinct, plot and execution. ) 23.00
ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO - Orga Ar LP (Originally released on cassette in 1994 and now for the first time on vinyl, this is an incredible document from a teenage Arrington de Dionyso. All the seeds of his 30+ career are engrained on these fully formed Tascam recordings. ) 22.00
ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO - Bobcat Flamethroat LP (Originally released on cassette in 1993 and now for the first time on vinyl, this is an incredible document from a teenage Arrington de Dionyso. All the seeds of his 30+ career are engrained on these fully formed Tascam recordings. "Bobcatflamethroat" was originally released as "Pine Cone Alley Cassette #9" in August of 1993. The songs were recorded on a Tascam Porta-One 4 Track cassette studio inside a secret area in the basement of the College Activities Building at the Evergreen State College, known as "Happyland". This album has never before seen a digital release of any kind, however there is one song "Everything is Broken" which later became part of the original "canon" of Old Time Relijun after that band was formed in 1995. That song was re-recorded on the first Old Time Relijun album "Songbook Vol. I" released in 1997. ) 22.00
BERTIE MARSHALL - Exhibit LP (upset the - From 1980-83, Bertie was the frontman for post-punk boundary-pushers Behaviour Red - they released one single (favourably played by John Peel), did a mini-tour and broke up. At various times Behaviour Red featured Noel Blanden of Normil Hawaiians and fine artist Nicola Tyson. Their sound was characterised by experimentation and drama, boasting at times tribal drumming, searing vocals, dazed guitars and feedback. Bertie continued sketching out atmospheric compositions afterwards too, walking a tightrope between bewildered pop and gothic folk. Central to everything is Bertie’s commanding voice; heartfelt, at times strident, always truthful, masterfully leading you through the story.) 20.00
BLURT - Blurt + Singles DLP (improved - Led by poet/saxophonist/blurter Ted Milton, they were one of the oddest and most galvanizing bands from Great Britain’s post-punk movement. Surfacing a year after 1981’s live full-length In Berlin, their self-titled debut studio LP consists of seven tracks that strip funk and jazz-inflected no wave down to insanely logical essentials. These lean vehicles operated by Milton, his brother Jake (drums), and Pete Creese (guitar) get your hips twitching and your brain itching. The songs are both tight and spacey—a rare combo of elements that coheres into trance-funk jams punctuated by Milton’s rude, shredded sax jags and spluttering, megaphoned rants. If you saw Ted Milton doing his thing on the street corner, you’d give him a wide berth. See him onstage or hear him on record and you’re transfixed and repulsed in equal measure. (Jive Time)) 28.00
CATERINA BARBIERI - Spirit Exit DLP (light years - The musical vortexes of Caterina Barbieri rewire time and space. Listening to the Italian composer and modular synth virtuoso has felt like traveling at light-speed and slow-motion all at once since 2017’s breakthrough double-album Patterns Of Consciousness. 2019’s acclaimed Ecstatic Computation pushed even further with the lead single “Fantas”, where a haunting melody hurtling towards its supernova climax felt like witnessing the life and death of a burning star. Far beyond any new age trope or modern synth trend, her music stands alone in its ecstatic intensity and cataclysmic emotional impact. Marking the debut album on her new label light-years, Barbieri now delivers her most profound work yet — a journey through inner-space as vast as a universe and as intimate as a heartbeat. The Spirit Exit opens and we fall in. ) 30.00
CONVULSE - World Without God DLP (start - 2LP, gatefold sleeve, printed innerbags, liner notes, limited swamp green vinyl. Death metal band from Nokia, Finland, founded in 1990. Convulse’s classic debut album is finally available on vinyl again! This deluxe reissue comes with liner notes, flyers and other memorabilia + the band’s highly sought-after demo on disc 2.) 34.00
D'ARCANGELO - Arium LP (a colorful storm - D’Arcangelo is the duo of Marco and Fabrizio D’Arcangelo and Arium is their latest entry of sublimely introspective electronics. Tracing their lineage to the fertile ACV scene of mid-nineties Rome, D’Arcangelo would collaborate with likemind Max Durante before appearing under their own Automia Division and Centuria City aliases across an array of Artificial Intelligence-inspired recordings alluding to themes of science fiction, civilisation, mathematics and metropolitan dystopia. Over the course of two decades, releasing a dozen EPs and seminal sides for the likes of Rephlex, Nature and Suction Records, D’Arcangelo forged a distinctively sleek and sensuous sound alongside their stylistic peer, compatriot and label mate Bochum Welt, drifting away from the hardcore velocities of Leo Anibaldi and Lory D. Their last outing, Tweaking Paper (Analogical Force, 2018), captured the evolution of their sound into its most polished and propulsive state, and the five pieces that make up Arium could be considered a moment of solace, of lightness after the rain. ) 18.00
ESA SAARINEN - Filosofia LP (svart - Svart Records re-releases Esa Saarinen's 1984 album 'Filosofia' on vinyl. It includes an 8-page booklet including an interview with Saarinen, revised lyrics and song-specific documentation, to complete this cult record. Featuring guest appearances by Veli-Pekka "Puka" Oinonen, Henrik Otto Donner, Keimo Hirvonen and Antero Priha. Kainkääremeenpoika and Twiggy Oliver (Mauno Paajanen) were responsible for the compositions of the songs.) 30.00
FUCHS - Fuchs LP (back in stock - Fuchs is a band that never was. It vanished as quickly as it appeared in the picture, much like the animal that can be seen on this album and after whom it was named. In 2005, Kante singer and guitarist Peter Thiessen travelled to Weilheim to visit Markus and Micha Acher in their studio, where they were joined, among others, by Notwist-affiliated musicians like Cico Beck, Robert Klinger, Carl Oesterhelt and Stefan Schreiber. Spirits were high, but schedules were full: after a week of improvised sessions, everyone went their own way. The recordings gathered dust until Markus Acher found them again in 2021 while cleaning out his studio. After carefully re-evaluating the rough mixes, the musicians decided to finally release them. The resulting album comprises six tracks that musically draw on jazz, aesthetically lean on dub techniques and ideologically pick up on krautrock: there’s no solos to be heard on this record, just a few equally skilled and open-minded musicians listening to each other carefully, providing each other with space in which to unfold. »Fuchs« is a document of egos dissolving in a collective spirit.) 26.00
GMM WITH ALEXANDER ROBOTNICK – Don't Ask Me Why / Love Supreme 12“ (lantern - One of the most sought-after italo-disco release, the combined effort of Giovanotti Mondani Meccanici and Alexander Robotnick saw the light of the day in 1986 on Fuzz Dance, Materiali Sonori sub-label ran by the wizard Giampiero Bigazzi. Florence born producer and musician Maurizio Dami, created a mysterious character, a so-called "modular structure born out of a soviet calculator and promptly runaway". His classic "Problemes D'amour" was featured on the influential Strut compilation Disco Not Disco 2. GMM was an even more enigmatic character, one of the most unclassifiable audiovisual experiences to emerge from Italy in the 1980s. Maurizio Dami itself was responsible for the group’s music output, while the unit was founded in 1984 by Antonio Glessi and Andrea Zingoni as an art collective whose production represents the quintessential expression of postmodern transmedia hybridity. Fully remastered and licensed, ltd. to 500 copies on clear vinyl,) 25.00
GOLDEN ASHES - A Lightless Christ Shuns The Crown Of Divinity LP (improved - From the man that brings you Gnaw Their Tongues here comes Golden Ashes, the atmospheric Black Metal/Drone one-man project by Mories. Drones, keyboards, synths are the foundation for this celestial album that almost veers towards symphonic ambient.) 22.00
IANAI - Sunir DLP (svart - To speak to Trevenial, the single-entity, multi-instrumentalist voice from the other side of the veil, is to speak to a spirit that transcends the veil of this world and crosses borders beyond time and place. But you will not speak to Trevenial, but hear the words put forth in IANAI. IANAI is the essence of music that will permeate culture and influence without thought of boundaries or convention. IANAI is mythos in the making. With not much known of Trevenial’s identity or nature, IANAI’s music is imbued with flavors from indigenous musical cultures around the globe and clothed in darkly hued indie moods. Acting as a messenger between two worlds and IANAI is music carried from within through the ages. Now is the time to let the waking world hear it too. From the first outset of the debut musical offering Sunir and the first single “Savoj Icoil”, IANAI abandons the typical notions of ice and frost in which it is depicted, and rather than desolation, offers a guiding force through the notes and words. While the physical manifestation of this album has been years in the making, IANAI decided to pierce the veil during a time when the world was imprisoned and suffering unimaginable loss.) 32.00
JEROME - LP2 LP (maple death - There’s something about rebuilding connective tissue through music that will never get old, it’s a story that will never exhaust its purpose. Jerome return with ‘LP2’ their first proper slab of wax and deliver a dystopic manifesto of controlled ferocity and dark electronics that explores pain, rebirth and acceptance. Formed in London in 2019, the Italian/Swedish/Greek duo of Annalisa Iembo and Stella Mathioudakis has been slowly perfecting their raw soul freeing music in opposition to their classically trained backgrounds. The improvisational escape of their acclaimed debut ‘Moods’ has morphed into a pulsating industrial beast, a sub heavy cascade of noir jelly. ‘LP2’ was recorded over a period of 5 days locked in a small room in the Italian flatlands and then further developed and refined between Italy-Sweden during the pandemic. It’s like if the techno remnants of early Downwards Records and Regis/Surgeon collaborations have been gracefully destroyed into a fluid rhythmical rural dreamland, where joy and rays of light are allowed to timidly peak in. No better song could encapsulate Jerome’s spirit than album opener ‘2050’, a steady deep ecstatic low thud dictating the premises over metallic reeds gently strummed by the wind and Stella’s commanding haikus generating human empathy. ‘Push Me Harder’ is and EBM induced anthem featuring James Cox of London heavy-punks Crows on vocals, a cagey propulsive club trotter that transitions into the psychedelic with ‘Humans - Sta Oneira’, the eerie calming blissful piano finale cleansing any previous alien instability. ‘Life’s Eye’, the album centerpiece revolves around a concentric beat, a tribal LFO stinger followed by kickdrum raver ‘DRBS’ a parallel party where the better parts of Kraftwerkian Detroit techno are sped up and spit out with shards of noise and cowbell action. Owen Pratt from London’s industrial Uncanny Valley sings on ‘Gargoyle’, a slow-trance smoker that beautifully segues into ‘Leela’ a stunning reminder of how Jerome’s music unites body, movement and warmth while punctuating and exploring synthesized realities & club culture, an organic reaction to overcoming pain (Is Space Is Time) through growth, liberation and heart. Jerome is God. Jerome is Female. Jerome is Male. Jerome is You. Jerome is Me. Jerome is Inside but also Outside. Jerome’s ‘LP2’ is out on Maple Death Records and was performed, recorded and mixed by Annalisa Iembo and Stella Mathioudakis during 2019 - 2020. Mastered by Owen Pratt. Artwork by Jerome. LP comes with insert and sticker. ) 23.00
KALI MALONE – Living Torch LP (portraits arm - Following her critically acclaimed album The Sacrificial Code, Swedish-American composer Kali Malone returns with Living Torch on Portraits GRM. Living Torch, through its unique structural form and harmonic material, is a bold continuation of Kali Malone’s demanding and exciting body of work, while opening new perspectives and increasing the emotional potential of the music tenfold. As such, Living Torch is a major new piece by the composer and adds a significant milestone to an already fascinating repertoire. Departing from the pipe organ that Malone’s music is most notable for, Living Torch features a complex electroacoustic ensemble. Leafing through recordings from conventional instruments like the trombone and bass clarinet to more experimental machines like the boîte à bourdon, passing through sinewave generators and Éliane Radigue’s ARP 2500 synthesizer. Living Torch weaves its own history, its own genealogy, and that of its author. It extends her robust structural approach to a liberated palette of timbre.) 23.00
KALI MALONE - Velocity of Sleep LP (xkatradl - A somnambulant modern masterwork, Kali Malone’s 2017 debut full length album is made available again on vinyl some four years since its limited private press of just 100 copies co-released by XKatedral and Bleak Environment. Composed, recorded and produced in Stockholm 2015-2016, ‘Velocity of Sleep’ sees Kali Malone’s work rendered in a septet of strings, gongs, lute, electronics and tape in the vast R1 Reaktorhallen (Sweden’s first nuclear reactor), the electroacoustic studio EMS, and at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm. Her presence is crucial, and liminal, making precise use of tuned sine waves and Studer B67 tape manipulation, while instrumental performance is handled by Peter Söderberg performing on the long-necked Theorbo (a large baroque lute, pictured on the sleeve), Samuel Löfdahl and Oskar Mattsson on Gongs, Vilhelm Bromander on Double Bass, Marta Forsberg on Viola and Adam Grauman on Viola de Gamba - all uniting to produce what feels like a geological time lapse and distillation of European and Indian classical drone musicks.) 33.00
KARIES / NUAGE & DAS BASSORCHESTER - Split LP (tim - Endlich gibt es Lebenszeichen dieser beiden deutschen Ausnahmebands. Karies stellen uns einen schönen Querschnitt durch ihr bisheriges Werk und einen Ausblick hin zu Neuem. Sie bringen uns drei unveröffentlichte Songs aus dem Jahren 2016, 2017 und 2021 stammen. Nuage hauen zwei brandneue Dinger raus, mit denen sie sich sicherlich aus dem ihrem Underdogstatus heraus katapultieren werden und endlich dort gesehen werde, wo sie eigentlich schon seit der letzten LP sein sollten. Insgesamt passen beiden Bands ausgezeichnet zueinander, bespielen sie doch ein ähnliches musikalische Feld – düster, mechanisch, unterkühlt, stoisch – das fällt mir ad hoc dazu ein.) 15.00
THE LIMINANAS & DAVID MENKE - The Ballad of Linda L & The Devil Inside Me DLP (because music - The psychedelic French garage duo The Liminanas and german-french music composer & sound engineer David Menke wrote together 2 OST for documentaries. “The Ballad Of Linda L” for the Arte eponymous documentary about the life of Linda Lovelace. And “The Devil Inside me” for the Netflix serie “Monsters Inside : The 24 Faces Of Billy Milligan”. 100% new music. Both are physically released for the first time as this 2 x vinyl set, gatefold, collecting the 2 soundtracks.) 30.00
MARS - Rehearsal Tapes and Alt-Takes NYC 1976-1978 3LP (improved - Before No Wave there was China and after China there was MARS. For the first time on vinyl the complete 'Rehearsal Tapes and Alt - Takes NYC 1976 - 1978', an incredible document from this era. The rehearsal tapes are a chronological record of the 3 years of Mars' existence, the first year of which was spent forming their sound and musical identity, starting out with a lineup of upright piano, bass, acoustic guitar and percussion before going electric with guitars, bass and drums. ) 38.00
MESSA - Close DLP (Messa’s rising trajectory hits the stratosphere on their immense new album “Close”. Soaring up out of the Italian Doom Rock underground in 2014, Messa have been rapidly garnering a frenzied throng of devotees, in thrall to their monumental and broad-ranging sound craft. Releasing two widely celebrated cult records, the latest of which “Feast For Water” in 2018 was a critical breakthrough success, with Rolling Stone calling the whole album “captivating, wringing maximum drama out of its savvy stylistic clash,” Messa have had everyone on tenterhooks, waiting for what was next. New album “Close” draws us further into Messa’s spellbinding textures and immersive dynamics. Described as “Stevie Nicks fronting Black Sabbath,” singer Sara’s colossal voice omnipotently carries the listener on an emotional rollercoaster ride where the sonic cauldron of Iommi guitars gives way to Arabian oudh and progressive solos in a masterful style-clash that well befits Messa’s incendiary reputation.) 35.00
MIDORI TAKADA & SHOMYO OF KOYA SAN - You Who Are Leaving To Nirvana LP (wrwtfww - WRWTFWW Records and MEG Museum (Geneva) are ecstatic to announce a new full length album by celebrated Japanese percussionist Midori Takada (Through The Looking Glass), in collaboration with Buddhist monks belonging to the Samgha group of the Shingon school of Koya-san, led by Reverend Syuukoh Ikawa. Recorded at The Premises Studio (London) and in Tokyo in 2019,You Who are Leaving to Nirvana is a majestic work combining a suite of six Buddhist liturgical chants and a musical creation by Midori Takada. The Buddhist chants come from three types of repertoires: shomyo ("Teisan", "Unga-Bai", "Sange", "Taiyo"), but also goeika ("Kannon-Daiji") and mantra ("Hannya-Singyo"). After supervising the recording of the Buddhist chants, Midori Takada added her own compositions, with subtle layers of percussion and the melodies of her beloved marimba, giving full life to the sacred texts. ) 27.00
MIDORI TAKADA - Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter LP (wrwtfww - WRWTFWW Records and MEG Museum (Geneva) are honored to present the first new solo album by renowned Japanese percussionist Midori Takada (Through The Looking Glass) in 23 years, Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter, available on vinyl LP, housed in a 350gsm sleeve, with OBI, and liner notes. Recorded in a live setting and played with instruments conserved in the collections of the MEG Museum, Cutting Branches For A Temporary Shelter is Midori Takada’s very own rendition of "Nhemamusasa", a traditional work emblematic of the musical repertoire for mbira of the Shona of Zimbabwe, well known worldwide, thanks notably to its version by Paul F. Berliner included on the famed 1973 album The Soul of Mbira. The choice of this title by Midori Takada evokes the links between traditional African and contemporary music which are the foundation of this work, and it also translates the resolutely multicultural vision of the artist. ) 27.00
NEORITE - Banner Of Defeat LP (TCM - On their sophomore album "Banner of Defeat" Neorite offer their heaviest and bleakest side so far and just hereby find their very own and distinctive style of metal. Equipped with the punch of classic Sepultura and a sense for sinister melodies of the deadly kind as with Dissection and Death, the clean vocals are towering above it all, sometimes emotional as Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost), sometimes vigorous as Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost). Though being marginalized here in favor of a crushing heaviness, the alt rock influences of the debut album merge in partly complex song structures and provide them with a catchiness hard to elude. On "Banner of Defeat", Neorite create their own epic and dark version of doom-infested thrash metal, never daunted by genre barriers.) 17.00
NICO – The Drama Of Exile LP (lantern - After the 1974 release of The End…the magnetic and controversial Warhol muse went on a fruitful partnership with French director Philippe Garrel, for almost seven films. Back in New York in 1979 she started to perform again live, appearing firstly at the CBGB with John Cale and musical partner Lutz Ulbrich (former guitarist of Agitation Free and Ash Ra Tempel)… Back in France, she met young and talented Corsican bassist Philippe Quilichini who produced her comeback, Drama of Exile, in 1981. The album was released twice, in two different versions. Hereby we present the second, appearing in 1983, after a legal controversy was settled with Aura Records that released the first issue. While the first press was a 9-track offering, this second issue excludes “Purple Lips” but adds the tracks “Saeta” and “Vegas” released on a 7″ single in 1981. For this album, Nico recorded covers of the Velvet Underground’s “I’m Waiting for the Man” and David Bowie’s “Heroes”.) 27.00
NORMIL HAWAIIANS - Dark World LP (upset the ryhtm - Dark World’ collects together choice material from Normil Hawaiians’ formative early years of 1979-1981. Tagging along with the band from their peppy post-punk origins (so brilliantly debuted on ‘The Beat Goes On’) into the looser, dubbier territories that laid the foundations for the group’s landmark album ‘More Wealth Than Money’. ‘Dark World’ gathers the group’s energetic 7” singles on Dining Out and Illuminated Records, their metamorphic ‘Gala Failed’ EP (Red Rhino) and a lively last-minute Peel session from 1980, alongside outtakes, rarities and demos. During this feverish time, founding member Guy Smith was motivated to make music that reveled in always trying out different things. Normil Hawaiians was a very fluid ensemble at this point, Guy often accompanied by Kev Armstrong and Jim Lusted encouraged saxophones, violins, synths, pianos and a select pack of female backing singers to take their post-punk sound into wilder directions. One of the earliest line-ups of Normil Hawaiians featured a 15-year old Janet Armstrong on vocals alongside Guy, ‘Ventilation’ best showcases her deadpan digressions. Janet went on to sing alongside David Bowie a few years later on his breathtaking mid-80’s gem ‘Absolute Beginners’. By this point Kev Armstrong was also guesting for Bowie on guitar duties too.) 21.00
OUTLAW ORDER - Dragging Down The Enforcer LP (red vinyl) (start - Svart Records present an official vinyl reissue of the debut and so far only album by the Eyehategod side project Outlaw Order, originally released on Season of Mist in 2008. Walking on a similar path as their mothership EHG, Outlaw Order do their best to push the dirty, sludge-ridden envelope even further.) 27.00
THE PLASTIK BEATNIKS - All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For LP (alien transistor. -bakc in stock - Sounds like supergroup. Rarely have outstanding figures of such a variety of musical styles collaborated on one album to pay homage to a nearly forgotten artist, one of the few black Beatnik poets, Bob Kaufman. "All Those Streets I Must Find Cities For" by The Plastik Beatniks is an attempt to acoustically reanimate Bob Kaufman, to return the Beat to him in a transatlantic collaboration. It is a shimmering psychedelic, at times jazzy concept album, sometimes reminiscent of Krautrock or hip hop, about a Beat-era poet who was as great as he was forgotten. It takes spoken word to a new level, as a transatlantic showcase of musical avant-gardes and a joyful "sound archaeology" of modernity, in which the tracks of the "Plastik Beatniks" meet the best voices of America. The 12 wildly different songs and audi collages, on the transatlantically-produced album, "All the Streets I Must Find Cities For," is based on lyrics by Beat author Bob Kaufman. They were originally part of the radio play "Thank God for Beatniks," for which author Andreas Ammer ("Ammer & Einheit"), brothers Markus and Micha Acher ("The Notwist") and loop maker Leo Hopfinger ("LeRoy") formed "The Plastik Beatniks." On the eastern side of the Atlantic they composed music and crafted soundscapes. On the west side of the ocean, they asked three of the most renowned singers, activists and producers in the U.S. to recite or sing Bob Kaufman's poetry. ) 26.00
PRINCESS DIANA OF WALES - s/t LP (a colorful storm - How do you approach matters of love and an uncertain future? How are your emotions processed during such an event? A Colourful Storm presents an inquisitive, self-reflective album by Princess Diana of Wales, the label’s newest and most curiously cloaked project. Someone, no one, a notion, a feeling... while the moniker’s origin is ambiguous, its aspirations are not. Feeling closer, questioning intimacy. Longing and forgetting. Venting, validating. Emerging from the dark. What is real and how does it feel? Diana offers clues but no simple answers. Vocal-led pieces ‘Still Beach’ and ‘Fragments of Blue’ are brittle and intoxicating, contemplating recklessness and unfulfillment of a past life: "Watching the future wash away / Giving it up to have this day". She studies closeness and, incredulous of the feelings that emerge, wonders if detachment is impermanent: "Can this always be how it feels? / Can this always be?". She catalogues these emotions as a series of memories, colours and images. ‘Evaporate’, sedated and hushed, is a secret confession and ode to resolution, albeit, fatally, only a temporary one: "Take some form / Later on when I can do this / When we can do this / Together". ) 24.00
ROBERT SOTELO - Celebrant LP (upset the - Robert Sotelo is a mercurial melodist building a resplendent world of pristine DIY pop from the ground up. The Glasgow-based artist’s songs are meticulously crafted, patchworked together with eclectic arrangements and ardent vocal performances. Each of his albums to date has been accompanied by a growth-spurt, 2017’s debut ‘Cusp’ was packed with miniature psych overtures, whilst 2018’s 'Botanical' was more keyboard-minded and playful with a near-absurdist palette of sound. ‘Infinite Sprawling’ came out towards the end of 2019 and surprised with songs pulled together like a wakeful stretch, brisk with a lightness of touch. This was neatly followed by ‘Leap & Bounce’ melding a sparse synth-pop minimalism to an emotional undertow.) 20.00
THEOREME - Les Artisans LP (maple death - Maïssa D. from Lyon, France is back with an incredible collection of songs that continues and evolves her tradition of hypnotic bass heavy mantras that mix industrial dance, robotic funk experimentalism and hallucinatory club downers. Obsessed with the idea of literally going underground, ‘Les Artisans’ feels telluric, stemming from the soil where rhythm is dictated by pounding steps and feverish monologues. Song structures that feel like gum rolling on the tip of your tongue, half-speed Uk Jungle breakbeats that meet On-U Sound’s electronic reggae voyage (‘L'Homme À Face De Rosée’), Henry Mancini sent through a defected blender transmitting lounge noir (‘Tourterelle’) all evoke the spectral atmosphere of Les Artisans, starting with the enveloping title-track, a futuristic dub rhapsody built on a sci-fi bass structure that sways methodically. Theoreme’s music never feels rushed, and for all the synthetic aspects there is a deep organic thumping soul and an incredible knack for flow, often highlighted by futuristic jazz low end motifs (‘Les Gifles Du Pariétal’) and post-punk primitivism (‘Tertre’) eavesdropping into the 99 Records catalogue with a spark of proto-techno (‘Radionucléides’). Even though one’s mind and Mother earth are in a constant state of erosion, mental rivers give way to abstract banks where rhythm and cadence determine our tempo. This is Theoreme. Très bien! ) 23.00
ULAN BATOR - 2° LP (improved - 2° is the second opus (originally released as a CD-Digipak-EP) by the french trio ULAN BATOR - 1996. Mathy and (almost) instrumental postrock.) 24.00
VINTAGE CROP - Kibitzer LP (upset the - Geelong’s favourite sons Vintage Crop return this summer with their much-anticipated fourth album, ‘Kibitzer’. Running with the ball that 2020’s “Serve To Serve Again” punted forward, this album marks another energetic break towards the goal for Vintage Crop. ‘Kibitzer’ sees the band define their field of play, more melodic at times, still bruising, forever droll. These ten tracks of ‘snappy as elastic’ Australian punk are packed with tensile riffage, hefty beats and witty refrains of everyman curiosity. ‘Kibitzer’ was written in quick response to their critically lauded ‘Serve To Serve Again’ album. Harsh guitars, a brutish rhythm section and a knack for always having the right words at hand are still abundant, but this time Vintage Crop’s songs expand upon their forceful nature with greater harmonic arrangement. It was recorded by Jasper Jolley in one single session on a former apple orchard in Geelong, a backdrop that mirrors the band’s own organic growth whilst highlighting their willingness to approach capturing their own sound their own way. The album was then mixed and mastered by Mikey Young.) 20.00
WHITNEY K. - Hard To Be A God LP (maple death - Don’t ya know it’s hard to be a god. No reason to sugar coat it, what you’re getting is peak Whitney K, poetry in motion and masterful writing where words, harmony, arrangements all dance in the same direction, free flowing through songs about change and memory. A voice as an instrument. Hard To Be A God is the new mini-album by Whitney K and follows 2021’s acclaimed ‘Two Years’. Now based in Montreal, once again Konner Whitney is accompanied by friend, musician and all-hands-on-deck collaborator Joshua Boguski and by multi-instrumentalist Avalon Tassonyi. ) 23.00
V/A - Satan in Love – Rare Finnish Synth-Pop & Disco 1979–1992 DLP (svart - This explosive set of 22 floor filling synth-italo-tech-disco blasts from the past charts the rise and heyday of the synthesizer in Finnish pop music. Compiled by renowned Helsinki DJ and music historian Mikko Mattlar, these 22 choice cuts from 1978 to 1992 include many cult hits and impossibly rare tracks, such as the Fenno-Italo-disco cult classic Satan in Love by Emilia and the synthetic experiments of Argon and Syntax.) 40.00
