Label Review. 

2020 album. Blues/folk/country. Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

“The man singing these songs isn’t exactly the same man who wrote them,” says American singer-songwriter Pokey LaFarge of ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’, his eighth and latest studio release. “This album is about the story of who I used to be.” 

In early 2018, the eccentric troubadour LaFarge - searching for the sort of artistic freedom and inspiration he wasn’t finding in the Midwest - relocated from his longtime home base of St. Louis, Missouri, to Los Angeles, California. New songs came quickly to LaFarge in his new environment but new temptations soon found him, as well. Though he declines to get into specifics, LaFarge admits that he experienced a significant “fall from grace” during the last months of 2018. “Things sort of started to unravel in my mind.” Shortly before the recording of ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’ began, LaFarge experienced a spiritual awakening - and the faith he re-embraced in his hour of darkness helped to buoy him through the making of the album.

Though he was struggling for spiritual equilibrium at the time, LaFarge at least had some rock-solid musical support to lean on. Recorded primarily at Reliable Recorders on Chicago’s Northwest side, ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’ was produced by LaFarge’s friend and collaborator Chris Seefried (who also cowrote several of the album’s tracks) and features the considerable talents of guitarist Joel Paterson, keyboardist Scott Ligon, upright/electric bassist Jimmy Sutton and drummer Alex Hall.

Musically, LaFarge continues to mix and match a wide variety of styles and traditions, while never losing track of his own vision “This record is kind of like Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan hanging out with chanson singers and French jazz bands in like the forties, but I was never trying to make it sound like a particular person.”

Despite the trying period that preceded its recording, ‘Rock Bottom Rhapsody’ is ultimately far more uplifting and life-affirming than its title would suggest. “That desperation, that struggle,” LaFarge ponders, “Did it add something to the record? It certainly did. I mean, I don’t know if it made it better; it just is what it is. It’s not up to me to decide if people are going to feel that…”

Tracklisting: Rock Bottom Rhapsody / End Of My Rope / Fuck Me UpBluebird / Rock Bottom Reprise / Lucky Sometimes / Carry On / Just The Same / Fallen Angel / Storm-A-Comin’ / Ain’t Comin’ Home / Lost In The Crowd / Rock Bottom Finale

Label Review.

2020 album. Rock n roll. Also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

Formed in 2010 on top of a dirty fried chicken shop on London's Holloway Road, multinational band MFC Chicken play raw, sax-fueled rock and roll tunes about fast food and broken hearts. When tenor sax player Spencer Evoy arrived in London fresh from Canada, little did he know that his quest to reignite the spirit of the rock'n'roll sound of the American Pacific Northwest would start outside a chicken shop on the Holloway Road.

Since those early days, this poultry-power rock and roll group have released four award winning LPs and a fistful of instantly collectable singles on Dirty Water Records (UK) and FOLC Records (Spain).  The band - Spencer Evoy (Sax/Lead Vox), Ravi Low-Beer (Drums), Zig Criscuolo (Bass/Vox), and Dan Criscuolo (Guitar/Vox) - have set the UK and Europe alight with 100’s of live shows presenting their own red hot take on "the music the Sonics and The Wailers were listening to", cementing this globe-spanning gang into the finest purveyors of Pacific Northwest rhythm and blues in the land.

2020 sees the 10th anniversary of the band and the release of their newest slab of vinyl presenting 14 brand new slabs of rock and roll, frat rock and rhythm and blues. Highlights include “KFC Called The Cops On Me”, “Breakfast ‘Taters” and “Fuck You, Me”. If you love dancing but hate contemporary music…  if you are desperate to hear rock'n'roll taken back to its roots… if you are hungry for the greasiest item on the rhythm and blues dance menu,  then you are most definitely ready for the indescribable, unstoppable sound of MFC Chicken - the best in the land!

Tracklisting: Always, Always, Always / KFC Called The Cops On Me / Who Gave What To Who? / Shell of a Man / I’m Lost / Couldn’t Say No / Fresh Chicken, Straight From The Trash / Spy Wail / Spontaneous Combust / Breakfast Taters / Fuck You Me / Free Range Man / Tipa Tapa / Waste Of Space

Label Review. 

2020 album also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

Gaslighter is the brilliant new album from the Dixie Chicks (the fifth studio album to be released by the band). After a long hiatus the country pop trio are back with their first new album since 2006’s ‘Taking The Long Way’ which won five Grammy Awards including “Album Of The Year,” “Record Of the Year” and “Song Of The Year.” 

Band member Natalie Maines explained, the album was inspired by her divorce from actor Adrian Pasdar. “When I started getting a divorce, I had a lot to say, so that sparked me being ready. Songwriting is really hard for me, and for many years I didn’t want to analyze life or my relationship. I was just in it, and dedicated and devoted, and if I had started writing songs about it, that might not have been good. I was just in a … I don’t want to say ‘survival mode,’ but I was just not ready to open up. And then when my relationship fell apart, I had a lot to say.”

The new album will also coincide with a 2020 tour, and marks the trio’s final album under contract with Sony. “We thought we would do a covers album, just do it real easy, turn it in and get the money, and be free agents. And then my relationship fell apart, and I had a lot to say. So Gaslighter is not a covers album. Our last album was the most personal and autobiographical we’d ever been, and this one is ten times that.”

Gaslighter is produced by Jack Antonoff with the Dixie Chicks. Superstars, renegades, innovators, heroes, villains, and moms, the Dixie Chicks have grown from a band into a cultural phenomenon. Since the release of their debut album ‘Wide Open Spaces’ in 1998, the Dixie Chicks’ music has stirred emotions in fans across the world, making them one of the biggest and most influential bands of our time. 

Tracklist: TBC

Label Review.

2020 album also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

Scottish rock trio Biffy Clyro are releasing their much anticipated eight album ‘A Celebration Of Endings’ of which frontman Simon Neil explains “This is a very forward-looking album from a personal perspective and a societal perspective. The title is about seeing the joy in things changing, rather than the sadness. Change means progression and evolution. You can retain everything you loved before, but let’s lose the bad shit. It’s about trying to take back control.”

The band made an instant impact with ‘Instant History’ blending their explosive attack with apocalyptic synths and bombastic beats, the track was premiered as BBC’s Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World. The band’s approach to opus eight was simple. Keep things fresh and maintain the wide-eyed wonder of what they do. Surprise themselves and each other. Push things to their furthest extremes. Their first building block in embracing the new was to turn to an old friend. In came Rich Costey, producer of ‘Ellipsis’.

Sonically, Biffy Clyro playfully push the outer reaches of their sound to the extreme – often in the case of the same song. Opening track ‘North of No South’ hits hard before finding the space for the Johnston brothers to unleash some soaring Queen-style vocal harmonies, before ‘The Champ’ throws piano, cinematic strings (conducted by Bruce Springsteen collaborator Rob Mathes at Abbey Road) and Biffy’s prototyped jagged rhythms into the mix without ever losing any of its sleekness.

Other songs are far more direct. ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’ is the best direct rock anthem they’ve ever written, somehow snappy, melodic and light on its feet while feeling so natural you could imagine it was conceived in minutes.  Meanwhile, ‘Space’ is a natural successor from previous lighters-in-the-air highlights ‘Many of Horror’ and ‘Rearrange’. It’s a sincere message of reconciliation for someone you love, and Biffy’s most tender, unguarded moment from the sweet spot of their catalogue.

How can you conclude an album of such esoteric diversity? Biffy launch headfirst into ‘Cop Syrup’. There’s the rush of ‘The Vertigo of Bliss’, a detour into Sub Pop-style grunge and manic shrieks which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Liturgy record. But then it contorts again, first into ethereal orchestration and then with a final burst of violence. It’s an ending to celebrate.To coincide with the album’s launch, Biffy Clyro have today shared the new track ‘End Of’. The aggression is old school Biffy, but the out-of-nowhere piano break and a final rally of rampaging riffs matches their current unpredictable flair.

Tracklisting: North Of No South / The Champ / Weird Leisure / Tiny Indoor Fireworks / Worst Type Of Best Possible / Space / End Of / Instant History / The Pink Limit / Opaque / Cop Syrup

Label Review.

Radio Broadcast. John Peel sessions and two tracks from Dutch TV.

Our Overview.

Rock and blues band Taste (originally "The Taste") was formed in Cork, Ireland, in August 1966 as a trio consisting of Rory Gallagher on guitar and vocals, Eric Kitteringham on bass, and Norman Damery on drums. In 1968 Taste began performing in the UK where the original line‐up split up. The new line‐up formed with Richard McCracken on bass and John Wilson on drums.

The new Taste moved permanently to London where they signed with the record label Polydor. In April 1969, Taste released the first of their two studio albums, the self‐titled ‘Taste’, with On the Boards following in early 1970, the latter showing the band's jazz influences with Gallagher playing saxophone on numerous tracks. Taste recorded three sessions for John Peel’s Top Gear programme between 1968 and 1969. Nine songs from those sessions are featured on this disc. In addition, two live recordings broadcast on Dutch television on 22 August 1969 are also included.

Tracklisting: Blister on The Moon / Dual Carriageway Pain / Norman Invasion / Sugar Mama / Leaving Blues / Born on The Wrong Side of Time / Wee Wee Baby / Same Old Story / I'm Moving On / Blister on The Moon (live) / Sugar Mama (live)

Label Review. 

2020 album. Psych/post punk. Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

Flat Worms the three piece punk band from Los Angeles with Will Ivy, Tim Hellman (Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps) and Justin Sullivan (Kevin Morby, The Babies) are launching their third album in the past four years ‘Antarctica’, which reflects a situation that’s dire but not hopeless. 2020: world in flames, deserts in permafrost, everyone in their own corners, looking down into their hands. What’s happening isn’t working, but Flat Worms’ have hardened their post-punk/psych sound, and are out there, playing to change minds at all times.

Since the release of their 2017 debut album - even since last year’s ‘Into The Iris’ mini-LP - the sound of the trio has hardened, with the polarities of psych and post-punk smelted into a brutal cobalt alloy. No doubt they’re aided by the Steve Albini-engineered sound rendered at Electric Audio, where the album was recorded and mixed (in collaboration with Steve Albini and Ty Segall) in six days.

The rest of the evolution is down to Flat Worms, whose world view and musical viewpoint pulse with a remorseless drive and a sense of collaborative unity. Will Ivy’s cortex-scorching guitar leads are in united space with the full-body rhythm of Tim Hellman’s bass and Justin Sullivan’s drums. Their social comment, bleak, yet earnest, is leavened with bone dry humour (the title track’s isolation conundrums: “My dog is smiling as I drive her to the park / we sit together in the kitchen after dark / I ask her questions / She just barks”) and caustic pronouncements; a vision of the chaotic, dysfunctional contemporary landscape that recalls the tragicomic expressions of 100 Flowers and the indefatigable recitations of The Fall.

Tracklisting: Casino Queen / Shugar Water / Dream St. / Short Black Dress / Lenexa / Odessa / Traveler’s Code of Conduct / Diamond Glue / Control

Label Review.

Also available on Double Vinyl.

Our Overview.

More than just a singer, American Eddie Cochran a first-generation rock-and-roll singer, was first and foremost a guitarist and musician, tragically diving at the tender age of 21 in a car crash while on tour in England. Eddie was a gifted artist, with an original style using the slide technique and he also excelled at the picking guitar plus an expert instrumentalist and was often employed as accompanist for other singers. With a charismatic voice that could switch effortlessly between smooth ballads and raucous rockabilly he was an important influence on popular music during the late 1950s, early 1960s, and beyond. Eddie - the James Dean/Elvis Presley-like stars’ legacy lives on in his recordings which continue to evoke a mood of teenage abandon with rare humour, precision, and vitality that still resonates today and these tracks are now packaged into ‘Something’ Else’ a mighty fine sampler of prime output by a visionary artist who died three years into his recording career.

It only took Eddie Cochran a handful of tracks, recorded in just three years, to become the most iconic rock’n’roll artist. Rather than weep forever for the spectre of a work that could not be accomplished completely, let us rejoice that we are able to listen to the imperishable songs that he bequeathed.

His compositions have been taken up by various groups. ‘Summertime Blues’, one of The Who’s favourite songs also taken up by The Straycats, The Flying Lizards, Blue Cheer, T. Rex, The Beach Boys, Chris Spedding, Terry Reid, Motorhead, Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix and even Olivia Newton-John. ‘C’Mon Everybody’ has been sung by Sid Vicious, UFO, Bryan Adams, The Sex Pistols, Humble Pie and Cliff Richard. ‘Somethin’ Else’ has been featured by The Move, Slade, The Sex Pistols, The Flamin’ Groovies and Moorhead. ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ has had the honour of being sung by Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Cliff Richard, The Straycats and The Bunch. This list is not exhaustive and Cochran’s songs are still being revived today.

2CD with 72 original tracks, including his complete official 58 original recordings and 14 alternate, rare and live tracks.

2LP with his best 32 original recordings.

Tracklisting:

CD1: Long Tall Sally / Blue Suede Shoes / That's My Desire / Twenty-Flight Rock / Completely Sweet / Dark Lonely Street / Pink Peg Slacks / Half Loved / Skinny Jim / Cotton Picker / Sittin' In The Balcony / One Kiss / Mean When I'm Mad / Drive-In Show / Am I Blue? / Completely Sweet / Undying Love / I'm Alone Because I Love You / Lovin' Time / Proud Of You / Stockin's’ n' Shoes / Tell Me Why / Have I Told You Lately That I Love You / Cradle Baby / Twenty Flight Rock / Pocketful Of Hearts / Never / Sweetie Pie / Pretty Girl / Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie / Teresa / Summertime Blues / Ah, Pretty Girl / Love Again / Lonely / Scratchin'

CD2: Don't Ever Let Me Go / I've Waited So Long / Let's Get Together / Nervous Breakdown / C'mon Everybody / Teenage Heaven / I Remember / My Way / Rock 'N' Roll Blues / Weekend / Think Of Me / Somethin' Else / Boll Weevil Song / Guybo (Drum City) / Milk Cow Blues / Strollin' Guitar / Song Of New Orleans / Hallelujah! I Love Her So / Little Angel / Cherished Memories / Three Steps To Heaven / Cut Across Shorty / Summertime Blues / Pretty Girl / Half Loved / Skinny Jim / Love Again / Lonely / Weekend / Little Angel / Tired & Sleepy / Fool's Paradise / I Want Elvis For Christmas / Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On / Money Honey / Sweet Little Sixteen

Label Review. 

2020 album. Richard Russell. Also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

‘Friday Forever’ is the second album from multi-artist project Everything Is Recorded, helmed by producer artist Richard Russell. This follows the critically acclaimed and Mercury Music Prize nominated debut of 2018, ‘Everything Is Recorded’ by Richard Russell. ‘Friday Forever’ takes on a multi-lensed perspective of a classic night out, followed closely by the sobering reflections of the next morning.

The album features an array of new collaborators - in British rappers Aitch, FLOHIO and Berwyn, Irish singer songwriters Maria Somerville and Kean Kavanagh, the inimitable voices of A.K. Paul, James Massiah and returning vocalist Infinite Coles - as well as established names like Ghostface Killah and Penny Rimbaud.

Also released in April 2020, via White Rabbit, Richard Russell’s ‘Liberation Through Hearing’ - available in hardback, ebook, audio - is a spiritual journey through music by the Mercury Prize nominated musician and the man behind some of the world’s biggest recording artists including Adele, Dizzee Rascal and The Prodigy. ‘Liberation Through Hearing’ sees Richard Russell telling the remarkable story of XL Recordings and their three decades on the frontline of innovation in music; the eclectic chorus of artists who came to define the label’s unique aesthetic and Russell’s own story; his highs and lows steering the fortunes of an independent label in a rapidly changing industry, his celebrated production work with Bobby Womack and Gil Scott- Heron on their late-career masterpieces and his own development as an artist as 'Everything Is Recorded'.

Always searching for news sounds and new truths, ‘Liberation Through Hearing’ is a portrait of a man who believes in the spiritual power of music to change reality. It is also the story of a record label that refused to be categorised by genre and in the process cut an idiosyncratic groove which was often underground in feel but mainstream in impact.

“Writing this book was an opportunity for me to reflect on the last few decades. I hope people will get something from it. I’ve tried not to compromise in anything I’ve done, and that includes writing ‘Liberation Through Hearing’” - Richard Russell

Tracklisting: 09:46PM/EVERY FRIDAY THEREAFTER (Intro) (feat. Maria Somerville & Berwyn) / 10:51PM/THE NIGHT (feat. Berwyn & Maria Somerville) / 12:12AM/PATIENTS (FUCKING UP A FRIDAY) (feat. Aitch & Infinite Coles) / 01:32AM/WALK ALONE (feat. Infinite Coles & Berwyn)/ 02:56AM / I DONT WANT THIS FEELING TO STOP (feat. FLOHIO) / 03:15AM/CAVIAR (feat. Ghostface Killah & Infinite Coles) / 04:21AM/THAT SKY (feat. Maria Somerville & James Massiah) / 05:10AM/DREAM I NEVER HAD (feat. A. K. Paul) / 09:35AM/PRETENDING NOTHINGS WRONG (feat. Kean Kavanagh) / 10:02AM/BURNT TOAST (feat. Berwyn & A. K. Paul) / 11:55AM/THIS WORLD (feat. Infinite Coles & Maria Somerville) / 11:59AM CIRCLES (Outro) (feat. Penny Rimbaud)

Label Review.

2020 album also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

Nashville, Tennessee-based singer-songwriter, Lilly Hiatt felt lost. She’d just returned home from the better part of a year on tour in support of her acclaimed third album ‘Trinity Lane’ and, stripped of the daily rituals and direction of life on the road, she found herself alone with her thoughts for the first time in what felt like ages.

So Lilly - daughter of legendary songwriter John Hiatt - did what’s always come most natural to her in times of questioning and uncertainty: she picked up a guitar. Over the course of the ensuing winter, she wrote a mountain of new music that grappled with her sense of self and place in the world, reckoning with issues that had been bubbling beneath the surface of her subconscious in some cases for years.

The result is ‘Walking Proof’, Hiatt’s fourth and most probing collection to date. Produced by former Cage the Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish, the record walks the line between Hiatt’s rough, rock and roll exterior and her tender, country roots, exuding a bold vulnerability as she takes a deep and unflinching look in the mirror. What emerges is a newfound maturity in Hiatt’s writing, an abiding sense of calm in the face of chaos as she learns that sometimes, you have to let go in order to get what you want most. By the time she headed into Parish’s Nashville studio in May, Hiatt had piled up more than twenty-five new songs and, with the producer’s help, she pared it down to a tight and cohesive eleven.

After capturing the core performances live with her band over the course of roughly a week, Hiatt devoted the early part of the summer to finishing touches, which included contributions from friends like Amanda Shires and Aaron Lee Tasjan along with a guest appearance from her father, John Hiatt, who joins his daughter on record for the first time here.

Lilly Hiatt’s not feeling so lost these days and, with ‘Walking Proof’, she’s crafted a roadmap to share with the rest of us.

Tracklisting: Rae / P-Town / Little Believer / Some Kind of Drug / Candy Lunch / Walking Proof / Drawl / Brightest Star / Never Play Guitar / Move / Scream

Label Review. 

2020 album. Drum & Bass also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

UK based drum & bass, hip-hop and R&B producer/emcee Degs’ hit single ‘Poveglia’ and 8-track ‘Mixtape Sprayout’ has made him a drum & bass fan favourite, now he takes centre-stage to unveil his highly anticipated debut album, ‘Letters From Ndgewa’.

As well as producing, writing and singing on his tracks, Degs has brought in an all-star collective with S.P.Y, Logistics, Unglued, LSB and Pola & Bryson. His unmistakable charisma is injected across 14 tracks, including his previous singles ‘Levitate Your Mind’ (ft Unglued) and ‘Killer’. ‘Sleepless’ showcases Degs’ versatility as a vocalist. This deep, atmospheric number, produced by Shogun Audio’s Pola & Bryson, wields the art of spoken word and unique lyrical flowfor a mesmerising late-night stepper. Degs’ bittersweet soul shines through on ‘Head Trip’ with the production finesse of Phil:osophy. Haunting piano work serves as the foundation for Degs’ silky flows, tear-out rap and snappy hooks. Hospital heavyweight Logistics, a master of liquid D+B, joins the fray on ‘Colour My Soul’ for a sublime track that takes you back to the original Hospitalloungecore sound. Degs’ meteoric rise has taken him worldwide, performing alongside his touring DJ, Lens, at huge summer hotspots like Audioriver, Sun & Bass and Hospitality In The Park.

He continues to shine when hosting for some of D+B’s biggest names - London Elektricity, Hybrid Minds, Danny Byrd - and has already received support from BBC Radio 1’s Rene LaVice, Kiss FM’s Andi Durrant, Charlie Tee and Mollie Collins, and Worldwide FM’s Laurent Garnier.“ 

‘Letters From Ndegwa’ is a culmination of life experiences and thoughts since signing with the Hospital family back in 2018. For me, it represents the unpredictable nature of life. I’ve been blessed to work with some of my heroes on this project and having my little brother feature on this is the icing on the cake, he was the catalyst to all of this happening in the first place.” - Degs

Tracklisting:

LP 1: “Driving Under Lights” / “Sleepless Feat. Pola & Bryson” / “Levitate Your Mind Feat. Unglued” / “4 Days” / “Head Trip Feat. Phil:osophy” / “Trade Places Feat. Lsb & Phoebe Freya” / “Colour My Soul Feat. Logistics”

LP 2: “K Soul Interlude Feat. Muriuki” / “Killer” / “Do Not Pass Go Feat. Unglued & Javeon” / “She Feat. S.P.Y” / “The Roots Feat. Missing” / “Crusade Feat. In:most” / “Pamoja Forever”

Label Review.

2020 album. Blues. Ruf Records.

Our Overview.

Enough manufactured pop princesses. The 26 year old, Croatian born, Vanja Sky is the real deal: a fire voiced blues-rock gunslinger, armed with a troublemaking new album of modern classics. Building on the momentum, ‘Woman Named Trouble’ debuts eight original songs penned by Sky with guitarist Robert Wendt, plus three classic covers - and a fistful of attitude.

We’ve already seen the Croatian-born bandleader blow up Ruf’s 2018 Blues Caravan with songs from that year’s acclaimed ‘Bad Penny’ album. Now, Sky returns with a hard-rocking second release that dares you to be her partnerin- crime. “If you asked people close to me,” she says, with a mischievous grin, “they’d say ‘Woman Named Trouble’ is describing me.”

For heavy riffage, try opener “Rock ‘N’ Rolla Train”, complete with a bee-in-abottle lick worthy of Angus Young’s playbook, and “Turn It On”, whose vicious intro breaks into a seductive vocal. But Sky and Wendt’s songcraft goes far beyond blues-rock. Myriad genres are explored here, from the gorgeous Stonesy country-blues chime of “Hard Times”, to “What’s Going On’s” leap into trilling folk, and the mesmerising bass-led funk of “Troublemaker”. Elsewhere, there’s the stormy “Voodoo Mama” and the heartache of “Call Me If You Need Me”, while the rockabilly rave-up of “Let’s Go Wild” will make you do precisely that.

Still just 26, Vanja Sky’s early career has been just as wild. From dive bars and dead-ends to headline tours and supports with the mighty UFO, the highlights since 2017 would make that young Croatian gunslinger pinch herself. Now, ‘Woman Named Trouble’ leaves no doubt there’s plenty more trouble to come. “Besides being tons of fun to make,” she reflects, “I think we did a great job with the music. I’m very proud of this album...”

Tracklisting: Rock ‘n’ Rolla Train / Hard Times / Turn It On / Life Is A Bitch / Trouble Maker / What’s Going On / Call Me If You Need Me / Let’s Get Wild / Oh Well / Voodoo Mama / Shadow Play

Label Review. 

2020 album. Indie. Also available on standard CD and Clear Coke Bottle Vinyl. 

Our Overview. 

Canadian indie rock band from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nap Eyes’ latest full length, ‘Snapshot Of A Beginner’, is proof that sometimes the late bloomers bloom brightest. It took Nap Eyes a long time and a long practice to reach this artistic zen, but one gets the feeling throughout 'Snapshot of a Beginner' that this balance is going to hold. Eight years and four albums into it, the artistic arc of Nap Eyes finds itself tracing a line alongside frontman Nigel Chapman’s daily tai chi practice. Those first years and albums are the cold mornings in the park: the measured movements, the joint aches, the self-doubt. With each new release, an incremental and invigorating step forward. And with the end of each album and tour, a return to the beginner’s practice. And now, ‘Snapshot Of A Beginner’ - Nap Eyes’ boldest, most concentrated and most hi-fi album to date - a study of that repeated return and all that it can teach you.

Almost all the songs of Nap Eyes are whittled into their final form from Chapman’s unspooling, 20-minute voice-and-guitar free-writing sessions. Each member - drummer Seamus Dalton, bassist Josh Salter or guitarist Brad Loughead - then plays a crucial role in song development, composing around the idiosyncratic structures and directing the overall sound and feel of the songs. Until now, that final song construction and recording has been mostly done live in a room. But for ‘Snapshot Of A Beginner’ the band went to The National’s neuvo-legendary upstate NY Long Pond Studio, working with producers Jonathan Low (Big Red Machine, The National) and James Elkington (Steve Gunn, Joan Shelley), the latter of whom also did pre-production arrangement work with the band.

It took Nap Eyes a long time and a long practice to reach this artistic zen but one gets the feeling throughout ‘Snapshot Of A Beginner’ that this balance is going to hold.Previous album ‘I’m Bad Now’ was described by Uncut as “as much a modest masterpiece as ‘Spring Hill Fair’ [by The Go-Betweens] or ‘Tigermilk’ [by Belle and Sebastian].”

Available on CD, ‘Coke Bottle clear’ coloured vinyl and black vinyl LP.

Tracklisting: So Tired / Primordial Soup / Even Though I Can’t / Read Your Mind / Mark Zuckerberg / Mystery Calling / Fool Thinking Ways / If You Were In Prison / Real Thoughts / Dark Link / When I Struck Out On My / Own / Though I Wish I Could

Label Review.

2020 album also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

“Stevens remains at the height of his powers - capable of work as individual, compassionate and powerful as any American composer working today.” - The Washington Post commented on ‘Aphoria’ the new album from New York based singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens and his step-father and record label co-owner, Lowell Brams.

The 21 songs on ‘Aporia’ are tightly crafted, resonating with a gem-like intensity, in the spirit of the New Age composers who sanded off the edges of their synths’ sawtooth waves, ‘Aporia’ approximates a rich soundtrack from an imagined sci-fi epic brimming with moody, hooky, gauzy synthesiser soundscapes.

The album may suggest the progeny of a John Carpenter, Wendy Carlos and Mike Oldfield marriage but it stands apart from these touchstones and generates a meditative universe all its own. This is no mere curio in the Sufjan Stevens catalogue but a fully realised collaborative musical piece.

“Sufjan Stevens is one of the most prolific and absolutely gifted American songwriters of the 21st century.” - NPR

Available on CD, first-run yellow coloured vinyl and cassette.

Tracklisting: Ousia / What It Takes / Disinheritance / Agathon / Determined Outcome / Misology / Afterworld Alliance / Palinodes / Backhanded Cloud / Glorious You / For Raymond Scott / Matronymic / The Red Desert / Conciliation / Ataraxia / The Unlimited / The Runaround / Climb That Mountain / Captain Praxis / Eudaimonia / The Lydian Ring

Label Review. 

2020 album also available on CD.

Our Overview. 

Little Dragon - the pioneering Swedish four-piece fronted by enigmatic vocalist Yukimi Nagano, with multi-instrumentalists H.kan Wirenstarnd and Fredrik Wallin on keyboards and bass respectively and Erik Bodin on drums and percussion - return with their sixth studio album, ‘New Me, Same Us’, their first album release since signing with Ninja Tune.

Entirely self-produced and recorded at their long-time studio base in Gothenburg, the album represents another chapter in the continuing evolution of Little Dragon, finding new direction in their unique style of unhurried, off-kilter r’n’b, pop and electronics, they sound as rejuvenated and energised as ever.

The album is accompanied by the release of a photographic book by David Uzochukwu (has worked with FKA Twigs, Pharrell and Ibeyi) called ‘Yerba Mates’. Shot during their latest US tour, David captures his journey with the guys in a surrealistic style. Release date around album release.

This year Little Dragon play a huge run of headline shows in March/April 2020. A 32- date tour across the UK, EU and North America that will see the band playing in front of over 40K fans, including the Hollywood Palladium (5K) and London’s O2 Brixton Academy (5K). The band has previously remixed the likes of Rhye and Childish Gambino. Additionally, artists such as NAO, Lianne La Havas, Nick Mulvey and Rosie Lowe all have covered Little Dragon. ‘Tried’, their recent collaboration with BADBADNOTGOOD, received great support from the likes of Pitchfork, The FADER,NPR and Annie Mac. Yukimi has previously lent her trademark vocals to Gorillaz, Flume, SBTRKT, Kaytranada, Christian Rich, De La Soul, DJ Shadow, Tinashe, Mac Miller, Big Boi, Faith Evans and ODESZA.GRAMMY nominated for 2014’s ‘Nabuma Rubberband’, Little Dragon have long been seen as one of the most sought-after groups to work with.

CD in gatefold sleeve with gloss finish. LP in gatefold sleeve, 140g black vinyl in black paper inner and 12” lyric booklet plus product sticker in silver foil embossed back cover.

Tracklisting: Hold On / Rush / Another Lover / Kids / Every Rain / New Fiction / Sadness / Are You Feeling Sad? / Where You Belong / Stay Right Here / Water

Label Review.

2020 album. Singer songwriter. Also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview.

American bluegrass singer-songwriter, mandolinist, and guitarist Sierra Hull’s ‘25 Trips’ further establishes her as a powerhouse instrumentalist, vocalist, and esteemed song-writer. It’s a genre-transcending album emerging from the world of folk-pop, bluegrass, and acoustic music. This 13 song album is a testament to Hull’s virtuosic prowess, and showcases her as the singular talent that she is.

Those familiar with Hull’s bluegrass history might initially hear the never-before-included elements on this record – namely drums, electric guitar, and electric mandolin – as mildly out-of-place. However, as sonic symbols for the flow of time, personal growth, and a sense of openness fostered from the former, these new instrumental additions merely provide a welcoming opportunity to witness the continuing transformation of Hull’s perspective as a person and musician when reflecting on her past, present, and future.

“When I started digging through songs for the record, they seemed to tell a story in a way, that led to being able to put this particular group of songs together – both in terms of, yes, musical approach but also whether it be the story of being kind of open minded as a musician and being able to take multiple approaches to recording something,” says Hull.

’25 Trips’ shows that what music looks and sounds like for Sierra Hull from here on, is only limited by her own sense of adventure. Listeners new and old can take heart that no matter what, she certainly seems to be at peace with trusting herself to figure things out as they come.

Produced by Shani Ghandi (Parker Millsap) and featuring guest appearances by the estimable talents of Katie Pruitt, Mindy Smith, Angel Snow and Molly Tuttle, ‘25 Trips’ is offering up some of Hull’s best collaborations to date.

Tracklisting: Beautifully Out Of Place / Middle Of The Woods / How Long / 25 Trips / Ceiling To The Floor / The Last Minute / Escape / Poison / Waiting / Everybody’s Talking / Envy / Less / Father Time

Label Review. 

2020 album. Members of I Was A King, The Minus 5, The Baseball Project and R.E.M. Also available on Vinyl.

Our Overview. 

The No Ones , a bi-continental collaboration featuring Scott McCaughey, Frode Str mstad, Peter Buck and Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen, is a band that stretches from the southwest of Norway through Athens, Georgia to the northwest corner of the USA, consisting of members from I Was A King, The Minus 5, The Baseball Project and R.E.M.

As this pedigree almost dictates, they wield Fender and Rickenbacker guitars, cutting, chiming and fuzzing their way through songs dealing with abduction, interstellar mysteries, witchcraft, and more mundane fare like climate change, gentrification, and the desolation of the soul. The vocal harmonies and psychedelic flourishes fuse the sunny turbulent sounds of the ‘60s with the darkness and decay of today.

LP Yellow Vinyl with Purple Splatter; bonus 45 featuring 2 new songs on Purple Vinyl with Yellow splatter.

Tracklisting:

LP 1: No One Falls Alone / (Going Back To) Stockholm Syndrome / Clementine / Straight Into The Bridge / All You Need Is Rain / Sun Station Vads / Cinnamon Roll Hair / Dream Something Else / Saucerful Of Nothing / Too Blind To Believe / Gone / Sweet Home Mississippi / Turn Again

LP 2: Apples / Slow Century