Carlton Melton - Resemble EnsembleAgitated Records"..Plug in the satnav and take the higher-route home (if you get our drift), Carlton Melton, starting 2023 in a better place than most, soaring high on their synaptic-dazzling magick karpet…" |
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Orchestra Gold - MedicineOrchestra Gold"‘ OG offers a kaleidoscope of magical sound deeply rooted in the past while boldly blazing towards the genre-bending future: African Psychedelic Rock." |
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Maggot Brain - Issue #11Third Man Books"Maggot Brain is a full-color, quarterly magazine edited by noted Detroit scribe Mike McGonigal: 100+ pages packed with phenomenal content – art, music, literature, unpublished archival material, and more – with a simple promise to only exist on the printed page. ON THE COVER: This issue is dedicated to the memory of astral traveling saxophone colossus PHAROAH SANDERS" |
Guided By Voices - La La LandGBVi"La La Land doubles down on the intricate proggy-pop displayed on Guided By Voices’s last album Tremblers And Goggles By Rank. On a hot streak of critical acclaim, Robert Pollard continues expanding his songwriting towards extremes of prettiness, heaviness and poeticism. As always, unforgettable hooks are everywhere." |
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Nighttime - Keeper is the HeartBa Da Bing Records"Eva Louise Goodman’s Nighttime project locates itself on a musical tree planted on the British Isles, perched atop the branch of folk leaning into sixties rock. Her upstate New York environs don’t stray far from that image. " |
The CIA - Surgery ChannelIn The Red Records"Ty Segall (bass, percussion, back up vocals) and Emmett Kelly (bass, synth, back up vocals) have painted a jarring and dissonant landscape behind Denée Segall's (Vocals, Lyrics) story. Their basses could easily be swapped for bone drills and you might not be able to tell the difference. " |
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Spike In Vain - Jesus Was Born in a Mobile HomeSCAT Records"2023 will see the release of the Jesus Was Born In A Mobile Home cassette via this much expanded double vinyl edition. Upping the original’s twelve track program with an additional fifteen unreleased or rare tracks, this compilation provides a panoramic view of this mercurial, many-headed beast of absurdity, discord, and death." |
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John Fizer - Treasure ManScissor Tail Records"Barely saved from obscurity by a series of chance events, John Fizer’s only recorded album Treasure Man will finally see the light of day. Forty-five years in the making" |
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The Sea Urchins - Stardust1972 Records"Compiling their fanzine-only flexi material with the full complement of singles for Sarah Records, Stardust runs chronologically from late 1986 to the middle of 1989. It’s not crazy to say that things could have been very different for the likes of Radiohead, The La’s, and Oasis without The Sea Urchins." |
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Skull Practitioners - Negative StarsIn The Red Records"Hard-hitting new collection succeeds the trio’s rampaging 2019 In The Red Debut EP Death Buy! Proving once again that “power trio” isn’t just a descriptive handle from the distant past but a louderthan- God 21st-Century reality, the devastating New York band Skull Practitioners bow Negative Stars, their first full-length album for In The Red Records." |
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Milk Music - First DemoL.G Records"Milk Music was conceived in the late aughts as brothers Alex Coxen (guitar, vocals) and Joe Rutter (drums) drove around the Northwest jamming on tunes in a shitty old Volvo. Inspired by music that their friends were making, the young brothers rented a space, enlisted first bass player Eric Yates, and wrote the songs on this record." |
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Second Layer - Courts or Wars1972 Records"Over forty years later, these recordings feel shockingly appropriate. In painting a bleak reality and frightening future, there is real desperate beauty here."
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With far too many excellent releases to choose from this year, we had a hard time limiting it to just 10! But here, in no particular order, are 10 of our favourites.
Have a browse of the whole collection here.
Osees - A Foul FormCastle Face Records"Brain stem cracking scum-punk |
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Fresh Blueberry Pancake - HeavyAncient Grease Records"The first ever official reissue of one of the rarest U.S. private press rock grails, with only 54 copies initially circulated in 1971 as a demo. Featuring the Pittsburgh power trio's full story and photographic history." |
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The Soundcarriers - WildsPhosphonic Records"Eschewing fads and trends that come and go, they have instead focused on honing their own sonic world that glides between woozy psychedelia, immersive grooves, subtle pop and rich, enveloping soundscapes. On their own terms and on their fourth album, Wilds, they return after seven years since their last." |
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The Prize - Wrong Side of TownAnti Fade Records"The Prize are Melbourne’s hottest new addition, a breath of fresh air and a shot in the arm. Figuring out a way to jam and write songs in between rules and restrictions, The Prize landed on a blend of power pop and rock and roll that's equal parts brains and bravado. |
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Rival Consoles - Now IsErased Tapes Records"‘Now Is’ marks a new chapter in an ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. More playful and melodic, the album draws from much experimentation in minimalist songwriting and seamlessly blends synthesisers and acoustic instruments." |
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Hell Fire - ReckoningRiding Easy Records"Reckoning is Hell Fire's 'Master of Puppets', their 'Number of The Beast', their 'Defenders Of The Faith'. From the very first notes of the album opening title track, you can feel a vital new energy and inspiration to their music." |
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Flying Mojito Bros - Greatest Hits (1970 - 1983)Flying Mojito Bros"Cult DJs/producers Flying Mojito Bros have pressed a super-limited double compilation of their most celebrated releases to date plus an exclusive new track. Known as the go-to guys for reworking all things Classic Rock and Cosmic Country" |
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Porton Porton Lopez - Ice Cream SoufiPPL"Although an instrumental record, this album is as joyous as some of the most rambunctious and rowdy pop albums you’re ever likely to hear." |
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Kelley Stoltz - The StylistAgitated Records"Thankfully, after 23 years the beat goes on... and no matter what style Stoltz chooses, "The Stylist" is another platter of tuneful delight in the impressive catalog of one of the great songwriters of our time." |
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Harkin - Honeymoon SuiteHand Mirror Records"Recorded in a one bedroom flat in the depths of UK lockdowns, the songs on ‘Honeymoon Suite’ are a blend of love, grief, anxiety, resilience, danger, heartbreak and hope. Part pop record, part electronic soundscape, part interior still life" |
ED KUEPPER - SINGLES '86 - '96
On the anniversary of his 45th year as a recording artist it seems totally appropriate (though somewhat overdue) that Ed Kuepper would release this, his first ever collection of 45’s - RPM if you will - although CD singles are also included.
From the spaghetti-western influenced opener of cult-fave Also Sprach the King of Euro-disco (’86) through the baroque overtones of penultimate track All Of These Things (’96) - an overlooked classic in anyone’s language - via the coulda-been should-been of the much covered (and much coveted) The Way I Made You Feel (’92) these tracks and the other 17 collected here point to Kuepper’s seemingly effortless ability to roll out classic after classic during a decade that was arguably his most prolific.
They shouldn't be this good, really they shouldn't. Some 35 years after their formation, 31 years since their initial split and 4 years into their rebirth Sydney's Sunnyboys return with their 2nd official live album, Best Seat In The House and its great.
Recorded at the Enmore Theatre, Sydney on March 2015. Best Seat... sees the band in blistering form playing with as much energy and vitality as the band that inspired such a fanatical following all those years ago Tracks include live favourites
Fantastic reissues on the 'Aarght' label from one of Australia's greatest rock & roll bands, the Cosmic Psychos.
The band debuted on wax over 30 years ago and since then have become an Aussie punk/pub rock institution, touring the globe and influencing a generation of Seattle musicians (Mudhoney, the Melvins and Pearl Jam among them) in the process. On top of that there's the recently released full-length documentary on the band, Blokes You Can Trust, which is doing the rounds in cinemas around Australia and the US, a US tour in September and now these!
Let's start with 1985's Down On The Farm mini-LP. This is the record which made the original splash back in the day and hasn't been in print on vinyl anywhere since that time. Featuring original guitarist Peter 'Dirty' Jones on wah-wah guitar, it's an absolute classic of heavy-duty punk/grunge. The vinyl edition comes with a download card.
The self-titled LP from 1987 is another classic with the original line-up. The download card for the vinyl edition comes with two bonus tracks - outtakes from the same recording session - and the CD also contains the two bonus tracks PLUS the entire Down On The Farm mini-LP. 19 songs in total.
1989's Go The Hack was Dirty's last foray with the band and featured the killer single, 'Lost Cause'. The LP edition comes with a download card.
All of these classic '80s recordings by the Psychos have been out of print since the 20th century. With the band's fortunes and notoriety in the upswing this year, expect some big interest in these long-unavailable quality reissues. Blokes you can trust, indeed.
https://www.arcade-sound.com/collections/pre-order/products/clocolan-this-will-end-in-love-lp
DEN OSYNLIGA MANTELN – INSEKTSFOLK (Limited Transparent Aqua Vinyl)
https://www.arcade-sound.com/collections/pre-order/products/den-osynliga-manteln-insektsfolk-lp
WARRINGTON-RUNCORN NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT PLAN - PEOPLE & INDUSTRY LP (Limited Blue w/ White Sprinkles Vinyl)
WHITE STRIPES - UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS 2LP
CASSANDRA JENKINS - AN OVERVIEW ON PHENOMENAL NATURE LP (Limited Violet Coloured Vinyl)
LES RALLIZES DENUDES - DOUBLE HEADS 7LP BOXSET
Available on Limited 2xLP Orange Vinyl
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