FFS (Franz Ferdinand Sparks) FFS

2015 #8: June
FFS (Franz Ferdinand Sparks)
FFS
Available June 9, 2015
Mates Of State
Barsuk
You’re Going To Make It
Mates of State’s new self-produced EP, You’re Going To Make It, is nothing but choice cuts:five anthemic and
emotionally-rich songs that will quickly take up residence in your mentaljukebox; five anthemic songs that
wriggle into your every waking hour like the earworms theyare.This new batch of tunes is Mates of State in
its purest form. The razor sharp harmonies,shimmering new wave synth melodies, an internal warmth that
can only come from a couplethat has been musically and romantically involved for nearly two decades, and
lyrics thatspeak to both personal and universal concerns.On “Beautiful Kids,” the band speaks to how,even
though we are connected to one another24/7 thanks to modern technology, a sense of loneliness still
pervades. Or as Hammel puts it: “We all just want to be seen, but we won’t look up from our screens so
that we can beseen.” “Gonna Get It” and “I Want To Run” build off the same inspiring notion of the EP’stitle,
encouraging both themselves and their fans to keep striving no matter what the odds.And fist-pumping
opener “Staring Contest” speaks to that delicious ache of schoolyardcrushes and youthful love.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CDEP: 55173-1155-2
File Under: Rock-Pop
CDEP: $7.89
Jay-Jay Johanson
Album Art
Not
Available
CDEP UPC: 655173115527
Wichita
Opium
It was in 1996 that Jay-Jay Johanson, a young man from a cold climate, fascinated by the Bristol sound they
called trip-hop and Portishead in particular, first tapped delicately on our eardrums. In only a few songs he
revealed a family tree that spread its roots far and wide: on one branch Chet Baker and Lee Hazelwood, on
the other John Coltrane with Johnny Hartman, and in between a whole army of jazz or symphonic recordings sampled from everywhere imaginable. Almost 20 years later he has returned with an incredible new
album called Opium. It contains the very essence of Johanson’s music: an ease with inventing melodies,
a voice that gently caresses, and the jacked up, heady rhythms that lift and carry the songs. From the
peaceful harmonica opening of Drowsy / Too Young To Say Good Night to the smoke-wreathed love song
I Don’t Know Much About Loving, via titles with a sporadic and light groove (NDE, Alone Too Long), Opium
is a courageous offering. Johanson opens his heart with fearlessness and modesty, gracefully lowering his
guard and evoking the questions that torment men of his age: love, solitude, fatherhood, immaturity. The
songwriting is unerving, the words have a suppressed poetry. This new Jay-Jay Johanson is the work of a
guy who has survived the avalanches, who is no longer looking for answers and is content to sketch out the
perspectives in as many songs. Some titles are serious (Harakiri), but others immediately take up the reins
casting a more gentle, peaceful light, like Scarecrow, a collaboration with Robin Guthrie that would not have
sounded out of place on a Cocteau Twins album, or of the strange positivity of Be Yourself or I Love Him So.
The strength of Opium is that it asks questions that don’t necessarily have an answer; it offers a collection of
songs freed from any certitude but which convince through their modesty, through their precision. In short,
Jay-Jay Johanson at his best.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CD: 13615-0125-2
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: LPL025
CD: $12.70
LP: $14.50
Juno Reactor
CD UPC: 813615012524
LP UPC: 4012957334318
Metropolis
The Golden Sun… Remixed
With The Golden Sun… Remixed, Juno Reactor presents a companion album to its most recent opus,
The Golden Sun Of The Great East. An exotic mix of reinterpretations, this stunning album takes the songs
in staggering and engaging new directions. Surging trance beats, blended together with cinematic world
music flavors create an epic experience for the listener.
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015
File Under: Electronic
CD: 82388-0986-2
CD: $11.00
CD UPC: 782388098625
Inertia
Metropolis
Existential
The band is the creation of Reza Udhin, also keyboard player with the legendary KILLING JOKE. Over the past
23 years, Inertia have conjured up their own brand of electronic music, fusing together danceable Industrial
with dark melodies, harmonized vocals, haunting song lyrics and filmic soundscapes. For this album, Reza
is joined by Keyboardist Andrew Lowlife (Swarf) and Guitarist Tim Stephens (EMF) to create this colossal
musical journey. The band have been prolific with their touring over the past two decades, completing
several UK and European tours and 12 Full USA Tours and plan to tour the US, UK and Europe this year in
support of this album.
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015 CD: 82388-0983-2
File Under: Electronic/Industrial
CD: $11.00
Pig vs. Primitive Race
CD UPC: 782388098328
Metropolis
Long In The Tooth
Rising from the primordial sonic stew of intensive collaboration, industrial supergroup Primitive Race stands
ready to take its place as the pure evolution of Industrial Music – past, present and future. Evoking the intensity, fury and excitement of Industrial First Wave, Primitive Race brings together an all-star cast of contributors – each of whom is a ‘missing link’ in the canon of industrial and EBM in their own. Conceived by bassist,
impresario and Lords Of Acid manager/executive producer Chris Kniker; PRIMITIVE RACE featuries regular
appearances from Graham Crabb (Pop Will Eat Itself), Erie Loch (LUXT, Blownload, Exageist), and Mark
Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy, Tricky, Gary Numan). That core is joined by an all-star cast of contributors
including Tommy Victor (Prong, Ministry, Danzig), Dave “Rave” Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy, Jackalope), Kourtney
Klein (Combichrist, Nitzer Ebb), Mark “3KSK” Brooks (Warlock Pinchers, Foreskin 500, Night Club), Josh
Bradford (RevCo, Stayte, Simple Shelter), Diggie Diamond (Foreskin 500), and more!
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015 CD: 82388-0981-2
File Under: Electronic/Industrial
CD: $11.00
J. Fernandez
CD UPC: 782388098120
Joyful Noise
Many Levels Of Laughter
“There’s a certain, undeniable feeling associated with the songwriting of J. Fernandez. There are plenty
of familiar touchstones and influences deep and intricately woven; Marquee Moon guitars, an affectless,
Kraftwerk-ian singing style, psychedelic dissonance and melodic structures not entirely unlike The United
States of America, and a modern warmth like Chris Cohen’s work with The Curtains and Deerhoof. But,
dropping these names doesn’t adequately sum up what J. Fernandez has captured here. On Many Levels
of Laughter, he has invited us into his own, very special, Universe. One that presumably exists only in his
head, or at the very least in the Chicago bedroom where he recorded the album, alone. Giving yourself over
to this record for 36-or-so minutes is a bit like agreeing to Gene Wilder’s version of The Wondrous Boat Ride,
you’re going to experience things you don’t expect. Some of it will be immediately wonderful, some of it will
be confusing and magnificent. Only, instead of a nightmare-fueled, psychotropic freak-out, it feels more like
a Brian Wilson daydream, magically stepping into the scraps of tape and interlude left on the cutting room
floor once they finally got around to assembling SMiLE.” - Mike Adams
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 56605-4859-2
LP: JNR164
CD: $11.00
LP: $11.88
CD UPC: 656605485928
LP UPC: 656605485911
Michael Vidal
Captured Tracks
Dream Center
Couple Skate Records are extremely excited to announce the signing of Los Angeles-based songwriter
Michael Vidal. After years of blazing coasts and continents, DIY enclaves and contempo-art spaces alike as
the singer / guitarist of LA punks Abe Vigoda, Michael Vidal has stepped out of the combustible, hyper-color
tropical punk of his former group, and onto his own into more pastoral, lush territory. Dream Center is Vidal’s
inaugural work, originally released onto cassette in 2013 from LA label Big Joy, reissued onto all additional
formats from Couple Skate Records.
The music of Dream Center is a wonderful and diverse spectrum of looping, beautiful guitar pop (featured
on “Dreams” and “Appraisal”) that evokes the deeper emotional shades of the likes Blue Nile and Prefab
Sprout, and crystalline instrumental pieces (“Mono No Aware”) reminiscent of Durutti Column and the earlier days of Felt. All touchstones aside, the music of Vidal’s Dream Center is an impressionist paean to love,
loss, and existence, an exciting new beginning for a uniquely creative spirit.
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CDEP: 57628-0051-4
12”: CS014
CDEP: $8.00
12”: $11.88
Novalima
CDEP UPC: 857628005142
12” UPC: 857628005135
Wonderwheel
Planetario
Novalima has created an inspiring movement and revolutionized the music scene in their native Peru by
bridging a longstanding divide between the mainstream and the minority Afro-Peruvian community, who
have struggled against discrimination and cultural dissolution for generations. Over the last two years, Novalima created their newest offering, Planetario. The album’s name signals Novalima’s musical growth and
international connections – much of the album was recorded on tour when they collaborated with top local
and international musicians. There is a strong connection to Colombia created through a remarkable recording session in Bogota organized by members of La-33 including Sidestepper vocalist Eka Muñoz, Pernett
and La Mamba Negra. The album also has offerings from global artists such as Marc de Clive Lowe (UK/NZ),
Panko from Ojos de Brujo (Spain), and Kumar (Cuban rapper based in Barcelona).
The album’s debut single, “Como Yo” honors the legendary Peruvian percussionist and longtime band
member Mangue Vasquez who passed away in 2014. Not one for sentimentality, Mangue implored his
friends to celebrate his life with song and dance when he passed rather than shed any tears. The life affirming lyrics are underscored by rolling percussion, twinkling synths, and a celebratory sing-song chant chorus:
Gozen la vida como yo - Enjoy life, like I do.
Novalima has garnered worldwide critical acclaim from mainstream (NPR, UK Guardian, Wall Street Journal, La Presse, Metro, Billboard) and underground media (Giant Step, Remezcla, Nat Geo) alike, delivered
legendary performances around the world at festivals such as Roskilde, WOMAD, Pirineos Sur, NYC Central
Park, Montreal Jazz Festival and Chicago’s Millennium Park, earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best
Alternative Album, and were featured in cult filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s hit Mexploitation movie Machete.
For their upcoming year of international touring Novalima has designed a brand new live show that will
debut in Lima at the Grand Teatro National on May 28th as part of the country’s celebration of 100 years of
Afro-Peruvian culture. Novalima’s international tour begins in North America this June.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CD: 34457-6895-2
File Under: Electronic/World LP: WONDER05
CD: $12.70
LP: $17.24
CD UPC: 634457689527
LP UPC: 634457689510
Outfit
Memphis Industries
Slowness
At the beginning of 2014, Outfit found themselves scattered across two countries and three cities, separated
by life and love from each other and from those closest to them. ‘Slowness’, the band’s second full length LP
due June 15 on new label home Memphis Industries, is the sound of its five members snatching intensive
weeks to plant themselves in one place, with the tensions of touring, moving, and transatlantic relationships
still weighing heavy in mind, to create an album with bold presence.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CD: 60146-0956-2
File Under: Electronic/World LP: MI0362
CD: $11.73
LP: $17.24
Part Time
Album Art
Not
Available
CD UPC: 5060146095624
LP UPC: 5060146095648
Burger Records
Virgo’s Maze
BRAND NEW DOUBLE-ALBUM “VIRGOS MAZE” COMING TO BURGER RECORDS LP/CD/CS/DIGITAL ON
5/19/15!!! BREEZY BEAUTIFUL POP NUGZ TO DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY TO WITH FRIENDS — DON’T BE
LEFT ALONE, PICK IT UP TO PUT IT DOWN!!!
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CD: 34457-6839-2
File Under: Electronic/World LPx2: BRGR875
CS: BRGR875CS
CD: $12.70
LPx2: $20.81
CS: $7.10
Various Artists
CD UPC: 634457683921
LPx2 UPC: 634457683914
CS UPC: 634457683945
Visionquest
Visionquest Ultraviolet I
This Spring the influential Visionquest label run by Detroit born, Berlin based DJs and producers Shaun
Reeves, Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss is to take stock of the ground breaking work they have done so far
by offering up a compilation of their greatest moments to date. Coming as a fantastic three CD package,
discs 1 and 2 will offer up some of the most memorable releases on the label so far, whilst disc three is
a stunning back catalogue mix put together by none other than DJ Three. The Visionquest label has very
much carved out its own sonic niche since 2011 when it launched. Spearheaded by cultured A&R, releases
have ranged from deep house to spiritual techno and often come with a rare sense of melody that is both
uplifting, colourful and charming. Artists revisited along the course of CD1 here include the seminal, game
changing Walk & Talk from Benoit & Sergio, a killer Ewan Pearson remix of Footprintz and enduring hits like
Maceo Plex’s Fallin, Laura Jones’ Let Me In and Tale of Us’ breakthrough track Dark Song. CD2 keeps up
the pressure, reminding us just how wide the scope of the label has been, taking in artists old and new from
across the globe. Dinky, Canadian outfit My Favourite Robot, legendary Brett Johnson and influential label
boss Guy Gerber and countrymen Chaim all pop up with standout cuts that sound as great now as they did
upon day of release.As for disc three, it is a perfect journey deep into the Visionquest world as curated by
pioneering figure DJ Three. Touching on many different styles in a coherent and cohesive way, the energetic
mix takes you up, down and round and round thanks to inclusions from artists like Pezzner, Konrad Black,
the new one from Shaun Reeves & Tuccillo, a modern classic from Ryan Crosson & Tale of Us plus Butch,
Rework and many more. This is a timely reminder of just how important the Visionquest label has been
in the furtherment of techno. Rather than looking back, the label continually looks forward, unearths new
talent, gets the best out of established names and continues to foment its own singular scene. This is the
perfect encapsulation of the Visionquest sound and you are invited to get lost in it...
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CDx3: 60376-9373-1
File Under: Electronic
CDx3: $19.25
CDx3 UPC: 5060376937312
The Central Executives
Golf Channel
A Walk In The Dark
So, enter the label’s latest LP from Mind Fair’s housier alias The Central Executives, whose project could’ve
formed weeks ago, or perhaps be unearthed recordings from a loft party that went a few weeks longer than
planned back in ‘87. But regardless of when it was actually recorded, there’s a live-recorded exuberance that’s
part Arthur Russell, part ACT UP protest, part disco-punk ensemble ironing out the kinks in their act in some
Queens basement with black mould spreading all around the ceiling.Golf Channel has called this record “the
back street escapism these troubled times demand”- and maybe escapism is the word that encapsulates the
timeless anonymity of my favourite Golf Channel offerings. In any case, A Walk in the Dark is an absolute burner
of an LP – there’s not a single moment on it that doesn’t reveal something new with every listen, and for all its
retro influences, it’s still packed with surprises. It’s the gruff bodega owner who starts smiling at you after figuring out that you’re queer, but only when no one else is around. It’s smoking inside, it’s someone’s radio blaring
out the window, it’s Broadway before Disney bought out all the bars – it’s New York.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Electronic/World
CD: 53760-0157-1
LP: CHANNEL35
CD: $12.70
LP: $24.50
Chungking
CD UPC: 5053760015710
LP UPC: 5053760015703
Black Volta
Defender
BLACK
VOLTA
Chungking, the pop connoisseur’s favourite, the record collector’s hidden gem, return with their third album
Defender on June 2015. The latest – and self-produced album - from the Brighton based trio captures
their slick and sultry grooves, coupled with serious musicianship and above all, the voice and multi-layered
harmonies of Jessie Banks. Smooth as silk and tough as steel, its Jessie’s vocal that has come to define
Chungking’s signature sound. Chungking’s debut We Travel Fast – on Tim ‘Love’ Lee’s label for party people
Tummy Touch - set a career agenda with beautifully crafted, consistent and timeless songs that won the
band plaudits across the board. Since it’s release the trio have worked with pop overlord Richard X and
WARP records’ techno-soulman Jamie Lidell, while Jessie - by special request – has provided vocals both
live and recorded for Royksopp and Air. They were among the very first to be remixed by the mighty Hot
Chip. Classic, deep-rooted songwriting, Defender places them somewhere in a miraculous zone between
Kate Bush, The Bee Gees and the ‘Drive’ soundtrack – it’s an album that could only have been made by
people utterly in love with pop music. Sapphire, the first release from Defender, was “written for a best
friend who I travelled the world with, then lost” says Ben. “It took a year to finish and by the end it was a
little bit about my girl too. It’s all about loving someone but knowing that ultimately you never really know
them...”Jessie, Sean Hennessy and Ben Townsend have woven a melancholic sweetness through ‘Sapphire’ resulting in a track that moves with the softness of a lullaby and the hazy weight of a broken heart
at sunrise. With Defender, Chungking continue their legacy; able to take in everything from The Carpenters
to Vashti Bunyan, psychedelic soul to Italo- disco and still, and after seven years away, managing to sound
completely and unmistakably Chungking to the core.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 53760-0144-2
LP: BLACKV03
CD: $12.70
LP: $24.50
Gala Drop
CD UPC: 5053760014423
LP UPC: 5053760014652
Golf Channel
II
TRACKLISTING: 1. You and I, 2. Big City, 3. Sun Gun, 4. Monad, 5. All Things, 6. Slow House, 7. Let It Go, 8. Samba
da Maconha
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Electronic
CD: 53760-0117-7
LP: CHANNEL52
CD: $12.70
LP: $24.50
CD UPC: 5053760011774
LP UPC: 5053760011781
Mind Fair
Album Art
Not
Available
Golf Channel
Mind Fair
TRACKLISTING: 1. Enjoy The Fair (Intro), 2. Green Fingers (Love From Above), 3. Deutsche Bag, 4. Cursed, 5. U
Got The Lovin’, 6. Voodoo Train, 7. Neon Carnival, 8. So Romose, 9. Sunny Carter, 10. Find Me At The Fair 11.
Mushroom Blues
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Electronic
CD: 16822-1220-2
LP: CHANNEL29
CD: $12.70
LP: $24.50
Jonah Parzen-Johnson
CD UPC: 616822122020
LP UPC: 616822016411
Primary/Clandestine
Remember When Things Were Better Tomorrow
“Nostalgia can seem comforting, but I think it should be incredibly unsettling.... maybe that’s what I should’ve titled the album,” says Brooklyn based baritone saxophonist, Jonah Parzen-Johnson, of his first album-lengthed
collection of songs for solo saxophone and analog synthesizer. He thinks a lot about titles. “I wrote these songs
around the idea that the best period in my generation’s lifespan was gone, but after a few nights on the road,
looking people in the eye with that idea in mind, I saw how lazy I was being. It doesn’t feel good to be devoting
so much time to counting the ways we’ve failed, and ignoring the hundreds of little ways I could be fixing this
mess. I’ve had the same conversation all over the country. Its time to stop drowning in nostalgia, and start finding ways to make our lives about repairing our broken systems. That’s what I was thinking about when I was
getting ready to play these songs in the studio.”
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 16892-2565-4
LP: PRIM019
CD: $10.25
LP: $17.56
Roman A Clef
CD UPC: 616892256540
LP UPC: 616892256649
Infinite Best
Abandonware
INFINITE
BEST
From the “raging clock” that marks the beginning of the record, to the poignant self-assessment of the final
seconds, Roman à Clef’s Abandonware is a record that plays out like a film, inviting the listener to consider their
own lives through the kaleidoscope of stories found within. Rejecting a straightforward narrative in favor of
impressionistic passages, the actions (or non-actions) of the characters in Abandonware give the unmistakable
impression of New Wave films, or the fiction of Roberto Bolaño, Italo Calvino and Thomas Pynchon. Roman
à Clef is Ryan Newmyer (A Sunny Day in Glasgow), Jen Goma (ASDiG), and Kurt Feldman (Ice Choir). When
Newmyer began writing the material that would become Abandonware, he endeavored to create deceptively
complex songs that would unfold and reveal themselves with repeat listens. This required an exhausting rewriting and revision process, and ultimately, the help of additional talents and perspectives. He found perfect
collaborators in fellow ‘80s pop obsessive Kurt Feldman, who brought the songs to life with endlessly lush and
inventive production and arrangements, and ASDiG bandmate Jen Goma, whose acrobatic voice and searing
wit provide a perfect counterpoint to Newmyer’s bemused baritone. Abandonware is filled with songs that
stretch out in unexpected directions, slyly deconstructing conventional song structures at every turn. Verses,
choruses and hooks abound, but they do not fall where one might expect. The sprawling compositions provide
a home for rich character studies, living lives that look not unlike our own; in turn, warm and humorous, bittersweet and tragic. Blink, and you could miss it. Rewind and repeat, and be rewarded. As in all good stories,
the end is the beginning.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 34457-6899-2
CD: $10.25
CD UPC: 634457689923
Tenement
Don Giovanni
Predatory Highlights
Predatory Headlights was completed over the course of three years with the assistance of engineer and coproducer, Justin Perkins. Pitsch has often cited Perkins’ involvement in early 2000’s groups Yesterday’s Kids
and The Obsoletes as a heavy influence. Perkins also worked with Tenement on their 2011 offering, Napalm
Dream, as well as acclaimed records by the likes of The Goodnight Loving, The Sugar Stems, and The Mystery
Girls. The bulk of Predatory Headlights was written and recorded at BFG in Appleton, Wisconsin - Tenement’s
home and personal studio. The house was symbolically demolished within days of finishing the record, and in
a fitting display of finality, three years of sweat and nightmares and beauty and dissonance returned to the soil
and found its way back into the water and woods with only this document to prove it ever even existed at all.
Thanks to Don Giovanni Records, you hold the very document in your hands - Tenement’s newest window into
the nature of the human being and the complexity of life: Predatory Headlights.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 34457-6809-2
LP: DG083
CD: $12.70
LP: $23.75
Young Kato
CD UPC: 634457680920
LP UPC: 634457680913
YK Records
Don’t Wait Til Tomorrow
YK
RECORDS
Six piece band Young Kato are set to release their captivating debut album ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’ on 2nd
June through Republic of Music (Tame Impala, You Me At Six) and Redeye Worldwide. The anthemic lead single,
‘Children of The Stars’ will be released the same day. ‘Children of the stars’ is a rose tinted look back at the
bands’ youth, relating to 90’s kids alike who wish to live in that period of time forever. Taking heavy inspiration
from Australian electro pop – the track offers a slightly different flavour to their previous releases. Lyrically, it
juxtaposes the theme of impatience, a theme that runs throughout the entirety of ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’,
offering a slightly different songwriting approach.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 53760-0131-9
LP: YKREC01
CD: $12.70
LP: $24.50
Roy Rogers
CD UPC: 5053760013198
LP UPC: 5053760013211
Chops Not Chaps
Into The Wild Blue
CHOPS NOT
CHAPS
It has been five years since Roy Rogers’ last solo recording – and it has definitely been worth the wait. The
renowned slide guitarist once again offers his own eclectic mix of truly great songs. His ‘manic slide guitar riffs’
are the thread that takes the listener through multi-genres.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
CD: 40016-3400-6
NEW ON VINYL & CASSETTE
CD: $12.70
CD UPC: 740016340065
Please note that vinyl & cassettes are non-returnable.
All releases are in stock now unless noted otherwise.
Tom Diabo
Captured Tracks
Dark Star
Tom Diablo was late-70s/early80s punk musician from Wuppertal, Germany. He played in several bands, most
notably Western Force and X 112 For Dancing, and also curated a series of legendary local cassettes called
“Talfahrt”. Diabo passed away from cancer in 1988 shortly after his 30th birthday. He left behind a cache of
home-recorded songs that eventually came out posthumously as an LP called “Dark Star” that same year. An
expanded edition will be released on Body Double in 2013.
Release Date: Jun. 23, 2015 LP+7”: BD003LP
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP+7”: $12.50
LP+7” UPC: 817949019372
Faith Healer
Mint
Cosmic Troubles
Long before Jessica Jalbert began recording under the moniker Faith Healer, she fostered a tight collaborative
friendship with fellow Edmonton-bred polymath Renny Wilson. They’ve made boppy garage rock in Tee-Tahs,
kicked up a racket in Punk Explosion, and even played in a scattering of cover bands. In 2011, Wilson was
a key contributor to Jalbert’s solo album Brother Loyola. So when Jalbert set about creating her first album
under the name Faith Healer, she naturally called on her old buddy to help out. The result of these productive
sessions is the debut LP Cosmic Troubles, which will come out this spring on Mint Records.Clearly, Jalbert and
Wilson bring the best out in one another. They have already covered a lot of ground over the years, but Cosmic
Troubles is their greatest triumph.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 LP: MRL158
File Under: Rock-Punk
LP: $13.50
Stellar Om Source
LP UPC: 773871015816
RVNG
Nite-Glo
Nite-Glo is the new offering from Stellar OM Source, the outré-minded music venture of Christelle Gauldi. Tempering the freneticism unleashed on Stellar OM Source’s 2013 album Joy One Mile, Nite-Glo guides Gauldi’s
rhythms to unexpected places of emotive and meditative power. Nite-Glo continues an off-script musical journey informed by Gualdi’s formal training in electro-acoustic composition at the Conservatoire de Paris and an
ascent from the DIY synth scene of the mid-aughts to a global dancefloor. Rewarding listeners keen on conscious listening, the passages of Nite-Glo crystalize as tracks unfurl and sequences reveal an absolute power
over time. Transcending its cathartic context, Nite-Glo finds Christelle Gauldi abstracting the ebullience of Stellar
OM Source’s sound in favor of remote spaces and roiling tempos. A snapshot of Gualdi’s personal and creative
transition, Nite-Glo beams through a mournful context, visible only as eyes have adjusted in the shadows.
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
12”EP: RVNGNL030
12”EP: $8.67
Angelo Spencer
12”EP UPC: 798295512390
K
Love In The Morning
Angelo Spencer’s third album is his most danceable work so far. Written and recorded in Chambéry, France, in
the heart of the Alps over the course of a week in February 2014.With the help of old friends and amazing musicians Luc Detraz (Imperial Tiger Orchestra) and Karol Skonitcki (Super Fedor), Love In The Morning (KLP256) is
a short, precise, and undeniably groovy love affair! With repurposed autotune and raw, uncompressed sound
recorded by Djan (the man behind the Larsen Records sound), the album is minimal yet so full.
Release Date: Jun. 9, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: KLP256
LP: $13.13
Psychic Baos
LP UPC: 789856125616
Magnetic South
Society’s Lien On Peace of Mind /
Can’t Keep Us Down
Wake up, garbage people, the rooster is crowing! First off, your morning dose: Psychic Baos. Close your eyes
and step into the fry-daddy’s dream: You’re on a muddy BMX track in eastern Tennessee and there’s a band
playing what sounds like the Chocolate Watch Band melting in hellfire. A man named Will Fist is screaming
a fully-blown scream, and zoom goes some wily pfink on a soiled banana bike. That’s your daily medicine!
The hypnotic rhythms waxed in this stereo resin have a great effect upon the listener. Don’t worry about the
false prophets of car commercial garage rock. This isn’t that, this is Psychic Baos.
Release Date: Jun. 23, 2015 7”: MS041
File Under: Rock-Pop
7”: $5.33
LP UPC: 656605434179
Ata Kak
Awesome Tapes From
Africa
Daa Nyinaa b/w Bome Nnwom
Ata Kak’s legendary tape Obaa Sima introduced one of the greatest left-field dance floor jammers of all
time, “Daa Nyinaa.” Now available on 12” single for the first time, the song Ata Kak recorded in his Toronto
apartment in 1993 lives on. The artist was cloaked in mystery until very recently; he created a joyously
idiosyncratic balancing act of highlife, R&B, rap and house music that resonated with listeners many miles
and several years away. The single is backed with the tape’s final song, a minimalist electronic instrumental
dripping with lo-fi rhythmic soul called “Bome Nnwom.” The journey that lead to this 12” - which also took
many miles and many years - shows the extent to which music can inspire and excite, regardless of background or experience. After years of searching, Awesome Tapes From Africa tracked down the artist’s family
in Canada. His recording was the first to be posted on the ATFA blog back in 2006, and has been an underground obsession for many diehard internet
music fans ever since. The singer/producer - whose real name is Yaw Atta-Owusu - became happily aware of the distance his music has traveled
since it was quietly released in 1994. Obaa Sima was released worldwide this March after a years-long wait and a brilliant restoration and remastering,
by Jessica Thompson at the Magic Shop NYC, of one of the few remaining playable cassette copies in known existence. With this special release, we
hone in on the genius elements that make Ata Kak’s nearly-forgotten music so remarkable.
Release Date: Jun. 23, 2015 12”: ATFA016
File Under: Rock-Pop
12”: $8.67
Luke Abbot
12” UPC: 656605434179
Republic Of Music
Music For A Flat Landscape (Original
soundtrack to The Gobb)
Following his critically acclaimed second album ‘Wysing Forest’, Luke Abbott’s next long-form release is
the award-winning soundtrack to the British film ‘The Goob’. Composed and produced by Luke Abbott in
full, the LP picks up where his previous record left off. ‘Music For A Flat Landscape’ is a set of beautiful,
meditative electronic music that shows Luke Abbott is a composer and musician at his zenith. The music
was awarded ‘Best Soundtrack’ at the Stockholm Film Festival in late 2014.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 LP: BFFTM001
File Under: Soundtrack
LP: $25.00
Kid Millions
LP UPC: 5053760014133
NNA Tapes
The Sanguine Cadaver
“The Sanguine Cadaver” is a new expedition through the percussion-centric world of drummer John Colpitts,
better known as Kid Millions. Known for his driving force as the drummer of experimental rock outfit Oneida,
as well as his personal conceptual percussion project Man Forever, Kid Millions is also a key player in a long
list of amazing collaborations with artists such as William Basinski, Laurie Anderson, the Boredoms, Akron
Family, Jim Sauter (of Borbetomagus), and many more. Throughout both sides of “The Sanguine Cadaver,”
Colpitts expresses his complete devotion to the act of percussion, embodying and luxuriating in the physical
and spiritual connection between human and drum kit. The first piece, “Begging Attire,” creates a cavernous
sound world with the assistance of additional musicians on guitar, keyboard, and added percussion. A dense,
dynamic wall of droning resonance is constructed, powerfully covering all corners of the frequency spectrum. Each musician’s respective sound flows in
and out of focus, creating subtle shifts that alter the mood of the piece. Every instrument plays a specific role, never overpowering one another but instead
working in a ritual unison, lending to the billowing, impenetrable qualities of the resulting sonic environment. Although rooted in static minimalism, “Begging
Attire” is a far cry from peaceful ambiance. Instead, it sprawls forth in a menacing, ominous storm of deep tones and percussive metallic textures, eventually locking into a howling, almost Industrial ceremony of buzzing, churning squalls and slow, plodding rhythms. On the second piece, “For Jerry,” we find
Kid Millions in a personal, exploratory space. This is the sound of one man and his drums, a complete physical immersion in rhythm through a catharsis of
primal energy. Colpitts blazes forward relentlessly, never resting on one pattern or tempo but instead seemingly playing multiple ones simultaneously. “For
Jerry” is, however, more than just an impressive display of chops.It is a document of a human reaching elevated levels of consciousness through intense,
sustained interaction with his instrument. Wordless vocal chanting and tonal incantations make their way through the maelstrom, suggesting altered states
of spiritual transcendence. The extended technique of the piece is not only a feat of strength and a challenge to the performer, but the listener as well. When
Kid Millions plays, it’s clear that he puts his entire being into it, a quality that translates magnificently throughout all moments of this cassette.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CS: NNA080CS
File Under: Rock-Pop
CS: $8.74
CS UPC: 634457690646
Cheatahs
Wichita Recordings
Muraski (180 g Vinyl)
London-based Cheatahs have wasted no time since forming three years ago. Their eponymous debut album earned praise from VICE, Alternative Press, and The AV Club, among others upon release in February
2014. In 2015, they’ve already released the Sunne EP and now Murasaki EP will follow on May 5th. After
crisscrossing the US in 2014 with bands such as FIDLAR, Eaguls and Wavves - spring 2015 sees the band
touring abroad, including performance at the prestigious Primavera Festival. Cheatahs will release their
sophomore full-length album in Fall 2015.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 LP: WEBB438
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: $12.70
Monster Rally
LP UPC: 5055036214384
Gold Robot
Crystal Ball
The long-awaited reissue of Monster Rallyʼs long sold-out Crystal Ball album comes with expanded artwork
featuring a single-gatefold jacket. The album is pressed on transparent sapphire wax, includes vinyl-only
bonus tracks, and comes with a free digital download.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 LP: GRR021
File Under: Instrumental
LP: $14.50
Jackie Shane
Album Art
Not
Available
LP UPC: 634457687615
Redeye/Other People’s
Music
Live
An outrageous Rhythm & Blues singer whose spectacular performances ripped up Toronto “ the Good “ in
the early to late 1960’s largely overlooked by the music historians during an era that saw the city give birth to
better known as the musical springboard of Neil Young, Joni Mitchel, Ian & Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot, The Paupers, Steppenwolf, The Band, ( and yes ) Ricky James among many others. Originally a female impersonator,
Jackie Shane, born & raised in Nashville Tenn., toured the “Chitlin’ Circuit” opening for performers like Etta
James. A chance encounter at Montreal’s Esquire Show Bar circa 1962 landed Jackie the lead vocalist spot
with Washington, DC’s R’n B Jazz outfit Frank Motley & The Motley Crew. Motley & Crew had found the
promised land in Toronto, Canada, their new home base and they had now found a sensational front “ man
“. Jackie Shane’s 1st recording of William Bell’s “ Any Other Way “ released regionally on Boston’s Cookin’
Label and Nationally on the Sue label landed the #2 spot on Toronto’s mighty CHUM Radio Chart in the spring
of 1963. It remained in the charts for 20 weeks!
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 LP: OPM976
File Under: Soul/R&B/Funk
LP: $23.75
Wei Zhongle
LP UPC: 623235097616
NNA Tapes
Nu Trance
Nu Trance by Wei Zhongle is an exciting moment in music. It explores oppositions of globalism and hermeticism, male and female, precision and feeling. Sounding like a broadcast from the future, This Heat and 80′s
Downtown New York lay somewhere in its world mutant genetic imprint. The members of Wei Zhongle are nomads. The intuitive vocals by Rob Jacobs are sometimes in English but mostly in a language of his own, inventive but perhaps also channeling ancient vocal traditions, while laying down hypnotizing guitar. Sam Klickner’s
forceful but intentional drums are a free ticket to Bonkersville. The effects-enhanced clarinet by John McCowen
floats over and weaves through it all, pulling everything out in four dimensions. Minds are blown when these
three elements merge. *Co-release: Vinyl & Digital versions available from Hairy Spider Legs.
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 CS: NNA081CS
File Under: Rock-Pop/Electronic
CS: $8.74
CS UPC: 634457690745
Drainolith
NNA Tapes
Hysteria
NNA is very proud to present our second release from Canadian hero Alexander Moskos’ Drainolith project. Following up 2012’s “Fighting!” full length LP (Spectrum Spools), “Hysteria” reaches new levels in the Draino sound
world, resulting in his most fully realized record to date. Moskos has spent years marinating solo in the cold Northern underground, cutting his chops as lead axegrinder with Montreal-based noise punks AIDS Wolf, and most
recently rolling with North American all-star clan Dan’l Boone. “Hysteria” is the result of nearly two years spent in
various studios with producers and fellow ‘Boone brothers Nate Young (Wolf Eyes) and Neil Hagerty (Royal Trux),
working diligently together to take a few steps beyond Trip Metal and extract the skeleton out of “rock”, inserting
it into a newer, much weirder, humanoid skin. The epicenter of this sound rests humbly on the foundation of guitar
and voice, two facets of sound that Moskos has carefully cultivated through years of experimentation and digestion
from a wide array of musical influences. The relaxed, loose, and energetically electric technique of guitar playing
is reinforced by Drainolith’s unrivaled tone, which has morphed throughout the years but now stands alone atop
a mountain of shredders. It is ripe with Bluesy fuzziness and the humanity of Americana, while punctuated by the
gritty stab of 80’s death metal, and further rounded out with a sprinkling of EVH-esque chorus zones and free jazz
adventurousness. The result is a sound that pre-dates the internet in a fabulous way. Each note seems to leave
behind a glistening impression like a spot of grease on a pizza box. A tone as unique as this is only bolstered by
the vocal delivery, the literal voice of the Mind of Moskos. This beautifully cold, dripping baritone is unmistakable,
it’s fried-yet-poetic articulation recalling a halfway point between a melting Dylan and a blazed Robert Ashley.
Over-tired, over-wired, and over it. Moskos lets every word kerplunk into a mesmerizing puddle of observation,
giving something as mundane as staring out the window or a Vancouver hotel foyer the poignancy of a published
work. With guitar and voice at the core, the additional instrumentation on “Hysteria” is the bizarre glue that binds it
all together, using the palette of electronics, keys, and haphazardly triggered beats and percussion in an intensely
layered fashion to ensure maximum disorientation. The compositions are fully stacked, allowing little room for
sparseness or tender moments. Tracks like “Qix” stagger forward in a deranged manner, it’s elastic percussion
hearkening back to purple Nike foot-pounding of 2011’s “Where Are Ye Col. Leslie Groves?” cassette and the
“one man band” era, for those of us fortunate enough to witness Drainolith’s live experience. Other tracks like “Joy
Road” burn on patiently, disintegrating piece by piece into the ether of time amid a bed of Fender Rhodes eeriness... almost like a rare Canadian B-side to the Lizard King’s “An American Prayer”. Blues notions are confronted
by Beastie-esque guitar stabs, smeared together with repetitive, angular riff rotations and flailing synth filigree,
creating a densely-layered intensity that feels like the anxiety of standing in a rat’s nest of instrument cables and
leaky pipe water in a moist basement. Pleasant melody is of little interest here, instead thriving on dissonance and
reminding us of the OGs of post-punk, when rock met experimentation and abstraction head on, shoving a properlygreased square peg into a circular hole. While thematically cryptic, “Hysteria” drops rough clues to the heart
of it’s content, filled withtales of Quebec biker wars, sinking into couches, Detroit street hassles, sneaker worship,
sidewalk slush, sexual desire and seasonal affect disorder. At it’s heart, “Hysteria” is the product of a musician who
has much love for the past, but also little interest in recreating it. It is a song cycle that reflects the complexities of
our day to day world through the psyche of the modern jammer, fueled by the quintessentially Moskosian diet of
caffeine and nicotine. Someone who isn’t content sitting stagnant in a crowd of tradition, and who acknowledges
that radical ideas are necessary to propel things into the future.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: NNA079
LP: $15.50
Gacha
LP UPC: 659696308312
Apollo
Send Two Sunsets
Debut album from Georgian producer. With a musical diet of Durutti Column, Slowdive, Cluster and old
Krautrock - influencing the way the guitar is utilized in his music, the instrument plays a prominent role on
the LP.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: AMB1507
LP: $20.00
LP UPC: 5055274705415
New Dog
Kill Rock Stars
Classic Ballroom Dances
Anar Badalov is New Dog, but “Classic Ballroom Dances” is no trick; this intimate and enthralling album is
the next installment in the career of this promising young songwriter. Born in Baku, Azerbaijan in the 80s,
Anar’s family immigrated to Baltimore, MD during the breakup of the Soviet Union. Anar grew up in Baltimore and was in two notable bands, Metal Hearts and Travels, between 2004 and 2014. With the dissolution
of Travels, Anar began working on his own for the first time. “Classic Ballroom Dances,” like the first New
Dog album “Lost Weekend,” was recorded alone in his apartment. Anar describes the process: “Not having
someone to lean on, musically, is both terrifying and doubly rewarding. You work at your own pace, and set
your own rules.” The title was inspired by the poem of the same name by Yugoslavian poet Charles Simic.
Simic has said that list poems like Classic Ballroom Dances are “the poetic equivalent of quilt-making.”
Long before Anar read this poem or heard of the poet, this was the way he approached songwriting. “I’d like
to think that at least a handful of songs on this album capture something like what Simic is talking about,” he
says. Simic is one of Anar’s biggest influences. Others include Lee Hazlewood, Frank O’Hara, Mark Linkous,
John Berryman, Raymond Carver, Anton Chekhov, Townes Van Zandt and guitarist Mick Turner.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: KRS599
LP: $14.50
Novalima
LP UPC: 759656059916
Wonderwheel
Como Yo / Santero - 7”
Afro Peruvian Electronic 11 piece band Novalima is back with the first single from their brand new album
“Santero”, due out in June on Wonderwheel Recordings.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
7”: WONDER64
7”: $10.25
Shark?
7” UPC: 634457686977
Old Flame
Debbie and Becky EP 12”
Brooklyn indie stalwarts Shark? have a new EP Debbie and Becky. The titular couple are guinea pigs and
star on the EP’s cover art, which you can check out below. The first track released from the EP is “Hate
Crime Girl” that was inspired by a couple different things. Part of it was by the work of controversial artist
Chris Burden, whose most infamous piece was being shot in the arm with a 22 caliber rifle. (His work has
inspired songs by David Bowie and Laurie Anderson, too.) The title, though, came from a real life encounter
when guitarist Jared Hiller met a girl after they both had the unfortunate experience of witnessing a man
getting beaten with a baseball bat.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
12”: OFR070
12”: $12.70
Spike
12” UPC: 634457678910
Golf Channel
Orange Cloud Nine
TRACKLISTING: 1. The Golden Eye, 2. Fooling Around, 3. Strange Age, 4. New Germany, 5. Baby Love,
6. Magic Table, 7. Sometimes, 8. Can You See Me, 9. Your Time Has Come, 10. Orlando Du Monteras,
11. Writing On The Wall, 12. Crazy Lazy, 13. Take It Home, 14. Kanti Dadum, 15. E.S. Rever, 16. Goodnight.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: CHANNEL28
LP: $24.50
LP UPC: 616822000000
Synkro
Apollo
Transient EP
Synkro AKA Joe McBride returns to Apollo for his fourth release on Apollo with the stunning Transient EP.
Inspired by his move from the bright city lights of Manchester back to his childhood home, this is music that
aches with nostalgia and melancholy.
Release Date: Jun. 2, 2015
File Under: Rock-Pop
LP: AMB1415
LP: $12.70
Stone Roses
LP UPC: 5055274704876
Modern Classics
Stone Roses
Some albums hold the blueprint for something bigger than can be contained on twelve inches of vinyl; the
self-titled debut album by The Stone Roses is one of them. Despite clocking in at less than fifty minutes
long, it’s a record that shaped the next two-and-a-half decades of British music. In the UK, the album is the
stuff of legend, its cover still seen on T-shirts in any given gig venue. Around the world, its influence was less
tangible, most likely due to the fact that the group was hamstrung by a legal wrangle with the Silvertone
label following the album’s release. Reissued on Light In The Attic on deluxe double-vinyl, this is your chance
to discover the album for the first time or to own it in its most beautiful presentation yet.
*
*
*
180gram double LP on “lemon yellow” color wax
Remastered from the original tapes
Deluxe edition first pressing includes hand numbered Stoughton gatefold “tip-on” jacket with
album title in gold foil
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 2xLP: MCR914
File Under: Rock-Pop
2xLP: $32.00
Stone Roses
2xLP UPC: 826853091411
Modern Classics
Turns Into Stone
You can tell a lot about a band by the songs they leave off their albums. Manchester’s Stone Roses released
just two albums–the self-titled 1989 debut and, five years later, the follow-up, Second Coming. But those
albums tell only part of the story. The missing bits can be found on Turns Into Stone, originally released in
1992 and scooping up early singles and B-sides that didn’t appear on the debut album. Quite why The
Stone Roses chose not to put these songs on an album is a mystery, but Turns Into Stone itself was controversial at the time. In a protracted battle with record label Silvertone, the band were unable to release any
new material for several years due to an injunction against them, and Turns Into Stone was released without
input from the band–unlike the majority of their releases, it boasts no cover art from the guitarist, painter
and sculptor John Squire.
*
*
*
180gram double LP on “stone” color wax
Remastered from the original tapes
Deluxe edition first pressing includes hand numbered jacket with album title in silver foil
Release Date: Jun. 16, 2015 2xLP: MCR915
File Under: Rock-Pop
2xLP: $32.00
2xLP UPC: 826853091510