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Visit product page →Due to rising international pressure, Joanna Gruesome's new album Peanut Butter will finally enter the world via Fortuna POP! (UK/Japan), Slumberland (US) and Turnstile (RoW). Rival groups will be disappointed to learn that the record is a further experiment in combining hyper-melodic pop music with sonic violence. Officials have confirmed that the album contains a record number of hooks, traces of nut and elements of jangle pop, British hardcore punk, atonal music, screaming and drone organs. Yet they have issued warnings of "a marriage of radical politics with peanut butter spread". One authorised statement reads: 'Weighing in at a concise 25 minutes, the album hurtles through its ten songs, each one a succinct, powerful gem.'
Like their debut, the new album was recorded by MJ from Hookworms, with the aim of heightening the group's "pop" and "aggressive" elements to excessive and hitherto unrecorded levels.
As songwriter Owen Williams explains: 'We tried to make it shorter, more economical and attempted to pack as many hooks and screams in as quickly possible in order to avoid short changing the consumer or wasting her/his/their time. Lyrically it's more obtuse and surreal but also attempts to mock trad masculine rock themes whenever things do get more lucid. But sometimes musically we embrace them by doing embarrassing guitar solos. I'm not sure how much else I'm at liberty to say but one thing I will disclose is that the record is a response to threats posed by rival groups."
The record has also seen the group explore new and potentially dangerous lyrical territory. Opener Last Year is reportedly about experiencing personal tragedy and the occult in a waterpark and a pizza restaurant. Yet Jamie (Luvver) is a straightforward pop song about having a crush on someone named Jamie, queer literature and Welsh public transport. These tracks are followed by the incredibly catchy Honestly Do Yr Worst, a song about espionage, rival groups and the radical possibilities of peanut butter spread.
Things become surreal on There Is No Function Stacy, a song about 'someone called Stacy who wrongly believes a party is happening that she's been invited to. The narrator has to painfully explain to her that there was never a party and she fabricated it all', while on Crayon Williams addresses his approach to lyrics directly. 'Sometimes you can undermine hetero macho rock shit through nonsense words, obtuse statements, action, melody, sound or aesthetic rather than through traditional lyrics.'
Speaking confidentially, one official confirms that 'The sixth track, I Don't Wanna Relax, is yet another hook-filled potential single. This is swiftly followed by Jerome (Liar), a fan favourite based on a subversive folk tale.' On Separate Bedrooms, the group cover a song by Bristol DIY act Black Terror (now performing as 'CUP WINNERS' CUP'), a group known for their attention to melody. The penultimate track is the 'crushing, sparkling' Psykick Espionage, a song about telepathy and the occult in rock'n'roll, and 'the first time I ate an avocado'.
The record is brought to a close by Hey! I Wanna Be Your Best Friend, a heartwarming number about radical friendship and Thin Lizzy appreciation. Under media interrogation, guitarist George Nicholls confesses to the themes of the record: 'It's about radical politics, fancying people and espionage. The first record was more about violence and revenge fantasy, whereas this one is more about peanut butter."
Comprised of Alanna McArdle (vocals), Owen Williams (guitar), Max Warren (bass), George Nicholls (guitar & organ) and David Sandford (drums), the band members originally met on a wine tasting holiday. Their debut album Weird Sister took the world by storm when it was released in September 2013, and went on to win the 2014 Welsh Music Prize. Overwhelming press support saw glowing, hysterical reviews across the board with particular interest from media outlets 'Pitchfork' and 'the NME'.
On the radio their singles have scored a remarkable four out of four on the 'BBC 6 Music playlist' and the band have played sessions for both 'Lauren Laverne' on '6 Music' and for 'Huw Stephens' on 'BBC Radio One'. Since the release of Weird Sister the band have been constantly hounded, surfacing from hiding only to release split singles with Bristol's Trust Fund and New York's Perfect Pussy, as well as touring with Los Campesinos!, Speedy Ortiz and Stephen Malkmus.
Tracklisting:1. Last Year
2. Jamie (Luvver)
3. Honestly Do Yr Worst
4. There Is No Function Stacy
5. Crayon
6. I Don't Wanna Relax
7. Jerome (Liar)
8. Separate Bedrooms
9. Psykick Espionage
10. Hey! I Wanna Be Yr Best Friend -
Visit product page →Fu Manchu's 8th album, Start The Machine, was originally released on 14 September, 2004. Until now, it is the only album from the legendary band that has never been issued on vinyl.
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of this classic, At The Dojo Records will remedy that with a newly remastered debut vinyl release. Also included is a bonus picture flexi 7" of Written In Stone performed live at Roadburn Festival 2003, one year prior to the song's studio version release on this album.
This 3,000 unit run is pressed on neon green/black splatter vinyl and the gatefold package design includes never before seen photos of the band.
Start The Machine features Written In Stone, Hey (as featured on the television series, Sons Of Anarchy and crowd favorites Make Them Believe and Today's Too Soon. This is the recording debut of drummer Scott Reeder, formerly of Smile.
The CD version of this album is also newly remastered for maximum fidelity.
One of Fu's tightest albums in years - Pop Matters
Invariably tight, immediate and groovy, pulsing sonic hot rods like Written In Stone,? Open Your Eyes? and I Wanna Be? dominate an LP that was clearly meant to be heard on vinyl? - AllMusic.com
Tracklisting:
1. Written in Stone
2. I Can't Hear You
3. Understand
4. Make Them Believe
5. Hey
6. I'm Gettin' Away
7. Out to Sea
8. Open Your Eyes
9. Today's Too Soon
10. It's All the Same
11. Tunnel Vision
12. I Wanna Be
Picture disc flexi 7":
1. Written In Stone
Release Date: 13/09/2019 -
Darren Hayman suggested to me that The Wave Pictures make an album with one microphone. Everybody together in one room playing live into one microphone. You get the picture right once and you capture it. No mixing later.Visit product page →
The idea appealed to me enormously. It's a really beautiful sound, the one microphone sound. The results tend to be mysterious and lively, and it's a very romantic way to record, too.
It's how Bill Monroe and His Bluegrass Boys did it, after all (and that's how bluegrass music destroyed John Fahey's life). I decided to write some songs as quickly as possible and then to invite a bunch of our friends to make a recording with The Wave Pictures on my birthday, January 28th, 2015.
That's what this is - a one-microphone happy birthday recording.Thanks, then, are due to Darren for the idea and to Giles Barrett and Simon Trought for pulling it off. Thanks also to Paul at the Adelphi. The Wave Pictures always have a good time when we visit Hull. This album is dedicated to the memory of Blind Owl Wilson.
Tracklisting:
1. A Season In Hull
2. Remains
3. The Coaster in Santa Cruz
4. Slick Black River From The Rain
5. Thin Lizzy Live And Dangerous
6. Don't Worry My Friend, Don't Worry At All
7. Tropical Fish
8. Memphis Slim In Paris
9. Flow My Tears, The Musician Said
10. A Letter From Hull (Dom's Song)
11. The Pharmacy Cross
12. Hot Rain Riding On The Salt Lake
13. David In A Field Of Pumpkins -
Sold outVisit product page →Available on honey coloured vinyl, hand-numbered and limited to 2,000 units worldwide.
This single is from the forthcoming album 'Third World Pyramid' which will be released in October 2016.
The B side 'Playtime' is exclusive to this release ,recorded in March 2016 in Anton's studio in Berlin . The band start their 2nd part of their European Tour starting in August.This single brings the traditional Brian Jonestown Massacre sound mixed with eastern influences & bringing it up to date with the benefit of all the additional weirdness that's been discovered in the past 40 years.
Two dozen band members later and numerous 'ups and downs' (some have been famously sensationalized in the media ), the one thing that has always remained consistent for this psychedelic collective, is front man Mr. Anton Alfred Newcombe
Tracklisting
Side A:
The Sun Ship
Side B:
Playtime -
Sold outVisit product page →Limited Blue Vinyl.
The 11-track album follows the huge critical success of 2012's 'This is PiL', the band's first album in 17 years.
In winter 2014 PiL returned to Steve Winwood's Wincraft studio in the Cotswolds' to record the new album 'What The World Needs Now - ¦'.
The artwork for the album, partly inspired by Native American Hopi characters, was designed and painted by John Lydon.Tracklisting:
1. Double Trouble
2. Know Now
3. Bettie Page
4. C'est La Vie
5. Spice of Choice
6. The One
7. Big Blue Sky
8. Whole Life Time
9. I'm Not Satisfied
10. Corporate
11. Shoom
Release Date: 01/02/2019 -
Visit product page →This LP brings the traditional Brian Jonestown Massacre sound mixed with eastern influences & bringing it up to date with the benefit of all the additional weirdness that's been discovered in the past 40 years.
Two dozen band members later and numerous ups and downs (some have been famously sensationalized in the media), the one thing that has always remained consistent for this psychedelic collective, is front man Mr. Anton Alfred Newcombe.
Tracklisting:
1. Vacuum Boots
2. Who?
3. Oh Lord
4. Caress
5. (David Bowie I Love You) Since I Was Six
6. Straight up and Down
7. Monster
8. Take It From The Man
9. B.S.A.
10. Mary
11. Monkey Puzzle
12. Fucker
13. Dawn
14. Cabin Fever
15. In My Life
16. The Be Song
17. My Man Syd
18. Straight Up And Down -
Visit product page →Redolent with the spirit of such high priests of effects and delay as Loop, Spaceman 3, and My Bloody Valentine, not to mention a fair dollop of the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Methodrone clearly is the sum of its influences.
Thankfully The Brian Jonestown Massacre does a very solid job with them throughout the album's course of over 70 minutes.
Tracklisting:
1. Evergreen
2. Wisdom
3. Crushed
4. That Girl Suicide
5. Wasted
6. Everyone Says
7. Short Wave
8. She Made Me
9. Hyperventilation
10. Records
11. I Love You
12. End of the Day
13. Outback
14. She's Gone
15. Methodrone -
Visit product page →Hailing from Pity Me near Durham, vegan straight-edge pop group MARTHA have just signed to Fortuna POP! and will be releasing their new album 'Courting Strong' at the end of May. Providing energetic, impassioned pop punk, Martha are informed by 90s indie rock and Scandinavian anarcho noir. The album, produced by MJ from Hookworms, is laden with harmonies and interchangeable vocals whilst still retaining the energy and excitement of the band's live shows.
Formed in 2011 by siblings Naomi (bass, vocals) and Nathan Griffin (drums, vocals) with J. Cairns (guitar, vocals) and Daniel Ellis (guitar, vocals), Martha have fast become a staple of the UK DIY pop scene. There are many competing stories as to the origin of their band name but it's a fact that the very last passenger pigeon on earth was called Martha. When she died, the whole species became extinct.
Decamping from the North East to record the album at Suburban Home Studios, Leeds, the band enjoyed the freedom of being in the studio and experimenting with MJ's equipment to produce unexpected sounds. The process saw them opening up to new ideas and, feeling more confident in their own abilities, allowing a wider range of dynamics.
Taken from a line in the song Gin and Listerine, the album title Courting Strong is an expression that was used to describe couples who were getting really serious. There's the old cliché that when you're young you think you're invincible and that everything will last forever - the album is about looking back and reflecting on past moments in your life, past friendships and relationships, accepting the uncertainty and fragility of those things and moving forward positively.
The overarching theme of the album is 'growing up weird'. It's a semi-autobiographical story about growing up in a small town, with a sense of not fitting in but on the way finding people who share that feeling and forming really strong bonds. It's about clinging to a sense of belonging and about being proud of who you are and where you are from, as well as the community of which you are a part. It's an album for the people who stayed in their hometown, and for the people who still go back and visit.
Martha's melodic punk pop celebrates being an outsider whilst being part of a community. The album touches on uncertainty, fear and loneliness whilst exuding an effervescent sense of excitement and joy. There's darkness beneath the pop surface - but there are also songs about teenage antics, drinking, courting and having your heart broken ' everything a good indie record should have.
Tracklisting:
1. Cosmic Misery2. 1997, Passing in the Hallway3. Present, Tense4. Dust, Juice, Bones & Hair5. Bubble in My Bloodstream6. Move To Durham and Never Leave7. Gin and Listerine8. Sleeping Beauty9. 1967, I Miss You I'm Lonely10. So Sad (So Sad) -
The first track is "Forgotten Graves" (which is exclusive to this release) & the second track is 'Tombes Oubliées' with Rike (Friedrike) Bienert providing the vocals which is off the forthcoming self titled BJM album.Visit product page →
With Sara Neidorf on drums, Hakon Adalsteinsson on guitar & Heike Marie Rädeker on bass supporting Anton Newcombe in these sessions that were recorded between December 2017 & January 2018 at Cobra Studios in Berlin .
The band have just completed successful tours of the USA ,Canada, Australia, New Zealand & Europe. "Forgotten Graves" is released in the same month as the world commemorates the hundredth anniversary of the World War 1 ('the war to end all wars'), this war never ended any other war & more forgotten graves are being added every day.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
Forgotten Graves
Side B:
Tombes Oubliées
Release Date: 30/11/2018 -
Double Trouble', released August 21st 2015, is the lead single and statement of intent from the 10th Public Image Ltd (PiL) studio album What The World Needs Now - ¦'.Visit product page →
Released on 10' vinyl Double Trouble'will be backed by 'Bettie Page' and also the additional non-album bonus track 'Turkey Tits'.
Following on from the huge critical success of 2012's 'This is PiL', the band's first album in 17 years, PiL returned to Steve Winwood's Wincraft studio in the Cotswolds' to record the new album 'What The World Needs Now - ¦'released on September 4th 2015.
Double Trouble'is self-funded by PiL and released on their own label 'PiL Official' via Cargo UK Distribution.
The artwork for the single, partly inspired by Native American Hopi characters, was designed and handdrawn by John Lydon.
Tracklisting:
1. Double Trouble
2. Betty Page
3. Turkey Tits -
Following a steady stream of ultra-limited 7' singles, that were collated together in 2019 for the Pre/Post: A Collection 2016-2018'on Louder Than War, the bands highly-anticipated debut album, by those that know, arrives with the first bitter taste of new single Pressure'; one-minute-and-fifty-four seconds of screeching feedback, tribal drums and unbridled rage that is exactly the shot in the arm and the boot up the arse this nation, if not the world, needs right now. 'In both music and lyrical content this song sets out to capture the unrelenting pressures of living in the modern world,' explains vocalist and guitarist Jim.Visit product page →
'The pressures and expectations of which 'they' force upon you - with the apparent realisation that you will never be what they want you to be. "Pressure, the twist of the gut, as one door opens another fucking shuts" Since forming in late 2016, Girls In Synthesis have quickly forged a fearsome reputation as one of the most exciting and volatile live acts in London.
In equal parts frantic, considered, ear-splitting and melodic, the group take their cues from the early DIY punk and post-punk pioneers to keep everything in-house; artwork, videos, performances and recordings are created entirely by the group and their handful of trusted collaborators, under a bedrock of heavy, bludgeoning, dark, post-punk.
Now Here's An Echo From Your Future'is their first release for fabled experimental punk label Harbinger Sound and finds the band advancing their sound, making subtle but experimental shifts in texture and tone, helping to break free from the shackled straight-jacket of punk rock that, to be fair, never really held them down in the first place.
Across the album's ten songs, Girls In Synthesis explore a wide range of sensations and sounds as the album detonates into life with opening track Arterial Movements'in a screeching flurry of over-driven guitar and hammering drums. The contrast between the slow, mesmerising look into aging and dying in Human Frailty'(The realisation that you cannot halt their impending death'), to the aggressive attack on the rise of the right-wing in They're Not Listening'(The time-old tradition of the right wing accosting desperate working class people has returned') shows a wide range of subjects and reactions aggressively tackled.
Mental health in a fast-moving, unforgiving world, media control, the divide widening between the have and the have nots, the class divide, the blaming of the poor, NHAEFYF bristles with an unforgiving frustration and temper. The recording of NHAEFYF started at Rockit Studio, Hull in April 2019 during days off on the UK tour to promote the Pre/Post'compilation album. The Hull sessions were engineered by studio owner and local musician Sean Tomlinson.
The remainder of the album was recorded and engineered by the band throughout summer 2019 in a large rehearsal room at Gun Factory studios, Homerton. Production and finishing touches were completed at GIS bassist John's S.I.C.K Studio in Hither Green.
The album was mixed by long-time band collaborator and engineer, Max Walker (currently studying at Abbey Road). The album was mastered by Brett Shaw at 123 Studios, Peckham. In their few years of existence, fans and critics alike have been stunned by the bands pure visceral and punishing wall of sound, as well as applauding the groups way of making a GIS show an all-inclusive experience; playing from within the crowd to create a unique and awe-inspiring spectacle.
Being hand-picked to support acts as diverse as Damo Suzuki, Slaves, Bad Breeding, Warmduscher and Wolf Alice has seen a widening of the groups fan base. Sold out headline shows across the UK have led to frantic and chaotic performances, and packed, sweaty venues, the word is getting out and spreading rapidly.
Catch GIS while you can and witness the rise of one of the UK's most original and unique underground bands.
Tracklisting:
1. Arterial Movements
2. Pressure
3. The Images Agree
4. Scrapped
5. Human Frailty
6. They're Not Listening
7. Cause For Concern
8. Coming Up For Air
9. Set Up To Fail
10. Tirades Of Hate and Fear
Release Date: 28/08/2020 -
Visit product page →This self curated collection from Wolverhampton born Carina Round, brings together, for the first time, material spanning from 2001 to 2015 taken from her first four critically acclaimed albums: ‘The First Blood Mystery’, ‘The Disconnection’, 'Slow Motion Addict’, ‘Tigermending’, as well as the EP 'Things You Should Know’, home to the included track ‘For Everything a Reason’ which featured on the TV series ’American Horror Story: Murder House’.
Complimented with two previously unreleased recordings, the bewitching ‘Gunshot’ and an alternate version of the track ‘Want More’, this collection perfectly illustrates the uniqueness of Round’s voice, barbed wire lyrics and a catalogue of haunting and beautiful songs.
As one of the UK’s most enigmatic songstresses and extraordinary performers, Round’s music has also won her fans and collaborators amongst highly regarded musicians including Maynard James Keenan, Lou Reed, Ryan Adams, Billy Corgan, Dave Stewart and Brian Eno, amongDo Yourself InDo Yourself In / Dehiscest many others.
‘Deranged to Divine’ is a retrospective not only for Carina's passionate fan base, who have avidly supported her musical output and extensive touring, celebrating her as one of Britain’s most evocative, diverse and restless artists. For Carina, now based in California and currently working on a new solo record, ‘Deranged to Divine’ also serves as the ideal introduction to her work as a solo artist to fans of Puscifer, the electro-industrial alterna-sunstrokers founded by Tool’s Maynard James Keenan, of which Round is also a member.
Puscifer are currently enjoying international success with their recent album 'Money Shot’ and it’s accompanying sold out tour. Beautifully packaged, with career spanning imagery by acclaimed photographers and a complete set of lyrics selected and compiled by Carina, 'Deranged to Divine' is a terrific addition to anyone’s record collection, and an essential one to any fan of Carina Round.
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. You Will Be Loved
2. Into My Blood
3. Backseat †
4. Girl and the Ghost
Side B:
5. Elegy (US Version)
6. Gunshot*†
7. Come to You †
8. You and Me
Side C:
9. Downslow †
10. Message to Apollo
11. Slow Motion Addict †
12. Overcome †
13. Want More (Alternate Version)*†
14. How I See It
Side D:
15. For Everything a Reason †
16. Lacuna (Radio Version) †
17. Mother’s Pride
18. The Secret of Drowning
*Previously Unreleased
†Vinyl Debut -
Godzilla's/Eatin'Dust is the most popular release in Fu Manchu's 29 year recorded history. It is the combination of what were originally 2 distinct 10' releases: Godzilla (1997) and Eatin'Dust (1999).Visit product page →
Last year, Scott Hill (vocals/guitar) found the original tapes from the Godzilla recording sessions produced by Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age/Kyuss) and unearthed a secret that had been in his garage since 1996...The band had recorded 4 songs that had never been released.
These extra songs are early versions of "Grendel, Snowman," "Strolling Astronomer" and "Urethane' (whose final versions appeared on 1997's The Action Is Go) and a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Jailbreak" (which is a different version than the one which was released on 7' in 1998).
The songs line up perfectly with the original tracklist, which includes the band's crowd pleasing cover of Blue Oyster Cult's 'Godzilla' and fan favorites 'Eatin'Dust' and 'Mongoose' (which was featured in a Super Bowl commercial for Toyota and included in the TV series 'Sons Of Anarchy' and the films 'Boondock Saints II' and 'The Hot Chick').
Tracklisting:
1. Eatin'Dust
2. Shift Kicker
3. Orbiter
4. Mongoose
5. Pigeon Toe
6. Module Overload
7. Living Legend
8. Godzilla
9. Grendel, Snowman
10. Strolling Astronomer
11. Urethane
12. Jailbreak -
Sold outTeklife Records are excited to announce their second release called :Visit product page →
Open your Eyes by DJ Earl.
From the opening notes of Smoke that Reggie and throughout the 8 track record, DJ Earl lays down expertly crafted footwork rhythms filled with wavey synths and killer vocal hooks.
Every track on Open Your Eyes is a collaboration- as DJ Earl teams up with other Teklife members from his native Chicago and beyond.
The cover art has been provided by Shepard Fairey, a long-time friend and mentor of Ashes57. It is an honour to have his iconic Obey artwork adorning a Teklife record. The limited edition vinyl is available to preorder now.
Teklife's debut release, Afterlife, celebrated the life and music of the late, great DJ Rashad. Afterlife received widespread critical acclaim and DJ support from the likes of Gilles Peterson and Kode 9. The first press vinyl sold out in no time, and a second edition is on the way.
For Teklife's follow up release, DJ Earl takes centre stage. A leading figure in the footwork movement, and long time collaborator with DJ Rashad, DJ Earl is a key member of the Teklife family.
Open Your Eyes is a brutally strong EP filled with future classics. Moods range from the mellow-toned Smoke That Green feat Taso, to the high octane funk of Let's Work feat Moondoctor & OPN. It's hard to pick a stand out track, although Ratchet deserves a special mention for guaranteed dance floor destruction. A special shout out goes to OPN, who worked closely with Earl on this project.
Message from Dj Earl: This record took 2 years to complete and a lot of hard work to get right. I hope it gets people excited about the music we are making and about Teklife Records.'
Tracklisting:
1. Smoking Reggie feat. MoonDoctor & OPN
2. Smoke Dat Green feat. Taso
3. Lotta A$$ feat. DJ Manny & DJ Taye
4. Fukk It Up feat. DJ Manny & DJ Taye
5. Rachett feat. MoonDoctor & OPN
6. Drumatic feat. MoonDoctor
7. Let's Work feat. MoonDoctor & OPN
8. All INN feat. Suzi Analogue -
Visit product page →Considered a classic and most sought after re-issues on the vinyl format, the CD was originally released in 1997.
Give It Back! is the sixth studio album and notably, is the only album that features Peter Hayes, who went on to found the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre is a psychedelic rock band originally from San Francisco, California, led by guitarist/singer Anton Newcombe. Originally Newcombe was heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones' psychedelic phase - the name comes from Stones guitarist Brian Jones combined with a reference to cult leader Jim Jones, but his work in the 2000s has expanded into aesthetic dimensions approximating the UK Shoegazing genre of the 1990s and incorporating influences from world music, especially Middle Eastern and Brazilian music.
Tracklisting:
1. Super-Sonic
2. This Is Why You Love Me
3. Satellite
4. Malela
5. Salaam
6. Whoever You Are
7. Sue
8. (You Better Love Me) Before I Am Gone
9. Not If You Were the Last Dandy on Earth
10. #1 Hit Jam
11. Servo
12. Devil May Care (Mom & Dad Don't)
13. Their Satanic Second Request -
Visit product page →The deluxe vinyl edition of Faithless Rituals is now sold out.
The second pressing is now available.Limited edition transparent Sea Foam Green vinyl with a free download.The Compact disc is a 4 panel digipack with lyric booklet.
Sky Valley Mistress are 4 young upstarts from Blackburn, Lancashire, full of spit and vinegar who have delivered a ferocious, two fingered hello to rest of the world with their debut album 'Faithless Rituals'.
Eight tracks of fierce passion and spirit, blistering stoner rock 'n' roll with huge riffs, buckets of fuzz and hooks guaranteed to nail you to the wall from the get go. Couple that with inciendiary playing one of the best female vocalists around ... you have one helluva debut album.
In fact, SVM could easily hold their own against the likes of Jim Jones, Rival Sons, Royal Blood, BRMC or any other rockers greasy or otherwise.
Still only in their mid 20's, you can only assume, on listening to their debut, that these young turks made that journey to those legendary crossroads and did the dirty deed with the dark one himself, such is the level of musicianship and vocal prowess on show here.
The album was recorded at the legendary Rancho De La Luna, Joshua Tree, California, and co produced by, and featuring Dave Catching (Queens Of The Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal and Mojave Lords amongst others) and like all great rock 'n' roll it has vibe and attitude in spades.
Sky Valley Mistress are:
Kayley 'Hell Kitten' Davies (vocals),
Sean 'Starsky'Berry (Guitar),
Russell 'Russell' Russell (Bass),
Maxwell Harvey William Newsome III (Drums/Percussion)
Tracklisting Vinyl:
Side A:
1. A Faithless Ritual
2. You Got Nothin'
3. Lost In Shock
4. Punk Song
5.It Won't Stop
Side B:
1.Skull & Pistons
2. She Is So
3. Blue Desert
4. Electric Church
Tracklisting CD:
1. A Faithless Ritual
2. You Got Nothin'
3. Lost In Shock
4. Punk Song
5.It Won't Stop
6.Skull & Pistons
7. She Is So
8. Blue Desert
9. Electric Church -
Visit product page →The 3RD full-length recording from the much loved Anglo-Australian four-piece is made up of smart, beautiful pop music, with lyrics that resonate with experience and melodies that chime, echo and soar.
The album combines the eagerness, urgency and immediacy of their 2010 debut with the contemplation, sophistication and ambition of their 2012 follow-up Europe, and yet it goes beyond either both sonically and in song. It was written at a time of considerable change for songwriter Elizabeth Morris, a time during which she fell in love, moved to Italy and got married - not that that seems to have hindered the songwriting process. They then returned to their spiritual home of Soup Studios.
The intention was to capture a more instinctive and fluid live studio sound and to play as well as possible while the red button was on, a different approach to the more piecemeal recording of their previous two albums. Or as Paul Rains put it, We've used three years of touring to try and get some of that sweat and grime and togetherness and sweetness and anxiety onto a record. One of the themes of the new record is new beginnings and things drawing to a close. Nothing feels the way it did before and I am grateful for that, sings Elizabeth on "Crickets in the Rain", a song written after her move to Italy and which she describes as anti-nostalgia. Built along the same lines is the gorgeous History Lessons, of which Elizabeth says, I guess at some point I became a bit tired of everything seeming better in the past, from music to relationships to buildings to societies. We're a bit obsessed with it and it can become overwhelming.
We don't live in the present. This song is trying to express that frustration. Among the highlights of the album is Bright Eyes, a duet with guitarist Paul Rains. Elizabeth again, I wanted to write another duet, but the only problem with doing that is that when you play live it's very rare that the person you recorded it with can be there. So I thought it would be great to write a song with Paul singing the other part. Another standout is the Twin Peaks-referencing Half-Heart Necklace, based on a true story from Elizabeth's hometown. There had been some murders, and this girl who was my age was missing and presumed killed. It turned out she had been hiding for years in her boyfriend's cupboard, and she was charged for wasting police time.
Other notable tracks include the rollicking Kings and Queens, inspired by a show they played in the USA with their friends and kindred spirits The Wave Pictures, and Romance and Adventure, originally earmarked for a film soundtrack and written in response to a challenge from Paul to write a pop song in a minor key. Allo Darlin' were formed by Elizabeth Morris, fellow Australian Bill Botting (bass), Paul Rains (guitar), and Michael Collins (drums).
Their debut album was named No. 2 record of the year by eMusic. Their second album 'Europe' scored 8.1 on Pitchfork, was made USA Today's Album Of The Week, and garnered praise from Uncut, Q, NME, The Quietus and The Guardian. It was named Rough Trade Shop's Album Of The Month and was their biggest selling album of the year. The band have been playlisted at BBC 6Music and have recorded many sessions for 6 Music & XFM, as well being Steve Lamacq's personal pick for BBC Introducing. Allo Darlin' have produced a wonderful record - thoughtful and exciting and exquisitely played ' that will please their existing army of fans and newcomers alike.
"Breezy rom-pop brilliance." 8/10, NME
Classic indie pop... doesn't rewrite the formula for wistful bedsit charm as much as show that it can still be carried out masterfully. Pitchfork
A masterclass of modern cult pop. The Guardian -
Limited Edition Double vinyl Hand-Signed by the Band.Visit product page →
‘We’re the oldest new band in the world,’- Chris Buck, Guitar / Cardinal Black
They say that good things come to those who wait. A little over a year after their launch, you could say that Cardinal Black are testament to the power of patience, thought and persistence.
A debut #1 single and E.P.; a first gig to a hometown capacity crowd at Cardiff Castle; back-to-back sold-out Academy tours with Myles Kennedy, then The Struts; a highly-anticipated debut album due this Autumn, heralded by a live set recording in the Beatles’ legendary Studio Two at Abbey Road in London. An eventful 12 months for any band. It takes years, so the saying goes, to become an overnight success...
Rewind to 2010 and the Welsh-born trio of Tom Hollister, Chris Buck and Adam Roberts were riding a wave of hype, hotly-tipped by some of the biggest names in rock - most notably Steve Winwood who invited the band to record at his storied Wincraft Studios.
A triumphant live set at Sonisphere was followed by a flight across the Atlantic to begin work on their first record, with veteran manager Alan Niven (Guns N’ Roses) at the helm. The lure of the U.S. proved irresistible to the nascent trio but, as is often the case, expectation rarely mirrors reality and the band struggled to adapt to the new country, culminating in singer Tom Hollister unexpectedly calling time on the band before returning to the U.K. “We tried to do the acrimonious split; creative differences and all that. We then quickly realised we were fairly reliant on one another,” says Buck.
In the decade that followed, the lifelong friends cut their own individual paths whilst remaining close. Most notable has been the well-earned rise of guitarist Chris Buck, named in 2019 as ‘Best New Guitarist in the World’, who has forged a reputation as one of the most inventive and recognisable guitar players in music; winning plaudits from peers and the industry’s most iconic players alike.
Drummer Adam Roberts found work as a first-call session player, whilst vocalist Tom Hollister moved into tour management - the three maintaining their musical connection by sporadically meeting up to perform together. It was just a matter of time then, before they were ready to make new music again.
The writing and recording of new material began in 2020, under the name Cardinal Black, bolstered by the arrival of bassist Sam Williams.
After announcing themselves with debut single ‘Tell Me How It Feels’ in May 2021, it was less than 24 hours before the track toppled Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds to take the #1 spot in the iTunes Rock Single Chart.
Their 4-track eponymous E.P. followed that summer, also claiming the #1 spot on both the iTunes Rock Album Chart and Amazon Rock Best Sellers Chart within 12 hours of its release. The E.P. would also go on to break into the Top Ten of the iTunes Album Chart, peaking at #8. They may have taken the scenic route but Cardinal Black are finally here, and they've got plenty of stories to tell.
Tracklisting:
Side A
Rise Up
Where Do You Go?
Tell Me How It Feels
Terra Firma
Side B
Half Way
On My Own
Ain’t My Time
Jump In
Side C
Warm Love
I’m Ready
Tied Up in Blue
Side D
I’m Ready (Live)
