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Release Date: 06/12/2024

En Esch's corrosive new album decimates both standards and dance floors alike. Anyone familiar with industrial luminary En Esch and his essential work in groups like KMFDM and PIG knows he is no stranger to political statements through his art. Now, on his first LP in eight years, Dance Hall Putsch, Esch decimates your standards and dance floors with vitriol.

With carefully-sown and complimenting features from fellow KMFDM alumnus Raymond Watts, Guenter Schulz and Mark Durante, plus Vas Kallas (Hanzel und Gretyl), Mea Fisher and Erica Dilanjian (Lords of Acid), Hope Nicholls (Pigface) and more, Dance Hall Putsch delivers everything an industrial fan could want.

From opener "Get Lost," with its categorically punishing industrial-metal riffs to the slicing EBM electronics of "Yum Yum Beauty & The Nasty Thief," it's all here and in no less than four languages throughout.

En Esch's signature rasp is often contrasted by the sparkling vocals of his female counterparts, and the album is lush with brutal honesty, humor, and even a bonus En Esch-lullaby. "I began work on Dance Hall Putsch in the early days of Covid-19. I was trying to create an upbeat, rather positive and very danceable album to leave the pandemic days behind us. Then it happened that a war began near where I live with tens of thousands of civilians killed and wounded so far.

Everyone was caught by surprise and it influenced me, especially lyrically. "This current conflict is just 500 miles away from Berlin, and while that does not make it more horrific than other wars, it is very close to home. From living with this 'war next door,' the album turned out much more sinister than originally planned.

It became a rather political album that reflects on the senselessness and nastiness of all the current wars around us. It's always the innocent and those who hold no power that suffer the most.

Their fate isn't always death, but many times indescribable and long-term suffering. We must not forget them or turn a blind eye. "I’m very pleased that I had the opportunity to collaborate with different and interesting colleagues here.
Thanx everybody for your interest in my musical works and for your love and support." -En Esch

Tracklisting:
1. Get Lost feat. Vas Kallas (Hanzel und Gretyl) 
2. I’m So Sick feat. Mea Fisher aka DJ Mea (Lords of Chaos) 
3. If You Don’t Know Me, You Cannot Judge Me 
4. Eden feat. Gabriel Lennox 
5. Push feat. Raymond Watts (PIG), Erica Dilanjian (Lords of Acid) & Gabriel Lennox 
6. Wahrhaftige Täuschung 
7. Wumms feat. Raymond Watts (PIG) 
8. Do It feat. Hope Nicholls (Pigface) 
9. Yum Yum Beauty & The Nasty Thief feat. Guenter Schulz 
10. Epic feat. Mea Fisher aka DJ Mea (Lords of Acid) 
11. The Sweetest Aggravation feat. Gabriel Lennox & Erica Dilanjian (Lords of Acid) 
12. The Sweetest Aggravation feat. Gabriel Lennox & Erica Dilanjian (Lords of Acid) 
13. World of Deceit

Release Date: 04/10/2024

THE PLAIN TRUTH==
we drifted through it, arguing.
every day a new war crime, every day a flower bloom.
we sat down together and wrote it in one room,
and then sat down in a different room, recording.
NO TITLE= what gestures make sense while tiny bodies fall?  what context?  what broken melody?
and then a tally and a date to mark a point on the line, the negative process, the growing pile.
the sun setting above beds of ash
while we sat together, arguing.
the old world order barely pretended to care.
this new century will be crueler still.
war is coming.
don’t give up.
pick a side.
hang on.
love.
 
Tracklisting: (NB: ALL CAPS is intentional punctuation for all. Duration: 54:09.)
1. SUN IS A HOLE SUN IS VAPORS
2. BABYS IN A THUNDERCLOUD
3. RAINDROPS CAST IN LEAD
4. BROKEN SPIRES AT DEAD KAPITAL
5. PALE SPECTATOR TAKES PHOTOGRAPHS
6. GREY RUBBLE – GREEN SHOOTS

Release Date: 18/10/2024

'Lost' third album from enigmatic Americana songbirds

"One day, people will wake up to the Hank Dogs, a gem from the heyday of my Hannibal Records label. It's so great that they're back!” Joe Boyd


Hank Dogs – Andy Allan, his partner Piano and Lily, Andy’s daughter from a previous relationship - started out at folk clubs in London in the early 1990s before going worldwide in 1998 when legendary producer and late 60s Folk Rock guru, Joe Boyd declared them the first British act he'd loved in 30 years.

Their debut album ‘Bareback’ saw them touring the US with Joan Baez and winning fans with their quiet, haunting sound featuring ethereal vocal harmonies, strong traces of blues and Celtic music and Allan’s fluid acoustic finger-picking recalling UK folk guitarists such as John Renbourn.

Another part of their appeal, particularly in the States, was their ‘Carter Family’ image but then, when Andy and Piano split-up in real life, so did the band. A follow up album ‘Half Smile’ appeared in 2002 but this turned out to be their swansong.

However, the story was not quite over yet.. a third unreleased album ‘Fiveways’ had been recorded before they went their separate ways and now it’s finally seeing the light of day on South London label Scratchy Records, plus the band are re-uniting for some long overdue gigs to celebrate the release.

‘Fiveways’ contains much of the Hank Dogs’ trademark English folk/US country-straddling sound. Piano’s voice bounces between early Suzanne Vega, Tracey Thorn and Mary Margaret O’Hara with occasional hints of Dolores Cranberry and Bridget St. John, while underneath the acoustic guitars run freeform tangled and Lily’s backing vocals add sky.

Stand out track ‘Logic’ with it’s pensive lyrics and haunting guitar line recalls the way Suzanne Vega (her again) could sometimes make songs stand still in their tracks but it’s the dreamy ‘Nut’ that really captures the mood “You had me when I was sweet as a nut.. Not sweet enough” sings Piano. This is the sound of two ex-lovers still able to work together but unable to hide the odd dig here and there.. like a follow up album a couple of years later on from ‘Blood On The Tracks’.

Andy sings a few songs too including the raggedy, shwashbuckling ‘Gazetteer’ revolving around a ‘Pre-CBS Maple neck Sunburst bought off The Pretty Things’ and hinting at a whole lifetime of music biz escapades from watching his dad Elkan Allan produce 60s TV show ‘Ready Steady Go’ to a stint on bass in The Professionals along with Steve Jones and Paul Cook.

Next year the story carries on with his long-running South East London ‘Easycome’ club night featuring in US TV queen Lena Dunham’s new Netflix series ‘Too Much’. Towards the end of the album an angelic setting of  Dylan Thomas’s ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’  in the song ‘Nod’ recalls Christmas TOTP number ones from days gone by and captures Hank Dogs  ability to transport the listener. This album is definitely one for the dreamers.

FFO Pentangle, The Innocence Mission and William Blake.

Tracklisting:
1. Arrows
2. Logic
3. Fiveways
4. Luki Icin
5. Nut
6. Dipper
7. Margaret Finch
8. Good Bits
9. Gazetteer
10. Well
11. Nod
12. Daddy
13. Buttered
14. Rosebush

Release Date: 25/10/2024

REPRESS! One mere year after their previous pitch-black sounding album Krypt, LA outfit Male Tears is back with a new full-length and – oh boy – everything is changed. The used-to-be duo is now a four piece with James Edward as the sole founding member remaining and apparently this new line-up helped the original vocalist to shapeshift again.

Remember their very first debut album from 2021 and those dark synthpop sounds? With their upcoming fourth album (in only three years), this American electronic-pop act from Southern California doubles the stakes once again and where Krypt was all about being goth and gloomy and disturbingly paroxysmal, Paradisco is somehow quite the opposite. Eight new tracks of pure italo disco, hi-NRG and freestyle bliss that pick up where the band left off three years ago to pursue much darker realms.

Now that the quest for darkness is done, it is time to polish our nails and dress up for the night-out cause there's more in life than feeling sorry for yourself. Yes you will need to cut out the deadwood but there is no change in stillness. So join Male Tears and their new arsenal of bangers and floor fillers with assertive titles such as Out of my Life, Regret 4 Nothing and Leave it Alone.

Get yourself wrapped up in one warm cover of delicate nostalgia and reborn romanticism, driven by sounds that  pay homage equally to Miko Mission and Ken Laszlo, Lisa Lisa and Exposé and, well yeah, even The Smiths because say what you wanna say but you simply cannot not love The Smiths. Embrace the vintage vibes that organically propagate from this new record's grooves and get in the mood for this new course in full-on 1980's Pop.

Tracklisting:
1. Talk to Me 
2. Leave it Alone (feat. Corlyx) 
3. Sex on Drugs 
4. Out of my Life 
5. Where Is It? 
6. He Wants Everything 
7. Regret 4 Nothing 
8. This Party Ends in Tears (feat. Digital Love)

Release Date: 25/10/2024

Two Times UK Blues Award winner Mississippi MacDonald presents his third album on APM Records. ‘I Got What You Need’ is a statement from a troubadour coming into town bearing songs of soul searching, of spiritual uplift, and of tunes to groove to. Equipped with a powerful voice and stinging guitar Mississippi MacDonald lays down his marker.
 
MacDonald continues to be an excellent interpreter of southern soul and two more songs from the stable of Memphis studio and publishing house Ecko in Hard Luck and Trouble and the title track prove this. So too the band’s take on the R&B classic We’re Gonna Make It which in MacDonald’s hands really swings. Sinking is an epic ballad in which to lose yourself completely. The gravelly gospel tones on If I Could Only Hear My Mother Pray Again and the imploring emotion on Your Dreams have MacDonald stretching out vocally. Two self-penned instrumentals pay tribute to the greats; 3.35AM, to one of MacDonald’s prime influences Freddie King, and Soul City One to the in-house studio sound of Stax. 

The album is rich in variety, vibe and soulful energy. It’s MacDonald’s Blues and a whole lot more. As guest artist with the Take Me To The River All Stars in 2024 featuring the legendary Hi Rhythm, MacDonald performed on stage at Red Rooster and was filmed in session with Eric Gales and Jools Holland.

MacDonald and band will perform at the UK Blues Challenge on October 8th and he will be a special guest of Visit Mississippi in Liverpool in October when they unveil the first ever Blues Trail Marker outside The Cavern Club alongside Clarksdale veteran Super Chikan.

MacDonald speaks quietly but makes music with real gravitas. He is a rising star since winning Traditional Blues Artist Of The Year and Acoustic Act of the Year at the 2024 UK Blues Awards. 

“Mississippi MacDonald represents the next generation of great guitarists who hail from the UK….wholly authentic, he’s earned the right to claim the name”
LIVING BLUES, USA.

Tracklisting: 
1. I Got What You Need
2. We’re Gonna Make It
3. Stop! Think About It!
4. 3.35AM
5. Hard Luck And Trouble
6. Sinking
7. Soul City One
8. If I Could Only Hear My Mother Pray Again
9. Your Dreams

Release Date: 11/10/2024

Plastic Estate is a contemporary synth-pop act from Wales, UK.

With an onus placed on atmosphere and refinement, the duo evoke a rich palette of romance and lustre with their polished marque of pop music.

They have garnered support from the likes of Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran, KEXP and BBC Radio, and played sold-out shows with the likes of LA Priest, Home Counties, and Real Lies, as well as playing at large regional festivals like Ritual Union and Sŵn Festival.
Having previously released a 7” and LP with Avant! Records, they are now releasing their second album on 11th October with new tracks gaining critical acclaim being added to BBC Radio Wales’s ‘Welsh A-List’.

Their sophomore album hails a new era for the act; moving away from darker sonic roots, their sound has progressed to a brighter, more polished aesthetic with fresh influences from the ‘Hi-Fi luxury’ of West Coast Sound, and the gloss of 2010s Chillwave.
What's more, ‘Code D’Amour’ makes you wonder: What is Pop today?

For many years it has been synonymous with melody, harmony and emotions. These days it seems to be still about emotions but not very good ones, probably because the world is as ugly as it’s ever been, have you noticed?

But what about the fundamental role of popular music which is to represent and at the same time to celebrate and enforce the ties of social living? What about the good times?
Yes, there is a lot to be changed and to fight for but good vibes are not just for recreational use, they can literally build a sense of community among people. If you are looking for that kind of sound right now, you should look no further.

FFO: Talk Talk, Blue Nile, Spandau Ballet, Ian Broudie's Care, Small Black, Alan Palomo of Neon Indian, Wild Nothing.

Tracklisting:
1. Kind of Love
2. Open Eyes
3. Feeling Like Ours
4. Stay
5. Meet You There
6. Anymore
7. Speak to Me
8. 2000 Ways
9. Tonight
10. Helping Hand

Release Date: 27/09/2024

Hailed as the “colourful chaos” of rock, The Hot Damn! are a British four piece rock band breathing tie-dye colour back into the music scene one song, video, and show at a time.

With punchy riffs and fierce harmonies, The Hot Damn! will have you dancing before you know it.

Championed by the likes of Kerrang!, Planet Rock and BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 and Radio BOB these four feisty ladies are no strangers to the music scene.

Formed out of the ashes of The Amorettes and Tequila Mockingbyrd, The Hot Damn! boasts the talents of Gill Montgomery (The Amorettes), Josie O'Toole (Tequila Mockingbyrd), Laurie Buchanan (Aaron Buchanan and the Cult Classics) and Lzi Hayes (New Device/Sophie Lloyd band).

Tracklisting:
1. Fizz Buzz Crash
2. Dance Around
3. Jukebox On The Radio
4. I Didn’t Like You Anyway
5. Damn!Damn!Damn!Damn!
6. Going Down
7. Automatic
8. Live Laugh Love
9. About Last Night
10. Loud And Clear
11. Can You Hear Me Now
12. Sticky Clubs

CD Only
13. Loud and Clear (Acoustic) * Bonus Track 
14. Can You Hear Me Now (Acoustic) * Bonus Track