The Paranoid Style – The Interrogator (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 40:39 minutes | 838 MB | Genre: Garage Rock, New Wave, Female Vocal
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Bar – None Records
From the Dolls-meets-the-devil opening title track to the desperate Sister Lovers-adjacent finale “The Findings,” The Interrogator is thirteen vibrant, crackling, scary and hilarious songs which taken together represent nothing less than a thorough and thrilling moral inventory of our decadent and depraved times. Following up and doubling down on the themes of last year’s lionized cult favorite For Executive Meeting, Elizabeth Nelson has authored an album as politically potent and pointedly hilarious as antecedents like The Mekons’ Rock ‘n’ Roll and Neil Young’s on On the Beach and wed it to the sound of ZZ Top’s Eliminator. As writers like Rob Sheffield and Robert Christgau have known for years Elizbeth Nelson has been one of our very best songwriters for going on a decade. On the charged anthem “Bad Day for the Group Chat” she reassesses the current state of affairs: “I have bested all my peers.”
Read more
The Miserable Rich – Overcome (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 45:48 minutes | 523 MB | Genre: Chamber Pop, Indie Folk, Indie Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rags To Ruin
It took a decade, tragedy, mutual support and, inevitably, alcohol and pizza to get them back together, but Brighton-based The Miserable Rich release a new album, their first since 2011’s Miss You In The Days. Overcome, born of trauma but also a testament to deep friendship and love, is the band’s fourth album, and was largely recorded at the five-piece’s various home studios by James de Malplaquet (vocals), Jim Briffett (guitars, piano), Will Calderbank (cello, keyboards, piano), Rhys Lovell (double bass) and Martin Deering (drums) with production assistance and mastering from Lotte Lindenberg’s Wolfgang Gottlieb. It also features guest appearances from Alabaster de Plume, Love Supreme Jazz Festival co-founder Jack Kendon (trumpet, vocals), Dan Cartwright (saxophone), Miserable Rich co-founder – also of The Leisure Society, and formerly Hope of The States and Mumford & Sons – Mike Siddell (violin), Jennifer Left, Kelly Barnes and Bex Fidler (vocals).
Read moreThe Features – Some Kind of Salvation (2023 Remaster) (2024) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]
The Features – Some Kind of Salvation (2023 Remaster) (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 54:27 minutes | 1,14 GB | Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © YK Records
The Features present the 15-year anniversary of Some Kind of Salvation, their 2008 sophomore full-length. This reissue includes five total bonus tracks – three freshly unearthed from the original recording sessions – and a brand new album remaster from John Baldwin at Infrasonic Sound.
Read more
Robin Neck & Doriana Tchakarova – Made in Europe (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:04:01 minutes | 1014 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © haenssler CLASSIC
MADE IN EUROPE – a tantalisingly simple title for this CD – so consequently all the more profound and unifying the selected pieces from a diverse and traditional European song heritage.
The song traditions that manifested themselves within the European region during the course of the 19th century assigned the song an important role in the formation of national and cultural identity concepts, “whereby folk and art song ultimately merged” (Martin Günther). And so a song journey through Europe could span from Italy in the south to Iceland in the north, from Bulgaria in the east to France in the west, and since Ukraine is a part of Europe, we would have to plan a stop there too.
Read more
Ratigan Era – Era (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 32:25 minutes | 394 MB | Genre: Reggae
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Hakuna Kulala
Dancehall might have emerged in Jamaica, but over the last few decades the popular genre’s tendrils have stretched out across the globe. In Kampala, Ratigan Era is adding a distinct Ugandan twist to dancehall, fusing it with East African humor and hyper-melodic afrobeats elements imported from Ghana and Nigeria. The versatile MC grew up listening to Jamaican music like Vybz Kartel, Busy Signal and Mavado – in his hometown of Kawempe there was almost no way to avoid it – and it blurred into the background, blending with local church music, US hip-hop and radio pop. He developed this diverse range of influences into a completely unique Afro-dancehall flow that simmers between Luganda, patois, Spanish and English, reflecting the melting pot of cultures and dialects that characterizes contemporary Africa.
Read more
Randy Valentine – We Jameng (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 57:31 minutes | 594 MB | Genre: Reggae
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Troots Music
Versatile singer / songwriter/ producer RONALD JUNIOR FRITZ (aka RANDY VALENTINE) hails from country sides of Clarendon in Jamaica. As a child growing up he was heavily influenced by his fathers love for music, which was expressed mostly via a sound sytem that his father owned called SHINING STAR SOUND.
Read more
pakt – Live in Syracuse (September 11, 2021) (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:44:17 minutes | 1,04 GB | Genre: Jazz Fusion, Jazz Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Moonjune Records
So the setting for the Epic Fest was outdoors on the massive grounds of Sharkeys B&G with a huge festival stage built with accompanying live sound system. It was a surreal setting. An old cabin cruiser boat sat near the stage with a gaping hole in the bow. Next to it were hundreds of empty childrens school chairs, just set out in the field in all forms of random positions. Quite strange. I have some photos somewhere. Epic Fest is mostly a Prog Festival, with some great bands, one whose name I can’t recall, were playing Zappa music, and they sounded great. Leonardo presented the debut of the PAKT t-shirt on this gig. It was good to be here.
Read more