February 2012
5 posts
Neung Phak - 2 [2012]
”In the pantheon of Western-tilted South East Asian tribute groups, Oakland, California’s Neung Phak (pronounced: “Noong PAHK”) have carved out a decade’s worth of inspired and unique recordings and performance since their 2001 debut, (birthed as a spin-off from legendary Bay Area group Mono Pause). Galvanized by exposure to thousands of South East Asian cassette...
Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds [1971]
Led by Harold Moore, Jr. (age 10) & helped-out by his sisters, Vinita Marie (9), on bass and organ, Denise Marshall (7), on drums, and Jacqueln Carol (6), on waw-waw organ- Jr. and his Soulettes be one epic Kiddie Funk jam extravaganza. Legend says that approximately 300 copies of the ‘original’ 1970 issue of Psychodelic Sounds were pressed up but most were damaged (beyond...
VA-Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest in Funk &...
In 2004, Light In The Attic and DJ Supreme La Rock compiled the first ever set of vintage Pacific Northwest soul, funk, and R&B, Wheedle’s Groove: Seattle’s Finest In Funk & Soul 1965-75 (LITA 009). Nearly a decade on, the Wheedle still grooves and with this we give you our most ambitious release to date. Over three years in the making, Wheedle’s Groove: Seattle’s Finest In Funk &...
Ali Farka Toure - Ni Foli [1984/2011]
Mindblowing sounds from Ali Farka Toure - and a record that’s unlike most we’ve heard from him in later years! The source material for the package is from a cassette recording made in 1984 - and the music is as rough as the sonic style - almost psychedelic in presentation, given the way the guitar plays with the distortion of the tape recorder - with none of the too-clean modes that...
Nahawa Doumbia - Yankaw [1997]
I create my songs when the inspiration comes in dreams and especially at times when nothing works. Young people love what I do and other Malian singers begin to imitate me. Only the old reacts slowly, but as I’ve revolutionised Malian song, I will finish the movement.” Unlike traditional griots who place their voices against the rhythms of the balafon and the kora strings, she...
January 2012
4 posts
Kanté Manfila & Sorry Bamba - Clash Mandingue...
A killer blend of Latin and African rhythms – topped by Kante Manfila’s amazing work on guitar, which is produced with a range of weird and wonderful sounds! There’s a quality to this music that’s beyond easy description – a 60s blend of African roots and outside influences – most strongly an influx of Afro-Cuban rhythms, but also a touch of Anglo rocking on the guitar sound...
Thiossane Ablaye Ndiaye - Thiossane [2011]
In Senegal, Thiossane is a respected musician, composer, dramatist, and artist whose songs were sung since the 1950s, yet he never issued an album until this. As many senior singers, his voice is hardly prime, but he sings with spirit, and supporting him are 14 excellent West African instrumentalists, including those from the bands Orchestra Baobab, Xalam, and Africando. The music is Afro-Cuban...
Agali Ag Amoumine - Takamba [2012]
This fantastic album features live ‘stream of consciousness’ recordings of Agali Ag Amoumine, a griot (a West African storyteller/singer who is a repository for oral tradition) from Timbouctou, who plays in a distinctive style called Takamba, which is essentially a droning electrified guitar, or in this casea more lo-fi electric 3 string lute called a terhardent, accompanying himself...
Alex Chilton – Free Again: The 1970 Sessions...
The late Alex Chilton became an indie rock icon as the frontman for The Box Tops and Big Star. Between his time with those two acts, however, the songwriter spent some time in the studio recording solo material for the first time. Now, as Buy These Records points out, Omnivore Recordings has collected Chilton’s songs for a new compilation titled Free Again: The “1970” Sessions. The CD and...
December 2011
3 posts
Eddie Callahan - False Ego [2011]
”First ever reissue, deluxe & legit, of this quite rare 1976 Southern California private press gem. It’s a strange, fantastical, and totally distinct album that will have you sucked in almost instantly. This one is extremely hard to pin down - think something like a loner powerpop rock opus, heavy on the psychedelic production values, studio dreamer vibes, and timeless hooks....
Jakob Olausson - Morning & Sunrise [2011]
”JAKOB OLAUSSON ventured deep on Moonlight Farm (De Stijl 2005), and his singular expression returns on Morning & Sunrise, an explorer’s codex, a gaze at what’s more important and less seen. There is more electric guitar here, beautifully played. It really whisks at your earbones. Olausson’s singing glows more. Words like “loner” will be hung on Morning & Sunrise, with...
VA - Fanafody: A Collection Of Recordings And...
“The second volume of recordings in our series of Madagascar music. From the archives of Montreal recordist, Charlie Brooks. While containing some similar artists as volume one, Fanafody focuses more on his second trip through the island during 2002 featuring violin players and throat breathing singers. Includes extensive photography and liner notes booklet.”
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November 2011
7 posts
Bon Iver - Holocene / Come Talk to Me [2011]
Justin Vernon’s releasing a second Bon Iver single. This time it’s “Holocene” backed by a cover of Bon Iver fan Peter Gabriel‘s “Come Talk To Me,” a song that was out initially as a limited-edition Record Store Day Offering. If you recall, the first Bon Iver single “Calgary” featured a cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” as its B-Side — so perhaps an ongoing theme.
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Lee "Scratch" Perry - Nu Sound & Version
As part of the label’s thirtieth anniversary, On-U Sound presents eleven Lee Perry tracks remixed and re-imagined by contemporary artists. It is striking how fresh the tracks feel, successfully bridging gaps between 1987 and 2011 and reawakening reggae culture for ‘modern’ clubbers. ‘Spongy Rubber…’ gets lip-curling junglist treatment from Dialect And Kosine, and Digital Mystikz infuse ‘Obeah...
El Rego - El Rego [2011]
El Rego is a true legend of African Soul Music. Here for the first time on album are 12 of his greatest recordings from the late 60’s and early 70’s hand-picked by Daptone Records. Afro-Soul collector/DJ Frank Gossner had spent years combing West Africa tracking down 45’s by Theophile Do Rego (aka El Rego) before finally meeting him face to face in his home in Benin. From that...
Terry Hall & Mushtaq - The Hour Of Two Lights...
Terry Hall’s career has always been one of spotting trends and breaking new ground. In the early ’80s he helped spearhead the hugely popular ska revival as lead vocalist with The Specials, who went on to become one of the most popular and influential bands of the punk era inspiring the likes of Rancid, Blur and No Doubt and The Basement Jaxx. Hall followed that up with Fun Boy Three,...
Dereb The Ambassador - Dereb The Ambassador [2011]
In his native Ethiopia Dereb Desalegn has a devout following. In his adopted Australia, he’ll probably languish as a niche “world music” concern. Here’s hoping he doesn’t. With his seven-piece backing band, Desalegn is a traditionalist in a fairly remote field: his is a sound that combines Ethiopian folk music traditions with western jazz, a style that has seen a surge of interest...
Various Artists - Bambara Mystic Soul. The Raw...
For its commemorative 10th release, Analog Africa indulges in Burkina Faso, one of the jewels of the Sahel, a harsh and arid strip that straddles the southern Sahara, stretching from Dakar in the west to Djibouti in the east. Formerly known as Haute Volta, Burkina Faso’s sound was organized and nurtured during the country’s time as part of a vast patchwork making up French colonial...
Remi Kabaka - Black Goddess: The soundtrack from...
Soundway Records are proud to present the original soundtrack to Ola Balogun’s legendary movie ‘Black Goddess’ from 1978. The film was written and directed by Balogun (recognized as one of Nigeria’s most renowned directors) but shot and cast in Brazil. The soundtrack, Soundway’s deepest venture into experimental afro-jazz, was composed and produced by one of Nigeria’s most successful and...
October 2011
3 posts
William Onyeabor - Anything You Sow [1985]
Hailing from Nigeria, William Onyeabor made a number of incredible Nigerian soul & funk albums towards the tail end of the 1970’s (the album ‘Atomic Bomb’ is worth checking out… particularly the track ‘Change Your Mind’). However, as the 80’s kicked in William began to experiment with the new sounds and bleeps that could now be tweeked on modern synthesisters. ‘Anything You Sow’, William...
Michael Gira - The Milk of M. Gira: Selected Solo...
Sold at the 2010/2011 Swans concerts. Limited and numbered. Disc comes in a handmade print using a wood cut and custom design by Gira. A lyric sheet is included.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I7XFDLPY
Yussuf Jerusalem – Blast From The Past [2011]
Yussuf Jerusalem, the brainchild of former Creteens and Jack of Hearts member Benjamin Daures, is back with a second LP of songs that show off a wide palette of influences, while somehow managing to flow together like tracks on a good album should. Though the song titles might cause you to expect doom, gloom, and heartbreak, the band mixes in all types of emotions and borrows from numerous...
August 2011
3 posts
Keith Hudson & The Soul Syndicate - Nuh Skin Up...
Some albums have to be heard to be truly believed, and so it is with Keith Hudson’s Nuh Skin Up, the dub companion to his 1979 vocal album, From One Extreme to Another. That title was even more apt for the dub set, so far removed is it from anything else being produced in Jamaica (or anywhere else for that matter). As a vocalist, Hudson was no great shakes, and although an emotive singer,...
Brian Tairaku Ritchie-Ryoanji [2006]
Brian Ritchie came to prominence in the field of music in 1982 with his band Violent Femmes. Brian started the band to explore the possibilities of acoustic instrumentation playing rock, jazz, blues, country and folk music with a strong improvisational element. The Femmes have played more than 2000 concerts in over 30 different countries around the world. Some highlights include sold out...
Pete Seeger - American Folk, Game & Activity Songs...
This hour-long CD combines the entirety of two children’s-oriented Seeger LPs, 1953’s American Folk Songs for Children and 1962’s American Game and Activity Songs for Children, onto one disc. The eleven songs on American Folk Songs for Children were specifically selected from an identically titled book anthology of folk songs for children collected by Seeger’s stepmother,...
July 2011
2 posts
Various Artists - Highlife Time Vol 2 [2011]
More Nigerian and Ghanaian highlife classics on the second volume of our comprehensive series. This new selection guides the listener into the highlife world far enough to show the many different angles and approaches representing this irresistible music. Featuring tracks by essential artists of the genre such as ET Mensah & The Tempos, Dr Victor Olaiya, Prince Nico Mbarga, Dr Sir Warrior,...
Sorry Bamba - Volume One: 1970 - 1979 [2011]
Sorry Bamba was born in 1938 in Mopti — “The Venice of Mali” — a city whose setting at the confluence of the Niger and Bani rivers made it a true cultural crossroads. This diversity sparked an unsinkable curiosity and passion for learning that characterizes Sorry’s career to this day. Sorry Bamba’s father was a noble, and a veteran of the Emperor Samory Touré’s army. In Mali’s caste-based...
June 2011
1 post
Shakti with John McLaughlin - With John McLaughlin...
For his next act, the decibel champion of electric jazz shocked the world by unplugging and returning to South Indian music before an excitable audience at South Hampton College. Yet the alert John McLaughlin follower will note that beyond the reliance upon South Indian instruments and scales, there are unbroken links to records like My Goal’s Beyond and the high-speed electric music that...
May 2011
6 posts
David Gould – Dub Of The Passover 2011
One of the most raw and authentic sounding dub albums I have heard in a long time. Containing a perfect balance of experimentalism and roots, it’s a record that sounds like it was recorded using all analog gear in a small studio in Jamaica by one of the leading sound system engineers of the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. Legendary producer Bill Laswell teams up with the new talented composer David Solid...
L/O/N/G-American Primitive 2011
Snowy mountains vs. palm trees. Vanilla ice-cream vs. Bavarian sausage. A couple of images that spring to mind when imagining a musical collaboration between “The Walkabouts” front man Chris Eckman and Rupert Huber from “Tosca”. But the music speaks for itself. Once you hear the opening bars of their unusual project L/O/N/G , you quickly learn that apparent opposites have actually changed into...
Jennifer Castle - Castlemusic [2011]
Jennifer Castle’s debut under her own name captures a distinctive Canadian artist using a vivid palette of subtle textures and colours. Timeless in tone and dense with mystery and mysticism, Castlemusic constructs a sonic environment that reverberates like a world long lost, steeped in longing and foggy like a half-remembered dream. A quiet fixture in Canada’s folk underground and prolific...
Kate Maki - Moonshine [2011]
One room and a group of friends singing, playing, eating, and drinking. It’s easy to see why the cozy confines of a house party are as an oasis for musicians in traveling in today’s troubled economic times. The vibe of the room influences everything; the sound, the energy, even the songs that get played. The saddest songs sound better when sung together, and the chill of the studio is taken out...
Illaiyaraaja-Solla Solla: Maestro Ilaiyaraaja And...
Ilaiyaraaja, Ilayaraja, Ilayaraaja, Isaignani, The Maestro… The undeniable prince of Kollywood cinema, India’s second largest film industry, Ilaiyaraaja is more than equal to his forward thinking contemporaries in Bollywood and Lollywood in both productivity and experimentation. However, once you have exhausted all possible leads using his various names (and the numerous...
Weyes Blood and The Dark Juices - The Outside Room...
Natalie Weyes Blood (originally Weyes Bluhd) has existed in the grime-ghost fringe-music catacombs since at least 2006, starting as a conventional folk singer in an unamplified universe, then transforming into a more a crouched/hieroglyphic electronic chasm style, culminating in a European tour with Axolotl. After two seasons of hibernation and a relocation to Baltimore, she materialized her...
April 2011
8 posts
Jerusalem and the Starbaskets - DOST [2011]
“Jeremy Freeze is a Memphis born songwriter who has spent the last few years in Columbia, Missouri playing and recording with Kim Sherman as Jerusalem and the Starbaskets. Before yr preconceived notions of Missouri make things cloudy, consider the Black Artist Group, Screamin’ Mee Mees, Drunks with Guns, Gene Clark and a whole lot of other shit that you don’t know about get in...
Eef Barzelay (Clem Snide) – Black Tin Rocket...
Eef Barzelay, songwriter and voice of the wondrous Clem Snide, interprets songs by the Transmissionary Six and TM6 vocalist Terri Tarantula. Thank you for supporting independent music If you like it, we encourage you to post it on Facebook, tweet it, and otherwise blow the bugle of the Black Tin Rocket nfo: http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2011/04/19/song-of-the-day-eef-barzelay-shaker-star/...
Josh T. Pearson – RSD 12″ EP [2011]
To celebrate the third annual UK Record Store Day, this Saturday, 16 April, Josh T. Pearsonwill release a 12″ limited to 250 copies in the UK with two exclusive piano versions of tracks from Last Of The Country Gentlemen. Josh T. Pearson – 12″ Sweetheart I Ain’t Your Christ (piano version) Country Dumb (piano version)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IOBHVGM7
Club d’Elf - Electric Moroccoland / So Below...
The band’s long-awaited studio follow-up to Now I Understand (2006). A double-disc set, Electric Moroccoland/So Below represents two distinct sides of the groups sound: Moroccan trance (Electric Moroccoland) and funky electronica/DJ-driven beats (So Below). More than 10 years in the making, it features over 26 musicians including John Medeski, DJ Logic, Dana Colley & the late Mark...
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo – Cotonou Club[2011]
It isn’t long since the pop past felt truly remote: old video footage was impossible to access, and you could only dream of having seen the great bands of the Sixties and Seventies. Now everything can be viewed on YouTube at the click of a mouse and there’s barely an even slightly important album of the past 40 years that hasn’t been recreated on stage with at least some of its original creators...
Various Artists - Cult Cargo: Salsa Boricua De...
Far from the twin epicenters of New York and Miami, Carlos Ruiz and his Ebirac label were both feeling and generating the aftershocks of the mid-’70s salsa boom. Holed up in their own bustling Puerto Rican community center on Chicago’s west side, these third coast salseros plied their trade outside the hot lights, cutting their teeth in city parks, VFW halls, and Holiday Inn rec...
Joe McPhee & Chris Corsano - Under a Double Moon...
With a career now spanning over 40 years and more than 100 recordings, Joe McPhee has shown that emotional content and theoretical underpinnings are thoroughly compatible — and in fact, a critically important pairing — in the world of creative improvised music. Since recording The Hated Music with Paul Flaherty in 2000, Chris Corsano has been hyper-active in far-reaching corners of the free...
Harry Beckett - The Modern Sound Of Harry Beckett...
Barbados-born trumpeter Harry Beckett is one of the great treasures of British culture. Now in his early 70s and on great form, he has bequeathed us a magnificent sonic treat. The Modern Sound of Harry Beckett teams him with a variety of dub-reggae and electro-jazz collaborators, confidently stirred into a steaming sonic bouillabaisse by On-U Sound producer (and occasional label boss) Adrian...
March 2011
12 posts
Apache Dropout - Apache Dropout [2011]
“WOW. Indiana-based trio, claiming past actions in John Wilkes Booze and Lord Fyre, wastes no time in creating a monster of drug-fueled ‘60s psych and hambone R&B, a living tribute to the thousands of teenage ghosts and dead dreams which were born and quickly faded in the split level garages of suburban homes in the Vietnam era. Whatever these guys were working up to in previous...
Deep Sorrow - I [2011]
One sided 10” lathe
Two track clear record debut from this bummed out duo. Folk charms send out love letters to the dead. 1st in a series. Loveless The End Only 5 available for purchase
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ICHN8RLT
Marisa Anderson - The Golden Hour [2011]
The thought of an album consisting of a dozen guitar and lap steel improvisations would not normally set the heart afire but this one most certainly does. Marisa Anderson is obviously an ace guitarist, but rather than demonstrating hollow technical wizardry, she crafts pieces that recall everything from backwoods blues to gospel, country to rock’n’roll and make you actually want to sit...
Pearly Gate Music - Pearly Gate Music [2010]
The background: The history of rock is full of examples of what happens when siblings form bands. The Kinks, Sparks, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and Oasis all feature creative alliances fuelled by brotherly tension. With Josh and Zach Tillman, we don’t get to see sparks fly because they’ve each got their own outfit – the former is in Fleet Foxes while the latter has his Pearly Gate...
Alexi Murdoch - Towards the Sun [2011]
The words “quiet place” can evoke several different scenarios. There’s the silence of the library, punctuated by the ruffling of pages, patrons talking in hushed tones, and the soft conversations of the librarians. There’s the stillness of the woods, with the wind blowing through the trees, birds chirping their songs, and the scattered noises of other critters small and large. And then there’s...
Chalk Circle - Reflection [2011]
Reflection” is a retrospective album by the legendary Washington, DC punk band Chalk Circle. Spanning 1981-1983, the LP includes twelve songs from out-of-print compilations, live shows, and unreleased demos. The LP, due out early 2011, comes with a booklet of photos, press clippings, and liner notes by renowned producer/musician Don Fleming (whose band Velvet Monkeys headlined Chalk...
Various Artists - Alan Lomax in Haiti [10xCD]...
When 21-year-old Alan Lomax dragged 155 pounds of luggage and recording equipment into the heat and humanity of Port-au-Prince’s dockside, he entered a crucible. In the Christmas season of 1936, Haiti was re-forging a national identity after a 15-year U.S. occupation. The island nation was discovering the roots of its rural culture in Africa, struggling to reconcile the class and race issues...