Joyful Noise US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Walk Thru Me marks the spellbinding reunion of Lou Barlow and John Davis, co-founders of the Folk Implosion. Thirty years after their debut, the duo returns with their beat-driven pop collages, crafted from improvised jams and remote collaborations. Separated by distance, Barlow and Davis reconnected through their early friendship as penpals, developing the album from attic sessions in Massachusetts to studio time with producer Scott Solter. The album thrives on contrasts and comparisons. Barlow's soft vocals and paternal lyrical perspective in 'My Little Lamb' juxtapose Davis's urgent proclamations and poignant tribute to his late father in 'The Day You Died.' Adding a unique twist, Davis's Persian music studies via Zoom inspired the integration of traditional Middle Eastern instruments like the setar, oud, saz, and tombak, enriching the album's sonic palette. Barlow describes the essence of the Folk Implosion as transforming disparate elements into cohesive pop, a process vividly realized in Walk Thru Me. With its blend of heartfelt songwriting, innovative instrumentation, and the magic of reconnection, this album stands to the enduring creativity of Barlow and Davis.

Review: A Window & A Mirror offers a deep dive into the evolution of Joan of Arc, capturing the band's early phase through Tim Kinsella's personal archives. This 132-page hardbound book, unearthed from Kinsella's grandmother's basement, features his journals, photos, and essays written in real time as the band's albums came together. It also includes the rare "Red Blue Yellow" 7", a significant artifact from a pivotal moment when Joan of Arc emerged from the ashes of Kinsella's previous band, Cap'n'Jazz. The collection provides access to the "Joan of Archive," a digital trove of over 200 demo tapes, live recordings, and musical experiments. This archive meticulously catalogs the band's development, showcasing their dedication to reinvention and collaboration with radical artists from Chicago's underground music scene. A Window & A Mirror reveals the band's journey of shape-shifting creativity, highlighting how each contributor influenced Joan of Arc's direction. It's an essential collection for fans, offering a comprehensive look at the band's intricate and evolving soundscape, ensuring that their legacy of innovative music-making is preserved and celebrated.

Review: The Drones' frontman Gareth Liddiard struck out solo with Strange Tourist in 2010, recording a stripped back set of minimal, acoustic songs with Burke Reid which threw his songwriting into sharp relief with scant distractions. Reportedly throwing himself into the process by fervently absorbing written material, literature and internet anomalies and then channelling it all out into the resulting songs, the album's tense and confessional atmosphere speaks for itself. Now Joyful Noise are giving the record a proper double LP pressing to give this modern folk classic the release it deserves.

Review: Album number 17 for Oneida began life as basic song structures in the home of frontman Bobby Matador, in Boston, USA. Demos were then sent to New York, where members Kid Millions, Hanoi Jane, Shahin Motia, and Barry London could get to work on them. "We were working out the songs in New York without Bobby. We would start out riding the riffs, and then Shahin and Jane would add wild, out-of-tune licks," said Millions. "It seemed so perfect." The result certainly sounds close to perfection. The true reflection of a band who call gritty underground punk and psyche venues home, alongside high cultural instutitons like ICA London, Guggenheim, MassMOCA and Knoxville Museum of Art. On record, that sounds like huge walls of sound and blood-on-dance floor juggernauts, soaring discordance and hypnotic hooks, frenetic hard rock and noises between the lot.

Review: On their seventh album, The Breaks, SUUNS embrace limbo and craft their most emotionally resonant and sonically rich work to date. The Montreal trio of Ben Shemie, Joseph Yarmush, and Liam O'Neill dive deeper into pop instincts than ever before here while also pushing their experimental rock boundaries. With O'Neill at the production helm, they explore loops, synths and MIDI instruments that might well draw to mind Tangerine Dream and certain downtempo trip-hop acts. The album was forged over two years of touring and remote collaboration and blends whispered intimacy with vast soundscapes best exemplified in tracks like 'Doreen' and the superbly adventurous title song.

Review: The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent And Depraved is one of the most seminal bits of writing from the cult legend that is Hunter S. Thompson. In 2012, it was made into an audio document by an all-star cast of musicians and actors led by Tim Robbins, Dr. John, Bill Frisell, Ralph Steadman, Annie Ross, John Joyce III and Will Forte who read out various chapters. The original gonzo story of the Derby is brought to life in brilliant fashion with Bill Frisell as composer, arranger and conductor. Like much of Hunter's work, this album comes with unique artwork from the legendary Ralph Steadman.