Kill Rock Stars US Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Delta 5's Singles & Sessions 1979-81 offers a compelling glimpse into the Leeds post-punk scene with tense, barbed dark pop. Despite similarities to Gang of Four, Delta 5 remained somewhat overlooked during their time, making this collection of early singles, Peel sessions, and live recordings a belated recognition of their significance. From the iconic 'Mind Your Own Business' to the visceral plea of 'Colour,' the album showcases the band's unique blend of dub-heavy rhythms, expressive guitar work, and assertively sarcastic vocals. Tracks like 'You' and 'Triangle' compel listeners to move with their insistent beats. While the purpose of this compilation is to preserve Delta 5's legacy, it also highlights the missed opportunity for the band to release a more impactful debut album in their prime. Nevertheless, Singles & Sessions"breathes new life into Delta 5's brief yet influential tenure, ensuring their place in post-punk history alongside their more celebrated peers.

Review: Kate Nash's upcoming album for Kill Rock Stars, 9 Sad Symphonies, marks her return after six years. set to release on June 21 via . The lead single, 'Millions of Heartbeats,' offers a poignant reflection on losing hope in a world inundated with chaos and capitalism. Nash's introspective lyrics delve into the struggle of regaining one's spark amid despair, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and human connection. Produced by Frederick Thaae, the album promises a departure from harsher sounds, instead focusing on lush string arrangements and emotive storytelling. Nash draws inspiration from her recent experience writing for a musical, embracing a more direct approach to songwriting while aiming to create beauty amid darkness. 9 Sad Symphonies is poised to show the full arsenal of Nash's evolution as an artist, offering a compelling listen.

Review: It's hard to know where to begin with Shamir's second album. Or at least it was in 2017. The music? The context? Maybe both: the difficult follow up to one of that decade's finest pop records marked an about turn for the artist, and an almost vulnerable level of honesty, rejecting any preconceptions about his earlier effort and exploring a very different end of the emotional noise spectrum.
While last time round things had been incredibly polished and hook-driven, almost sing-along pop, on Hope we're taken to a rougher, rawer, perhaps grittier side of Shamir. Recorded in just one weekend, originally released for free, it's a grungy, lo-fi, punk-y, garage rock 'n' roll experiment that keeps on delivering across all 12 tracks. A brave change of course and one that we hope will continue.

Review: Though he was already famous, Either/Or is the album that made Elliott Smith great. Now Kill Rock Stars proudly present their newly reissued, expanded edition of the sensitive songster's crowning glory, this time including five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia, WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings, not to mention one B-side gem. The album was highly praised at the time due to several of its songs' lucky inclusion by Gus Van Sant in the classic drama movie Good Will Hunting, though the album's appeal goes much deeper than that, with Smith's melancholic, sombre voice soaring low above well-glued, unplugged pop mixes, though, typically for Smith, it still touches on existential, philosophical and neurotic themes throughout.