Five Times Of Dust - "Computer Bank" (The Floor mix) (7:12)
Five Times Of Dust - "Armoured Car" (6:57)
Unovidual & Tara Cross - "Like I Am, Comme Je Suis" (The Floor mix) (7:11)
Unovidual & Tara Cross - "Imponative" (3:28)
Review: Thanks to the eternally revered Minimal Wave imprint, out of NYC, Mark Phillips and Robert Lawrence's Five Times Of Dust project is going through a bit of a revival. The duo had first released some post-punk cassettes back in the 80s, and they clearly have not been forgotten. On this new remix EP, "Computer Bank" is given a makeover in the form of a The Floor remix, who proceeds to add all sorts of quirkiness over the tune's tough, heavy bass and driving rhythm; "Armoured Car" breaks the 4/4 in favour of something much closer to the band's original drum machine style. Once again, on the flip, we have a remix of "Like I Am, Comme Je Suis" by The Floor, who throws up a gnarly electro bass onto shady, neo-romantic vocals, and the whole things is finished off by "Imponative" from Unovodual and Tara Cross, who produce a slow, heady industrial groove for the dancefloor.
Review: Originally conceived in 2019 during a tour with industrial hardcore purveyors Uniform, Japanese psychedelic noise-rock juggernauts Boris would invite their co-conspirators on stage to reimagine the trio's classic "Akuma no Uta" as part of their encore, with the resulting chemistry inspiring both acts to begin crafting a fully collaborative album. Many years of exchanging ideas from one home studio base to another has finally bore fruit in the form of the hideous yet glorious Bright New Disease. Combining almost every nuance of each group's genre-less machinations, the project swells and extends in every sonic direction from harsh walls of screeching noise to retrofitted Japanese D-beat hardcore, with time in between for aquatic, shoegazing serenity and mechanized industrial venom.
Review: Throughout is a new and exciting label out of Kyoto that impresses once more here with a brilliantly cool new collaboration between Jungle Brothers' Sensational and the producer Unbuilt. The former has laid down endless amounts of interesting sounds over the years and Poiesis now joins those hallowed ranks. It is aptly described as "a paranoid party-starter cast against a menacing greyscale backdrop of impressive dystopian grandeur." The production from Sensational is on point and a mix of basted and dubbed out while the bars remind of early underground rap greats - like Def Jux rewired through a more contemporary sound.
Review: Uboa's Impossible Light marks a significant shift from the ambitious darkness of previous work. Xandra Metcalfe's latest release merges otherworldly sounds with raw human emotion, creating a captivating blend of intense darkness and poignant beauty. Throughout Impossible Light, Uboa explores a heightened sense of urgency and directness, particularly in addressing themes of trans experiences and societal marginalisation. Tracks like 'Endocrine Disruptor' contrast serene melodies with explosive beats, while 'The Puzzle' immerses listeners in heavy synths and impactful percussion. 'Gordian Worm' transitions from harsh noise to a more structured electro-industrial sound and 'Pattern Screamers' delivers a powerful vocal performance amid distorted, mechanical noise. The seamless flow between 'Jawline' and 'Weaponised Dysphoria', alongside the emotional depth of 'Sleep Hygiene', underscores Uboa's skillful talent at balancing it all.
Review: Uboa's Impossible Light represents a profound evolution from the dark, ambitious sound of The Origin of My Depression. Xandra Metcalfe's latest work melds inhuman textures with visceral human emotions, creating a unique blend of dark intensity and raw beauty. The album opens with 'Phthalates', a track that combines haunting vocal samples with jittery percussion, setting a controlled yet expansive tone. 'Endocrine Disruptor' features a striking contrast of serene arpeggios and explosive beats, highlighting Uboa's ability to juxtapose beauty with darkness. Lyrically, the album reflects a heightened urgency, addressing themes of trans experiences and societal othering with a stark, direct approach. 'The Puzzle' delves into oppressive, heavy synths and percussive blasts, while 'Gordian Worm' evolves from harsh noise to a more structured electro-industrial sound. Tracks like 'Pattern Screamers' are dynamic with a strong vocal performance amid corrupted, mechanical noise. 'Jawline' and 'Weaponised Dysphoria' flow seamlessly, with 'Jawline' transitioning from choral elements to harsh electronics, and 'Weaponised Dysphoria' reversing this progression. 'Sleep Hygiene' contrasts intense noise with reflective breaks, portraying the struggle with illness and recovery. Overall, Uboa's capacity for blending darkness with hope, making it a poignant and essential listen. This version comes on coloured vinyl.
Review: You don't often see a clavichord credited on the list instruments used on an album. The stringed, rectangular keyboard found favour in the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical eras, and while commonplace during the Middle Ages is, today, pretty obscure. That is, unless you're a musician with a penchant for recreating those historical periods in sound, or someone like Tori Amos or Bjork, both of who are among the
Review: Modern glassy ambient forefronters Motion Ward present their latest masterpiece from two standout centre-stagers on their roster, Ulla Strauss and Ultrafog. Having not collaborated on a full-length record before, the one is billed simply as 'two individuals from faraway (journeying) the world together'. "(They) were given many tiny gifts from the surroundings. Then the music came out as a matter of course, as if a thing was being put in its right place." Sonically, this translates to a pristine, sampledelic blissout, verging on the nascent road-trippy electronic-shoegaze motifs that Motion Ward have found themselves exploring as of late; and echoing the kind of alien ambient guitar-dubs that could recall Fennesz or Bibio, lest they weren't also mixed up with the kind of contemporary vocal chopups and glassy, aerated refractions that continue to carve out this extended crew's current noble standing. Our highlights; 'Lame Mart', 'Kind Zo'.
Review: Foam On A Wave is a brand new London-based reissue label. Its first offering is a carefully dug out delight from Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond aka Ultramarine, one of the UK's foremost ambient techno artists. Folk is a seamless weaving together of "unique instrumentation and sonic influences into rich, ethereal soundscapes" that have all been fully remastered for this 30th anniversary release. Mixing up organic and synthetic sound is what this pair did best and this album has a kaleidoscopic pallet drawn from Canterbury's jazz-infused psychedelia, the contemporary Benelux scene, and plenty in between. It manages to be both thoughtful and playful, serious yet irreverent, and has aged as well as a fine wine.
B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition
White China (3:49)
One Small Day (4:23)
Dancing With Tears In My Eyes (4:37)
Lament (4:35)
Man Of The Two Worlds (4:25)
Heart Of The Country (5:07)
When The Time Comes (4:57)
A Friend I Call Desire (5:11)
Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***
The 40th Anniversary Edition of Ultravox's Lament offers a fresh perspective on a seminal album from 1984. The album, produced by Ultravox ithe preceding year, is a defining moment in their career, marked by the UK Top 10 hit 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes' and notable singles like 'One Small Day' and the title track 'Lament.' Musically, Lament stands as a sophisticated blend of new wave and synth-pop with a darker, introspective edge, the tracks exhibiting a polished yet emotionally charged sound, driven by Midge Ure's poignant vocals and the band's intricate arrangements and the album's themes of emotional turmoil and societal commentary are given new life through this comprehensive reissue.
Review: This Ultravox classic gets a special release for Record Store Day Black Friday 2024 on double vinyl complete with a stunning stereo mix by Steven Wilson. This version offers a refreshed take on the iconic album and is a fine homage to one of the band's most defining works. It reminds just how groundbreaking their sound was at the time and it still has a modern twist that makes it feel relevant now. Instrumentals are all included next to the originals for added depth.
Review: The sixth studio album by British synth pop legends Ultravox landed in 1982, and peaked at an impressive number six in an albums chart that was still highly competitive. By December that year, the record had clocked up more than 100,000 copies, earning a Gold certificate from the BPI, while also ranking in US and German hit lists around the same time. Notable as it saw George Martin (affectionally known to some as The Fifth Beatle) stepping up to the helm, this veteran apparently claimed the band were "the most musical" he'd worked with in years. Agree or not, the record is bold and theatrical, at times taking us out on the town in bleep-happy Sheffield (or some such synth domain), in other moments inviting us to partake in a strange electronic cabaret.
Review: Once the leader of iconic and legendary Japanese New Wave rockers EX, Shigeru Umebayashi's Music For A Film compilation showcases the better-known work (in today's terms at least) of this multifaceted and multi-talented composer. 21 tracks of absolute beauty, all of which are taken from his 30-strong-plus oeuvre of movie scores, built over time since he first began writing tracks for screens in 1985, after said band called time.
Opening with what may be his most famous work of all time, 'Yumeji's Theme' (title piece from Siejun Suzuki's critically acclaimed 1991 movie, Yumeji) the playlist here really showcases the vision and musicality Umebayashi is renowned for, and removed from the context of movies the work is elevated to new heights. Classical, choral, quiet epics, and romantic mini-overtures rarely sound so good.
Review: The first official reissue of Playtime by popular and prolific Italian composer, Piero Umiliani. Incorporating styles like jazz, easy listening/lounge, rock, funk, and bossa nova to a genre largely dominated by orchestral scores, he penned some of the most outstanding kosmische music from the '60s and '70s with over 150 titles under his belt. Originally released on Umiliani's own Omicron label in 1968, the album has been remastered from the original recordings by Noah Mintz.
Review: Four Flies thrillingly reissues Piero Umiliani's soundtrack to the 1969?giallo thrille Orgasmo (curiously retitled Paranoia in English speaking countries), the firstof three erotically charged? ilms directed by Umberto Lenzi and starring cult siren (and Oscar nominee) Following the first ever release of this OST in 2020, this follow-up version hears Four Flies top up the release with a fuller restoration, after some serious detective work in the composer's archives revealed a post-hoc salvaging of the original tapes, where they where first thought to be lost or unusable. Bringing Umiliani's score back to life for all to enjoy, Orgasmo perfectly captures the stylish and sleazy vibe of Lenzi's film, its acid-drenched visuals, and its themes of sick psychological mind games (courtesy of the devious characters played by Swedish enfant terrible Lou Castel and?French beauty?Colette Descombes).
Review: Unchained is the longstanding solo project of Nathaniel Davis. Gabbeh is his latest offering to the world, a suite of blissfully introspective tracks that envelop the soul in a blanket of soft, delicate moods, their sole purpose to comfort aching heads. Remarkably, dedicated fans will know you can trace the artist's lineage to noise mix tapes on CD-R, although more recent excursions into Bossa nova influenced tones perhaps help bridge the gap between then and now. Recorded at home over a three year period, from 2020 to 2023, Grenoble, Switzerland, played a big part in end results here. "I think certain songs reflect, in ways, Grenoble's natural surroundings. 'Drac' is named after the river that flows from the mountains down to the city - 'Dru' is the name of a well-known peak near Chamonix," Davis has explained. That as may be, nevertheless there's something more transportive than that here - songs feel as though they would be at home anywhere green, slow and thoughtful.
Review: In March, Izabel Caligiore decided to launch a label named after her superb Lullabies For Insomniacs show on Redlight Radio, with its debut release coming from the excellent Sugai Ken. Lullabies For Insomniacs now returns, proffering a debut LP from the impeccably obscure Unearth Noise. Full of clandestine mood pieces, droning textures, unsettling pitched-down IDM rhythms, mutant wind chimes and deep space explorations, Prayer & Resonance does a fine job balancing dark and maudlin material, with tracks that feel more gently positive. At 17 tracks deep, it takes a little time to fully take root in your consciousness, but the musical rewards are more than worth the effort.
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