Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: The "guitar loop" is not just a staple of modern indie and psychedelic music. It is also an access point to a timeless human necessity: the combo of dexterity and repetition. Without repeatedly using our hands to press notes and catenate chains, we would be nothing but fumbly savages. Loop knew this remarkably well, manually twisting a tight coil around the South London music scene in the late 1970s. This was at the height of the motorik rock scene, which was otherwise largely going on thousands of miles away in Germany: as critics enthused at the time, Loop were the sound of Suicide jamming with the Stooges aboard a spaceship built by Hawkwind and piloted by Can. Described by Reactor as "post-psych, pre-shoegaze" figureheads, 'Twelves' is a priceless rediscovery for electronic rock heads across the (fret, mother)board: compiling across a span of five years, '16 Dreams' and 'Spinning' originate from 1986, while 'Collision' marks their Chapter 22 phase from 1988, and 'Primsma Uber Europa 12' closes the loop in 1991. An early case of sonic cybernetic feedback; viscerally loud, intensive circulations of sound.

Review: American industrial kings Swans' latest offering unfurls across a sprawling 19-minute journey, building a tension that is as much about space as it is about sound. The first half, marked by 'The Healers' and 'I Am A Tower,' feels like an unyielding force, as if the music itself is evolving into something beyond human comprehension. Gira's voice, thick with grit, clashes with the deep rumble of guitars, creating a rhythm that seems to pulse from a primal core. The journey picks up momentum through 'Red Yellow' and 'Guardian Spirit,' where the sound bends and twists, its drone-like qualities alternately lulling and unsettling. By the time 'Away' takes hold, the track feels less like a song and more like an emotional release, with each successive wave stripping something away, leaving raw, exposed moments in their wake. A visceral experience that demands patience and reflection, with each track revealing layers of complexity.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The 70s were a superb time for Krautrock and Walter Wegmuller's Tarot from 1973 is one of the classics. Now for the first time, it has been remastered from the original tapes and comes in a no doubt highly sought after deluxe box set. Bern born Wegmuller was the son of Roman travelers and himself spent much time roaming around Europe and India making jewelry as well as painting. Helping him to record this album when he settled back in Bern were legends of the scene like Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel members Manuel Gottsching and Hartmut Enke, and other musicians known as The Cosmic Jokers.