Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: ***B-STOCK: Creasing to corner of outer sleeve but otherwise in excellent condition***


The third volume in the Future Sounds Of Kraut series delves deeper into the experimental realms of krautrock, blending its hypnotic rhythms with modern sensibilities. On this release, Fred und Luna lead the charge with their distinctive sound, drawing from the genre's rich history while infusing it with fresh, forward-thinking elements. The album's varied tracks are a journey through intricate loops, motorik beats and atmospheric textures, offering a dynamic exploration of electronic and psychedelic landscapes. A collection that pays homage to Krautrock's pioneers while shaping its own space in the genre, this release is a must-listen for both old and new fans alike.

Review: You can go one of two ways as an artist when you've had pop success early in life: you keep the wheel because the wheel isn't broken. Or you change the wheel and reinvent yourself and make music that's true to yourself and not guided by commercial expectation. David Sylvain has done the latter with aplomb. At the time of making this album, which is the companion album to Blemish (2003) and now on vinyl for the first time, he was free from the shackles of a major label and diving headfirst into improvisation. You can't even faintly hear echoes of the band that made his name - new wave icons Japan. For these remixes Sylvian worked with the likes of Ryoji Ikeda, Burnt Friedman, and Readymade FC, although some songs were re-recorded rather than remixed. 'Late Night Shopping', remixed by Friedman, is a great entry point to this work, with dark beats and eerie noises, making for an atmospheric triumph. This is an album that pushes music as an artform forward. Long may Sylvain continue.

Review: There's a crippling truth behind this expansive and musically accomplished compilation which few of us really want to acknowledge. Created to shore up funds for a City of Angeles devastated by yet another series of wildfires in January 2025, the sad fact is that we are going to see more and more records like this because more and more records like this will be needed. Still, at least we can be incinerated, drowned by flooding, or die from starvation or thirst while listening to some decent tunes. And these tunes are very decent. From space age jazz of Celia Hollander and Photay, to Julia Holta's pin-drop piano-vocal theatrical stunner, Baths & Rachika Nayer's very Bibio-sounding guitar-electronic dub, and the retro lounge style 'Making The Beat Scene' by Daedalus. We could go on.

Review: Stephen Vitiello, Brendan Canty and Hahn Rowe pull strings in strange and rewarding directions on Second, the chameleonic follow-up to their 2023 debut piece First. Vitiello, having left behind a vista's trail of ambient, lowercase and electroacoustic work with the likes of Taylor Deupree and Pauline Oliveros, now sketches raw forms with Rhodes, guitar and modular gear before looping in Canty and Rowe. The former adds drums, bass and piano with typical restlessness; the latter, once of Hugo Largo, folds in bowed guitar, viola and 12-string textures. There's a thread of freeform drift here, but it's sotted in dub weight, Krautrock pulse and post-punk lean. "We're coming from three different schools," Vitiello notes. Throw in a guest spot from Animal Collective's Geologist on hurdy gurdy, and it's a strange little world built on sideways logic.