It’s a spiritual set. We’re easing into the new week calmly.
Hello, Friends.
Starting off this new week with some pure joy from the Trunk vaults and the self-titled The Cults Percussion Ensemble album. Privately pressed in Scotland in 1979, this elusive and quite wonderful percussion album is genuinely like no other. Played by a group of eleven girls, this is no school hall tapping, this has some serious jazz chops. An intoxicating blend of glockenspiels, xylophones, vibraphones, marimba and timpani drums that and ebbs and flows beautifully. This edition has a reproduction of what we think is the original sleeve and includes biographies and rare shots of the ensemble. A real beauty.
Artifacts is a lovingly curated and revisited collection from the sugar voiced Beirut. Zach Condon (for he is Beirut) has collected together a double-LP's worth of music that traces the evolution of Beirut from a 14-year old Condon's first attempts at bringing the music he heard in his mind to life, to the fully formed Beirut we know today.
"What started as a few extra unreleased tracks from my formative recording years quickly grew into an entire extra records-worth of music from my past, and a larger project of remixing and remastering everything I found for good measure."
+ LP editions include a limited 12" booklet.
Blue Note issue a 2022 pressing of Out Of The Blue, the hard-bopping LP from American saxophonist Sonny Red. Plenty of grace to the standards, but it's his originals that makes Sonny stand out as an often overlooked gem from the vaults.
Out Of The Blue is released on the Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series and pressed on 180g audiophile vinyl reissues in deluxe packaging. It was produced by Joe Harley and features all-analog, mastered-from-the-original-master-tapes.
It's a CAN double on Mute this week with the band's excellent debut Monster Movie pressed on Blue Vinyl, and the cross over Soundtracks album (on Purple vinyl) that compiled music created for films with both Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki contributing vocals.
A couple of excellent reissues on the Superior Viaduct sub-label Antarctica Starts Here this week, with the dark and hypnotic Peace & Love: Wadadasow by Dadawah and Silver Bullets from Jamaican reggae harmony group The Silvertones. Both reissues are part of an archival series that focuses on Trojan's essential '60s and '70s catalogue.
Phantasy Sounds have put together a really scorchin' reissue of Mystery Jets' Twenty One. We've actually just this minute gone out of stock, but keep an eye on the Drift site for more copies, including the Crystal Blue Curacao & Transparent Coloured Vinyl pressing.
Lastly today, Richard Norris has grouped together his Music For Healing releases as The Longform Series 1 to 4. He started the Music For Healing series in lockdown, releasing one calming, anxiety relieving track each week for three months. This really is special, spiritual and deeply affecting music. Quite essential.
All eyes on the socials for some big preorders later on, including a REALLY cool Dinked Edition.
- Drift