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Bella Union

Celebrating their twentieth birthday in 2017, Bella Union was founded by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins, although is now run solely by Raymonde at the head of small crack team. One of the most successful and loved indies in the UK and another curator at Sea Change 2017.
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    Ren Harvieu - Revel In The Drama

    Ren Harvieu

    Revel In The Drama

    Bella Union

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    Ren Harvieu - Revel In The Drama

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP3rd April 2020
    Ren Harvieu has announced news of her long-awaited new album 'Revel In The Drama', out via Bella Union. The album... View Details
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    Wrangler - A Situation

    Wrangler

    A Situation

    Bella Union

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    Wrangler - A Situation

    £21.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP28th February 2020
    When Wrangler first formed like Voltron a decade ago, they had a very simple modus operandi. The clue was in... View Details
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    The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin [10th Anniversary Edition]

    The Low Anthem

    Oh My God, Charlie Da...

    Bella Union

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    The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin [10th Anniversary Edition]

    £26.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoLP2nd December 2019
    The Low Anthem to reissue breakout LP 'Oh My God, Charlie Darwin' on 10th anniversary with a custom Dinked Edition.... View Details
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    the innocence mission - See You Tomorrow

    the innocence mission

    See You Tomorrow

    Bella Union

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    the innocence mission - See You Tomorrow

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP17th January 2020
    Love. Connection. Community. Understanding. Most of us experience these aspects through the prism of family and friends. But not everybody... View Details
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    The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin: Live At Red Rocks

    The Flaming Lips

    The Soft Bulletin: Li...

    Bella Union

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    Various Artists - Odyssey: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde Vol II

    Various Artists

    Odyssey: The Sound Of...

    Bella Union

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    Various Artists - Odyssey: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde Vol II

    £29.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP6th December 2019
    Odyssey: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde Volume II is Bella Union’s follow-up to the critically acclaimed 'Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor... View Details
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    Soundwalk Collective with Patti Smith - Mummer Love

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    Mummer Love

    Bella Union

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    Soundwalk Collective with Patti Smith - Mummer Love

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    LabelBella Union
    Info2LP+Download8th November 2019
    A sonic cross-continental experience, Mummer Love is the second album in the Perfect Vision triptych collaboration between Soundwalk Collective and... View Details
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    Dog In The Snow - Vanishing Lands

    Dog In The Snow

    Vanishing Lands

    Bella Union

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    Dog In The Snow - Vanishing Lands

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP15th November 2019
    Dog In The Snow is the moniker of Brighton based artist Helen Ganya Brown. Debut Vanishing Lands, which comes via Bella Union... View Details
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    Broen - Do You See The Falling Leaves?

    Broen

    Do You See The Fallin...

    Bella Union

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    Broen - Do You See The Falling Leaves?

    £10.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP18th October 2019
    Broen return with eyes open to new vistas on their second album, Do You See The Falling Leaves?. Back in... View Details
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    Kefaya + Elaha Soroor - Songs Of Our Mothers

    Kefaya + Elaha Soroor

    Songs Of Our Mothers

    Bella Union

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    Kefaya + Elaha Soroor - Songs Of Our Mothers

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP27th September 2019
    Afghan singer Elaha Soroor and award-winning music/ producer /duo Kefaya (Al MacSween and Giuliano Modarelli ) join forces for a... View Details
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    Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes

    Ezra Furman

    Twelve Nudes

    Bella Union

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    Ezra Furman - Twelve Nudes

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP30th August 2019
    “This is our punk record,” says Ezra Furman, introducing his new album Twelve Nudes, yet another incendiary and inspiring classic from... View Details
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    Modern Nature - How To Live

    Modern Nature

    How To Live

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    Modern Nature - How To Live

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP23rd August 2019
    The city and the country both have distinct, vibrant energies - but there’s something happening in between, too. As factories... View Details
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    Daughter of Swords - Dawnbreaker

    Daughter of Swords

    Dawnbreaker

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP28th June 2019
    In 2017, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig began recording a set of songs about a breakup that had yet to happen. Her partnership... View Details
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    The Soft Cavalry - The Soft Cavalry

    The Soft Cavalry

    The Soft Cavalry

    Bella Union

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & 2LP5th July 2019
    The Soft Cavalry are a duo featuring Steve Clarke and his wife who just happens to be the rather talented... View Details
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    Penelope Isles - Until The Tide Creeps In

    Penelope Isles

    Until The Tide Creeps In

    Bella Union

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    Penelope Isles - Until The Tide Creeps In

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP12th July 2019
    Penelope Isles, brother-sister-centred alt-rock quartet from Brighton (via Isle of Man/Devon) release debut album, Until the Tide Creeps In, through... View Details
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    Jambinai - ONDA

    Jambinai

    ONDA

    Bella Union

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    Jambinai - ONDA

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP7th June 2019
    + Former Sea Change Festival performers and Olympic games musical athletes Jambinai RETURN. This is gonna be massive. Book a... View Details
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    Hannah Cohen - Welcome Home

    Hannah Cohen

    Welcome Home

    Bella Union

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    Hannah Cohen - Welcome Home

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP26th April 2019
    Hannah Cohen has arrived home. From the title of Hannah Cohen’s new album to the depth and beauty of the... View Details
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    DoomSquad - Let Yourself Be Seen

    Doomsquad

    Let Yourself Be Seen

    Bella Union

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    DoomSquad - Let Yourself Be Seen

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP10th May 2019
    + Doomsquad join us to play at the 2019 Sea Change Festival. + Limited first run of the LP version... View Details
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    Lowly - Hifalutin

    Lowly

    Hifalutin

    Bella Union

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    Lowly - Hifalutin

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP12th April 2019
    “If you stick to just what you know, your music, your art or whatever your situation is becomes stagnant”, say... View Details
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    E.B. The Younger - To Each His Own

    E.B. The Younger

    To Each His Own

    Bella Union

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    E.B. The Younger - To Each His Own

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP8th March 2019
     Limited Edition LP pressed on Gold vinyl “What came before you is why you’re here now,” declares the man born Eric... View Details
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    Piroshka - Brickbat

    Piroshka

    Brickbat

    Bella Union

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    Piroshka - Brickbat

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP15th February 2018
     “From the crushed and pulverised skulls of our conquered enemies rises the promise of a new dawn,” Miki Berenyi grins.... View Details
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    Pom Poko - Birthday

    Pom Poko

    Birthday

    Bella Union

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    Pom Poko - Birthday

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP22nd February 2019
    Birthday is the debut release from Pom Poko,  who are Ragnhild (lead vocals), Ola (Drums), Jonas (Bass) and Martin (Guitar). The... View Details
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    Pavo Pavo - Mystery Hour

    Pavo Pavo

    Mystery Hour

    Bella Union

    From £10.99
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    Pavo Pavo - Mystery Hour

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP25th January 2019
    Pavo Pavo is the recording project of Oliver Hill and Eliza Bagg. On their acclaimed 2016 debut, Young Narrator in the Breakers,... View Details
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    Go Dark - Neon Young

    Go Dark

    Neon Young

    Bella Union

    £16.99 £20.99
    • Go Dark - Neon Young

    Go Dark - Neon Young

    £16.99 £20.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP18th January 2018
    Go Dark are out there on the fringes, two lone figures working in the twilight to illuminate the world. 21st... View Details
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    Two Medicine - Astropsychosis

    Two Medicine

    Astropsychosis

    Bella Union

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    Two Medicine - Astropsychosis

    £10.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP2nd November 2018
    “I’d always wanted Midlake to experiment more with the arrangements, or to get more into psychedelic textures,” says Paul Alexander,... View Details
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    Mountain Man - Magic Ship

    Mountain Man

    Magic Ship

    Bella Union

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    Mountain Man - Magic Ship

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP21st September 2018
    So thrilled to hear the band have something new, we adored Made the Harbor.Mountain Man did not intend to disappear... View Details
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    Liela Moss - My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth

    Liela Moss

    My Name Is Safe In Yo...

    Bella Union

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    Liela Moss - My Name Is Safe In Your Mouth

    £10.99

    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD or LP9th November 2018
    “The act of making this record has felt truly exotic for me by way of its minimalism,” says Liela Moss... View Details
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    John Grant - Love Is Magic

    John Grant

    Love Is Magic

    Bella Union

    From £10.99
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    • John Grant - Love Is Magic
    • John Grant - Love Is Magic

    John Grant - Love Is Magic

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    LabelBella Union
    InfoCD & LP12th October 2018
    “Each record I make is more of an amalgamation of who I truly am,” says John Grant. “The more I... View Details
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https://driftrecords.com/products/john-grant-love-is-magic 896357892143 John Grant - Love Is Magic //cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0161/8690/products/BELLA825CD_large.jpg?v=1571438622 //cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0161/8690/products/BELLA825CD_medium.jpg?v=1571438622 10.99 GBP InStock John Grant Bella Union Everything In Stock at Drift Indie & Alternative John Grant

“Each record I make is more of an amalgamation of who I truly am,” says John Grant. “The more I do this, the more I trust in myself, and the further along I go.” Even when the Michigan-born man released his debut solo album Queen Of Denmark in 2010, Grant laced sumptuous soft-rock ballads with an array of spacey, wistful synthesiser sounds, increasingly adding taut, fizzing sequencers, nu-synth-disco settings and icy soundscapes to the mix on 2013’s Pale Green Ghosts and 2015’s Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, the latter The Guardian described as, “variously agonising, hilarious, uplifting and moving: another bravura display from a unique songwriting talent.”

* The Deluxe 2LP is pressed on clear vinyl

Now, with his fourth solo album, Love Is Magic, Grant has continued evolving, creating his most electronic record yet, in collaboration with Benge (Ben Edwards), analogue synth expert/collector and a member of electronic trio Wrangler, Grant’s collaborators earlier this year under the collective name of Creep Show on the album Mr Dynamite. Produced by Grant, and engineered by Benge at his Cornish studio, the diamond-hard, diamond-gleaming Love Is Magic, “is how I’ve always wanted my records to sound, but I didn’t know how until now,” Grant says. He also called on Paul Alexander of Denton, Texas maestros Midlake, renewing a working relationship that began on Queen Of Denmark. “Paul’s trained in theory and harmonies and was responsible for a lot of the backing vocals,” Grant enthuses. “He comes up with interesting angles rather than the obvious and plays some of the best bass lines I’ve ever heard.” Besides the quest for sound, “the lyrics are exactly as I want them to be,” says John. “They’re not just the doom and gloom of the past, they’re a snapshot of everyday life - the ridiculousness, the pain, the deep longing.” Anyone familiar with Grant’s story will recognise his battles - with addiction and health, with trusting love and relationships. From this turbulence he’s forged another riveting collection of often brutal diatribes and confessionals, where humour, fear, anxiety and anger overlap as Grant, with trademark candour, figuratively exposes the machinations of his saturated brain. It’s epitomised by the album’s brilliant opener ‘Metamorphosis’, almost as if his warring psyches are facing up to one another, as impervious synth-pop and brain-on-fire imagery (“Tiki bar, rat soufflé, Buik regal, Marvin Gaye”) melts into dream-ballad introspection (“Questions left unanswered, spiritual extortion”) and back to synth-backed mania. “Metamorphosis is about going down the road of insanity because of the inability to process feelings, and properly grieve for someone, and getting bogged down by mental illness and addiction,” Grant explains. “There’s the randomness at the beginning and the end, and the truth in the middle. It’s the mess of the human mind.” The human mind is further discombobulated by the concept of love – we crave it, obsess over it, and are invariably traumatised by it, as the album’s title track explores. “Love’s a shitshow that requires work, it’s not all lollipops and rainbows. But nothing can distract from the fact that, in spite of it all, love is still magic.” The magic of love also pervades two gorgeous, magisterial ballads toward the end of the album, ‘Is He Strange’ and ‘The Common Snipe’ - referring to the wader bird that makes a unique ‘bleating’ sound by rubbing its tailfeathers together: “it’s about truly seeing another human being and not projecting onto them what you want them to be” says Grant. In the same elegant, eloquent fashion, the album’s heartbreaking finale ‘Touch & Go’ is another kind of love story, centred around Chelsea Manning, the former US soldier turned WikiLeaks activist who transitioned to a woman while in prison. “I was very touched by her incredible story,” says Grant. “What kind of strength does it takes to survive like that, hated by people who say she’s a pervert who doesn’t deserve to live?” Grant closely identifies with that scenario as he experienced prejudice himself, growing up in conservative, religious Michigan, and then Colorado, where he came to terms with being gay while being subjected to a deeply ingrained hatred of anyone perceived as homosexual at school and further alienated at home. Music, especially the new and gratifyingly gay/androgynous-leaning synth-pop sound imported from Britain, was a life-saver, while Grant also escaped, “the nasty world we grew up in,” through video games, as the gorgeous ‘Tempest’ recalls. But hormonal anxiety would rise up, which Grant recalls in the irresistibly danceable ‘Preppy Boy’, a paean to, “those cunts at school, who I hated, but a lot were very sexy. It’s a fantasy about getting what I wanted with one of them.” The 80s-synth-pop-perfect ‘He’s Got His Mother’s Hips’ is a similar backhanded depiction, a #MeToo-related saga of “a cheeseball doing all he can to get into a woman’s pants, making a total ass of himself. It’s a fun song built on disgust.” ‘Smug Cunt’, however, is pure disgust, where a gorgeous beatific arrangement clashes with a vitriolic lyric about, “maladapted narcissists…the political system in America is built to produce the kind of buffoon we now have in charge.” In Grant’s most hysterical (in both senses of the word) assassination yet, the narrator of Italo-disco strut ‘Diet Gum’ is simultaneously revolted by and attracted to a lover referred to as Dr. Turd-Face and Stupidzilla, and their time together, “a cross between Cannibal Apocalypse and Lassie 9”. “It’s the absurd extreme of a relationship,” he explains. “I’m exaggerating aspects of my own personality. It’s a lot of fun, but there’s a lot of truth in there too, about how people treat each other.” There’s much else to tell about Grant: how the demise of his first band The Czars led him to abandon music for five years before an instantly acclaimed solo career, chart success (Grey Tickles… went Top Five in the UK) and a Best International Male Solo Artist nomination at the 2014 BRITS alongside Eminem and Justin Timberlake. Sinead O’Connor and Tracey Thorn have guested on Grant’s records, he’s sung live with Alison Goldfrapp and Kylie Minogue, performed at the 2017 Songs Of Scott Walker (1967-70) BBC Prom, and co-written/sung on Hercules And Love Affair and Robbie Williams albums. Last Autumn he recorded the “Kindling” duet with Elbow then went on to tour with them this Spring. His music has been used in films such as Andrew Haigh’s drama Weekend and Daisy Asquith’s Queerama. In 2016, he fronted BBC Radio 4's Reimagining The City, taking listeners around Reykjavik, where Grant has lived since 2012; in April 2017 he curated North Atlantic Flux: Sounds from Smoky Bay in Hull, showcasing thrilling and innovative musicians from Scandinavia and Iceland. But that is the past, just as Grant’s autobiography, for publishers Little, Brown, is the future. The present is Love Is Magic, the latest instalment in Grant’s astonishing story.

Bella Union Indie & Alternative 2018-07-10
Bella Union