Hey buds. Welcome to March at Drift. We're off out of the traps with a really killer selection of new stuff.
Hello, Friends.
Our Record of the Week is Traditional Techniques, Stephen Malkmus' third solo LP without the Jicks (or Pavement)... That said, Matt Sweeney appears almost throughout... which is just superb news! Ten songs of modern folklore centered around acoustic guitars (there is quite a lot of the 12-string that made such a fine debut on the Sparkle Hard LP) and hypnotic ragas. As ever, he's a brilliant protagonist and lyrically he's as wry and as cutting as he's ever been. Full of grooves, gnarled Sweeney solos and brilliant stories. Love this one already.
+ Limited indie shop version is pressed on red coloured vinyl.
Powys trio Islet return with their eagerly awaited new LP, Eyelet. Although full of big life introspection (life, death), it's a really engaging album, sonically epic with rippling psychedelia that mirrors the vastness of the rolling rural foothills of Mid Wales that inspired it. Hypnotic and experimental pop with hooks that'll be stuck in your head for days. So excited to have the band joining us at Sea Change this year to play these fine songs.
+ Limited Edition Indie LP is pressed on neon orange coloured vinyl and housed in a die-cut sleeve.
Out of My Province is Nadia Reid's third album, following 2017's critically acclaimed Preservation. This album is Reid's first with Spacebomb Records, produced by Matthew E. White and the Spacebomb House Band. She sounds utterly amazing and although the production is her fullest support to date, they all know exactly when to fade away and leave just Nadia's voice in the frame.
'Out of My Province' is Dinked No. 38 and we'll put our last few copies online now.
We also today announced Dinked Editions from Erland Cooper and Once & Future Band. Both are available to preorder now: driftrecords.com/collections/dinked-editions
Heavy Light is the highly anticipated seventh album by U.S. Girls, the protean musical enterprise of multi-disciplinary artist Meg Remy. It's so rare that you find someone who can balance big themes from the current climate with vibrant and addictive pop songs. She's brilliant and this is pretty essential stuff throughout.
+ Indie Edition LP on white and purple splatter vinyl.
+ We have signed 12" promo cards.
Cornershop return with the most excellent new England Is A Garden LP. Full of lush tones this one, big stomping Black Country rock against pretty and evocative sounds and beats. They are real masters of big kaleidoscopic sounds.
+ Very limited Indie double LP is on coloured vinyl (one green and one blue).
+ Interview: Tjinder Singh spoke to Jude Rogers in The Observer this week, it's a great read.
+ Ben and Tjinder have signed some LUSH posters for us. Free with the LP edition (or CD in the shop).
Are you ready to get obsessed? This marvellous and mysterious album is going to be on your most played pile for the foreseeable. Trees Speak hail from Tucson, Arizona and create new music that sounds like German Krautrock meets no wave/post-punk and psych rock. Ohms is one hell of a record, music for fans of Cluster, Tangerine Dream, Can, Neu!, Silver Apples and early Kraftwerk... It's worthy of those comparisons.
+ This LP edition includes a bonus 45 single.
Another huge return, and another fella in fine fettle. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jonathan Wilson returns to Bella Union with Dixie Blur and it's pretty special stuff. It was recorded in Nashville with some of the city's best players, the live element really shines through like the classic albums that many of these hands have produced. Great songs and incredible performances.
+ Limited Indie shop version 2LP is pressed on mint green coloured vinyl. The LP looks really special, die-cutting on the sleeve and some lush foiling too.
UK synth wizard James Holden teams up with Polish clarinet guru Waclaw Zimpel for a four track mini album - Long Weekend - of deliciously Krauty improvisations, recorded back in the summer of 2018. Admittedly, this is about as far up our street as you can get, but we're really feeling this one!
P.E. is a band born of New York City’s storied art-punk underground, comprised of Veronica Torres, Jonathan Campolo, and Benjamin Jaffe (of the freshly defunct, no wave-riffing Pill) alongside Jonathan Schenke and Bob Jones (of electronic/art-rock favourites Eaters). Person is a proper riot of an album.
Also this week...
Manchester three-piece Handle (featuring former members of D.U.D.S) debut with In Threes.
Superb, no nonsense rhythm and blues from The James Hunter Six on Daptone with Nick of Time.
A deeply experimental sounding Pantha du Prince returns with Conference of Trees.
The super young and super hyped DISQ release Collector, and it's bloody marvellous. Believe the hype on the one, it's full of Light Up Gold energy. + Limited Indie version LP is pressed on transparent blue vinyl.
Anna Calvi reworks her lush Hunter LP into Hunted, with the help of Julia Holter, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Courtney Barnett and Joe Talbot.
Detroit psych-folk groovers Bonny Doon have recorded a Blue Stage Sessions, out on Third Man.
We have a double orange vinyl 20th anniversary pressing of Kelis' debut LP Kaleidoscope this week. This reissue features four alternative versions of the tracks Caught Out There & Get Along With You, all on vinyl for the first time.
A companion set to the acclaimed 'Environmental Holes & Drastic Tracks' set issued in 2016 that anthologised the early years of African Head Charge, Drumming Is A Language picks up the story in 1990 with what many fans regard as the band’s masterpiece, Songs Of Praise, plus 3 more studio albums, a ton of bonus tracks (including an entire disc of early 90s outtakes) and 36 page booklet. Each of the five discs here are in individual reverse board card wallets, housed in a high quality outer slipcase. Looks tasty.
Now this one we love. A reissue of The Mystery Kindaichi Band's The Adventures Of Kindaichi Kosuke, The ‘imaginary’ soundtrack to the adventures Of Kindaichi Kosuke, the cult detective book series. Arranged by soundtrack master Kentaro Haneda and featuring a mysterious group of the best 70s Japanese Funk musicians, the album is pure undiluted Disco Funk. The CD is here, the LP is running late but will be on the racks (and on the stereo for sure) as soon as possible.
In an hour or so, the 2020 Record Store Day list of exclusive releases will be announced. There are some really good bits in there, although we very much stand by what we said. We'll have a good look at it and pick a bunch of things and we'll confirm them early next month. Record Store Day is Saturday 18th April and we'll make sure to be doing a ton of fun things in Totnes.
- Drift
