Did you know it's August? Well it is, and only one day in, it's sounding mega.
Hello, Friends.
Welcome to August, and for the eighth time in 2019 a Record of the Month. We have gone with Ty Segall's First Taste, a gloriously jacked up new set of songs that further cements Ty as a writer, arranger, performer and producer of such ingenuity. The big shocker here, all the guitars are left in the cases, instead this new outing focuses on the might of the synth and a supporting cast (bouzouki, electric omnichord, koto) that all combine for a hypnotic First Taste. The drumming (shared between Ty on drums and Charles Moothart on percussion) pummels the lobes on each channel and the Freedom Band (Mikal Cronin, Shannon Lay, Emmett Kelly, and Ben Boye) all find their own space whilst successfully bathing the album in waves of sonics.
He's always prolific, he's always brilliant, and on First Taste, Ty Segall shows again that his most admirable quality is perhaps he is utterly creatively fearless.
+ The packaging is pretty special, a barn-door gatefold with a top loading jacket.
Record of the Week is Blume, the debut LP from Nérija, the septet of Nubya Garcia (tenor saxophone), Sheila Maurice-Grey (trumpet), Cassie Kinoshi (alto saxophone), Rosie Turton (trombone), Shirley Tetteh (guitar), Lizy Exell (drums) and Rio Kai (bass). The ‘jazz-influenced’ group have been synonymous with the ever burgeoning scene, solo works and appearances with a list recently including KOKOKO! and (the Mercury nominated) SEED Ensemble. Above all the smartness (and it really is), Blume is really good fun, they all seem to be challenging one another and it's such a great ride. It is both coherent and wide reaching, testament to the skill but also to the vibe.
+ 2LP Indie Edition is pressed on Crystal Clear colour vinyl with an etched D side. Includes download code.
A Dream Is U is the debut LP from Francis Lung. The former WU LYF member Tom McLung has delivered a beautifully jangly album, rich strings and dense layers of pop sensibilities that feel at home anywhere between here and 1965. Really highly recommended this one.
+ Indie Exclusive Limited Edition LP is on 180g Pink vinyl.
Santiago's Föllakzoid return with their long-awaited new LP I. Where as the previous efforts were long, loose jams, this new album is meticulously constructed from tightly wound tracks that build and break with an arsenal of instruments and tones. Dense, deep and dark as hell.
+ Indie 2LP is on clear vinyl.
Moon Diagrams is the solo recording project of Deerhunter co-founder and drummer Moses John Archuleta. Trappy Bats is a mini-LP that interweaves three brilliant new Moon Diagrams tracks with radiant reworks from Shigeto, Angel Deradoorian and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma. It was largely recorded in a single night as a means to process the intense intersection of Archuleta’s social, political and personal hysteria. Having been arrested for an unremembered missed court date, Archuleta spent 24 hours in a holding cell, offering ample time to reflect on his life, the current state of the nation.
+ Pressed on Indie-shop-only split yellow and black coloured vinyl.
Indie luminaries The Wedding Present release two brand new tracks as a single, Jump In, The Water's Fine and Panama their first new material since the spring of 2017. The single is available on 7” and limited edition 10” picture disc – the band’s first! – including specially commissioned artwork by Darren Hayman.
Following the release of 2018's critically acclaimed album 'Joy as an Act of Resistance', IDLES are back with two new songs, pulled from the aforementioned album sessions. Super limited two track Mercedes Marxist 7" on Partisan Records.
The Deluxe Edition of Thom Yorke's ANIMA have arrived, and we're delighted to report that we have a small handful left! Online and in the shop now, they really are very beautiful things.
+ We also picked a winner out of the hat for the rare Thom 12". We done to Karl B.
Twenty five years after the release of Blur's seminal album Parklife, Parlophone Records release a 1994 BBC Radio 1 live session. Featuring four tracks taken from a Mark Radcliffe Radio 1 session, recorded live at the BBC in Manchester on 7th March 1994, just weeks ahead of Parklife’s release on 25th April. Limited black vinyl 10", not many of these to go around.
Premium Trunk vibes this week. Extraordinary unreleased home made electronics from the late 1960s made by a pioneering ballet dancer and musician. With possibly the best name ever. Ernest Berk's Electronic Music For Two Ballets. Fascinating sounding guy, the liner notes here are great.
Lastly this week, two extremely "blink-and-you'll-miss-em" releases. XL release a remix 12" from Thom Yorke with Mark Pritchard, Equiknoxx Remix feat. Time Cow & Gavsborg and Clark alongside the Extendo Mix. Also out Friday is a very rare repress of the Jay Reatard / Sonic Youth split Hang Them All / No Garage 7". We'll put stock against them shortly, then it's first come first serve.
We debuted some new Drift merch at the Port Eliot festival last weekend, with new tote colours, a new issue of our Deluxe newspaper and all new 100% organic ring-spun combed cotton t-shirts. All up on the website this weekend, alongside some other treats.
- Drift
