Another ridiculous offering for mid-November!
Hello, Friends.
There was an age-old tradition of the new music release schedule petering out into a desolate, bauble-strewn wasteland in November, but something seems to have knocked that on its head. This week is absolutely stacked and we aint complaining!
KALAK is a rich and celebratory album focused on South Asian culture, an ambitious and evocative return from Sarathy Korwar and his collaborators. Guests include Magnus Mehta, Tamar Osborn, Alistair MacSween and the mighty Danalogue. For all the impressive production (it is, it really is), the drive of Korwar's ever-present percussion is just thrilling. Both his technique and sensibility are to be marvelled at, truly. Recorded live in less than two days and reconstructed from the improvisations, the performances are virtuosic from everyone involved.
November Record of the Month.
+ Available as a limited Dinked Edition
+ Available on Exclusive Dark Green colour vinyl.
The Work is the first album in some six years from Drift favourite Gold Panda. It is thematically based around introspection and ‘the work’ as part of self-help and self-growth. He remains such an emotive music maker, with washes of texture, tone and cut-up samples bubbling in and out of focus. There is a dream-like quality, but very much at the restorative end of the spectrum.
Record of the Week, this is a triumphant set.
+ Available on Indie Exclusive Sun Yellow colour vinyl.
Six years on from her cathartic debut, NYC-based artist Breanna Barbara returns with her second solo album - Nothin’ But Time - a real trip through psychedelic rock and blues. Without disappearing into stylistics, there is a richly analogue and retro haze and half the album sounds like glorious, long-lost, golden nugget 45s. There is a real duality to her vocal, with both celestial tinged emotions and some real fierceness too.
+ Available as a limited Dinked Edition.
Meet Me at the Gloaming is the gorgeous new LP from Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist A.O. Gerber. The pacing here is perfect, a pensive and introspective set that never seems to dwell in the darkness or appear too fragile. All about the voice and very highly recommended.
+ Available as a limited Dinked Edition.
Visit the Dinked Edition section for new announcements from M(h)aol and abracadabra, plus the last few copies of Brutus.
The Metallic Index is the second album from the Jane Weaver-led trio (with Peter Philipson and Raz Ullah) Fenella, diving ever further into waves of psychedelia. Such richly textural music, analogue hues in pop and long, flowing sections of ambience and hypnagogic drones with flashes of ethereal blooms.
Desert Flowers is the new solo LP from Heather Trost; American violinist, singer and founder of Balkan folk band A Hawk and a Hacksaw. As she put together the album, she imagined herself sitting out on the mesa amidst the arid climate and sand, where even with such little water to survive, wildflowers bloom! Although the tone is more nuanced than just ‘celebratory’, the songs are high on angular avant pop, deliciously futuristic retro sounds and some crunching drives.
Redcar les adorables étoiles is the highly anticipated return of Christine and the Queens. As Connor Drift explained to us, this all feels pretty rich! Luxe production and the added mystique that he’s singing in French (unless you’re a French speaker of course). A dreamy and evocative opera based around the mysterious Redcar character, this really is one to spend time with.
+ Available on very limited Transparent Red colour vinyl.
Changes is the 23rd (possibly) studio set from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. It’s all based around chords and changes of key (citing John Coltrane’s Giant Steps as influence), but for the casual listener it has a real nice RnB flow to it.
Infinite You is an absolutely essential physical debut for Bristol-based sonic explorer Kayla Painter. Punchline is that we’ve hardly got any, so please act quickly and thank us later.
Also this week; Excellent post-punks The Cool Greenhouse return on Melodic with Sod's Toastie. We should have a mad colour vinyl pressing landing shortly. Legendary Wales-based American songwriter, Jeb-Loy Nichols returns with new LP United States of the Broken Hearted. Lush acoustics and really deft production from the big desk of Adrian Sherwood. Begin Within is the first vocal-led record from industrial techno artist, Nicholas Bougaïeff. No. 5 is the new album of Organic and expansive ambient music from Christina Vantzou (one-half of the audio-visual duo The Dead Texan). Such great vibes, this is one of the most Kranky-sounding releases Kranky have ever released. Iconic electronic duo Plaid return on Warp with Feorm Falorx. Bill Nace returns on Drag City with Through a Room, such lush winding and hypnotic music. Mouth Full Of Glass is the debut from Macie Stewart of art-rock duo Ohmme. We got lost in this album's gorgeous hush a few times this week.
Only The Strong Survive find’s Bruce “The Employer” Springsteen in a soulful mode, with a collection of gems that celebrate the legendary songbooks of Gamble and Huff, Motown, Stax and many more. His voice is lush. Limited and exclusive Orange colour vinyl on this one.
Lastly, today, our exclusive editions of Stuart Braithwaite’s Spaceships Over Glasgow: Mogwai and Misspent Youth books have landed and my word, are they handsome! The book is a scorcher; funny and poignant, and this special White Rabbit Books hardback really is a treasure. Last few in the shop now.
This new week also has a banging set of reissues to include; Alice Coltrane, Beat Happening and Drexciya, but to be totally honest, we can’t even imagine what state we’ll be in, post-weekend!
- Drift
