Directions a plenty, we really love the sound of this new week.
Hello, Friends.
Starting things off this week with a Dinked Edition triplet that we've been very proud to work on.
Fever Dreams is the dreamy fifth LP from Conor O'Brien's Villagers. Like his previous releases, the songs are hung around his quite delicious voice; wistful and raw, sugary sweet but never pushed or feigned. Fever Dreams sound just like that; threads of lucidity, washes of grand instrumentation and some pretty psychedelic moments. It's bold in it's experimentalism, a shimmering and joyous set. Really good.
Tomorrow’s People is a celebration of British dance culture and a fine debut from one half of Maribou State - Chris Davids - as Shire T. Released just as club culture starts its long road back, post pandemic, it's a really evocative record of shared experience and controlled euphoria. Really lush sonics and great propulsion.
Visions of Light is the expansive new LP from Bristol's Ishmael Ensemble. These guys blew our heads off on the superb Blue Note Re:Imagined compilation so we were hyped to get involved with a Dinked Edition and we've been spinning this muchly since. Cinematic vibes, electronic flashes and even dub tones, it's got such a lot going on and is a super-engaging listen.
Just a couple of each in stock now. Browse them and other Dinked Releases, here.
Tell you what, get ready to have your head blown clean off. Psalms is a collection of new arrangements of Biblical psalms, sung in Hebrew by Nathan Salsburg. He is doubtless one of the best players we've ever heard (and seen), but there has always been a special little flicker when he sings... And this really is special, such spiritual vibes. His backing band includes Joan Shelley, Will Oldham, James Elkington and Spencer Tweedy, all supporting beautifully. Record of the Week and a real corker.
We've always loved the brutal force of Deafheaven, so hearing that their fifth LP - Infinite Granite - was a big step into spacious sonics was initially met with a little apprehension. One spin in, and we were total Cheer-Up Charlies as this really is great. The spirit of shoegaze is strong, deep and swirling guitars against pounding drums, but it's the timbre of George Clarke's vocals that really got us. No viral shrieks, this is all about what is held back.
+ Limited double Neptune blue vinyl.
Shannon & The Clams return with the excellent Dan Auerbach-produced Year Of The Spider. Loads of punk-rock energy, but it all sounds weirdly new and brilliantly vintage. Sonically this is really exciting.
+ Available on limited Midnight Wine colour vinyl.
IIUII ("it isn’t until it is") is an all new, re-recorded acoustic retrospective collection from Fink. Clearly a personal project, the package is great, with an accompanying book of music and life memories.
+ Indie 2LP is on bronze opaque vinyl.
The Horses and the Hounds is the first new LP in six years from songwriter and master storyteller James McMurtry. LA Country vibes, sounds pretty mint.
+ Indie LP is on grey vinyl.
New Zealand singer-songwriter and all-round pop superstar Lorde releases her new Solar Power album this week. It's not actually all that poppy, Stoned at the Nail Salon (which we approve of conceptually) is pretty stripped back, for one. We have a very very limited Marbled Orange Vinyl pressing, and the album has also been released as a 'Discless Carbon Positive Format'. It's like a CD box, but no CD (you download it) and it has nice printed stuffs. Cool idea.
In the same sort of world is Olivia Rodrigo's huge poppin' debut LP SOUR. Includes the single ‘Driver's License' which has been streamed (we are informed) over one billion times on Spotify alone. Wow, she'll be seeing like £800/£900 on that. Our exclusive Indie LP is pressed on magenta transparent vinyl.
Love Will Be Reborn is the first new album in five years from the beautiful voice of Martha Wainwright. Upbeat vibes pretty much throughout, good drive to it.
Welsh rock trio The Joy Formidable release the banging new Into The Blue album on Hassle Records. Still got loads of growl, but some expanses too. CD is here, LP formats due end of September.
High-energy electric blues trio GA-20 release Does Hound Dog Taylor: Try It...You Might Like It! - and it's a real baller. If you try it and don't like it, there really is no second point of entry. For those in the mood to bop heads, it really is stacked high with good vibes and feels super live. We're having a lot of fun.
+ Indie LP is on Salmon Pink vinyl.
Also this week;
The Third Chimpanzee Remixed sees Martin Gore's recent five-track release reimagined by remixers including Rrose, JakoJako, Kangding Ray and artists from the Mute family including Chris Liebing and ANNA. Also on Mute this week is Blast of Silence from NON, a quite extraordinary 4 track (each 20 minutes long) release of experimentalism. Very limited, we only have a few. Sturgill Simpson's epic new set of country classics The Ballad of Dood & Juanita: The CD is here, LP due later in the year. Josef Akin's jazz fusion Flightcase LP on Sola Terra, been really enjoying this one. Also a colour pressing of the Jake Bugg LP.
Ending today's misgivings with a special edition of... SEVEN INCH CORNER!!!
Bob Dylan's very limited Blind Willie Mctell on Third Man.
Also on Third Man we have Cash & Skye's No More Candy. Ones to watch.
Jonah Swilley (of Mattiel’s band) releases Iron Warrior on Heavenly Recordings. Lush, hand-stamped house bag vibes.
Jarv Is meets Dennis Bovell on Swanky Modes.
And a triple (just this second in the building) from Gondwana Records; Mammal Hands' Chaser/Prism, GoGo Penguin's Garden Dog Barbecue / Hopopono and Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra with Badder Weather / As I Walk. All three are super limited; like, literally a few!
Tomorrow also has plenty of Not-New releases tomorrow, including; The Knife, Grant Green, The Poets of Rhythm and the amazing Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism & Shadow Sounds of Japan compilation via LITA. A good week-full, right?
- Drift