2017 Blog
Latest Releases Manufactured by Key Production Group_August Round-up
Idles Joy as an Act of Resistance Deluxe Vinyl, [Partisan]
The band started recording the album in 2017. Singer Joseph Talbot stated, "This album is an attempt to be vulnerable to our audience and to encourage vulnerability; a brave naked smile in this shitty new world."The album's lyrics deal with toxic masculinity, love, self-love, immigration, Brexit, and class. "June" deals with the death in childbirth of his daughter Agatha. It also includes a cover version of Solomon Burke's "Cry To Me". According to Talbot "Lots of songs got scrapped because there was this pressure, which we were carrying but not talking about. We were trying to sustain the success of "Brutalism", to basically remake it. So we kind of scrapped all the songs and talked about why we weren't enjoying writing it." The album was produced by Space and mixed by Adam Greenspan and Nick Launay. The album's cover art features a photograph of a fight at a wedding in 1968 that Talbot saw on Instagram. Four of the album's tracks were made available for download prior to its release: "Colossus", "Danny Nedelko" (named after Talbot's friend of the same name and singer with Heavy Lungs), "Samaritans" and "Great". To promote the album, the band announced a world tour taking in Japan, North America and Europe. The day before the album's release, an art exhibition in London will open, displaying and selling artworks inspired by the album, with the proceeds going to the charity Samaritans.
Gabe Gurnsey Physical CD + Double Vinyl, [PIAS]
“Physical is a real departure from Factory Floor” Gabe explains. "There’s only one track over six minutes long! There’s only one crossover point on the song "Night Track", which is 6’33” - that’s probably as close to Factory Floor (previous band) as it gets. What I wanted to get into with Physical had more to do with exploring songwriting and structure. "The album is very escapist in one sense even though I don’t want to escape from Factory Floor but what I do on my own has to be separate and it has to explore new avenues.” Gurnsey started writing tracks in his downtime from the group early 2017 and by the start of that Summer, he had 30 demos ready for work. He admits he worked very quickly initially but then gave the tracks 12 months to develop fully into a new sound. That new sound, a 21st Century take on muscular electro, Balearic synth pop, EBM, proto-Hacienda militant funk, early Chicago house and minimal, Neptunes-referencing beats can be experienced in full on Physical.
Mark Lanegan & Duke Garwood With Animals CD +Vinyl, [Heavenly Recordings]
The record’s twelve songs are spectral and sinewy, often defined by the spaces in between the sounds. A ghost’s whistle weaves itself around a pulsing single note on Lonesome Infidel; Feast to Famine’s hard luck story floats above a guitar part so strung out and washed with distortion it’s become barely recognisable. It’s soul music for anyone who’s long since left the crossroads. Lanegan & Garwood have shared a video for 'Save Me', the album’s first single and opening track. While Black Pudding put Garwood’s mercurial guitar centre stage. With Animals is constructed from a different set of tools.
The Devil Makes Three Chains are Broken CD, [New West Records]
The Americana trio releases their first album of new material in five years. “I always want our songs to unfold like short stories,” affirms Bernhard. “You could think of them like the chapters of a book. Of course, they’re shorter and maybe more poetic. This was a much more personal album about what it takes to be an artist or writer of any kind and what you have to do to make your dream possible. It was really the headspace I was in. It might have something to do with getting older. You start reflecting on life and the people around you. I was doing that in these songs. That’s what makes the record more personal. I’m pulling from these things. Some of it is about drug addiction. Some of it is about the things you sacrifice. Some of it is about the detrimental things we do for inspiration. Nevertheless, they all have some sort of narrative.” The Devil Makes Three’s journey up to this point could be deemed worthy of a novel. Their self-titled 2002 debut yielded the now-classic "Old Number Seven", "Graveyard", "The Plank" and more as they organically attracted a diehard following through constant touring. "Longjohns, Boots and a Belt" arrived in 2003 followed by 2009’s "Do Wrong Right" between a pair of live recordings, namely "A Little Bit Faster" and "A Little Bit Worse" and "Stomp and Smash".
Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow Annihilation CD + Double Vinyl, [Lakeshore Records]
Geoff Barrow and composer Ben Salisbury have teamed up for the creation of this soundtrack.One that matches the unsettling, psychedelically altered terrain of the mysterious swath of swampland called 'The Shimmer.' Barrow is best known for his brooding work in the critically acclaimed trio Portishead and Salisbury has a scoring résumé that ranges from numerous David Attenborough natural history TV series to "Beyoncé: Life Is But a Dream". Both hail from Bristol and began working together on the Garland-produced 2012 feature Dredd. Their score ultimately wasn’t used, but they’ve since worked on "Ex Machina", Ben Wheatley’s "Free Fire" and episodes of "Black Mirror". With Annihilation, the duo crafted a mind-altering soundworld with acoustic guitar, orchestra, a touch of electronics and a four-note motif.
The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde Paradise Double Vinyl, [Bella Union]
Paradise is released by Bella Union, the label run by Ivor’s son, former Cocteau Twins member Simon Raymonde. Compiled by Simon and Kieron Tyler, it is a very personal tribute to a sadly missed father. Born in 1926, Ivor Raymonde passed away in 1990. The previously untold story is revealed through a moving reminiscence written by Simon and in-depth liner notes and a track-by-track commentary by Kieron. Ivor Raymonde played on the ocean liner The Queen Mary in 1949. In the Fifties, British television viewers saw him in legendary comedian Tony Hancock’s "Hancock’s Half Hour", but the music was always going to be most important. The hits with Billy Fury and Dusty Springfield in 1961 and 1963 meant he was in demand. The 26 selections balance the well known with collectable rarities and tracks drawn from until now barely heard of singles. Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde is issued on CD, as a double album and as a download. Each version features the same tracks, but the vinyl version is sequenced differently for listening flow. Every track was originally issued as a single which were issued in mono for the pop market until 1968/1969. Keeping the integrity of the compilation in mind, all but four tracks appear in mono as they did originally. The masters used are those of the original singles. "This collection has been lovingly compiled by me and my good friend Kieron Tyler. It has taken years to come to fruition, most notably because every time we thought we had the tracklisting done some other new treasures would be unearthed. As musicians, writers, performers, we are known by our most popular work but thankfully it is not that alone that defines us. Ivor Raymonde left the world too soon, for his loving wife Nita and for his four children, but he left it a far richer place than when he entered it. We hope you enjoy the choice of music inside these four pieces of vinyl and on the CD. We have tried to tell a story that had yet to be told.”
Bugzy Malone B.Inspired CD, [B. Somebody]
B.Inspired is the debut studio album by English grime rapper Bugzy Malone. It was released on 17 August 2018 by Malone's independent label B. Somebody. It is categorised as a fusion of hip hop and grime. The album consists of an intro, 12 tracks and an outro, with a total duration of 53:49. "Clash of the Titans" was released as a promotional single on 18 May 2018. The album features guest appearances from JP Cooper, Maverick Sabre, Not3s, Laura White and a collaboration with Rag'n'Bone Man titled "Run". The album will be supported by a 24-concert tour set across the UK and Ireland from August to November 2018. The album was called the "biggest thing to ever come out of grime" along with Stormzy's Gang Signs & Prayer and Skepta's Konnichiwa.
The Coral Sweet Release LP, [Ignition Records]
The Coral are an English rock band, formed in 1996 in Hoylake on the Wirral Peninsula, Merseyside. The band first emerged during the early 2000s and found success with their debut album "The Coral" (2002) and follow up "Magic and Medicine" (2003). Their self-titled debut album was nominated for the 2002 Mercury Music Prize and later voted the fourth best album of the year by NME Magazine. "Sweet Release" is the first single taken from the new album "Move Through The Dawn". Limited edition 7” single featuring B side "Today".
Meat Beat Manifesto Vs. Terry Riley IN C CD +Vinyl, [Electronic Sound]
Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto in a unique remix of Terry Riley’s legendary minimalist masterpiece "In C", performed by the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble. Composed in 1964, first recorded for release in 1968, this 2009 performance was remixed within earshot of the same San Francisco Bay foghorns which inspired Riley in the early sixties. Limited edition album of just 499 copies on clear yellow vinyl, available now only from Electronic Sound.
Dean Valentine Ventricular Beats LP, [Dean Valentine]
Ventricular Beats is derived from the soundtrack to a 2016 film, "Tiger Raid". A tale of two mercenaries set in the Valley of Jordan.Created by award-winning composer Dean Valentine, Ventricular Beats is available in album form, as a nine-track, limited-edition vinyl LP and on digital platforms with 5 bonus tracks. "The desert heat in Jordan established the feel of the music. There are amazing rock formations there, and I imagined the sound blowing off them into the wind. The sound is going off into the desert and everything is covered in grit, silt and distortion.”
The Stands Recordings 2003-2005 CD, [BMG/Full Stack Records]
Formed by Liverpool-born songwriter Howie Payne, The Stands burned bright for a remarkable, intense 3 years – in which time they scored 4 top 40 UK singles, released two critically acclaimed top 40 UK LPs and played close to 1000 live shows around the world. The Stands Recordings 2003-2005 is an extensive celebration of one of Liverpool’s finest bands and one of the UK’s finest songwriters in the band’s leading light Howie Payne. This limited edition triple vinyl is presented on coloured, heavyweight vinyl, the first two LPs feature original, alternate, rare, remixed and unreleased versions of tracks spanning 2003-2005, while the third features a whole host of Howie Payne’s unreleased Stands demos. All the tracks have been fully remastered for this vinyl release.
Evil Blizzard The Worst Show on Earth Picture Disc, [Crackedankles Records]
"The first pressing of The Worst Show on Earth on blood splattered vinyl sold out in 90 seconds. So instead of a boring repress, we've decided to push the boat out and give the incredible sleeve artwork the treatment it deserves and release this as a picture disc". Limited to 500 copies worldwide, each copy comes with a hand folded and numbered insert in a premium quality polythene sleeve.
Glorietta Glorietta CD, [Nine Mile Records]
An unlikely singer-songwriter supergroup was born In 12 songs. Glorietta, the self-titled "friend record" captures rocking, heartbreaking and introspective songs recorded by pals of Matthew Logan Vasquez (Delta Spirit, Middle Brother) at a ramshackle rental outside Santa Fe over five days.
Max Cooper One Hundred Billion Sparks CD + Double Vinyl LP, [Mesh]
One Hundred Billion Sparks sees Cooper further refining his widescreen style of techno, ambient and experimental music. The UK artist says he conceptualized it during a month spent in isolation in a remote Welsh cottage. "The album is my attempt to express what was thereafter I had removed my everyday life" Cooper explains. "No phone calls, no emails, no messages, no human contact for a month, that was the idea. What I found were the fables we live inside, our constructs, the mechanisms which create them and the experience of parsing them."
Jean-Louis Murat Lilith LP, [Le Label/PIAS]
The French rock act's critically acclaimed 2003 album on 2 CDs, features 23 tracks.