2017 Blog
Latest Releases Manufactured by Key Production Group_September Round-up
Annabel Allum The EPs: All That For What & Sorry I'm Not Perceptible 12" Vinyl, [Rose Coloured Records]
This is the first physical release from Annabel Allum combining her 2 critically acclaimed EPs. 2017's "All That For What" and 2018's "Sorry I'm Not Perceptible", on 12" vinyl. Annabel Allum was one of this year's Flash Funding for Vinyl winners chosen by this year's panellists at The Great Escape.
John Smith Hummingbird LP+CD, [Commoner Recordings]
John described his reason for making Hummingbird "Ever since my teenage epiphany at the altar of Folk Music, hearing Nick Drake, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn for the first time, I have been a devotee. The six strings of my guitar have granted me access to a sacred space between things, the unconscious interweaving sensations that allow us that gentle buzz on hearing a good folk song. It was with this in mind that I returned to Sam Lakeman’s Somerset studio in March of 2018, two years since recording my previous album ‘Headlong’ in that same place, to commit six of my favourite folk songs to tape, alongside one cover version and three original songs. The tracks quickly took on their own shape in Sam’s able hands. I invited several good friends to join me in this process: Cara Dillon, John McCusker and Ben Nicholls."
Sulo Nightshift/Brilliant Outsiders CD, [Livewire]
Night Shift is a dark, melancholy almost acoustic ride into the depths of the soul. With naked, strong and sometimes painful lyrics on a bed of blue coloured melodies, Sulo manages to create a new musical landscape with his latest offering. He says “It’s a musical diary of the things that keep you awake at night, a study of the darkness within.” Brilliant Outsiders is Sulo’s most ambitious work so far. Together with producer Kevin Porée he has written and recorded 13 country duets. It all started with the song "Constant Reminder", written and recorded at Berry Street studio in London before recording the vocals with duet partner Maria McKee in LA. Then followed a musical journey around the world, London, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Nashville, Florida and more.
Roosevelt Young Romance CD, [Greco Roman]
Two years on from Marius Lauber aka Roosevelt’s debut album, his sophomore effort Young Romance, sees the DJ, producer and vocalist break free from the dance floor and step out into the light; a transition he makes effortlessly as he asserts his place in the upper echelons of guitar and synth-pop royalty. Having taken some time since his eponymous 2016 debut to tour tirelessly and pen remixes for CHVRCHES, Glass Animals, Rhye and more, this sophomore record began in his hometown of Cologne before being finished in Los Angeles, where it was mixed by Chris Coady (Beach House/Grizzly Bear/Future Islands). Here, Roosevelt covers the trials and tribulations of love, finding "home", touring and losing touch; propelling himself into uncharted territory, both sonically and aesthetically.
The Blinders Columbia Vinyl LP, [Modern Sky Entertainment]
Energetic, goth-tinged Yorkshire three-piece The Blinders take their influences from great lyricists, poets and writers such as Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, John Lennon, Rimbaud, Allen Ginsberg, George Orwell and William Burroughs, but also count Charles Manson and the devil among their influences. Their debut album, Columbia, therefore, is a bit different to the run-of-the-mill indie bands around today. LP and CD on Modern Sky Entertainment.
Chapter IV Antartarctica CD, [Deadbox]
"Antartarctica is our fourth full-length studio album. We really wanted to push our musical boundaries and create a record that connects with the world we live in today. I think everyone can relate to the endeavours of a sandal-clad monk bravely exploring a sub-Antarctic wasteland, enduring the extreme elements and battling his inner demons. Equally relatable is our track Gus, Zag and the Turnip King. It's a classic grandfather paradox tale that speaks to us all. Despite the deep socio-political messages, we also wanted to reflect and record important parts of our recent history. Everyone remembers the devastating Mars invasion of 2017, right? In our defence on this one, we did write the song in 2016, so it could have happened.
Cuts A Slow Decay LP, [Village Green]
CUTS returns six months after his debut for Village Green Recordings "EXIST" with A Slow Decay. Summoning a trio of widescreen electronic compositions in response to global political and environmental breakdown. The EP precedes a debut album.
Idles Joy Vinyl, [Partisan]
"It’s a parade of my Grandfather’s wit, it is all the shit haircuts I’ve ever had. It is a parade of naivety, of a warm embrace, it is Young Thug’s dress. It’s the parade of being carried through the grimdark. It’s a parade of laughing at yourself. It is love. It is loving yourself. It is a parade of Tony Benn’s smile. It is Idles, for now. It’s the beautiful smell of immigrant food. It is a parade of vulnerability. It is Ilie Nastase It’s a parade of being at your worst. It is our best, for now. It is our thank you. It is our sorry. It is a parade without fluff but with a tonne of glitter and violence. It is a parade of what I truly miss and what I truly have. It is a parade of the second album. It is a parade of joy in the face of all we don’t want and all we fear. It is a parade of you." - Joe Talbot
Bert Jansch Just A Simple Soul Vinyl, [BMG]
Just A Simple Soul, the first comprehensive Best of Collection spanning Bert Jansch’s 5-decade-long career and compiled in collaboration with Bernard Butler. Presented chronologically over 2 discs, Just A Simple Soul reminds us of Bert’s enduring legacy and his influence across the musical spectrum. As Bernard eloquently puts it: "Bert lived and breathed the sound of the guitar and its endless possibilities for communication, storytelling, conversation and emotional dialogue. We have a life’s work here and what a life Bert Jansch has given us."
The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band Poor Until Payday CD, [Family Owned Records/ Thirty Tigers]
Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band has built its reputation the long, slow and hard way. After 12 years of playing as many as 300 shows each year, Rev. Peyton, the world’s foremost country blues finger-style picker, along with the biggest little band in the country. Peyton insisted on creating a live and electric sound as the records made in the heyday of 45 rpm blues classics from Chess, Stax and Sun Records. Playing his beloved custom-made National steel resonator, a 1949 Harmony Archtop, a 1954 Supro Dual Tone and a 1955 Kay Speed Demon through a 1949 Supro amp. Rev's intention was to restore the “warmth, pops and hisses” mostly eliminated by modern-day compression. The band recorded this project in a room together with minimal micing (using only the best classic pieces they could get) with the main effect being tape saturation. The result is an album that is direct and soulful.
David J Crocodile Tears And The Velvet Cosh LP, [Glass Modern]
Vinyl Reissue of the Classic David J LP, originally released on Glass Records in 1985. 180 Gram Heavyweight Clear Vinyl, remastered, plus an inner bag with all the lyrics. Between the end of Bauhaus and the beginning of Love and Rockets, David J recorded 5 singles and 1 LP for Glass Records. "This LP, was and remains one of the crowning glories of the original Glass label and has now returned to it's newest incarnation."
Fatherson Sum Of All Your Parts CD+LP, [Easy Life Records]
Fatherson release their third album Sum of All Your Parts. Together with blistering shows and a rabid fanbase Fatherson operate in a distinctly Scottish plane of sentimentally. Their latest single "Making Waves" is indicative of what's in the Fatherson LP. According to Ross Leighton (guitar/vocals), the song “Defined how the album would sound” as well as being a “heart on your sleeve slacker tune with a tonne of grooves.”
Emma Blackery Villains LP, [RWG]
“Toby Scott produced the vast majority of the tracks. He completed understood me, understood the songs and how to get the huge pop sound that I wanted to go for. I also worked with a guy called Pete Hutchings, he did three or four songs, the darker, deeper and more storytelling songs. Those songs are less bubblegum and I wanted the contrast.”
The Men They Couldn't Hang Cock-A-Hoop Vinyl, [Vinyl Star Records]
The 10th Studio Album in a 35-year career sees this Classic British Band finesse their ribald recipe of roots randomness into a carnival of colour, sound and surrealism. Recorded with producer Jim Knight at the old home studio of the legendary Kirsty MacColl in leafy Ealing. This collections of ballads, rants and shanties mixes folk and pop, rock and reel, rhythm and roll, blues and soul.
Ana da Silva/Phew Island CD+Double 12” LP, [Mesh Key Records]
Island is the new collaborative album from Ana da Silva (of The Raincoats) and Japanese electronic musician Phew. A bracing odyssey in industrial noise, Island is full of absorbing textures, tactile beats, and a masterfully dynamic compositional style. Each song was collectively composed by both Ana and Phew, who exchanged files via email.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds If Love Is The Law Vinyl (Exclusive Limited Edition), [Sour Mash/ Ignition]
If Love Is The Law is the brand new single taken from their Number 1 album ‘Who Built the Moon?’. This 12" Picture Disc Vinyl is a Store Exclusive.
Barney Artist Home is Where The Art is LP, [Barney Artist]
Werecats Destined For The Outside LP+CD, [Household Name Records]