Composer, Alone is a three-CD set bringing together solo piano pieces by Swiss modern classical composer Jürg Frey. The largely stark/ sparsely toned works move between pattern-based, haunting tolling/ drifting, and more darting/ abstract. All twelve pieces featured here are played with great clarity, focus and depth by Dutch pianist Reinier van Houdt.

The Willow Bends And So Do I is an hour-long piece from Stockholm-based Magnus Granberg, whose output sits somewhere between modern chamber music & gentle improvisation. This 2024 work is played by Skogen- a nine-piece collective, which features the composer him self on prepared piano.   And as a long-term fan of Mr Granberg's output, I’m happy to report this is another wholly captivating piece which seesaws between haunting, angularly intriguing, and subtle yet rewardingly noisy- with generally enchantingly creative use of textural detail throughout.

Here, from Deaf Crocodile, is a double-disc Blu-ray set bringing together two 1970s sci-fi films from behind the Iron Curtain, produced by East German state-run studio DEFA. Each film features a new HD scan and a commentary track  

Australian composer Peter Knight's latest work was inspired by the sea, sand, and wind of SE Australia, where the beaches and rivers of his childhood rekindled his passion for the area's intriguing beauty while on vacation with his family. For a Moment the Sky Knew My Name speaks to the transience of the wind, how it can shape and affect the landscape, always moving forward, but still echoing the past, much like the body will have its memories slowly blown away and forgotten. Much like the belief in Panta rhei, the beaches and rivers of Peter's youth may have familiar aspects, but they've all changed. But so has Peter. Memories are just that, immutable and in the past, and each new step in an old footprint is a brand new experience. 

Here’s a 2025 feature-length attempt at telling the story of 1970s  towering 6-foot-9 Californian serial killer Edmund Kemper, aka the Co-ed Killer, whose crimes involved decapitation, dismemberment, and necrophilia. The film is somewhat a hit & miss affair- on the positive side, the cast largely works and there are effective moments of shock/ unease. On the less positive side, it has a mixed tonal quality, some cheap period detail, and some decidedly uneven/ ropy editing. Here from Epic Pictures is a Blu-ray release of the film, with a commentary track and a few other extras.

From the late 1970s, Absolution is a  British Catholic boys' school set blend of drama & thriller, which nicely builds up both the feeling of suspense and rewarding plot twists. The film features a great/well-picked cast- bringing together Richard Burton as a pious/ at times cruel priest/teacher & Billy Connolly as a motorbike-bound free spirit/ vagabond- who sets up camp in a nearby forest. As well as some great performances from younger cast members, too. Here from 88 Films, as either a Blu-ray or DVD, is a new release of the film, taking in two versions of the film, two commentary tracks and a few interviews.