From the mid-70s, The House Of Laughing Widows stands as one of the more formally chilling, at points downright unsettling/disturbing examples of the giallo form.  It regards a young art restorer going to an isolated village to work on a decidedly macabre fresco in the local church.  The film may not feature a particularly high or creatively executed set of murders. However, it takes in some great uneasy settings, a compelling/ strange mystery, and moments of true bone-chilling terror and alarming horror. Here from Arrow US, as either a UHD or Blu-ray, is a recent release of the film. It takes in a new 4k scan,  two new commentary tracks, a new feature-length documentary, and more.

With a title like The Killer Must Kill Again, and a release date of the mid-70s, you’d imagine a gory proto slasher. But in reality, this Italian production is seen by some as a gialli, but I’d say it’s more of a straight-if-at points-suspenseful thriller. It features, in its lead, Mr Giallo himself as George Hilton, as a husband who decides to get rid of his wife, but things don’t go quite as planned. The film has a fast-moving, fairly simple but effective plot- with some great moments of tension, and light touches of sleaze & gory murder.  Here from Rustblade- is a Blu-ray release of the film, taking in an interview with the director and a few other things.

Here we have an urgent, unrelenting, and ear drum-ripping example of the walled noise form from this Cincinnati, Ohio project, who in recent years has become one of the more prolific/quality-bound projects in the scene. The single thirty-seven-minute track firmly retains both its brutal pull & intense attack throughout its length.

The Two Most Powerful Warriors Are Patience and Time is a wall noise split. It brings together Berlin’s Sebastian Tomb, and North Carolina’s Angel Brügger- both parties offer up a twenty-minute ‘wall’, each of these being decidedly battering and grey in their intent.

Here’s the latest in the series of ambient guitar ‘n’ pedal created albums from Dirk Serries. It takes in two around twenty-minute works- each track has its own tone/ feel, with an almost low-key Yin/ Yang emotional quality to the whole thing.

Kahil El'Zabar is a Chicagoan veteran jazz percussionist and composer whose works with the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble date back to the early 80's. The performers in the ensemble have changed numerous times since then, though players like Corey Wilkes (Trumpet) and Alex Harding (baritone sax) have been involved for many years.

I may or may not be the best person to review this: I have never properly listened to Sun Ra’s music. Of course, I have heard bits and pieces, but I’ve never listened to an album or listened to anything repeatedly; after this, I’m going to have to add another huge discography to my listening pile… Sun Ra passed away in 1993, and the Arkestra here is led by Marshall Allen, a longstanding saxophonist with the group. Allen is 101 years old (100 on this recording), and directs the ensemble through ten pieces which - if I have understood correctly - are a mix of compositions discovered in Sun Ra’s papers after his death, pieces built from similar notes, and old Arkestra works.

Shoot First, Die Later (aka Il poliziotto è marcio)  is a 1974 Poliziotteschi (crime drama) from Italy directed by Fernando Di Leo (Naked Violence, Slaughter Hotel and The Italian Connection) and starring Luc Merenda (Torso, The Nun and the Devil and The Violent Professionals), Delia Boccardo (Death Walks at Laredo, Massacre in Rome and Tentacles), Richard Conte (The Godfather, Thieves Highway and Call Northside 777), Raymond Pellegrin (Woman of Rome, Imperial Venus and Le Deuxieme Souffle), and Vittorio Caprioli (Giovannona Long-Thigh, Le magnifique and The Boss). 

Whether intentional or not, COVERS by CoH (Ivan Pavlov) & Wladimir Schall, unearths something about the nature of the standard musical form that perhaps goes unnoticed: the actual act of covering, as in placing a cover on something.