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Rose Simpson states that she never wanted to write a book about her time with the Incredible String Band, however she points out that the women of the psychedelic music scene have long been underrepresented in print. Rose has written this book for all of those women who have been largely forgotten or ignored, who in their own way helped to change the face of the political, cultural and spiritual landscape of the 1960s and beyond.
Cold and grim, Frank Hall's soundtrack to Óskar Thór Axelsson's "I Remember You" gets its much anticipated CD release via Cold Spring. Distant, dark, and sparse like a horrifying winter night, Hall's composition works to build atmosphere and tension and add to the horror as a perfect soundtrack is meant to do. Telling an additional tale to the one on the screen, the soundtrack is able to stand alone as a fascinating and evocative piece of art, and playing the CD gives it that chance.
Originally appearing back in the year 1980, South Specific was a compilation focusing on the more independent side of the music scene in the Uk costal City Portsmouth. The original release brought together the work of eight projects from the city; including early recordings from those masters of quirky (off) world music and Avant pop Renaldo And The Loaf. Here we have a three-disc reissue of the compilation - taking in the original album, plus bonus tracks from the time- and two discs worth of new material taking in modern acts from the City, as well as new tracks from those involved in the original compilation.
Here from the folks at Arrow Video is Shogun’s Joy of Torture- the next in the series of releases from the label of highly creative & transgressive Japanese director Teruo Ishii. Shogun’s Joy of Torture is a 1968 anthology film based in the Edo period of Japan (1615 –1868), and is a heady-at-times darkly playful blend of historic drama, horror, and torture-tipped sexploitation. The Blu Ray brings together a new high definition print, commentary from Japanese cinema expert Tom Mes, and a few other extras.
A Month In The Wine is a walled noise venture that brings together two respected US HNW scenester- Detroit based Ben Rehling(See Through Buildings) and Texas-based Zachary Ledsinger(N0123Noise & Stand Master). Seemingly the project started in 2019- with it putting out two release thus far, and this C62/ digital download is thier second release appearing January last year- and amazingly the label still has copies of the tape left.
Rooted In Slavery is a C30 split bringing together Rhode Island based PE project Straight Panic, and Serbian wall maker Dosis Letalis. And as its title suggests each artist gives the own take on the subject of slavery, and how it relates to modern-day prison. Straight Panic side is woozy & seared, with heavy dialogue samples. And Dosis Letalis side severs up cluttering & reeling wall-craft.
Host is 2020 British horror film that certainly lives up to its hype/ praise- think an amphetamine fuelled Paranormal Activity, or a more manic & hyper take on Unfriended. The film focuses on a group of six friends- who hire a medium to hold a séance via Zoom during their weekly online lockdown meet-up, but things turn quickly from fun & games, to terror & fear. Here on Second Sight is a much needed Blu Ray release of the film- bringing together two new commentaries, a good selection of other extras, and a limited edition slipcase featuring inlay booklet and art cards.
Contemplation is a sonic journey into moody, soothingly active, at points eerier pop ‘n’ click based textured noise making. The two-track release appeared as either a C60 or digital download on London based label Small Worm- which is run by respected wall noise scenester James Shearman.
Washington, D.C.'s doomy death merchants, Ilsa, channel the essence of Satanic murderer Sean Sellers with their latest, Preyer. Sludgy, grimy, and hitting like a cement truck, this thick slab of metal brings forth the spirit of the darkest depths and wraps it around the listener like a two ton chain. Oppressive and unrelenting, Preyer uses its grim subject matter as a springboard for its brutal, heavy assault.
A Midwinter Miscellany is the latest album from folk legend Ashley Hutchings (Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span and The Albion Band). On this new release he is accompanied by two young up and coming singer/songwriters, Becky Mills (ex-Waking the Witch), a remarkable young talent from North Yorkshire and his son, the equally talented Blair Dunlop, who took over from his Father as bandleader of the Albion Band, before splitting the group in 2013 to concentrate on his solo career, to date he has released four well-received albums under his own name.
Mindwarp is an enjoyable enough early 90’s post-apocalyptic Sci-fi horror picture, which featured genre icons Angus Scrimm( Phantasm series) and Bruce Campbell( Evil Dead series) in lead roles. The film blends dusty-to-murky subterranean action/ adventure tropes, VR simulations, with more than a fairly few moments of limb ripping ‘n’ gut spilling gore. Here from Eureka Entertainment, as part of their ‘classic’ series- is the first-ever UK Blu Ray release of this lesser-seen 1990’s film. The release is ltd to just 2000 copies, taking in a new 1080p scan & a few extras.
Anna Kogler Found In The River complies together three early 2000’s releases from legendary Canadian wall noise/ harsh noise project The Rita. This compilation release appeared late last year on long-running & respected Minneapolis based noise/ seared experimental sound focused label Phage Tapes.
Joshi Noise Worship: Women's Most Violent severs up two sonically gruelling CD-sized slices of brutal Japanese female wrestling focused harsh noise. This is noise at its most taut, constricting, and brutalizing-making the release much like the sonic equivalent of having two rounds with a skilled and sadistic female fighter. By the end, you're left with a throbbing head & ringing ears, but also you feel oddly high & vaguely buzzing from the attack.
Lichtbuch 2 is the very welcome return of Austrian husband & wife folk duo Jahrtal- who in the late 2000s put out two great albums on the now sadly defunct Ahnstern label. This late 2020 release sees the band still showing their original mellow-yet spirit leanings, but with occasional more off-kilter-to- waveringly grand touches in places.
There have been a wealth of archival reissues over the last few years, curating obscure and dusty 78s and saving them from the dustbin of history. Songbirds is another worthy addition to that growing list, though with a notable difference: where so many similar compilations of recent years have competed for lavish presentation, this set of old Albanian 78s is a rather more spartan affair. It would be reasonable to say that it feels like an old-fashioned ‘budget’ compilation. This means that whilst a deeper, more comprehensive text would have been very welcome, the listener is instead left with the music itself, without endless liner notes and commentary guiding and colouring their ears - not a bad thing.
Mamiffer are a Seattle based husband & wife project bringing together Aaron Turner (of post-rock/metal band ISIS) & Faith Coloccia. Their sound melds together elements of ambient, drone, noise, post-rock and electronica, all to create a fairly distinctive sonic niche. The projects discography is fairly large, though its fairly high quality!.
Portland avant gardist Daniel Menche stands out in my memory for his incredibly harsh, unapologetically inaccessible noise works like Guts, Screaming Caress, or The Face of Vehemence. It appears he's tried something different this time around, as this smooth, acqueous work of melodic drone sounds more like something out of the Zen ambient scene than anything I would associate with Menche.
Electronic music cornerstone Mille Plateaux releases the third in their Hyperglitch series with Weaving Ritual by Sunnk. Glitches floating in on an atmospheric cloud, the well woven aspects of this album continue to draw the listener closer in for further inspection. Growing in intensity and depth with each successive listen, sunnk's latest is a definite treat for the senses.
Stoermeria Californica is a moodily lulling, yet at the same active example of ANW/textured noise– it features a fifty seven-minute track built around bubbling & shifting aquatic tones. It’s a release you can either have on in the background, or head-phoned up for ultimate detail.
Experimental project Gridfailure, (aka New Yorker David Brenner), is a decidedly productive venture- since forming in 2016 it has twenty-eight releases to it's name. Collaborative works occupy a special niche in the projects back catalogue. The latest album The Sun Exploded, is another example of this, as it was co-produced by harsh-noise project Rack( aka Jon Paris). Although Rack has been inactive for over a decade, David Brenner used previously unreleased and archived material from the project, adding to them to his own work. The album was put together in 2019 and now, in early 2021, it became available digitally for listening and ordering from the Grindfailure’s bandcamp.
Directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, Southern Comfort, Red Heat and 48 Hours) in 1993, Geronimo: An American Legend is a big-budget Hollywood take on the story of the infamous Apache Chief, starring a host of Hollywood A-listers including Jason Patric, who was riding high on the back of his starring role in Lili Fini Zanuck’s Rush; two ever-brilliant legends, Gene Hackman and Robert Duval and alongside them, the young Matt Damon. Cherokee actor, Wes Studi appears in the title role having previously made a name for himself with eye-catching performances in Dances with Wolves and The Last of the Mohicans.
One of the more wacky genre films to appear from the 1990s was Tammy and the T-Rex- it's a bizarre blend of lopsided teen comedy & huge stalking creature feature- with touches of gore bound splatter, kooky Sci-fi, and a quirky romance. Here from 101 Films is an Ltd edition Blu Ray release of the film- bringing together a 4K scan, commentary track, and some other neat extras.
Hlaholika is a collection of four contemporary chamber works from up & coming Slovak composer Adrián Demoè. The album balances elegant forlornness, fraught unease, with moments of felt emotion and simmering moodiness- all making for a release that sucks you in & bleakly enchants.
Jankélévitch Sextets is a sixty-four-minute modern composition work, which dwells in mournfully shifting ebbs of drone matter and lulling tone drift. All to create a piece that feels akin to an unending walk along a barren beach, which is been slowly washed by a glum & grey sea. The release comes in the form of a CD on Sheffield based Another Timbre- who are the go-to label for creative & rewarding modern composition, modern classical music & improv.