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Here we have a fascinating and beautiful niche oddity, a various artists compilation of tracks from Harmönia , a Finnish electronic music label. In case that isn't specific enough, this double album is apparently an ode to an obscure subgenre of funky dance music called 'Skwee'. Curiously, this compilation is not actually released by Harmönia itself, but Svart Records, a label which seeks to resurrect historic electronic releases of Finland.
Salika, Molika is a playful and creative mix of earthy folk melodies, detailed & layered percussion, and nostalgic- to- quirky sampling and electronics. The seven-track album brings together the talents of always worthy accordionist Frode Halti, with a trio of talented players led up by award-winning Hardanger player Erlend Apneseth.
From the late 1980s, Nightwish is a decidedly hit & miss affair that sits somewhere between horror & sci-fi. The film brings together some interesting concept/ ideas, splashes of neat & creative gore, with often bland dialogue-heavy moments & a decidedly convoluted plot where you don’t know what will be thrown at you next. From Unearthed classic line here we have a Blu Ray reissue of this lesser-seen picture- featuring a new print of the film, as well as a commentary track.
The 1990s are often thought of the decade horror cinema forgot- as the cinematic output in this period was very uneven and mostly decidedly lacklustre. One of the few films of this decade that stands out for both it’s scope, ideas & reach is Nightbreed- as it tried to blend/ bring together creature feature, horror fantasy, and good old fashioned psycho killer subgenres- and while none of the different versions of the film are wholly satisfying- there’s certainly much to praise & celebrate what there is, and what could have been. Here from Arrow Video is a double Blu Ray release of the film- bringing together the original theatrical cut of the film, and the new directors cut which offers up forty five minutes of lesser/ never seen footage, added to this the set features a host of extras- making this set primed perfectly to delve into the
During the 1970’s one of the key and highly popular variety of action movies/ thrillers were the 'tough cop stretching & break the rules' capers- with key films in this decade been the first two Dirty Harry film, The French Connection, and Serpico. Here from Powerhouse is a recent Blu ray release of one of the lesser-known 70’s film from this genre, Badge 373 finds Robert Duvall, as a suspended NYC cop trying to solve the murder of his partner. And while the film can be a bit plodding and slow in places, rife with both sexism and racism - it does have a certain amount of gritty and sleazy charm, and one or two neat enough action set-ups making it worth checking out for fans of 1970’s genre pictures.
Of all the sub-genres of doom I’d say Funeral Doom, is, perhaps, the most interesting and appealing of the Doom metal styles. I first became acquainted with Funeral doom back in 1994, when I heard Epistomological Despondency from british project Esoteric, and this made an indelible impression on me. Since then, I’ve tired to follow the development/releases with-in Funeral Doom genre, which over the years has expanded and gained a lot of it's own sub-genres.
Not Available is the next in the Preserved edition series from Cherry Red and MVD audio- which sees ultimate editions of classic Residents albums. This time around we get a double CD reissue that takes in a newly remastered album, a disc full of unreleased material and a neat inlay booklet- all presented in a mini gatefold. Originally released in 1978, though claimed to have been recorded four years early, Not Available was the projects stab at creating their own surreal & wacky take on the musical form- bringing together elements of bizarre music hall/ light opera, with early Electronica and off-kilter jazz-ness. And like a few of The Residents albums, this really sounds unique, & unlike anything project had released before or since.
Now here’s a treat for fans of more British sonic oddness- the 40th-anniversary edition of Play Struvé & Sneff- the first release from Brit two-piece Avant pop/ off-world music duo Renaldo and the Loaf. The album was very much an embryonic & crude take on the duos sound with its mix of highly dada & plainly odd sonic fare- utilizing mangled & wonky instrumentation, tape loops & wavering sing-song vocals- it was clearly influenced by The Residents, though the duo do make inroads into their own developing sound, as well as giving distinct twists of English wacky-ness to proceedings
Kosmische pioneers Agitation Free were formed in 1967, around the same time as their contemporaries Can and Amon Duul. 2nd is the follow up to their debut album Malesch, which was released a year earlier in 1972. The fact they were quite late of releasing their debut was both a blessing and a curse as whilst they had honed their craft by this time, they had missed out on the initial rise in popularity which had seen bands like Can and Amon Duul rise to the fore.
Hot on the heels of recording his (soon to be) first number one album, Replicas, Gary Numan was back in the studio recording his follow-up, The Pleasure Principle. Recording under his stage name instead of Tubeway Army, his third album saw the band take a different approach - no guitars. Along with this, the synths took a larger role, and an atmospheric touch was added with a viola. The songs spoke for themselves, and The Pleasure Principle was his second number one album of the year. Beggars Banquet is celebrating the 40th anniversary of this album by releasing a two disc set of demo versions, outtake mixes, and Peel Sessions.
Unetar is a reissue of a 2016 release from Finish dark ritual ambient collective Halo Manash. This recent CD brings together the two original tracks from its first time C40 release, as well as a third track that was released on a compilation- giving this reissue a runtime of forty-eight minutes.
Over the last ten-to-fifteen years, the interest in the work of key American modern classical composer Morton Feldman has grown in leaps and bounds- with new playings/ recordings of his work appearing each year. And it’s easy to see/hear why- as Feldman skeletal, sparse yet often haunting & melancholic work is really unlike any other composers work- you know when your listening to a Feldman work and his best compositions really reward ones attention/ time tenfold. I’ve dabbled in the work of other modern classical composers work- but I’ve always returned to Feldman again & again. Here from Sheffield based modern classical/ modern composition label Another Timbre is a rather splendid five box set of piano works composed by Feldman and played by remarkable talented British pianist Philip Thomas- the set offers up both short, mid-length & longer works- so really whatever your Feldman preference you'll be happy with this set.
Point/Wave is a recently released work from US composer Catherine Lamb- who creates often tonally blurring modern compositions. This thirty seven-minute work is for solo guitar & electronics, and it’s a both oddly stern-yet- wavering sour bit of composition- with a pitch altering guitar moving with subtle electro simmer. This release appears in the form of a CD on Another Timbre- with the thirty-minute piece been offered up as a single track
Like many sparse & atmospheric genres, dark ambience can be a tricky genre to do right. There’s certainly a very thin line between been creepily believable & bone-chilling, and downright tacky & contrived. It’s all about getting the right balance of haunting & brooding harmonies, dynamic sound texture use, and all-round generally sound atmospherics. Here’s the first physical release from this welsh dark ambient project Llyn Y Cwn- and unfortunately it’s an album that feels very much on the cusp between effective enough-and-over done…which is a real pity, as I’ve always had a soft spot for the dark ambient genre counting the likes of Yen Pox’s Blood Music & Band Of Pain’s Reculver as some of my favorite/ often revisited albums in the genre.
Birdy is one of the more original, thought-provoking and at times equally powerful & moving dramas of the 1980s. It’s a blend of bittersweet 1950’s come of age friendship movie, post-war hospital drama, with later darts into brutal/ troubling war footage. From Powerhouse films here we have a recent Blu Ray release of the film- featuring a new print of the film, and a good selection of extras.
Refuge For Abandoned Souls is an album that pushes the bass guitar in some surprisingly moody, highly atmospheric, and at times emotional harmonic directions. The ten-track CD album is surprisingly varied and creative for what’s largely a one instrument based release- so don’t let the idea of a ‘bass’ guitar-centered release put you off.
The birth of Ambient, as a genre, is usually credited to Brian Eno's, 1978 album Ambient 1: Music for Airports. However, in my opinion, this genre appeared much earlier- as you can clearly hear it’s presence in the early work of both Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. Since the 1970s, Ambient has evolved into an independent genre, giving rise to many different sub-genres, that are sometimes quite different it's original form . This recently released album sits in the decidedly light & airy side of the genre.
Here we have the fifth in the series of ‘Gruesome’ series of double-disc wall noise splits from German label Meat Hook Butchery. For this release, we get a disc from prolific & often creative French project Chier, and one disc from German-based crude extremist Cannibal Ritual.
From the tail end of the golden age of the slasher, Berserker is a rural-based example of the genre- with an often quite effectively eerier fog bound setting, brutally if not very inventive killers, and a neat Norse folklore twist. From Vinegar Syndrome here’s a duel Blu Ray & DVD release of the film- featuring the companies trademark great scan, and a good enough selection of extras including a commentary track from half the slasher loving podcast The Hysteria Continues.
Originally appearing in 1979 The Pink Ladies was the second film directed by Roger Watkins, and it really was a million miles away from his 1973 debut film- the grimy, grim and unsettling proto snuff film Last House On Dead End Street. The Pink Ladies is a slice of late 1970’s Hardcore- which while it follows the tropes of the genre- it does managing to add in some creative/weird flourishes, comedic moments, as well as highlighting Watkins ability as a proficient & at times craft-full director. From Vinegar Syndrome here we have a recent duel Blu Ray/ DVD of the film- offering a great new bright print, and a few extras.
Pledge Night was the 1988 debut feature directed by Paul Ziller. A Cheap and sleazy fraternity horror movie that whilst it will never win any awards, is a bit of gory fun. The film is most notable for its soundtrack, which comes courtesy of thrash metal titans Anthrax. Front man Joey Belladonna appears in a cameo as the young Sid, the victim of a prank that goes wrong, leaving him fighting for his life before finally succumbing to his injuries.
Pulling elements from club music and imbuing life into minimal soundscapes, Felix Lee's Inna Daze is a well thought out and very full offering. His debut plays like a fairly dystopic view of the near future, with gray cities, mass transportation, and people needing to go inwardly into their machines to communicate outward. Lush with levels and intriguing journeys away from the narrative, Inna Daze is a great album for the transition from Fall into Winter, and nature into unfeeling urban life.
Red Kosmo is a newish venture from respected Russian noise artists/wall noise-maker Sergey Pakhomov- with this project he brings together heroic-to- space-bound retro synth craft, with weathered maps of walled noise texturing. This first release from the project comes in the form of a C80 tape, or digital download- with each side feature a single forty-minute track.
TensionoiseT is seemingly the first physical release from this Lithuania wall-noise project- though it has released a handful of digital own releases going back two or three years. This release comes in the form of either a C40 cassette or digital download- and it appears on the great UK based walled noise label Void Singularity Recordings- the tape servers up to two twenty-minute examples of moody & effective ANW.