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Originally released in 1996, Hopelessness and Shame was the debut album from this Philadelphia instrumental trio. They have been classified as ‘doom jazz’, though I’d say you’d have to add taut rock/ metal to that description. Here from SRA Records- as either a CD or vinyl(either red or yellow varieties)- is a recent(ish) reissue of the album, which was recorded by Steve Albini, with a new remastering.
“As an artist, I am informed by my unique perspective as partially colour-blind and dyslexic. In my work, I explore notions of perception, context, and diversity through the construction of immersive spaces that seek to heighten the audience’s awareness of their own direct experience.” Based in LA, multidisciplinary artist and composer Yann Novak has created a unique platform from which he explores both sound and light directing awareness to our own world of individual experiences. With a diverse body of work that ranges from installations and sound diffusions to ‘architectural interventions’ and the written word, Novak has seemingly performed almost everywhere including the Institute of Modern Art in Brisbane, the sadly-no-more Iklectik in London and his home state of California where he was recently awarded the honour of Cultural Trailblazer for 2021-22 by LA’s Department of Cultural Affairs. In amongst all this, Novak has been equally prolific with his musical output - in fact it’s something that has been a central part of his work for the last twenty years. And his new deep-listening album Continuity is the latest in a series of recordings that sees the American artist use sound to probe the nature of reality.
Tourist Trap is a late 70’s American horror film that blends slasher and supernatural genre tropes. The rundown waxwork setting manages to balance a decidedly darkly quirky tone, with moments of eerier unease, telekinetic murder, and jarring terror. Here from the folks at 101 Films is a new Blu-ray release, taking in a fair selection of both new and old extras. With a card slip sleeve and a thirty-two-page perfectly bound booklet.
Palindromes was the 5th feature from Todd Solondz, America's auteur of uncomfortable and taboo-breaking drama/cringe-inducing dark comedy. The early 2000s picture focuses on Aviva, a middle-class thirteen-year-old girl who is obsessed with having a baby. The film is presented in a decidedly off-kilter fairy tale manner, with the lead character shifting between eight different actors over the picture's length, all adding to the awkwardness and fist-biting edginess of the whole thing. Here from Radiance Films is a new release of the film, coming as either a dual UHD/Blu-ray format release or a stand-alone Blu-ray; I’m reviewing the latter of these. Both versions take in a 4k restoration, a few new interviews, a new video essay, and a forty-page inlay booklet.
Dissonant, aggressive, and passionate, Noise Trail Immersion's latest, Tutta La Morte In Un Solo Punto, has the Italian death dealers pushing out a sonic assault that challenges the listener with its complexities and subtleties, as well as its full-on assault. The product of ten years of hard work and determination, their newest pits dissonance vs melodies, deepening each track with its enigmatic arrangements and structures. Thick and well-layered, Tutta adds a heavy sense of unease, and its shifting tones and patterns keep the listener on edge throughout its runtime.
Atomic Rooster was the sixth full-length album from this( then) three-piece Rock band. First released in the year 1980, the album saw the band stepping away from its previous blues/funk rock meets blue-eyed soul sound, for a rawer hard rock/ proto metal/ slightly punked sound. Here from Cherry Red’s Esoteric Records is a double disc CD reissue of the album, taking in the original album, eleven bonus/ unreleased tracks, and a whole ten-track live set.
From Vallejo, California, Con Funk Shun where a seven-piece band that created a tight and groove-focused mix of funk, R&B, and soul. Organized was the band's fourth album, originally released in 1978 on UK label Pickwick. Here, from Robin Song- one of the Cherry Red family of labels- is a CD reissue of the album.
Heatwave is the latest in the Righteous label's long-running Lux & Ivy compilation series, which sees respected music journalist Dave Henderson crate-digging for obscure 45s from the ’50s & ’60s. This twenty-three CD collection focuses on Exotica/ Nexotica- bringing together known/influential artists such as Martin Denny, Les Baxter, and Arthur Lyman, with lesser-known names.
The Good, The Bad, The Weird is a 2008 South Korean action/adventure/comedy/western from writer/ director Kim Jee-Woon (A Tale of Two Sisters, I Saw The Devil and A Bittersweet Life). The film stars Song Kang-ho (Snowpiercer, Parasite and The Host), Lee Byung-hun (I Saw The Devil, A Bittersweet Life and Squid Game), Jung Woo-Sung (Steel Rain, The Warrior and A Moment to Remember), Yun Je-mun (Okja, The Host and Mother) and Ryu Seung-Su (The Chaser, Wonderful Days and Finding Mr Destiny).
From the early 80s, Murder Rock was the 44th film from Italian director Lucio Fulci, who is most known for his gore-bound, at times surreal horror films of the late 70s/ early 80s. The film is a giallo set in & around a NYC dance studio- taking in the then highly popular dance-focused genre, and blending it with Italy’s often elaborate murder laced mystery form. It’s fair to say the film is not the best/ most consistent of the director's work, but there are moments of greatness present, and when the atmosphere/ tension kicks in, it’s most effective. Here from 88 Films is a new Blu-ray/ UHD release of the film. It features a new 4k scan, a new commentary track, a great selection of new interviews, and a forty-page inlay booklet.
From the early 60s, The Black Torment is a moody/well-made blend of period mystery and low-key gothic horror. It focuses on a lord returning to his family's mansion with his new wife, finding it's seemingly haunted by the spectre of his first wife and his own doppelganger. The film is a mix of are-they-going-crazy-or-not thriller tropes and ghost-fed gothic vibes. Sure, it takes a little while to warm up, but once it does, you are well & truly hooked & effectively creeped out. Here, from 88 Films, either as a Blu-ray or DVD, is a recent release of this lesser-seen British film from producer Tony Tenser (Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw). It features a new HD scan, two commentary tracks, and a few other things.
As part of Powerhouse's series of reissues of Jean Rollin's filmography, here’s one of the French director's lesser-known/lesser-seen pictures, Girls Without Shame. This early 70s film was released under the pseudonym Michel Gentil- it was the director's first foray into softcore, which he blended with elements of low-key crime thriller, roughie, and comedy, and a slightly off-kilter fairy tale air. So it’s certainly a curio from Rollin, who up until its release was largely known for his arty & surreal Vampire films. The release comes as either a UHD or Blu-ray, and takes in three versions of the film- all with a new 4k scan, a commentary track, and a few other extras.
The Age Of Alexander is the second album from Xiphos- a three-piece project that creates an atmospheric and epic mix of martial industrial and neo-classical music. The album is a ten-track affair- coming as either a CD or digital release- I’m reviewing the former of these.
Advanced communication is arguably humanity's greatest trait, and one that remains as important now as when the first utterances left our ancestors' lips. However, over time, the increases in technology have only exacerbated the inherent flaws in our systems, and no matter how hard we try to close these holes, miscommunication will always persist. Our sensory organs are wonderful and a marvel of evolution, but sometimes the firmware has trouble processing for any number of reasons. Timothy Fairless looks into the subtleties of communication, miscommunication, technology, and how it all works together with Keep Talking to Me. Taken from his sound installation mirroring the communicative process, this album utilizes conversations, electronics, and varied effects to put his thesis forth: altering the context of the communication will force the listener to question their interpretation. What they end up receiving is up to them, whether on purpose or subconsciously. Is it the brain truly interpreting the signals or, like Paul Simon sang, "a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest"?
This is another two-track release from this Calgary, Alberta wall noise project. Each of the fifteen-minute track mixes crude-yet-detailed texturing with sombre to atmospheric elements, which vaguely hint at harmony.
Golem is a late 70’s low-budget Sci-fi drama set in a dystopian post-nuclear future, in which a worker is unsure if he’s human or a clone. The Polish film is a decidedly glum, grey and claustrophobic affair, which from time to time is edged with moments of both pitch-black humour and communist satire. Here from Second Run is a Blu-ray release of the film, featuring a 2k scan of the picture, a new commentary track, and four early short films by the same director.
As a huge fan of Cryptopsy's music in the 90s and early 00's, I did not expect to be reviewing a new Cryptopsy album in 2025. Drummer Flo Mounier is the only consistent member in their discography, and this new album features an entirely new lineup from classic Cryptopsy, although it has been largely consistent since their 2012 self-titled album, with Chris Donaldson handling guitars and Oliver Pinard on bass for the last three releases.
Dick Dynamite: 1944 is an action/ comedy/ horror film originally released in 2023 by Scottish writer/ director Robbie Davidson (Radge Land and Vamplifier). Davidson is also a musician who has played in a number of different bands including The Exploited. The film stars Snars, a first time actor who takes on the titular role as Dick Dynamite, alongside Olly Bassi (Dead Among the Pines, Virtual Vendetta and Paul Dood’s Deadly Lunch Break), Shaun Davidson (Vamplifier), Mark Burdett (Vamplifier and Sair Ane), Irvine Welsh (writer of Trainspotting, Filth and The Acid House) and former Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss bass player Nick Oliveri (Book of Shadows: Blair Witch Project 2, Project X and Sand Castle).
Electric Junk is a four-CD journey into the mid to late 70s German underground music scene-whatever the genre category!. The thirty-two-track collection blends the known, lesser-known, and obscure projects in a nice and even manner, with a (largely ) good/eventful flow of tracks throughout the four-disc unfold.
With new horror films a dime a dozen these days, coming up with something that’s novel, innovative and creatively distinct is quite a challenge. I’m no fan of the elitist term ‘elevated’ horror, but whatever we choose to call it there’s undeniably been a surge in scope, creativity, complexity and emotional depth within the horror genre over the last ten to twenty year; triggered around the release of The Babadook and picked up by the combined forces of Ari Aster and A24, Jordan Peele and Robert Eggers. At the other end of the spectrum, there’s I Heart Willie – a slasher centred upon a disfigured and wildly indiscriminate serial killer masquerading as Mickey Mouse.
Mute Records has been home to Throbbing Gristle since 1986, when they put out their ‘untitled’ CD1, a set of previously unreleased recordings from 1979. Since then, the label has had a hand in most of the band’s releases, reissuing the entirety of their back catalogue complete with a bounty of extras, before moving on to their latter-day live performances. This included 2004’s A Souvenir of Camber Sands, recorded and released on the same night, and now Live at the Volksbühne, Berlin, New Year's Eve, 2005 - a concert that appeared on last year’s TG Berlin box set but has now been made available for the first time as a standalone vinyl or CD release.
Here we have a US wall noise split- it’s a two-track affair. Moving from the crude/raw/ at points unpredictable walling of South Carolina’s No Fun HNW. Onto the thicker/ more set-yet-detailed attack of Portland’s Hana Haruna.
The House of Witchcraft is a late 1980s Italian film that bends elements of supernatural mystery, Are-they-going-mad-or-not thriller, and slasher. It features Swiss cult actor Paul Muller (A Virgin Among The Living Dead, Barbwire Dolls) in one of its lead roles. The picture is an entertaining/ campy enough slice of euro horror, though maybe not a gory/wacky as you’d normally hope from the genre/ time. Here from Cauldron Films is a recent region-free Blu-ray of the film, taking in a new 2K/uncut print of the film, a commentary track from genre experts, and a few other new extras.
The Cathedral Of New Emotions is an animated film regarding a 1970s commune of Berlin stoners and intellectuals, launched in space in a packing container clutched by a giant flying hand. The early 2000s German film is a highly heady slice of sci-fi, woven with threads of surrealism, sexualised imagery, and general stoned-out wackiness- all soundtracked by a mix of tripped-out Kraut rock grooves and spaced-out synth scapes. Here from Deaf Crocodile is a region A Blu-ray release of the film, featuring a new commentary track, and a selection of new and archive extras.