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Beautiful Isolation is a twenty-minute work that sits somewhere between lightly churning-grained drone ambience, expansively bright to lightly baying ambience, glitch-bound turn ‘n’ grate, and almost beatless electronica.
The Wall is a US noise split- featuring two around twenty-minute tracks, one dense and searing wall-craft, and the other roasting/ painful harsh noise with PE leanings.
Lenses was the first album from Dead, Dead Swans (aka Milwaukee, Wisconsin's John E Swan). It first appeared in 2022, and it showed the projects blend of raw and world-weary American folk music already firmly in place. Appearing at the tail end of last year here’s a CD reissue of the album from Punkerton Records.
The Mask Of Satan is a snow-bound ‘n’ gothic-edged slice of late 80’s euro horror. The film regards a group of skiers uncovering a witch's icy tomb, removing her spiked mask- to become pursued by her spirit. It’s directed by Lamberto Bava- being somewhat of a reimaging/ tribute of his father's classic gothic horror film Black Sunday (1960). The picture blends eerier atmospherics, some neat sets, are-they-going-crazy-or-not thrills, and a few decent effect set-ups/ gory moments. Here from the folks at Severin is a Blu-Ray release of this lesser-seen/ known film- taking in a 2k scan, and a few extras.
Delicatessen is a 1991 French sci-fi comedy film directed by Jean Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, Alien Resurrection and City of Lost Children) and Marc Caro (City of Lost Children, Astroboy in Roboland and Dante 01), and starring Dominique Pinon (Amelie, Alien Resurrection and City of Lost Children), Marie-Laure Dougnac (Alice, Au Petit Marguery and The Good Son) and Jean-Claude Dreyfus (The City of Lost Children, Fitzcarraldo and Two Brothers).
Released in 2024 Terrifier 3 is the most recent film in the brutal gore-bound franchise- focusing on Art The Clown. It upped the creative kills, levels of slopping guts ‘n’ lopping limbs with generally more gleeful deranged air- though on the downside it has a slightly muddled structure/ flow, and it doesn’t really advance/ fill in the series mythos. Here from Signature Entertainment is a Blu Ray release of the film.
Harlequin is a rather curious mix of political and fantasy-fed thriller. The early 1980s Australian film concerns a faith healer, Robert Powell, who seemingly cures leukaemia in the son of an up-and-coming politician, played by David Hemmings. The picture offers an intriguingly engaging mix of family drama, mystery, and thriller genres- with light touches of fantasy and horror. From Powerhouse – either as a UHD or Blu-Ray- is a new release of the film featuring a 4k scan, one new extra, and a host of archive extras.
Australian cellist Judith Hamann brings exquisite collage techniques to Shelter Press for their latest solo album, Aunes. With the addition of synthesizers, organ, field recordings, and voice (notably for the first time in their compositions), the six pieces on the album tie together locations to audible sensations, like the aune tied to the measured material. And, like many materials, Aunes is varied in appearance, often delicate, sometimes shimmering, but always textural. Beautiful and at times haunting, these compositions are a wonderful expression, and shows that Hamann's cello skills are only the tip of the iceberg.
Twilight Of Perception Redux Volume One 1990-1998 is the first in a series of planned CD compilations from Poland’s Zoharum. Looking at rare, unreleased, etc recordings from euro ambient pioneer Vidna Obmana aka Belgium's Dirk Serries. The three-CD set takes in twenty three tracks- with as you’d expect from such a collection variation in both the tone/ atmosphere of the tracks.
The Reverent Sky is a new four-track album from important and prolific US ambient artist Steve Roach. The four lengthy tracks move from layer-shifting/ expansive affairs to blends of low-key beats and ambience. And I must say it’s another wholly engaging ride from Roach- who is now in his seventh decade, with over two hundred plus albums under his belt.
Here we have a release that severs up two twenty-two-minute examples of raggedly rolling walled noise. As this date-titled release suggests, there’s no theme here- just unrelenting wall-craft.
Don’t Turn Out the Lights is a new horror film written and directed by Andy Fickman being made available on digital platforms on 17 March.
El Coco were a project that blended disco with easy listening, soul, and Jazz elements. They existed between 1975 and 1982, signed to AVI Records- releasing a total of eight albums, and twenty-five singles/ EP. Here we have a two CD set from Cherry Red's Robin songs bringing together the first four albums from the project.
For Renstemt Klaver (For justly-tuned piano) is a six-track journey into mechanism-played piano composition from Norway’s Jo David Meyer Lysne. Seemingly, Mr Lysne is most known for his work in jazz circles playing the guitar, so this is quite a departure, the results are best described as ambience, with a fairly glum/ at points dissonant leaning.
Deep down in the world where experimental metal meets electronica, you’ll probably find industrial-cum-grindcore specialist Justin K Broadrick. Primarily recognised as co-founder and guitarist in Godflesh, Broadrick has sat at the epicentre of UK’s industrial metal scene since the early 80s and has gone on to inspire and conspire with likeminded musical acolytes allowing this unique and much-loved subgenre of music to flourish. And this is indeed very much the case when it comes to Duskdawn, the new electronic-metal exploration release by Carthage – solo project of Damian Bennett and third in the collaborative series between Broadrick’s Avalanche Recordings and boutique US label GIVE/TAKE.
Sometimes you come upon a film that leaves you almost lost for words - original in its ideas, imagery or execution, Shinji Somai’s 1987 Japanese arthouse film Luminous Woman is one such film. An extraordinary pseudo-psychedelic Fellini-esque ride through the world of Tokyo’s covert and subversive nightlife, we follow our protagonist, soon to-be wrestler, Sensaku as he leaves the tranquil security of his rustic life in Hokkaido to scour the urban highlife of Japan’s capital in search of his missing fiancée.
Venom (not to be confused with the 2018 Marvel anti-hero film of the same name) is an early 80s thriller/ horror crossbred, featuring two notorious/unpredictable actors Klaus Kinski and Oliver Reed. The film is a mix of taut kidnap thriller, and stalking ‘n’ snapper creature feature, and it’s a wholly entertaining and tense ride. Here from Blue Underground is a dual UHD and Blu-ray, taking in a new 4k scan, new and old commentary tracks, and a good selection of new interviews
This limited edition three CD set from BSX Records features three classic horror soundtracks from the 1980s. We have John Scott’s Inseminoid from 1981, Richard Band’s 35th anniversary edition of 1984's Mutant and the soundtrack he created for 1987's Prison alongside Christopher L. Stone. All three titles are packaged separately but come wrapped together in a single slipcover. Both Richard Band titles state that they are limited to 500 copies, whereas John Scott’s Inseminoid simply states it's a limited edition.
From the mid-1970s, The Terminal Man is an extremely slow burn slice of medical focused Sci-fi, with touches of both thriller and horror genres appearing in the film's later half. The film regards a charming family man who, after a car crash, has blackouts where he attacks people, so it’s decided he should have a computer chip in his brain to cure the issues, and of course things don’t go as expected. The film features a compelling air of cold medical disquiet, which is edged with moments of creepy voyeurism, distrust, and plotting. Then in its last quarter or so some a zip 'n' pace is added to proceedings, as we move into thriller/ horror territory. Here Arrow Video is a new release of the film, a new HD scan, a new commentary track, and a selection of new and old extras.
French quintet Mortuaire makes their full length debut this month with the highly anticipated Monde Vide. With a three song demo under their belt, the cooperative efforts of five death dealers entrenched in the scene up the ante with five beefy, beastly tracks. Coming in around thirty-six minutes, these songs aren't for the faint of heart nor those looking for a quick fix. Doom laden death interspersed with melodic bits, Monde Vide is an engaging and heavy bit of metal that expresses itself slowly and deliberately, with each layer and line gaining more depth on subsequent spins. A well thought out and put together debut, this collection of artists show how well they collaborate and leave the listener hungry for more.
Japanese films are often known for their bizarreness, but I’d have to say Bumpkin Soup is one of the more truly weird, erratic, and downright puzzling films I’ve seen from the country. The mid-80s film is classified as a pink film due to its random/ sudden moments of nudity/ sexual activity, but, what it is, is a decidedly off-kilter mix of teen drama, surreal comedy, and impromptu/wonky musical. Here from Third Window Films as part of their Director's Company Collection, which focuses on the legendary 1980s Japanese production company, is a recent Blu-Ray of the film, taking in a new scan of the film, a commentary track, a director interview, and a visual essay.
The Convent is a cheesy ‘n’ splatter-bound horror comedy- ribbed with camp characters, neon/ fluorescent colourings, a fair bit of kick-ass action in its last quarter, and a soundtrack that shifts from the creepily moody to pumping techno. The early 2000s picture regards a group of frat-boys & their girlfriends visiting an abandoned convent- encountering nun ghosts, posh ‘n’ pompous occultists, and glowing blue-veined ‘n’ green-eyed, sharp-teethed demons. Here from Synapse Films is a Blu-Ray release of the film, taking in a 4k scan, two commentaries, and a few other extras..
Don’t Make A Sound is a 2024 low-budget film that blends unsettling found footage, slasher tropes, thriller tension, and decidedly haphazard drama elements. Here from SRS Cinema is a DVD release of the film.
Danish composer, singer and instrumentalist Ida Duelund has been releasing music for over 10 years now, with releases dating back to at least 2012. Her latest album Sibo is roughly 40 minutes of haunted dream pop or fantasy film soundtrack, with intelligent use of many historic influences, from romantic classical to jazz to 90's shoegaze and alt rock.