Loading
Killers is a mid-90s crime thriller/ dark satire, with subtle dabs of post-noir and horror. It regards two on-the-run media savvy killer brothers, who break into a seemingly normal suburban house- finding not what they quite expected…the film features some neat/ surprising twists, and touches of female flesh/ gore. Here from Synapse Films is a Blu-Ray release – featuring a new total uncut scan of the film, a commentary track, and a few other things.
Andrew Ostler practices what he preaches. At least, he does when it comes to music. As the man behind top Eurorack modular synths, Expert Sleepers, not only does Ostler make a point of using the equipment that he builds when creating his own sounds, but he also supports other artists who do too - courtesy of his label of the same name. In fact, it is this very label that is behind the release of Ostler’s latest orchestrally driven The Blind Sublime.
The cinematic exploitation trope of bringing together/ pairing of notable characters- be they superheroes and supervillains, classic monsters vs classic, or Mexican wrestlers- has been long held/often successful ruse. In this cheap ‘n’ sleazy crime-action caper this trope is at its all-time bad taste high- as we get a serial rapist and crazed bomber being brought together. The Mad Bomber ( aka Confessions of a Dirty Cop, The Police Connection) is a shocking, fleshy, at points down-right ridiculous example of 70’s exploitation, which you can almost smell/ taste. Here from Severin, those resurrectors of cinematic tack ‘n’ oddity- is a singing 'n' dancing Blu-ray release of this grimly entertaining curio, taking in six hours of extras.
The Scavengers was the second roughie Western helmed by notorious US exploitation duo Lee Frost(The Defilers, Mondo Bizarre, The Black Gestapo) and Bob Cresse( The Harem Bunch, The Erotic Adventures of Zorro, & Love Slaves). It appeared in 1969 a year after their first shot at the genre the mean-spirited and nastily misogynistic Hot Spur. This film follows a group of filthy and hungry-for-the-flesh( be it any animal or female human) renegade confederate soldiers. And while it’s not quite as nasty/ unpleasant as the pair's first film, we get a fair bit of derangement, rape, and racial abuse. Here from Severin is a Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in an unrated & R version of the film, a commentary track, and a few other things.
The decidedly lengthy, and rather clunkily titled No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead, is album number eight from this Canadian post-rock collective. It finds the band in a decidedly rough ‘n’ ready 1970s setting- in both its lose & crude production and its sonic pallet which heavily nods towards the more ragged guitar-bound side of both Neil Young and Popol Vuh, as well as general earthy/ rough instrumental country-rock vibe.
Face Value is an improv album that rewardingly shifts between darting angularity, glum moodiness, and pulse-pumping manic-ness. Transition Unit is a three-piece project- bringing together two Portuguese musicians saxophonist José Lencastre and pianist Rodrigo Pinheiro, with Belgian guitarist Dirk Serries.
Analog Deviation takes in two twenty-five-to-thirty-minute examples of wandering, sparse, at times abstract or noisy improv. Tonus is a three-piece collective bringing together Dirk Serries- Archtop guitar, Benedict Taylor- Viola, and Martina Verhoeven- grand piano.
სუნთქვის გარეშე( Without The Smell ) is a two-track release from Georgia’s Owners Of Knowledge- who create walled noise, be it dense, textured,or mixing the two states. Both tracks featured come in dead on the twenty-five-minute mark – one is dense & textual detail-lined, while the other is crude/rough-shod textured roll- so a decent contrast.
Here’s a very aptly titled walled noise collaboration that brings together two dense, impenetrable, and deeply searing examples of the HNW form. Coming as either a C30, or digital release- it appears on Stockholm’s Ominous Recordings.
The beauty of the synthesizer has been enjoyed since its birth in the mid 20th century and its growth, evolution, and place in society quickly saw it as a wonderful instrument and useful tool. Both acts on this split cassette from No Sides utilize the synthesizer in differing ways, however both build atmospheric, instrumental pieces that capture wonderful, evocative, and cinematic vibes. New Jersey's ETVRNE puts forth a somewhat medieval sounding, Goblin inspired spread while NYC's IZOLAT brings about the hazy moors with its natural, wilderness feeling ambient.
HMOT is a Siberian artist who got his start back in 2012 releasing beat-oriented, dub-based music, but has now refined his style into a kind of esoteric and subtle experimental ambient that would not be out of place on many avant-garde labels. It's a similar transformation undergone by an artist such as Shackleton. There Will Come Gentle Rain is one of two new albums to be released in 2024, a short full length at 35 minutes.
Dogra Magra is a Japanese sci-fi horror movie from 1987 written and directed by Toshio Matsumoto (Demons, Funeral Parade of Roses and The War of the 16 Year Olds). The film stars Yoji Matsuda (Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time), Shijaku Katsura (Futarikko, Handsome Man and Ex Terebi), Hideo Murota (Kagemusha, Samurai Reincarnation and Original Sin), and Kyoko Enami (The Fall of Ako Castle, Gamera vs Barugon and Tsugaru Jongarabushi).
It’s fair to say that Exorcist II: The Heretic is one of the most problematic/ controversial/ at times downright puzzling of all sequences. The late 70’s film brings together a confusing African subplot, lots of flying by the wings of hornets footage, hamming it up/ overplaying it acting, and wacky science. Here from Arrow Video is a double disc Blu-Ray release of the film- bringing together two cuts of the film, two new commentary tracks and a new visual essay- as well as three archive commentary tracks, and a few archive extras.
What could be better on Halloween than an album that moves like a good horror narrative, a self-driven force that grows and amasses strength while never pointing toward an exit or safe escape from its clutches? Angelo Harmsworth's Without Blinking is just such a treat, for those who like a good smattering of darkness with their ambience.
The Definitive Collection is a three-CD/forty-one track look back at 80’s to 90’s output of Kentucky's Midnight Star. The six-piece upwards project mixed ‘n’ melded disco, funk, soul and R&B- making for a largely upbeat, buoyant, and pacy sound.
Appearing in the early 2000s Cheeky ( aka Tra(sgre)dire ) was the twenty-first film from cigar-chopping euro auteur Tinto Brass- who made erotically charged, at times arty genre films. The film is a decidedly playful ‘n’ buoyant erotic comedy/drama, which finds an often no underwear-wearing Venetian twentysomething in London, hiring out an apartment & trying to get her conscientious/ studious boyfriend to join her in the UK. Like much of Brass’s work the picture titres on the edge of hardcore, but never fully drives in- instead, it uses fleshy tropes to edge its story.
The Oblong Box is a late 60’s horror/period mystery that has it all. Voodoo, a lord with a chained-up demented brother, a premature burial, various dodgy dealings, body snatchers, a deranged slashing madman in a crimson hood, and a generally schlocky gothic horror air. It also features two key horror stars Vincent Price & Christopher Lee, and a good shifting pace. Here from the BFI is a Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in a new interview with Vincent Price's daughter, and a good selection of archive extras.
Released in the year 1987 Opus Dei was the third studio album from Slovenian/ Yugoslav avant-garde music collective Laibach. It was the band's first album to be released by the Mute label, and it saw the collective adding slightly more approachable/ at times camp/ pomp edges to their blend of martial industrial & neoclassical dark wave- though there were still the quirky/ weird touches here ‘n’ there. From Mute, here we have a two-CD set- bringing the original album/ three bonus tracks, a sixteen-track live disc, and a twenty-eight inlay booklet.
Electric Wizard to many, are just another in the long line of underground occult horror-obsessed hard rock/metal bands that began with Black Sabbath and incorporated Atomic Rooster, Uriah Heep, Witchfinder General, Mercyful Fate, Saint Vitus, Cathedral and a host of others, however to the initiated they are so much more than that. They started out with the aim of being the most monolithically heavy, stoned rock band on earth, however they grew beyond those early aims into the biggest occult doom band on the planet. This book covers their rise to prominence and everything that has happened along the way during their 31-year reign as the chosen few.
Toteninsel ( translated to English as The Island Of The Dead) is the twenty-fifth album from Allerseelen- the Austrian project that brews up a highly distinct mix of Folk & Industrial music. They often blend in other genres to their sound such as- bleak new wave/ post-punk, traditional Germanic folk, world music influences, avant-garde pop, jazz, neo-classical, etc.
After crushing hopes and blistering eardrums with 2020's Buried Steel, Khost took their time crafting a very worthy and heavy follow-up, Many Things Afflict Us Few Things Console Us. Building further upon their doom-laden industrial approach, Khost continues to beat down the hearts and minds of those subjecting themselves to their grim electronics. However, in true artistic fashion, the duo expands their sonic palette to include some varying new touches and new genre flirtations. But don't let the more groove-filled tracks throw you, Khost is still out to pummel their sound into your soul through your ears and leave you worn and smiling at the end.
In recent years the found-footage/ mock documentary genre has become largely stale, replaying cliches over & over again. But from time to time you get films that do something fairly fresh/ new with the form, and Late Night with the Devil is one such film. It regards a late 70’s US TV talk show, where the host seemingly talks with a real-life demon, via a damaged/ troubled teen girl. The film blends a well-painted/ realized backstory, low-key dread, and talk-show host parody/ satire, with moments of suddenly intense horror/ shock. Here from Second Sight Films is a UHD/Blu-Ray boxset, taking in a one hundred and twenty-page book, art cards, and six art cards.
When Tomorrow Comes is a 1939 drama from director John M Stahl. Here's a handsome remastered 2k edition of the film- with original mono audio, and a few extras from Indicator/ Powerhouse.
Tomorrow’s Fashions is a twenty-eight-track compilation focusing on the electronica side of the library music genre. Coming as either a CD or double vinyl release- the compilation is a wonderful varied sonic trip back to the early 70s to late 80s, and the world of Library music with a distinct electronic edge.