Loading
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.
Six Seasons is a seven-piece release from Chinese American composer Lei Liang. The work blends detailed/ textured violin and viola d’amore playing with field recordings captured from under the ice in the Chukchi Sea in North Alaska. It’s a release that will appeal to those who enjoy more textural to actively ambient sound craft.
Bird of Paradise is a darting, at times heady crossbreed between modern classic music, electro texturing, and noise. The seventy four-minute CD release brings together three pieces that take you on a twisting ‘n’ turning ride.
Gaudenz Badrutt has composed what might be the most compelling contemporary update to the work of Charles Ives, bringing the American composer into dialogue with a host of techniques – electronics and sampling chief among them – while continuing the perambulatory nature of Ives's example. Palace is the result of this foray into the real-time mash-up of electroacoustic composition with archival recordings, including snippets of Badrutt's playing Ives pieces on the piano. The addition of feedback and oscillating sine waves gives the piece both continuity and drive, making sure that we can never stay too long in one place, looking for the next bend in the road, around the Ivesian gazebo.
Here’s a three-track journey into taut, tense, and hearing ripping walled noise from this Mexico City project. Each of the fifteen-minute tracks consists of tight ‘n’ airless walling, which are as unrelenting and unforgiving as each other.
Depending on who you ask, Ed D Wood Jr is either one of the worst filmmakers ever, or a quirky/ bumbling auteur- who cut out his own distinctive path within US low budget/ cult cinema of 50’s to 70’s. Towards the end of his career, when he was somewhat of a washed-up alcoholic - he made selection of porn loops, and porn features- both in the soft and hardcore markets. Hardwood: The Adult Features Of Ed Wood is a three Blu-ray boxset, bringing together a selection of films from this period, as well as some of his loops, and a hicksploitation comedy drama he scripted.
Opera was the tenth film by Dario Argento. The late 80’s opera house set picture blends murder mystery, euro drama, eerier stalking through lavish corridors, and of course, often brutally creative murder. The film has a soundtrack that blends ornate & soaring classical music, with throbbing heavy metal. Here from Severin- is a three-disc UHD and Blu-ray release of the film- featuring a new 4k scan, two versions of the film, and over eight hours of extras.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of legendary composer and experimentalist Iannis Xenakis' birth, the X100 Festival was held in Berlin in 2023. Solely using Xenakis' UPIC computer system, the duo of Russell Haswell and Florian Hecker teamed up again to record UPIC Diffusion Session #23, performed and recorded live at the above festival. THe UPIC system creates sonic translations of visual images, so while a picture may be worth a thousand words, it's also worth a thousand sounds. The duo used hand drawn images with varied inspiration (news photos of disasters, atrocities, "food porn," molecular structures, etc) and let their thoughts and art feed UPIC and give the world its result. Mego released the 32'43" track on vinyl and digital, and the voice of UPIC is engaging, captivating, and oftentimes noisy. Pretty interesting considering the source material, no?
Engulfed By Fungus is a slice of lightly searing & subtle bird song laced ANW. The single half-an-hour track managers to find that sweet spot between low-key muffled noise craft, and lulling ambience for a decidedly entrancing sound ride.
Tulpa is a nearly sixteen minutes of rushing meets galloping walled noise, which is a consistent, yet rewardingly comforting example of wall-craft.
Black Chapter is a new four track album from Russia’s Train Cemetery. It finds the project moving away from the complexly layered detail sound it’s known for, to a more progressive building/ shifting walled noise sound.
Contemplation Of The Endless Collapse is a forty-five minute wall noise ride- which blends bass bounding rolling heaviness, with shifting hissing, and subtle layer detail. This is the first release from respected Polish project Sado Rituals in some time.
I recently watched Bill Morrison’s Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016) and, with a few caveats really enjoyed it; The Village Detective: A Song Cycle (2021) follows that film and shares much the same purpose and themes. It tells the story of some reels of film salvaged from the seabed by an Icelandic lobster trawler in 2016, which turned out to be - unlike the treasure trove dug up in Dawson City - parts of the very non-rare Russian film The Village Detective (1969), starring Mikhail Zharov as Fyodor Ivanovich, a policeman. Zharov (1899-1981) was one of the most popular Russian actors in his time, though his was a popular, not critical, fame; he made over 70 films and was an equally prolific performer on stage, he was also notably the first Russian to sing on film in Road to Life (1931). The Village Detective tells his story, using clips from his films, interspersed with commentary on Russian history and cinema, and the role that cinema performed in Russian society.
Black Tuesday is a grim at points brutal, mid 50’s noir regarding a prison/ death row breakout. It features Edward G Robbins as a ruthless and uncaring gangster- who will do anything to stay alive. The film features some unpredictable plot twists ‘n’ turns, and a well-acted/varied cast of characters. Here as part of Eureka’s Master Of Cinema series is a Blu-Ray release of the film- featuring a new crisp, yet stark 2k scan, a commentary track, and a selection of other extras.
Doctor Vampire is an early 90’s blend of comedy, martial arts, and horror. The Hong Kong made picture blends romantic to raunchy comedy, with touches of slapstick. The horror elements are largely playful, featuring only a few moments of bloody gore- with wacky characters meeting vamps & martial arts elements in the final quarter of the film. Here from Eureka! is a new Blu-ray release of the film- featuring a new 2k scan, two new commentary tracks, and a few more extras.
The Brides of Funkenstein were a spin-off project from George Clinton’s Parliament universe. The female-fronted band dabbbled in funk, soul, and disco. They existed between 1978 and 1981- releasing two studio albums and a post-breakup live album. Funk Or Walk is the project's debut album- taking in seven shots of funking, grooving, and soulful fare, with that very distinctive Clinton flavor. Here from Ace Records is a CD reissue of the album.
Land Of Kinks is a double disc/fifty-two track compilation focusing on the work of legendary/ innovative reggae producer Lee’ Scratch’ Perry in the early 70s. The collection moves from the quirky/ tuneful/ grooving, to the creative/ wacky, to the ahead of its time material. Aside from a few repeated tracks & the odd suspect covers, this is another mighty fine ‘n’ excellent 'Scratch' compilation, which is a must for fans of this creative/ important legend, whose impact stretches way beyond the confines of the reggae genre.
On the one hand, punk and free jazz may appear to be poles apart – opposite ends of the musical spectrum on practically every level. But the overlap in attitude and aesthetic is quite significant. Both push against musical boundaries, both are on the periphery of the mainstream, and both produce music that at its core is entirely rebellious. With this spirit of interconnectedness and shared exploration, avant-garde jazz sax and clarinet player, Ken Vandermark and Terrie Ex, aka Terrie Hessels of post-punk band The Ex, found common ground, working together now for over 15 years - as guests on each other’s records, as part of improvisational quartet Lean Left and as a duo in their own right. Yet despite being onstage together countless times, This is Not a Holiday! is only the second album that the pair have released as a duo and rather appropriately it is a live recording of their 2021 performance at Poznan’s SARP Social Club.