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From the early 1980’s, Visitors from the Arkana Galaxy is a truly wacked-out/tonally shifting mix of sci-fi, fantasy, skewed sitcom, and demented creature feature. The joint Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Croatia production regards a geeky/ bearded amateur author who seemingly brings to life/ earth his alien creations. Here from Deaf Crocodile Films is the region A Blu-ray release, taking in a new scan, a new commentary track, a new essay, and a selection of shorts from the director.
Nothing makes one feel the warm summer sun and breeze from the top deck quite like Yacht Rock - the audio equivalent of a cold wine cooler, warm, illicit substance tingles, and grooving with your shades on. While this micro-genre is primarily focused on the California sound or West Coast (USA) in general, never put it past the Germans and Austrians to focus in on lush grooves and make them their own. Under and Above the Clouds focuses on the Yacht Rock released in the two countries from '79-'91. Cold war but warm tunes, this compilation looks at the extremely fertile rock scene at that time, with its lens to the funky, sunny vibes we now call Yacht Rock.
Long Bright Summer pairs up English avant-garde saxophonist Evan Parker with French double bassist Joëlle Léandre, for a eight track improv collab. The release largely flirts between the taut and the fiery.
First appearing in the mid 70’s, Ja-Gan is a mellow & tuneful collection of instrumental dub reggae. The twelve-track album blends upfront melodica (a blowable electronic instrument that sounds akin to accordion or harmonica), with organ, piano, guitar, & percussion. Here, from Doctor Bird is an expanded CD reissue of the album, taking in eight bonus tracks, and a glossy sixteen page booklet- featuring a six page write-up, single labels, studio logs, and pictures.
Libido is a mid 60’s Are-they-mad-or-not thriller, which blends in elements of psycho-sexual unease, gothic moodiness, and black-gloved Giallo. It regards a young man returning to his childhood seaside mansion home, where his father tied up & murdered a woman, before seemingly committing suicide. The film features a small, well-picked cast, a great sense of uncertainty, mystery & unease, with a few neat twists. Here from Radiance is a new Blu-ray release of the film, featuring a crystal clear 2k monochrome print, a new commentary track, and a few new interviews
Night of the Juggler oozes the ‘Fear City’ era of 1970s New York, and being released in June 1980, it may be a significant final late entry in the neo-noir crime thriller subgenre that also brought us The French Connection (1971) and Death Wish (1974). Not, however, that many in the UK will know it as such. As the disc’s informative commentary from film historians Kim Newman and Sean Hogan notes, it was one of the first major studio films to receive a straight-to-video release in 1982, and for many years, it was only available on hazy VHS.
Delayed gratification; or, maybe no real gratification whatsoever? Strange and untimely qualities today, but with a rare acumen for presence, Periode (Andreas Reihse & Thomas Winkler), are just fine with the here and now on their new work of measured gesture and restraint, Grapes of Nothingness. Don’t let the title fool you.
Japanese death metal band Invictus debuted in 2020 with an album called The Catacombs of Fear. This is their second album, several years later, titled Nocturnal Visions.
Dead-Wall Reveries brings together three modern chamber works from Canadian composer Eldritch Priest. Each runs between twenty and twenty-five minutes- all three have a decidedly compelling air, which moves between woozy angularity and sparse disquiet.
Je Laisse à La Nuit Son Poids D’ombre is a fifty-two-minute modern ensemble for ten players. It slowly shifts from hauntingly beautiful to discordant, dark, and at times, primal unease. The whole thing feels like a wonderfully muddying/darkening of the sonic waters.
From the late swinging sixties, The Assassination Bureau is Edwardian-set action-adventure/ dark comedy, with a star-studded cast- taking in the likes of Oliver Reed, Telly Savalas, and Diana Rigg. It’s a decidedly Euro-trotting affair with an entertaining mix of witty banter, action, thrills, sword fighting, explosions, and more than enough camp to float a boat. Here from Arrow Video UK is a Blu-ray release of the film, taking in an HD print, and a few new extras.
Here we have a digital/ split EP bringing together two walls. One is decidedly pop/grit-bound from the UK’s Spent Stiletto, and the other thicker/ cruder buffeting weather-bound affair from USA’s No Fun Harsh Noise Wall. Each wall hits dead on the ten-minute mark.
With only a handful of releases spread over their twenty plus year career, Peru's Evil Damn treat us with a new mini LP from Hells Headbangers, Eons of Horror. Five tracks of classic, old school death metal, Eons mixes far-reaching and catchy death with angry, throaty vocals and propulsive drumming, capturing that old school vibe and aggression. Their first new material since their 2021 full length debut, Necronomicon, Evil Damn continue with the Lovecrafian/occult themes that pervade not only the runtime of the MLP, but are extra present in the ripping, ritualistic cover art.
Here we have a wall noise split, which is apparently themed around Orthodox Schema monk outfits. Each project serves up around fifteen minutes of crudely droning ‘n’ choppy wall matter. Featured here are Oregon’s Pink Wool, who are fairly new. And Poland’s Sado Ritual, who have been active since 2019, releasing two hundred plus releases.
Glimmers of Hope is a recent mini-album from the Polish wall noise project Olion. Each of the two tracks featured slides in at dead on the fifteen-minute mark- both are fairly bass-focused affairs, with crackle-bound toppings.
How To Have Fun is the second release from Lea Cummings( Kylie Minoise, Official Music Team, etc), lo-fi/ outsider folk project King Futile. It takes in another eight tracks, and really, it sees him pushing even further the tongue-in-cheek/ glum/ sarcastic lyrical edge.
Devil Times Five is an early 70’s mix of killer kid thriller and slasher. It starts fairly campy/ soapy, before slowly but surely getting more mean-spirited/bleak, before diving into a truly nihilistic resolve. It features a decent selection of both victims and killers, a snowy setting, and one or two fairly impressive low-fi gore effects. Here from 88 Films, as part of their Slasher Classic Collection, is a Blu-ray release of the film. It takes in both new and archive extras, including a brand new commentary track from slasher-loving podcast The Hysteria Continues.
Well, just as I hadn’t properly heard Sun Ra before reviewing Sun Ra, I’m probably one of the few people who listen to power electronics who’ve never concentratedly listened to Sutcliffe Jugend, Slaves No More being the project that Kevin Tomkins and Paul Taylor initiated after they ended the legendary Sutcliffe Jugend. So I come to this with fresh ears, and there won’t be any comparison of the two projects, for better or worse. House Of Dolls is a two disc album, released by 4iB Records, and packaged in a card wallet covered in images and collages that clearly connect with power electronics aesthetics formally, but are slightly more cryptic and obscure than your usual black and white xerox affair. There are ten tracks, the longest being nearly half an hour long and the shortest nearly nine minutes in length. Each are titled ‘Scene I’, ‘Scene II’, and so forth.
Back in 2000, Martyn Ware (Heaven 17, B.E.F. and The Human League) and Vince Clarke (Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Erasure) formed Illustrious Company. Their MO (to paraphrase their own words) was to create new types of spatialised sound compositions using three-dimensional surround-sound systems. Collaborating with a host of digital and fine artists, world heritage sites, museums, exhibitions, live events, dance, theatre, technology, developers, researchers and educators. Up to now, they have created more than sixty sound projects that have been played, exhibited and heard across the world. It’s Always Ourselves We Find in the Sea is one such project.
Here from the fine folks at Cherry Red’s Doctor Bird is another collection of tracks produced by legendary/ innovative reggae producer Lee’ Scratch’ Perry. Black Man’s Time- The Jamaican Upsetter Singles 1972- Chapter 1 is a two-CD set, and as it’s sub-title suggests, all the tracks date from the year 1972. The release takes in forty-nine tracks, and as we’ve come to expect from these Doctor Bird compilations, we get a good/ varied selection of material, with some true gems.
Bøyning, Brytning ( Bending, Breaking) is a very fitting title for this new album from Norwegian guitarist Ivar Grydeland. As the tracks often feel as if they are being steadily pushed, pulled, and at times twisted out into unpredictable/alien shapes.
Percolation is the third solo album from Norwegian pianist/ composer Christian Wallumrød. In the late 90’s, he started off squarely in the Jazz genre, but as this ten-track release illustrates, his sound has become much more genre mixed now, with some of the material going down some fairly surprising/ quirky sonic paths.
Recorded in a single take and spread over 4 parts, Respawning as a Pearl is a breathtaking work of sustain, concentration, and tension, expertly woven together by Androctonyx (aka Lucas Gendre). There is continuity above all else, achieved by an organ–like drone that runs throughout, but the rest is pure minimalism. Washes of glitchy filters enter like comets passing, lifting the electronic composition while never distracting from its telos
Private Blue is an early 2020 picture that sends up both 80’s/ early 90's cop films and neo noir, for an entertaining, at times wonderfully camp ride, with a great retro score. It’s a SOV affair, though it technically sits at the more competent end of the genre. Here from SRS Cinema, those resurrectors of low-budget cult fare/ SOV, is a DVD release of the film, taking in a director's commentary track, and a few other things.