Ian McCulloch
Slideling

* For fans of Far East Family Band, Amon Düül II, Hawkwind , Tangerine Dream* Two lengthy psychedelic space rock songs with jammy elements* A real trip to the centre of your mind* Awesome heavy gatefold sleeve* second edition with foldout insert and OBI* First ever official vinyl reissue from the original master tapesSome albums are certainly a kind of holy grail for music lovers and collectors of a certain genre, style and era. FAR OUT with their eponymous debut and unfortunately also farewell album from 1973 have created such a sacred gem. Original copies in good condition change hands for up to 2000 USD and there are certainly a few not so official reprints on vinyl and CD out on the market which do not even come close to do justice to the greatness of the old original black gold. But here we go with the first ever official vinyl reissue taken directly from the original mastertapes supplied by Nippon Columbia. EVERLAND MUSIC did a brilliant job as usual with their reissue. The coverart with a white glove hanging on a washing line to dry comes on an awesome heavy gatefold sleeve. Including 2 inserts with live photos from back in the day when the band was going wild on stage.Now for the most important part, the music. There are certainly not too many wild moments here since both long tracks „Too many people“ and „Nihonjin“ have a melancholic, dreamy approach with a desperately howling and sighing lead guitar that spouts some utterly intense melodies. These two tracks are epics in the pure sense of the word. They start both with a rather gentle part which develops into a journey of sound that bring either vast landscapes of enchanting beauty untouched by modern human life or quite dramatic scenes to your mind’s eye. The lead guitarist often uses some strange instrument which is a kind of electric sitar to add the atmosphere of eastern mystic. So while falling into a state of deep trance while letting the music rush through my ears into my brain my spirit that has left my body embarks on a trip from the smokey volcanic hills around Pompeji to the icy permafrost wastelands of the Northeastern lands and arrives somewhere in the East Asian jungle on a gold plated pyramid of an unspeakable age where laughing demons dance around mystic fireplaces. Yes, this is the real journey to the center of your mind and despite having no really abstract freak out parts, tricky instrumental runs and twisted rhythm figures this music will capture your whole existence for the next 38 minutes. The end of „Nihonjin“, the second tune, shows an ambient like section with synthesizer background, echoing atonal sitar, a brightly squeaking flute, organ carpet and some percussions. This is indeed a rather extreme part, due to the pointed tone of the flute but quite soon the music stops and leaves the listener back in reality. This second track later on got a kind of reappearance on the FAR EAST FAMILY album „Nipponjin“, also retitled as „Nipponjin“. Mastermind behind both acts is multi instrumentalist Fumio Miyashita, so there is no wonder. The later version has more space rock elements and electronic sounds than the original FAR OUT tune and is a little bit shorter all in all. But I digress.This is the real thing for those who still miss the melodies and atmosphere of the late 60s and very early 70s when people had a dream of a peaceful world and who enjoy early German cosmic kraut rock like AMON DÜÜL II, ORGANISATION (later to become KRAFTWERK), the debut album by TANGERINE DREAM and more obscure stuff but also international bands like PINK FLOYD, GONG, TWINK and HAWKWIND just as an East Asian version. A real gem and finally available with the real sound and package again.

Avec « The Orange Album », Gasoline veut rallumer le moteur du blues !Un nouvel album de blues rock dans le jus Amérique des 70’s ? Ne partez pas, celui-ci est réussi : c’est « The Orange Album » de Gasoline.Si Gasoline sonne comme une cavalerie assourdissante de blues rock américain, c’est en fait un duo français qui est aux manettes. A la guitare et au chant, on retrouve Thomas Baignères, anciennement LeSpark, qui gravite dans la (grande) galaxie du rock depuis 2015. A la batterie, il y a Théo Gosselin, peut-être l’un des meilleurs photographes de sa génération. Le duo vient tout juste de sortir un premier album, « The Orange Album », chez Celebration Days Records.L’inspiration est claire, et si par hasard vous ne l’aviez pas, la voici : blues rock des années 70 et éternel rêve américain. L’autoradio grésille sous le moteur, le bitume fait de la vapeur dans le désert étouffant, à moins que ce ne soient les cigarettes des passagers de ce convoi nostalgique.Gonzai

It’s been three years since Gloucestershire band Milk Teeth released any new material and four years since their debut, and only album, Vile Child, was released. Fans will be delighted to know that they’re back with an eponymous second offering. Expect more melodic punk indie rock delivered through magnetic front woman, Becky Bloomfield.

Tommy Guerrero is a constantly insightful figure in the downtempo scene. In fact, everything about the man protrudes good vibes and a chilled, leaned-back sort of mood. As an important side note, he was one of the original skateboarders back in the 1980's, running wheelies and exporting the culture to mainland Europe, along with his connection to lounge music. Soul Food Taqueria is a 2003 album, originally out through the mighty Mo Wax, and now reissued finely on Be With. We love everything about this album, form its positive TOV, to the artwork and its seamless blend of hip-hop and ambient, a cocktail that still tastes more than fresh as of 2017. TO be honest, this is foundational gear, and it wouldn't be unfair to say that this sound has not progressed a whole lot since albums like these first dropped in the UK. Essential.

To enter the world of Sally Townes and Roberta Vandervort is to be swept away into a dimension of unique sound. Embellishments of smoldering jazz funk, seductive soft rock, breezy AOR, and misty folk, all paint a picture of the worlds which they inhabited; from the endless flat expanse of Dallas, the hot and humid bustle of a Bourbon Street night club, to the late night buzz of a Los Angeles studio session.While Sally Townes and Roberta Vandervort never crossed paths in our reality, their supernatural union on this compilation feels like the meeting of old, yet familiar friends, set in a parallel dimension with lives intertwined. The songs feel like old friends, too — a comforting time capsule of the popular sounds of the era, yet offering something completely new. Bridged by the striking similarities in their musical confidence, vocal conviction, and boundless creativity, both women encapsulate an uncompromising passion for living, loving, and creating on their own terms.

This is the first proper album by The March Violets.The difficult first album.It took 3 years to finish. It was made possible by lots of pledges by fans and friends, who have had access to it first. As they should. They seem to like it. We are now making it available to anyone else who wants to support us by buying it.It was written as a double LP for Vinyl, 16 tracks, 4 to a side, and hopefully takes you on an interesting slightly dark and twisted journey. We've never been fans of formulas, or repeating ourselves, so we just did what we want. We figure that we will sound like the March Violets because we ARE the March Violets.Hope you like it.