We're back in the swing of things now! This week has been a huge one, with killer releases from some of our favourite labels. A superb variety of new sounds to titillate and delight can be found below, with stacks more available from our shops! Blessings of the eternals be upon you,
Will's Wonder Wax of the Week...
Doug Carn - Spirit of the New Land (featuring the voice of Jean Carn)
Of all the artists who recorded for the Black Jazz label, keyboardist and composer Doug Carn was the most prolific, releasing four albums for the imprint. 1972’s Spirit of the New Land was his second Black Jazz release, but the first one (of two) to co-feature his wife, vocalist Jean Carn, in the album title.
James' Judiciary:
The Flaming Lips - American Head
American Legends The Flaming Lips release their 21st studio album, American Head via Bella Union. The album is comprised of thirteen new cinematic tracks, produced by longtime collaborator Dave Fridmann and The Lips. Among them, God and the Policeman featuring backing vocals from country superstar Kasey Musgraves. American Head takes on a welcome temporal shift that occupies a similar space to that of The Soft Bulletin or Yoshmi Battles the Pink Robots and just may be their most beautiful and consistent work to date.
A compilation of unreleased material from the Light Sleep and Voice Hardcore sessions alongside specially recorded new material, including a cover of The Void by The Raincoats. Include a 20 page zine designed by Studio Tape Echo featuring photography from Masayuki Shioda and writing from both Disciples and Phew.
Black Josh - Mannyfornia
This is the soundtrack for the underbelly of the ‘normal’ everyone hunkers for and the exposure of a feral culture north of London, left of centre. Coupling the precocious talents of Ruud a.k.a. Metrodome and Black Josh a.k.a YungSweglawd, the production of this album isone of finesse, artistry and cultural relevance. Ruud’s record collection is a lavish cornucopia of the sounds and beats from the ‘70s to the ‘90’s that drove real music.
Greg Fox’s Contact is an extension and evolution of the multidisciplinary artist’s rigorous, virtuosic sound-making practices. On Contact, the devoted performer, intrepid composer and avid collaborator channels an alchemy of influences and ideas through the kinetic exchange of human and percussive forms. Produced and mixed by Randall Dunn, Contact sees Fox accessing ever more raw and ruminative states, processing the tumult of sentience into stick-hit-drum.
Bruton Brutoff - The Ambient, Electronic and Pastoral Sounds of the Bruton Library Catalogue
Rare musical magic from the Bruton library catalogue – ambient, spacey, pastoral and electronic. Music by John Cameron, Alan Hawkshaw, Francis Monkman, Brian Bennett and more – all total masters of the scene. All very cool. All very now. All will sell very fast.
Shapes: Sideways is the latest in Tru Thoughts’ series of essential label compilations, compiled and curated by A&R, label co-founder, and re- nowned DJ Robert Luis. It features the finest Tru Thoughts classic cuts, recent releases from the new generation of the roster, stirring remixes and world exclusive tracks.
Philadelphian guitarist/composer/educator/poet Monnette Sudler recorded this her debut album in 1977 in New York. It showcases Monnette Sudler as dynamic and versatile performer. By that time she had completed her studies at Berklee College of Music. She later attended Temple University to further her education. She has performed with Kenny Barron, Hamiet Bluiett, Arthur Blythe, Sonny Fortune, Freddie Hubbard, Hugh Masakela, Archie Shepp, Cedar Walton, to mention a few. Monnette Sudler is the founder and artistic director of the Philadelphia Guitar Summit.
Dego and 2000Black Remixes / Fish Factory Sessions features two remixes from renowned broken beat innovator Dego and 2000Black of Sour Face. One rooted in Brazilian funk and boogie and the other delving into a deeper Bruk realm, the reworking’s showcase the versatility of the original track.
It is seemingly a match made in heaven (or hell), as Sniff’s natural tendency to produce slower beats suits Lyza’s tempo well, allowing her to glide alongside his bars with not a care in the world, unveiling the life she finds herself in, and the glory of it all.
Sam Prekop’s boundless imagination is guided by his strong sense of melody. For more than 25 years, as a solo artist or as part of The Sea and Cake, Prekop creates a singular sound inventive and warm. His distinctive vocals, guitar playing and work on modular analog synthesizers are inventive, delicate, and always bear his signature sense of melody. Comma finds Sam Prekop for the first time working extensively with beat programming, focusing his enveloping synthesizer pieces around a newfound rhythmic pulse.
The greatly missed trumpeter Harry Beckett has become incredibly collectable in recent times, with this album reaching significant sums, appealing to both Brit-jazz fans and the digging community after those elusive open drum breaks. The music is amongst the best he made in his career and features the funky guitar of Ray Russell in a number of superb Latin and Caribbean jazz fusion workouts. A gem and a lost classic.
