Инди-рок

Mogwai Release Haunting Score for French Zombie Show 'Les Revenants'. full-length soundtrack. The Les Revenants short-player is also available in 10-inch form, though limited to 2,000 copies worldwide. Record Label: Pias Uk/Rock Action Records Style: Independent

The sun-soaked hills of Southern California have inspired many a studio autéur - from Brian WIlson to Phil Spector to Harry Nilsson, each having paid tribute to California in song & craft. Frank Maston knows a little bit about craft (and Southern Cali to boot), having spent his youth in The Valley, absorbing the meticulously crafted discography of Msrs. Spector, Wilson, Bacharach, & Morricone, all the while mentally re-scoring the music to old Prisoner episodes & other filmography from the sixties & seventies. "Shadows" is his first proper offering, having produced two solo cassette EPs since 2011 & coalesces the ideas sketched out in those releases with stunning results. Imagine if David Lynch had set Twin Peaks in Malibu instead of the Northwest, & you'll start to peek inside the world of Maston. Brass, woodwinds, organs and piano mix with haunting melodies and eerie guitar lines that seem to spring forth from the very fingers of Alessandro Alessandroni himself. There are no artificial sounds on this record, and Maston plays them all himself (save the harp, played by Ana Caravelle), capturing the sounds naturally thru the warm embrace of true analog gear. From the sauntering "Young Hearts", to slinky instrumentals like "King Conrad" & "Strange Rituals", to urgent pop clatter of "Mirror" the album works as a whole because Frank Maston appreciates the historical musical tradition of 1960's Los Angeles and the music succeeds without irony or pastiche. These songs are not reflections, but shadows. Record Label: Trouble In Mind Style: Independent

Record Label: Pias Uk/Fat Possum Style: Independent

Belfast-based four-piece GIRLS NAMES are a singular proposition, both geographically and psychically removed from their contemporaries at home and abroad. Their second album "The New Life" is the sound of a band on the fringes striving to forge their own path, purposefully out of step - and time - with their surroundings. Weighed heavy with the grey landscapes of their hometown, "The New Life" is isolation laid bare, shot through with an undeterred sense of purpose and individuality. Having released a series of singles and EPs on various independent labels, GIRLS NAMES made their first significant impression on the wider world in 2011 with their debut album, "Dead To Me". As soon as that record was released Girls Names were already moving into a different headspace. The band's performance at the 2012 Primavera festival provided them with their first real opportunity to showcase the songs that were to comprise "The New Life". The sunshine backdrop of the Spanish coastline offered a somewhat incongruous setting to the eerie dissonance of the new material, a kind of trial by fire metamorphosis rapturously received. Following a tour of Europe, the band returned home to record the album over a series of months. Having been produced by singer and songwriter, Cathal Cully, they've managed to capture that sense of otherness the performances at Primavera hinted at. The expansion to a four piece means the garage-clatter of the spritely pop songs of their debut have been replaced by a deeper, shadowy exercise in catharsis, driven by repetition, psychedelia and Dionysian crisis. The album's title track, and the first single to be taken from the album is 8 minutes long and rotates around a hypnotic bass line, and in Cully's evocation of renaissance, offers a perfect metaphor for the album as a whole. The second single "Hypnotic Regression" reflects another side to the record. The reverb-heavy guitars and compelling melody are immediately memorable, but there are signs of experimentation, too; the white squall of the lead break; the uneasiness in the vocal echoes that furnish the verses. As such, "The New Life", stands as a brave statement; the mark of the band untying themselves from the past and easing forth into the unknown. Record Label: Tough Love Style: Independent

Sell Your Memories is the new full length album from Los Angeles band, FONDA. Fusing together classic pop hooks and gracious, dreampop sonics, FONDA approach pop music's most celebrated subjects with a colorful, blissed-out, reverbed drenched kaleidoscopic wall of sound. It's a collection of sad love songs, dreamy crush stories and bittersweet break-ups. Record Label: Minty Fresh Style: Independent

Record Label: Souterrain Transmissions Style: Independent

CUDDLY SHARK encapsulate a purist "plug in and play" ethos with a touch of ice cold rock'n'roll. Idiosyncratic lyricism and odd anti-melodies combine with foot down, pedal-to-the-metal performances. Born and bred in the bonnie Highlands of Scotland, the band consists of Colin Reid on guitar and vocals, Jason Sinclair on drums and Ruth Forsyth on bass guitar and vocals. From the opening salvo of "SPMG" and "Overpriced", complete with headlong thrashy guitars, low slung bass and shouty vocals shot through with pugnacious humour, CUDDLY SHARK reaffirm that they will never have an ounce of pretentious hip- fat on them. "Broken Arm" is rock solid and swaggeringly cool; the band prove they have more hooks than a tackle-box with recent single, "Body Mass Index" and the hillbilly punk of "Doodlebug". Then there's the Pixies-like donkey kick of "My iPod Made Me Do It", and the feverish growler "Pull The Finger Out", which is anarchic and free spirited. In the sweet half hour experience that is "The Road To Ugly", the band also serenade us with string-laden Celtic clatter ("Fiddley Dee"), European-folky flair ("The Devil In You"), falsetto-pop ("Trigger Happy"), and country-tinged stompin' ("Out of Sight, Out Of Mind"). CUDDLY SHARK bring proceedings to a close with the heart-on-sleeve balladry of "Local Hero". Effortlessly cool, chock-full of deadpan lyrical quips, manic shrieking, offbeat chug-a-lug riffing, melodic oomph and much more, "The Road To Ugly" is a stupendous journey and definitely worth the trip, time and time again. "...will induce all sorts of compulsive body movements on the dance-floor. The Year of The Shark!" - Artrocker Record Label: Armellodie Style: Independent

BEAT MARK are one of a few French bands to strike with the noisy pop spirit of contemporary U.S. music (from MGMT to DUM DUM GIRLS), who don't hide their mid-80s to mid-90s English influences. Their sound has been described as nuggets of THE VASELINES, and TELEVISION PERSONALITIES with a few drops of THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, THE STONE ROSES and PRIMAL SCREAM. . Whatever, the mix, the 2 boys and 2 girls of BEAT MARK from Paris have created a full-length album that has a raw and instantly refreshing new sound. "Sexy & dirty, melodic & gloriously messy at the same time" - LES INROCKS. "Saturated garage guitar pop, lo-fi psychedelism . it's simple, it's beautiful, it's dignified & sober" - ROCK & FOLK MAGAZINE Record Label: Ample Play Style: Independent

BEACH FOSSILS began in 2009 as the solo project of Dustin Payseur. Before and after the 2010 release of the S/T debut LP and 2011's ,What A Pleasure" EP, they performed around the world with a lineup that once featured Cole Smith (DIIV) and John Peña (HEAVENLY BEAT). They quickly became known for their highly energetic stage show, bringing the recorded work to a volume and tempo that would make even the indie-est of crowds wind up in a frenzy. With the exception of drummer Tommy Gardner, that lineup dissolved to pursue their ambitions with the aforementioned projects. Wanting to bridge the gap between the live and recorded aspects of the band, Dustin began writing ,Clash the Truth" determined to capture the urgency, human flow and spontaneity of the live performance. Now with a full time drummer (and co-writer of two tracks on the LP) BEACH FOSSILS entered the studio in the fall of 2012 with producer Ben Greenberg of THE MEN. Instead of merely going from a "bedroom DiY" project to a "better fidelity studio project" the deliberate decision to work with Ben was determined to capture, if not in style, the spirit and enthusiasm of punk and aggressive music in general. To ensure that dynamic, the drums were recorded live in a room with Dustin on bass to give the album a driving and energetic force. Consider the titles "Generational Synthetic," "Caustic Cross" and "Burn You Down," it's easy to see how the record, while not a punk or post-punk record by strict definition, certainly nods to the first major influence of Dustin's creative spark. The first two notes of the title track that kick the LP off are a clear indicator of where his head was at. The LP also sees Dustin stretching his songwriting muscles, with the acoustic Lennon-esque "Sleep Apnea" and the dreamy "In Vertigo", which features the vocals of Kazu Makino (BLONDE REDHEAD). During the recording period, the studio was flooded and destroyed by hurricane Sandy and the band had to relocate to another studio to finish the LP in earnest. It all came together when the work of legendary video artist Peter Campus was finalized to be featured throughout the release and on the striking cover. ,Clash the Truth" marks a clear progression in the ongoing story of BEACH FOSSILS. Drawing from the previous works' melodic strengths and uncanny guitar textures emboldened by a sound closer to their energetic and cathartic live set, it's the clear next step in the trajectory of the bandand the dis-association from the home-recording boom from which it originated. Record Label: Captured Tracks Style: Independent

AMOR DE DIAS, the long-term collaboration between Alasdair MacLean (THE CLIENTELE) and Lupe Núñez-Fernández (PIPAS), release their sophomore album "The House at Sea" on Merge Records. While their debut album ,Street of the Love of Days" took three years to make, "The House at Sea" was recorded and mixed in only nine days. As a result, the sessions centered around a smaller band-the twin Spanish guitars and voices of Núñez-Fernández and MacLean, and an occasional rhythm section of James Hornsey and Howard Monk, both formerly of THE CLIENTELE. The fast pace of the sessions resulted in a rawer, more urgent album, recorded by Brian O'Shaughnessy (MY BLOODY VALENTINE, PRIMAL SCREAM, DENIM, BIRDIE) on 1970s valve equipment with a feeling for space and a deliberately limited palette, all the elements of which had to count. ,The House at Sea" is a snapshot of a year's songs written in London and Madrid. There are pop songs, delirious dream accounts, strange lyrical puzzles, and stories from the city and the suburbs. The theme of the sea threads its way throughout the record along with a gentle sense of drifting and departure, of being lost, of saudade-a sadness at lost things. Record Label: Merge Style: Independent

Half-Speed Mastered" is the first proper full-length of ALEISTER X and comes out via ANDREW W.K.'s Steev Mike labelCombining elements of pop, dub, rap, all manner of good rock, and experimental music, "Half-Speed Mastered" takes ALEISTER X's amalgamation of music and dark humor to a new level. With song titles to include "Hxllywxxd Signs," as well as "Malibu," "LAX" and "Topanga Strangla", a theme becomes evident throughout the entire album. ALEISTER X says of the concept, "It's meant to be a contemporary L.A. noir love affair. I love the Hollywood dark-side-of- Tinseltown vibe as well as the iconic images of bungalows, canyon houses, swimming pools and cars, weirdos, the "Boogie Nights" to "Bang Bus"-era porn industry, and Rad Culture - surfing, skateboarding, beach culture, punk, surf rock, stoner rock, west coast rap, rock and psychedelia; all the cool Southern California shit." Layering live instrumentation, big vocals, and samples as well as visuals into his live performance, ALEISTER X's multi-media head-fuckery has spread organically worldwide. "He's absolutely one of the greatest lyricists and melody makers I've ever encountered. Amazing riffs, amazing phrases, amazing visions and imaginings... It's been powerful and life-changing to explore his shadow powers." -Andrew W.K Record Label: Steev Mike Style: Independent

Artist: Reverend & Makers Label: The End Records

Artist: The Jealous Sound Label: Rise Records

Artist: Ra Ra Riot Label: Barsuk

Stunning new album by Ralf Wehowsky. He is currently one of the most respected electronic composers of our day. Ghostly creaking sounds mix with highly complex electro-acoustic and electronic sounds. This description may sound familiar, but no sound is what it seems and RLW always manages to stay far ahead of his contemporaries. His music is impossible to pigeonhole into one simple bracket. It is neither industrial or musique concrete, nor computer music nor improvisation. In fact it could be all of these. Ltd to 500 copies, the CD comes packaged in a Japanese mini LP style sleeve with textured reverse board printing and black inner sleeve Record Label: Dirter Style: Independent

Record Label: Felte Style: Independent

Fire Records are delighted to announce that they will be releasing the brand new solo album from Australian songwriting legend Tom Morgan, best known for his contributions to SMUDGE and THE LEMONHEADS. "Orange Syringe" includes ten perfectly formed stripped-back pop songs saturated with Aussie charm, with just the right amount of jangle and an instantly comforting hook. The album showcases Morgan's skills as a master storyteller and lyricist, delving in to complex and personal subject matter, while never forsaking the hooks, leaving the songs swathed in melodic hues and moods ranging from the bright to the very, very dark. The man who wrote iconic songs like "It's A Shame About Ray" and "Outdoor Type" delivers line after line of tongue-in-cheek genius, with darkly funny twists like "the outcome is bleak, the second time in a week" and "I'm not broke, I'm just not working" along with casual flirtations, winking as he delivers "this beauty before me, she's a bit of alright" and smiling through his days of holding back on the bus fare when a pretty girl sleeps over and remembering his full family history while picking up the bottle of wine for dinner at his mother's. Tom Morgan has played in a plethora of bands, including fronting Aussie stalwarts SMUDGE, a tremendous 'slacker pop' trio who he formed in 1991 with drummer Alison Galloway (immortalized in THE LEMONHEADS "Alison is Starting to Happen"). They quickly became known for Morgan's melodic, mini-pop masterpieces with his colourful lyrics and the band's low-fi approach to recording, releasing three albums (plus a collection of B sides and unreleased covers), a mini-album, a handful of singles, and appearing on several compilation albums. Fire has recently reissued their stellar "Real McCoy", "Wrong Sinatra" and "Manilow" records. Long established as one of the finest lyricists of a generation of Aussie tunesmiths, Morgan was brought to wider attention when he paired with LEMONHEADS frontman Evan Dando for the albums "It's a Shame About Ray" and "Come on Feel The Lemonheads". With Tom's lyrical dexterity and ear for a perfect pop song, their meeting bore immediate spoils, inspiring Evan to global acclaim as he began the more 'pop' direction of his career. He was so taken with Tom's tunes that he even covered some of Smudge's songs, with great commercial success. Following passing a guitar back and forth with Evan, Tom and SMUDGE continued in various guises before finally splitting in 1999, only to get together a few years later to play periodic shows. A prolific writer, he has been continuously working and creating, and is finally ready with a proper solo album, seeing him recording with his wife Leticia and producing some of the very best work of his career. It is clearly time to sit up and take notice of the pop songwriting masterclass that is "Orange Syringe", where finally Tom Morgan can take centre stage and receive the recognition he deserves Style: Independent

Record Label: Skycap Style: Independent

Impossibly rare recordings by Missouri's Lena Hughes, recorded in the early 60's in Arkansas. Previously only available on an early 60's LP. A musical "amateur" that best exemplified true artistry, Lena Hughes was born in Grape Grove Township, Missouri, in 1904. Though she never recorded any 78s and only one LP, Hughes was most influential through her steady performances at various fiddler conventions and folk festivals throughout the Ozarks. She was an excellent fiddler, banjoist and guitar picker who retained the largely extinct repertoire of parlour pieces and the variety of specialized tunings that were necessary to play them. She lived most of her life in Ludlow, Missouri and passed away in 1998. Lena Hughes' repertoire can be divided roughly in half: finger-picked numbers adapted from fiddle tunes and recast parlor guitar pieces gleaned from popular sentimental songs, hymns, and 19th century airs. As a faithful attendee at folk festivals, Hughes was accompanied by her guitar-playing husband, Jake. Her most mesmerizing performances, such as "Pearly Dew," "Spanish Fandango," and "Kentucky Moon Waltz," depend heavily upon the resonance of the open chord as it relates to the picking of the melodic line, primarily on one string. This tonal reliance is most similar to the "celestial octave" that Washington Phillips employs, with similar effect, on his "Train Your Child." This ethereal harmonic technique, which seems so natural in Hughes' playing, is the holy grail for most finger-picking guitarists. Her lack of pretense and her mastery of this repertoire is what defines her legendary status. Record Label: Tompkins Square Style: Independent

Last year, after spending many years "doing stuff" HACKER FARM (Farmer Glitch and Kek-w) released their debut album "Poundland". This monolithic electro-junkshop blackhole Burrough'd into Broken Britain with an unparalleled shamanic gait and ferocious force. HACKER FARM's second album is called "UHF". On the subject of "UHF", demonic genius Warren Ellis has this to say: There's a word for this stuff. Paramusicology, maybe. Psychotronic audio. It's like two nutters on a farm in the wilds - which isn't so far from the truth - got an old radio to tune into the flight deck of a UFO while it committed low-level strafing runs on the minds of the Western world. It is pulsing and alien and lovely, and I haven't heard anything like it all year. Record Label: Exotic Pylon Style: Independent