Pop International

Digipack. Berlin duo The/Das release their sophomore album, Exit Strategies, on Life And Death. The absorbing 12-tracker is the result of a period of searching that finds the new line-up of Fabian Fenk and Philipp Koller combine multiple ideas, layers, fragments and sounds and refine their distinct idea of techno tenderness. It makes for a soothing and escapist 60 minute listen that works as well at home, on headphones, as it does loud in the club. The new album is a perfect blend of the pair’s Berlin techno roots with a devotion to organic sounds and cinematic details that makes it a real trip for the head, heart and heel from start to finish. More house influenced than their previous works on labels like Sinnbus, Krakatau and DJ Tennis’s Life And Death, their artistic vision ties it all together as the duo continues to push each other, bounce ideas back and forth and eventually distill them into something fresh and new. The album itself was an unhurried affair made from various sketched starting points collected over three years of research. Influenced from their travels, a decade of DJ gigs and shared musical experiences, they then headed into the studio for three intense months to arrange, rework, jam out new material, edit and collate all their sounds and ideas. Finally, they spent three weeks behind the mixing desk, shaping the whole lot into one complete form. Made using an array of drum machines and with a new focus on sampling, the album has experimental loops, sounds and rhythms imbued within, and lyrics that act as textural and emotive interventions, adding to the overall flow Record Label: Life And Death Style: Pop

Digipack. Love makes the world go around. Two, the second album by The Soul Session, is full of love. Ralph Kiefer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer from South Germany embarks on a stylistically diverse journey into Soul, Jazz, Funk and World Music. Being a highly respected session musician in the jazz as well as the crossover scene, Kiefer made a serious impact in 2011 with one, the first Soul Session album. one was built on a solid backbeat of Soul, Hip Hop and Funk, while two now takes a step further into a spiritual and eclectic dimension. Quantraversa featuring the voice of Las Vegas based neo-soul queen Georgia Anne Muldrow is the mind- blowing opener of this album, a truly deep and intense rhythmic statement Record Label: Agogo Style: Pop

I wanted to create a world that made the listener feel like they were floating,” says Tim Mislock. “But I didn’t want it to feel like floating in an unnatural or forced environment – like a sensory deprivation tank – I wanted it to feel like you were in a boundless, organic space like a lake or an ocean.” This feeling of elemental immersion that Mislock has created is on his debut solo album, Now is the Last Best Time, a guitar-centric ambient record inspired by the Alzheimer’s caretaker experience. Throughout the last decade, Mislock has watched his stepfather deteriorate at the hands of the disease while his mother fulfils the role of caregiver – her love, dedication and energy required evermore as time goes on. The purpose of the concept record was twofold. “I wanted to raise awareness of the disease,” Mislock says. “The numbers of people suffering from Alzheimer’s is growing with each generation. As the parents of those in my generation grow older, Alzheimer’s disease will affect more and more families. I also wanted to develop a historical document to thank my mother and tell her that her generosity and kindness have not gone unnoticed.” It’s a record that envelops the listener in a deep fog, where guitars fizz and crackle among melodic dips and glides; electronics pulse, hum, and whir through the compositions like wind. It’s rooted in emotions, ones that Mislock has experienced firsthand, as he says. “The disease has changed the way I think about time and the importance of being present. I began focusing on creating a musical place where I could vent my fears and emotions about what my family was going through. Upwards of 70% of spousal or familial caretakers predecease the Alzheimer’s patient they are caring for and I was afraid of losing my mom. These musical worlds became places to express and explore those emotions.” Mislock is a previous member of The Antlers and Holly Miranda and has just wrapped up his debut run in the original Broadway cast of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, worked closely with Dave Harrington (one half of Darkside with Nicolas Jaar), someone he admires greatly. “I’ve always looked up to Dave; he has been a torchbearer for me musically. I knew that Dave was the only person who could help me visualise the music, that he’d force me into improvisational and sonic territory that I needed help accessing. He’s my musical shaman.” Over the course of a year, the two worked to preserve the natural essence of the music and the emotive charge that sparked it. Being rooted in the personal and the human, it had to be by its very nature, imperfect. This was something Mislock embraced. “Technology has progressed to a point where music can be inhumanely perfect and I wanted to leave imperfections in these songs to make sure the human element was felt. I wanted it to feel like digital components in a human world, versus human components in a wholly digital existence.” The album is named after a passage in the Alzheimer’s memoir of Thomas DeBaggio, entitled Losing My Mind. “In one of his entries was the phrase “now is the last best time.” It resonated with me, this heartbreaking description of what struggling with the disease can feel like, not only to the patient, but also for the caretakers, and even more broadly, for the whole family. Personally, I think it’s a call to action—to live in the present, for tomorrow is unknown.” While the album is vastly influenced by the stalwarts of the ambient world – Eno, Stars of the Lid, Eluvium – and some more modern minimalist composers such as Max Richter and Jonny Greenwood, there’s one particular piece of music that connected deeply with Mislock during the process. “The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars was a huge influence because it deals with such a tragic event but, musically, it creates an emotional world that is somehow grounded in respect and reverence for the event itself. I wanted to borrow from that idea, since Alzheimer’s impacts so many people. I wanted to be respectful to their struggles and emotions.” Ultimately, the record is a sonic exploration of respect that pays homage to his greatest influence: his mother. Record Label: !K7 Style: Pop

New album by the Belgian group Intergalactic Lovers Record Label: Grand Hotel van Cleef Style: Pop

180g, gatefold cover. Filled with an emotional intensity (and complexity) that s both raw and moving, Tina Dico s sensitive voice sounds more vibrant than ever on her latest release, as she delivers her introspective songs with shimmering power and grace. Music has always been a very big and mysterious part of my life, she explains. It s definitely my way to feel alive. It s fair to say that I found my calling. And with her own label, multi-platinum status in her native country, a Danish Music Award, and international success with Zero 7, it s hard to disagree. Count to Ten is proof that the unusual path Tina s life has travelled isn t something she takes for granted. The graceful tenor of Tina s voice perfectly showcases her contemplative lyrics, giving Count to Ten its distinctly honest sound and unforgettably true spirit. Review: Single On the Run as a Hot Download saying "The Danish singer featured by Zero 7, delivers moving midtempo rock on On the Run." --People Magazine Tina Dico's single, Sacre Coeur has been featured in E Weekly's Choice Cuts section. The single, in which "the London-based Danish beauty muses about Paris streets at sunset" is cut from Tina's new album Count to Ten, released in full on April 8th. --Entertainment Weekly Shes like an updated Tracy Chapman with her no-nonsense delivery, deft acoustic picking and songs of yearning. --LA Times Record Label: Finest Gramophone Style: Pop

Iconic Australian psych rock quintet Beaches return with epic double LP Second Of Spring - Chapter Music's first double album by a single artist. Beaches' much-loved second album She Beats brought the band international acclaim in 2013. Featuring guitar by German motorik hero Michael Rother (Neu, Harmonia), the album earned raves from Pitchfork, Stereogum, Gorilla Vs Bear, Spin and elsewhere. Second Of Spring takes Beaches even further out, to where the pyramid meets the eye - an enveloping sonic landscape filled with extended instrumentals, overdriven psych-outs and propulsive pop nuggets. The album was recorded in Melbourne with engineer/producer John Lee (Totally Mild, Lost Animal). Artwork is by the bandâ??s Ali McCann, with design by renowned artist Darren Sylvester. Beaches' self-titled 2008 debut was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize, and included in glossy coffee table book 100 Best Australian Albums. The band released a standalone 12" on New York lab el Mexican Summer in 2010. They have toured the US twice, playing SXSW and Austin Psych Fest, and shared stages with Roky Erickson, Deerhunter, The Cult, Thee Oh Sees, Lightning Bolt, Mogwai, Best Coast and more. Already revered as sprawling, swirling psych overlords, Second Of Spring is Beaches' undeniable magnum opus Record Label: Chapter Music Style: Psychedelic Rock

THE UNDERGROUND STORY OF TRANSATLANTIC RECORDS 1968-1976 - This TRIPLE-DISC set (with remastered sound) offers 39 highlights from the catalogue of the highly rated progressive label Transatlantic. Included are tracks from Pentangle, Alan Hull, Marsupilami, Mr. Fox, Jody Grind, The Deviants, The Humblebums, Gordon Giltrap, Stray, Gerry Rafferty, Skin Alley, Jan Dukes De Grey, CMU, Gryphon, Little Free Rock, The Sallyangie, Decameron, Unicorn, Circus, Metro and others. This deluxe anthology, housed in a clamshell box, includes a lavishly illustrated booklet with an essay and biographies. Record Label: Esoteric Style: Rock

50 Years Summer Of Love: The perfect soundtrack for the season with the hottest and longest days. These hits bring back precious memories! Enjoy hits like Soul Man, Sugar Sugar, Spirit In The Sky and If I Had A Hammer! Record Label: Zyx Style: Pop

THE JEFF POCARO TRIBUTE CONCERT - The Classic Tribute Concert From 1992 To The Late Toto Drummer Record Label: Left Field Media Style: Pop/Rock

THE GALLAGHER SIBLINGS SPEAK – NOT LEAST ABOUT EACH OTHER Record Label: I.V. Media Style: Brit Pop

DOUBLE DISC SET OF DOCUMENTARY AND INTERVIEW FILM FOOTAGE Record Label: The Collectors Forum Style: Pop

In 2010 he released the debut album of a boy from the Swedish province called Jonas Jonsson. For his musical alias he chose the eye-catching name of the Camera Eyes and the title of the record, The Long Wait Champion, showed a healthy dose of self-ir Record Label: Startracks Style: Indie Pop

Artist: Various Artists Label: Earth Recordings

Artist: Ariel Pink Label: Caroline

Artist: MATTHEW BOURNE Label: Leaf

Artist: VARIOUS ARTISTS Label: Crimson

Artist: Brockmann; Artist: Bargmann Label: Bureau B

Artist: Mikado Label: Crepuscule

Artist: David Crosby; Artist: Jerry Garcia; Artist: Phil Lesh Label: Live on Vinyl