Rock International

Artist: Cicada Rhythm Label: Normaltown Records

Artist: Magenta Label: Cleopatra

Artist: Al Stewart Label: Esoteric Recordings

Artist: Al Stewart Label: Esoteric Recordings

Artist: Christian Death Label: Cleopatra

This is 30th anniversary platter by the most important german beat band ever since the legendary BOOTS !!! To celebrate 30 years of wild, ravin' beat mayhem Screaming Apple is releasing "Compiled!", a six track 45rpm 10" compilation. This new edition to the labels catalogue brings together 5 tracks in part previously available on, amongst others, british and australian compilations from 1989 - 2010, with the addition of a previously unreleased recording of "I ain't got you" from 1989. The track "Bad news travels fast" from " Tribute to the Fuzztones vol. II" has previously only been available on CD. All songs, four of them taken from the now almost-impossible-to-find original compilations, have been remastered by Crypt/Back From the Grave mastermind Tim Warren sounding even more authentic and garagey than ever. Sleeve artwork by Johnny No (the No-Counts) and liner notes from Lenny Helsing (The Thanes) make this 10" a must-have for every neo-beat and garage enthusiast. Let's see what Lenny has to say about the band: "It was way back in the summer of 1986 during The Thanes' maiden voyage to Germany, playing in Hamburg and Berlin (and still billed as The Green Telescope) that I was first alerted to the sounds of The What...For! They stood out a mile even then as being a group who were incredibly passionate about the best of the global mid-sixties scene; specifically the mod-beat noises and colourful image as cultivated during the golden age by groups such as The Who, The Pretty Things, The Downliners Sect and, of course, Berlin's own finest exponents of long-hair beat-punk R&B sounds, The Boots! Having shared stages with The What...For! on a number of occasions now, from our initial encounter at Berlin's Quartier Latin club in August '86 right up to our more recent bill-share just a few short years ago at the city's Starlite Ballroom as part of The Berlin Beat Explosion, I've witnessed how they have gone from wildly enthusiastic mod-garage teens playing great covers of 'Blues Theme' and 'Chicago' to a group who are absolute masters of their chosen craft. I still remember bassist Stephan Schulz - "the Deutscher Dave Davies" as I always saw him - his face, sideburns and checked trews were a perfect distillation of modern-day Kinkdom - sending me a cassette tape of what was to be the group's debut LP and being truly impressed by their intuitive beat groove and sterling rhythm work on original songs such as 'I Want It All' and 'Her'. Another wholly standout moment in the long-spanning career of The What...For! that lives on in my mind was when I witnessed them live in 1988 at the infamous KOB venue on Potsdammerstr. Having walked in to an already sold-out, heaving crowd the group belted out a particularly wild cover of The Birds' early freakbeat anthem 'How Can It Be'. The atmosphere was thoroughly electric, led by Urs Zelle's commanding vocals and Pete (Moon) Johannsen's whirling actions around the drum-kit. Given the calibre of talent and extremely good taste in song choice - who wouldn't be swayed by a terrific reading of The Rainbows' mad-sounding 'Rotekarierte Petersilie' - and their, always on-the-spot conviction throughout each performance, I'm somewhat taken aback that this far down the line The What...For! have not yet achieved breakthrough status, either in their home country or on the international stage, yet I ain't giving up on them and this could still happen; it's never too late and perhaps this will be the record that will do it for them; that will wake people up from their easy-oasy slumber, to be a record that will resonate deep inside the listener long after the mechanism has stopped. The What...For! Isn't this what we've all being waiting for?" Record Label: Screaming Apple Style: Garage Rock

Downloadcode. There is a purpose behind ambient music: it is utility music. Brian Eno made that clear once and for all with "Music for Airports" – the utilitarian nature of this music can already be found in the title. But way before that, in 1920, Erik Satie composed "Musique d"ameublement" – furniture music. Satie created true background music as a reaction against the misuse of classical music as a carpet of sound. The purpose of his furniture music was also to bridge the awkward gaps in conversation in social situations. In turn, Eno's airport music is meant to serve as background music while sounding interesting enough for listeners to become absorbed. If we go by Eno's definition, the music on T.RAUMSCHMIERE's new album is not ambient. Although – or in fact, because – each individual track on this album immediately and effortlessly generates atmospheres, it is impossible not to be drawn in. T.RAUMSCHMIERE sucks the listener into the perceptible endlessness of his pulsating sounds, even though the music does not actually expect anything from the listener. It is not demanding, it does not sound lofty or ethereal. It is in constant movement and evolution while sounding grounded at the same time. The tracks are not weightless; they have body. A darkly beating pulse works like a machine through the surging pads of "Dampfer". Synths drone languidly on "Anker". T.RAUMSCHMIERE deftly manages to avoid succumbing to the kitsch that often arises from these kinds of sounds. "Grotznogg" has an inner stillness within the rustling and scattered clattering and clanging. "Zwischenstopp" provides the perfect soundtrack for a submarine ride, complete with depth sounder and an undercurrent of anxiety. The track "007" is a post-industrial masterpiece – warm, heavy, and latently threatening. And the list goes on. Clearly a new meaning of the term ambient is needed to describe the music on this album more accurately. It is music that never sounds deliberate yet at the same time is so compelling, which might have something to do with the fact that SHITKATAPULT label founder Marco Haas aka T.RAUMSCHMIERE is the one behind it. As T.RAUMSCHMIERE, Haas produces a sound with influences ranging from bass music and punk rock to industrial; the names of his records speak best for themselves: Monstertruckdriver, Sick Like Me, I Tank U… everyone knows what the deal is here. It is only logical that his new album is just called "T.RAUMSCHMIERE". This record is certainly an excellent lubricant for dreams. Haas is known for his take-no-prisoners approach to his live sets, which feature distorted beats, grueling basses, and steep descents. Now for the flipside, the negative image of the sound that made T.RAUMSCHMIERE famous, the sound that has allowed us to get closer to the understanding of this magic ambient music. The shadow of T.RAUMSCHMIERE does not come in with massive beats and basses, yet it is so imposing and so dark that it seems within our grasp. Record Label: Albumlabel Style: Electro/Ambient

Limited! “I was thinking about the concept of difficulty. Whether in life or in nature - of conflict, of being troubled. The idea of friction. Also in geology, an asperity is some part of a faultline that doesn’t move which can create an earthquake, which is quite an evocative concept.” Asperities is the fourth solo album by acclaimed Canadian cellist Julia Kent. As the title suggests, this is a record born of conflict: internal, personal and global. Universal themes. The build of pressure and the threat of violent release. Modern guilt. Modern fears. Kent draws from a rich well of emotion, the pieces deceptively rendered, each feeling like a miniature dramatic epic in its own right – sculpted and self-contained. Her work on recent film scores is very much in evidence. While cinematic in scope, there is nothing as trite as a Hollywood ending here. There is tension and darkness, the edges cracked and frayed. “A lot of the melodic material is based on semitones,” Julia elaborates. “So in the music there is an inherent sense of dissonance; that things are too close for comfort. More generally, it seems like a particularly dark time in the world right now, and I think that definitely had an influence too.” The album was recorded, produced and mixed in its entirety by Julia in her New York studio. This method of working lends the record a sense of isolation that carries a powerful resonance in our modern over-connected world. “I really like the autonomy of working alone,” she says. “I feel that I can transmit something emotionally that I might not be able to if there were someone else involved.” Utilising looped cello, electronics and found sounds, Kent creates a world where the technological and the organic merge in perfect symbiosis, the layers of sound peeling back to reveal a beating, bloody human heart at its centre. “I did quite a lot of processing of the cello sound and used different electronic textures,” she explains of her technique. “I was trying to get away from the acoustic cello sound and find one that was more textural and more expressive of the material.” Throughout the plaintive strains of opener ‘Hellebore’, the prowling grace of ‘The Leopard’, the elegant restraint of ‘Heavy Eyes’ and the immersive closer ‘Tramontana’, Kent’s cello evokes romance and loss, a yearning for simplicity. This is the soundtrack to the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of death. Vancouver-born and New York-based, Julia Kent rose to prominence with Rasputina and Antony & The Johnsons. Her extensive résumé includes recent work with Swans, Aidan Baker, Rachel Grimes, Rutger Zuydervelt, Barbara Morgenstern, Library Tapes and Khan of Finland. Kent has also composed extensively for film, theatre and dance. Her cinematic work includes the documentaries The Boxing Girls of Kabul and Rwanda, L’Impossible Pardon, American feature A Short History of Decay, short films Doppio Urlo, and the award-winning Oasis. Her music also was used in Paolo Sorrentino’s 2011 film This Must Be The Place. As a solo artist she has toured extensively in Europe and North America and performed at festivals including Primavera Sound, Reeperbahn, Unsound, and Meltdown. Record Label: Leaf Style: Independent

180g Black Vinyl - 3mm spined sleeve, 4c print on 300g GC1 board, reverse board (inside/out) print - Limited to 500 units - Download card included (sticker) After his critically acclaimed debut solo effort "Float", released 2014, seminal Danish troubadour Kristian Harting returns with a new album and blesses the world with a batch of 12 new songs. While its predecessor "Float" incorporated ethereal songwriting skills deeply inspired by Western lo-fi pop, Mali Blues and the more avant-garde side of Folk, Kristian widens his focus towards a much more pop-orientated approach. "Summer Of Crush" is an album oscillating between melancholic dreamscapes and synth-ladden shamanic dance tracks. What remains, is the technique - mainly his guitar, voice, circuit-bending, effects-pushing and diverse electronic and acoustic trips. The tracks were written, played and recorded all by himself. Armed with loop pedals, effects, a synth played with his feet and a deep understanding of how analogue electronics can be used to create a true emotional feel he went into his own studio, working for several weeks to shape imaginary forms into sound collages of captivating intensity. With yarning a cocoon of sounds and melodies around the listener he creates an atmosphere of comfort and ease, but breaking up the narration here and there like an emotional tightrope dancer who lets himself fall into the mesh, showing the audience that there might be certain demons lying in ambush striving to destroy emotional comfort. In 2014 he toured Europe massively with FUTURE ISLANDS, and later with labelmates CONNY OCHS and FRIEDEMANN, building up a quite impressive fanbase. In August 2015 he returned to the fold and played two sold-out shows with FUTURE ISLANDS following their invitation to the massive Vega venue in his hometown Copenhagen. This new album will be accompanied by a serious set of live efforts again and a big European tour in early 2016. His live skills are exceptional and we can only advise every listener not to miss these shows. Record Label: Exile On Mainstream Style: Singer/Songwriter

On LP for the first time, Half Japanese's "Boo!", capturing their 1992 European barnstorming tour, just in time for Halloween. The record features a removable mask (no strings attached!) designed by the one and only Jad Fair. Record Label: Fire Records Style: Noise-Rock

Record Label: Burning Heart Style: Rock

DELUXE VINYL EDITION! Bruce Springsteen - 1978 Roxy night is Often flagged by fans as the ‘best gig Bruce & The E Street Band ever played’, although perhaps this a judgment benefitting from the fact that, as with four other shows from the legendary Darkness Tour in 1978, it was broadcast on FM Radio (and so tapes and other formats have changed hands routinely ever since), listening to this recording again today one has to acknowledge that this contingency might just be correct! This is the second instalment of two from that legendary show on deluxe vinyl for the first time. Record Label: Let Them Eat Vinyl Style: Rock

DELUXE VINYL EDITION! Bruce Springsteen - 1978 Roxy night is Often flagged by fans as the ‘best gig Bruce & The E Street Band ever played’, although perhaps this a judgment benefitting from the fact that, as with four other shows from the legendary Darkness Tour in 1978, it was broadcast on FM Radio (and so tapes and other formats have changed hands routinely ever since), listening to this recording again today one has to acknowledge that this contingency might just be correct! This the first instalment of two from that legenday show on deluxe vinyl for the first time. Record Label: Let Them Eat Vinyl Style: Rock

Record Label: Echo Beach Style: Dub

SCREAM is the stunning debut album from British hard rock band LIFELINE. A true duet album with a classic British rock sounding that also combines songs that verge on melodic rock and hard rock along with tunes firmly seated within the AOR genre. SCREAM features 12 tracks packed with monstrous riffs and soaring melodies that seamlessly combine the vocal styles of Nigel and Lee without ever losing their individuality. The quality of the material combined with the first class musicianship makes this a debut album every self-respecting fan should check this out! After an introduction by Khalil Turk (Escape Music), Nigel Bailey (Three Lions, Bailey) and Lee Small (Shy, Phenomena) were determined to make an album together and share vocal duties. Paul Hume (Demon, Lawless) was approached as producer and as guitarist for the band. The guys needed a rock solid drummer and called upon Steve Clarkson, who Nigel had worked with for many years, as the man behind the drum kit. Last but not least, Andy Bailey (Three Lions, Bailey) was recruited to add keyboards. Record Label: Escape Music Style: Rock

GONG - RADIO GNOME INVISIBLE TRIOLOGY - FLYING TEAPOT, ANGELS EGG & YOU ALBUMS REMASTERED EXCLUSIVE BONUS DISC - 4CD BOX SET COLLECTION Maintaining the incredible sound quality and repackaging of 2015's critically acclaimed "Camembert Electrique" CD and LP remasters (CHARLYX680 / CHARLYL117) each CD album has been digitally remastered by Nick Robbins at SoundMastering Studios. This hardback EarBook edition features exclusive content including 72-pages full of artwork, rare photos, sleeve notes by Mojo magazine's Mark Paytress and more, together with a fourth CD of bonus material, including both sides of Gong's impossible-to-find debut single on BYG Records, released only in France in 1970. TRACKLISTING: 01. RADIO GNOME INVISIBLE 02. FLYING TEAPOT 03. THE POT HEAD PIXIES 04. THE OCTAVE DOCTORS & THE CRYSTAL MACHINE 05. ZERO THE HERO AND THE WITCH'S SPELL 06. WITCH SONG / I AM YOUR PUSSY DISC #2: 01. OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY 02. SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BUDDHA 03. CASTLE IN THE CLOUDS 04. PROSTITUTE POEM 05. GIVIN' MY LUV TO YOU 06. SELENE 07. FLUTE SALAD 08. OILY WAY 09. OUTER TEMPLE 10. INNER TEMPLE 11. PERCOLATIONS 12. LOVE IS HOW YOU MAKE IT 13. I NEVER GLID BEFORE 14. EAT THAT PHONEBOOK CODA DISC #3: 01. THOUGHTS FOR NAUGHT 02. A P.H.P'S ADVICE 03. MAGICK MOTHER INVOCATION 04. MASTER BUILDER 05. A SPRINKLING OF CLOUDS 06. PERFECT MYSTERY 07. THE ISLE OF EVERYWHERE 08. YOU NEVER BLOW YOUR TRIP FOREVER DISC #4: 01. FLYING TEAPOT (ALTERNATE MIX) 02. EAT THAT PHONEBOOK CODA (EARLY VERSION) 03. OTHER SIDE OF THE SKY (SINGLE VERSION) 04. OOBY-SCOOBY DOOMSDAY OR THE D-DAY DJ'S GOT THE D.D.T. BLUES 05. LOVE IS HOW YOU MAKE IT (VOCAL MIX) 06. EST-CE QUE JE SUIS ? 07. HIP HYPNOTISE YOU Record Label: Charly/Snapper Style: Rock

Limited pressing of 500 copies on white 180g vinyl With three CD's, well over 600+ shows, including a sold out european club tour this past Winter, FIVE HORSE JOHNSON puts their fourth and strongest recording to date with "The No. 6 Dance". Keeping with their raw acid-blues foundation, FHJ expands their sound even further into the swampy feel of early AEROSMITH, ZZ TOP, THE BLACK CROWES and even a little CAPTAIN BEEFHEART. No, none of that "Yo! G Metal" on this slab (eat your heart out Durst), just straight up American Rock out of the heartland with tons of guitar, groove and grind. The way great records use to be made. Well, the rest is up to you... it's time for the real deal and their name is FIVE HORSE JOHNSON. Record Label: Small Stone Style: Rock

Record Label: Rudenetworks Snc Style: Rock

Record Label: Drakkar Entertainment Gmbh Style: Rock

Live album, recorded in Cologne in 2015. Available as CD and DVD. Record Label: Deaf Shepherd Style: Pop