Penguin Cafe are back with a lovingly produced 10th anniversary reissue of their debut album, titled A Matter of Life… 2021. Besides being completely remastered and pressed on vinyl for the very first time, the record also features a brand new 2021 recording of lead single Harry Piers, a song commemorating Arthur Jeffes’ late father and Penguin Cafe Orchestra founder Simon Jeffes.
A Matter of Life… 2021 is a chance for a classic example of the beauty that’s found in collaboration to reach fresh ears, and an opportunity to breathe new life into fan favourites. The album, performed by a mix of personalities — including Neil Codling of Suede and, on percussion, Cass Browne of Gorillaz — incorporates the aesthetics of the original PCO, seasoned into a confident and redefined style, maintaining that quintessentially English sound, but adding a fresh direction and a sense that they are evolving into something new and very much their own.
“I originally wrote Harry Piers to play at my dad‘s memorial service 24 years ago, and I played it at the end of pretty much every gig (and soundcheck) we’ve done since, so I’ve probably played it hundreds if not thousands of times since we originally released A Matter of Life… So when we decided to reissue the album, Robert and I both felt it would be fun to record an up-to-date version of this song, because it has changed over time and it continues to evolve. So while this is still very much the same tune, I think it has a lot more nuance and detail that reflect the years that have passed since 2011” — Arthur Jeffes
The cover artwork also received an update in the shape of a beautiful photograph taken by the UK photographer and long-time collaborator Alex Kozobolis, who was sent to visit Arthur in his second home in Tuscany. Raths’ concept for this was to not only reenact the original painting by Emily Young, but to express the generational change by putting Arthur and his daughter in place of the little boy and the emperor penguin figure that suggest father and son.
The remastered 10th anniversary edition of A Matter of Life… 2021 will be available digitally, on 12” vinyl and on CD from April 29, 2022.
“it’s been really lovely to come back to these old friends — and with this re-issue we’ll be bringing them all out to play live again. Now four albums on, and with our new home at Erased Tapes, it makes a lot of sense for us to go back and pull this record out and brush it off for today” — Arthur Jeffes
We are thrilled to announce “Shelter” the upcoming fourth album by Costa Rica’s premier Prog Metal act Time’s Forgotten to be released in early 2022 via label Melodic Revolutions Records.
“This is a concept album and I think it is our best work yet,” says Calvo. “It shows how we’ve matured throughout our 16-year career as a band and we can’t wait for you to listen to it!”. The band also has some very special surprises for this in 2021, so stay tuned!
Tracklist: 1. New Dawn (prologue) 2. City 3. Cycle #248 4. Defiant 5. Accident of Evolution 6. Waking Up (interlude) 7. Ascension 8. Outsider 9. Moments of Clarity 10. The Road Home 11. Sleepless
Produced by Ari Lotringer and Juan Pablo Calvo and arranged by the band. Mixed and mastered by Calvo at Lúcuma Estudios.
Art direction: Fernando Fonseca. Photography: Sebastián Blanco. Photo editing: Ari Lotringer
Format: CD & Digital Catalog Number: MRRCD 22208
Time’s Forgotten is. Priscilla Ruiz: lead vocals Jorge Sobrado: drums Ari Lotringer: lead guitar Gonzalo Trejos: bass Juan Pablo Calvo: keyboards, guitars, vocals
In the band The Sun Or The Moon from the Rhine-Main region, four experimental and creative musicians came together in late summer 2019 to realise their sound ideas inspired by bands such as Can, Kraftwerk, early Pink Floyd and Radiohead.
Listen + share:
The Sun Or The Moon – Cosmic Album Teaser
The quartet has already released two digital singles on the usual streaming platforms and is now releasing Cosmic, their debut album via Tonzonen Records. The four musicians Frank Incense (vocals, bass, baritone guitar, electric sitar, modular synthesiser), George Nowak (guitar, theremin, green flute), Susanne Baum (piano and keyboards) and Niklas Ciriacy (drums and percussion instruments) describe their music as psychedelic space lounge music.
Listen + watch:
The Sun Or The Moon – Cosmic (official video)
Over an electronic foundation of repetitive machine beats and sound carpets created with a modular system, The Sun Or The Moon develop hypnotic yet danceable tracks with influences from Krautrock, Psychedelic and Space Rock.
The Sun Or The Moon – Julia Dream (Pink Floyd cover, official video)
Listen + watch:
Artist: The Sun Or The Moon
Title: Cosmic Format: 2xLP, CD, Digital Label: Tonzonen Records Distribution: Soulfood Genre: Psychedelic/ Kraut Rock Release Date: 17/09/2021
Tracklist 1. Cosmic 2. Twisted Kamasutra 3. Eldorado 4. Julia Dream 5. Trippin’ On Mars 6. Space Travel Agent
Frost* are pleased to announce reissues of their first and second albums, Milliontown & Experiments in Mass Appeal, including their first ever appearance on vinyl. Available on July 9th, 2021 as both Limited CD Digipaks and Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD, they are both now available to pre-order here:
Milliontown features the new 2020 remaster, and Experiments in Mass Appeal comes as the 2020 remix and remaster, both previously included on the 13 Winter’s boxset released last year.
Frost* have just returned with Day And Age, the band’s fourth record and first new studio album in five years. It features Jem Godfrey joined by John Mitchell & Nathan King, as well as 3 guest drummers: Kaz Rodriguez (Chaka Khan, Josh Groban), Darby Todd (The Darkness, Martin Barre) & Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, Mister Mister). The album also features actor Jason Isaacs. It recently entered the UK Rock Album Chart at #2, as well as the German Album Charts at #56.
Day And Age was recorded over the course of 2019 and 2020, featuring 8 tracks and striking cover artwork by Carl Glover of Aleph Studios (Steven Wilson, Marillion, Steve Jansen). The album is available on Limited 2CD (including a bonus disc of instrumentals), Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD (with etching on Side D), and as Digital Album. Order now here: https://frost-band.lnk.to/DayAndAge
Frost* was formed in 2004 by keyboard player and singer Jem Godfrey, Released in 2006 the band’s debut album “Milliontown” was an instant success and is regarded by many as a classic in the modern prog rock genre featuring John Mitchell on guitar, John Jowitt on bass and Andy Edwards on drums. The band quickly followed it up with Experiments In Mass Appeal in 2008, in many ways the antithesis of Milliontown featuring a much more stripped back sound, more concise songs and a new band member and singer in the form of Dec Burke.
The live album The Philadelphia Experiment followed in 2009 and the a long gap followed before 3rd album Falling Satellites was released in 2016 with a new line-up of Nathan King on bass and Craig Blundell on drums, plus returning guitarist and singer John Mitchell on guitar who also co-wrote much of the album with Jem Godfrey.
As Devin announced earlier this year, he has been using the Covid downtime to work on new material for upcoming albums, and for a current lack of touring possibilities and encounters with fans on the road he decided to do a series of live albums, quarantine albums, and generally interesting projects that keep people entertained while he’s busy on his next larger releases. The series is called the “Devolution Series”.
Devin comments in this video
“So we bring to you the ‘Devolution Series’: a grouping of oddities and interesting material that I would like people to hear, but don’t necessarily want to present as a ‘major release’. The series will include all the quarantine songs and concerts, as well as various live shows from the past few years. I’m am currently deep in the writing of my new projects and am very excited to be doing so. Thanks for facilitating my ability to do that, and I hope you enjoy the ‘Devolution Series’.”
The second release under the “Devolution Series” moniker will be the “Devolution Series #2 – Galactic Quarantine” album, scheduled for June 25th 2021. It was recorded in 2020 in various places around the world as a replacement show for the COVID affected “Empath Vol 2 European Tour” and cancelled Summer festivals. It originally aired on September 5th 2020 on StageIt.com.
For a first impression of what to expect, here’s the video for “Aftermath.” Enjoy!
DEVIN TOWNSEND “Devolution Series #2 –Galactic Quarantine” track listing: 1. Velvet Kevorkian (Virtually Live 2020) – 2:28 2. All Hail The New Flesh (Virtually Live 2020) – 5:32 3. By Your Command (Virtually Live 2020) – 8:18 4. Almost Again (Virtually Live 2020) – 3:42 5. Juular (Virtually Live 2020) – 3:50 6. March Of The Poozers (Virtually Live 2020) – 5:25 7. Supercrush! (Virtually Live 2020) – 5:15 8. Hyperdrive (Virtually Live 2020) – 3:42 9. Stormbending (Virtually Live 2020) – 5:21 10. Deadhead (Virtually Live 2020) – 7:55 11. Aftermath (Virtually Live 2020) – 6:51 12. Love? (Virtually Live 2020) – 5:21 13. Spirits Will Collide (Virtually Live 2020) – 4:35 14. Kingdom (Virtually Live 2020) – 5:05 15. Detox (Virtually Live 2020) – 6:20
Needlepoint is a Norwegian group based in Oslo that straddles the border between jazz and prog in a unique and timeless way. Based around the renowned guitarist Bjørn Klakegg, the band is rounded out by a veritable who’s-who of the Nordic jazz and rock scene, including members of Elephant9, Møster!, Bigbang and others.
Their first album The Woods Are Not What They Seem was released in 2010, followed by Outside the Screen (2012), Aimless Mary (2015) and The Diary of Robert Reverie (2018). Their upcoming album entitled Walking Up That Valley is out this week, January 29, 2021. Today the band reveals the new album in full via The Obelisk!
Listen here:
The Obelisk notes: “Walking up That Valley begins to take shape around vocal lines and spare guitar, with keys farther back in the mix and drums making their way in patiently behind the story being told, only to take a more forward role after four minutes in. An all-go jam ensues, with flute, and percussion and drums, guitar, bass, keys, and so on building to a fervent head until, a little past the nine-minute mark, the vocals return. The vitality of that jam isn’t totally gone — the drums are still there, the keys, the vocals are layered, etc. — but the final showcase of symmetry underscores the purposefulness writ large throughout Walking up That Valley, as Needlepoint cap with an electric solo on a somewhat surprisingly quick fade as though one is waking up from a dream when it’s over.“
The new album Walking Up That Valley continues the line of development from the band’s past two releases, which dug more deeply into the Canterbury prog only hinted at by the band’s first outings. With the group’s maturity has come continued exploration, evinced in a plethora of instruments heard across the album: harpsichord, violin, flute, a choir and more add layers of sonic beauty to an album already bursting with ideas. Between dreamy vintage keyboards, busy drums and percussion, mind-bending, jazz-tinged guitar work and deft bass lines, Klakegg’s soft and melodious voice finds room in the mix, tying the album together with tales from the road between reality and fantasy.
About the new album the band notes: “Nikolai and Bjørn have cooperated in the making of all the albums, from Bjørn’s ideas being captured on his phone up until their journey’s conclusion up on the record’s grooves. Bjørn considered himself a jazz musician when he first met Nikolai, but his old British heroes from the 70s such as ELP stepped out of the fog in the musical company of the now Needlepoint bassist. Olaf Olsen and David Wallumrød were Nikolai’s unconditional choices to fulfill the lineup.
Needlepoint started as an instrumental band, but when the second album was almost finished, Bjørn and Nikolai had a talk that lead to Bjørn’s first steps towards an identity as a singer. That talk also changed the identity of the band.
It was never really a conscious choice of style by the band, but Needlepointis now considered a prog band by many listeners, and it’s a pleasure having such an addicted audience by their side. Many people mention the Canterbury Scene to describe the bands profile, and Robert Wyatt,Sid Barret, Caravan, Camel and even King Crimson and Yes are also mentioned to place our musical identity.
The last album is absolutely connected to the previous ones, but there are also new sounds to be heard. Bjørn has picked up his flute and violin, so there is a strange little orchestra appearing here and there in the album. Olaf is accompanied by Erik, who plays percussion on the album, and their fun together is audible on the album, while David treats his collection of beautiful vintage keyboard instruments like no one else. Everything is supervised by producer and bass player Nikolai Hængsle; his bass playing as powerful and brilliant as always, and Bjørn’s vocal are more present than ever in this production. In some of the tracks the band is touching new areas, but absolutely without losing its identity.“
Walking Up That Valleyis sure to please fans of prog, 70’s rock, jazz and even folk rock. The album will be available on January 29, 2021 on colored vinyl, CD and digital download in Europe from Stickman Records, pre-order it here
Below links and a PRESS DOWNLOAD. Please use the new album for reviews + airplay. Support independent artists and labels. Thank you very much!
Tracklist 1. Rules Of A Mad Man 2. Walking Up That Valley 3. Web Of Worry 4. So Far Away 5. Where The Ocean Meets The Sky 6. Carry Me Away 7. Another Day 8. Walking Up That Valley
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