MABE FRATTI - 'SENTIR QUE NO SABES'

Formats

• UOH012CD - CD

  5061041820298

• UOH012LPX2 - LP (COLOURED)

  5061041820687

Details

REPRESS ALERT **VIOLA COLOURED VINYL** A sense of destiny hangs over Sentir Que No Sabes, Mabe Fratti’s fourth solo-credited album released in a five year span. Her work has always possessed a finely tuned sense of drama capable of expressing a range of emotional states, and across this new album, she conveys the struggle to process various relationships or situations–and the actions that come next. Sentir Que No Sabes is urgent and clear, poppy, generous and approachable, while showcasing a considerable emotional hinterland. It is also, as Fratti is quick to mention, “groovy.” Written and recorded with her partner, multi-instrumentalist, and co-composer Héctor Tosta (I.La Católica, Titanic), Sentir Que No Sabes is the result of an intense, detail-oriented process. Fueled by a new confidence gained in their collaborative project, Titanic, and its critically acclaimed 2023 LP, Vidrio, the two hunkered down in the familiarity of their studio (aka Tinho Studios) to bash out the initial sonic coordinates of her new record. “We talked and talked, and discussed ways of playing and recording, until things became inevitable,” Fratti explains. “We recorded a bunch of demos at our home studio and that meant we had a lot of time to re-edit and experiment. We really dug in. We were super focused on detail.” Tosta also took up the controls as producer and arranger-in-chief for all additional instruments. The album was later completed at Willem Twee Studios in Den Bosch in the Netherlands, and Pedro y el Lobo Studios and Soy Sauce Studios, in Mexico City. For the final studio recordings, the pair were joined by drummer Gibran Andrade and trumpetist Jacob Wick to fill out and expand on Tosta’s percussion and brass arrangements. This small group of friends were able to work quickly and openly, and without fear: a testament to the exhaustive groundwork put in at Tinho Studios. This can be heard in three short, intermediary tracks that also manage to be the most aggressive on the record: “Kitana” (a scratch-laden instrumental that acts as a strange prelude for the last track, “Angel nuevo”) and a pair of two-minute instrumental interludes, “Elastica” I and II. None are throwaway mood pieces; rather they act as emotional cue cards, and hint at the way Fratti and Tosta created the overall atmosphere of Sentir Que No Sabes. A strong sense of rhythm irrigates the sound from the jump, as heard on the glorious opening track, “Kravitz.” Here, the brilliant plucked cello line acts as a bassline and props up the steady thump of the kick drum. The cello’s growl serves as a conduit for a set of slightly paranoid lyrics that tell us “Quizás haya oídos en el techo” (“maybe there are ears in the ceiling”), while the song also introduces another staple of the record: the clever brass stabs, whistles, parps, and other interjections that paint a canvas of traffic in a city. It’s a postmodern, widescreen sound that for some might recall The Blue Nile’s Hats. Sentir Que No Sabes is a record full to the brim with a modern pop sensibility, invoked by the sort of magpie spirit that ensnares anything it can find, repositioning sounds for the here and now. The keys and melody on the melancholy “Pantalla azul” (“Blue screen error”) transport us back to the glossy mid-1980s. “Oídos” (“Ears”) is a beautiful slice of contemporary, hybrid pop, in which Fratti’s vocal lines delicately spin themselves around the lean structures erected by the brass and drums, and the descending “plink” of a set of piano chords. Then we have a gloriously strong ending with the swell of “Angel nuevo” (“New angel”), another cinematic track full of gentle, instrument-rich swells and eddies that manages to be almost endless in its range–and yet intensely personal, as Fratti’s voice is close, almost whispering in your ear. A much needed lullaby for our fractious times. The lyrics, for their part, have a stop-start quality to them, and hint at the small, incremental emotional taxes we pay through just living our lives. They circle around the music like birds waiting to swoop. There is something of the spiritual in all of Fratti’s work that expresses itself in a form of yearning: she looks to new horizons while personal dramas find themselves internalized, contextualized, and then dealt with through metaphor. Here, she was keen to mention Tosta’s constant encouragement in her finding a path to best sing or phrase her words to impart their maximum effect. “Hector was super inquisitive about my lyrics and asked me questions about what I meant, which sometimes is something you don't wonder so much about in isolation,” Fratti explains. “Besides, he is a great poet, and you can see that in what he did on the Titanic record. This made me go deeper into my lyric writing and definitely transformed it into something that I feel super happy about now.” Take “Enfrente” (“In Front”), a track that initially comes across as a languid, glossy number, with plucked cello strings standing in for a bass line and brittle synth parts. Soon we catch on to a brilliant minor chord switch, which mirrors the fear and doubt expressed in the lyrics as someone “trembles up to the podium” in a “search for meaning.” There’s also the startling introduction of a vocoder in “Quieras o no” (“Whether you want it or not”); it comes precisely at the point Fratti sings “Quieras o no es un desastre” (“Whether you want it or not, it's a disaster”). Moments like these leave room for interpretation and, over time, create a strong bond between the listener and the record. In fact, across Sentir Que No Sabes, each phrase–whether instrumental or vocal–becomes at some level emblematic of acts and moods that impart deep emotional significance. We see this best on “Intento fallido” (“Failed attempt”), which could be the score to feeling trapped in self-doubt, only to suddenly be sprung free by the song’s gloriously upbeat ending. On “Márgen del índice” (“Index margin”), the quicksilver switch between initial disharmony and a beautiful melody is breathtaking, all augmented by evocative arrangements, textured production, and the slightly playful, gnomic lyrics. The track’s emotional ecosystem allows another brilliant ending, which uses the simple repeated phrase, “Cómo lo va a ver?” (“How are you going to see it?”). So what to make of Sentir Que No Sabes? High gloss Pastoralism? The sound of a city-bound, post-post modern soulscape? No matter the emotions evoked, it's the work of an artist coming into their own, and creating a benchmark record.

Tracks

1. Kravitz / 2. Pantalla azul (Blue screen error) / 3. Elastica II / 4. Oidos (Ears) / 5. Quieras-o-no (Whether you want to or not) / 6. Enfrente (In front) / 7. Elastica I / 8. M?rgen del indice (Index margin) / 9. Alarmas olvidadas (Forgotten alarms) / 10. Descubrimos un suspiro (We discovered a sigh) / 11. Intento fallido (failed attempt) / 12. Kitana / 13. Angel nuevo

Press

#12 THE GUARDIAN'S AOTY 2024 |
#3 LOUD & QUIET'S AOTY 2024 |
#31 UNCUT'S AOTY 2024 |
#8 CRACK MAGAZINE'S AOTY 2024

Audio & Video

NILS FRAHM - 'NIGHT & DAY (CD VERSION)'

Formats

• LTR050CD - CD

  4066004674629

Details

REPRESS NILS FRAHM has announced he will fulfil last year’s promise to follow up Day, the collection of solo piano music he released last March. Night, which contains five new tracks, will be released on May 9, 2025, on vinyl as well as via all digital platforms. A CD version, Night & Day, including all eleven tracks from both Day and Night, will also be made available at the same time. These follow Frahm’s latest live album, Paris, which was released in December last year. In the meantime, Frahm will continue as he has for almost three years, with his world tour finally concluding this spring with shows in Australia, America and Canada. Frahm recorded the pieces on Night on the Klavins M450 piano, installed in his studio at the renowned Funkhaus complex in Berlin. It was built by German-Latvian piano maker David Klavins for the first Piano Day in 2015, a celebration that will mark its 10th anniversary this March. At 4.5 meters tall and weighing over a tonne, the model was the largest upright piano in the world at the time. The record is a reminder that, although he has since become celebrated for the complex, intricate arrangements of his most commercially successful multi-instrumental albums, Frahm first made his name with similarly meditative piano compositions on albums like 2009’s The Bells, 2011’s Felt and 2012’s Screws. Night opens at a glacial pace with ‘Wesen’, giving notice of the more subdued nature at the heart of this thirty-minute collection. It conjures images of Frahm, lit only by a candle, huddled over his instrument, playing for the sheer companionship that it offers, while also prompting acknowledgement of his ability to tease affecting melodies from minimal means. ‘Monuments Again’ is more immediately accessible, its subtly jazzy nature disguising a gentle melancholy, with Frahm’s fingers dancing over the keyboard with increasing intensity until, at its conclusion, he reiterates its central theme. Despite its name, ‘Kanten’ – ‘Angles’ in English – is a more traditional affair, a timeless piece of solo chamber music devoted early on to the piano’s lower keys, lending it not so much a sense of menace as a measure of foreboding, at least until Frahm’s right hand takes up the quietly uplifting, melodic initiative. The eight-minute long ‘Listening Over’ also feels initially like a more formal affair, distinguished as much by quiet trills as enviable patience, Frahm often hesitating carefully over its notes, ultimately evoking a sense of relief without the normally attendant tension. If, however, there’s been a certain air of darkness up to this point, Night closes with ‘Canton’, its delicious airiness perhaps the record’s equivalent of a glimpse of dawn, its tender melody like the day’s first sunbeams peeking over the horizon. It’s a perfect conclusion to a typically beguiling collection that, as always, points to a musical character that is immediately, distinctively Frahm’s. It also highlights why the German pianist has continued throughout his career to return loyally to the piano as his first love. After all, it’s notable that, even during his recent, expansive live performances, which find him leaping between multiple keyboards, synths, and even a glass harmonica, Frahm has always made space for such works. That’s something documented on the likes of 2013’s Spaces, where ‘Said And Done’ is a highlight, and last year’s Paris, during which ‘You Name It’ – itself taken from Day – ‘Some’ and ‘Re’ provide a crucial interlude between his more demanding, grandiose works. Night, like Day, confirms that Frahm remains a prolific master of affecting simplicity, tenderness and romance, and as capable as ever of unforgettable, epigrammatic succinctness.

Tracks

TRACKLIST:
NIGHT: 1. WESEN 2. MONUMENTS AGAIN 3. KANTEN 4. LISTENING OVER 5. CANTON
DAY: 1. YOU NAME IT 2. TUESDAYS 3. BUTTER NOTES 4. HANDS ON 5. CHANGES 6. TOWARDS ZERO

Press

Audio & Video

MAANTA RAAY - 'MAANTA RAAY'

Formats

• NS019 - LP

  5061041821295

Details

MAANTA RAAY is a riff-casting, power trio from Nashville, Tennessee. Their self-titled debut will be out summer 2025 on No Sabes, distributed by Forte, and comes from the heavier side of psychedelia. While the influences are apparent — Leigh Stephens (Blue Cheer), Jaki Liebezeit (CAN), Daphne Oram, Randy Rhoads, James Jamerson, Ron Asheton — the record’s interstellar overdrive vs droned-out tempos, musi-quinox arrangements, sometimes garage rawness (members include ex-Quadrajets, Immortal Lee County Killers, and Modern Convenience) and unleashed layers of sonica, all testify that the band’s mission is to make it new. The emerging band, featuring Mason Hadley (b), Carlos Ortiz (d), and Chet Weise (g/v), has already shared bills with the likes of Earthless, Boris, Minami Deutsch, Melvins, and Napalm Death. Experience the RAAY live or try them out on headphones to hear a band in search of the next sound, just like Weise sings, “Golden teachers teach a lesson/ the universe can be a VHS left unwound / but sunlight reaches Earth in just eight minutes.

Tracks

1. The Night Rider 2. Lost Satellite 3. Maanta Ray Theme 4. Om Revver 5. Peace Cruiser 6. Ancient Future 7. Uforchid 8. Cosmic Mircowave Background

Press

Audio & Video

AUTOCAMPER - 'WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?'

Formats

• SSH055Y - LP (COLOURED)

  743966749308

Details

YELLOW VINYL Manchester's Autocamper are the perfect pop antidote to the city's predictable post-punk machismo. Like a Northern kitchen sink rendering of The Vaselines' call and response motif, vocal duties are shared by Jack Harkins and Niamh Purtill -- their world-weary reflections on bedroom tiffs and hungover misdemeanors capture the jangle pop spirit of the '80s without the C86 revisionism. Recorded at Glasgow's Green Door Studio and produced by Chris McCory of Catholic Action, Autocamper shed their bedroom pop roots on their debut LP while retaining the candid, bittersweet sincerity of earlier releases. Vocalist and guitarist Jack Harkins' casual lilt often resembles a less baritone, Northern English iteration of Calvin Johnson, countering keyboardist Niamh Purtill's soft, whisper-like timbre. This classic dynamic runs through the album, yielding a tenderness that strikes a perfect balance — never too cloying, and offering a modern twist on the unpretentious earnestness found in '60s sunshine pop of groups like The Millennium. A good melody is inherently sincere as it originates from an authentic emotional space. In the case of Autocamper, memorable melodies are abundant, shaped by an impressive collective knowledge of music's past, present, and future. Their sound is both nostalgic and fresh, combining the DIY pop sensibilities of the early Flying Nun and Sarah label bands with the jangling, melodic impulse of James Kirk-era Orange Juice, while also capturing the heartfelt songwriting of Curt Boetcher and Sandy Salisbury. "Map Like A Leaf" parallels the later output of The Pastels, a connection strengthened by Tom Crossley from the band contributing his flute to the track. On "Dogsitting," Niamh's pleasantly wonky organ echoes Martin Duffy's keyboard ruminations during mid-period Felt. The rhythm section, comprising Harry Williams on bass and Arthur Robinson on drums, resides somewhere between the crispness of The Feelies and the pure, youthful pop essence of Motown, evinced in Robinson's complete control of the snare. Those bouncy basslines act as a shimmering glue that binds the pieces together, not unlike the standout moments of The Field Mice's Michael Hiscock. Autocamper add colour to the everyday; transforming a sigh-ridden, pedestrian Sunday into moments of fleeting optimism amid the tangled web of love and life in The Age of Anxiety. Not twee, not anorak, not lucky, just pop: it's these truths that distinguish them from their peers, the hollow strains of Instagram Indie and the corporate pop that forces us to be joyful. 

Tracks

1. Again
2. Red Flowers
3. Map Like A Leaf
4. Foxes
5. Proper
6. You
7. Dogsitting
8. Somehow
9. Linnaean
10. Streetview

Press

Audio & Video

GUIDED BY VOICES - 'GOODNIGHT EL DORADO: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS IN THE AFTERMATH'

Formats

• 1Z - LP

  657628453314

Details

Live board mixes from three 2024 GBV shows in Indianapolis, Woodstock and Dallas, showcasing the band’s proggiest material of the recent era. Limited edition bootleg vinyl. When they’re gone they’re gone.

Tracks

1. Jack Of Legs 2. Sons Of The Beard 3. Alex Bell 4. How Did He Get Up There? 5. For The Home 6. Boomerang 7. Focus on the Flock 8. Unfun Glitz 9. Who Wants To Go Hunting

Press

Audio & Video

TONY NJOKU - 'ALL OUR KNIVES ARE ALWAYS SHARP'

Formats

• STUDIONJOKU001 - LP (COLOURED)

  5061041821301

Details

**BLUE VINYL** Tony Njoku returns with All Our Knives Are Always Sharp, a sonically expansive and emotionally charged second album that brings together a remarkable cast of black British voices. Featuring powerful collaborations with Tricky, GAIKA, Ghostpoet, Coby Sey, James Massiah Space Afrika and Labi Junior, the record serves as a landmark moment for Njoku, a culmination of both the singular musical style and nuanced, socially-engaged storytelling he’s been crafting throughout his career. Rooted in themes of spiritual preparedness, cultural resistance and emotional clarity, the album unfolds through Njoku’s signature blend of electronic abstraction, falsetto-led songwriting and cinematic composition. It’s a work that cuts deep. Philosophical, political and personal, each guest brings a vital new layer to the conversation. “ALL OUR KNIVES….” will be the first release on Tony’s new imprint ‘Studio Njoku’, which Tony says will serve as a space to facilitate his collaborations with his wider creative community. In addition the album will be pressed on heavyweight 180g vinyl limited-edition, with 300 copies worldwide. It will be the first run of physical production for Studio Njoku As Njoku looks to take his new creative practice into the future, there’s a fire stoked within him for more collaboration, chiefly with artists of colour. By reappropriating traditional western instruments and arrangements, warping sounds through his own singular production style, using music to tell stories of heritage and culture

Tracks

1. Weapon 2. Catatonia (feat James Massiah) 3. Spirals 4. Eternity 5. The Slipstream (feat Ghostpoet) 6. All Our Knives Are Always Sharp (feat Coby Sey) 7. Depleted (feat Tricky) 8. Spirit War Dub (feat Gaika) 9. On The Back Of Forgiveness (feat Space Afrika) 10. Safety (feat Labi Junior)

Press

Featuring powerful collaborations with Tricky, GAIKA, Ghostpoet, Coby Sey, James Massiah Space Afrika and Labi Junior

?A gift for combining an array of musical perspectives into a unified whole?
- The Guardian

Audio & Video

DELTA - 'REAL TIME / CLEVER GIRL'

Formats

• FC69 - 7"

Details

INSTOCK AND SHIPPING Next up on the hugely productive current Feral Child conveyer belt comes an absolute banger of a 45. Once again, looking splendid in their new psych flavoured label bags, this new 7 sees the release for a first-time-on-vinyl pair of gorgeous demos from the mighty DELTA. I’m sure many of you know the back story; how Delta formed in 1991 from the ashes of The Sea Urchins (whose four year career spawned 3 beloved 45s on Sarah, and copious releases on Fierce, Sha-La-La and Kvatch amongst others). Brothers James and Patrick Roberts set out to form a band that reflected their love of records by the likes of The Byrds, The Beatles and Neil Young. Or “just dirty soul music” as James described it at the time in Dazed Magazine. Sadly, for one reason or another, and despite -as James recalls- having “loads of A&R bods coming up to Birmingham telling us we were the best thing since the Stone Roses”, the obvious genius in the songs was occasionally outweighed by the sometimes ramshackle nature of their live performances and through various tensions the band split on the cusp of recording a debut album, leaving a slew of fabulous 45s only. Then in 1999, Dishy Recordings released “Laughing Mostly”, a sumptuous collection of previously unreleased demos and outtakes, again showcasing and reminding listeners of the bands’ songwriting prowess. Fast forward to this year and Dell’orso are releasing an expanded edition of that collection and for a first time on wax, these two nuggets are pulled for a 45 release in a limited one time pressing. 

Tracks

Side A: Real Time
Side B: Clever Girl

Press

Audio & Video

ECHO SELECTOR - 'ECHO SPACE DUB SESSION VOL:2'

Formats

• NS026 - 10"

  5061041821448

Details

INSTOCK Echo Selector, a pioneer musical project of dub reggae from Medellín Colombia presents "Echo Space” EP. On this album, producer Juan Esteban Herrera (A.K.A Ruido Selecto) explores Dub, Jamaican music and the rhythms of the Colombian Caribbean through the creative use of audio tools and performative improvisation. This is a production with powerful music, where rhythms such as ska and steppa are found together with percussive sounds with patterns of Cumbia and Jamaican nyabinghi. The project had the opportunity to record in the studio with session musicians such as trumpeter Yoni Perez, drummer Camilo Mazo and percussionist Álvaro Botero. The artwork for the album cover was made by the talented artist Titania, who was in charge of giving life to "Echo Space" with a design influenced by the Jamaican Dub art of the eighties but brought to the Colombian context. 

Tracks

Press

LIYL: Mad Professor, Pachyman, Scientist

Audio & Video

BURSTING - 'BURSTING'

Formats

• NS024 - LP

  5061041821455

Details

INSTOCK The first thing you need to know about Chicago’s Bursting is that they are a supergroup. With members of Stress Positions, Thou, C.H.E.W., and Coliseum (among others), it’s safe to say Bursting, on paper, rip. The second thing you need to know about Bursting is you need to see them live, in real life, so quit reading this review. Bursting make menacing post-hardcore and it’s abundantly clear they’re having so much fun doing so. Not many bands feature Naruto runs in their music videos, and I’d bet even less make merch stickers in the Barbie font. If you’ve ever enjoyed The Only Rock Radio Station In Your Area, Bursting is for you. Their music may remind you of bands like Quicksand, Hot Snakes, Jawbox, or Shiner, but it also may remind you of bands like Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, or Incubus. Bursting’s first EP is capital “A” Alternative rock; highly melodic yet crushing in a way that sheds light on its members’ projects and influence. -Post-Trash

Tracks

Press

Audio & Video

RIP VAN WINKLE - 'BLASPHEMY'

Formats

• SR4CD - CD

  657628453628

• SR4LP - LP

  657628453611

Details

INSTOCK NOW The new Rip Van Winkle album is rad. Blasphemy - A performance by Rip Van Winkle: concept, script and lyrics by Robert Pollard.

Tracks

Press

Audio & Video