Kill Rock Stars US Vinilo y CD

Review: Olympia, Washington's Bratmobile's sophomore album puts Allison Wolfe's sharp, singsong delivery front and centre with her barbed lyrics capturing attention and delivering hard truths. Now reissued for fans everywhere, this cult rocked which is often dubbed warm-up material for a messy night out features Molly Neuman's relentless drumming and Erin Smith's razor-sharp riffs, both of which drive the band's unapologetic sound forwards throughout. It was a powerful return at the time with a no holds barred approach that was ahead of its time and helped to make this essential feminist punk at its finest.

Review: Sarah Mary Chadwick's ninth album drifts in on the smoke and hush of a late-night confessional. Half jukebox heartbreak, half art-song seance, we find a multi-talented but downcast musician tiptoeing the edge of a major life shift, as Chadwick sings of the moments before a commitment to sobriety. Hers is the kind of detoxified clarity that only hindsight allows; tremulous voices sing with candid exposure on 'I'm Not Clinging To Life' through subjects of age and lost time, backlaid by piano pitched so high we can feel vicariously the artist's vertigo. The New Zealand-born Melbourner recorded the album with Chris Townend, who reamped the full mix through a piano held open by a sandbag to create its strange, aspirant reverb effect heard throughout. The result is a record attenuated by granular bulks of memory and detachment; devastation, reframed with restraint.

Review: The Decemberists explore the intricate psyche of a society at war, drawing on historical archetypes to illuminate contemporary issues more effectively than traditional news. They celebrate life as a vibrant spectacle, where encounters range from rogue spies and runaway prostitutes to child monarchs and vengeful mariners, boy ghosts, and cannibals. Established in August 2004 at a former Baptist church in Portland, Oregon, Rachel Blumberg, Jenny Conlee, Chris Funk, Colin Meloy, and Nate Query, with co-producer Chris Walla, crafted their ambitious opus Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars - March 22, 2005), marking a pinnacle in their collective musical journey.

Review: Delta 5's Singles & Sessions 1979-81 offers a compelling glimpse into the Leeds post-punk scene with tense, barbed dark pop. Despite similarities to Gang of Four, Delta 5 remained somewhat overlooked during their time, making this collection of early singles, Peel sessions, and live recordings a belated recognition of their significance. From the iconic 'Mind Your Own Business' to the visceral plea of 'Colour,' the album showcases the band's unique blend of dub-heavy rhythms, expressive guitar work, and assertively sarcastic vocals. Tracks like 'You' and 'Triangle' compel listeners to move with their insistent beats. While the purpose of this compilation is to preserve Delta 5's legacy, it also highlights the missed opportunity for the band to release a more impactful debut album in their prime. Nevertheless, Singles & Sessions"breathes new life into Delta 5's brief yet influential tenure, ensuring their place in post-punk history alongside their more celebrated peers.

Review: After a few years away, The Gossip returned with new drummer Hannah Blilie and one of 2006's standout records, Standing in the Way of Control. This reissue masterfully bridges danceable indie rock, garage band crunch, and soulful blues. Unlike the superficial nouveau Death Disco acts, The Gossip's tunes are propulsive and authentic, completely sidestepping the pseudo-ironic hipster scene. The band, similar to the BellRays, dive into aggressive, rock-infused Motown-inspired r&b with Beth Ditto's powerful vocals leading the charge. The title track - probably the band's best known after being used highly dramtically on the trails for Channel 4 teen drama 'Skins' - showcases Ditto's ability to wail, while the album's dynamics, such as the shift from the 80s-inspired 'Jealous Girls' to the brooding 'Coal to Diamonds,' highlight their versatility. Guy Picciotto's production ensures a spacious, timeless feel. With highlights like the soulful 'Eyes Open' and the rhythmic 'Listen Up!,' the album maintains its energy and appeal, capturing a confident, compositionally astute sound, ready to electrify live audiences.

Review: Habibi's Dreamachine represents a significant sonic departure for the Brooklyn-based band, moving beyond their garage rock origins to explore a fusion of post-punk, experimental pop, and vintage disco. Produced by Tyler Love and Jay Heiselmann, with contributions from MGMT's James Richardson, the album showcases a blend of analog and digital elements, drawing influences from Middle Eastern psych music. Each track on the album is a distinct world of exploration and transcendence. With lush synthesizers, sinewy guitars, and a muscular rhythm section, the band delivers relentless and hypnotic performances. "Dreamachine" is a fearless and enthralling work, navigating themes of desire, escape, love, surrender, rebellion, and reality with fierce energy and joyous fervor.

Review: Kate Nash's upcoming album for Kill Rock Stars, 9 Sad Symphonies, marks her return after six years. set to release on June 21 via . The lead single, 'Millions of Heartbeats,' offers a poignant reflection on losing hope in a world inundated with chaos and capitalism. Nash's introspective lyrics delve into the struggle of regaining one's spark amid despair, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and human connection. Produced by Frederick Thaae, the album promises a departure from harsher sounds, instead focusing on lush string arrangements and emotive storytelling. Nash draws inspiration from her recent experience writing for a musical, embracing a more direct approach to songwriting while aiming to create beauty amid darkness. 9 Sad Symphonies is poised to show the full arsenal of Nash's evolution as an artist, offering a compelling listen.

Review: It's hard to know where to begin with Shamir's second album. Or at least it was in 2017. The music? The context? Maybe both: the difficult follow up to one of that decade's finest pop records marked an about turn for the artist, and an almost vulnerable level of honesty, rejecting any preconceptions about his earlier effort and exploring a very different end of the emotional noise spectrum.
While last time round things had been incredibly polished and hook-driven, almost sing-along pop, on Hope we're taken to a rougher, rawer, perhaps grittier side of Shamir. Recorded in just one weekend, originally released for free, it's a grungy, lo-fi, punk-y, garage rock 'n' roll experiment that keeps on delivering across all 12 tracks. A brave change of course and one that we hope will continue.

Review: 25 years is an awful amount of time when you really think about it. Certainly more than long enough for Elliott Smith's 'Expanded' to make it into the list of revered contemporary classics among cult musos. Looking back now, the mid-1990s seem like a lifetime ago, but the stunning guitar work, deeply personal and poignant songwriting that defined his landmark self-titled sophomore solo LP hasn't waned one bit.

Occupying a place that's perhaps somewhere between Alex Chilton and acoustic grunge, iconic tracks like 'Needle In The Hay' can't help but raise hairs on arms, even if you don't remember its quietly powerful impact when it first landed. 'Single File' still has that air of wonder and eccentricity to its lilting guitars, 'The White Lady Loves You More's meditative qualities are just as gradually awesome and the bonus disc - Smith's first ever solo live performance, recorded in 1994 - lays bare the late-artist's raw talent.

Review: Let's start with the obvious points. Or point. Elliott Smith's second album was preceded - and includes - the single 'Needle In The Hay'. As per Pitchfork, the track ranks as one of the finest from the 1990s, a timeless work of tender, soulful acoustic rock, vocally astounding and musically on a par. It also set a precedent for this self-titled LP, which landed shortly after said song in 1995.



Following on from Roman Candle, Smith's startling debut, Elliott Smith is another work of lone ambition. If ambition is really the right word. Simply put, we're in one man and a guitar territory, with the master songwriter offering himself up in a truly vulnerable way. Simple lyricism grounded in realism, contrasted by complex instrumentation and a playful approach to form and structure. In short, a masterpiece.

Review: Though he was already famous, Either/Or is the album that made Elliott Smith great. Now Kill Rock Stars proudly present their newly reissued, expanded edition of the sensitive songster's crowning glory, this time including five live multi-track recordings from the Yo Yo A Go Go Festival in Olympia, WA in 1997, as well as three previously unreleased studio recordings, not to mention one B-side gem. The album was highly praised at the time due to several of its songs' lucky inclusion by Gus Van Sant in the classic drama movie Good Will Hunting, though the album's appeal goes much deeper than that, with Smith's melancholic, sombre voice soaring low above well-glued, unplugged pop mixes, though, typically for Smith, it still touches on existential, philosophical and neurotic themes throughout.

Review: Elliott Smith's From A Basement On The Hill gets a stunning reissue with brand new digital transfers from the original 1/4" tape mixes, handled by Rob Schnapf and Joanna Bolme. Remastered by Larry Crane and Adam Gonsalves, this release features a deluxe mirror-board gatefold jacket and CD wallet, offering both a visual and sonic upgrade to Smith's final studio album. Originally released posthumously in 2004, From A Basement On The Hill was praised for its rich textures and expanded sound, blending 60s psychedelia with Smith's intimate songwriting. This reissue is a must-have for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Review: Recorded in September 1994, but only released the following January, 'Needle In The Hay' is up there with the most iconic acoustic rock tracks of all time. Covered by many - not least in that Kermit the Frog parody video - none have managed to better the original Elliott Smith rendition, which is a broken, tender, heart-on-sleeve stunner.

The other two tracks here are likely less familiar, but also carry the same level of emotional quality. 'Alphabet Town' is the floatiest, rhythms swaying in and out of coherency, at times the tune feels so loose you can get lost in its complexity. 'Some Song', meanwhile, feels like a mirror image of 'Needle...', its alter ego, so similar and yet distinct from the big hitter. A hidden gem waiting to be unearthed.

Review: To celebrate 20 years of Elliott Smith's much-loved Either/Or, Kill Rock Stars presents a beautifully remastered reissue of the album. Carefully overseen by Larry Crane, archivist of Smith's estate, the original tracks are restored with impeccable attention to detail. While this version focuses on the remastered original LP rather than the expanded edition, it's still a must-have for fans old and new. The album's emotional depth and lyrical genius remain as powerful today as when it first captivated listeners. Complete with an insert of the original liner notes, this reissue serves as a timeless tribute to Smith's legacy.

Review: With 'We Brave Bee Stings And All' 23 year-old, Virginia-bred songwriter Thao captures and mesmerizes listeners with
her unique voice and natural ability with words and melodies. Thao's songs are richly musical, whether using just an
acoustic guitar strummed with a toothbrush or employing keyboards, horns, and a full rhythm section. And while her
music feels buoyant, even giddy at times, Thao endows her lyrics with a curious juxtaposition of gripping personal detail
and saucy humour. 'My songs reflect my personality as far as shirking the seriousness of things.' says Thao. She also
says Lucinda Williams was right when she said the best songs 'sound happy but are so sad' - a powerful insight into
Thao's own music. The album is out now on Kill Rock Stars.

Review: Now on Kill Rock Stars, this is They Shoot Horses Don't They & their self released mini album distributed for the first time.

Review: With a heart too sensitive to accept humanity's darker side, yet also unable to flinch from it, Xiu Xiu is a way of 'owning your own shadow'.
Jamie Stewart has a novelist's eye for juicy details, and a poet's ability to wring impossible emotions out of the English language, finding
black humour where there is usually horror, finding horror where there is usually apathy, and Stewart's history-spanning visions of birth and
death have never come across more clearly.
The performances, led by Stewart's one-of-a-kind voice, are intense, virtuosic and painted in a spectrum of acoustic and electronic colours
that one would be hard pressed to find equalled on any album. Many of the songs feature what is now officially the live line-up of the group,
with Stewart and Caralee McElroy joined by Ches Smith on drums and Devin Hoff on bass. 'Women As Lovers' marries the ancient with the
futuristic, each in all their beauty and terror. Traditional gongs collide with a rats' nest of computerized layering. The album also features a duet
with Michael Gira of Swans and Angels Of Light. The Album is out now on Kill Rock Stars.