Back catalogue: Post Rock/Experimental

Review: DFA presents a special 12" release from New York's no wave pioneers, Liquid Liquid, paying tribute to the band's profound influence on the label. This double A-side features revitalized versions of their iconic tracks. The first side offers a dynamic rendition of 'Bellhead,' recorded by James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy in 2004. It's an intense percussive journey, overflowing with marimba, drums, and an array of bells, transforming the original's laid-back groove into a vibrant, energetic workout. On the flip side, we have an unreleased version of 'Optimo,' re-recorded by Liquid Liquid in 2008 and then remixed by Glasgow's Optimo (Espacio), the duo named in homage to the track.

Review: If indie-rock did fantasy football then this is a championship-winning supergroup that hipsters would have wet dreams about. Minnesota slowcore sorts Low joined forces with Aussie meditative atypical post-rock group Dirty Three for a one-off EP. That's Dirty Three of Warren Ellis fame (the beardy Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds band member). There were tight parameters to encourage experimentation: The EP, originally released in 2001, was part of the Fishtank sessions where artists handpicked by the Konkurrent label make a record in Amsterdam in only two days.
The gamble seemingly paid off. It's remarkable that they sound as if they've been living out of each other's pockets for years, with seamless musical understanding, despite the short amount of time they were given. There's tear-jerking tenderness in hearing Mimi Parker's voice on the opening track, 'I Hear Goodnight'. Parker founded Low along with her husband Alan Spearhawk, but sadly passed away in 2022. Meanwhile, other highlights include a superb slow-motion cover of Neil Young's 'Down By The River', which doesn't feel too constrained by the original and showcases the group's experimental tendencies. The vocal take here makes you wish for an entire album of them performing Neil Young covers. Elsewhere, 'When I Called Upon Your Seed' is an Americana masterpiece with gorgeous droning instrumentals freckled with guitar plucking and long-held vocal notes.
Something that appears to have made this session a success is the uncomplicatedness of the recording, which stays away from adding too many lines of instrumentation, and gives the spotlight to the individual talent of people who can truly play. The rewards are countless, but it would be amiss to not note Warren Ellis' violin performance throughout the record. That alone is enough to make you wish you persevered and kept up with those violin lessons as a kid. Enough listens to this, though, and perhaps you'll think it's not too late to go back. Truly inspiring stuff.

Review: Mercy is a collaborative work between the late great Lee "Scratch" Perry (during his post-Black Ark Studios era), Peter Harris and Fritz Catlin, the drummer from the industrial funk dub act 23 Skidoo. What they cook up is unashamedly experimental outsider works that collide mad mixing desk trickery, Perry's trademark vocal mutterings and plenty of occult sound designs. Melodies are smeared and smudged, rhythms are drunk and off balance and moods range from balmy to bonkers, often within the same damn track. A maverick collage, for sure.

Review: Critics talk of 'timelessness' like it's going out of fashion, but when it comes to Irish folk the word carries more clout. Lankum, a four piece contemporary outfit born from the ever-thriving Dublin scene and a duo project, Lynched (named after the band's two founding brothers, Ian and Daragh Lych), are a perfect example of what we're talking about. Live In Dublin is a great reference point to understand this. If ever there were sounds made to be experienced IRL then it might be the noises these multi-instrumentalists evidently love to make. Simultaneously capable of transporting us to peaty moorlands of the past, while hitting nail on head as to where we are today, and presenting bold visions of how sounds might develop tomorrow, from rousing crescendos to pin-drop-quiet, this is relentlessly captivating stuff.

Review: For nearly a decade, this unique band has been carving out a unique underground sound, and Tracing The Sand By The Pool finds them at their most focused yet. Recorded entirely by the band, this twelve-track album is a collection of sharp, direct hits with no room for filler. Kicking off with 'Within', a track that balances Kiwi brightness with moments of near-chaos, the album showcases Chris Gunn's intricate guitar work, both melodic and brash. The band’s cover of The Hangmen’s ‘I'm Gonna Love You’ turns menace into a hopeful ballad, while guest appearances from Miranda Soileau-Pratt (The Spatulas) and Shelby Jacobson (The Tube Alloys) add depth. 'Snail On The Map' brings a touch of flower power with its dreamy pop, and 'Speak To Us In Feathers' layers cascading guitars and ethereal breaks. Throughout, the album blends 60s psych and distorted noise, offering a thrilling, unpredictable journey with every track. Boundless and full of surprises, this is The Lavender Flu's most exciting release to date.

Review: Superior Viaduct and W.25TH present Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee, now available in a deluxe 3xLP format with a collectible poster. Lauded across the board and shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, Diamond Jubilee showcases Patrick Flegel's unique blend of haunting melodies and raw emotion. Crafted over years in studios from Toronto to Montreal, this album delivers timeless reflections on love and longing, backed by sticky hooks and immersive soundscapes that cement Cindy Lee's reputation as a standout in experimental pop.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Superior Viaduct and W.25TH present Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee, now available in a deluxe 3xLP format with a collectible poster. Lauded across the board and shortlisted for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize, Diamond Jubilee showcases Patrick Flegel's unique blend of haunting melodies and raw emotion. Crafted over years in studios from Toronto to Montreal, this album delivers timeless reflections on love and longing, backed by sticky hooks and immersive soundscapes that cement Cindy Lee's reputation as a standout in experimental pop.

Review: Long serving Anglo-Dutch masters of psychedelic and experimental soundscapes - formed in London in 1980 but who relocated, we couldn't possibly think why, to Amsterdam four years - Legendary Pink Dots return with an album that explores the anxieties and complexities of our increasingly digital world. Tracks like 'So Lonely In Heaven' and 'The Sound of the Bell' set the tone with their haunting melodies and atmospheric textures, while 'Dr. Bliss '25' and 'Sleight of Hand' delve into darker, more experimental territories. The album's lyrical themes explore the seductive nature of technology and the potential for isolation and alienation in a hyper-connected world. 'Choose Premium : First Prize' and 'Darkest Knight' offer a glimpse into the seductive promises of the digital realm, while 'Cold Comfort' and 'Wired High : Too Far To Fall' explore the darker side of technological dependence. Psychedelic soundscapes, introspective lyrics and experimental arrangements - that'll be acid-tinged business very much as usual, then.

Review: Newly, radically reimagined remixes created from John Lennon's classic song, Mind Games. These nine Meditation Mixes craft their own space while maintaining firm and authentic roots in John Lennon's original recording. Each have been radically altered, slowed down and extended, ranging from five to ten to over 33 minutes, allowing the soundtrack to wash over the listener and provide a relaxing deep listening experience. Four tracks are presented as binaural versions which each focus on different types of brain waves: Beta, Delta, Gamma and Theta. Named 'Mind', 'Space', 'Spirit' and 'Love', these exploit the response of the ear to left and right frequencies, which constructively combine to produce a new frequency, which in turn, as they say, activates beneficial brain patterns. Produced by Sean Lennon, these contemporary Lennon versions aim to positively impact the contemporary anxiety-racked listener, whose appetite for deep listening has only understandably increased in recent years.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Newly, radically reimagined remixes created from John Lennon's classic song, Mind Games. These nine Meditation Mixes craft their own space while maintaining firm and authentic roots in John Lennon's original recording. Each have been radically altered, slowed down and extended, ranging from five to ten to over 33 minutes, allowing the soundtrack to wash over the listener and provide a relaxing deep listening experience. Four tracks are presented as binaural versions which each focus on different types of brain waves: Beta, Delta, Gamma and Theta. Named 'Mind', 'Space', 'Spirit' and 'Love', these exploit the response of the ear to left and right frequencies, which constructively combine to produce a new frequency, which in turn, as they say, activates beneficial brain patterns. Produced by Sean Lennon, these contemporary Lennon versions aim to positively impact the contemporary anxiety-racked listener, whose appetite for deep listening has only understandably increased in recent years.

Review: Les Rallizes Denudes' Yaneura Oct 80 is an almost ritualistic performance that blends dark, nocturnal atmospheres with raw, passionate energy. The addition of guitarist Fujio Yamaguchi brought a bluesy edge, creating a dense, dissonant soundscape that feels both lethargic and hypnotic. This release marks a significant moment in the band's history, showcasing a unique lineup that left a lasting impact on fans. The tight rhythm section provides a solid foundation for the intense interplay between Mizutani and Fujio, resulting in a surreal and ethereal sonic experience. Makoto Kubota's meticulous mixing and mastering ensure that this performance is preserved in its raw, psychedelic glory, making the world of Les Rallizes Denudes an intriguing piece of Japanese music history.

Review: One of the most compelling avant garde groups to emerge from the UK in years, Lice's second album shows them thrillingly darting between minimalism, rock, techno and more. It's tense, paranoiac, dramatic affair throughout and sounds thoroughly artful without a hint of pastiche. Curiously, this is a concept album expressed through three movements. The first traces a child's socialisation and their later awareness of the process and its limitations. The second is about them reevaluating fundamental concepts including money, time, nationhood and language. The third is about them embracing these new ideas and the increased sense of agency they receive. It's advanced creativity for a band merely on their second album and shows immense promise for them to follow in the footsteps of experimental greats such as Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart whilst maintaining a sense of British rock.

Review: Travels In Constants was a wonderful thing. A subscription-only CD series from New York based record label Temporary Residence Ltd, as the new century dawned Low made their contribution to this audio saga with The Exit Papers. A quarter century or so later, and it remains one of the most stunning and powerful outings in the series. Originally just 1,000 copies were made of a collection best described as a "sparse suite of six mostly instrumental pieces composed for a film that never existed." Suffice to say, we have all read lines like that before, but rarely do they feel quite so apt. It's haunting, beautiful, tender, deep, floaty, and occupies some strange place that we've never been to before, but knew the moment we arrived. Electronic ambient, desolate dystopian Western score and lush serenity all at once.

Review: Icelandic experiment Low Roar heard Ryan Karazija, Leifur Bjornsson and Logi Gudmundsson indulge a transoceanic collaboration, extending many a riotous yet sensual sludgeoff between indie pop and post-rock until Karazija's death in 2022. Since this sad event, subsequent records have heard the band reuse loose elements recorded by Karazija in a posthumous fashion, and House In The Woods is a brilliant new example. Pressed to vinyl quickly after an initial digital release, the album blends typical Icelandic ambient-string work with sensuous background vocals and harmonium layers, and deals in a range of subjects from decrepitude to endless love, marked by a sense of sublimity throughout.