Back catalogue: Rock

Review: For their latest trip into musical paradise, Zurich's Phantom Island crew has turned to debutants The Gagosians, a trio made up of former Soulphiction guest vocalist Suzana Rozkosny, A.C. Kupper (Guitar) and Kay-Zee (Synths). In its original form "Run For My Honey" is a slightly creepy but hugely enjoyable 4-minute chunk of no-wave wonkiness, with Rozkosny's strutting, post punk style vocals rising above lo-fi drum machine beats, surf-rock style guitar loops and elongated organ chords. On the B-side, Label co-founders Lexx and Kejeblos provide a stellar remix that drags the track further towards skewed, Balearic-minded electrofunk territory. While many of the original instrumentation remains, their body-popping beats and thickset synth bassline give the cut a whole new dancefloor dimension.

Review: This rather tidy, limited-edition "45" offers up two previously unheard instrumental edits of stone cold classics from the bulging back catalogue of Chanson hero and sleazy but chic singer Serge Gainsbourg. Side A boasts a superb revision of "Melody Nelson", a sweeping, string-drenched affair underpinned by sweaty drumming that arguably benefits from the removal of Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin's vocals. Over on side B you'll find an equally evocative version of Beck favourite "Cargo Culte". Stripped of the original lead vocals, the track sounds like a lo-fi art-rock instrumental smothered in ghostly choral vocals and creepy, foreboding musical flourishes. Top stuff!

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve slightly wrinkled/creased, but otherwise in perfect working order***


Having successfully spawned one of Kerrang! Magazine's "50 Most Evil Songs of All Time", you might expect everything from Ghost to sound a little, well, scary, packed with dread and ominous atmospheres. Those arriving at the band for the first time through this two-track, 7" should prepare for shock, then. Despite having a song entitled "Mary On A Cross", and therefore being destined for the worst reactions from hardline Christians, if you shut out the lyrics things sound twisted, but far from menacing. OK, so it would be pushing it to describe the band's psych-metal hybrid as friendly or comfortable. Again we're taken to occultist realms, places where sacrifices are offered at altars dedicated to Wurlitzer keyboards and driving rhythm guitars. It's strange and slightly unnerving if you spend too long focused on standard definitions of normalcy, but incredibly infectious if you give yourself over to the dark side.

Review: Having successfully spawned one of Kerrang! Magazine's "50 Most Evil Songs of All Time", you might expect everything from Ghost to sound a little, well, scary, packed with dread and ominous atmospheres. Those arriving at the band for the first time through this two-track, 7" should prepare for shock, then. Despite having a song entitled "Mary On A Cross", and therefore being destined for the worst reactions from hardline Christians, if you shut out the lyrics things sound twisted, but far from menacing. OK, so it would be pushing it to describe the band's psych-metal hybrid as friendly or comfortable. Again we're taken to occultist realms, places where sacrifices are offered at altars dedicated to Wurlitzer keyboards and driving rhythm guitars. It's strange and slightly unnerving if you spend too long focused on standard definitions of normalcy, but incredibly infectious if you give yourself over to the dark side.

Review: Dutch band Golden Earring scored a huge hit in 1982 with 'Twilight Zone.' It's inspired by The Bourne Identity book and spent over six months in the US Pop Charts and was the band's only No. 1 hit in America when it hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Album Tracks chart. The band's guitarist George Kooymans wrote the tune and shares vocal responsibilities with Barry Hay. It's as big as pop rock gets with its soaring chords and big drums, and on the flip is 'When The Lady Smiles' which is another classic 80s anthem.

Review: The first ever reissue of the legendary Graveyard Five single, "The Graveyard Theme" b/w "The Marble Orchard" (Stanco SR-102), one of the true "holy grails" of garage rock.

This is truly one of the rarest 45's in the world, with only a handful of original copies known to exist; no surprise then that they sell for more than $4,500! "The Graveyard Theme", an exercise in fuzz guitar excess, was apparently inspired by a Ouija board session. The B-side is the fuzz-soaked, reverb-laden monster, "The Marble Orchard", which tells the true tale of the creepy, wet October night the band spent in the cemetery; they were convinced they saw something move from behind a tombstone and then heard "a wolfpack howl". If the circumstances and subject matter of these songs isn't creepy enough, the recording studio where these songs were recorded was supposedly haunted by a spectre that provided guest background vocals in the form of a growling noise that's clearly audible near the end of "The Marble Orchard"...