[engl] First time reissue of this classic mini album since its original release in 1983. This version features 4 bonus tracks, songs from both early single 7" "Repulsion" & "Caged". 1919 is a post-punk band from Bradford, UK and an early contributor to what would become the goth genre. The band is still active !

[engl] Documenting the unlikely coupling of British free jazz bastion Lol Coxhill and the sarcy synth pop don't-wannabes known as Gerry And The Holograms this rare incognito full-length album bridges the micro-niches of electronic jazz and punk jazz from a band formed in 1979 at an axis where DIY and new wave hadn't quite collided! With sprinklings of post-punk female vocals worthy of PragVEC and Suburban Lawns, featuring angular art rock paeans to voodoo dolls and closed-circuit TV, this privately pressed LP comes directly from the man who gave Martin Hannett some of his best ideas and wrote the "Blue"print for Manchester's new musical order. Imagine if Talking Heads became Mark E Smith’s backing band for a week before being sacked for wearing a Frank Zappa t-shirt while Eric Dolphy forgot to take his headphones off… If that sounds up your street, then you should be paying double. A genuine lost moment from the post-punk era with progressive pop credentials from the university of Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias before everyone got a job at the local Factory. Why are you the only person who doesn't know about this?

[engl] Very little information exists about Italian anarcho-punks A Culture Of Killing. Like many of their forebears, they evidently eschew communication via mainstream press or corporate-owned social media. So I guess it’s on me to tell ya that their latest release is a long-overdue vinyl press of their 2017 self-titled cassette, and it absolutely slays. OK, it’s not immediately obvious as anarcho - you won’t find the teeth-rattling rhythms of early Crass or Flux Of Pink Indians on any of the eight tracks here. Sonically the territory the occupy is somewhere between the gothed-out territory marked out by The Cure and Siouxsie, and the more mournful but recognisably punk tones of The Mob (in fact, they even cover that band’s Mirror Breaks and firmly put their own stamp on it). This screams early 1980s - a time presided over by right-wing politicians, with the shadows of recession and poverty hanging ominously over proceedings… hey, that sounds familiar… Unsurprisingly for a bunch of anarchists, ACOK are about far more than the mere sound of the music. They rail against the state of the world - and sure, these songs are from 2017, but it can’t have escaped your notice that things ain’t improved too much. That’s why we need soundtracks like this, helping us make sense of the mess we’re inhabiting thanks to the shitbags in power. If that sounds simplistic, their worldview is most assuredly not. For now though, it’s clear what we have to do: ENGAGE, for fuck’s sake. And that starts right here, with a record that’s dark, entrancing, exhilarating and… ah hey, I’m going there: IMPORTANT. Press play and thrill forever. Anyone who doesn’t is a fucking cop.

[engl] The complete discography from the seminal Milwaukee band Akarso, on vinyl for the very first time. All songs recorded and mixed by Pat Lilley at Nexus Recording Studio in Waukesha Wisconsin between 1998-1999. Songs 1,2, and 4 originally appeared on Parallel Chlorophyll Regions (Highwater Records 005) 1998. Song 3 originally appeared on Akarso/Seven Days of Samsara Split 7” (Ricky Schroeder Fan Club 001) 2000. Songs 5-8 originally appeared on Akarso/Faraquet Split CD (404 Records 002) 1999.

[engl] Alexis Gideon will be presenting the third installment in his critically-acclaimed multimedia opera series, Video Musics III: Floating Oceans, beginning this fall. Portland, Oregon’s historic Hollywood Theatre will host the world premiere on October 11, 2012. Gideon is an interdisciplinary iconoclast whose body of work joyfully challenges the presumed constraints of visual arts and music genres. Where others attempting the same projects might get lost in the weeds, Gideon’s ferocious intelligence and crystal-clear vision produces some of the most engaging pieces audiences will encounter. Gideon worked with Cynthia Star (Lead Painter for Coraline, Laika Studios) and Jacob Rubin (Best New American Voices), among others, to produce the video piece. Video Musics III: Floating Oceans was funded by a generous award from The Regional Arts and Culture Council, the second consecutive grant from this organization Gideon has received. (Gideon’s first RACC award was for Video Musics II: Sun Wu-Kong). Video Musics III: Floating Oceans is a 38-minute stop-motion animation video opera based on the works of the early 20th century Irish writer Lord Dunsany, and inspired by the time and dream experiments of the Irish physicist John William Dunne. The piece is dedicated to Flann O’Brien. Video Musics III: Floating Oceans contrasts the vivid dreams of its poet-protagonist with the foreboding routine of pedestrian life. Parts operate under the tow of dream logic. All dialogue and narration are expressed through lyrics and music performed live in front of the projected video. The piece explores non-linear and traditional linear narrative, and uses the musical meters of modern classical, hip-hop, ambient, and psychedelia.

[engl] ALGARA's first communiqué vomits in the face of moderate leftism; encouraging class war and insurrection, and wanting the total annihilation of police forces. Home recorded in a Barcelona Squat, the production of their debut four-track EP is minimal. ALGARA deal in stark and sparse sounding post-punk that hints at CRISIS, early DECIMA VICTIMA and JOY DIVISION in equal measures. The lead guitar is brittle and skeletal, and sits perfectly on the driving rhythm section, made up of a primitive drum machine, creating a sonic background for their message to be heard.

[engl] One of the most familiar faces in the busy Melbourne music scene; Jake Robertson (who you may remember from such class acts as Ausmuteants, Hierophants, School Damage, et al) returns in full-fledged form with another unruly record from his solo alter-ego ALIEN NOSEJOB. Thirteen months on since the hardcore-punk inspired concept album, ‘Once Again The Present Becomes The Past’, Alien Nosejob turns the ship back to front and sails in a new direction, yet again. Paint It Clear mixes sounds of classic 80’s new wave and post punk whilst sprinkling in the occasional disco track on top. But don’t let these descriptions throw you off - it still carries Robertson’s classic screech of cheeky yet witty lyrics and sharp songwriting hooks. After three home-recorded records prior to this, Mikey Young has finally been phoned in to take over the production controls and breathes a whole new way of life into Alien Nosejob. Never before has ANJ been heard in such fidelity. The clarity! The definition! The dynamics! It all shines brighter than ever before resulting in a record that Robertson’s “parents could actually listen to”. There’s a little something for everyone; whether it be 80’s Cure-inspired synths in Duplicating Satan, the robust Devo-like feel of Leather Gunn, the sing-along chorus of Crusader of Coles, or the melodic, minor closer that is Bite My Tongue. There’s even The Butcher; a piano ballad inspired by the Fun Boy Three, showcasing Jake’s skills as not just a songwriter, but a damn fine singer. Paint It Clear is Alien Nosejob’s fourth full length record since 2018 - it certainly proves he a nose for these things.

[engl] Much loved, relentless rocker, Jake Robertson is back yet again with the next instalment of his ridiculously productive solo project, Alien Nosejob. Jake’s got a brand-new bag of tricks and I ain’t gonna beat around the bush; it sounds like AC/DC! Stained Glass may be his finest and most stylistically suited work to date. Ironically, and to quote his own sarcastic lyrics from the album’s second track, he definitely fits this shoe. Not only does Jake have the high-pitched pipes while many others don’t (obviously a vital part in this sound), but the guitar chops to pull off the sweet, sustained lead breaks of this particular style. And he does so in great fashion as you’ll be made immediately aware from the scorching solo on album opener, “Beatles vs, Stones”. Trust Jake to write a song with that title! But alas! it’s not all Bon Scott’s and Angus Young’s. Some Rikk Agnew guitar lines shine through on album closer, "Mouldy Dough". "Shuffle Boogie" marks Jake’s first ever stab at the shuffle backbeat - which he says is him knicking from Rose Tattoo what they knicked from AC/DC - but it also kinda sounds like a sped up Jean Genie or some lost Bowie boog. "RNR Rubbish Bin" stomps its way through five minutes of electrified solo’s and witty lyrics. Even Brian Johnston makes an appearance on the Ausmuteants sequel, “Coastal Living 2”; about growing up on the NSW Central Coast. The bulk (backing tracks) of Stained Glass were recorded by Mix Master Mikey (Young), over a Friday / Saturday in October last year - but by the sounds of it they spent just as much time eating Guzmen y Gomez, talking shit and hanging out as they did recording. Jake took the beds for the eight tracks home, tucked their sheets in tightly and the record was complete before years end.

[engl] Acid Bath is the second studio album by English gothic rock icons ALIEN SEX FIEND. Originally released in 1984 and now back on vinyl. Produced by Kevin Armstrong (David Bowie, Iggy Pop), this masterpiece is considered their best album, it’s a must have for any goth, death rock and post punk addict.

[engl] Second LP from the project led by Albert Limones (Nosferatu/ Creamers) following on from The Grotto Screams in 2021. Skeletal, brittle and skittish punk. Complex, layered tones with wobbly chorused bass, jagged drum patterns and bristling guitar. Amongst the rubble, 'Limones vocals are everything that hold this together, piercing and primal. Recalling Christian Death, Bauhaus, but Altar of Eden really stand alone The LP sounds like it’s been pulled from some tape archive from 1985. Not that it’s dated in any way. It’s just along the same strand of DNA..

[engl] Perhaps you, like me, have listened to Bauhaus and Killing Joke and thought, ‘Well, this is great, but I wish it was a bit more of a rager.’ Similarly, maybe you listened to The Effigies and Samhain before musing to yourself, ‘Cool, although I thought it’d be darker.’ In other words, it’s occurred to you that deathrock could be a tad deathier and - if it’s not too distasteful of me to say so - rock a hell of a lot harder. Step forward, Altar of Eden. The project of Austin, TX resident Albert Limones (whose bruising sounds you may have heard in the shadowy likes of Nosferatu and Creamers), it’s an unholy marriage of Big Black’s mechanistic rhythms and the serrated, atmospheric noise of yer favourite early ‘80s 4AD types. Tracks like ‘The Abandonment’ absolutely lay waste to your speakers - it opens with a harrowing shriek before throbs of chorusing bass and guitar carve out their own unnerving paths. Somewhere in the distance, a menacing voice can be heard, buried in murk and distortion, with the song operating at breakneck pace and maximum volume - hey, I think our criteria may have been met. Second track ‘Tears’ ups the ante, leaning heavily on atmospheric gloom while pushing the drum machine to the fore, like Clan of Xymox setting up traps for the Slenderman, before the lacerating strafes of guitar on ‘Eternity’ invite the nightmares to truly begin. And that’s just the first three songs - by the time ‘Death in the Country’ gallops to a beautifully discordant end, we’re well and truly bewitched by this wonderful, horrible noise. ‘The Grotto Screams’ was originally released on cassette in April of last year, before finally getting this well-deserved vinyl pressing - one of the first truly essential releases of 2021. Don’t miss out.

[engl] It’s probably wise that one “post” is enough. Post-rock. Most “established” record stores have a “post-rock” or “post-punk” section, now, in roaring ‘20s, and every year, as we uncover how glorious those first few Killing Joke albums were, or how influential Magazine, or say, even Shellac, were to a nation of millions, the pile grows taller. And for every inch, there’s a upstart group of misfits in some part of Indiana or Zagreb aping the next iteration of “post” that becomes an en vogue apparition. And we can’t fault those zip guns, they keep the blood flowing. But how do we come full circle, how do we add a “post,” is there life after Red Medicine? American Motors was established in 2023; not only to clear the drains, but to add that extra “post,” to cleanse the lives of those spent chasing the punk, post-punk, and heck, shoegazing dreams of a generation dosed by the DIY ideals of indie rock. Manipulating a post-pandemic narrative – because why can’t the narrative be manipulated now, by any means necessary? – is the duo of Dustin White and Alex Steward. Both have traveled Lewis and Clark paths towards a musical salvation that put them within the magma. Their CVs too voluminous to get into now, but rest assured, they’re coast to coast post-rock journeymen who have spent just as much time rewiring the gear as they have screen-printing the ‘zines, putting on house shows, and intently studying the lineage of those who came before. White and Steward talk of an “instant telepathy” when they first meet in Austin. There was a shared sentiment that in that post-pandemic world, the duo wanted to make physical music. Physical in the sense of volume, physical in the sense of hitting your instruments hard. There was a love of early Swans; the physical tumult, and the dust that settles after the storm and stress explodes. In practice, the sound of American Motors pits an enormous and feral rhythm section vs. meditations in minimalism, new age tonality, and repetition. “Colonial Lanes” is the perfect cultivation of this working-stiff cudgeling meeting its soft, ambient foil. With the scene set in a bowling alley dive bar, with the dredges (fallen angels?) of society “grinding their teeth from grinding those pills,” the song rides a giant, chasm filled, martial beat (the heartbeat from white crosses?), before making room for ripples of atmospheric guitar. In a song like “The Former Mall Anchor Store Call Center Blues,” the title kind of says it all. At American Motors, the quotidian becomes mythical, just as the post-everything bassline hypnotizes the listener to see something “where a mountain used to be,” there’s beauty in the nothingness, the crusted nihilism, the Dollar General close to the other Dollar General. Here those ripples peek through again, or maybe they’re waves of synth, a snake-church oscillator, and they do it just as relentlessly as the forceful rhythms, the sturm und drang, like sunlight through cheap aluminum mini-blinds. American Motors reflect that quiet sonic war. A leveling of post-expectations. You can have your corporeal catharsis and carve mazes in your brain at the same time. “There is a Twin,” is as much Jawbox, as it is Hysteria, as it is Iasos, as it is some post-iteration of Rodan they’ve never heard, or those rediscovered K-Mart loop cassettes. As an anthem of sorts for the band it contains their multitudes, but also a strict code. So ingrained with that blueprint – a post-rock bedrock informed by the metaphysical and the rust and grain belts - the duo, along with bassist Brad Williams, recorded their debut with J. Robbins in Baltimore. American Motors aren’t re-inventing the wheel as much as they are smashing it to bits, reconfiguring those bits into something that is what? A new wheel? Why not? This is one of those opportunities.

[engl] Five-piece band from Brittany writing pop songs about love, fear and solidarity.

[engl] We here at Castle Face dig a good trance. Hypnosis, mesmerization, and brain trickery are some of our favorite results of deep listening and it is a suggestive, ritualistic and dreamlike vibe that Bronze ooze like pheromones all over their excellent new record. Absolute Compliance is a truly hypnogogic group of tunes from Bronze on their best and weirdest behavior and it hits all my favorite things about them immediately and repeatedly: Insistently strange synth voicings emanating from Miles Friction's mad scientists lab worth of equipment controlled by a homemade-looking oversized knob; Brian Hock’s throbbing, woolly, hall of mirror grooves; and above it all Rob Spector’s thousand yard croon the vaguely familiar touchstone amongst the Lynchian, mutated surroundings…these are songs of dreams and nightmares, hidden rituals observed, futuristic coliseum entertainments displaced in time, sci fi jams of an uncertain future. Bronze are one-of-a kind great and if you’re unfamiliar you should go find their other records (including their great live record for us) and get caught up. They are real-deal weirdo kings of San Francisco and their spell is not easily dissipated once cast.

[engl] Peplum is the 5th solo LP album of Api Uiz, a band from Bordeaux, France which plays since 1995. They influenced an entire generation of french musicians by the ferociously independent way they play and produce music. Peplum is a perfect album name for a band which is such a landmark in the french underground scene. PS: What they do can imperfectly be described as an instrumental, teared-apart and howling harsh folkloric pop. PPS:This album is brought to you by: Les Potagers Natures, Mon Cul C'est Du Tofu, La République Des Granges, Attila Tralala, Red Wig Records and, yours truely, Kythibong.

[engl] Exclusive 7" from Norwegian Grammy-award winners Årabrot. The A-side, 'Song Of Calumny', is a groovy monster hit from the same recording sessions as their upcoming album, The Gospel. Featuring noise maestro Lasse Marhaug. The B-side is a narrated version of previously released 'The Isis Pool', and an excusive cover (vinyl only).

[engl] Melbourne’s post-punk favourites INFINITE VOID have teamed up with Portland, OR’s dark-punk masters ARTIC FLOWERS for a special split 7?.

[engl] Pressing Info 100 copies on White 300 copies on Black You might have previously chanced upon Artefact if you’ve got your ear to the ground of the fertile, exciting DIY punk circuit in the UK. Equally, they might be brand new to you, but there’s no shame in that game. Release-wise, the four-piece have gone straight from a demo to a debut LP – a step-up that, ‘Votive Offering’, the long player in question, justifies in a half-hour blaze of elegant, alluring gothic punk grandeur. Artefact assembled in the Welsh capital, Cardiff, around late 2014 and debuted in early 2015 with a seven-song demo cassette. Featuring Hannah Saunders on vocals, Matthew Green on guitar, Jon Mohajer on bass and Danny Parsons on drums, members’ musical CVs span indiepop (Joanna Gruesome), post-hardcore (Facel Vega), emo (Plaids), garage punk (Twisted) and slowcore (Mars To Stay). This collective experience has certainly informed Artefact, in terms of how they operate and conduct themselves, but it should equally be seen as a clean break, and a chance to indulge their tastes for postpunk, goth, deathrock and the darker side of the tracks in general. Saunders – the only one of the quartet to be playing in a band for the first time – is a great and mercurial presence at the microphone, ramping up the drama and emotion running through ‘Votive Offering’. Her lyrics are suitably, poetically intriguing, heavy with alliteration and wordplay and spiked with literary and historical references. They meet their perfect match across these ten songs: rolling rhythms built from tom-heavy drums and punchy basslines, waves of ear-ringing chorus-pedal guitar, an ability to switch tempos from a brisk clip to a funereally slow march. ‘Votive Offering’ is boosted by a recording (at North Wales’ Foel Studios) which gives each sonic element the spotlight it deserves, while retaining Artefact’s serrated edge, and mastering by prolific punk platter polisher, Daniel Husayn of North London Bomb Factory. The striking sleeve art comes from inside the mind of Scott Young, an American artist who has also fashioned covers for bands including Gag and Strutter. And it’s being released by German punk label Adagio830 (Diät, Dark Blue, Ranx/Xerox, Rat Columns) as a result of label owner Robert Schulze stumbling on an Artefact live set while on tour, and falling in love. Anyone whose tastes include foundation stones of goth such as Siouxsie & The Banshees or Bauhaus; The Mob, Part 1 and other names from the gloomier end of 1980s anarcho punk; or contemporary burners of the flame like Belgrado, Arctic Flowers or Anasazi… Artefact have made an album for you to fall in love with too.

[engl] Astaron from Vienna Austria were a music and art performance duo made up of Angie Mörth (member of viele bunte Autos) and Martina Aichhorn who existed from 1984 to 1989. Influenced by the Viennese Actionism, Einstürzende Neubauten and Kate Bush and armed with a big dose of black humour and a true love for trash culture they created an impressively unique body of work. They released two DIY tapes, One 12” and this stunning self titled album at the tail end of 1987. It was originally released by local label Ton Um Ton Records in a criminally low pressing of 500 Copies. It’s an unadjusted highly experimental and totally addictive dark wave album with hints of minimal post punk. The music ranges from dirgelike chants to ethereal pop to haunting ballads. It’s pure melancholic beauty from start to finish. Think KUKL, Cocteau Twins, Young Marble Giants for the minimal sound, Brian Eno, Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Diamanda Galas.

[engl] Their Demo Tape from 83 for the first time on vinyl ! FFO of Wire, The Sound, Chameleons, Post Punk, ZickZack etc. ! limited on 300 copies!