Needle Time

Jah Wobble - Dreadlock Don't Deal In Wedlock [VOLE 9 UK 1978 24-Bit FLAC] The Whitechapel One teams up with Wayne Jobson and host of other dub specialists including Robbie Shakespear (instead of Wobble on bass) to bastardize The Owl & The Pussycat. Wobble's ranting toast would likely offend anybody who could not understand the irony. Although I doubt the single ever got any radio airplay before the watershed. Wobble's big fat reefer on the sleeve would only add to their disgust. Love and marriage is like ice cream and cabbage. The original backing track was recorded a year or so earlier at Channel One in Jamaica, and those with good ears will notice that the original engineer had failed to eradicate a humming amp. Lacquer mastering was courtesy of  Jah Porky ! A1 Dreadlock Don't Deal In Wedlock B1 Pthilius Pubis

Harry Mosco - Peace & Harmony [ISLELP 004 AUS 2019 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a rare vinyl album on Nigerian label Samba Records (SAM 001) in 1979, this cracking 2019 repress is really something special, mixing afro-funk, disco and dub reggae into six chunks of Peace & Harmony . The accompanying blurb says.... Harry Mosco is best known as the founder of  1970s Nigerian Afro-Funk band The Funkees. Originating as an Army band after the Nigerian Civil War they lead the wave of upbeat music produced by young artists in Nigeria in response to the darkness of the recently concluded civil conflict. Following a notable hit single Akula Owu Onyeara the band split in 1977 and Harry pursued a solo career. Peace & Harmony was Harry’s third LP continuing the rich vein of form found in previous albums Country Boy and Funkees (For You Specially) . He was a visionary who wrote, arranged and produced each song on the LP assisted by Mark Lusari on engineering ...

Creation Rebel - Lows & Highs [BRED 33 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] Originally intended as a release for On-U Sound Records (ON-U LP 15), however licensed instead to the original Cherry Red Records.  The final album from original On-U dub merchants from Creation Rebel. I've never ripped and posted this before so this should be of interest to many of these who have my other On-U rips. The vinyl may well show its age however the sounds withing these grooves are timeless. Perhaps the label themselves should consider a repress? Check out the superb Love I Can Feel which was also a single in 1982. Enjoy! A1 Independent Man (Parts 1 & 2) A2 Rebel Party A3 A Reasoning A4 No Peace B1 Love I Can Feel B2 Rubber Skirt B3 Creation Rebel B4 Creative Involvements

Various Artists - Pay It All Back Volume 2 [ON-U LP42 UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] An improved re-working of my original rip for Everything Starts With An A in 2014. The later PIAB compilations were very much hit and miss, released four years after the first volume, this album is superb without any addition of filler (even though I am no fan of West Ham United - from the enclosed magazine, Mr Sherwood clearly is). African Head Charge's What A Wonderful Day is an uplifting joy to behold - as well their first entry into the world of soca, it's a dedication to the sport of cricket, which has to be a wonderful thing in my book. The Forehead Brothers are Tackhead ...and Circular Motion is a damn fine piece of Tackhead. The four dub reggae tracks by Lee Scratch Perry, Bim Sherman, Prince Far I and Dub Syndicate are superb, especially Prince Far I watering his smokey garden. A0  Untitled Intro - Unknown A1  Lee Scratch Perry & Dub Syndicate - Train To Doomsville A2 ...

I would like to introduce Good Stuff , a younger, slightly impertinent companion to these pages which pulls from the vast collection of compact discs and other sources sitting to the side of the Needle Time vinyl racks. See you there for more good stuff. Needle Time will be back in just a few days.

Brian Bennett ‎- Voyage (A Journey Into Discoid Funk) [ISLELP 001 AUS 2017 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a very rare album on DJM Records in 1978, it's just a pity that excellent Australian label Isle Of Jura Records couldn't replicate the original gatefold sleeve. Not a lot of people will realise that former Cliff Richard and The Shadows drummer Brian Bennett also released an album of high quality space age disco in the late seventies. Put aside your fears of what may be lurking in these grooves, after all Bennett did also write quite a few dodgy TV themes in the eighties, this album of electronic disco-funk is superb. If like me you used to collect cassette tapes of sci-fi themes and soundtracks in the late seventies, Voyage  (A Journey Into Discoid Funk) will bring them all right back to you from out of the cosmos. A1 Voyage A2 Solstice A3 Chain Reaction B1 Pendulum Force B2 Air Quake B3 Ocean Glide

Cerrone - Cerrone VII You Are The One [MAL-58007 FRA 2002 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released in 1980 and contrary to my statement in the previous post, this is actually the 2002 re-press of the seventh Cerrone long player ....and very fine it is all the same. The hairy French one packed up his drum sticks and jets off to New York to record his most accessible album at Power Station studios. By all accounts disco, in its original form, was over by the time he arrived as new dance sounds were developing in the city, however as this album was almost exclusively for the French market, then I guess that didn't matter. I can think of a few other bands who went to NYC around the same time and returned with a different take on dance music. This album does mark the debut of Jocelyn Brown as a lead vocalist, she had previously been a session singer, a profession she was to continue until her rather big solo hit  Somebody Else's Guy in 1984.  With the rise of the nu-dis...

Cerrone - Brigade Mondaine (Original Soundtrack) [773.805 FRA 1978 24-Bit FLAC] I recently parted with just over 30 euros for 5 Cerrone original albums, most of which were in near mint condition. Here is one of them.... Brigade Mondaine was the first in a series of French soft-porn/detective movies released from 1978 onward with Cerrone soundtracks. Expect an eclectic mix of grunts & groans, disco and electronica. Fans of the electronique genre should head straight for Strip-Tease and then just sit back & relax..... A1 Give Me Love A2 Phonic A3 Cloe A4 Deauville A5 Experience B1 Generique (début) B2 Make Up B3 Generique (fin) B4 The Loft B5 Strip-Tease

The Golden Palominos ‎- Blast Of Silence (Axed My Baby For A Nickel) [CELL 6127 USA 24-Bit FLAC] The follow up to Visions Of Excess was the more polished  Blast Of Silence . Dennis Hopper's opening quip warns us to expect another change in direction. This album is much more american in feel, dipping more into mainstream rock as those Palominos are assisted by Peter Blegvad, T-Bone Burnett, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Jack Bruce and Don Dixon. Again it is Syd Straw's voice which makes the album a more worthy listen (just check out Diamond ), especially if like me, rock americana is not your thing. Ripped from a pristine vinyl original from the penguinflight archive. A1 I've Been The One A2 Something Becomes Nothing A3 The Push And The Shove A4 (Something Else Is) Working Harder A5 Angels B1 Diamond B2 Faithless Heart B3 Work Was New B4 Strong, Simple Silences B5 Brides Of Jesus

Golden Palominos - Visions Of Excess [CELL 6118 USA 1985 24-Bit FLAC] The hardcore of those Golden Palominos were founder Anton Fier, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell and Jody Harris. Augmented by a series of guest vocalists they followed their very experimental hip-hop/art-rock crossover self-titled debut with Visions Of Excess which was to become their most recognised piece of work.  The guest list for the album is fairly momentous - Micheal Stipe, John Lydon and Jack Bruce add their voices to these eight alternative rock pieces, however it is the superb voice of Syd Straw which stands out above those of her luminaries. Many will head straight for the Stipe numbers, Boy (Go) , Clustering Train and his REM'ish cover of Moby Grape's Omaha, but please also give credence to Straw's gorgeous voice on Buenos Aires and (Kind Of) True .  John Lydon does his best to ruin things with his belching intro to The Animal Speaks , however this is better than most of what he was ...

Creation Rebel - Dub From Creation [ON-U LP 138 UK 2018 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a very rare vinyl album on Hitrun Records in 1978. For RSD in 2018, we were treated to a clear vinyl repress of the very rare debut album from Creation Rebel. Dennis Bovell and Adrian Sherwood guide the rebels through ten heavy dubs for one of the best dub albums ever recorded. The album was the first release on Sherwood's first label Hitrun Records and we had to wait just forty years for a repress, direct from the original masters. A1 Dub From Creation A2 Basic Principals A3 Rebel Rouser A4 Creation Vibration A5 Creation In A Iration B1 Dub Fusion B2 Mirage B3 Liberation B4 Rising Star B5 Vision Of Creation

Dub Syndicate - Echomania [ON-U LP64 UK 1993 24-Bit FLAC] The next album in line from Dub Syndicate is the superb Echomania . I never picked up the limited version with the extra 7" single unfortunately. This album features all the usual On-U suspects with the addition of Michael Franti from The Beatnigs and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy taking up vocals on the catchy and poignant No No .  Enjoy. A1 Roots Commandment A2 Dubbing Psycho Thriller A3 Dubaddisababa A4 Walking Jerusalem B1 No No B2 2001 Love B3 Green Stick B4 Rock Back B5 Echomania

Dub Syndicate - Stoned Immaculate [ON-U LP56 UK 1992 24-Bit FLAC] Back on my old blog I posted my rips of the first five Dub Syndicate albums which took us up to the late eighties, in fact I ripped most of the original On-U Sound albums, prior to the label's ruch of reissues.  I thought I'd carry on where I originally left off and post the first few nineties albums which I didn't rip at the time. More heavy & smokey dub crafted by Sly Scott and Adrian Sherwood with a bit of help from Prince Far I, Akabu and Skip McDonald. Enjoy. A1 Wadada (Means Love) A2 Stoned Immaculate A3 Forward Not Back A4 Glory To God B1 No Dog Barks B2 More And More B3 Well Tuned Now B4 King Of Sound And Blues B5 Fight The Power

A Certain Ratio ‎– Live In Groningen (Holland) 26.10.1980 [901158 UK 2010 24-Bit FLAC] Good evening, we are A Certain Ratio, we are from Manchester. A Certain Ratio returned from New York following the album sessions for To Each and began a short European tour with Section 25 and The Durutti Column. This live album is taken from a tape made at the mixing desk at The Vera Club in Groningen. The tape has not stood the test of time, however is one the best live artifacts from the band's early days. This is about a year on from the Joy Division support set which became half of The Graveyard and The Ballroom and it is clear how the band have developed.  ACR were going to develop even further and very quickly as just a few months later by December 1980, they were not playing most of these tracks live, instead previewing new tracks onstage which eventually to become Sextet . This setlist comprises most of the To Each album (minus The Fox ), the highlight will always be the...

Playgroup - Epic Sound Battles Chapter Two [ON-U LP26 UK 1983 24-Bit FLAC] Here is a new 24-bit rip of this dub masterpiece. Like the first Playgroup album, Epic Sound Battles Chapter Two  was originally planned as an On-U Sound release but then licensed out to Cherry Red. The sleeve carries two catelogue numbers, ON-LP26 and BRED 52 as a consequence. The band line-up also reduces in size from the first: Ras Levi (Dub Syndicate), Style Scott (Creation Rebel), Bruce Smith (The Pop Group), Steve Beresford (too many to mention), Bonjo I (African Head Charge), and Lol Coxhill all contribute - we all can guess who produces and blends the whole thing together. The mix of styles and influences here is impressive - from dub to funky soca to urban jazz, this record packs them all in. It's the sound of a multi-cultural eighties London finding it's feet after being suffocated by the first wave of thatcherism - the wonderful Going Overdrawn sums everything up into one track, ...

A Certain Ratio - Sextet [FBN 11 BEL 2014 24-Bit FLAC] ...too wild to care. Originally released as a vinyl album on Factory Records (FACT 55) in 1982. I've not been too impressed by the recent Mute re-pressings of the ACR back catelogue and suspect some of the vinyl may be of inferior quality. I have the original Factory pressing but it is a bit worn and would not stand up to my need for a crackle free rip. Thankfully, I also have the lavish Factory Benelux double vinyl package from a few years back which was a joy to rip. As a bonus it also includes some Peel session rarities and the dubby Sir Horatio single alongside ACR standard Waterline . I've mastered this rip at what I believe, or at least what my aging ears tell me, should be the correct levels, with plenty of space in the decibels for your volume button. Sextet for me is A Certain Ratio at their very best, five young Mancunian chaps in their early twenties return from New York having found the funk to bl...

Various - A Factory Sample [FAC 2 UK 1979 24-Bit FLAC] Well now ...you should all know this double seven inch EP, though I doubt many will own an original. This is my original, ripped now to 24-bit flac. Most of the tracks can be heard elsewhere in greater fidelity as the 33 rpm pressing does little to help the ripper, no matter how good the hardware.  Warners are repressing FAC 2 this year as part of the 40th Anniversary of the label, if you feel the need to part with 180 quid, you also get a nice box containing reproductions of the first ten Factory artifacts. There is also an exhibition at The Chelsea College of Arts starting this week on the label ...this is free and looks a very worthy attendance if in the area. Aside "Tears In Their Eyes" A1 Joy Division - Digital A2 Joy Division - Glass Beside "Occasional Labour In Culture" B1 The Durutti Column - No Communication B2 The Durutti Column - Thin Ice (Detail) Seaside "A Piece Of Th...

Swamp Children - Little Voices [FAC 49 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] Little Voices was one of my Factory singles which I only ever ripped to lossy on my old ESWA blog, here at last is a new 24-bit lossless rip from my original Factory 12". The sleeve is very un-Factory, with band name and song titles carried on the abstract nude cover. The sleeve has also been given a high gloss finish to mimic old records from the fifties and sixties. The inner is a Japanese-style clear and rounded poly bag which does little really to protect the platter as it just scrunches up when placed inside the sleeve. Originally Swamp Children had a much rawer edge with a darker yet jazz-tinged funk sound than the band they eventually became, Kalima. Little Voices was produced by Cabaret Voltaire's Stephen Mallinder and ACR's Simon Topping at the Cab's Western Works studio in Sheffield. The track itself is quite a gem with its hauntingly dark and industrial feel, highly apt given the choice...

ESG - You're No Good [FAC 34 UK 1981 24-Bit FLAC] The trials and tribulations of a vinyl ripper ...I've had this rare 7" single for over 35 years, whilst the thick card sleeve has stood the test of time and numerous house moves (I get around), the vinyl within reveals all the inadequacies of a poor pressing and a lot of play, add to that a very quiet b-side which has two tracks squeezed in at 33 rpm. Crackle ....pop .....click ....amplify! You're No Good was the debut single by New York three piece ESG who were part of a duel distribution deal between Factory Records and 99 Records in the USA. Martin Hannett produced the three tracks at Eastern Artists Recording Studios in East Orange NY, around the same time A Certain Ratio were laying down the To Each album at the same studio. Hannett then finished them off at Strawberry Studios back home in Stockport, adding his usual space and delay production style. You're No Good is likely the weaker of the thr...

Fantastic Something - Fantastic Something [BYN 4 UK 1985 24-Bit FLAC] With thanks to those who contribute and donate, I've finally tracked down a mint pressing of the only album by twee-popsters Fantastic Something. Released on Geoff Travis' Blanco Y Negro label, the then home of James, Everything But The Girl, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Monochrome Set and Sudden Sway, the pressing quality is superb as the label benefited from being part of the Warners stable and used the same quality German pressing plants in Alsdorf as used by the major. Brothers Alex and Constantin Veis got to London via Boston and Athens, blending their sickly sweet bedroom pop with tinges of Simon & Garfunkel and The Byrds for a pre-Sarah audience beginning with a one off single for the original Cherry Red in 1983. C86 had not happened yet, however their music was a good fit for the times, even though nobody bought Fantastic Something records. Enjoy. A1 The Night We Flew Out The Wi...

Kuruki - TV Scape [OS 01 BEL 2009 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a vinyl album on Blue Feather Records in 1984. Kuruki came from Gent in Belgium and had a minor belgo-synthpop hit with the single Crocodile Tears  (not on this album) in 1981, after a number of follow ups including the splendidly catchy Souvenir, Souvenir (included on this album), they released their only album, TV Scape in 1984 . Being virtual unknowns outside their native Belgium, discovering Kuruki's blend of eighties' synthpop and Flemish new wave makes TV Scape a highly enjoyable listen, no more so than on the aforementioned single, the opening Kleenex and the excellently dreary and psychedelic  Here Come The Rest.  A1 Kleenex A2 Shake Your Libido A3 1'15 A4 Souvenir Souvenir (Part 1) A5 Souvenir Souvenir (Part 2) A6 TV Scape B1 French Beat B2 Photograph Sam B3 Here Comes The Rest B4 Boys Of Fashion Magazines B5 Little Piece Of Love

Linea Aspera - Linea Aspera [DE-031 USA 2012 24-Bit FLAC] Short lived British analogue synth duo Linea Aspera only existed for 18 months ....in that short time they managed one majestic long player which deserves to be heard by all. Even if you don't know Linea Aspera, you need to hear this, take my word for it. Please don't leave it in a zip drive or in your download folder ....bloody well listen to it! A1 Synapse A2 Eviction A3 Preservation Bias A4 Fer-De-Lance B1 Malarone B2 Hinterland B3 Lamanai B4 Reunion

Camera Obscura - Horizons Of Surburbia [ANNA2001 GER 2005 24-Bit FLAC] Please do not confuse this Camera Obscura with the millennial Glaswegian indie-pop band on 4AD. Camera Obscura were not around for long, managing just one delightful minimal synthpop single on Walthamstow's Small Wonder label in 1983. In 2005 German label Anna Logue Records tracked down unreleased recordings and demos for a limited edition vinyl compilation album. The original masters of the Destitution single (sourced here from an original 7" by the sounds of things) and its follow-up Village Of Stars are allegedly long lost, hence the second single is missing from this release.  These recordings were made in 1983 using: Roland Jupiter 8, Moog Prodigy, Roland TR-808, Roland SH-09, Roland CSQ-100, Logan String Melody, Roland Juno-6, Korg Mono/Poly, Sequential Circuits Pro 1, LinnDrum MK1, Sequential Circuits Prophet V, Roland SH-101, Roland SH-5, and Roland Organ/Strings. Essential stuf...

The Jazz Butcher - A Scandal In Bohemia [GLALP 009 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] A new rip for 2019 of this excellent album from an original Glass Records pressing. If you have never heard and learnt to enjoy the sheer pop pleasure that is Southern Mark Smith , then you need a copy of this album, or if you really want to part with some cash - buy the original single. The album version shines out as pure unadulterated pop, whereas the single is far edgier. Secondly, The Jazz Butcher is not a jazz band (nor is he a butcher) - they are far from it - just think Robyn Hitchcock without the acid. Pure guitar pop with witty lyrical observations. Soul Happy Hou r is a tribute to heavy drinking like no other, Caroline Wheeler's Birthday Present is The Birthday Party (Nick Cave's version) with a huge sense of humour. I Need Meat is hilariously anti-vegetarian and Real Men pokes fun at the very British interpretation of manliness. Ten songs to make you smile, enjoy! Do you k...

XTC - Grass [608 4983 GER 1986 24-Bit FLAC] It would shock you, the things we used to do on grass.... I was never one of the world's XTC biggest fans, I appreciated their output and bought just occasional singles and albums. To me, Swindon's finest were a band you could just dip in and out of - their repertoire is quite large as they were a singles band who matured and eventually became an albums band. Grass was only a limited hit when it came out in the mid-eighties (it only just broke the UK Top 100), from the excellent Skylarking album. The band had faltered with the previous The Big Express album and needed to find somebody to lift their sound and help the creative juices flow in the studio ....they chose Todd Rundgren and crazily it worked although it is said there were considerable disagreements in the studio between Andy Partridge and the producer. This is one of those singles where it is all about the b-side. Whereas Grass is a fine dreamy recollect...

Porcupine Tree - Lightbulb Sun [KSCOPE 965 UK 2017 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a compact disc only in May 2000, then deleted. Finally remixed and released on vinyl in 2008. Porcupine Tree at their most accessible with what could be almost described as a melodic pop album ....well at least in a XTC-kind of pop, in fact Dave Gregory from XTC was involved with some of the string sections. John Foxx also contributed with some of the artwork.  The band chose Four Chords That Million and Shesmovedon as singles, however nobody outside hard core followers noticed. The latter had the makings of a hit with its superbly harmonic chorus however the label lacked the pluggers required to get it out there. There was a plan to push out The (even better) Rest Will Flow as a single too, but that never achieved any more than the promo stage. Side B of this double vinyl set has three of the best tracks you could ever hear in sequence,recorded this century (imho). The Heaven'...

Porcupine Tree - Signify [KSCOPE 948 UK 2017 24-Bit FLAC] Originally released as a vinyl album in 1996 on Delerium Records. Signify was the third album by Porcupine Tree and one of my favourites. It will be the first of three I have ripped for these pages. In a pleasing move away from the floyd-heavy elements of their previous albums, Signify takes you on a journey to dark places from the depths of Steven Wilson's imagination, tinged with experimental (especially kraut )rock and wrapped up in Richard Barbieri's sonic soundscapes and textures.  Carl Glover's unique sleeve is the first hint that this is no ordinary record. From the blistering rock of the title track (just play loud), to the tabla-pop of Waiting through to the darkest corners of Sever , the melodic & harmonic Every Home Is Wired and the classic prog rock of Dark Matter , this album is a good introduction to many who may be sceptical about a band who suffered commercially from the progress...

I.E.M. - IEM Have Come For Your Children [GOD 007 USA 2003 24-Bit FLAC] Incredible Expanding Mindfuck, also known as I.E.M., was a musical project by Steven Wilson from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire UK. Its work is mainly influenced by Krautrock and experimental music from the 1960s and 1970s and is almost entirely instrumental and largely improvised. Three albums and an EP were issued between 1996-2001 - I have featured rips of the debut long player IEM and the final CD Arcadia Son a few years back on ESWA. I though I'd now just fill in the gaps. IEM Have Come For Your Children is a double clear vinyl edition in a PVC sleeve with postcard insert. All the tracks are untitled soundscapes, uptempo motorik beats, dub and distortion most of which blend into one another. The influences here are laden with German bands such as Faust, Neu, Ash Ra Tempel  et al . Enjoy! A1 Untitled B1 Untitled B2 Untitled C1 Untitled C2 Untitled D1 Untitled D2 Untitled ...

Steven Wilson & Oceansize - Stoneage Dinosaurs / Fear [LOTSCOPE 001 UK 2011 24-Bit FLAC] Lead Cardiac Tim Smith suffered a combined stroke and heart attack in 2008. Most of The Cardiacs output has been unavailable since, but the very wonderful Genepool label brought together a plethora of respectful artists on a now deleted Cardiacs tribute album to raise funds for Tim. This single was a 2011 RSD seven inch released on very limited crackly white vinyl, featuring cover versions of two Cardiacs tracks by Steven Wilson and Mancunian pronk disciples Oceansize. A1  Steven Wilson - Stoneage Dinosaurs B1  Oceansize - Fear

Cardiacs - Is This The Life [ALPH 008SP UK 1988 24-Bit FLAC] A very necessary and new 2019 rip for your delectation. Even if you are unsure about what the Cardiacs were about, this has to be their most accessible composition. Here is what I wrote when I last blogged about this record... Is this possibly the greatest alternative rock single of all time? This is the hit both Robert Smith and Ian Astbury both wish they had written. Yes, it did break the mainstream UK charts, and yes a snippet of the video was shown on Top of the Pops. Cardiacs always looked like extras from a George A. Romero movie, their music is messy, twisted, jerky, powerful and progressive, defined by some as pronk . This scribe was lucky enough to see them live in 1988. Silly string, foam and dry ice filled the air as the band just blew me away and everybody in the audience at Surrey University. A1 Is This The Life B1 I'm Eating In Bed

Stockholm Monsters ‎- All At Once [FAC 107 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC] Another new rip for 2019, again from a flimsy Factory vinyl pressing but this time with a more professional production from the bearded one. This is Stockholm Monsters at their punchiest and their best, All At Once and its b-side National Pastime are my favourite tracks by the band and set a mark for their only album, Alma Mater .  It was just a pity we had to wait another three months for the album, after what must have been another tale of Factory inefficiency.  A1 All At Once B1 National Pastime

Stockholm Monsters - Happy Ever After [FAC 58 UK 1982 24-Bit FLAC] A new rip from an original flimsy Factory Records pressing in a Mark Farrow wraparound sleeve - classic Stockholm Monsters produced by Peter Hook. Toy town melodies, manic vocals and out-of-tune organs & trumpets ....there was never anything quite like The Stockholm Monsters and there probably never will be again! Errol Flynn! A1 Happy Ever After B1 Soft Babies

The Wake - Clouds Disco [FBN 94 BEL 2015 24-Bit FLAC] A Factory Benelux limited edition seven inch single for RSD2015 from Caesar & Carolyn. With all the sentiments of The Wake's Factory Records years and a punchy production from Ian Catt, Clouds Disco will mark a return to form from these twee Glaswegians. The Sun Is A Star is a gentle strum with occasional dubby breaks, which The Wake did so well in 1983. I fear this may be their last ever record, however would love to be proved wrong. This is a re-work of my ESWA 2.0 post from July 2018. I've just dropped the left channel down a few db to balance things out a little and re-sampled down to a friendly 24/48.  A1 Clouds Disco B1 The Sun Is A Star

Day Wave - Headcase / Hard To Read [FP 1548-1 USA 2016 24-Bit FLAC] Day Wave is essentially just Jackson Phillips from Oakland, California and he managed to land himself a major deal with Harvest Records (Fiction Records in the UK) following this vinyl compilation of two download only EPs.  Jackson's low fidelity bedroom indie-pop reveals influences from eighties British indie music and supplies us with ten catchy pop songs, and also reveals how accomplished he is as a solo artist by playing all the instruments on this release. It is difficult to pick a favouirte from this album, however the closing You has a few borrowed elements from New Order's Lonesome Tonight so that stands out. This is also a good album to listen to after last weeks rip of The Wake's second album. Day Wave's debut long player The Days We Had on Harvest Records is worth investigating, however please avoid the over compressed CD version.  A1 Nothing At All A2 Total Zombie ...

Wild Nothing - Cloudbusting [CT-49 USA 2010 24-Bit FLAC] A unique Kate Bush interpretation by one of the current darlings of American indie-pop... Essentially a solo project of Jack Tatum, Wild Nothing have now built up a considerable following amongst indie kids (young & old) on both sides of the Atlantic with thanks to a UK deal with Bella Union. Tatum's first album Gemini was excellent, however it seemed a little understated in places. Tatum came out of his shell with 2012's wonderful Nocturne album followed by a well received performance at Lollapalooza 2013. Wild Nothing continue to grow from strength to strength and released a fourth album, Indigo in 2018. A1 Cloudbusting B1 Promise

Craft Spells - After The Moment [CT-94 USA 2011 24-Bit FLAC] Those who have followed ESWA from the start may recall my plug for the Craft Spells 2011 album Idle Labor. Being responsible for one of my favourite albums from this decade, this Stockton California four piece seem to have shrunk down to just front man Justin Vallesteros. I personally don't think they could have moved on from Idle Labor as subsequent releases indicated they had run out of ideas. After The Moment is infectious and catchy, using familiar hooks and riffs from a decade long ago, you immediately recall parts of New Order and The Wake who were obvious influences. I urge you all to track down Idle Labor ....if you haven't already done so. A1 After The Moment B1 Love Well Spent