Notable vinyl releases out this Friday - 30 August (2024)

The first official reissue of Dorothy Carter’s folk-music exegesis comes 46 years after its original release, 20 years after Dorothy passed, and 11 years before the centennial of her birth. Yet it seems right on time for a new celebration of her music. Appalachian folk tunes, old and ancient psalms and hymns, Scottish, Irish, French and Israeli melodies, and original tunes flow together effortlessly in a hypnotic garden of eternal world musics.

Ambient Maximalism in Synths, Strings, Harps, and Horns. A sonic excursion, taking inspiration from public parks across the globe, Big Majestic features Kronos Quartet soaring above desert vistas on West Coast Sky Forever, Shabaka Hutchings' kaleidoscopic shakuhachi and tenor saxophone meditations on Spiritual Sun and Primrose Hill, James McVinnie performing an electrifying synth organ epic on Blue Sky | Mirrored Glass, and the otherworldly voice of Lisel beckoning the listener into the unknown. For Fans Of: Floating Points, A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Brian Eno, Ana Roxanne, Juliana Barwick

Enumclaw, led by primary singer/songwriter Aramis Johnson is a movement for the people by the people from Tacoma, WA. With their new second LP Home in Another Life, Enumclaw has grown to be more than just a rock band. Instead they're a community of creatives, videographers, photographers, writers, critics and skaters. They're for the punk ass kids at skate parks in the Tacoma of every city, for the kids who get the deli chicken strips and eat them in the store without paying, for the kids who might not be found at the theatres and amphitheaters but will definitely go off in the pit at the punk venue which used to be a CVS. Home in Another Life packs a lifetime of emotion into it's eleven songs - Johnson sets the personal tone from the start on opener "I'm Scared I'll End Up All Alone," a swaying but fierce kickoff track that channels bands like Dinosaur Jr and Archers of Loaf with a modern edge. Singles like "Change" and "Not Just Yet" show that the band's ability to write hooks has completely leveled up since their 2022 debut Save the Baby. "Would you want me to change?" Aramis shouts over a raucous riff from guitarist Nathan Cornell, while the aggressive drum and bass pairing of Ladaniel Gibson and Eli Edwards on "Not Just Yet" feel integral to the song's headbanging tempo.After a hectic touring schedule with bands like Nothing, illuminati hotties and Toro y Moi, Enumclaw shows no signs of slowing down their non-stop pace. From the start they have prided themselves on being a working-class band, hitting the road as much as possible and burning CDs at merch tables when they've needed to. Home in Another Life captures that energy - it's a soundtrack to be played loud as hell out the window of a mid-2000's sedan or blaring through the walls of your neighbor's apartment building. It's a record built to connect with you - that's the only way Enumclaw has ever operated.

Almost three decades on from their last release, Acid Jazz forefathers Galliano are back with news of their new LP ‘Halfway Somewhere’ which is being released on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings on 30 August. On ‘Circles Going Round The Sun’, the first single to be lifted off their new album, Galliano founder Rob Gallagher meditates on what gathering together in clubs means. “The first time you dance you break boundaries between matter and spirit, self and other, individual and group” he intones on a record that references dance culture sages Andrew Weatherall and David Mancuso next to writer George Mackay Brown and artist Mark Leckey. Born out of London’s underground clubs and warehouse parties of the mid to late eighties, with the debut single on the Acid Jazz label in 1988, Galliano came out of a culture that spanned music, dance, fashion, art, design, and the written word. When they arrived as the first act on Gilles Peterson’s Talkin’ Loud label in 1990 with ‘Welcome to the Story’ (produced by Chris Bangs who invented the term Acid Jazz) dressed in Gabicci sweaters, beads and skullcaps they captured a scene built on re-invention. “We were all playing around with what we could get our hands on whether that was a seventies book on Jamaican style or old Last Poets and Watts Prophets records,” says Gallagher. “We’d been recycling things for a few years but suddenly everything had coalesced and you’ve got an amalgam that seemed quite solid.” For their first album since ‘Live at The Liquid Room (Tokyo)’ in 1997, Rob Gallagher and his partner, vocalist Valerie Etienne, are joined by Galliano stalwarts Ernie McKone on bass, Crispin Taylor on drums, and Ski Oakenfull on keys (with guests including saxophonist Jason Yarde and percussionist Crispin ‘Spry’ Robinson). Where the old Galliano recycled records they heard at clubs, today they are responding to the kaleidoscopic global jazz scene - from Total Refreshment Centre in London to International Anthem in Chicago. More than forty years since they came together, Galliano are still only ‘Halfway Somewhere’, but listening to the album they are obviously having fun getting there. “I think the stars have to be aligned when you redo things,” says Gallagher. “Coming at it from this door is very different to the door we came into back then. But once it's existing it is something. But I’m still not sure what that something is.” Galliano - Halfway Somewhere

By turns devotional, empowering and nurturing, Jon Hopkins’ RITUAL is a 41-minute electronic symphony built from cavernous subs, hypnotic drumming and transcendent melodic interplay. Tense, immersive and ultimately triumphant, it is a culmination of themes explored throughout his 22-year career, and acts as the kinetic counterpart to 2021’s Music For Psychedelic Therapy. A single piece unfolding over eight chapters, RITUAL is personified by depth and contrast. Taking ceremony, spiritual liberation and the hero's journey as inspiration, it taps into an ancient and primal energy. Featuring long-term collaborators Vylana, 7RAYS, Ishq, Clark, Emma Smith, Daisy Vatalaro and Cherif Hashizume, RITUAL came together within the second half of 2023, but initial seeds were sown in 2022, when Hopkins was commissioned to compose for the stroboscopic Dreamachine experience in London. A project that felt ceremonial from the outset, this shorter piece was the embryo of RITUAL, with Hopkins gaining inspiration from the feeling of intention that is inherent in the Dreamachine space. RITUAL is both emotionally and sonically heavy, whilst retaining a warm, live feel, where the juxtaposition between softness and intensity forms the core of the whole. So take time, prepare and immerse in RITUAL for 41 minutes of uninterrupted listening: sonic divination of the most potent form.

Amelia is the 2024 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient's first new album since 2018’s Grammy-winning Landfall. The record comprises twenty-two tracks about renowned female aviator Amelia Earhart’s tragic last flight. Anderson, who Pitchfork says, “sees the future, but she starts by paying attention,” wrote the music and lyrics for this subjective narrative piece. On the album, she is joined by the Czech orchestra Filharmonie Brno, conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, and Anohni, Gabriel Cabezas, Rob Moose, Ryan Kelly, Martha Mooke, Marc Ribot, Tony Scherr, Nadia Sirota, and Kenny Wolleson.Earhart was a passionate pioneer of early aviation, achieving fame as the first woman to cross the Atlantic, in 1932. Five years later, she embarked on a flight around the world. Before she could complete the voyage, her plane disappeared without a trace; it has never been found. “The words used in Amelia are inspired by her pilot diaries, the telegrams she wrote to her husband, and my idea of what a woman flying around the world might think about,” Anderson says. First premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2000, the updated piece was recently performed across Europe.

If Los Bitchos’ electrifying 2022 debut album Let the Festivities Begin! was the rowdy build up to the big night out, then Talkie Talkie is the Technicolor explosion of the dancefloor. Made up of lead guitarist Serra, who carries both Australian and Turkish heritage, Uruguayan synth and keytar player Agustina Ruiz, Swedish bassist Josefine Jonsson and British drummer Nic Crawshaw, the group are united by a commitment to having fun. It’s a contagious energy they’ve had no problem transmitting to the world: since the band officially arrived in 2019 with two sell-out 7" singles, they marked themselves as one of London’s brightest bands to watch. Since then, they’ve found a home in beloved indie label City Slang, ripped stages across the most coveted stages the globe over (such as Glastonbury and Coachella, as well as supporting Pavement and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard), and radiated the verve of their personalities and cultures through their exploratory take on rock’n’roll. The London-based quartet’s new album is glistening with charisma, sonic experimentation and a puckish spirit. Named after a fictional club of the same name Talkie Talkie is a late-night paradise brimming with freedom and possibility; a place where partygoers can escape reality in the dance or daydream along to the invigorating soundscapes.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds return with new album, Wild God. Across the ten tracks of the album, the band dance between convention and experimentation, taking left-turns and detours that heighten the rich imagery and emotion in Cave's soul-stirring narratives. It is the sound of a group emboldened by reconnection and taking flight. There are moments that touch fondly upon the Bad Seeds' past but they are fleeting, and serve only to imbue the relentless and restless forward motion of the band. Produced by Cave and Warren Ellis, and mixed by David Fridmann, Cave began writing the album in 2023. With sessions at Miraval in Provence and Soundtree in London, the Bad Seeds added their unique alchemy, with additional performances from Colin Greenwood (bass) and Luis Almau (nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar). "Wild God... there's no fucking around with this record. When it hits, it hits. It lifts you. It moves you. I love that about it," says Nick Cave.

The debut album from Paris Paloma, 'Cacophony' follows (and includes) her breakthrough single "labour," which has amassed over +190M WW streams. Written around themes of feminine rage, societal expectations on women and deeply embedded misogyny, the album continues the deep consideration and dissection of Paris' own experiences and observations as a woman. Drawing comparisons to artists like Florence + The Machine and Hozier, Paris' songwriting taps into cultural movements, inspiring fans around the world. "labour," and subsequent singles including "as good a reason," have seen her lyrics and music resonate deeply with an ever growing fanbase. Unheard tracks such as "his land" are emotive and cinematic, while the gloriously climactic "the last woman on earth" has become a fan favorite on TikTok. Following sold-out shows in the UK and Europe in 2023, Paris embarks on a second sold-out tour in the U.S. in 2024 ahead of the release of Cacophony.

A meditation from Ty Segall on love, played on his first love: the drums. Delving deep into the melodic and orchestral possibilities of a full array of percussion instruments, from the trap kit to timpani, vibraphone, xylophone, percussion and e-drums, Ty charts the waxing and waning of a love affair, to explore some of the most delicate space we know of – the private emotional location where only two can meet.

‘Infinite Health’ is the engrossing sixth album by Tycho, the two-time-GRAMMY-nominated project of celebrated San Francisco songwriter, musician and producer Scott Hansen. The album will be released on August 30 via Mom + Pop Records in the U.S. and Ninja Tune in the rest of the world, and is announced today with lead single and accompanying video, “Phantom”. Hansen says 'Infinite Health' is "about hope for the future and a requiem for the past." He explains: "I kept thinking back to the high-water mark scene in Fear and Loathing, the author sitting at a typewriter looking out a window onto his past, trying to find meaning in the chaos. Infinite Health is about creating a space for healing and reflection, a mantra for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. At the end of the day, all we really have is our health – both physical and mental – and we wish infinite health to our family and friends. So in those ways, infinite health is a salutation and an imperative." Sonically, the record sees him return to a more electronic-based production style, "focusing on breaks, drums and rhythmic elements" he says. "Then, using that as the foundation, and having all the instrumentation follow that lead, as opposed to the other way around.” The results sparkle, none-more-so than on lead single, “Phantom”, which Hansen sites as his favourite track on the album. Accompanied by a suitably iridescent, 80’s-influenced visual, the up-beat track sees Tycho’s trademark sound imbued with an Italo Disco neon noir. "I wanted it to feel like a blend of lights in a nightclub with some unknown entity. The phantom; a moving and shifting intelligence that serves as a conduit, maybe a deeper understanding of what's beneath the surface of this all" he comments. "It's also about coming to terms with mortality (the phantom being the ever present spectre of mortality)."

'Wish On The Bone' is Why Bonnie's sophomore LP and debut for Fire Talk. It's untethered from any landscape or genre, propelled by this freedom and resulting in Why Bonnie's most catchy, hopeful body of work to-date. Ranging from twangy country infused rock jams to more intimate and lo-fi arrangements, ‘Wish on the Bone’ is wide-eyed and waiting. It’s a coming of age film in which the protagonist rejects the forces that have tried, and failed, to shape her into something other than herself. It leaves you with a hard-fought sense of hope, which is among songwriter Blair Howerton’s greatest gifts. “You owe it to the people who are experiencing the worst to just keep pushing,” Howerton says. That’s the throughline of “Wish On The Bone”, a record that rewards with repeated listens.

In 10 songs and 40 minutes, Wunderhorse capture the raw power and energy that has set them apart as one of the most formidable live acts of recent years. With rugged hooks, unfiltered noise, and fierce melodic sensitivity, Midas rips up the script of traditional second albums and establishes the band as an endlessly addictive and rousing generational talent. 

.Face destroying Blackened Hardcore monsters TELOS present their debut of the same name. Drawing significant influence from contemporary blast merchants Hexis and angular, chaotic riff titans Converge TELOS create their own sound through an alliance of these concepts. This masterpiece shifts from rushing breathless sections of hasty drums and frantic riff to super aggressive hyperblasting to sudden melodic drops and back again. Coming in at under the 30minute mark this output does an admirable job of exploring the concept presented under the title; TELOS being Greek for 'End', the release follows ideas of environmental collapse, the problems of post-modern society and overpopulation, and plays with ideas of metaphysical beings as metaphors, embodying the eponymous TELOS as a deity-like humanity destroying creature. Following this almost sci-fi story like structure is refreshingly unusual in this genre and the band pulls it off remarkably well. Their sound is certainly comparable to that of a destruction deity. In short this is a brutally effective release in the blackened hardcore genre that will satisfy anyone looking for their blasting dissonance fix while at the same time offering interest and depth for repeated listens with a strong conceptual leaning and unusual instrumentation.