Rock /
Dos Manos
2012 release ** "Woody Jackson has collaborated on soundtracks ("The Devil Wears Prada," "Youth in Revolt," "American History X") and on the works of artists like Badly Drawn Boy and Daniel Johnston. Devoted to Morricone-inspired influences, he threw himself into this new soundtrack, perfectly adhering to its canons. "Dos Manos" is an almost entirely instrumental album, slow, warm, and enveloping, and, inevitably, a bit lacking when deprived of its visual counterpart. This is common when soundtr…
L'Ultimo Ricatto
2012 release ** "L'Ultimo Ricatto (title in Italian, songs in English) is the work of a singer-songwriter devoted to the sacred word of folk in all its noblest forms, from English to American, from the 1970s to today. This began with the choice to achieve that warm, personal sound from the recordings, entrusted to the expert hands of the album's co-producer and recording engineer Raffaele Abbate, in his studio in the hills of Genoa, far from the city and its noise. He then decided to test his so…
Painted Shadows
2009 release ** "The latest Plastic Crimewave Sound album 'Painted Shadows' (the title inspired by a practice used in german expressionist films) has a more cosmically devotional vibe than past LPs, touching on eastern folk-blues and elongated kraut-like soundscapes, with new elements of banjo, violin and female voice added to the stew. However, there is still some trademark PCWS rocking, as they still deliver blasts of motor city-type acid-punk, japanese-style skree, and waves of tension and re…
Songs
"This is a good introduction to John Greaves' solo career and also stands up as an extremely strong album in its own right. It's almost entirely acoustic, and consists of reworkings of songs from earlier albums interspersed with some new material, with the assistance of an impressive roster of guest stars from the Canterbury scene. Greaves himself takes more of a back seat than usual - the core band for the sessions consisted of double bass, piano and acoustic guitar, the pianist and bassist pla…
Earthly Powers
"This album is composed entirely of live recordings: no overdubs, no gimmicks. Annie Barbazza and John Greaves tour throughout Italy and Europe with a constantly evolving tracklist, usually decided at the last minute before going on stage. This album collects some of the songs, mostly written by John, that form the core of their shows. Sometimes they perform parts of Annie's repertoire, such as "Moonchild" or "Epitaph" by Greg Lake while performing at the Rock In Opposition Festival in Lyon in M…
Run
2020 release ** "Essential and colorful. The Brightest Room's cover art is perfectly in sync with the music of the Milanese quartet. This spartan rigor is also evident in the choice of titles for their second album, which entrust a single word with the burden of describing an entire song. Run features fourteen of them, all oozing with impeccable melodies and adorned with typically "English" guitars (from small, amateur tailors like Another Sunny Day or Field Mice to the exquisite stitching of Ja…
Indian War Whoop
2025 stock ** ""Indian War Whoop" by The Holy Modal Rounders is a highly experimental and somewhat divisive album, described as a "thoroughly bizarre listening experience" and a blend of psychedelic and traditional folk music. While some find it a "wild acid folk masterpiece," others find it bordering on unlistenable due to its chaotic and experimental nature."
Akhenaton
1994 release ** "Zao should need no introduction for progressive fusion fans, as they were one of France's best groups of the 70s, releasing five albums, four of them essential listens. While Zao has reformed occasionally since 1977 for the occasional live show, they haven't released an album with Yochk'o Seffer (sax, ex-Magma, Perception, Speed Limit, Neffesh Music) and Francois "Faton" Cahen (keys, ex- Magma) together since the classic Kawana. Due to good sales of their reissued CDs (Kawana, S…
Mu
2016 release ** "The music created by French guitar iconoclast and electronic music pioneer Richard Pinhas and insistently inventive San Francisco Bay Area guitarist Barry Cleveland on Mu originated in just such a way, arising seemingly from "nothingness." The two had contemplated performing as well as recording together for several years before their stars finally aligned, and they played several Bay Area shows during the same period that Mu was recorded. Unfettered by genre conventions, Mu is …
Presents: Bøh (Music To An Imaginary Nordic Horror Tale)
1997 release ** "This big band, led by T.S. Heg (alto sax & keyboards) is nominally a 'jazz outfit', but since in addition to lots of reeds, brass, bass and drums, they work with guitars, synths, sampling, etc., it's a fairly safe bet that this isn't 'just' a jazz album. Mostly structured with some very crazed, free parts, I guess you could compare them to Doctor Nerve in that regard, even though they sound nothing like Nerve."
Too Young To Be Ideal (CD)
First and only Japanese CD reissue from 2002 on Saidera of the 1979/1981 EP's, with 5 bonus tracks, by the improvisers' strange pop/punk band featuring David Toop, Max Eastley Steve Beresford, The Door And The Window, etc.. With insert.
We Know Nonsense (CD)
Japanese CD reissue from 2002 on Saidera of the 1982 LP, with 3 bonus tracks, by the improvisers' strange pop/punk band featuring David Toop, Peter Cusack, Max Eastley Steve Beresford, Lol Coxhill, etc.. With insert.
Wonder (CD)
First and only Japanese CD reissue from 2002 on Saidera of the 1980 LP "E Pluribus Unum", with 7 bonus live tracks, by the improvisers' strange pop/punk band featuring David Toop, Peter Cusack, Max Eastley Steve Beresford, The Door And The Window, etc.. With insert.
Acini
2018 release ** "In this new album, Saporiti chooses a register that resembles a caress on a defeated face, a balm for past wounds that still hurt, reflected in the incisive yet never overbearing arrangements, with a balance that ends up appearing completely natural when in fact it is an extremely difficult goal to achieve. In Acini (from the title of his father's unpublished novel), an overall delicate quality prevails that resembles a state of mind more than the actual product of artistic choi…
Bisognava Dirlo A Tuo Padre Che A Fare Un Figlio Con Uno Schizofrenico Avremmo Creato Tutta Questa Sofferenza
2014 release ** "A few months after his self-titled album, he returns with another great work. The 2014 album was the one of full manifestation, this one, the one of explosion. Faced with such a "hunger to express," there's never a lack of substance and intensity, at most a few flaws in the aesthetic organization of a project, which is more evident here than in his previous work, but it's something that makes both works, in different ways, perfectible in each individual's mind and therefore all …
Paolo Saporiti
2014 release ** "Fifth studio album and year zero for Paolo Saporiti. An absolute masterpiece, a near-perfect album, the epitome of the most cultured Italian independent rock, but also, and above all, something new and focused. The lyrics, for the first time, are in Italian, exposing veins, nerves, and blood. On the cover, Paolo, a mere child, stands with his father. From the opening of "Come Venire al Mondo" to the absolute perfection of "Io non ho pietà," which seems to evoke the best of Alice…
The Wörld Thät Sümmer
CD (EP) in glossy slipcase. Originally released on June 30 2008 but deleted for over 15 years.
Symbols And Clouds
CD in Jewelbox. Originally released on June 20, 2017, but sold out for long.