Futurismo Vinyl & CDs

Review: Bands often work so hard to get the right producer and sound as slick as possible. But sometimes those initial ideas with fewer cooks in the kitchen sound a lot more exciting. This collection of Devo studio demos and unreleased tracks culled from cassettes, reel-to-reel tapes, multi-tracks and DATs - spanning their independent label era - is no exception. It's raw, rough and ready in a way that takes you back to the 70s and makes you want to dig out some double denim. Re-recorded in a state-of-the-art studio you'd probably feel very much in the present. It's a mammoth collection with over two-and-a-half hours of material and was originally released in 2000, but this four LP deluxe version is the most eye-catching way to spend time digging through the New Wave icons' stuff and understand why they were admired by the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Neil Young at this early stage of their career.

Review: Futurismo proudly present the release all hardcore Devo fans have been waiting for: Art Devo 1973-1977, a lovingly packaged box set housing rare, unheard and obscure mind-blowers sourced directly from the vaults of The De-Evolution Band. This anthology takes you from the band's initial conception in Akron, Ohio to the moment before the world woke up to them, in a collection of sonic and visual art that captures Devo at the dawn of industrial death. This is a one-time only, strictly limited edition box set, never to be remade. De-evolution is real. The art of Devo is real. Here is the evidence.

Review: Futurismo proudly presents Art Devo 1973-1977, a meticulously curated box set that captures Devo's formative years through rare, unreleased, and obscure recordings. Spanning three LPs and a 7-inch, this collection draws from unearthed basement recordings, original demo tapes, unfinished montages, and rare live audio, all sourced from the band's personal archive. This anthology traces Devo's evolution from an avant-garde art project in Akron, Ohio, to the brink of global recognition, showcasing their pioneering blend of irony, wit, and dark humor. The set includes rare imagery, photos, personal artwork, and liner notes penned by founding members Jerry Casale and Mark Mothersbaugh, offering an intimate glimpse into the band's creative journey. Art Deco features the early audio mutations and conceptual seeds that would later define Devo’s iconic sound and aesthetic. Among these are the origins of Booji Boy and the initial ideas that would propel the band to legendary status, as endorsed by David Bowie. The collection is housed in a gold-foiled archive box with separate art cards, evoking a pseudo auction house art catalogue. One of the images is even Scratch ‘N’ Sniff, adding a playful, interactive element. For hardcore Devo fans, this is the ultimate collector's item.

Review: Founded in 1979, Severed Heads - originally Mr and Mrs No Smoking Sign - never liked to do things by numbers. Spanning industrial, synthwave, coldwave, post-punk, electronic dance, synth pop and more, while wildly varied they might also be considered auteurs. Simply put, you can usually guess, or know, that you're listening to Severed Heads long before you actually find out you're listening to Severed Heads. Noisy arrangements overflowing with ideas, while at times things may border on overwhelming, for the most part the genius comes in how finely balanced the tracks are. Bad Mood Guy, first released in 1987, was their seventh studio album, described by some at the time as "punishing pop with crunching rhythms", and reflects them at their finest. Moody, at times angry, alway forward thinking and hard to compare.

Review: Futurismo's Twisted Dream Machine: The Paisley Underground/California's Psychedelic Renaissance: 1982-1986 is the latest in their Altered Vision compilation series, celebrating California's neo-psychedelic movement of the early 80s, blending 60s psychedelia, country, garage rock, avant-garde and pop with a DIY punk ethos. It features a diverse range of bands like The Dream Syndicate, The Three O'Clock, Rain Parade, and The Bangles, all of whom capture the scene's unique sound. Though the Paisley Underground was a niche movement, its influence reached mainstream culture. This compilation aims to delight longtime fans and introduce new listeners to these landmark tracks.

Review: Twisted Dream Machine is a new compilation cataloguing the infamous Paisley, California underground psych rock scene, which lasted from roughly 1982-1986. The next instalment of their meta-series Altered Vision, Twisted Dream Machine draws on the neo-psychedelic movement that took hold in CA during this formative era, one that melded the psychedelia, country, garage rock, avant-garde and pop of the 60s with the DIY ethos of the then burgeoning punk scene. Packed full of interstitial experiments and melting-pot uncertainties - as any great compilation that homes in on a period of time, rather than a distinct style, should - we're met with mainly only lesser-spotted opuses here. The Rain Parade, The Three 'O' Clock and Green On Red are among the more consistent namechecks, but one-offs from 28th Day and Wednesday Week both equally efflux the PA with their 12/8 skips ('If Only') and anserine proto-punk confabulations ('Pages Turn'). A most notable fact is Prince's historic inspiration by the Paisley scene to name his studio complex after it, calling it Paisley Park.