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Review: Kris Baha had a big year in 2019 with the release of his debut album on CockTail d'Amore and an EP on Pinkman, and now the Australian body music man in Berlin is back with a high-pressure heater for [Emotional] Especial. "Barely Alive" is the kind of sinewy proto-industrial cut that will appeal to fans of Ministry's earlier work, when the synths reigned supreme and there was pop to match the noir. Especial then call on a cast of remixers to interpret the track in different ways, from Timothy J Fairplay amping up the dystopian disco tropes to Das Ding creating a sleek electro-funk twist with the original's gothic undertones intact.

Review: Sam de la Rosa from the Led Er Est band works here with Karen Sharkey from The Coombe for fours tuning wave tracks on Germany's Mannequin. It's de la Rosa's third release and is driven by a perfectly chilly TR-606, its ice cold sounds making for perfectly futuristic electro. The minimal spoken word beats add layers of allure and a dehumanised vibe that makes it all the more occult. 'Who Are You Today?' is a zoned out opener, while 'Slick People' is more creepy and subversive. The artwork is cool, too, and with mixing done by Marcos Cabral, this really is a wining package.

Review: Andy Partridge, of legendary Swindon post-punk players XTC, here delivers a brand new solo outing for his own simian shelter (and by extension, label), Ape House. By way of four noisy, grinding, discordant yet emotive sonic 'trading cards', Partridge sings of love and its winding ups and downs, nailing the janky and rocky emotions felt therein. Lo-fi yet sprawling in its proggy indie jazzy ambition, we're forced to agree that Love Is, indeed, The Future.

Review: Tamara Lindeman was at a real transition point in life when What Am I Going to do With Everything I Know was first unveiled. A six track strong EP, here the moodiness and tangible sense of isolation, loneliness, and hopelessness that had once emanated from her voice dissipates into equally tender and gentile thoughts on an impending marriage and all that may come with it. For some, an equally troubling time in their lives, for others something to truly work towards and - when it finally arrives - celebrate, either way it's a subject ripe for emotional songwriting.

But in actual fact, Lindeman, her fiance and troupe treat the concept of matrimony with something close to apathy, or at least lackadaisical 'might as well'-ness. The culmination of this record, 'Almost Careless', sees her ask the question 'what if', but in a way that's neither excited nor nervous, but simply filled with inquisitiveness and a matter of fact consideration.

Review: The next release on Persephonic Sirens comes from Inventory With Hamilton, which is the new project of label chief Michael Wollenhaupt (aka Ancient Methods) with Wahiba Khadri - who collaborate for the first time since 2018's The Jericho Records. Parting Galaxies On A Forlorn Leaderboard features four diverse sonic excursions that are presented in a singular style, yet still consistent with the label's dark aesthetic. From the electrifying imaginary film score of 'Petit Oratorio Des Oiseaux Migrateurs' which leads into the pitch black EBM pulse of 'Angstblute' over on the flip, and ending with the haunting cold wave of 'Lethe' - prepare to enter the void!

Review: We're big fans of the great work that ZYX has been doing recently and it seems as though that is going to continue into 2023 if this first release of the year is anything to go by. Paul Crazy's 'Believe Me' is an Italo disco classic hit from back in 1984 that gets a top reissue on 12" vinyl. This version includes both the original vocal and the instrumental as well as, as is often the case with reissues from this label, a fine remix from Flemming Dalum. He flips the original into a more rigid and chugging disco stomper while a lush Victor Ark remix brings the dreamy arps.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


The Lounge Society has been hotly tipped for a while, with plenty of Ones To Watch declarations coming their way at the start of 2021. They have served up super quick selling 7"s like 'Generation Game' which touched on the unrest in American society and then their follow up headed into edgy punk-funk territory, sneering at culture wars and decrying the impact of a class divided society. Now comes 'Cain's Heresym' which takes aim at the negligent political class as well as highlighting the danger inherent in the spread of misinformation and their disdain for celebrity-worshipping. The young English band are heirs apparat to the throne of protest music.

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


For a four track electronic music EP, there's a lot here. Opening with 'Burning Fields' by Aphonia, the uninitiated might expect the whole package to nod to that classic electro sound, highly detailed but lo-fi, packed with dark atmosphere but all about dance floor energy. Skip to track two, though, and Angles of Pompeii present mutant indie-punk-dance in the vein of Detroit Grand Pubahs at their most guitar-y, and minimalistic.

Elsewhere, 'Retreat' is a slow mo maximalist triumph, acid lines flailing over the top of a muffled cacophony of noise that places the emphasis on a lunging, head-nodding bassline. Add 'Athma', Odopt's sinister low end and drum machine tune up that could almost be an accidental piece from the movie They Live and you've got not only a complex release, but one boasting replay value set to last for years after the investment.