Mannequin has the dual and parallel aim to unearth hidden or unpublished gems, running along a road that starts from the period of reference for this kind of music (late 70s - mid 80s) and comes to nowdays, with a vision deeply influence by Factory Records / 4AD labels.

Catching the same spirit of such great labels, we asked to the italian synth wave princess Mushy to create a compilation starting from a tabula rasa. The mission was hard. Following her tastes and heart, she had to select a dozen of new bands from all over the world with unreleased and unique for this project tracks, picking up the title and realizing the graphic design and artwork. The full process of "The End Of Civilization" took almost 1 year but the result was touching us deep into our soul.

Mushy began her career crafting noise bursts and aggressive oblique instrumentals before, in her newest form, blooming into a beautiful, epic and heart-heavy icy synth sound, having both "Faded Heart" (2011) and "Breathless" (2012) as album of the week at Rough Trade. "The End Of Civilization" perfectly represents her double sided synth-wave / kraut-psychedelic soul. Every track she selected for us is an absolute highlight, moving from the analog minimal / cold wave sounds of Police Des Moeurs, ASSS, The Circa Tapes, TEEEL and Rosemary to the tempestuous post punk and psychedelia of Deathday, The Murder Act, Phosphor and The Strange Forces, ending with spectral cold folk of Tablets and The Long Wives.

Tracklist:

A1. Police Des Moeurs - Tout Ce Qui Te Fait Mal Te Fait Du Bien
A2. ASSS - Clean Up
A3. The Circa Tapes - Olane Dementia
A4. TEEEL - Imperial
A5. Rosemary - Blind Myself

B1. Deathday - After Dark
B2. Phosphor - Skull
B3. The Murder Act - Rapture
B4. The Strange Forces - Shizer In The Shadows
B5. Tablets - I Feel Uneasily Loved
B6. The Long Wives - Odd Funerals
 

Also out:  ANCIEN REGIME - THE POSITION LP

It's quite unusual for an Italian band to get attention before its first full-length even comes to life. Ancien Régime from Rome might just be the exception to this rule. In fact, the band sole release before 2012 had been the quickly sold out limited edition Split Ep (Mannequin), released together with Brooklyn-based cold wave heroes Led Er Est.
Since then, Ancien Régime have been playing all over Italy along with outstanding bands such as Two Door Cinema Club, Is Tropical, The Soft Moon, Clan of Xymox, A Place to Bury Strangers and many others.

Their first album "The Position" evokes new wave and synth-pop memories, delivering epic vintage sounds and wrapping them all with catchy riffs and melodies. Still, despite this fascination with the past, the band's work stands out as a distinctive, highly personal take on the genre.

The album is opened by the single "Negative", with its dark gloomy vocals and war-like drumming. "Negative" is, in fact, the quintessential Ancien Régime composition: wave, biting snare, interweaving synths and guitars, reverbs, delays.

"The Position" was recorded and mixed by Alessandro Gavazzi of "Hell Smell" - Rome, and co-produced by Alessandro Adriani from Mannequin Records and Ancien Régime.

Tracklist:

01 - Brief Encounter
02 - Negative
03 - No Lights
04 - Corruption
05 - Polidori
06 - Pictures
07 - The Incident
08 - When They Fall
09 - Heisenger
10 - Outer Space


Important Notes

- Limited edition of 300 copies on black vinyl
- Graphic design by Giandomenico Carpentieri
 

The Brilliant Corners might just have been the best band out of Bristol during the 1980s.

Taking their name from a Thelonious Monk jazz album, they issued ten singles, five albums and various compilations between 1983 and 1993. Many of them made the Indie Chart, from early efforts with hints of psychobilly and The Cramps to more melodic, C86-flavoured tracks (think The Smiths and The Housemartins) and later tracks with a hint of shoegazer and baggy about them.

In Davey Woodward, The Brilliant Corners were fronted by a handsome, charismatic singer who was also a talented songwriter – and Davey’s cooperated with this long-overdue anthology, helping with the track listing and supplying the entertaining sleeve-notes.

HEART ON YOUR SLEEVE is the most authoritative Brilliant Corners collection to date, boasting all their singles on the SS20 and McQueen labels plus numerous tracks which have never before been on CD and a handful of previously unissued demos and live tracks.

The album will be released on 18/02/2013.

Track Listing

 

Third Windows Films is a British company which releases arthouseproduction from outside Europe.

Their catalogue is a real treasure for filmfreaks who wants something different then just your Hollywoodthing.

This week they release The Woodsman And The Rain.

From one of the great new emerging talents of Japanese cinema in director Shuichi Okita, 'The Woodsman & the Rain' tells the heart-warming and comedic tale of a young, nervous film director (Shun Oguri) who while attempting to film his apocalyptic zombie film in a small village, comes across a simple woodsman (Koji Yakusho) who, along with the local villagers, help him fulfill his dream.

'The Woodsman & the Rain' was the winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Tokyo Film Festival, the Audience Award at Nippon Connection and has received lots of high critical praise:
 

No, this has nothing do with the festival but Shadowplay is a movie by Josh Whiteman about Anton Corbijn.

Artists like Bono, Gavin Friday and Dave Gahan are talking about the man who made the immortal clips.

Paradiso Films will release this dvd on 7th March 2013. A must have.

In 2012 Cryogenic Echelon released their most critically acclaimed album to date, Antipode. Picking up where Antipode left off comes, Pandora & Persephone. Their fourth collective release, Pandora & Persephone utilizes a back drop of impressive melodies, mesmerizing beats, and composition techniques. Cryogenic Echelon transports the listener to another land with a melancholic edge not seen on previous releases.

The music is masterfully accentuated by the vocal talents of Eugene Nesci, vProjekt, and Ascension EX. Artists such as Modulate, Uberbyte, XP8, and Vicious Alliance lend their craft and remix the title track Pandora to perfection. It all blends together to create a powerful audio experience the listener won’t soon forget. Pandora & Persephone will soon be a staple in clubs, radio, and podcasts across the globe. Cryogenic Echelon will be taking the stage February 16th in Melbourne, Australia with artists Sirus and Studio-X with other shows to be announced soon.

Pandora & Persephone. Open the box...See what’s inside...