Few bands match the pastoral beauty and majesty of Harmonia, the visionary German band that existed from 1973 to 1976. The ‘Krautrock’ supergroup, brought together Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius of Cluster, and Michael Rother of NEU!, who were later joined by Brian Eno.
On Friday 23rd October Grönland Records will release the entire Harmonia back catalogue as a five vinyl box set, including previously unreleased material recorded 40 years ago at Harmonia HQ: Forst, Lower Saxony, Germany.
The box set includes ALL available records ever made by HARMONIA:
MUSIK VON HARMONIA (1974)
Digitally Remastered
DELUXE (1975)
Digitally Remastered
TRACKS AND TRACES (1976)
Double Vinyl including the "lost" Brian Eno recordings, which were found and originally released in 1997
LIVE (1974)
And in addition to the four Harmonia albums there will be a fifth vinyl:
DOCUMENTS 1975
previously unreleased recordings from Hamburg gigs and 2 studio tracks from Forst
(to be made available to press as a promo only cassette copy)
In addition to the five vinyl recordings, also included in the box set is a pop up artwork of the rambling mansions Moebius, Roedelius, Rother and, for a while, Eno called home in Forst, a lush 36 page booklet with previously unreleased photo material documenting the history of Harmonia plus the original Harmonia Live Poster and download code for all the albums in the box.
Watch the new trailer for SPECTRE. A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
Dutch death thrash ragers IZEGRIM have entered Soundlodge Studio (GOD DETHRONED, SINISTER,..), the German-based recording studio owned by Jörg Uken, to begin tracking the follow-up to 2013’s ‘Congress Of The Insane’ scheduled for an early 2016 release. The cover art will be designed by Björn Gooßes from Killustrations design studio (DEW-SCENTED, HACKNEYED,..).
Guitarist Jeroen Wechgelaer had the following to say: “this album will be a logical follow-up to ‘Congress Of The Insane’. This time around, we’re taking the villain’s point of view. It’s going to be intense, catchy and furious. We can’t wait to release this beast!”
‘Congress Of The Insane’ was released on September 15 2013 via Listenable Records. The album contains 11 songs, including "Manifest Of A Megalomaniac", which features a guest appearance by Sabina Classen from HOLY MOSES.
IZEGRIM is:
Jeroen Wechgelaer - Guitar
Marloes Voskuil - Bass/Vocals
Bart Van Ginkel - Guitar
Ivo Maarhuis – Drums
Uniform formed in New York City in late 2013 when old friends Ben Greenberg (Hubble, The Men, Pygmy Shrews) and Michael Berdan (York Factory Complaint, Drunkdriver, Believer/Law) realized they lived on the same street. Their impulsive collaboration quickly yielded Our Blood / Of Sound Mind and Body single. The six tracks that comprise the equally abrasive but more refined Perfect World have been coming together between tours and work ever since.
The music that Greenberg and Berdan conjure up under the Uniform moniker is immediate, aggressive, and even primal in form, but it plumbs untold depths. Berdan’s venomous voice mines deeply personal themes of resentment, regret, reflection and addiction over the hum of Greenberg’s almost impossibly disciplined guitar, bass synth, and drum machine lines. Greenberg uses the word “templatized” to describe their approach to writing songs for Uniform.
“There’s this set bunch of gear to create sounds, and it only creates sound through a certain process, or within its own limitations,” Greenberg said. “The goal of song- writing is to see how many different kinds of sounds you can get from the same basic process and machine.”
On Perfect World, that machine is firing on all cylinders. The guitar is run through a cheap ’80s preamp marketed to metal kids. The drum machine is equally no-frills, an Akai XR20 that Greenberg says “most people wouldn’t want to keep around.” These humble components are combined with noisy synth and Berdan’s profound howling to form something much greater.
Post-punk, synthpunk, and industrial traditions are borrowed from as needed, but the constraints placed on the process mean the result is unique to Uniform. Berdan describes his lyrics as the consequence of feeling “so full of pain, confusion, deep selfishness, and general animosity that you make some horrible mistakes and have to learn how to forgive yourself for them.” Perfect World feels like the sum of all that pain and confusion, but it also feels like the catharsis.
Today the band are sharing the music video for "Indifference" (Directed by Micki Pellerano & shot by Jacqueline Castel) in conjunction with an announcement of select tour dates with Drew McDowall (ex-Coil, Psychic TV) and Dark Blue. Check out the video & dates below!
TOUR DATES
07/22 Philadelphia, PA @ PhilMOCA +
07/23 Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class!
07/24 Chicago, IL @ Club Rectum *
07/25 Toronto, Ontario @ S.H.I.B.G.B's *
07/26 Montreal, Quebec @ Casa Del Popolo *
(+ with Dark Blue)
(* with Drew McDowall)
Dave Wyndorf and his henchmen seemingly had the time of their lives when they completely rearranged and boosted Last Patrol 2014 and christened it Milking the Stars: A Re-imagining of Last Patrol!
Now Monster Magnet go back even further to 2010 and their Mastermind album. Even if you know the album inside and out you won`t be prepared in the slightest for the trip that is Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux): just think of the beast Apocalypse Now turned into in its Redux form. Familiar elements drift by and are swallowed whole by thundering psych orgies – Wyndorf often focuses on a singular song fragment and turns it into his ride to total Nirvana. Go look for your daily dose of average rock elsewhere: this is the mindfuck of the year!
Today the first song from Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux) “Mastermind ‘69” is receiving its exclusive premiere courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan. Check out the song HERE.
Frontman Dave Wyndorf on the new album:
“Hey, hey! I’m pleased to announce the release of Cobras And Fire: The Mastermind Redux. It’s a re-imagining of material from 2010’s Mastermind album as an alternative listening experience that I think stands on its own.
With Cobras And Fire I wanted to present these songs in a much stranger and dirtier atmosphere. Less “classic rock” and more…well, I’d guess I’d call it a deranged fusion of Garage-Psych, Fuzz Punk and Movie Soundtrack music. It’s almost completely re-recorded (with the bulk of the guitar and bass playing by co-producer Phil Caivano) and as in Milking The Stars I’ve added organ, piano, sitars and more to flesh out a completely new sound for these tunes. There’s also a Hawkwind/Pink Fairies inspired cover version of The Temptations 1969 classic “Ball Of Confusion” with background vocals by MONSTER MAGNET co-founder and Rib Eye Bros. frontman Tim Cronin. Plus an 8 minute, tripped out sonic adventure entitled “I Live Behind The Paradise Machine” specially created by mixer extraordinaire Evil Joe Barresi. Joe is at his best here, seamlessly integrating elements from several MAGNET songs into a new, stand alone composition.
All in all I call this the weirdest MONSTER MAGNET yet, and that’s a good thing! I hope you like it!
Rock on!”
Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux) will be released on Napalm Records October 9th.
The album is available for pre-order via the Napalm Records Webstore HERE!
Cobras and Fire (The Mastermind Redux) Track Listing:
She Digs That Hole
Watch Me Fade
Mastermind ‘69
Hallucination Bomb
Gods and Punks
The Titan
When The Planes Fall From the Sky
Ball of Confusion
Time Machine
I live Behind the Paradise Machine Evil Joe Barresi's Magnet Mash Vol.1