Past Releases

Elaquent "Forever Is A Pretty Long Time (Mello)"

From Mello Music
As with all brilliant producer compilation albums, the Guelph, Ontario-based Elaquent vividly constructs his own world. It’s the hip-hop equivalent of that old question: who would you want to invite to your dream dinner party if you had the chance? But instead, it’s the lab, and the visitors include a murderer’s row of underground MCs including Oddisee, Blu, Chester Watson, Cavalier, and Guilty Simpson. The curation is impeccable, but more than that, it creates its own orphic sense of magic. After all, art is closer to voodoo than science, and here, the rappers sound legitimately inspired by the productions. It’s an album possessed with smoke-wreathed jazz cool and urgent immediacy — as though as soon as the artists heard the instrumentals, they immediately set pad to pen. 
Check out “Guidelines (feat. Oddisee)”

Sarah Harmer "Are You Gone (Rough Trade Publishing)"

It has been a decade since singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer has released an album. But it doesn’t take much time listening to Are You Gone to figure out that her skills are as sharp as ever. Nay! Even sharper! (I’m writing this blurb, so I get to make fun statements like that! Jealous?). This collection, thematically, is a real examination at human nature-and sonically its as varied as, well, human nature. Folk, indie rock, alt-country, this one has it all, and each one is more beautiful and rewarding than the one before it (like cookies!). So check out the first single “New Low” for a new high!

Six Organs Of Admittance "Companion Rises (Drag City)"

At this point, I think we all know what to expect from Six Orders Of Admittance, right? I mean, sure, its generally something unexpected, but… you know. Within the wheelhouse of SOOA. Companion Rises (Drag City) is no exception. A bright, psych-folk excursion with more twists and turns than… uh… some famous road with a lot of twists and turns? I don’t know. I’m not a mapmaker. I am a blurb writer, and this one is just about done. At least, it will be once I recommend you check out the trippy “Two Forms Moving.”

Lee Ranaldo & Raul Refree "Names Of North End Women (Mute)"

To talk too much about all the experimentally behind the songs on Lee Ranaldo & Raul Refree’s Names Of North End Women (Mute) would do a disservice to the actual songs. So let’s instead talk about the result, which sounds to me like if late era David Byrne decided to release an album of songs that he thinks sound like Tom Waits songs without ever actually having heard any. I know, very weird description. But it totally makes sense. Just give the title track “Name Of North End Women” a spin and see what I mean!

Warning: contains Strobe light effects.