San Tropez "Museum of Modern History"
After more than two years of shaping their sound, San Tropez return with their sophomore release, Museum of Modern History, on Mint 400 Records — a lush 9-song journey that deepens the band’s signature blend of American dream pop and cinematic atmosphere. Following San Tropez’s 2023 Mint 400 Records debut, Maybe Tomorrow, this new effort expands their sonic palette while remaining grounded in emotional resonance. Recorded once again at Lakehouse Studios, in Asbury Park, NJ, the album features standout guest appearances by Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females, Noun), saxophonist Zack Sandler, and vocalist Victoria Benesch (The Slow Circuit), adding new textures to the band’s evolving soundscape.
The lead single of Museum of Modern History, “Swear Off the Sunlight,” distills the essence of San Tropez’s approach — a sweeping, two-part composition that moves from shimmering melancholy into celestial drift. Building on what The Rodeo Magazine praised as their “strong balance between embracing more modern approaches like dream pop whilst continuing to honour the classics of My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive,” the track is both grounded and transcendent, pulling listeners into space with its immersive structure and hypnotic sonics.
Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons "Live In Philadelphia"
Since the 1950s, Marshall Allen has been a vital member of the Sun Ra Arkestra and its dauntless leader since 1995. Founded in 2022, Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons ensemble features Arkestra guitarist DMHOTEP alongside an all-star cast of rotating musicians including Immanuel Wilkins, Yo La Tengo’s James McNew, James Brandon Lewis, The War on Drugs’ Charlie Hall, Wolf Eyes, and more. Lovingly culled, cut, and post-produced from nine live shows that traveled the spaceways.
Eje Eje "Primordial Soup"
Eje Eje, the orbiting side project of Şatellites founder and multi-instrumentalist Itamar Kluger, shares ‘Primordial Soup’, his second album on Batov Record, stirring an even wider pot of influences from East to West that defies genre.
Kluger first achieved international success with six–piece Turkish psychedelic rock evangelists, the Şatellites, whose enviable catalogue has won them support around the world, from KEXP in Seattle to BBC Radio 6 Music, and FIP in France.
Kluger launched his solo project, Eje Eje, with the 2023 ‘Five Seasons’ LP, playing the majority of instruments himself and refining his production chops. Kluger’s blend of traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern music with psych, funk, dub, and beat production, culminated in strong support from BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 2, and Songlines.
Much like its predecessor, ‘Primordial Soup’ was largely self-recorded by Kluger, blending meticulous studio work, recalling DJ Shadow or early Four Tet, with raw, expressive performances – mainly himself on strings, bass guitar, percussion, and keys, including a new recently acquired microtonal keyboard – perfect for exploring Eastern musical scales, plus musical friends such as drummer Raz Man of Sababa 5, Şatellites and Project Gemini fame.
From brooding cinematic rides to joyous wedding bangers, ‘Primordial Soup’ explores what it means to be alive, connected, and creative in turbulent times and cements Eje Eje as one of the most exciting voices fusing Middle Eastern traditions with cutting-edge beat culture. Whether on the dancefloor or in headphones, this is music that moves.
Nobukazu Takemura "knot of meanings"
Nobukazu Takemura’s music is singular in its ability to create a musical sense of childlike wonder and curiosity with gracefully executed yet complex compositions. His pieces embody an innocence and the intricacies of self-discovery that every human is faced with as their worlds become more complex. An acclaimed artist and composer, Takemura is known for his idiosyncratic music and video artistry as well as his prolific collaborations including those with Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, DJ Spooky and Steve Reich. knot of meanings, Takemura’s first proper album in a decade, finds the Japanese artist wrestling with the rise of technological influence on art and culture in the modern era, in tandem with his own relationship to religion, and where those struggles meet. Like the colorful, irregularly shaped glasses on the cover, the album is a mosaic of technicolor elements that come together to form a complete picture, a dense portrait of interconnected struggles and triumphs.
For Takemura, the knot of meanings explores a universal and yet deeply personal and complicated knot, a metaphor for defining spirituality’s role in life. “Personally, I see this knot as an opportunity to rebuild my relationship with God,” says Takemura. “I feel that the meaning of life is to find and rediscover this connection every day.” The knot acts as a further metaphor for the barriers between people, their connectivity tangled by developments in technology that drive division rather than create community. “Much of technology has unfortunately developed in a way that pursues convenience and promotes egoism,” Takemura continues. “The world has lost its center, people have become scattered, and culture has stagnated by repeating the same things.” Takemura’s search for meaning across the record is less in search of some preconceived idea of piety or heavenly ascension, but instead focuses on an optimism of originality.