Darkside Paper Trails

As the lead vocalist for Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan appeared to be far removed from the common trappings of rock & roll stardom. Although the group often flirted with gloomy overtones throughout their career, they maintained a largely squeaky-clean image. By the early '90s, however, Gahan had moved to L.A., gotten hooked on heroin and booze, and immersed himself in the grunge scene. When Depeche Mode regrouped to record Songs of Faith & Devotion, Gahan had transformed himself into the perennial junkie. As his addictions worsened, Gahan lost his friends, lost himself, and for a few short minutes, lost his life before paramedics revived him after an all-night drug binge. Following Gahan's journey through both physical and mental rehabilitation, Paper Monsters is what many would expect - a collection of material culled from his addictions, failed relationships, and spiritual rebirth…

The third of three Concord albums by this version of the Quartet (with Jerry Bergonzi on tenor, Chris Brubeck on bass and bass trombone and drummer Randy Jones) is the most rewarding of the trio although each one is recommended. Brubeck and the Coltrane-influenced tenor Bergonzi take consistently exciting solos on seven standards which are highlighted by "Music, Maestro, Please," "I Hear a Rhapsody" and "It's Only a Paper Moon"; Brubeck's solo version of "St. Louis Blues" is also noteworthy.

2008 reissue of this Folk classic, originally released in 1970. Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper of the Strawbs were invited in 1969 to produce an LP for Shrewsbury band Paper Bubble. Terry Brake, Brian Crane and Neil Mitchell provide most of the sounds, except for a guesting Rick Wakeman, who was helping Cousins and Hooper on sessions just prior to joining the Strawbs proper in 1970. Brake and Crane's harmony vocals underpin the atmosphere of the record, and it is an infectious Folk Pop mix with the Strawbs influence starting to come through. RPM.

Duran Duran are an English new wave and synthpop band formed in Birmingham in 1978. The band grew from alternative sensations in 1982 to mainstream pop stars by 1984. By the end of the decade, membership and music style changes challenged the band before a resurgence in the early 1990s…

Sven Laux’s "Paper Streets" is a deeply intimate and vulnerable affair. Released on the Russian label Dronarivm, Sven paints minimal landscapes with watercolors in shades of violin, cello & piano; stripped bare & soaked in memory. The artist’s works bares a sense of detachment & reflection that usually occurs with the passing of time. Forlorn irony shows itself as it reminds you what feels like to fall in love for the first time, while conjuring ghosts from the last time you shared a gaze. A departure from the Sven’s earlier work, "Paper Streets" is an organic, neo-classical journey heard through a cinematic lens. Orchestral notes surge like tides and resonate like heartache. Nostalgia echoes and dissolves with a disarming vulnerability.