Kane 2023

Nick Frater's 11th studio album, Bivouac, emerges as a sophisticated pop masterpiece in his prolific discography. Embarking on a thematic journey, it encapsulates the quest for solace in a woodland sanctuary amidst post-industrial Britain.

The final U.S. show, a triumphant and blistering bookend to the storied career of one of the most influential bands in rock music, featuring a unique and expansive eighty-five minute set list that spans Sonic Youth’s nearly three decade catalog. Mixed from multitrack by longtime live engineer Aaron Mullan and mastered and cut by Carl Saff.

After a bit of down-time, Spacetalk Records returns with something special: a stunning compilation of obscurities, rare cuts and secret weapons compiled by label co-founder. Danny McLewin under his Skyrager alias. Although most widely known as one half of Psychemagik, McLewin has long been regarded as one of the UK’s most decorated crate-diggers – a DJ and record dealer recognised for his ability to unearth slept-on gems, private press obscurities and campfire-friendly curios. He’s already showcased his curatorial skills on a string of acclaimed and now sought-after comps – see Psychemagik’s Magik Cyrkles, Magik Sunrise and Magik Sunset Pt 1 & 2 – but Traces of Illusion marks the first time McLewin has put together a collection as Skyrager. There’s no grand concept behind Traces of Illusion, though McLewin’s selections are universally tactile, sun-baked and effortlessly summery, evoking images of nights spent camped out in the Californian desert or beneath the vibrant canopy of an English forest at dusk.

‘Once Upon a Dream’ is the magical song - and film - that inspired this year’s album, as all the songs have been selected to bring back golden memories from a simpler time. ‘Once Upon a Dream’ was a hit for Billy Fury who was arguably the biggest British solo star of the era: his 1960’s hit-rate was incredible: 24 hits across the decade, a record equaled only by The Beatles.

One of the most successful groove metal bands of the 2010s, Five Finger Death Punch have been a staple of the Billboard charts since their formation in 2005. Taking their name from the cult martial arts film Five Fingers of Death, the group's titanic riffs and darkly skewed lyrics deliver a brand of vintage thrash and blazing metal as powerful as their name. In the years following their 2007 debut, they have amassed a slew of awards via gold- and platinum-selling outings like 2011's American Capitalist, 2013's ambitious two-volume set The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, 2018's And Justice for None, and 2022's AfterLife. The Los Angeles-based outfit formed around the talents of former U.P.O. guitar player Zoltan Bathory, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Darrell Roberts, vocalist Ivan Moody (Motograter/Ghost Machine), bass player Matt Snell (Anubis Rising), and former W.A.S.P. drummer Jeremy Spencer.

Midnight Riot's ongoing 'Disco Made Me Do It' compilation series reaches volume seven. Like its' predecessors, the 20-track set prioritises fun and frolics, blurring the boundaries between disco, electrofunk, nu-disco and house via a mixture of unreleased cuts, high-grade remixes, exclusives and familiar favourites. There's naturally tons to get the blood pumping throughout, with the many highlights including Opolopo's deliciously squelchy, sun-soaked and soulful take on Danny Kane and Princess Freesia's 'I Love The Way You Do', Yam Who's fantastic, early '80s disco style rework of Bazza Ranks and Venessa Jackson's 'Talk Is Cheap', the synth-heavy nu-disco perfection of Sammy Deuce's 'Give Me Love', and the low-slung, party-starting brilliance of Brothers In Arts' 'We Got The Funk', featuring the distinctive vocals of Freakpower's Ashley Slater.

In the promotional materials that accompany Live in Brooklyn 2011, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo says "It was a pretty magical, if kinda weird day." As far as understatements go, that one's a pretty rich double whammy. When Sonic Youth took the stage at the Williamsburg Waterfront on August 12, it was not only their last U.S. show ever, but it was also a band that was imploding before the crowd's eyes. The marriage of Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore—a relationship which had been both a creative and personal fulcrum of the band's entire history—was ending in a spectacularly acrimonious way, and two months later, the two would announce their separation after 27 years of marriage.

Five CD set bringing a comprehensive, big-tent look at the early years of punk rock in the US and Canada. Over six hours of music. Includes benchmark tracks by the scene's most influential bands plus many rare singles making their first appearance on CD. This five CD includes influential NYC bands - Patti Smith Group, The Ramones, Television, Blondie, The Voidoids, etc. - as well as the scene's other pioneers such as Pere Ubu and The Dead Boys (both Cleveland, Ohio), Dead Kennedys and Crime (San Francisco), Devo (Akron, Ohio), The Germs and The Weirdos (Los Angeles) and Mission of Burma (Boston, Massachusetts). Blank Generation offers a deliberately broad definition of punk, encompassing contributions from such outré acts as Suicide, The Cramps and The Residents through to new wave/power pop combos (Sneakers, Chris Stamey & the dB's, etc.). While the US punk scene was arguably always more diverse musically than that of the UK, the music evolved quickly, as evinced by the choices heard on Discs 4 and 5. Many of the acts here such as X, The Replacements, The Feelies, Redd Kross, The Dream Syndicate, The Gun Club and Minor Threat would make an even greater impact as the 1980s wore on. It's hard to overestimate the seismic shocks caused by the music on 'Blank Generation', not only on everything in alternative music which followed in North American, from the 80s hardcore scene and the music heard on the whole alternative college radio network through to grunge and beyond. And yet this era has never before been treated to a comprehensive retrospective of this kind.

Emerging from Reading in the late 1980s, Chapterhouse burst onto the British music scene with 1990’s ‘Freefall’ EP and the critically acclaimed album ‘Whirlpool’. Impossible to categorise, the band were quickly embraced by both the music press and a global audience, and soon found themselves part of the emergent shoegaze scene alongside contemporaries such as Slowdive and Ride.Curated by the band and overflowing with previously unheard material, ‘Chronology’ charts Chapterhouse’s progress through two brilliant albums, a number of classic singles and EPs, remixes by contemporaries such as Global Communication, Drum Club and Spooky, and their attempt to write and record an ultimately unrealised third album. Told through new interview material, previously unseen imagery and design overseen by the band themselves, this is the story of one of the most individual and enigmatic bands of their era, and one who continue to be cherished by both their original fanbase and a generation of new fans drawn to the shoegaze scene’s revival over the past decade.

NOW 86 features 20 major current hits from today’s hottest artists. Each numerical NOW release also features “NOW Presents What’s Next” tracks, previewing tomorrow’s biggest hits.