Alongside Willie Mae Ford Smith, Sister Rosetta Tharpe is widely acclaimed among the greatest Sanctified gospel singers of her generation; a flamboyant performer whose music often flirted with the blues and swing, she was also one of the most controversial talents of her day, shocking purists with her leap into the secular market – by playing nightclubs and theaters, she not only pushed spiritual music into the mainstream, but in the process also helped pioneer the rise of pop-gospel…
CITIZEN CAIN originally formed in London in 1982 with Gordon Feenie (drums/flute) and Cyrus (bass/vocals) and shortly after Tim Taylor on guitar. But even though many critics rated them very highly the band split in 1988 and Cyrus returned home to Scotland…
Rapoon is the ethno-ambient solo project of Zoviet France co-founder Robin Storey, operating out of the United Kingdom since 1992. Robin was born in 1955 in Cumbria, England. While studying fine arts at Sunderland University, he began pursuing a long-held interest in sound manipulation by taking classes in electronic and experimental composition, additionally joining with friends to perform the works of Karlheinz Stockhausen (a key influence, as were the krautrock bands of the early 1970s). In 1979 Storey formed the pioneering industrial group Zoviet France, remaining a member until 1993; the year previous, Storey issued the first Rapoon album, Dream Circle, its entrancing fusion of Indian ragas, African rhythms…
Capella de Ministrers is an early and medieval music ensemble formed in 1987 in Valencia, Spain by its director, the Valencian musicologist Carles Magraner. Capella de Ministrers is recovering the musical heritage from an astounding and up-to-date perspective:early music combined with the latest technology. This first album of the trilogy dedicated to Ramon Llull , "Conversion, study and contemplation," illustrates the youth of Ramon Llull, devoted to sensual pleasures to profane love and the cultivation of the troubadour lyric, seen through the prism of the convert who has left the vanities of the world.
“Popestar” is another solid outing for the band. Ghost is known for “replacing” their lead singer with a new persona for every new album. This EP is certainly a farewell to Papa Emeritus III, which feels fitting with how much this EP feels like a crisp summarization of what made Ghost a hit on the American scene in the past year with the personification of Papa Emeritus III at the helm. Their fearless tackle of pop music with their traditional doom metal sound is highlighted on “Popestar” It’s a wonderful counterbalance between the stingy headbanger crowd and the passive metalhead who dabbles in other genres. The EP title is a reference to the criticisms by some that they musically “sold out” by going for a more mainstream sound, but also a statement that they’re going to continue to push metal into new boundaries with their newfound fame.