Office

Arriving mere months before Document took the group into the Top Ten, the B-sides and rarities collection Dead Letter Office sums up all of the quirks and idiosyncrasies that made R.E.M. the leading underground guitar pop band of the '80s. While only a handful of songs on Dead Letter Office rank among the group's best, the record is extremely entertaining, even for casual fans, particularly because it captures the wild spirit of R.E.M. that was evident at their concerts, but not always on their records…

A veritable prog metal "supergroup," O.S.I. - the "Office of Strategic Influence" - was formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos, Chroma Key and former Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore, and Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, with help from Gordian Knot bassist Sean Malone. Like similar collaborations, such as Transatlantic or Liquid Tension Experiment (many of which feature the same rotating cast of six or eight talented players), O.S.I.'s debut album is more than the sum of its disparate parts. Office of Strategic Influence masterfully blends '70s-styled progressive rock, heavily influenced by King Crimson and Pink Floyd, with an '80s-era heavy metal aesthetic, and the avant-garde sound of underground indie rockers such as Max Vague…

The 3-disc release contains as many as 54 classic hits suitable for an office party (Office Party) performed by such stars as: Tom Jones, Kelis, Labelle, The Sugarhill Gang, Moloko, Madness, Soul II Soul, The Farm, Aretha Franklin , Erasure, Kool & The Gang, Barry White, Earth, Wind & Fire, Blondie, Cyndi Lauper and many more.

The first in a trilogy of recordings exploring religious, social and political discourses around 13th-century music sees Björn Schmelzer and Graindelavoix set off on a journey across Europe, reflecting on the medieval working world of the artist Villard de Honnecourt, who was responsible for a collection (still in existence) of drawings made in connection with the new Gothic cathedrals then being built.