News

The New Year has barely ground to a start but Apollolaan are already off the starting block with their 2010 release. The first of which will be out in the next few days is out now, it’s an album by White Pee and is called “Wing off a Plane”. They describe it as “classic brown acid era White Pee and is made to melt your brain”. There are 50 numbered copies with hand painted covers and it comes in wraparound cover of drunk hunters. Inside there is a hunter picture insert, five different ones in total.

Following this will be the debut apollolaan release from Astral Social Club “Metal Oblation”. This one will be available for pre-order in an ultra limited special “Copper Boiler” art edition in the next couple of weeks, and following that a slightly less limited regular version but only 100 in total so keep checking http://apollolaan.blogspot.com/ if you don’t want to miss this one.

Also coming up soon will be out now is “The Silent Watcher” by 230 Divisadero. This is described as “similar in feel to the Locust self titled debut by the band, in the 230 Divisadero song style but if anything even darker than that Locust album.”

Michael Gira has announced that a new Swans album is on the way. He has just added the song “Jim” to his myspace page. The song is an acoustic demo (solo at home) recording by michael gira. this, and many other new songs recorded in the same way comprise many of the new (rough versions) of songs under consideration, to be fleshed out on the coming new swans album.

A cd of these acoustic versions, as well as a live (2 shows) dvd of Michael Gira will be for sale very soon is out now as a hand made (by Gira) package called I Am Not Insane (CD/DVD). this package – in a limited edition of 1000 – will be sold in order to raise money for the swans recordings. it will be sold is available from http://www.younggodrecords.com

principal players on the swans album are (and there will be many special guests):

Michael Gira / gtr / voice / mendicant friar act (original swans)

Norman Westberg – Guitar (original swans)

Christophj Hahn – Guitar (mid period swans and most angels)

Phil Puleo – Drums, percussion, dulcimer etc etc (final swans tour and most angels)

Chris Pravdica – Bass and gadgets (flux information sciences / services/ gunga din)

Thor Harris, Drums, percussion, vibes, dulcimer, curios, etc etc… (angels, now also with shearwater)

In your record shop there’s a new Nurse With Wound CD for 99p but it’s strictly NO mail order. Here’s the explanation below:

With a nod and a huge gesture of respect towards the pioneering efforts of Virgin Records in the 1970s with the release of “The Faust Tapes” LP for 50p, here is a Nurse With Wound full length CD in a decent jewel case, with proper artwork that sells for 99p. This will only be available in high street shops, there will be NO mail order, either from Dirter, Andrew Liles or anyone of the usual mail-order outlets. That’s the idea – you have to go into a record shop to buy it. In today’s world of downloads, free CDs with the Daily Mail, and high street record retail dying on its arse, this is our way of doing our bit to get people to go into their local store. This is a a release to celebrate 30 + years of NURSE WITH WOUND whilst simultaneously being a homage to browsing, searching, chance finds, spending our last penny, random buys, BIG mistakes, best finds ever and to commemorate and thank all the wonderful wonderlands around the world that were and still are (in some cases) RECORD SHOPS…coming to all GOOD record stores… and hopefully a few bad ones as well.

Info about the music contained in this disc as written by Andrew Liles is below, he says it’s the greatest album ever made and he should know…

Paranoia in Hi-Fi collects 30 years of Nurse With Wound recordings in one easy to swallow CD. This CD confirms what all Nurse With Wound followers have known for many years, and will open the ears for new listeners to the fact that Nurse With Wound have always been an outstandingly innovative and ceaselessly creative force. Never staying still NWW are unpredictable, disconcerting, humorous and always original. With a flagrant disregard and disinterest in musical styles, cliques or fashions the uniquely independent and autonomous NWW have made over 50 albums with no regard and no interest in their critical or commercial reception. Mixing the sublime with the ridiculous Steven Stapleton and NWW uncompromisingly carve their own distinct style that has a musical language and visual landscape entirely of its own. Drawing inspiration from far flung corners including DaDa, Perez Prado, Surrealism, Krautrock and whole cascade of other ideas NWW have created a diverse back catalogue of material from ambient classics (Soliloquy for Lilith) to the disturbed (Homotopy to Marie) and many other easy listening nightmares. NWW is an idyllic and fascinating tropical island way out there on a limb, the visitors who make it to their shores seldom ever want to leave. Paranoia in Hi-Fi covers almost all of NWW’s wild and eclectic sinister whimsy and shows that in Steven Stapleton’s world everything is possible…possible,
possible.