Pop International

Artist: Synthetic Sun Label: Onde Italiane Records

Artist: Video Label: Third Man Records

Artist: CHORUS LINE (40TH ANNIVERSARY) / O.B.C. Label: Razor & Tie

Artist: DAN BAIRD Label: MUSIC ON CD

Original storybook with illustrations by acclaimed artist Jess Rotter * Featuring songs compiled & sequenced by Zach Cowie from our friends Woody Guthrie, Nina Simone, Kermit The Frog, Carole King, and more * 0 For ages 0-infinity! Light In The Atti Record Label: Light In The Attic Style: Pop

Rockabilly: What happens when you mix rock & roll, country and soul, and go back into the wild Fifties? The result is Rockabilly, a wild mix of many musical elements runs deep into your blood immediately and irresistible! With superstars like Wanda Jackso Record Label: Zyx Style: Rockabilly

Maserati are a band obsessed with process. Specifically, they're obsessed with the process of marrying the past to the future - retro futurists hellbent on forging Krautrock and classic rock into one motorik, monolithic vehicle. Rehumanizer is the most accomplished product of that process to date, a marriage of man and machine that plays like a supergroup comprised of Gary Numan, Cluster, and Pink Floyd. Recorded and mixed by drummer Mike Albanese - and produced entirely by the band in their own studio - this is the first Maserati album completely devoid of outside collaboration or interference. Building songs up bit by bit - and breaking them back down to their barest elements - Maserati fully embraced technology as a songwriting tool. The band takes greater risks than ever, sonically experimenting on the fly and incorporating unprocessed vocals for the first time ever. For the past decade Maserati has built a career out of relentless forward momentum - a tight, sleek, chugging beast that drove towards the sun and rarely veered off course. Rehumanizer maintains that same ambition and sense of abandon, but is distinctly as much man as it is machine - a true alliance of the past and the future. Record Label: Temporary Residence Style: Alternative Rock

The Ukrainian pop singer, Lavika, will release her first album in English called „My only one“! It features 12 tracks, including „Summer“, which is already well known among European DJs. „Summer“, the title gives it away and describes perfectly the spirit of this album. The Ukrainian beauty brings freshness and joy in the music market! Record Label: Zyx Style: Pop

The ethereal, synthdriven Greek duo Keep Shelly In Athens have a new singer named Myrtha, and now they’ve announced the impending release of their new album Now I’m Ready. The album includes the previously-released tracks “Benighted” and “Fractals,” and it also includes “Now I’m Ready,” a lovely track that imagines how shoegaze might sound if it was made entirely on computers. Record Label: Friends Of Friends Style: Indie Pop

Hungarian neo-thrash masters EKTOMORF are one of the most consistent forces in the heavy music scene. A band that never disappoint their fans and stand true to what they are: A powerful, unstoppable groove machine! Following their “Retribution” album (which was released in early 2014), another successful headliner tour and numerous festival gigs, the band around charismatic frontman Zoli Farkas present the new album now. Continuing their no-nonsense philosophy, the title “Aggressor” is not misleading at all - in fact this new piece of work definitely is the band’s heaviest and most energetic to date. Once again EKTOMORF of course worked with highly-acclaimed Danish producer Tue Madsen, who is a stable part of the team and perfectly understands the musical visions of EKTOMORF. The band is proud to present legendary Cannibal Corpse vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher with a guest appearance on “Aggressor”. Zoli comments: “We are friends with the Cannibal Corpse guys since a long time. Last year in November I spoke to George about doing a song together. The recent Budapest show of Cannibal Corpse then was the perfect opportunity to meet and record his parts. So I took small home recording studio gear with me and recorded vocals with George in the dressing room before their show. It was fun and turned out killer! The song's title is "Evil By Nature" and you can be sure that it will smash your face!” Record Label: Afm Records Style: Metal

For the first time ever on CD! From 1975 -1979, things were going well for James A. Smith, musically speaking. He was writing prolifically, getting encouragement from his contemporaries - namely, his friend Robyn Hitchcock of The Soft Boys - and his band, The Containers, had recorded some promising demos and were playing regular live gigs. But, by January of 1980, The Containers disbanded suddenly, and James was on his own. "Sod it!" he thought, and, rather than waste time lamenting the situation, he plotted a new course as a solo artist. Armed only with his guitar, a drum machine and his flatmate's girlfriend, Jill Fricker, to sing backup vocals, James forged ahead with his new project: The Beach Bullies. The Beach Bullies somehow manage to sound simultaneously classic and exceptionally ahead of their time. Fans of kindred spirits from the same era, such as The Television Personalities, Young Marble Giants, and yes, The Soft Boys, will find much to admire in The Beach Bullies. On the other hand, their alternating vocals, stripped-down aesthetic and minimal arrangements will also appeal to fans of artists who would emerge much later, such as The Vaselines, The Pastels, Shop Assistants and Small Factory. In their brief time together, The Beach Bullies recorded one full-length LP, "We Rule The Universe," on Musclebound Records in 1980, along with a series of demos, and some rough mixes intended for a follow-up release that never came to fruition. These comprehensive additional recordings are all available as digital downloads with purchase of this LP. Original copies of the LP sell for more than $40 on the second-hand market, and the bonus tracks have never been released previously. Record Label: Manufactured/Sc Style: Indie Rock

It’s more timeless than fashionable” is a line, or at least sentiment, you hear many artists spout when referring to their own music. However, more often than not, it’s an idealism rooted more in fantasy or delusion than reality. Although when LeRoy Skläsh (the Munich-based one-man project of Leo Hopfinger) says it of his album, a record crammed with Krautrock dub, lo-fi funk, esoteric jams and DIY sparseness, it seems almost irrefutable. Of the project Hopfinger says, “My approach to creativity is diverse. It's like collecting pieces of various puzzles” and of these puzzles comprises different musical approaches and styles, “Tools, strange ambient sounds, noises, field recordings. I put unusual things together and try to feel how they react on different levels.” What this has resulted in is a vast unpredictably and rich sonic depth that rarely sounds like it’s the same artist, let alone the same genre or timeframe, “I try to spread the gap between abstract and pop as far as possible.” Hopfinger says of the musical disparity present on the finished record, whilst also picking up on the vast spread that the seven track LP offers, “I see this album more like a collection, a musical chronicle. Like a DJ who is digging some strange tunes, no matter which era they are from.” Hopfinger admits it doesn’t sound “Very Munich” but given there is no notable Munich scene that he is aware of, that is hardly surprising, “I live in the centre of Munich and really enjoy living in this slow city. There are some interesting places here but you really have to search for them - as well as for the small, but go-getting, music scene.” There is a refined quality to the record, whilst diverse and stylistically broad, there is a plain, straight forward approach to the album that almost feels like it’s a long-lost bedroom recording dug up in parts over decades. This approach was intentional, “I started to restrict things. To become very simple and focused.” He says, “Straight up, no gimmicks”. There was also an intentional element to include some moments that didn’t turn out as planned, “For me it is important to keep all the mistakes in the songs because they make the sound more human and sympathetic.” Despite their being a purity and honesty to the sounds captured on this record – the opening ‘Like a Disease’ sounding like a long lost Faust classic – there is a purposeful creative vision behind that approach, “Nowadays everybody can produce bold sounding songs, so that's no big thing for me.” So keen to follow his gut instincts and let experimentation lead him by the hand that a previous selection of more commercially palatable songs were replaced before making this record, “There were definitely a lot more crowd-pleasing songs on the album but we kicked them all out! First I felt uncomfortable about this, maybe because of production or ego issues, but now I am very, very happy with the album. It is music for opened-minded people, lovers, collectors.” However, whilst this record unquestionably delves deep into the experimental and sonically erratic, there remains an undercoating of accessibility that carries this record with a flowing charm that results in a record possessing one of the most genuinely sought after and difficult attributes to attain: originality. Record Label: Schamoni Style: Indie Pop

While superficial comparisons to Natalie Merchant or Tarnation’s Paula Frazer wouldn’t be wholly misplaced, Diane’s spellbinding voice, tender and flinty at once, casts a more quietly dazzling spell.” – Spin Magazine “The energy was incredible… The best kinds of concerts are those at which you feel a connection with the band beyond the music, and both The Parson Redheads and Alela Diane & Wild Divine offered that kind of experience.” – Dig Magazine, Boston “Nimble and graceful like a jazz singer, sad and knowing like a blues crooner, but always restrained like a bedroom-pop auteur speaking softly into a four-track…” – Pitchfork Singer/songwriter Alela Diane and guitarist Ryan Francesconi have uniquely collaborated to create Cold Moon. The two musicians talked at a friend’s show in October 2014, chatting about how they were both experiencing creative standstills. Ryan was lacking inspiration to make more instrumental music, and Alela was at a loss for how to dive into writing a new record after the birth of her daughter. A few days later, Ryan asked Alela if she would be into collaborating and then sent her several recordings of intricate, beautiful guitar pieces. Alela listened on repeat while staring out the window at the changing leaves, initially unsure how to sing even a note over what she heard. Eventually, something clicked. Words came first, and with words, melody followed. Throughout the winter, Alela made trips across town to Ryan’s house to woodshed the songs over cups of tea. Before they knew it, they had a record–a collaboration of voice and guitar with intangible moods and resonances–a collection that calls you to reflect and be hopeful. A wintry music born in December. And so rose the Cold Moon. Record Label: Believe Digital Gmbh Style: Pop

Record Label: Season Of Mist Style: Pop

Record Label: Seayou Records Style: Alternative

It’s more timeless than fashionable” is a line, or at least sentiment, you hear many artists spout when referring to their own music. However, more often than not, it’s an idealism rooted more in fantasy or delusion than reality. Although when LeRoy Skläsh (the Munich-based one-man project of Leo Hopfinger) says it of his album, a record crammed with Krautrock dub, lo-fi funk, esoteric jams and DIY sparseness, it seems almost irrefutable. Of the project Hopfinger says, “My approach to creativity is diverse. It's like collecting pieces of various puzzles” and of these puzzles comprises different musical approaches and styles, “Tools, strange ambient sounds, noises, field recordings. I put unusual things together and try to feel how they react on different levels.” What this has resulted in is a vast unpredictably and rich sonic depth that rarely sounds like it’s the same artist, let alone the same genre or timeframe, “I try to spread the gap between abstract and pop as far as possible.” Hopfinger says of the musical disparity present on the finished record, whilst also picking up on the vast spread that the seven track LP offers, “I see this album more like a collection, a musical chronicle. Like a DJ who is digging some strange tunes, no matter which era they are from.” Hopfinger admits it doesn’t sound “Very Munich” but given there is no notable Munich scene that he is aware of, that is hardly surprising, “I live in the centre of Munich and really enjoy living in this slow city. There are some interesting places here but you really have to search for them - as well as for the small, but go-getting, music scene.” There is a refined quality to the record, whilst diverse and stylistically broad, there is a plain, straight forward approach to the album that almost feels like it’s a long-lost bedroom recording dug up in parts over decades. This approach was intentional, “I started to restrict things. To become very simple and focused.” He says, “Straight up, no gimmicks”. There was also an intentional element to include some moments that didn’t turn out as planned, “For me it is important to keep all the mistakes in the songs because they make the sound more human and sympathetic.” Despite their being a purity and honesty to the sounds captured on this record – the opening ‘Like a Disease’ sounding like a long lost Faust classic – there is a purposeful creative vision behind that approach, “Nowadays everybody can produce bold sounding songs, so that's no big thing for me.” So keen to follow his gut instincts and let experimentation lead him by the hand that a previous selection of more commercially palatable songs were replaced before making this record, “There were definitely a lot more crowd-pleasing songs on the album but we kicked them all out! First I felt uncomfortable about this, maybe because of production or ego issues, but now I am very, very happy with the album. It is music for opened-minded people, lovers, collectors.” However, whilst this record unquestionably delves deep into the experimental and sonically erratic, there remains an undercoating of accessibility that carries this record with a flowing charm that results in a record possessing one of the most genuinely sought after and difficult attributes to attain: originality. Record Label: Schamoni Style: Indie Pop

Switzerland's greatest indie-pop band, feat. singer, producer and theatre musician Oliver "Guz" Maurmann," show top form. 10 tracks which have all facets of their unique style in telling stories with music and combining lyrics and sound to something bigger. Great melodies meet their driving brass section, charming lyrics meet everyday life absurdities of the 40+ generation. These guys are likeable and truthful, their music is timeless, good and extremely danceable. 10 Songs on vinyl, thereof three instrumentals, one sung in Swiss German, the CD bonus track 'Ik Heb Geen Zin Om Op Te Staan ' even in Dutch! Record Label: Rookie Records Style: Indie Pop

Record Label: Real Gone Music Style: Pop

Artist: Sedlmeir Label: Rookie Records (Cargo Records)