PUNK

Four years after the inenarrable "Cerf, Biche et Faon", Julien Gasc ( Aquaserge, Stereolab) deliver us "Kiss me, you fool!" leads us far far away, into swarms of sound and sentimental, twisted tales, on a quest for illumination that traverses the rich palette of human passions. The title was taken from a graffiti discovered in the ladies' toilets of a London pub. It is through this peephole that we consider, like a voyeur, the paradoxical complexity of this album: At once witty, noble and degenerate, Julien struts his way through it with all the nonchalance of a night-owl dandy. A troubadour of modern times, he sings of unresolved love, self-mockery, the trivialities of daily life and the search for the Absolute. The fruit of an exceptional artistic collaboration (including Laëtitia Sadier (Stereolab), John Linger (Neils Children), Cathy Lucas (The Oscillation, Vanishing Twin), and Joe Watson), this contrasting, emotional and heterogenous album nonetheless forms a whole. Here, mirror plays, surrealistic songs and decadent poems unfold elegantly, seductive in their effortlessness. Countering the current norms, "Kiss me, you fool!" cultivates its powerful identity far from today's musical cliques and fads. Record Label: Born Bad Style: Punk

Record Label: Schamoni Style: Electro/Ambient

Introducing them for the umpteenth time would be disrespectful. But reminding everyone of why they’re essential can’t hurt. They’re closely intertwined with Born Bad’s rise to fame, being their first ever release, they’re seen as the caring big brothers of the French indie scene. Their pathway in itself is symbolic: hailing from the garage closed circuit from the 90s, they gave up the tattoos and brilliantine rock to try something different –at the crossroads of punk and cold wave, of Métal Urbain, Killing Joke and Joy Division, while we were all rediscovering France’s synth-wave heritage with the BIPPP andDes Jeunes gens mödernes compilations. And five fellows not particularly renowned for their technical skills found themselves invested with a peculiar grace, becoming avant-gardist just as they were entering their forties, and showing the way to a whole generation of bands that suddenly became aware that it was possible, even here, in our star-crossed France. Critical acclaim, high sells, delighted crowd: the rest is history. Ever since, nostalgia has kind of lost its appeal. We grew fed up of reading in the rock museum press that nothing valuable had been recorded since 1967, and we figured out that all things considered, we probably had better things to do than picking the patterns on our wallpapers or our Italian ties. It was time to get back into the pit, not looking back, and getting numb on something that is ours. The excitement of listening to the latest garage hit boys has well faded (the next band trying to emulate Thee Oh See’s repertory can already consider itself dismissed), but it is intact when it comes to lend an ear to Empire of Shames, the third album by Frustration. It is “only” their third album in over 15 years of existence, the defining sign of bands that don’t ride any wave but would rather dig their very own hole in the wall of legends, and hang there their plaque of best craftsmen in the industry. They crushed mountain chains on Relax (2008), uncovered new continents and rainforests withUncivilised (2012), so it’s only logical they now project to terraform Mars planet with this album that celebrates their return to a cold hostility that echoes the one of punks going by the name of a Polish capital city. “Dreams, Law, Rights and Duties”, “Just Wanna Hide” and “Excess” are punches in the knees as signs of welcome from Fabrice, whose voice wanders from a Curtis-like spleen to a cockney spit. If “Arrows Of Love” sounds like the album’s break, this mesmerising Smiths-like ballad that turns into a proletarian anthem is one of the peak in the album. “Mother Earth in Rags” will undoubtedly be a hit, given its harangue as baroque and dramatic as a speech from Lenin you would hear in an opera about communism; “Cause You Runaway” shows that our lads have also listened to James Murphy; and “No Place” (a last minute addition) is a synth-punk-noise gem that will generate one hell of a pogo at the end of their next concert. Frustration is now this fully grown-up lion that has no intention of ending up as a bedside rug. The grouches that you only hear when the press hands them a megaphone, and that would be disarmed if their MacBook were taken away from them are still talking about the good old days. The king of the jungle is back to restore its order, reminding tourists that coming here as a casual observer is not an option, because this is no ordinary regional park. The great history of rock can take a hike because our softened nerves are yearning to be tense one last time, our voices get lost, and we want more of those poor attempts at stagediving if only we can see Frustration one more electrify a crowd like they did at the latest Villette Sonique, with their social-class comrades of Sleaford Mods. And this, is the only reason why we agree to give in to music, this intrusive thing that never asks for our advice. The rest is just a background noise of conceited babbling saturating the feed of our souls. Bollocks, basically. Record Label: Born Bad Style: Punk

DELUXE VINYL EDITION!!! "The Captain's Birthday Party" is a live recording by The Damned. It was recorded in November 1977 at The Roundhouse, in London and originally released in June 1986. It is now available again through Let Them Eat Vinyl and for the first time on deluxe gatefold vinyl format. Record Label: Let Them Eat Vinyl Style: Punk Rock

Soul Jazz Records' new Punk 45 release documents the first radical underground punk bands to come out of France including Metal Urbain (the first group ever to be signed to Rough Trade Records), Marie et Les Garçons, Asphalt Jungle, through to the earliest experimental cold wave/minimal wave electronic groups such as Kas Product, Charles de Goal and A3 Dans le WC who emerged at the start of the 1980s. The accompanying large 50-page outsize booklet shows how punk in France emerged out of the country's history of rebellion and revolution (from Serge Gainsbourg to the Paris '68 riots) as well as a love for American punk and protobands like The New York Dolls and The Stooges, and was kick-started by witnessing the first UK punk bands (including the Sex Pistols who played in Paris in Sep 1976). It also explains how French revolutionary, artistic and intellectual ideas influenced the birth of punk in both New York (Dadaism and Surrealism, Rimbaud and Voltaire) and in Britain (Situationism), how Paris based art collective Bazooka influenced the work of Jamie Reed and The Sex Pistols, and more besides. The large booklet features extensive text, exclusive photography as well as interviews with key French figures in the movement including Marc Zermati (Skydog Records), Patrick Eudeline (Asphalt Jungle), Michel Esteban (Ze Records) and Eric Debris (Metal Urbain). Soul Jazz Records' new Punk 45 album comes as a heavyweight double vinyl LP with gatefold sleeve, inserts, full sleeve notes + download code and also as a deluxe CD pack + 50-page outsize booklet and as a digital album. Record Label: Soul Jazz Style: Punk

Record Label: I.V. Media Style: Punk Rock

Introducing them for the umpteenth time would be disrespectful. But reminding everyone of why they’re essential can’t hurt. They’re closely intertwined with Born Bad’s rise to fame, being their first ever release, they’re seen as the caring big brothers of the French indie scene. Their pathway in itself is symbolic: hailing from the garage closed circuit from the 90s, they gave up the tattoos and brilliantine rock to try something different –at the crossroads of punk and cold wave, of Métal Urbain, Killing Joke and Joy Division, while we were all rediscovering France’s synth-wave heritage with the BIPPP andDes Jeunes gens mödernes compilations. And five fellows not particularly renowned for their technical skills found themselves invested with a peculiar grace, becoming avant-gardist just as they were entering their forties, and showing the way to a whole generation of bands that suddenly became aware that it was possible, even here, in our star-crossed France. Critical acclaim, high sells, delighted crowd: the rest is history. Ever since, nostalgia has kind of lost its appeal. We grew fed up of reading in the rock museum press that nothing valuable had been recorded since 1967, and we figured out that all things considered, we probably had better things to do than picking the patterns on our wallpapers or our Italian ties. It was time to get back into the pit, not looking back, and getting numb on something that is ours. The excitement of listening to the latest garage hit boys has well faded (the next band trying to emulate Thee Oh See’s repertory can already consider itself dismissed), but it is intact when it comes to lend an ear to Empire of Shames, the third album by Frustration. It is “only” their third album in over 15 years of existence, the defining sign of bands that don’t ride any wave but would rather dig their very own hole in the wall of legends, and hang there their plaque of best craftsmen in the industry. They crushed mountain chains on Relax (2008), uncovered new continents and rainforests withUncivilised (2012), so it’s only logical they now project to terraform Mars planet with this album that celebrates their return to a cold hostility that echoes the one of punks going by the name of a Polish capital city. “Dreams, Law, Rights and Duties”, “Just Wanna Hide” and “Excess” are punches in the knees as signs of welcome from Fabrice, whose voice wanders from a Curtis-like spleen to a cockney spit. If “Arrows Of Love” sounds like the album’s break, this mesmerising Smiths-like ballad that turns into a proletarian anthem is one of the peak in the album. “Mother Earth in Rags” will undoubtedly be a hit, given its harangue as baroque and dramatic as a speech from Lenin you would hear in an opera about communism; “Cause You Runaway” shows that our lads have also listened to James Murphy; and “No Place” (a last minute addition) is a synth-punk-noise gem that will generate one hell of a pogo at the end of their next concert. Frustration is now this fully grown-up lion that has no intention of ending up as a bedside rug. The grouches that you only hear when the press hands them a megaphone, and that would be disarmed if their MacBook were taken away from them are still talking about the good old days. The king of the jungle is back to restore its order, reminding tourists that coming here as a casual observer is not an option, because this is no ordinary regional park. The great history of rock can take a hike because our softened nerves are yearning to be tense one last time, our voices get lost, and we want more of those poor attempts at stagediving if only we can see Frustration one more electrify a crowd like they did at the latest Villette Sonique, with their social-class comrades of Sleaford Mods. And this, is the only reason why we agree to give in to music, this intrusive thing that never asks for our advice. The rest is just a background noise of conceited babbling saturating the feed of our souls. Bollocks, basically. Record Label: Born Bad Style: Punk

DANGERS is a hardcore punk band from Los Angeles, California. They have been playing basements, garages, living rooms, squats, warehouses, banquet halls, high school auditoriums, Adriatic beach resorts, abandoned Soviet furniture factories, and public park gazebos since the winter of 2005. In their decade of existence, they have booked their own tours across the United States, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, and Southeast Asia. After self-releasing two critically-acclaimed LPs and two EPs on their own Vitriol Records, they are now pushing their third LP, The Bend in the Break, out into the world via Topshelf Records. It is an attempt to locate the band within the rapidly changing landscapes of both loud music and our rotten culture-at-large, and finds the band incorporating its roots into a sound and performance more their own than ever. Record Label: Topshelf Style: Punk/Hardcore

Fast, technical, melodic; those are just a few words that the punk rock community uses to describe MUTEs music. Considered by many to be a crucial staple in the skate punk world, the band has spent the last 18 years taking a 100% DIY approach to bringing its music to the masses! Boasting four albums – Blueprints (2001), Sleepers (2004), The Raven (2008) and Thunderblast (2011) as well as a combined total of over 2 million MUTE fans have watched one of the bands official music videos. MUTE has played more than 600 concerts in over 25 countries in North America, South America, Asia, and Europe: from small indie venues to the main stage of some of the worlds most prestigious international festivals! The quartet was fortunate enough to tour with famous punk bands like Rise Against, NOFX and Lagwagon and to share the stage with legendary artists like Bad Religion and The Offspring. Tireless and faithful to its devoted and hardworking DIY ethics, MUTE is still going strong. With a 5th album on its way – Remember Death – and a lot more touring to come, MUTE is, and will remain, a force to be reckoned with in the punk rock world! Record Label: Bird Attack Records Style: Punk / Hardcore

Debut album of the Spastiks. Authentic Psychobilly from New York! Record Label: Crazy Love Style: Psychobilly

After the Fall; an earnest and proficiently played strain of technical, speedy melodies that hit that sweet spot between skatepunk and melodic hardcore. BIRD ATTACK RECORDS present this collection of out of print material released between 2000 and 2010. Record Label: Bird Attack Records Style: Punk / Hardcore

NYC hardcore punks WARTHOG (featuring members of The Men, Dawn Of Humans and Ajax) return with what could possibly be their best recorded output yet. It's been a couple years since their EP's on Katorga Works and Iron Lung and in that time the members of the Hog have perfected their particular formula and have finally delivered four more tracks of pounding hardcore savagery that stands out tenfold from most of the bullshit that fans of the genre are bombarded with on a regular basis. Each record comes in a glue pocket sleeve along with a two colour risograph printed insert and download code. Record Label: Static Shock Style: Punk/Hardcore

It was a seven-year creative process from the first rehearsal until this release - and you can hear on these 20 (!) songs how much this band has invested. With Unexpected Gift, Kick Joneses are making themselves and us the gift of a new level of songwriting, texting, singing an arranging. What is striking is the volitionally eclectic approach. The leitmotiv of this record is that there is none. It is the amazing variety which makes it indeed an Unexpected Gift. There are pulsative and danceable songs next to fluffy pop tunes and rather rock orientated ones. But Kick Joneses are also entering new terrain after all these years. The three ballads marking this premiere are remarkably non-cheesy and wholehearted. It is due to the quality awareness and inner freedom of this band that it dares to come in the market with a double LP and CD; they are set on a self consistent album, a coherent artwork in an with an assured sense of style, a well-thought-out musical dramaturgy and a first-class production. Record Label: Rookie Records Style: Punk/Hardcore

Record Label: Massacre Style: Metal

Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding's marvellous partnership began in the fall of 1978. It was the birth of an unusual but compelling alliance. Record Label: Laser Media Style: Rock

Artist: Katie Gately Label: Tri Angle Records

Artist: Halshug Label: Southern Lord

Artist: COLD MEAT Label: Static Shock Records

Artist: The Nopes Label: Magnetic Eye

Artist: True Moon Label: Lovely Records