Mighty Sam McClain never experienced the release of this, his final album, 'Time and Change', which contains his last 11 produced tracks. The legendary blues and soul performer passed away in New Hampshire June 15, 2015 by the age of 72. The songs on this album were all written and produced by Sam himself (except for one song, written by Sam's friend and mentor Melvin Underwood) in cooperation with the multi-instrumentalist Pat Herlehy, his musical partner through many years. This isn't one of those somber 'memorial' albums. Sam would not have wanted that. He wanted to be remembered with the same kind of spirit and energy he put into his music, on countless stages and recording sessions around the world.

I found it ok at first but a couple of months into lockdown I started to feel quite down about all the unplayed gigs and lost moments, a bit more anxious than usual and pretty disconnected. So I wanted to make something small (but proper) to try and reconnect. I hope this collection might be something hopeful, or at least a useful distraction.

Glass Animals release their third studio album Dreamland on Polydor. At the heart of Dreamland lies the quietly enigmatic Dave Bayley, the bands frontman and producer extraordinaire who’s work extends far beyond that of Glass Animals, with credits including Joey Bada$$, Flume, Wale, Khalid and most recently Denzel Curry on the late 2019 single Tokyo Drifting. For Bayley, Dreamland is a nostalgic memoir of his life so far, covering expansive and difficult ground and holding nothing back. It’s packed full of personal experiences, none more emotional than when the bands drummer Joe Seaward was involved in a monstrous bike accident in July 2018 which threatened his life, and that of Glass Animals altogether.

After a short hiatus, The Gaslamp Killer has returned with turbulent, moody, and gorgeous symphonies on his third full-length album, Heart Math. An intense and emotional masterpiece, it reaffirms why he remains one of the best DJs and instrumental hip-hop producers of his generation. This is a work conceived and creative with every last ounce of love and pain, all of it made in turmoil and psychic unrest, with music providing the only form of solace or opportunity to find even a fleeting moment of happiness. It is as pure as catharsis gets. Heart music to survive a season in hell.

When the Scorpions finally broke through to the mainstream in 1982, RCA released numerous compilations of the band's earlier work from the '70s…

Brooklyn based composer/producer/performer JG Thirlwell (Foetus, Manorexia, Xordox) - who has collaborated with the likes of Zola Jesus, Melvins, Swans, Kronos Quartet and many others, and is the composer for the highly acclaimed animated TV series ‘Archer’ and 'Venture Bros’ - and Swedish multi-instrumentalist and theatre music composer Simon Steensland collaborate on a new album Oscillospira. Different yet complementary, both creators make idiosyncratic music that can be characterised by dramatic intensity, shadowy suspense, darkness and light, sometimes breathtaking and always evocative cinematics. Oscillospira is an odyssey of dark chamber prog with a cinematic bent, largely instrumental album with eerie choral parts.

Recorded in the midst of Robert Smith's tenuous tenure with Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Top is arguably the most hedonistic record the Cure ever produced. Essentially Smith and Lol Tolhurst working with studio musicians (this being the period when the Cure's lineup was never assured), it's an album obviously recorded under stress, drink, and drugs…

Awesome second solo studio disc by this outstanding modern day guitar hero from Denmark featuring 10 songs of supreme, impressive, blues-based, heavy lead guitar dominated, bad-ass, six string riffage that lands killer beyond belief. Speaking the musical language of the guitar greats and flying close to the sun, we thought it was high time that Martin J. Andersen land with creative strength & power on his first all instrumental guitar effort entitled "Victory In Motion."

The funeral of Louis XIV mirrored his reign: grandiose and filled with pathos. Raphaël Pichon has chosen the setting of the Chapelle Royale in Versailles, built ‘for the use’ of the Sun King, to present a musical reconstruction of the event, with chiaroscuro lighting designs by Bertrand Couderc. Solemn grands motets like the De profundis and Dies irae of Michel-Richard de Lalande and the poignant Marche funèbre pour le Convoy du Roy by André Danican Philidor are juxtaposed with rarely heard music by Jean Colin, Louis Chein and Charles d’Helfer. An outstanding performance by Pygmalion, filmed on the occasion of the tercentenary of the event, in November 2015.

Elvin Jones - Remembrance (1978) {MPS 0209724MSW rel 2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 288 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 107 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 27 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1978, 2014 MPS Records / Edel | 0209724MSW
Jazz / Post Bop / Progressive Jazz / Drums

The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine has frequently featured hard-toned tenors who improvise in a style influenced by John Coltrane, modal originals and high-powered performances in which the drummer/leader can push his sidemen. This MPS set is no exception. Pat LaBarbera and Michael Stuart double on tenors and sopranos, guitarist Roland Prince offers a contrasting solo voice and all of the material is obscure with four of the seven songs penned by LaBarbera. It's an excellent if somewhat lesser-known outing.

Pearl Jam - Let's Play Two: Live at Wrigley Field (2017) {Republic Records B0026964-02} (Digibook, Complete Artwork)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 565 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 191 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 409 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2017 Republic Records / Monkeywrench Records ‎/ Universal | B0026964-02
Rock / Alternative / Indie Rock

Among the many things Eddie Vedder wears on his sleeve is his love of the Chicago Cubs. He was there during the Cubbies' historic World Series win of 2016, singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch of Game 5, an honor for a fan who held the team dear since a child, but earlier in the season, he and Pearl Jam saluted the Cubs with a pair of August concerts at Wrigley Field. Let's Play Two is a concert film documenting that stand and it's accompanied by a live album, which is Pearl Jam's first mass-market live album since Live on Ten Legs.