The Beach Boys' third and fifth albums make a good pairing on one CD, different as they are in content and origins. Surfer Girl was the album on which the group's and Brian Wilson's sound blossomed, and it did so on several levels. The title track was the first song that Brian ever wrote, and it's lucky that he saved it for this stage in their history, for it features surprising elegant and lush harmonies. The usual assumption is that, because of Wilson's hearing loss in one ear, the group's records work best in mono, but on this, their second album in stereo, the mixing makes inventive use of the two-channel separation, even on "Surfer Girl" (which, as a single in those days, would have been conceived in mono from the get-go).

The final chords of the revolutionary world premiere of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at the Kärntnertortheater in Vienna on May 7, 1824 had hardly faded away (one of the many enthusiastic listeners in the hall was the 27-year-old Franz Schubert!) when the star composer got straight to work on a new string quartet; the work, following his latest string quartet, Op. 45 which was composed 14 years earlier, was commissioned by Prince Nikolaus Galitzin and became the quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127. In the same year, and interestingly written in immediate spatial and temporal proximity to the studio in which Beethoven was just about to open the doors to musical modernism, Schubert, after having spent several weeks in the Vienna general hospital for treatment of his suspected syphilis desease, composed his String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804, the so-called Rosamunde Quartet.

The Rite of Spring is a ballet and orchestral concert work by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was written for the 1913 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company; the original choreography was by Vaslav Nijinsky with stage designs and costumes by Nicholas Roerich. When first performed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on 29 May 1913, the avant-garde nature of the music and choreography caused a sensation. Many have called the first-night reaction a "riot" or "near-riot", though this wording did not come about until reviews of later performances in 1924, over a decade later. Although designed as a work for the stage, with specific passages accompanying characters and action, the music achieved equal if not greater recognition as a concert piece and is widely considered to be one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century.

The Boreas Quartett Bremen and soprano Dorothee Mields bring a little-known musical manuscript of the renaissance to life and present a series of premiere recordings. The Basevi Codex, a collection of Franco-Flemish chansons, motets and mass settings, was produced during the early sixteenth century in the famous music scribing workshop of Pierre Alamire. Faithfully following renaissance performance practice, which allowed great freedom in its musical realisations, the recorder consort and Dorothee Mields interpret selected pieces from the codex, with voice or purely instrumental, and, depending on the character of the piece, also with improvised virtuoso ornamentation. This creates a colourful picture of the music as it was sung and played at the Burgundian-Dutch court of Princess Margaret of Austria in Mechelen.

DYING VICTIMS PRODUCTIONS is proud to present the long-awaited fourth album of Germany’s NOCTURNAL, Serpent Death.As aptly titled as any NOCTURNAL full-length so far, Serpent Death slithers and strikes with a venomous menace. Arguably the band’s best-produced as well as best-played record to date, Serpent Death loses not an ounce of power and poignancy; if anything, NOCTURNAL sound more energetic than ever, revitalized and ripping and defying their seemingly advanced age. Whereas the preceding Storming Evil perhaps leaned too much on the cleaner side of things, Serpent Death is robustly analog, flexing both muscle and clarity, all while remaining steadfastly analog. Further, there’s more (but subtle) twists in the songwriting and dynamics, evincing an ageless metal wisdom whilst not sacrificing any urgency in the process. Avenger, as always, is an absolute riff-machine, firing off memorable lines right and left, but he’s more-than-ably backed up by a blood-red-vital rhythm section in bassist Incinerator and drummer John Berry. New vocalist Invoker has a rougher and more hollering voice, perfectly suited for these classic metal-inclined tunes. So, less “sharp” pure thrash and more “warmer” traditional metal: it’s a trade-off that pays in spades on Serpent Death. Timeless, eternal, both behind the times and ahead of ‘em – there’s few bands with a body of work quite like NOCTURNAL. Even if it’s another five-plus years between albums, Serpent Death handily satisfies with a sound that’s so old, it’s new!

On the threshold of the coming Ragnarok, Graveland comes to you armed with a new full-length album, with music that was created from the ashes of past battles. The new songs that revived like a phoenix from legends and myths and the most epic Graveland works such as "Thousand Swords" are a continuation of this style of the band. Epic Pagan Metal! Here's the music to prepare you for Ragnarok! Music from the beginning of the history of Graveland, when it was recorded in a full line-up! A sword, arrow and spear held in a strong hand, hardened in sweat, blood and battle. “Hour of Ragnarok” was forged by a three-person line-up. Three artisans of war weapons took care of it: Rob "Darken" - vocals, guitars, keyboards, Skyth - bass, Ahrin - drums. The songs for the album were created during last three years, but it was 2020 when the work gained momentum. It took a long time to compose and record the symphonic back tracks that makes up the epic background in music. This is a development of an idea that you could have already heared on the album "1050 Years of Pagan Cult". The album was recorded in the Italian studio Rocketbooster!

For this set, the two young trombonists Wycliffe Gordon and Ron Westray provide plenty of fireworks both in their individual solos (which are consistently colorful) and in the ensembles. Teamed up with pianist Marcus Roberts, bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Herlin Riley, Gordon and Westray perform 11 originals that they wrote or co-wrote. The music sometimes looks toward the swing tradition but also has some post bop and fairly free selections. The extroverted personalities (and occasional humor) of the co-leaders make this often-rambunctious set of strong interest.

Earthbound is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 1972 as a budget record shortly after the line-up that recorded it had broken up. It contains the band's first official live release of their signature song "21st Century Schizoid Man", and an extended live version of their 1970 non-LP B-side "Groon"…

Trúbrot were an Icelandic psychedelic rock band active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Mandala is actually a return to a more simplified sound for Trubrot, the band that once gave us a five-minute mini-opera based on Richard Wagner's Tannhauser. And it's sung in English. And while the title track does have a certain floaty mystical edge to it, thanks to some constantly spiraling (and massively flanged) string section, Trubrot often sound amazingly similar to early America on this album, adopting a very simple, very melodic pop sound on songs like "Drifting" and "Down By The Water," which even sounds like an America title! And Mandala is certainly filled to the brim with enough bouncy, catchy and dreamlike pop melodies…