Melancholia is Italian bass Andrea Mastroni's most recent recording project. Mastroni is a true custodian of this type of singing, and this release represents a journey of discovery of the work of Handel that was written especially for Antonio Montagnana, one of the most exceptional singers in England during the period the German composer was working there. Desperation, anger, incantations, warrior instincts and human passion are some of the diverse elements captured in these pieces. A worthy companion for this vocal marathon is the Accademia dell'Annunciata, a baroque orchestra of great quality, conducted by Riccardo Doni.

The fruitful partnership between the Alpha label, the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel and the Palazzetto Bru Zane continues with this set of chamber music by Anton Reicha, performed by the musicians of the Chapel, young talents of an exceptionally high standard, ready and willing to take up the challenge of this music. A key figure of the early nineteenth century, this Czech composer who became a naturalised French citizen did not leave his contemporaries indifferent. Both his music and his theoretical writings set zealous partisans against fierce detractors.

The Body Acoustic is the ninth studio album released by Cyndi Lauper. It consists of ten previously released tracks which have been re-recorded and re-arranged acoustically, as well as two entirely new songs. The album title is a play on Walt Whitman's poem "I Sing the Body Electric", with the word body in this case referring to Lauper's body of work as a recording artist. The album features a number of special guests, including Adam Lazzara, Shaggy, Sarah McLachlan, Jeff Beck, Vivian Green, Ani DiFranco, and Puffy AmiYumi. A DualDisc edition of the album was released which contained the entire album in enhanced stereo, four new videos directed by Lauper herself as well as a "Behind The Scenes" featurette on the making of the album.

For their 25th band anniversary Solar Project releases the debut album The Final Solution from 1990 together with the album EMP - A Tribute To Pink Floyd consisting of the classic tracks Echoes, Money and Pigs as a limited special edition digipak CD.
The Final Solution is a gigantic art-rock spectacle, an opulent sound setting and an intense hodgepodge of electronic-symphonic drama and baroquish friskiness.

Five years after the release of Hearts of No Light, Swiss avant garde experimentalists Schammasch return with the follow up, The Maldoror Chants: Old Ocean - set for release via Prosthetic Records on October 25. This upcoming release will be the second in an ongoing series of works by Schammasch that draws from Les Chants de Maldoror - one of the 19th century’s most fascinating literary works which would later become part of the foundation of the surrealist movement. Sonically, the album charts the continued evolution in the sound of Schammasch; dark, gothy undertones rise often to the surface with sultry spoken word taking centre stage at various points. A pulsating, monolithic rhythm flows through the album with their atmospheric take on post-black metal providing a majestic backdrop - replete with a love for detail and the use of unusual elements like accordions, classical orchestration or industrial soundscapes…

Tift Merritt has become unexpectedly (and thankfully) prolific since she signed with Fantasy Records in 2008, after going four years without releasing a record. See You on the Moon is her third album in as many years, and from the first track, the gentle and soul-infused love song "Mixtape," she demonstrates that she can maintain solid quality control at this pace and does so with ease. See You on the Moon is a more spare and intimate-sounding set than 2008's Another Country, as if she learned a bit about the value of concision with her 2009 solo acoustic live set Buckingham Solo, but Merritt clearly works well with others (the backing musicians are uniformly great, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket contributes some solid harmonies on "Feel of the World"), and while the arrangements wisely avoid cluttering the clean landscapes of her melodies, producer and engineer Tucker Martine gives the recordings a full-bodied sound even when the performances are purposefully simple. As on Merritt's other albums, the real key to See You on the Moon lies in her songs and her voice, and both are in splendid form here.