Kitchen Cynics – ‘Strange Acrobats’
Kitchen Cynics is the musical project of Alan Davidson from Aberdeen, Scotland. Active since the late 80s, with over a hundred releases, Alan is a prolific and talented songwriter whose work draws on his own experiences as well as the characters and history of Aberdeen. Full of charm, his albums are tender, bittersweet, packed with a dry wit and an ear for a melody that can pluck your heartstrings, whilst the words resonate deep within.
St James Infirmary – ‘Archipelago’
St. James Infirmary, of Ashington, Northumberland (UK), was formed in 1985 as the vehicle for singer, songwriter and multi- instrumentalist G.W.Lang and has been continuously active ever since. G.W.L. is assisted in producing his prolific output by an evolving and rotating cast of bandmates and (at last count), SJI has boasted in the region of 40 members. For ‘Archipelago’, SJI present a set of mesmerising hypnotically beautiful meditative pieces, rich in electronic ambience and reverential presence.
Plattenbau – ‘(=2021)’
Aleksandr Chiesa first came to attention as part of the Moscow-based post-punk synth duo, Гласность (Glasnost), releasing two albums with CN: Пиета (Pietà,. 2019) and Дом Культуры (House Of Culture, 2020). Now resident in Berlin, Платтенбау (Plattenbau) is a solo project showcasing his love for acid techno and new beat; presenting an album of sounds that could’ve been commanding the dancefloor of an Antwerp club, in 1988.
Dybbuk – ‘Dybbuk’
With Jake Bielby (Plague Rider; Live Burial) on guitars / programming and the ubiquitous James Watts (Plague Rider; Lovely Wife; Friend; Lump Hammer; Möbius) on vocals, this debut from Tyneside experimental death metal progressives, DYBBUK layers the riffs thick and fast in a sensory overload, across two 30 minute compositions, smashing boundaries and ripping open the heart of metal.
United Bible Studies – ‘The Return Of The Rivers’
David Colohan formed free-flowing folk-drone-jazz-noise outfit United Bible Studies in 2000 while studying at the University of Dublin. Since then the group have worked with a shifting cast of collaborators that Colohan estimates at more than two hundred. Amassing a considerable discography, this album sees Colohan team up with Dom Cooper (Owl Service), Matt Leivers (Awkward Formats) and Gayle Brogan on two 20-minute compelling and hauntingly beautiful minimalist pastoral compositions.
Pound Land – ‘Pound Land Plus’
Pound Land was formed in 2020 by vocalist/lyricist Adam Stone (Future Bomb/Holy Ghost People/frequent collaborator with Dead Sea Apes) and multi-instrumentalist Nick Harris (Reverends of Destruction/ ex-Dead Sea Apes). ‘Pound Land Plus’ repackages the debut album (‘Pound Land’ by Adam Stone) released by Misophonia Records in 2020 with an additional unreleased track from the same session (‘Bunker’); along with ‘Mutated’ , which is an album of remixed tracks from ‘Pound Land’ and ‘Can’t Be Arsed’ . ‘kitchen-sink’ punk for the 21st century’