TAPETE RECORDS - Forced Exposure

$16.50 IN STOCK

VG+, Mint Mind's third album, has become a great, cross-generational indie rock album. Mint Mind are sitting in the Upper Room Studio, a separate area of Rick McPhail's small industrial loft in Hamburg-Altona. This is where VG+ was created. The album is about anger, optimism, a politician with little fingers or influencers who secretly lead a normal life. Some lyrics are funny, others serious: "Glow" is about love and appreciating good moments in difficult times. "Youth And I" deals with the question of why different generations with the same ideas on topics such as the environment, women's and LGBTQIA+ rights or even the economy do not manage to form a unity, but instead allow themselves to be disturbed by something as silly as age differences. The sound of Mint Mind combines sweet and sour, fuzzy riffs with the freedom and sentiment of '80s post-punk/indie. Synthesizers have become a more central instrument this time. From playful and strange sounds to the eerie and dark, the album is littered with textures and ear candy to discover. The album title is well chosen. VG+ is taken from the Goldmine Grading Standard for the evaluation of used vinyl records and means "Very Good +" -- background noise can occur occasionally, but not always. Older folks might certainly feel reminded of Dinosaur Jr. or The Cure, the younger ones of Diiv, Wavves, or Gurr. And for a moment, the world is Very Good + (with background noise) for everyone.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. VG+, Mint Mind's third album, has become a great, cross-generational indie rock album. Mint Mind are sitting in the Upper Room Studio, a separate area of Rick McPhail's small industrial loft in Hamburg-Altona. This is where VG+ was created. The album is about anger, optimism, a politician with little fingers or influencers who secretly lead a normal life. Some lyrics are funny, others serious: "Glow" is about love and appreciating good moments in difficult times. "Youth And I" deals with the question of why different generations with the same ideas on topics such as the environment, women's and LGBTQIA+ rights or even the economy do not manage to form a unity, but instead allow themselves to be disturbed by something as silly as age differences. The sound of Mint Mind combines sweet and sour, fuzzy riffs with the freedom and sentiment of '80s post-punk/indie. Synthesizers have become a more central instrument this time. From playful and strange sounds to the eerie and dark, the album is littered with textures and ear candy to discover. The album title is well chosen. VG+ is taken from the Goldmine Grading Standard for the evaluation of used vinyl records and means "Very Good +" -- background noise can occur occasionally, but not always. Older folks might certainly feel reminded of Dinosaur Jr. or The Cure, the younger ones of Diiv, Wavves, or Gurr. And for a moment, the world is Very Good + (with background noise) for everyone.

$16.50 IN STOCK

Naked but for a soft blanket of reverb, Christian Kjellvander's tender voice invites us into his latest creation, the swooning Hold Your Love Still. His first solo album since 2020's About Love And Loving Again (TR 468CD/LP) finds the Swedish troubadour in a reflective mood, exploring the difficulties of an honest life amid the entanglement of capitalism, and imploring us to nurture that faltering hope for a better tomorrow. Though he's grappling with existential and environmental tensions, Kjellvander strides from stoicism to optimism, augmenting his trademark minor melancholy with soaring major compositions, each concise, precise and considered -- a conscious turn towards song from the freeform expressions of recent collaborations. Rich in natural imagery, understated poetry and an infectious empathy, with meaning imbued in every line, this is the work of an accomplished songwriter at his most vital.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Naked but for a soft blanket of reverb, Christian Kjellvander's tender voice invites us into his latest creation, the swooning Hold Your Love Still. His first solo album since 2020's About Love And Loving Again (TR 468CD/LP) finds the Swedish troubadour in a reflective mood, exploring the difficulties of an honest life amid the entanglement of capitalism, and imploring us to nurture that faltering hope for a better tomorrow. Though he's grappling with existential and environmental tensions, Kjellvander strides from stoicism to optimism, augmenting his trademark minor melancholy with soaring major compositions, each concise, precise and considered -- a conscious turn towards song from the freeform expressions of recent collaborations. Rich in natural imagery, understated poetry and an infectious empathy, with meaning imbued in every line, this is the work of an accomplished songwriter at his most vital.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Reissue, originally released in 1981. "The story so far: in the late 1970s, a new four-piece band call themselves Hans-A-Plast, named after a self-adhesive plaster with a non-stick wound pad. The group's ranks are soon bolstered by a fifth Beatle -- or should we say a fifth plaster -- Annette, allowing drummer Bettina to focus exclusively on her drum kit. 'None of the new bands can match Annette for sheer energy, she can sing you into submission,' Alfred Hilsberg announces in Sounds magazine . . . When the music industry come calling, Hans-A-Plast keep them at bay with outrageous demands. The eponymous debut album features cover art by cartoonist Uli Stein and is released in true DIY fashion on 'No Fun', the label founded by the band for this very purpose. A thousand copies would see them break even, but before the new decade begins, they sell ten times that amount. The second No Fun Festival attracts a crowd of 2,000. Things are happening so fast. A legendary gig is recorded for a Rockpalast television broadcast in 1980 . . . While tens of thousands still revel in the sound of the debut album, Hans-A-Plast have already left their 1-2-3-4 punk days behind them. The band undergoes a veritable metamorphosis. Annette throws herself wholeheartedly into her role as lyricist, finding inspiration in the likes of Sex Gang Children and hanging out in the Rote Kuh bar frequented by British soldiers stationed in Hanover -- one of whom, Chas Briggs, designs the back cover of the new LP. Recorded in November 1980 at the Toncooperative studio in Hanover (like its predecessor), the second album virtually explodes with instrumental urgency: its dissonant guitars and increasingly avant-garde arrangements are reminiscent of the New York no wave scene. A singular nervous tremor is suddenly interrupted before everything rushes ahead again, left, right, radical rhythm shifts, bass drum quarter beats encircle atonal saxophone, nursery rhymes are fed through the meat grinder -- this hectic pace is reflected in Annette's vocal melodies, alternating between a choirgirl and a caw, whooping, almost yodeling, enthusiastically singing of self-immolation or murder threats on (long since expired) actors. Drummer Bettina knits assiduously in the gaps between recording, so it's apt that the cover of the new LP (released in 1981) features a clothing pattern. By the time the next 'No Fun' tour comes around in June, Bettina is five months pregnant. The band take a break as Bettina and Micha become parents and Annette goes back to England, where she takes two A-Levels." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Reissue, originally released in 1983. "... While tens of thousands still revel in the sound of the debut album, the 1981 sophomore disc moves on from 1-2-3-4 punk to dissonant guitars, radical rhythm shifts, and increasingly avant-garde arrangements. Hans-A-Plast virtually explode with urgency on 2 as Annette's vocals alternate between a choirgirl and a caw, almost yodeling, singing enthusiastically of self-immolation or sending murder threats to (long since expired) actors. And then? A hiatus. With the band's activities on pause, Annette takes two A-Levels in the United Kingdom and contemplates becoming an interpreter (already paying to start a course). One day, the phone rings -- it's Hans-A-Plast on the line, asking her to head home so they can get to work on what will be the third Hans-A-Plast album. For the first time, the band enlist a new producer -- Jan Němec is at the controls -- and record in a new location, the Horus Sound Studio in Hanover. The tracklist includes 'Monstertanz', a song written by Annette in England and subsequently adapted by the band (the first time they create a song in this fashion). Hans-A-Plast then shoot their first (and last) music video, a DIY effort which debuts on Peter Illmann's Formel Eins, a popular and pivotal television show. Ausradiert is released in early 1983, another demonstration of Hans-A-Plast doing what they do best: ignoring what has gone before and going off at a new tangent. Gone are the sudden breaks and nervous shivers of the second album, ceding to a more conventional song structure and sharper production. There is a more typically eighties flair to the band's sound now, as the vocals and Bettina's drums swirl in reverb. Renate's bass slices like a knife and dual guitars ring out crystal clear. Lyrically, of course, nothing is off limits: Annette offers advice on how to be 'Gut im Bett' (good in bed), rails against the sanctimoniousness of Christianity; cannibalism, stalking, the list goes on -- The door closes on the band's No Fun label in the autumn of 1983. Whereas the first two albums sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, Ausradiert only manages 10,000. Ticket sales are down when the band hit the road in April and May (1983). This time around, Annette is pregnant, as Bettina was on the previous tour. The band begin to argue about which musical direction they should take in future. A sticking plaster doesn't stick forever. Echoing the name of the third LP, Hans-A-Plast find themselves ausradiert (erased)." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

$16.50 IN STOCK

As Wreckless Eric he needs little introduction -- he wrote and recorded the classic Whole Wide World (1977) and had a hit with it back in 1977. Since then, it's been a hit for countless other artists including The Monkees, Cage The Elephant, and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Eric's version featured in the 2022 Expedia/Superbowl/Ewan MacGregor travel ad, and the Cage The Elephant version is the new theme tune for the podcast Smartless. As Eric Goulden, it's a little more complicated -- a musician, artist, writer, recording engineer and producer, he didn't like either the music business, the mechanics of fame, or the name he'd been given to hide behind, so he crawled out of the spotlight and disappeared into the underground. He went on to release twenty something albums in forty something years under various names -- The Len Bright Combo, Le Beat Group Electrique, The Donovan Of Trash, The Hitsville House Band, and with his wife as one half of Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, finally realizing he was stuck with the name Wreckless Eric. Eric's three most recent albums amERICa, Construction Time & Demolition, and Transience are widely praised as his best work. His albums encapsulate pop, bubblegum, garage trash, and psychedelia -- lyrical and sonic journeys, pop explosions, epic voyages, Polaroid snapshots. This new album, Leisureland, marks a return to his more ramshackle world of recording -- guitars and temperamentally unpredictable analog keyboards, beat-boxes and loops in conjunction with a real drummer, Sam Shepherd, who he met in a local coffee shop in Catskill, New York. He was delighted to find that Sam lived around the corner and could easily drop by to put drums on newly recorded tracks. The recording methodology may have been contemporary American but the subject matter is almost entirely British. It also contains more instrumentals than any of his previous albums.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Reissue, originally released in 1979. "The year is 2014: a sharp cry leaps out of my laptop's speakers. 'Ace!' the young punk girl yells into the microphone, 'Let's get this disco started.' She's wearing leather trousers with back to front braces as she sings about hot boys with similar dress sense. The band play fast, their sound is clear, curt, and catchy. What is this and where did it come from? Hans-A-Plast is what it is, straight out of Hanover . . . The year is 1978, fifteen years before I was born. 56 years earlier, the first self-adhesive plasters went on sale in Germany. A gang of four: two young women, two young men -- Bettina, Renate, Jens, and Micha -- form a group and name themselves after the aforementioned plasters (Hansaplast) . . . Annette takes 'Man of Stone' (one of their own) with her when she joins Hans-A-Plast, the band she meets in November 1978 at the first No Fun Festival, where Hans-A-Plast and Slime play together. Bettina asks Annette if she would like to sing for them -- yes, she would. Fast forward to the rehearsal bunker as Bettina hands Annette the lyrics to three songs: 'Lederhosentyp', 'Rock 'n' Roll Freitag' and 'Hau ab du stinkst'. The creative spark ignites and the three songs soon become 13. A few festivals follow, including the January 1979 event 'Into The Future' at the Hamburg Markthalle. In September of the same year, the band record their eponymous debut album in just four days, at the Toncooperative studio in Hanover, ably assisted by Rainer in his first encounter with punk. Emulating her idol Poly Styrene, Annette adds a wonderfully off-key alto saxophone to the mix: tracks like 'Für 'ne Frau' fizz with charisma and chutzpah, flying in the face of 'good girl' expectations, just as one might expect . . . One thousand copies represented the break-even point, but the album sold ten times that before the year was out. Although bigger labels came knocking, the group chose to set up their own record company under the name of No Fun..." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. As Wreckless Eric he needs little introduction -- he wrote and recorded the classic Whole Wide World (1977) and had a hit with it back in 1977. Since then, it's been a hit for countless other artists including The Monkees, Cage The Elephant, and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. Eric's version featured in the 2022 Expedia/Superbowl/Ewan MacGregor travel ad, and the Cage The Elephant version is the new theme tune for the podcast Smartless. As Eric Goulden, it's a little more complicated -- a musician, artist, writer, recording engineer and producer, he didn't like either the music business, the mechanics of fame, or the name he'd been given to hide behind, so he crawled out of the spotlight and disappeared into the underground. He went on to release twenty something albums in forty something years under various names -- The Len Bright Combo, Le Beat Group Electrique, The Donovan Of Trash, The Hitsville House Band, and with his wife as one half of Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, finally realizing he was stuck with the name Wreckless Eric. Eric's three most recent albums amERICa, Construction Time & Demolition, and Transience are widely praised as his best work. His albums encapsulate pop, bubblegum, garage trash, and psychedelia -- lyrical and sonic journeys, pop explosions, epic voyages, Polaroid snapshots. This new album, Leisureland, marks a return to his more ramshackle world of recording -- guitars and temperamentally unpredictable analog keyboards, beat-boxes and loops in conjunction with a real drummer, Sam Shepherd, who he met in a local coffee shop in Catskill, New York. He was delighted to find that Sam lived around the corner and could easily drop by to put drums on newly recorded tracks. The recording methodology may have been contemporary American but the subject matter is almost entirely British. It also contains more instrumentals than any of his previous albums.

$16.50 IN STOCK

Reissue, originally released in 1979. "The year is 2014: a sharp cry leaps out of my laptop's speakers. 'Ace!' the young punk girl yells into the microphone, 'Let's get this disco started.' She's wearing leather trousers with back to front braces as she sings about hot boys with similar dress sense. The band play fast, their sound is clear, curt, and catchy. What is this and where did it come from? Hans-A-Plast is what it is, straight out of Hanover . . . The year is 1978, fifteen years before I was born. 56 years earlier, the first self-adhesive plasters went on sale in Germany. A gang of four: two young women, two young men -- Bettina, Renate, Jens, and Micha -- form a group and name themselves after the aforementioned plasters (Hansaplast) . . . Annette takes 'Man of Stone' (one of their own) with her when she joins Hans-A-Plast, the band she meets in November 1978 at the first No Fun Festival, where Hans-A-Plast and Slime play together. Bettina asks Annette if she would like to sing for them -- yes, she would. Fast forward to the rehearsal bunker as Bettina hands Annette the lyrics to three songs: 'Lederhosentyp', 'Rock 'n' Roll Freitag' and 'Hau ab du stinkst'. The creative spark ignites and the three songs soon become 13. A few festivals follow, including the January 1979 event 'Into The Future' at the Hamburg Markthalle. In September of the same year, the band record their eponymous debut album in just four days, at the Toncooperative studio in Hanover, ably assisted by Rainer in his first encounter with punk. Emulating her idol Poly Styrene, Annette adds a wonderfully off-key alto saxophone to the mix: tracks like 'Für 'ne Frau' fizz with charisma and chutzpah, flying in the face of 'good girl' expectations, just as one might expect . . . One thousand copies represented the break-even point, but the album sold ten times that before the year was out. Although bigger labels came knocking, the group chose to set up their own record company under the name of No Fun..." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

$16.50 IN STOCK

Reissue, originally released in 1983. "... While tens of thousands still revel in the sound of the debut album, the 1981 sophomore disc moves on from 1-2-3-4 punk to dissonant guitars, radical rhythm shifts, and increasingly avant-garde arrangements. Hans-A-Plast virtually explode with urgency on 2 as Annette's vocals alternate between a choirgirl and a caw, almost yodeling, singing enthusiastically of self-immolation or sending murder threats to (long since expired) actors. And then? A hiatus. With the band's activities on pause, Annette takes two A-Levels in the United Kingdom and contemplates becoming an interpreter (already paying to start a course). One day, the phone rings -- it's Hans-A-Plast on the line, asking her to head home so they can get to work on what will be the third Hans-A-Plast album. For the first time, the band enlist a new producer -- Jan Němec is at the controls -- and record in a new location, the Horus Sound Studio in Hanover. The tracklist includes 'Monstertanz', a song written by Annette in England and subsequently adapted by the band (the first time they create a song in this fashion). Hans-A-Plast then shoot their first (and last) music video, a DIY effort which debuts on Peter Illmann's Formel Eins, a popular and pivotal television show. Ausradiert is released in early 1983, another demonstration of Hans-A-Plast doing what they do best: ignoring what has gone before and going off at a new tangent. Gone are the sudden breaks and nervous shivers of the second album, ceding to a more conventional song structure and sharper production. There is a more typically eighties flair to the band's sound now, as the vocals and Bettina's drums swirl in reverb. Renate's bass slices like a knife and dual guitars ring out crystal clear. Lyrically, of course, nothing is off limits: Annette offers advice on how to be 'Gut im Bett' (good in bed), rails against the sanctimoniousness of Christianity; cannibalism, stalking, the list goes on -- The door closes on the band's No Fun label in the autumn of 1983. Whereas the first two albums sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, Ausradiert only manages 10,000. Ticket sales are down when the band hit the road in April and May (1983). This time around, Annette is pregnant, as Bettina was on the previous tour. The band begin to argue about which musical direction they should take in future. A sticking plaster doesn't stick forever. Echoing the name of the third LP, Hans-A-Plast find themselves ausradiert (erased)." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

$16.50 IN STOCK

Reissue, originally released in 1981. "The story so far: in the late 1970s, a new four-piece band call themselves Hans-A-Plast, named after a self-adhesive plaster with a non-stick wound pad. The group's ranks are soon bolstered by a fifth Beatle -- or should we say a fifth plaster -- Annette, allowing drummer Bettina to focus exclusively on her drum kit. 'None of the new bands can match Annette for sheer energy, she can sing you into submission,' Alfred Hilsberg announces in Sounds magazine . . . When the music industry come calling, Hans-A-Plast keep them at bay with outrageous demands. The eponymous debut album features cover art by cartoonist Uli Stein and is released in true DIY fashion on 'No Fun', the label founded by the band for this very purpose. A thousand copies would see them break even, but before the new decade begins, they sell ten times that amount. The second No Fun Festival attracts a crowd of 2,000. Things are happening so fast. A legendary gig is recorded for a Rockpalast television broadcast in 1980 . . . While tens of thousands still revel in the sound of the debut album, Hans-A-Plast have already left their 1-2-3-4 punk days behind them. The band undergoes a veritable metamorphosis. Annette throws herself wholeheartedly into her role as lyricist, finding inspiration in the likes of Sex Gang Children and hanging out in the Rote Kuh bar frequented by British soldiers stationed in Hanover -- one of whom, Chas Briggs, designs the back cover of the new LP. Recorded in November 1980 at the Toncooperative studio in Hanover (like its predecessor), the second album virtually explodes with instrumental urgency: its dissonant guitars and increasingly avant-garde arrangements are reminiscent of the New York no wave scene. A singular nervous tremor is suddenly interrupted before everything rushes ahead again, left, right, radical rhythm shifts, bass drum quarter beats encircle atonal saxophone, nursery rhymes are fed through the meat grinder -- this hectic pace is reflected in Annette's vocal melodies, alternating between a choirgirl and a caw, whooping, almost yodeling, enthusiastically singing of self-immolation or murder threats on (long since expired) actors. Drummer Bettina knits assiduously in the gaps between recording, so it's apt that the cover of the new LP (released in 1981) features a clothing pattern. By the time the next 'No Fun' tour comes around in June, Bettina is five months pregnant. The band take a break as Bettina and Micha become parents and Annette goes back to England, where she takes two A-Levels." --Max "Drangsal" Gruber

$16.50 IN STOCK

The Wirtschaftswunder are European post-punk history. Formed in Limburg in 1980, the multinational band consisted of Czech-born guitarist Tom Dokoupil, Canadian keyboardist Mark Pfurtscheller, German drummer Jürgen Beuth (also in Die Radierer), and Italian singer Angelo Galizia. After their DIY milestone Salmobray, the band was signed to Polydor. Contrary to the aims of the record company, who planned to make a huge NDW act out of the band, the new (and more expensive) ways of record production just showed how special this band really was. A financial flop and artistically one of the strangest and most wonderful major debuts of all times.

"The eponymous title of the sophomore album by The Wirtschaftswunder sounds as if it should have been their debut disc. Nevertheless, the name is a good fit, this being the record which sees the band come to terms with their own distinctive sound, one which is completely different to the sum of their parts, as was the case on its predecessor Salmobray. Here, they have morphed into a funk band, albeit one without any intention of playing funk. This record was also their first on a major label, although Polydor do not appear to have weighed in on the creative process. The LP spawned just the one single -- 'Der große Mafioso' -- and zero NDW* hits. Whereas other label acts such as Hubert Kah or Fräulein Menke were busy crafting chart material with a New German Wave flavor, The Wirtschaftswunder (possibly aware of their stablemates' efforts) appeared unencumbered by the pressure to deliver conventional success. The major label influence was at least evident in the departure from the dim haziness of contemporary DIY studios for a production of dazzling sharpness. Cast in this light, The Wirtschaftswunder sound even stranger than in the more familiar environs of their insouciant debut. This might very well be the German music industry's boldest record ever, Ernste Musik (serious music) aside. Released in early 1982, with few words offered to contextualize matters, the record felt like a statement, an artistic representation of pop music laced with a range of alienating effects which lent it a remarkable precision. Perspective, expressiveness -- these are concepts that sit well with 'The Wirtschaftswunder'. The characteristic style, the air and, above all, the 'sonic mission' are reminiscent of the Junge Wilden or, to be more exact, the Mühlheimer Freiheit group of artists associated with them." --Frank Apunkt Schneider

$26.00 LOW STOCK LEVEL

LP version. The Wirtschaftswunder are European post-punk history. Formed in Limburg in 1980, the multinational band consisted of Czech-born guitarist Tom Dokoupil, Canadian keyboardist Mark Pfurtscheller, German drummer Jürgen Beuth (also in Die Radierer), and Italian singer Angelo Galizia. After their DIY milestone Salmobray, the band was signed to Polydor. Contrary to the aims of the record company, who planned to make a huge NDW act out of the band, the new (and more expensive) ways of record production just showed how special this band really was. A financial flop and artistically one of the strangest and most wonderful major debuts of all times.

"The eponymous title of the sophomore album by The Wirtschaftswunder sounds as if it should have been their debut disc. Nevertheless, the name is a good fit, this being the record which sees the band come to terms with their own distinctive sound, one which is completely different to the sum of their parts, as was the case on its predecessor Salmobray. Here, they have morphed into a funk band, albeit one without any intention of playing funk. This record was also their first on a major label, although Polydor do not appear to have weighed in on the creative process. The LP spawned just the one single -- 'Der große Mafioso' -- and zero NDW* hits. Whereas other label acts such as Hubert Kah or Fräulein Menke were busy crafting chart material with a New German Wave flavor, The Wirtschaftswunder (possibly aware of their stablemates' efforts) appeared unencumbered by the pressure to deliver conventional success. The major label influence was at least evident in the departure from the dim haziness of contemporary DIY studios for a production of dazzling sharpness. Cast in this light, The Wirtschaftswunder sound even stranger than in the more familiar environs of their insouciant debut. This might very well be the German music industry's boldest record ever, Ernste Musik (serious music) aside. Released in early 1982, with few words offered to contextualize matters, the record felt like a statement, an artistic representation of pop music laced with a range of alienating effects which lent it a remarkable precision. Perspective, expressiveness -- these are concepts that sit well with 'The Wirtschaftswunder'. The characteristic style, the air and, above all, the 'sonic mission' are reminiscent of the Junge Wilden or, to be more exact, the Mühlheimer Freiheit group of artists associated with them." --Frank Apunkt Schneider

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Since 1992, the collective around David Christian has been stoically producing unique noise pop. Comet Gain are Comet Gain, a band in which the Swell Maps and the Undertones shake hands in the Wigan Casino. Admittedly, a skewed picture. But as with every outstanding band, one fails to describe the sound of Comet Gain. You just have to hear it. When the Corona shit hit the fan in 2020, David Christian, who now lives in the beautiful south of France, had the leisure to dig through the considerable Comet Gain archive and presented the astonished Comet Gain community with new compilations of outtakes, demos, live recordings, and simply forgotten and never released hits every Bandcamp Friday. The Misfit Jukebox is now a compilation of these compilations, the topper-most of the popper-most from a hitherto unseen or unheard part of the CG universe. First time on CD and LP.

"... So here I am with a new Comet Gain, old friends like Jon Slade Darren Smith making demos in a London living room for whatever comes next. 'Post USA' 'Skinny Wolves' both sung by Rachel Evans are more spiky elbowed little skeletons, sometime after the jagged rock opera of a third album pop over to Phil's Highgateish flat near the shadow of suicide bridge to do some gentler songs among covers of John Cale we do 'My Time Tunnel' promptly forget it exists... when the genial sound stack Woodie Taylor arrives we embark on an expedition of EPs, LPs, 45s in a non linear gibbering slow/rush of an almost career... 'Never Die' was a Réa listes LP outtake now home on Beautiful Despair 12" EP for Kevin Pedersen. 'No Spotlite On Sometimes', 'Herbert Huncke Part 3' we somehow did in an airless east end dungeon while visiting punk guitarists stole some of the band for local pup crawls. This Herbert H was the first we did, meant for the Germs Of Youth 45 but a typical CG error meant the muckering about jam version ended up for the disc. 'Fists In The Pocket' was a softer demo I lost before the band heard and 'Weekend Dreams' was on Kiko Amat's La Doble Vida split 45 with Hello Cuca. We did this in a feral one take before the neighbors got back from work. I like it that way. By the time we got to the almost professional 'Paperback Ghosts' and 'Howl Of The Lonely Crowd' we'd lost Jon Kay Ishikawa but found Ben Phillpson, James Hornsey, Anne Laure Guillain. "Your Just Lonely" are B Sides from the records featuring friends Alasdair MacLean, Lupe Nunez on vocals. This particular tale ends with the most recent song which is about the group I've just wrote of 'Even This Could Be Beautiful' because yes even this erratic, warped, mumbling, innocent things can be. It's been fun so far. Enjoy the LP." --David

$20.00 IN STOCK

With Radio Sessions (Marc Riley BBC 6 Music 2011-2022) Tapete Records revive the great tradition of releasing radio sessions of great (independent) acts. And what could be more natural than starting our series with The Monochrome Set, a band that represents the indie ethos like few others in following their own unique artistic vision without compromise. The most unique thing about the radio session recordings is that they encompass a mixture of concert and studio. The bands are freer than in studio recordings at the same time more focused than in live performances -- gems from the bands repertoire which might not have been played live are often preserved only in the radio sessions. Radio Sessions contains all the BBC 6 sessions recorded for and hosted by the great Marc Riley from the years 2011-2022. 32 songs in total including well-known hits like "Eine Symphonie des Grauens", "Jet Set Junta", and "Alphaville", as well as fantastic versions of seldom heard or not so well-known songs like "Rain Check" or "Hip Kitten Spinning Chrome". With the kind support of the BBC, you are now able to release these recordings of the most demonstrably intelligent, dark, witty, and British of all guitar pop bands on record for the first time.

$35.00 IN STOCK

Double LP version. With Radio Sessions (Marc Riley BBC 6 Music 2011-2022) Tapete Records revive the great tradition of releasing radio sessions of great (independent) acts. And what could be more natural than starting our series with The Monochrome Set, a band that represents the indie ethos like few others in following their own unique artistic vision without compromise. The most unique thing about the radio session recordings is that they encompass a mixture of concert and studio. The bands are freer than in studio recordings at the same time more focused than in live performances -- gems from the bands repertoire which might not have been played live are often preserved only in the radio sessions. Radio Sessions contains all the BBC 6 sessions recorded for and hosted by the great Marc Riley from the years 2011-2022. 32 songs in total including well-known hits like "Eine Symphonie des Grauens", "Jet Set Junta", and "Alphaville", as well as fantastic versions of seldom heard or not so well-known songs like "Rain Check" or "Hip Kitten Spinning Chrome". With the kind support of the BBC, you are now able to release these recordings of the most demonstrably intelligent, dark, witty, and British of all guitar pop bands on record for the first time.

$16.50 IN STOCK

Since 1992, the collective around David Christian has been stoically producing unique noise pop. Comet Gain are Comet Gain, a band in which the Swell Maps and the Undertones shake hands in the Wigan Casino. Admittedly, a skewed picture. But as with every outstanding band, one fails to describe the sound of Comet Gain. You just have to hear it. When the Corona shit hit the fan in 2020, David Christian, who now lives in the beautiful south of France, had the leisure to dig through the considerable Comet Gain archive and presented the astonished Comet Gain community with new compilations of outtakes, demos, live recordings, and simply forgotten and never released hits every Bandcamp Friday. The Misfit Jukebox is now a compilation of these compilations, the topper-most of the popper-most from a hitherto unseen or unheard part of the CG universe. First time on CD and LP.

"... So here I am with a new Comet Gain, old friends like Jon Slade Darren Smith making demos in a London living room for whatever comes next. 'Post USA' 'Skinny Wolves' both sung by Rachel Evans are more spiky elbowed little skeletons, sometime after the jagged rock opera of a third album pop over to Phil's Highgateish flat near the shadow of suicide bridge to do some gentler songs among covers of John Cale we do 'My Time Tunnel' promptly forget it exists... when the genial sound stack Woodie Taylor arrives we embark on an expedition of EPs, LPs, 45s in a non linear gibbering slow/rush of an almost career... 'Never Die' was a Réa listes LP outtake now home on Beautiful Despair 12" EP for Kevin Pedersen. 'No Spotlite On Sometimes', 'Herbert Huncke Part 3' we somehow did in an airless east end dungeon while visiting punk guitarists stole some of the band for local pup crawls. This Herbert H was the first we did, meant for the Germs Of Youth 45 but a typical CG error meant the muckering about jam version ended up for the disc. 'Fists In The Pocket' was a softer demo I lost before the band heard and 'Weekend Dreams' was on Kiko Amat's La Doble Vida split 45 with Hello Cuca. We did this in a feral one take before the neighbors got back from work. I like it that way. By the time we got to the almost professional 'Paperback Ghosts' and 'Howl Of The Lonely Crowd' we'd lost Jon Kay Ishikawa but found Ben Phillpson, James Hornsey, Anne Laure Guillain. "Your Just Lonely" are B Sides from the records featuring friends Alasdair MacLean, Lupe Nunez on vocals. This particular tale ends with the most recent song which is about the group I've just wrote of 'Even This Could Be Beautiful' because yes even this erratic, warped, mumbling, innocent things can be. It's been fun so far. Enjoy the LP." --David

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. The Telescopes are an all-embracing concern that began in 1987, the only constant being sole composer/instigator, Northumbrian born Stephen Lawrie. The band's line-up is in constant flux, there can be anywhere between one and 20 members on a recording. The Telescopes were initially signed to Cheree Records then moved on to What Goes On Records where they became regulars at the top of the indie charts before gaining more mainstream success on signing to Creation Records. The Telescopes are now with Tapete Records. The previous album for the label -- Songs Of Love And Revolution (TR 480CD/LP) saw a return to the indie charts in 2021, including a Dinked edition with remixes by Anton Newcombe, Lloyd Cole, and Third Eye Foundation. The Telescopes music has constantly pushed at its own boundaries, it overlaps many genres following its own course, inspiration led. Time has shown The Telescopes music not only withstands repeated listening but also reveals something new with each listen, it has been described by the British music press as "more a revolution of the psyche than a revolution of the sidewalk"; a thread consistent throughout a highly influential body of work spanning over 30 years. The Telescopes have been cited as an influence on many artists across genres, around the world. The first five albums have all been re-issued by renowned labels such as Cherry Red, Bomp!, Rev-Ola, Space Age Records, Weisskalt, Glass Modern, Fuzz Club, and many more. Of Tomorrow is the 15th album from The Telescopes, and their fifth for Tapete. The album was created entirely by Lawrie at his studio in Shropshire, it is a departure from what the press often refers to as a "wall of throb" when describing the dense merge of noise and sound synonymous with most of The Telescopes output. Of Tomorrow marks a complete change in dynamics. Here we have the poetry of motion, solid grooves to the fore, leaving crystallized trails across a fluttering undercurrent of uplifting rhythm and hooks. Lawrie's voice, usually treated as an instrument equal to the rest of the sound now takes the reins, engaging the listener in a melodic swirl of radiant harmony that speaks, sometimes in a whisper, of love as revolution. Every song on the album stands its ground, each one unique. Everything from the composition to the performance, arrangements and production are leaps beyond previous offerings. This is an album to get lost in on the dancefloor or headphones in equal measures.

$16.50 IN STOCK

The Telescopes are an all-embracing concern that began in 1987, the only constant being sole composer/instigator, Northumbrian born Stephen Lawrie. The band's line-up is in constant flux, there can be anywhere between one and 20 members on a recording. The Telescopes were initially signed to Cheree Records then moved on to What Goes On Records where they became regulars at the top of the indie charts before gaining more mainstream success on signing to Creation Records. The Telescopes are now with Tapete Records. The previous album for the label -- Songs Of Love And Revolution (TR 480CD/LP) saw a return to the indie charts in 2021, including a Dinked edition with remixes by Anton Newcombe, Lloyd Cole, and Third Eye Foundation. The Telescopes music has constantly pushed at its own boundaries, it overlaps many genres following its own course, inspiration led. Time has shown The Telescopes music not only withstands repeated listening but also reveals something new with each listen, it has been described by the British music press as "more a revolution of the psyche than a revolution of the sidewalk"; a thread consistent throughout a highly influential body of work spanning over 30 years. The Telescopes have been cited as an influence on many artists across genres, around the world. The first five albums have all been re-issued by renowned labels such as Cherry Red, Bomp!, Rev-Ola, Space Age Records, Weisskalt, Glass Modern, Fuzz Club, and many more. Of Tomorrow is the 15th album from The Telescopes, and their fifth for Tapete. The album was created entirely by Lawrie at his studio in Shropshire, it is a departure from what the press often refers to as a "wall of throb" when describing the dense merge of noise and sound synonymous with most of The Telescopes output. Of Tomorrow marks a complete change in dynamics. Here we have the poetry of motion, solid grooves to the fore, leaving crystallized trails across a fluttering undercurrent of uplifting rhythm and hooks. Lawrie's voice, usually treated as an instrument equal to the rest of the sound now takes the reins, engaging the listener in a melodic swirl of radiant harmony that speaks, sometimes in a whisper, of love as revolution. Every song on the album stands its ground, each one unique. Everything from the composition to the performance, arrangements and production are leaps beyond previous offerings. This is an album to get lost in on the dancefloor or headphones in equal measures.

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. He has been described as the "JD Salinger of Pop" (by Rock And Folk) and Q Magazine welcomed his come-back album A Trip To The Coast (TR 280CD/LP, 2014) as "a welcome return for a long lost treasure", Francoise Hardy provided backing vocals for his '80s Hit "Tommy & Co", his albums were produced by people like Ian Broudie and Etienne Daho and recently he was invited as a special guest by Pete Doherty to open his Liverpool show. In a nutshell, since the early '80s, Bill Pritchard has shown that he is at the top of his game. Now comes Bill Pritchard Sings Poems by Patrick Woodcock -- a new and exciting venture, a collaboration with the acclaimed Canadian poet Patrick Woodcock. Woodcock, who has written nine books of poetry and whose work has been translated into 14 languages. Bill Pritchard has been a fan for three decades and during the long, dark lockdown days he decided to reach out to Pritchard and ask if he would write a song based on one of his poems. The beginning of a great (e-mail-) friendship between the award-winning poet living far above the Arctic Circle and the singer/songwriter from the Midlands from which the present album resulted. Sings Poems By Patrick Woodcock is a work of beauty and a testament to their love and respect for each other's craft. All of the songs were created from poems found in the tenth book Farhang Book I by Patrick Woodcock (to be released later in 2023). The album has everything you expect from a Bill Pritchard album, it has everything you expect from a great pop album: songs of timeless elegance armed with Woodcock´s amazing poems, multi-layered songs that seem so effortless at the same time. The album contains 11 sparkling guitar pop gems that prove that Pritchard is one of the greats of the genre alongside artists like Lloyd Cole or Roddy Frame. Bill Pritchard Sings Poems By Patrick Woodcock is a joy, an experiment and an artistic triumph, it is as expected a lyrical and musical masterpiece.

$16.50 IN STOCK

He has been described as the "JD Salinger of Pop" (by Rock And Folk) and Q Magazine welcomed his come-back album A Trip To The Coast (TR 280CD/LP, 2014) as "a welcome return for a long lost treasure", Francoise Hardy provided backing vocals for his '80s Hit "Tommy & Co", his albums were produced by people like Ian Broudie and Etienne Daho and recently he was invited as a special guest by Pete Doherty to open his Liverpool show. In a nutshell, since the early '80s, Bill Pritchard has shown that he is at the top of his game. Now comes Bill Pritchard Sings Poems by Patrick Woodcock -- a new and exciting venture, a collaboration with the acclaimed Canadian poet Patrick Woodcock. Woodcock, who has written nine books of poetry and whose work has been translated into 14 languages. Bill Pritchard has been a fan for three decades and during the long, dark lockdown days he decided to reach out to Pritchard and ask if he would write a song based on one of his poems. The beginning of a great (e-mail-) friendship between the award-winning poet living far above the Arctic Circle and the singer/songwriter from the Midlands from which the present album resulted. Sings Poems By Patrick Woodcock is a work of beauty and a testament to their love and respect for each other's craft. All of the songs were created from poems found in the tenth book Farhang Book I by Patrick Woodcock (to be released later in 2023). The album has everything you expect from a Bill Pritchard album, it has everything you expect from a great pop album: songs of timeless elegance armed with Woodcock´s amazing poems, multi-layered songs that seem so effortless at the same time. The album contains 11 sparkling guitar pop gems that prove that Pritchard is one of the greats of the genre alongside artists like Lloyd Cole or Roddy Frame. Bill Pritchard Sings Poems By Patrick Woodcock is a joy, an experiment and an artistic triumph, it is as expected a lyrical and musical masterpiece.

$16.50 IN STOCK

Robocop Kraus were formed in 1998 in Hersbruck, Germany. They have played more than 800 shows in clubs, squats, concert halls and on festival stages all over Europe, in the US, the UK, Japan and Russia. They have released (about) five albums on L'Age d'Or, Epitaph, Anti, Day After Records. Robocop Kraus are back! Incredibly, Smile is the first new Robo album in fifteen years. Germany's answer to "The Make Up / Franz Ferdinand / Talking Heads / The Rapture / Devo" have their own inimitable sound. How did the band manage to come up with the best album in their history, some 25 years after the debut performance in a Hersbruck youth centre? An album that leaves the anaemic, success-obsessed indie scene in its wake and one that we can already say will be among the most invigorating releases of the year, even though 2023 has only just begun. Smile is an aptly chosen title. The Robo's gallop fiercely and fearlessly through an array of musical styles and themes. No false modesty, no malice, embracing the spirit of "Innocent Fun". Not in the slightest, in an age of meticulously plotted musical paths (and life plans), such naive exuberance and inventiveness are more than just charming, they are positively subversive. Smile fizzes with impetuous energy and shines with the serenity of a band who have played over 800 gigs all over the world and yet play every single song as if their lives depended on it. "Young Man" is fueled by drums and bongos. Then comes the "Innocent Fun", a touching coming of age story, flaunting a euphoric power pop shiny suit. "On Repeat" floats on dreamy synthesizer waves before drifting into the kraut-disco. "World/Inferno" is dedicated to the group of the same name, with whom the Robo's toured Europe and the USA in the 2000s. The New York band's vocalist died last year. "Under Control" is a new wave banger that sets the emotional state of too much sentiment to music. A state which is swiftly reined in on the next track, thanks to the great rationalist Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Another highlight is the pop ballad "Cradle of Filth" which recounts an episode with the eponymous metal band on the night train to Saint Petersburg. There are flashes everywhere of that innate, idiosyncratic, unmistakable Robocop Kraus sense of humor, never ironic, never detached. On Smile, Robocop Kraus have succeeded in eluding the downward spiral that would see them end as a tiresome cult band or, perish the thought, a dusty legend. Produced by Jan Philipp Janzen (Die Sterne, Von Spar etc.)

$26.00 IN STOCK

LP version. Robocop Kraus were formed in 1998 in Hersbruck, Germany. They have played more than 800 shows in clubs, squats, concert halls and on festival stages all over Europe, in the US, the UK, Japan and Russia. They have released (about) five albums on L'Age d'Or, Epitaph, Anti, Day After Records. Robocop Kraus are back! Incredibly, Smile is the first new Robo album in fifteen years. Germany's answer to "The Make Up / Franz Ferdinand / Talking Heads / The Rapture / Devo" have their own inimitable sound. How did the band manage to come up with the best album in their history, some 25 years after the debut performance in a Hersbruck youth centre? An album that leaves the anaemic, success-obsessed indie scene in its wake and one that we can already say will be among the most invigorating releases of the year, even though 2023 has only just begun. Smile is an aptly chosen title. The Robo's gallop fiercely and fearlessly through an array of musical styles and themes. No false modesty, no malice, embracing the spirit of "Innocent Fun". Not in the slightest, in an age of meticulously plotted musical paths (and life plans), such naive exuberance and inventiveness are more than just charming, they are positively subversive. Smile fizzes with impetuous energy and shines with the serenity of a band who have played over 800 gigs all over the world and yet play every single song as if their lives depended on it. "Young Man" is fueled by drums and bongos. Then comes the "Innocent Fun", a touching coming of age story, flaunting a euphoric power pop shiny suit. "On Repeat" floats on dreamy synthesizer waves before drifting into the kraut-disco. "World/Inferno" is dedicated to the group of the same name, with whom the Robo's toured Europe and the USA in the 2000s. The New York band's vocalist died last year. "Under Control" is a new wave banger that sets the emotional state of too much sentiment to music. A state which is swiftly reined in on the next track, thanks to the great rationalist Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Another highlight is the pop ballad "Cradle of Filth" which recounts an episode with the eponymous metal band on the night train to Saint Petersburg. There are flashes everywhere of that innate, idiosyncratic, unmistakable Robocop Kraus sense of humor, never ironic, never detached. On Smile, Robocop Kraus have succeeded in eluding the downward spiral that would see them end as a tiresome cult band or, perish the thought, a dusty legend. Produced by Jan Philipp Janzen (Die Sterne, Von Spar etc.)

$16.50 IN STOCK

Downpilot is ostensibly the solo project of singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and recording/mix engineer Paul Hiraga. For the last four albums, Hiraga has recorded and mixed single-handedly, which has given his work a seasoned clarity, and his seventh album, The Forecast, is the boldest, most exquisitely crafted Downpilot album to date. A trip across multiple decades with influences subtly ranging from the melodic Laurel Canyon-esque ballads ("Balancer"), to Baroque and sunshine pop of the late '60s and '70s ("Strangers Hotel"), to '90s Britpop ("Red Desert"), all with a 21st-Century spin, it's nothing less than an achievement that The Forecast hangs together so wonderfully as a cohesive body of work. The crystalline intro to "Black Eye", the album's opener, showcases Hiraga's voice, which has a richness and raspy expressiveness that has never sounded better than it does on this album. Hiraga has long been exploring a range of themes in his songwriting: the inevitability of change, the mystery and beauty of nature, the varied histories of places and people, the complexity of human relationships, and the uncertainty of the future. He is a Seattle-based artist, and the Pacific Northwest is a palpable presence -- it has gotten into his blood, and it seeps into the songs. With the sparse and delightfully rhythmic "Totems," he evokes the distant past of the region, interweaving it with individual and personal narratives. The intoxicated twang of "Night Shade" underpins a lament on things lost, while shimmery guitar and three-part vocals on "Balancer" take a bow to CSN, making a layered bed for a poetic love song. The melodic chorus of "Strangers Hotel," a symphony of strings, piano, and obscure oddball keyboards underpins a philosophical exploration of memory and the nature of reality. One of the albums most exciting moments appears with "Red Desert," a desolate urban vision with a transcendent violin from virtuoso Melinda Rice, who contributes string parts on several songs. Hiraga has also included longtime Downpilot members Jeff Brown and Anne Marie Ruljancich (Walkabouts) along with Terry de Castro (The Wedding Present) to add a few vocal nuances throughout the album, with Brown's harmonies adding a soaring quality to "Favorite Neighborhood." Ending with the title track, this may not be the sunniest of forecasts but it is not without hope. Ultimately this is a life-affirming album that dips effortlessly into different styles while maintaining Downpilot's unmistakable musical identity. Loyal fans will not be disappointed, as The Forecast contains plenty of signature sounds, themes, and motifs. But this new collection of superbly crafted pop songs could also open the field to new listeners.