PSYCHIC TV - 'A Prayer For Derek Jarman'
CD £11.50. OUT NOW!

      

Unavailable for almost 30 years in its own right, this collection from the Cold Spring archive has been remastered / repackaged with new art. This classic album exists as a document of the soundtrack work PSYCHIC TV created for the many films and videos of Derek Jarman. Another demonstration of why PSYCHIC TV were one of the most important groups in the world.

The titular track, 'Prayer For Derek', is intended as an invocationary prayer, based on Tibetan rituals; a collage of sounds including field recordings of the lulling waves running aground on the shingle beach opposite Jarman's Prospect Cottage in Dungeness, Kent alongside bird song, crying babies, and massed ritualised chants to aid the late film director in his after-life journeys. Other tracks feature elongated drones, washes of dissonance, melancholic guitar chime, evocative piano scoring, Burroughs cut-ups, gothic chants, and familiar snarling dogs.

• CD in matt digipak with 8-page fold-out booklet, with detailed liner notes by Genesis P-Orridge (1997); Astorical anecdotes and background facts for completeness.

SONOLOGYST - 'Planetarium'
2 x CD £12 Adv - IN STOCK - OFFICIALLY OUT TOMORROW! (£13.50 After)

          

An aural exploration of the solar system by Sonologyst, using data from NASA's probes.

On the latest album by Sonologyst, raw data from radio waves, electromagnetic fields, and plasma fluctuations, utilising data sonification files provided by NASA, are transformed into a haunting soundscape, unveiling the ambient music of planets, solar winds, and the cosmic beyond.

As the newest addition to Sonologyst's series of sonic documentaries, this work deepens his exploration of the sonic spectrum, converting cosmic phenomena into immersive auditory experiences.

NASA and other space agencies have captured "sounds" from the cosmos by recording non-audible signals like radio waves, electromagnetic waves, and plasma (ionized gas that's prevalent in space) wave fluctuations. These are converted into audio frequencies we can hear using a process called data sonification. Spacecraft like Voyager, Cassini, and Juno are equipped with special instruments (e.g., plasma wave antennas, magnetometers, radio wave receivers) to detect radio waves, plasma waves, and electromagnetic fields.

These signals can provide data on phenomena like solar wind, planetary magnetospheres, and charged particles. Since many of these signals are outside our hearing range (radio waves might have frequencies far below the audible range (20 Hz to 20 kHz) or far above it, while magnetic and plasma waves are often in the range of milliHertz (mHz) to kilohertz (kHz), also outside human hearing.), they are converted using various techniques, including frequency scaling, sampling, filtering, and amplitude modulation. Some events, like plasma wave bursts, happen over long periods. Scientists may speed up the playback so we can hear the changes in a shorter time frame.

After conversion, the resulting sounds are often enhanced to make certain patterns, pitches, or changes in intensity more noticeable. This may involve amplifying certain frequencies or adding layers to represent multi-dimensional data. This processing helps bring out subtle differences that might otherwise be hard to discern.

• Double CD in a matt-finish gatefold ecopak, with a bonus disc of the raw source material from NASA's probes.

MARC AND THE MAMBAS - 'Three Black Nights Of Little Black Bites'
Ltd 2LP Black / Red Splatter (sold out) | Ltd Red 2LP (sold out) | Black 2LP £25 Adv - OUT 8th AUG.

 

The complete recordings of the legendary Marc And The Mambas run of three live performances given at The Duke Of York's Theatre in London's West End in 1983. Restored from the original VHS tape recordings made by the late Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson (Throbbing Gristle, Coil), these remain the only recordings that exist of Marc And The Mambas performing live.

Originally released in 2012 on Marc Almond's (Soft Cell) own Strike Force Entertainment label as a CD/DVD set (long sold out), this edition, presented on vinyl for the first time, contains the 17 tracks from the SFE CD release, expanded to include the two bonus DVD-only tracks: 'Près Des Ramparts De Séville' and 'Jacky'. Completely remastered for vinyl by Martin Bowes (The Cage Studios).

A combination of the chanson and torch songs which he still sings today, over piano, strings and woodwind-accompanied compositions. "It's quite a spectacle, especially when Almond hits his sweet spot of sinister lyrics, declared pompously over a droned string arrangement... Early signs of the full-on showtune and classical rearrangements that make up Almond's current albums are evident"(Record Collector).

Presented on heavyweight double vinyl in a deluxe glossy gatefold sleeve featuring the extensive reminiscence by Marc Almond himself from the 2012 release.

Also included is a reproduction of the 16-page programme printed for the three concerts in 1983. The stunning cover painting by Val Denham is exclusive to this release.

• Ltd x 150 copies Red / Black Splatter 2LP (via Cold Spring only! SOLD OUT!)
• Ltd x 350 copies Red 2LP (SOLD OUT!)
• Black 2LP

LTD RED / BLACK SPLATTER 2LP	LTD RED 2LP	BLACK 2LP £25
SOLD OUT	SOLD OUT

LITTLE ANNIE - 'With'
CD £11.50 | LP Black £22 | LP Green £24 - OUT NOW!

   

This collection features the cream of Little Annie's collaborations with some of the greatest names in the 'alternative' music world: MARC ALMOND (Soft Cell), COIL, SWANS, BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY, BABY DEE, KID CONGO POWERS (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Gun Club, The Cramps), PAUL WALLFISCH (The Ministry Of Wolves, ex-Swans), and LARSEN.

A common atmosphere brings these tracks together; lamenting torch songs, esoteric electronics, melancholic pianos, avant-garde lounge... a collection for dark, candle-lit corners of smoky cabaret bars and secret speakeasy clubs.

Anne Bandez (known as Little Annie / Annie Anxiety), is a versatile American singer, painter, and performance artist renowned for her extensive collaborations across various music genres since the late 1970s. Her artistic journey has seen her work with a diverse array of avant-garde musicians, contributing significantly to the experimental music scene. Annie's career is a testament to her adaptability and innovative spirit, seamlessly blending music, visual arts, and literature to create a unique and enduring artistic legacy.

Mastered by Martin Siewert (known for his incredible mastering for the likes of Hermann Nitsch, Thurston Moore, Lydia Lunch, Mika Vainio, Keiji Haino, and more).

Cover paintings by Little Annie.

• CD in matt-laminate 6-panel digipak

• Ltd Ed 250 copies on green heavyweight 180g vinyl in a matt-laminate sleeve (via Cold Spring only!)

• Black heavyweight 180g vinyl in a matt-laminate sleeve

LTD GREEN LP £24	BLACK LP £22	CD £11.50

ANDREW OSTLER - 'The Blind Sublime'
CD £11.50 - OUT NOW!

     

Andrew Ostler continues his artistic evolution towards choral beauty, orchestral textures, ambient drones and low woodwind, into the realms of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Arvo Pärt or Stars Of The Lid.

Building on the string arrangements of his previous LP "Dots On A Disk Of Snow", and taking a heavy dose of sax drone from an earlier album still, this record also adds a full choir, taking the music to another level of spiritual intensity.

"This is music of transcendence, and perhaps transformation... A glimpse of something profound: not merely music, but a reflection of the sublime itself - blind, unknowable, and utterly captivating" (Chain D.L.K.).

On the first three compositions the drones are, for the most part, relatively gentle, while chant-like choral arrangements drift and weave around and above them. 'Affirmation' is quietly confident, with a surge of intensity around the midpoint; 'Confession' is perhaps more tentative, the shifting canon of the voices threatened by a distant storm of distorted synth shredding; 'Adoration' restores the straightforward choral beauty, building to an unashamed cadence.

The immense final track 'Meditation' is a quite different affair. Here the drones are more intense slabs, the choir is more demonstrative in its emotion, and the ultimate climax the more devastating for it. The journey is longer, but the rewards are greater for the committed.

Originally released on Andrew Ostler's own Expert Sleepers label on limited edition blue vinyl last year, Cold Spring are very proud to press this gem onto CD for the first time.

• CD in matt-laminate digipak

SHE SPREAD SORROW & LUCA SIGURTÀ - 'The Grimorian Tapes' CD (Helen Scarsdale Agency) - £12

"Don't be scared by death", Alice Kundalini (aka She Spread Sorrow) calmly instructs at the beginning of her collaborative Grimorian Tapes with partner Luca Sigurtà. The words slither from her lips with a subtle, sinister unease, compounded by the unsettling quality of her whisper. The fear of death, this most profound condition, has long been a subject of philosophical, spiritual, and existential inquiry. To fear death is undeniably human; to transcend that fear is often seen as reaching a higher plane of existence. At least, that's the intention behind the rituals, the spells woven into the fabric of The Grimorian Tapes. Industrial culture has historically turned to personal ritual, obscure texts, gnostic scriptures, and heretical thought as a means of detaching itself from the corruption of hegemonic western culture. The Italian death industrial duo of She Spread Sorrow and Luca Sigurtà present The Grimorian Tapes as part of this tradition, drawing from a lineage of artists such as Coil, Psychic TV, Current 93, Cranioclast, and Metgumbnerbone. The arrangements manifest out of crumbled tape loops, disconcerting tone-bent half-melodies, and creaking utterances that might not be out of place at a Fox Sisters séance. Throughout, Kundalini's vocals shift from eerie whispers to guttural incantations to extended technique chanting, all intensifying the otherworldly atmosphere. Drawing inspiration from the Black Pullet, an 18th-century French grimoire filled with instructions for making talismans and magical artifacts, Kundalini weaves her own take on the book's esoteric themes into the shadowy tape loops that comprise The Grimorian Tapes. Seductive symbols and ideas, which speak to a long-forgotten language of metaphysical mystery. It's this sense of transmutation, hidden knowledge, and occult wisdom that lends The Grimorian Tapes its dark, ritualistic intensity. 6-panel digipak with reverse board printing.

ROD MODELL - 'Music For Bus Stations' CD (13 / Silentes) - £13
ROD MODELL - 'Music For Bus Stations 1 (MF)' LP BLACK (13 / Silentes) - £26
ROD MODELL - 'Music For Bus Stations 2 (BS)' LP BLACK (13 / Silentes) - £26

"Music For Bus Stations" is an astonishing work that pours into the soul of those allowing themselves to be transported in a dimension where sound turns into background noise. Sound becomes part of us, of our movements, our thoughts, our looks and our silences. There is no reason for resistance. Let's be silent. The noise around us is quite good. "Generative sonic backdrop for bus stations. Designed to enhance space and portray a mod of progressiveness, grandeur, and ethereal calm. A slowly shifting static backdrop designed to enhance modern architecture, rather than compete with it. Sounding as if the structure itself was resonating. Hovering sound-fields that utilizes sonic phenomena proven to induce states of calm. Can be presented as a multichannel, polyrhythmic installation with different components of the composition emanating from different areas within the structure, and elements constantly shifting in relationship to other elements, creating an organic sonic-tapestry that never repeats the same way. In essence, the soundscape becoming a living organism with unpredictable behavior. Inspired by avant-garde bus station designs such as Domitianus Arquitectura's station in Rio Maior, Portugal; Bluck & Morgen's Busbahnhof Poppenbuttel in Hamburg, Germany; and Metaraum Architect's bus station in Pzorzheim, Germany". Rod Modell is a sound designer operating primarily from Detroit (with a base in Amsterdam). The CD features a 62-minute long piece, with a different mix to the vinyl. Second edition. CD: Ltd x 300 copies in a 6-panel digisleeve with photography by Zooey Braun. Vinyl: Second editions. Ltd x 300 copies on black vinyl in a flood-printed sleeve with photography by Zooey Braun.

CAPRICORNI PNEUMATICI - 'Witchcraft' CD (Eighth Tower Records / Unexplained Sounds) - £12

Mysterious and magmatic dark ambient from Italian duo Capricorni Pneumatici who started in 1987, taking their name from an Aleister Crowley book. The track Witchcraft was originally released by SSS Production on a C25 cassette in 1989. Eighth Tower Records brings to light, re-releasing on CD, this esoteric industrial gem by Capricorni Pneumatici, along with three entirely unreleased tracks. Witchcraft was largely inspired by reading the Compendium Maleficarum by Francesco Maria Guazzo from 1608, in a copy of the famous 1929 Rodker edition edited by Montague Summers. The track was created using the DX7 synth, tapes to manipulate field recordings sounds, and a soprano saxophone recorded in an underground environment "The Cave", where the recordings of CP1 and Al-Azif were made. Larger parts of the sax sessions recorded in the cave were later published in "Vala, or the Four Zoas" (Second Zoa) a few months later. A-Thele-ber-Seth and A-Ro-Go-Go-Ru were recorded around the end of 1987 and attached to the zine Zos-Kia, Vol.2. The first piece was inspired by Kabbalistic rituals (as per texts published in that issue of Zos-Kia), while the second refers to Voodoo cults. These two tracks were printed on a cassette exclusively attached to the zine Zos-Kia, sold in a run of 100 copies in an esoteric bookstore in the Porta Venezia area of Milan. Schmumm, on the other hand, was recorded a little more than a year after Witchcraft. The track makes extensive use of field recordings made in London and other locations. The recordings were then edited and processed in a studio in Winchester. The whole thing was then re-edited, reprocessed, and combined with recordings secretly made in the church of a medieval village in Calabria (Southern Italy), while local women chanted "spells". Ltd x 200 copies in a 6-panel matt digipak.

ACHERONTAS - 'NEKYIA - The Necromantic Patterns' CD (Zazen Sounds) - £12

Acherontas (boasting members of Shibalba, Akrabu, Crimson Moon, Devathorn) stands as one of the foremost torchbearers of the second wave of Greek Black Metal, deeply rooted in the traditions of the original Hellenic scene while channelling mysticism, magic, occult arts, and ritual. These are not mere influences but the very lifeblood of Acherontas, forming the essence of its image, the pulse of its sound, and the breath of its lyrical invocations. Beyond music, the Coven remains devoted to the path of esoteric philosophy, occult praxis, and spiritual transmutation. "NEKYIA - The Necromantic Patterns" marks a descent into the chthonic realms of transcendence, where the veils of mortality are torn asunder, revealing the hidden currents that weave existence. A ceremonial odyssey through the labyrinthine corridors of Death and Rebirth, this opus embodies the sacred rites of Dissolution and Ascension, invoking the wisdom of the ancients and the spectral echoes of forgotten aeons. Each hymn within this work serves as an invocation, a key to unlocking the forgotten pathways of Necromantic Revelation. A work of ritualistic resonance and spiritual upheaval, this album is a testament to the Ineffable Truth - one that lies beyond creeds, beyond dogma, beyond the illusion of structured reality. Truth is a pathless land, and "NEKYIA - The Necromantic Patterns" is the sigil that illuminates the way. 8-panel digisleeve.

THOMAS BEY WILLIAM BAILEY - 'Liminalia' CD Book - SIGNED (Fifteen Minutes Of Anonymity) - £20

"Liminalia" bridges a gap between supposedly distinct states of consciousness. During the process of recording the album, Thomas Bey William Bailey leafed through some dream journals and noted an unusually large number of dream scenarios involving the performance of music at strange "hybrid" spaces, i.e. ones in which the experiences of waking life were supplemented by encounters with people / places / things of a totally alien nature. Sonically, this draws upon a host of different influences from controlled feedback and metallic churn reminiscent of Organum, or strange glistening ephemera a la Asmus Tietchens, to skittering analogue soundscapes. Although light on more violent elements, this may be the most potent item in Thomas' ouevre in terms of overall cohesion and in its ability to develop a simultaneously frightening and seductive atmosphere. Many of the sonic flourishes here are as close as we can possibly get to the composer's dreamed auditory experience: particularly the fragmented human voice, rendered as a purely aesthetic / ornamental micro-sound. This is complemented by an a-musical agglomeration of static, ultrasonic pinpricks and percussive flutters that act as synesthetic triggers while in the dreaming state. Ethereal, washed-out melodies also appear at unexpected intervals, and dissolve with an equal level of unpredictability.

Ltd x 100 copies (CD proper) presented in a luxurious soft-feel hardcover dream / nightmare journal with CD mounted on inside, with fluid cover designs from artist Paul Takahashi. Listeners are encouraged to play the album before sleeping and to record any dreamed impressions in the blank pages provided. The book features: 160 pages of Swedish Munken Kristall lined paper, 16-page centre seam of blank G .F. Smith paper in 'cool grey', heavyweight, textured top sheet with information, grey heat-sealed wayfinding ribbon, and a lay-flat design with Swiss binding. A real thing of beauty, hand-signed and numbered by TBWB.

COMICIDE 24 - 'Chronic Transfusion' CD (Zoharum) - £11.50

Founded in the early 80's by Stephen Ah Burroughs (TUNNELS OF AH, FRAG) and Eric Jurenovskis, soon after expanding its line-up, transformed into HEAD OF DAVID, one of the most influential musical groups, combining punk energy with industrial grind. Today, they are often considered the progenitors of GODFLESH, because it was J.K. Broadrick's playing in their line-up that gave him the impetus to operate under this name. In their short life, COMICIDE played several concerts (including alongside CON-DOM). Brought back to life after almost three decades of silence, "Chronic Transfusion" is actually the project's full-length debut album. Six tracks with an industrial edge, built from electronic preparations, sonic manipulations, selected through experiment. A release full of emotional charge, with a large amplitude of intensity, from slightly brighter fragments, resounding in ambient melodies, through drones growing and pulsating, like electricity, to intensive, massive fragments, constituting a counterpoint and giving the right rhythm and narrative, at the same time defining the framework in which the publication is enclosed as a well-thought-out, coherent and full album of the project. The slightly lo-fi sound, breaking reverberation, noise and grinding, fully achieves the intended goal during the recording process. Ltd x 300 copies in a 6-panel digisleeve.

WORTH - 'Me Vexat Pede' CD + Poster (Aussaat) - £14

On the album "Me Vexat Pede", US Harsh Noise act Worth presents 11 radical and intense noise compositions. In a way it continues where his last album "Hamper" (Aussaat, 2023) left the listener. A sonic map of nonage, and from without - the spoilage in returning. Ltd x 300 copies CD in a super jewelcase, with 8-page booklet and a double sided A3 "Tree Of Light / Tree Of Knowledge" folded poster (this pack may not fit through a standard letterbox).

THEME - 'Meditations On Space, Volume One' CD (Fourth Dimension) - £11.50

"Meditations on Space, Volume One" is the seventh album from UK's Theme and represents the first volume in a two-part set. Consisting of one piece of music (spanning around 40 minutes in total), broken into seven parts, it sees the core duo of Richard Johnson (Splintered, Husk) and Stuart Carter (Splintered, The Fields Of Hay), working with contributions from Zsolt Sores, Hiroshimabend, Emma Lynch and Michal Wojciechowski to create a blanket of shifting sonic textures and pulses that are at once dynamic and unpredictable. Utilising electronics, field recordings, viola, voices, guitar and a variety of other sound sources, the sound here is rich in scope as it vacillates between the dramatic and more subdued. Ltd x 300 copies in a digipak.

VARIOUS ARTISTS - 'Drone Islands - Borealis' CD (Eighth Tower Records / Unexplained Sounds) - £12

Fourth volume in the Drone Islands series, after "Stellar" (2021), "Land Rising" (2019) and "The Lost Maps" (2020). Deep explorations into the realm of droning music. While the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is largely celebrated as a breathtaking natural wonder, it also has a more eerie, unexplained, and sinister side that has perplexed and unsettled observers for centuries. The strange, flickering lights have long been steeped in mystique, inspiring tales of supernatural forces, spirits, and even foreboding omens. In the quiet of the Arctic night, where the lights can seem to pulse with an almost otherworldly energy, it's easy to understand why ancient peoples feared these glowing veils in the sky. But even in modern times, one of the most eerie characteristics of the Aurora Borealis is the occasional sounds that accompany it. There have been numerous reports, particularly from indigenous Arctic communities and polar explorers, of mysterious noises - like faint crackling, hissing, or even whispers - heard during intense auroral displays. For centuries, these sounds were dismissed as folklore or the product of imagination, given that the aurora occurs at altitudes far above where sound could reasonably be produced or heard. However, in recent years, scientists have begun to investigate this acoustic anomaly. Some researchers suggest that certain atmospheric conditions might allow for faint electrical discharges at lower altitudes, producing these sounds in sync with the lights. Despite these theories, no definitive explanation has been found, leaving this eerie auditory element of the Northern Lights shrouded in mystery. Ominous Dark Ambient, windswept Drones, slow-moving synths, and strange soundscapes from: Kloob, Mario Lino Stancati, Michael Bonaventure, Nerthus, Yousef Kawar, Rauðvik, [ówt krì], Sílení, and Vacuum Within. Ltd x 200 copies in a 6-panel matt digipak.