Having made the switch to exclusively playing vibraphone with his quartet on 2009's Music Update, Jason Marsalis sticks to his guns, errr, mallets on 2013's In a World of Mallets. Besides vibes, Marsalis also plays various other instruments here including marimba, glockenspiel, tubular bells, and xylophone. Once again working with his quartet featuring pianist Austin Johnson, bassist Will Goble, and drummer Dave Potter, Marsalis delivers an exploratory yet swinging mix of chamber and post-bop jazz. As an ensemble, they seem to have a relaxed, intuitive sense for group interplay and plenty of chops to spare.

The Italian composer Riccardo Malipiero (1914–2003), nephew of the better-known Gian Francesco Malipiero, was one of the pioneers of twelve-tone technique in Italy. His six published piano works – recorded here for the first time – encapsulate half-a-century of development, from the post-Respighian 14 variazioni of 1938, via the Bachian Invenzioni and the virtuosic Costellazioni, to the classicism of the Diario second of 1985. But Malipiero’s concern was more with individuality of expression than with modernist dogma, and he was happy to break the rules in pursuit of colour and variety.

Fernando Lopes-Graça was a Portuguese composer, conductor and musicologist. Lopes-Graça was influenced by Portuguese popular music, which he also studied, continuing the work of the composer and musicologist Francisco de Lacerda. He was a member of the Portuguese Communist Party and strenuously opposed the Estado Novo and its leader António de Oliveira Salazar. He completed the Dicionário de Música (Dictionary of Music), started by his teacher, Tomás Borba, himself a composer.

This is the first work of Lanvall for the German label WMMS (Music is Intelligence). This is an album of symphonic guitar instrumental music that achieved a big response by the international press. The music is a floating and intense combination of melodic guitar solos and piano.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers didn't really knock out their second album – it was released two years after their debut – but it sure sounds as if they did. There are some wonderful moments on this record, but it often feels like leftovers from a strong debut, or an album written on the road, especially since the music is simply an extension of the first album…

Debut Full-Length Album from the Swedish Heavy Rock/Metal Band. There are bands that are just too big and wide-ranging to fit in a box, like THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL. Tom Sutton (ex-Church Of Misery) and Patrik Andersson Winberg (ex Doomdogs) two members of the line-up, already have made it in the Doom scene, so this is a sure indication that this band will break any speed records. And of course, THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL are rooted in Doom, but they shouldn’t be reduced to the pure slow-motion sound, because Wisdom is clearly too complex. Wisdom is a record of big gestures and stories and is full of epic beauty and magic. This is not music to be consumed just casually, but a widescreen sound with invitation to dive into tempting and dangerous world. Doom, Hard Rock, Metal, Folk - THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL play with many elements and form a compact unit out of it, with songs to never get boring. A mystical and mysterious album with a high potential to get addicted to. In short: An entry made to measure!

Synkopy (or Synkopy 61), translated as Syncopations, were born in 1960 in Brno, Moravia. The first line-up consisted of Jiri Rybar (drums, vocals), Pavel Pokorny (violin, vocals), Petr Smeja (guitar, vocals), Milos Orsag (accordion) and Petr Fischer (clarinet), a while later joined by Jiri Rybar on double bass and vocals. This early acoustic incarnation was geared towards dance halls, but in 1963 Smeja and Carvas started playing electric instruments and the sound become more rocking. Their name changed every year, ie. Synkopy 63, 64… until they finally settled on Synkopy 61…

The Vikings - The Best Head Ever (2CD, 2005)
FLAC+CUE+LOG or MP3 CBR 320 | Complete Scanwork | 730 or 238 MB
Garage Punk / Punk Rock / Power Pop

The Vikings were a side-project by Steve Baise of The Devil Dogs and young Norwegian musicians, features the members of Turbonegro, and future founder of The Yum Yums, Morten Henriksen. The short lived project have released a several 7" singles and one full-lenght album "Go Berzerk!". This compilation, from the U.S. based Just Add Water label, includes almost all recordings of the band, plus a live show from 1996 as the bonus disc. A must have for the collectors.

Gus Till is one of the true pioneers of the psychedelic trance sound. Having worked with music since the 70s he found himself in London at the height of the goa trance moment. He had productions on almost every significant record label of the day - including Dragonfly, Twisted and TIP, but it was his work with the Slinky Wizard and Stoop and Fidget projects on Flying Rhino that earned him a reputation for absolute top quality. Despite this, he never managed to release a full length dance album. With the demise of Flying Rhino, and much more of the older material difficult to find, Gus has chosen to release not one but two compilations of his music…